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So long as all goes as planned I'll finally have my hands on a Suzuki re5! For those who are unfamiliar with the re5, it is a Suzuki designed 500cc, liquid cooled, peripherial ported, single rotor engine, motorcycle!
I've had many FC's, an FD, several rotary powered Arctic cat snowmobiles, and I havent gotten to know all of them pretty well! That being said, I have a lot learn about the re5 and if any of you have words of advice or any knowledge in general I'd love to hear it!
On to the bike! Barn find, 1975, 7k miles, owner has had it running, but not well, supposedly in very good shape. Needs at minimum tires, an air filter element and a brake master cylinder.
I'm not what my end game will be with the bike but a proper detailing, getting it running and fixing any other existing issues will take precedence.
With any barn find the most important and valuable things needed are the cdi box, carburetor , and ignition. You would spend more replacing these parts than you probably paid for the whole bike.
- The first things i always check when i work on one or find one are
1. make sure cdi has power and comes on
2. Check and see if it has both sets of points and if they are working
3. Look at the carb and see if anyone has messed with it or not
I would say since it has been sitting that the carb needs rebuilt just as a starting point.
Turn the motor over slowly with the kick starter to make sure it isn't seized. Pull the spark plug and listen for the even pulses of air. Might also put a bit of oil in the spark plug hole and turn the motor over a couple more times to get the apex and side seals lubed up.
They don't all have 2 sets of points, don't remember if it was the dealers who removed the second set or the factory but most of the later years only have one set. So don't be alarmed if you take the cover off and only 1 set of points is there.
When you turn the key on you should hear a high pitch whine. That is the CDI, if you hear it that is a good sign.
Get the carb all cleaned out and get an air filter element on it. Some seem to run like crap or not run without an air filter, others don't seem to mind.
Yours looks about like mine when I found it. It was in a chicken coup for 20 years covered in tarps. The brakes were completely dried out, the carb was nasty, but it was complete! Good luck!
I've actually got the choice between a 7000 mile 76 and a 13000 mile 75. Same good condition, both complete. Is there a any particular advantages/disadvantages between the years? Any last advice on known issues to look for?
Went with the 76! It's in great shape, good compression, 100% there(that ive seen at least) minus an air filter and a battery. Electronics all worked, didnt try turning it over with the starter yet though, want to get the years of dust and dirt out of the intake and some 2cycle in the combustion chamber.
Other than that it seems to need tires, a brake master cylinder and a good cleaning of the carb/gas tank.
These bikes DO NOT require 2 cycle. The metering pump and tank are to be filled with OIL ONLY. You could add some 2 cycle to the gas at first just as a precaution in case the metering pump doesn't work. After that, there isnt a reason to run it.
Update: I cleaned the carb and rest of the intake system out, it was full of years of barn dust and rodent chewings as far as the throttle plates.
I filled the chambers with 2 cycle and spun it around several time with the kick starter to get things nice and lubricated and freed up. The engine has very strong compression.
The starter button isn't working but starter spins if you give the relay 12v so I'll have to hunt through the wiring a little bit or clean the switch up at least.
The starter clutch is disengaging itself prematurely, from what I read, it looks like it is typically remedied with some correct, fresh oil.
I managed to get my hands on 2 good used spark plugs which is nice considering they're discontinued and cost about $40 a piece if you can find them.
I've been able to get the engine to fire but the starter kicks out as soon as it does so I haven't been able to actually get it "running" yet.
The petcock started leaking fuel as soon as I turned it, luckily gaskets are available new and I have one ordered.
Master cylinder rebuild kits are still available too, I'll be ordering one of those after I actually get it running.
Other that it definitely needs new tires and a battery.
It's so far only missing the horn, Mirrors, air filter element and air filter element cover. Not bad for a 75'.
Ill be premixing at 1 once/gallon until I can verify that the omp is functioning correctly.
Oils have come a long way since the re5 was created. That being said I'll be switching to amsoil synthetic 2cycle oil in the omp tank. It's designed to burn off and mix with fuel unlike 4 cycle oil. I've read of others having success doing this, so its not like I'll be pioneering the idea.
I'll probably clean and set the points this week, change the oil and see what other little things I can get fixed this coming weekend. Hopefully be able to take it up and down the road a little before it snows.
Yeah the whole bike is in really nice shape. With a good detailing and a couple little things it will look like new aside some pitting of the chrome on the exhaust from surface rust
Well she has fresh fluids now at least, hopefully that fixes the starter clutch issue. I'm going to wait to bother trying to start it until I have the petcock rebuilt, it leaks too much fuel to justify putting more in the tank.
