In 1974, Suzuki claimed a new achievement. It began production of the RE-5, one of a handful of motorcycles in history to get powered by a rotary engine. Suzuki says that the motorcycle marked the beginning of a new age in motorcycle touring. But it was too expensive, too slow, and drank too much fuel. The RE-5 didn’t revolutionize the industry and the motorcycle slowly fades into the pages of history. Yet, this magical machine is still worth remembering.
My spring motorcycle search has finally come to an end. I pick up the new bike this Saturday and I can hardly contain my excitement. I’m not going to tell you what I bought, you’ll just have to wait for the post next week. I bought a car, too, but I just haven’t gotten around to writing about that. Look, I’ll get to it!
Anyway, before I secured my soon-to-be new motorcycle, I embarked on a nationwide search for my dream bikes. Still elusive are a Honda CBX1000 and a Suzuki RE-5. A CBX1000 recently popped up for sale an hour from home for just $4,500. My brain practically short-circuited in disbelief about the price. Sadly, someone else beat me to the punch.
A Suzuki RE-5 also recently showed up for the same price as the CBX1000. Yet, I wasn’t quick enough on the draw for that one, too. As it turns out, I’m not the only one crawling the net for cheap vintage Japanese legends. The 1975 Suzuki RE-5 above is making an appearance on Bring a Trailer and as of right now, it’s still going for an affordable price. I have spent maybe five years of my life trying to spend less than $8,000 on a Suzuki RE-5. Remember, I am a cheapskate, after all. But why have I spent so much time trying to buy one of these?
The Future Of Motorcycling
The 1970s and the 1980s were a wonderful time of experimentation in the Japanese motorcycle industry. Manufacturers were looking for the technology that would blaze the path toward the future. In the 1970s, engineers at Honda and Kawasaki crammed more power into their motorcycles by adding cylinders, resulting in inline-six cylinder beasts. Team Red also produced the very first Gold Wings in the 1970s, those boxer-powered machines proving to be both sporty and well-mannered. Over at Yamaha, the RD350 was picking fights with larger motorcycles and Suzuki itself was experimenting with water cooling with the GT750. In the 1980s, fuel injection and turbocharging were new tricks.
Between all of that, in 1975, Suzuki thought it was charting a course for the motorcycling future with its RE-5 rotary motorcycle. The journey of how Suzuki got there started in 1902 with the birth of Felix Wankel.
As the American Motorcyclist Association’s American Motorcyclist magazine writes, it’s said that Wankel first came up with the idea of the rotary engine back when he was 17. Wankel originally patented the idea in 1929 and development on the idea continued as Wankel worked in the Nazi Party’s Aeronautical Research Establishment during World War II. Later, Wankel would join NSU and in 1959, he presented a working prototype rotary engine. NSU would end up licensing the engine out to manufacturers that saw the rotary as the future. See, Suzuki wasn’t the only maker of a rotary motorcycle. Hercules gave it a go, as did Norton. Kawasaki and Yamaha considered it, but those machines never reached production.
In 1970, American Motorcyclist writes, Suzuki got its license from NSU. Suzuki was looking for a new engine technology to set itself apart from the competition. The company’s two-strokes were loud and smoky unlike Honda’s quiet four-strokes. Could rotary power be the future? Suzuki decided to find out. The company had a 497cc prototype up and running by 1973, earning some patents along the way.
Suzuki’s engineers had to solve issues like the engine running hot (solved with water- and oil-cooling), rotor housing inner surface wear (solved with a surface treatment developed by Platecraft of America), and even developments into the motorcycle’s carburetor and exhaust. The latter had to be designed to cool the super-hot exhaust gases.
The Suzuki RE-5 was also more than just an incredible engineering exercise. Giorgetto Giugiaro was involved in the design and is responsible for the cylindrical taillight and instrument cluster. Both are supposed to remind you and others that you’re riding something that’s just a bit different.
Unfortunately for Suzuki, the timing wasn’t in its favor. As I said before, Yamaha was also working on a rotary. Its motorcycle was even the even more ambitious twin-rotor RZ660. Yamaha reportedly came close to selling that motorcycle, going as far to begin tooling, but it never reached production. As development chugged along, the Oil Crisis struck in 1973. One reported reason that Yamaha called it quits on the rotary is that the company realized a thirsty rotary might not work in a fuel-conscious world. Suzuki? It marched forward.
What Went Wrong
American Motorcyclist goes on to say that Suzuki spent a nearly unfathomable amount of money on bringing the RE-5 to market from advertising to press trips and all kinds of accessories for the motorcycle. When the Suzuki RE-5 launched in 1974, Suzuki wanted the motorcycle to be a smashing success. While some people seemed to love the RE-5, there weren’t enough of them to keep the idea alive. They were sold from just 1974 to 1976 and they sold so slowly that they were still sitting on showroom floors into the late 1970s.
