1976 Suzuki RE5

RE515611

Clear

Hello and thank you for looking at the first motorcycle I ever owned, the Wankel Rotary powered Suzuki RE5! Please note that this auction includes more than just a motorcycle, it includes a parts bike, NOS parts, many spark plugs, etc. MANY OF THESE PARTS ARE RARE THEMSELVES! If you don't know, the spark plugs alone were about $40/ea (new) last time I checked.I am the second known owner, I was told the original owner was a police officer who purchased the bike new for touring use. Supposedly the police officers friend also bought another RE5 at the same time, no idea if that is true or not but I liked hearing that...I purchased this RE5 from Baltimore Cycle Salvage in April 2001. It came fully outfitted for touring: full fairing, 2 hard side carriers, 1 hard center carrier, king/queen seat. There was a shorted/melted wire in the main wiring harness. Pretty much all that needed to be done in order to get the engine running was to replace the wire, rebuild the carb, replace the spark plug. There were a number of accessories included with the motorcycle that I found in the luggage carrier, including several used spark plugs (which work fine when cleaned properly).I had the gas tank professionally rebuilt by Moyer Fuel Tank Renu in Greensburg, PA. Their treatment involves actually cutting the tank open, welding it back together, coating the inside, priming the outside. You can read more at http://www.gas-tank.com/. The tank has a lifetime warranty from Moyer on the workmanship. After Moyer did their magic, the tank required a good bit of body work skills due to all the cutting/welding. Finishing work was done by Andy's body shop in Woodbine, MD. This included the filler, base coat, OEM pin stripes, top coat, etc. The paint is fairly close to original IMO, it is a black paint with tiny golden sparkles (sparkles are close to the color of the pin stripes). The fuel tank was the only component where I did not do the work myself, and it was $300 to Moyer's and $300 to Andy's! OEM stickers/labels were used on the tank, and I will include the other stickers that go on the engine, frame, etc.Since the bike was fitted with the touring gear and I wanted it setup to look more like a street bike, I had to put some turn signals on it because they were built into the fairing & luggage rack. The turn signals came from Dennis Kirk, and I think they were listed as a replacement to the '77 GT750. Only RE5 owners would realize this...Side mirrors were replaced (Dennis Kirk), OEM air filter (Rotary Recycle), radiator guard/crash bar (eBay), rebuilt brake cylinder and pistons, cleaned/flushed brake lines, new seat foam and cover (purchased a new seat for a GT750 I think and swapped metal seat pan from the king/queen seat). The exhaust pipes were badly rusted, I painted them with high temp paint but we know how hot these get and how well paint sticks to rusty/pitted chrome... The paint is flaking off, but the pipes are solid and have the extension which I understand are kinda rare. The front fork seals should probably be replaced, I noticed some oil leaking from them. However they are still in good enough shape to ride IMO. Tires are from 2001, still seem in good shape, never had any issues with them.The longest trip I think I have taken this bike on was a trip to and around the Baltimore Beltway (I-695), a ride in support after 9/11/01.THIS MOTORCYCLE HAS NEVER LEFT ME STRANDED!!!! Closest I came were related to fuel - first time I had trouble was due to a clogged gas cap (vapor lock), second time I ran out of gas! Occasionally a spark plug will go bad and have trouble starting - I always carry two extra plugs with me, a used one that I have sandblasted, and a brand new one just in case the used one does not work.Bike has mostly sat in my garage since 2004.Recently I flushed the gas tank, changed the oil (Castrol GTX 20W-50 everywhere), replaced battery (Everstart tractor battery from Walmart). It starts right up if you start it often enough. If it sits for a bit it takes a little coaxing. I DID NOT rebuild the carb to get it running, a good cleaning wouldn't hurt but it runs fine to me, with the normal hesitation spot that most have.Note that in the pictures there is an air horn attached to the passenger side of the headlamp, this air horn will not be included in the auction because I wanted it for my truck :)I have way too many photos for eBay, and have uploaded a .pdf document with the 81 photos inside. Please download the pdf: 1) (Fileserve) File name: re5.for.sale.pdf File size:32.05 MB http://www.fileserve.com/file/M4DFhxV/re5.for.sale.pdf or 2) (YouSendIt) https://www.yousendit.com/download/M3BseFVRTXYzMW5FdzhUQw Now, here is what is in those photos: Pictures 20-21: I do not trust the fuel shut-off on the tank (I don't even use it really) so I installed an inline one, I turn the fuel off when parked long-term, years ago I had the gas push past the oil injection check valve and flood the oil tank. The check valve seemed to work correctly so this was just a precaution. I also put a small inline filter in because I am paranoid with old gas tanks!Pictures 22-27: This is the fairing that was on the bike when I purchased it. I have never even ridden with the fairing on, I pulled it off so I could work on the wiring harness and never re-installed it. It is excellent shape IMO, needs new paint though. The windshield is OK shape, you can see the light scratches in it, they might improve with better cleaning/polishing/etc. All I did was clean the dust off...Pictures 28-31: King/queen seat in good used shape, I used the seat pan for the seat on the bike now. You can see the bottom trim in picture 