Suzuki RE5

[JerseyJon]

Has anyone ever heard of this rotary-powered, mid-seventies oddity? I guess I knew somewhere along the line that there was such a thing as this, but I've never actually seen one.

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/mcy/5131597299.html

[image]http://newjersey.craigslist.org/mcy/5131597299.html[/image]

[JerseyJon]

[bikerphil]

I have seen those before at vintage bike shows and in a museum. More info...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_RE5

[webbcraft2150]

Let me jump in my Way-Back machine Mr. Peabody. My first "real" job, (40 hour week, an actual paycheck) was at a Mazda Dealership when the rotary cars hit this side of the pond. RX2's, RX3's, RX7's, coupes, sedans and wagons. While I was relegated to prepping cars, dumping trash and cleaning windows, one of the techs (mechanics back then) had a RE5. I remember it being a weird looking and sounding bike. I was riding a ancient Suzuki TS100 and thought it was the machine to have. He did spend a lot of time after hours working on it and I learned a lot of non conversational English from him. It disappeared one day and he showed up later on a new BMW twin. When I inquired about the RE5, he said he wanted to ride a bike more than wrench on one. It fell into disfavor as did the RX series of cars, absolute buggers to tune and rapidly failing apex seals made em smoke worse than my 2-stroke Suzuki. I will say, the RX cars were surprisingly fast for there size and would rev to 7k in a heartbeat.

[jetmechmarty]

At the rally now known as XS Southeast:

[Jerry]

Brings back some memories; I remember reading road tests at the time; my impression is that there were a decent bike with an off-beat exhaust note. Rotary engines also showed up in Arctic Cat snowmobiles. A friend had a rotary-powered coupe and it ran pretty well. She wrecked the car but put the engine in a Mazda(?) pickup and ran it for several more years. I've never seen one really close up but they are a curiosity and I have wondered if new apex seal materials might revive the design.

Most were of a two-rotor design but some had only 1 rotor or more than two.

[MaximPhil]

At the rally now known as XS Southeast:

Hi Marty,
That was the first one I had ever seen. Saw another afew weeks ago at a vintage swap meet.
Phil

[JerseyJon]

The one from XS SE looks cool. From the reading I've done, is sounds like it was a pretty quick and able bike relative to it's displacement.

[madmax-im]

Hi Marty,
That was the first one I had ever seen. Saw another afew weeks ago at a vintage swap meet.
Phil

Wow that was at TWO back in the day...I wasnt there ..only the last year at TWO...which was my 1st XSSE rally...2010...

[jimbyjimb]

I've never seen one really close up but they are a curiosity and I have wondered if new apex seal materials might revive the design.

Much like how two stroke gas engines are on the endangered species list the Wankel will never return. Too dirty to meet CARB requirements and they make awful fuel economy. Advances in technology have brought the four stroke up and left the rest behind. I still like two strokes but the stuff being done with four strokes now is just incredible. Wankels are just weird. The RX8 didn't do too hot.