THE SUZUKI RG500 – AN ENDANGERED SPECIES?
The Suzuki RG500 is without doubt a classic bike. So why do people still cut them up for their engines? Launched alongside the Suzuki GSX-R 750 in 1985, I have no idea exactly how many bikes Suzuki sold, but it can’t have been many. Aside from the fact the fact production only ran for 3 years, until 1987, it’s also rumoured that they lost money on every machine they made. Small numbers meant it was a classic almost from the start, and a good example in showroom condition will set you back around £10,000 these days. Still cheaper than a new superbike, though.
But the craze to shove the square four motor into Suzuki RGV250 and Aprilia RS250 chassis continues to grow, meaning that bikes with the potential to be restored are often being broken for engines and running gear, with supply and demand dictating price. A complete rare engine is a rare thing on the open market, so pricing one is tricky.
But components appear far more regularly. In the last month or so I’ve watched various parts sold on eBay, with two barrels making over £500, despite the fact you’ll eventually realise you need four of them. There’s a set of crankcases with a Buy It Now listing of £1250, whilst another set in Germany have already reached more than £500 on auction as I write this. Disc valves and covers often appear to hit around £200 before they disappear, suggesting that a better offer might have been made elsewhere.
The question is how many original Suzuki RG500 examples will be left in decent or restorable condition before their scarcity drives prices up and means that they’re worth more than their parts?
As much as every article in the 1980s motorcycle press referred to ‘the closest thing to a GP bike for the road’, and now mentions the on/off powerband from 6,000 rpm, it’s as much a sign of what could have been if four strokes hadn’t dominated racing and road sportsbikes for decades. Just as we try to stop people hunting endangered species just for their horns etc, maybe it’s time to save the remaining Suzuki RG500s left in the wild being gutted for their motors?
SUZUKI RG500 FACTS:
The Suzuki RG500 was introduced in 1985 and phased out in 1987. Also know as the Suzuki RG500 Gamma, is was inspired by the 1984 Suzuki RG500 Gamma Grand Prix bike, which had enjoyed consecutive titles in the GP class.
Power comes from a 498cc square four two-stroke motor with a 56.0 x 50.6mm bore and stroke, and 4x28mm Mikuni carbs. Claimed power was optimistically 95bhp@9,500rpm, with a claimed dry weight of 154kg and a top speed of 140mph. Twin front discs and a single rear provided the stropping power, while it also had a 1425mm wheelbase and 110/90V16 front and 120/90V17 rears.