Power comes from a 497cc rotary making 62 HP and 55 lb-ft torque. Ok, those aren’t bad numbers. The RE-5 also weighed around 600 pounds wet and on a good day, you’re looking at the low 30 mpg range. Perhaps the worst part was the price. The Suzuki RE-5 sold for $2,500, or $16,192 in today’s money. Consider that at the same time, you could buy a Honda CB750 for $1,495, or $9,683 today. The Honda was faster, lighter, more reliable, cheaper, and probably more fuel-efficient, too. Thus, there was really no reason for riders to buy them new.
This Suzuki RE-5
Time rights a lot of wrongs and heals a lot of wounds. It’s been 49 years since the first RE-5s hit the road. Now, these bikes have nobody to compete with. Today, it doesn’t really matter if an old bike wasn’t competitive, you can enjoy it as a working piece of history.
The 1975 Suzuki RE-5 up for grabs on Bring a Trailer seems to be a gem. It was picked up by the seller in 2010 and has ridden about 1,000 miles since. This motorcycle has just 6,000 miles on its odometer and despite its age, it looks like it could have rolled off of the dealership floor yesterday. The seller of this wonderful machine says that the paint on the tank and side covers is original. That’s great because if you look closely at a RE-5’s paint, you’ll probably notice glorious metal flake.
There has been some work done to the machine. The seller states that the plastic headlight bucket has been repainted. It’s also gotten a carburetor rebuild, a new fuel line, a fuel tank flush, and a conversion to DOT5 brake fluid. The engine case has also been polished.
You’d think, given the motorcycle’s immaculate condition, that this auction would be through the roof. However, with just four days to go, bidding is at only $4,700.
It’s a motorcycle that polarized riders back in its day. Cycle World put the Suzuki RE-5 on its list of the Ten Worst Motorcycles, damning the RE-5 for its lack of power and its high price. In a modern take, Classic Bike Guide believed that without the oil crisis, Suzuki could have fulfilled its dream of a rotary future.
Regardless of what happened, this is another piece of odd motorcycle history. Suzuki’s rotary future never came true and if you look at its lineup today, you wouldn’t even know the company tried. Suzuki doesn’t even talk about the RE-5. But, like most offbeat motorcycles that I find, I’m glad Suzuki at least tried.
(Images: Bring a Trailer seller unless otherwise noted)
Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.
-
Powering A BMW Motorcycle With An Air-Cooled Volkswagen Engine Is A Thing And It’s Amazing
-
One Of The Only Mass-Produced Diesel Motorcycles In The World Allegedly Gets 200 MPG And Is For Sale In America
-
This Electric Motorcycle Can Go 60 MPH And Folds Up Small Enough To Fit Into A Wagon
-
The Yamaha Moko Powa D10 Is A Futuristic Motorcycle From A Company That Disappeared Without A Trace
Mercedes, another one knocked out of the park. I too not only have lusted after a RE5, but used to own one back in the 70’s.
I was a college student in upstate New York back in 1977, looking to buy another motorcycle. A dealer in Newburgh has a leftover 1975 RE5, in metallic blue. Back then even when new they were not well loved, though the magazine reviews were glowing. The dealer sold it to me for $1000 and made it crystal clear he never wanted to see me again with that bike. It was the only RE5 he took new and couldn’t move it for two years (until I came along). He explicitly said if I had any problems, needed any work on it, to not bring it to him. He had no manuals, no replacement parts, and refused to work on it. Even though new, it was ‘as is’, no warranty expressed or implied. That was OK by me. I thought I was getting a cool new bike for a bargain price.
I owned it for about a year. It was a blast to drive. After having had a few conventional bikes beforehand (three Hondas), what struck me most was how incredibly smooooth the RE5 was. The Wankel engine lived up to its reputation. No vibration whatsoever. It attracted attention wherever I went and other bikers saw it. The attention was neither complimentary nor derogatory, just ‘what the heck is that’?
The sound was distinctive, like a jet turbine spooling up for takeoff. It was quick, but like any Wankel, little torque down low. Also like any Wankel, gas mileage was abysmal. It got 25 mpg, all the time. Regardless of whether riding it hard, around town, highway, always 25 mpg (plus about a quart per 500 miles of oil consumption from the oil injection system). Handling was fabulous (for a mid 1970’s bike), though it was heavier than it looked.
My time with it came to an end about a year and about 2,500 miles later. One day, riding in the rain on the Taconic Parkway in upstate New York, rounding a curve at about 65(ish) mph, I hit some oil/gravel in the road, and down I went. I plasma-planed for about 300 feet, until an exit sign conveniently stopped my slide.
The pseudo-crash bars (there more to protect the radiator) prevented any real damage to the bike, though the left side directional lights were ground off. The biggest damage was to my ego. I also ground a lot of gravel into my left side.
The bike was still running, so I picked it up, rode to a gas station, used their hose to wash off as much of the blood and dirt (and gravel) as I could, and drove myself to the Vassar Hospital emergency room in Poughkeepsie NY. There they removed about 75 pieces of gravel from my left side.
