So the long Winter months are over and it's time to get back out there to ride my Suzuki RG500.
With new fork extenders, new brake hoses, new MOT and new Michelin POWER 6 tyres, this is my first ride of 2024.
What a handling difference! The bike feels so much safer, probably down to the new tyres.
I've also gone back to a 39 rear sprocket, so now it is capable of 105 mph at 7,000 rpm. This would now mean it may well be capable of well over 160 mph.
To follow my multi part series on the journey through this Summer on my Suzuki RG500. Please subscribe to follow my story. I'll be visiting some great UK 2 stroke meet ups.
The full story
After getting Mark Dent to rebuild my Rg570 engine, I decided to buy another chassis to use and put the engine in. First though, I wanted to check everything was ok with the new RG that I had bought. It was a hybrid and had been heavily modified but only had an RG400 engine in.
On trying to get it going, on the day I'd booked an MOT, I realised it had issues. Under the shiny cosmetics, there were quite a few issues to fix.
Electrics, Brackets, Choke, Carbs and the biggest issue, Check valves!
Eventually, I got it going and put some Sagaya pipes on. Ended up being sweet.
My bike is now a perfectly set up #RG500, well actually a stage 3, Stan Stephens tuned 570cc RG, with Mark Dent titanium pipes and ignition, Mark Dent filters, running 240 mains. Nova gearbox and dry clutch. Gsxr400 front and rear end, YSS rear shock, Koso clocks. Mark dyno'd it at about 108 bhp but I noticed the curve is really smooth, which is very different from the original Stephen's tune, which was very peaky, but the journey has been a long one.
Now the dream has come true, at last my Rg, that I bought in 1991 for £1400, is how I've always wanted it. ♥️
The story so far ...
A long, long journey, that I'll share.
I was riding a brilliant, brand new 1990 gsxr750L but I wanted an RG500.
I travelled all the way from Gloucestershire to the end of Wales to see mine. A drunk biker/hell's hooli stumbled out of the pub and pointed at this beaten up Skoal bandit RG. It was rough but cheap, I was skint and wanted one. £1400 later, I was stumbling home on this rough old dog.
As I had my superior handling gsxr so I used this to ramp around on but no matter how hard I pushed it, it wouldn't blow up. I thought, "this engine's strong'. So off I went to Stan Stephens with the intention of a do everything tune. Just 10 mins from Brand's Hatch it died. I had to wait hours for my Dad to pick me up with his trailer and went home.
Stan said get just the engine to him, so I stripped the bike and off I went back to Brand's. I remember sitting on the forecourt with Stan, as he picked bits up and put them in a box. I'd snapped a crank in half but as he picked up disc valves and the like, he kept saying, 'well that's totally f##*ed, you'll need 4 of those"
I left it with him, then returned to pick up my 570cc stage 3 raced tuned engine with Swarbrick pipes. It was around 1994 maybe and I still have the receipt, around £5500.
I got the engine back in and it was lightening. Very, very peaky and everywhere I rode it was 12000 rpm.
Massive wheelies and absolutely exhilarating. BUT 1 thing...
All that blistering speed but it handled like a shopping trolley with dodgy wheels! Wasn't long before I had a very slow speed slip. Those shitty tyres!!!
Next I took it to a custom shop in Gloucester, only for them to butcher it. Gsxr1100 front end. It was far to stiff with no alterations. They put a JMC back end but second hand. What can you expect for £1200?
They were amazed that on their dyno, it was pushing 106 bhp.
It did handle better but had top end issues, as no jetting had ever been done but still tons of fun but you always got off it with totally dead hands, all that fork vibration!!
Years went by, I moved away and it sat in Gloucestershire for 14 years, started very occasionally but was a pig to get going, obviously. Standing in a damp garage, soon the callipers seized. It was just another hoarded item then in 2016, it came to London. I contacted Mark Dent and he started the new beginning.
The engine was totally refreshed, then in January I bought a doner bike to complete my chassis.
Since about June, I've struggled with carbs and understanding how to set it up but at last, Mark kindly offered to sort everything out for me. What's pained me for weeks, he sorted in an afternoon.
So at long last, this bike is complete, my teenage dream, borrowed from the mags of 80s and 90s is now happily in my garage.