I'm looking into ditching the big, old, rusty chain and doing a 520 chain/sprocket conversion. Should free up a good deal of rotational mass. I'll be keeping the gear ratio as close to stock as possible.
Now a few questions for the few re5 owners out there:
Any suggestions on a good agm battery?
What octane fuel do these bikes seem to prefer?
I know timing from the factory was either set at 5* or 10*, what have you guys found best?
I haven't been able to source an air cleaner, does anyone know of suitable replacements?
Is factory jetting adequate for today's fuel?
What are some decent tires for these?
I've seen spark plug adapters for these, for those who have used them, what plug did you use and how did you like it?
I've read of an electronic ignition upgrade, again, for those who have used it, how did you like it?
Good luck with the restoration. Not sure you wanna go that crazy with it but a classic bike brought back to life in any way gets a thumbs up in my book. What is the asking price for a RE-5 assuming you can find one ?
Thanks. That bike looks great with the modern wheels on it. I don't plan on going crazy with this one, just a light restoration maybe a couple little mods along the way.
I know timing from the factory was either set at 5* or 10*, what have you guys found best?
I haven't been able to source an air cleaner, does anyone know of suitable replacements?
Is factory jetting adequate for today's fuel?
What are some decent tires for these?
I've seen spark plug adapters for these, for those who have used them, what plug did you use and how did you like it?
I've read of an electronic ignition upgrade, again, for those who have used it, how did you like it?
I think I put an AGM battery in my RE5, last year, I will check and see which one it was.
I just run regular gas, whatever is cheapest doesn't seem to matter.
Timing is not as rock solid as you might expect, just getting it set somewhere in the
middle of the range around 8 is doing pretty good in my experience.
Can't help with air cleaner, Rotary Recycle was still around when I needed mine. There is an re5 proboards you might be able to find some parts on.
My jetting is still stock, seems fine. Some people have found going up or down on the idle jet to improve things but mine seems best with stock.
Tires? whatever you want
I have the spark plug adapter and run the yzf R1 plug. Don't know if it really improved anything but plugs are much cheaper and easier to find now.
I also have the electronic ignition installed. Can't tell that it really improved performance, but it improves reliability by eliminating a possibility of the CDI failing.
Good luck with your project! The RE5 is a blast to ride, you get so many comments from people who know just enough about motorcycles to see it is something special.
I'd definitely appreciate the battery info, there is so little information on these bikes out there in comparison to rx7's, a quick search doesn't quite do it!
It's good to hear that these bikes aren't super picky, well outside of getting the carb dialed in at least.
I saw rotaryrecycle mentioned alot in the forums I've read through, I was disappointed to find out it no longer exists. It would be too convienient to have a good source of parts!
I suppose I won't bother with the ignition upgrades until I run out of plugs or the cdi fails if there are no big gains to be had aside a little peace of mind.
Thanks, i'm hoping I can have it ready for the road by spring time since winter is about here in NH. I've got a barn to work on it in, but work and college full time, take up most of my time, so progress will be slow.
I'll update with pics and video when I make some actual progress
Little update.
I completely tore down the carburator this time and ran the jets through an ultra sonic cleaner. This actually removed an impressive amount of build up that you couldn't even tell that was there! Reassembled the carb but didn't put it on yet.
I was able to find airbox door and filter element holder on ebay, though i had to buy the whole airbox assembly.
I also purchased and installed a new air filter element and omp check valve.
Purchased and on their way are new Michelin pilot tires, new tubes and rim bands, new 530 conversion chain and sprockets, and brake master cylinder rebuild kit.
Still need to buy a new battery, horn and Mirrors
So hopefully I'll find the time to take care of all this before spring gets here! I'm very excited to ride this thing!
Been a while since I touched the bike, until today! Laconia Bike week starts this weekend and I want to have the old girl ready!
Have the new tires being mounted as we speak,
New chain and sprockets are ready to go on when I get the new wheels in
New AGM battery, horn and mirrors are on there way.
will be rebuilding the brake master cylinder in the next couple of days
Hoping to have the bike running, driving, stopping, registered and inspected by the end of the week!
Master cylinder was a mess but it's done! Looks like water got in the brakes somehow.. and not a little bit, the brake lines were clogged with rust sludge, calipers were full of some real nasty stuff too. I managed to get everything freed up, flushed out and bled.
11-19-15, 09:51 PM
1975 Suzuki re5