They missed two. To this day I still have two pieces of gravel in me, just under the skin, one in my left shin, the other my left shoulder. I can see and feel them. I kept them as reminders of my joyous biking experiences. Plus whenever anyone has asked me, ‘Do you have a chip on your shoulder?’, I honestly replied, ‘Why yes, as a matter of fact I do, would you like to see it’? It’s a nice memento of my time with the RE5, a permanent souvenir.
The accident took place on the same day, exactly one year later, as an earlier, much more serious motorcycle accident that nearly killed me and landed me in the hospital for a couple of weeks and required some non-trivial surgery. I took it as a sign from the motorcycle gods than maybe I wasn’t meant for mechanized two-wheel transport. So I repaired the bike and sold it.
I’d love to own one again (even though I’m now a decrepit 60-something with arthritis and not a limber college teenager). I suspect most parts are now impossible to come by. It was rumored Suzuki was so frustrated by the bike’s commercial failure that they dumped all the unsold machines and spare parts into the ocean off Japan. Parts were unobtanium in the 1970’s, I don’t imagine it’s any easier now. But then…
Who says you can’t go home again?
I thought the instrument cluster cylinder made it look too toy-like. I know I’m in the minority. Thanks again for the motorcycle stories.
The powered cover over the instruments was peak 70s Japanese. I think Hans Muth’s Katana design was better looking and has aged well. As for the rotary, the Wankel has been the graveyard of empires since NSU and Hercules so Suzuki failing was,the norm for Wankel projects. Norton managed to sell a decent number of rotary motorcycles and win a TT race but their biggest market was target drone engines since they were destroyed within hours and Norton still went bust
The instrument cluster and taillight are amazing. I want one just for those items!
The RE-5 was a glorious solution to a problem absolutely nobody had. I want one!
Rotary = lightweight, smooth, and revvy. Seems perfect for a bike until the engineers start figuring out how to mount the Dorito, get air in and exhaust out, cool the engine, and translate the weird motion into a transmission. Solving all those problems caused the engineering to get out of hand.
S I X H U N D R E D P O U N D S ?! What were they thinking??
I’ll cut them a little slack on price because new and different,right?But that weight figure is inexcusable
Also the comment on the mirrors is funny.I spent most of my life on dirt bikes so didnt see a clear view in my mirrors until the late 2000s
There was one of these on display in the showroom of K&W Cycle in Shelby Township, MI back in the early-to mid ’90s. Very odd and memorable bike, even sitting still.
They must have overbuilt the crap out of that motor for the bike to weigh that much (and cost to build). The RPMs are quite low too, which is why the horsepower is kinda meh. I’m guessing they went conservative to protect their new product and instead hamstrung it into irrelevance. I’m sure the engine doesn’t vibrate much, that being a significant selling point, but as mentioned, neither do those Honda sewing machine fours when they’re screaming at high revs.
I should mention that I had big time Wankel dreams as a kid. One of the Mercedes C111s was a rotary and my young mind fantasized to the absolute max. I think I might have wanted one more than a Mach 5! That is until some British ladies man drove some Lotus under water. Then I wanted a white Esprit.
Jay Leno has a Suzuki Rotary that looks just like this one and featured it recently: https://youtu.be/1sAdlTbUoJ0
They might have been a failure but in 1984 George Egloff rode an RE-5 in the very first Iron Butt Rally. 8000+ miles in 8 days and tied for first place.
I think the real problem was that these bikes were HEAVY. 600 pounds is a lot to deal with on a day to day basis. It gets old pretty fast. Speaking of pretty fast, these weren’t. A calculator says roughly 4.5 seconds 0-60. However a Yamaha XS 650 twin which a pretty basic motorcycle for the day weighed 428 pounds and with only 53 HP would hit 60 in 4.2 seconds. Let’s not even think about CB 750 or a KZ750.
Next of course, nobody but the dealer could work on it and even the dealers didn’t actually know anything about fixing them. Each dealer might sell *one* maybe…so the mechanics never got any practice. All they had to go by was a poorly translated shop manual and a guess since nothing they’d ever seen gave any relevant experience.
So all you were getting for spending big bucks was a bike to talk about; best left parked cause it wasn’t fun to ride, didn’t get commuter gas mileage, and God help you if you rode it enough that it needed something.
Bur yeah, it would be very cool to own one today to ride to shows.
I have seen only a few of these in the wild – two black and one blue, IIRC – and I have never heard one run AFAIK. They are very funky indeed. Good stuff, Mercedes!
Suzuki owner and big fan, but I’d never even heard of this – thanks Mercedes!
Does that translucent flyscreen pivot down over the gauge pod? Coooool.
Also, I wish wire wheels on non-retro streetbikes would return. They’re such a neat counterpoint to the streamlined styling of modern machines.
Thanks for bringing this one up, it sure looks nice.
This Suzuki intrigued me when it came out, the price and reviews made me shake my head. Somebody my age will buy it now though as a garage conversation piece.
Ryan Kluftinger did a good video about the Hercules rotary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3HBAvkc4a0