LOT 480

c.1980 Suzuki RG500 Racing Motorcycle Frame no. RG500-11354 Engine no. RG500-11354

Sold for £24,150 inc. premium

Lot 480

c.1980 Suzuki RG500 Racing Motorcycle
Frame no. RG500-11354 Engine no. RG500-11354

The Spring Sale - The International Classic MotorCycle Show|23 April 2022, 10:00 BST|Stafford, Staffordshire County Showground

c.1980 Suzuki RG500 Racing Motorcycle
Frame no. RG500-11354
Engine no. RG500-11354

• Matching numbers
• Original specification
• Requires re-commissioning

Six years out of Grand Prix racing, Suzuki returned in 1973 with a roadster-based TR500 twin for works rider Jack Findlay and, after what was essentially an interim season, was ready to take on the MV Agusta and Yamaha's TZ500 in the 500cc class. The Hamamatsu firm already had plenty of experience of 'square four' engines in the form of the defunct RZ63 250, and this compact layout was revived for its new premier-class racer: the RG500.
Based on the square-four cylinder layout of Suzuki's earlier 250, the RG500 was first used by the works in 1974. In its first incarnation the water-cooled two-stroke employed bore/stroke dimensions of 56x50.5mm and featured twin geared-together crankshafts and a six-speed gearbox. Dimensions of 54x54mm were adopted later by the works bikes but the customer version, available from 1976, stuck with the original combination until the MkIV's arrival in 1979. The RG's initial maximum power output of 90bhp was eventually upped to nearer 150bhp before the factory switched to a V4 for 1987. By then the RG500 had won seven manufacturers' titles for Suzuki and provided Britain's Barry Sheene with his two World Championships.
From 1983 onwards the pace of development slackened and the RG500 was less competitive with rivals Honda and Yamaha. The class of the field in its day, the RG500 provided talented privateers with a competitive mount at the highest level, and Jack Middleburgh's 1981 British Grand Prix-winning example remains the last entirely private entry to win a premier-class World Championship round. Although technically complex, the customer version was deservedly popular and many are still in action today in Post-Classic racing.
The RG500 offered here will require full re-commissioning as its history is not known and neither is the date when it was last used. Notable features of this rare, matching-numbers example include the standard production frame; standard brake discs and callipers; believed original paintwork; thumb-operated choke lever; and magnesium engine cases, Mikuni carburettors, and throttle twist-grip. A nice example.
Offered without key

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