Back in 1975 I was proudly zinging around on my very first bike, a sparkling new Suzuki TS125 trail bike. Despite the TS being a terrific first bike, my aims were set much higher. The all new, revolutionary, Suzuki RE5 Rotary had recently been released and I was instantly taken by it. In the seventies, the more chrome there was and the wider the engine, the better — handling, fuel consumption and other trivial matters took second place.
However, at the vast sum of £1100 the RE5 was way out of my price range, especially as I had just struggled to find the £1100 OTR price for my little TS. It wasn't until ‘82 that I was in the position to acquire my very own RE5. MCN classifieds revealed a blue 1975 RE5 in standard trim. The asking price was £1000 but a swap was possible. I owned one of the worst motorcycles of all time then, a Yam SR500, but after a bit of wheeling and dealing I parted company with the horrible Yamaha and rode the 170 miles home on the superbike of my teenage dreams.
It had only covered 4000 miles and was the earlier RE5(M) model in excellent condition. At the time, I was so suspicious of the very good private deal that I’d made that I considered speaking to The Bill to confirm that my new pride and joy wasn’t hot. But I never did, and as no-one has come knocking at my door since it must be okay...
Compared to the SR, the RE5 was enormous and seemed very quick. The slightly forward riding position is good with the huge Rotary motor fronted by that macho looking radiator and electric fan sticking out each side of the 17 litre petrol tank in front of both knees. With 62bhp and smooth acceleration, marred only by chain vibration at 3500rpm, motorway cruising is a joy. The seat, whilst fine for the pillion, becomes uncomfortable after 150 miles, which, is when it runs out of fuel, anyway.
For all those not in the know about this machine - the bike that nearly bankrupt Suzuki - here’s a little history. After signing the contract to produce rotary engines in 1970 from the patent holders, Audi-NSU and Wankel GmbH, Suzuki imported their first RE5 into the UK in 1974. The power unit was not quite like anything ever seen in a motorcycle before or since and is the centre of attention with the rotary theme extended to such things as the instrument console and the sausage roll rear light. Tightly squeezed into the double cradle steel tube frame, is a water and oil cooled single rotor Wankel engine.
On the left side a huge double choke carb sticks out, whilst no less than two oil pumps stop the engine seizing up (one for the rotor tips and one for the mainshaft). Ignition is by points and CDI and it needs a special, £7, spark plug. The rest of the RE5 is fairly conventional and similar to the GT750 kettle. The one into two exhaust system is double skinned and, thankfully, not prone to rusting.
Reliability has been good, with only one ocassion when it left me stranded (Christmas Eve 1983). The electric fan packed up, leading to the rotor housing cracking on a German autobahn at 90-110mph speeds. The result of that little incident cost £500 to put right; a lot of bread but well worth it, I feel, to have the RES back on the road.
The CDI unit also packed up; new from Suzuki a mere £90, but repaired by an electronic wizard for £25 and still going strong. Spark plugs last between 3000 and 5000 miles and it pays to carry at least one spare as they are difficult to find and they tend to die suddenly.
Other than these things, and the normal consumables (tyres 8000R, 15000F, chain 10000) the RE5 has been very good. Dunlop TT100s are currently fitted and do an adequate job, as does most rubber with more than 3mm of tread. A Metzeler ME33 Lazer fitted to the front wheel led to a few heart stopping slides when leant over and was not impressive. Needless to say, a different make was fitted as soon as possible.
Suspension is the standard seventies junk — twin rear shocks with five way pre-load, and non-adjustable front forks which leak oil regardless of the newness of the fork seals. The front forks are best described as naff - too stiff to absorb road bumps yet too soft under heavy braking. Well, despite the engine, this was a 1970’s motorcycle.
0n the road the RE is pleasant as long as you don‘t push it too hard. As might be expected the usual early seventies combination of too much mass, poor suspension and uninspired geometry make the thing shake around on bumpy bends, but it’s quite stable in straight lines and through smooth comers. It all depends on the kind of riding you want to do. There are any number of plastic clad missiles that will make the RE5 look very silly on fast roads.
That said, a recent rapid trip through the winding country roads of France enabled me to keep ahead of my brother on a GS850, despite all the camping gear stuck on the rack.
One of the things that frightened off many prospective owners was the maintenance aspect. True, it is different, but everything except major stripdowns can be done by the owner. Ignition timing, oil changes and carb adjustments are easy enough if armed with the genuine £16 Suzuki manual. The canister type screw-off oil filter makes life easier in every aspec,t save for the effect on your bank balance - they’re £16 each.
Apart for the rotor housing the bike has never been near a dealer even if I did present it to one, the rarity of the RE5 would have them scratching their heads trying to work out just how they could rip me off with a vastly inflated bill for such an odd machine.
There are a few dealers who who still stock spares, although about half the parts can be obtained from the States, a situation which if it appears a trifle odd is somewhat easier to deal with that you’d at first imagine. Prices are reasonable in comparison with other big Jap bikes, which means they’re expensive unless you're rich. Unfortunately, the rarity of the bike means a cheap and plentiful supply of used bits from breakers is just not on.
In road tests, when the bike was introduced, some hoodlums got as little as 18mpg out of the RE5, in reality the economy varies between 30 and 48mpg depending on the right wrist exertion. Another myth to explode is rotor tip wear. One RES owner I know has clocked up a huge 129000 miles on the original rotor and when my own rotor was opened up at 18000 miles the tips were fine. So don’t believe everything you read.
Brakes are similar to those on the GT750 - double discs up front and a rear drum. The discs are typical period pieces with enough wet weather lag to make sure you don’t fall asleep when it’s raining, but enough power in the dry to confound Volvo owners, whilst the rear drum is very controllable and needs infrequent shoe changes.
Having owned my RE5 for 5 years I’m still not bored with it, and it inspires a great deal of owner loyalty amongst RES enthusiasts. Although it is little use as a commuter, for middle to long distances its combination of smoothness and rapid performance is great stuff. They can still be picked up for reasonable money as most people just turn off as soon as they hear the word Wankel and running costs are reasonable.
The RE5 is also very different to everything else and I’ve never come across a machine with the same appeal, and because of that can’t see myself ever selling it, which is more than I can say for that bloody SR500...
Greg Archer