A three-year wonder (wait, that didn’t rhyme), Suzuki’s innovative, stylish, quirky, sleek, somewhat space-age rotary-powered 500-cc bike wasn’t a big seller, and it’s rare to see today. This 1974 Suzuki RE5 is listed on Facebook Marketplace in Canada’s beautiful capital city, Ottawa, Ontario, and the seller is asking $5,500 Canadian dollars, or $3,858 U.S. dollars. Here is the original listing, and thanks to TomV for the tip!
If you were alive in the early 1970s, you most likely owned a motorcycle or knew someone who did. In my opinion, it was the golden era for outdoor recreation. Motorcycles, snowmobiles, skiing (where rustic ski lodges had vertical signs), and all sorts of fun things were going on. As always, there were not-fun things going on, as there always are, but a lot of us were just in our own world and were looking for a way to get outside and enjoy a gas-powered vehicle. As weird as that sounds, getting outside for some fresh air while driving a smoking motorcycle or snowmobile. I can smell it now, and I miss it if I go too long without breathing it in.
The 1974, 1975, and 1976 Suzuki RE5, or RE-5, had some killer details, thanks to Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. His accomplishments make me feel sad about what I’ve accomplished, even though I’ve had a good life and done a thing or two. You can see the unique taillight housing, and a similar “tin can” shape is in front as well, for the gauges, with a cool sliding cover. Suzuki clearly was thinking way outside the box on this one. A mostly regular motorcycle-looking bike, but with some unusual design features, plus a rotary engine? I like it. The 1974 models came in blue, silver, and this reddish-orange color.
Speaking of outside the box, the 497-cc single-rotor Wankel-type rotary engine was unique, to say the least. It wasn’t the first time a rotary engine powered a motorcycle, but nobody knew what the future would be, as we don’t know now, so manufacturers were trying anything and everything. With 62 horsepower and 55 lb-ft of torque, backed by a 5-speed manual transmission, this bike wasn’t a powerhouse; the RE5 can be a bit rough at higher speeds but is usually quite smooth at lower speeds. This one is incredibly smooth, as it isn’t currently in running condition. Do you have what it takes to get this rotary bike back on the road again?
Terrific find, Tony V.!
Really cool bit of motorcycle history, SG.
With everyone at the time jumping into the rotary engine idea, Suzuki beat everyone to the punch in the bike field of the time but suffered the same shortcomings in metallurgy (rotor seals particularly) and heat (radiator and double walled exhaust pipes). Add the additional cost for all that to the perceived poor fuel economy with it being a completely new/crazy concept for most riders of the time-as was the Hercules W2000 which preceded it-the bike really didn’t have the timing to succeed as they hoped.
When Norton came along with their rotary race bike it did very well but was banned later: many race officials didn’t like it because it wasn’t a traditional look or sound plus they couldn’t find a definitive and acceptable formula for engine displacement!
Norton then used them to made great cop bikes IIRC..
These Suzukis and the rest of the rotary bikes have a limited but very eclectic and focused following. This one is pretty decent considering the vintage and should bring about what the sellers asking.