31.Pictures 32-33: This is the crash bar from the parts bike.Pictures 34-37: Motor from parts bike, I have no idea as to the condition, I gave the carb off this motor to a stranger but fellow RE5 lover for free...Pictures 38-40: Center hard carrier that I removed immediately, I broke the plastic turn signal lens while carelessly moving it to take the picture! All of the touring gear I pulled and put in storage, that is why it seems more rusty than the bike, the bike had a good bit of rust on it before I cleaned it up.Picture 41: Parts from the bike, turn signal is from parts bike, you can see a battery tray, brake lines, etc.Pictures 42-53: Two hard case side carriers, all I did was wipe (some of) the dust off and clean the cob webs out. All the carriers have locks, but I do not believe the keys were included and I never made an effort to have any made since I was not using the touring gear.Pictures 54-56: Parts bin 1 of 2 - all parts from are from the parts bike.Pictures 57-59: Parts bin 2 of 2 - all parts from are from the parts bike.Picture 60: Parts bike frame.Pictures 61-62: Parts bike front wheel, seems to be locked up.Picture 63: Parts bike sub-frame (lower arm for rear wheel).Picture 64: Parts bike rear wheel.Pictures 65-67: Exhaust, chain guard, handle bar from parts bike. The left-side exhaust pipe is FUBAR, I wouldn't use it! Manifold and other pipe in usable but not great shape...Pictures 68-70: Parts bike gas tank. My gas tank that I had rebuilt was in better shape than this, but this one could probably be rebuilt too.Pictures 71-72: Spare radiator guard. There are three total, one on the bike, one in the parts bin, and this one. I don't think we will need anymore.Picture 73: RE5 Factory Service Manual, super great shape, slightly discolored cover/pages (a little yellowing from age).Pictures 74-75: RE5 Factory Service Manual that I printed off from a pdf scan and put into a binder with tabs, before I found a good manual.Picture 76: Used plugs and one new plug.Picture 77: E-mail of first contact with the seller back from 4/21/2001.Picture 78: Some more fragile parts I keep separate from the rest in a third parts bin filled mostly with new parts.Picture 79: ORIGINAL owners manual, NEW rear brake shoes (from Rotary Recycle), filter frame, spare mirror.Picture 80: NEW OEM chain (from Rotary Recycle), headlamp for fairing, NOS oil filters I picked up from a Suzuki dealer (these match the OEM RE5 filter to dims, but according to Sam @ RR these do not have a oil check valve). I use these oil filters as I do not like the fit of the FRAM option, and the other filters are too darn expensive.Picture 81: Two more spark plugs, cleaned up using my compressed air sandblasting spark plug cleaner. Deposit of $100 due after auction ends, everything picked up within a week of auction end. Payment of balance with cashiers check. I WILL NOT SHIP THIS BIKE. I will not crate this bike. I will not do anything but open the door to my garage and give you the keys, so if you are in Alaska, sorry.Title is clear and in hand.My zipcode is 21791. You won't need it for a shipping quote.I am sure there will be some questions, ask away, but don't ask if I will ship the bike!This is my most beloved rotary powered machine to date. I have owned many RX-7's but this motorcycle beats them all. Please give it a good home, I have not ridden it much since 2004, part of my reason for selling is to find an owner who will give it more attention than I have over the last few years.On Mar-15-12 at 18:17:36 PDT, seller added the following information: I added two pictures to the listing, the first is a backrest (sissy bar to some of you), the second a cargo rack, both of which would fit with the bike now. Whereas the OEM touring kit would actually replace both of these :) Sorry I missed them in the pdf and description, I had them tucked away, they are both in "new" shape. I have never used them and the dust is the worst thing on them. I confess I got them because I was unsure of the availability in the future, and wanted to keep my options open while traveling. If I were to ride the RE5 now I would probably put the cargo rack on, as it would make me feel better if I pick something up - with gas @ $4/gal.On Mar-16-12 at 18:09:55 PDT, seller added the following information: NEW UPLOADED VIDEO!! Here are some videos for all my "watchers" and people just discovering my RE5. The first video is the RE5 is this auction.  The second two will have you jamming to some 70's music- In case youtube doesn't work well for you, here is an alternate site for my RE5 video: Link: On Mar-16-12 at 18:30:44 PDT, seller added the following information: Did anyone catch that the "oil pressure" light is out in the video? That was working!! It is most likely a blown bulb, but I am not about to take apart the tach to change it, I'll leave that up to the new owner. I just wanted to point that out since it is something that was not mentioned. Anyway, I wish this RE5 was as new and shiny as others I have seen online, buy my resources back in the early 2000's limited me to a sympathetic restoration only. The reason the gas tank got most of my resources is because I used that Kreem or whatever the white latex-like tank sealer is called, and quickly realized the ONLY way to restore a rusty gas tank, is to actually get in there and physically remove the rust. Etching/sealing just does not cut it IMO. After I had a well running bike, I stuck to "maintenance only" on the RE5 and built a garage instead of restoring. Even though it is not shiny and new, I guarantee you will turn heads with this motorcycle as-is. It sounds great, looks different, and most people have never seen one!