Suzuki RE5 Gallery
Suzuki presented its first, and only,
rotary engine powered motorcycle at the Tokyo Show
in late 1973. The RE5, as the model was called, was
Suzuki's technical flagship at the time. The engine,
originated from NSU in Germany, was smooth, quiet,
powerful and had hardly any vibrations, thanks to
its construction with no parts moving back-and-forth
like the usual Otto engine.
The rotary, or Wankel, engine has a number of benefits
over standard engines including a lack of camshafts,
intake and exhaust valves, and a reduced number of
moving parts. Many manufacturers experimented with
the engine type and some prototypes were presented
in the early 70's but Suzuki was the only motorcycle
manufacturer that used the rotary engine on a mass
produced bike.
Suzuki presented the engine sometimes as 1000cc,
because some regulatory bodies de-rate the engine
by doubling the chamber capacity. The actual cylinder
capacity was 497 cc. The design of the RE5 was not
as revolutionary as its engine. The instrument panel
and tail light were contained in cylindrical shapes
to play on the rotary theme, otherwise the bike looked
a lot like the company's two-stroke flagship GT750.
Also included was a special heat shield since the
rotary engine design tended to make exhaust pipes
hot enough to burn riders' legs.
Customers did find the RE5 interesting, but not many
but not many actually bought the model. Suzuki had
invested enormous sums of money to the project and
had built an entire new assembly line for the rotary
engines but the machines wouldn't sell.
| Bike |
Image |
Description |
| 1975 Suzuki RE5 |
 |
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| 1975 Suzuki RE5 |
 |
497cc Wankel rotary |
| 1976 Suzuki RE-5 |
 |
More Suzuki
RE5 info.. |
| 1976 Suzuki RE-5 Rotary |
 |
- Engine - NSU- Wankel rotary, liquid cooled
- Displacement - 497 cc
Horsepower - 62 hpl @ 6,500
- Torque - 54.9ft lbl3,-500 rpm
- Carburetor - Mikuni, 18-32 HHD
- Compression Ratio - 9.4:1
- Starter System - Electric and kick
- Transmission - 5-speed, constant mesh
- Fuel Tank Capacity - 4.5 gal
- Height - 46.1 in
- Wheel Base - 59.1 in
- Dry Weight - 507 lbs
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