> Paul,
 > Have you seen this video of the Suzuki RE-5? Especially interesting is
 > the peripheral port and the things they do with the exhaust pipe. Does
 > anyone know what was used to coat the rotor housing? The narrator spoke
 > of the ease of servicing. Can anyone who owned one of these bikes
 > comment on that aspect? Could we find any photos of a teardown? Dealer
 > service training info? Perhaps some knowledge gained can be used for
 > aircraft engines. What caused the demise of this bike?
 > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkPeB1rAagU&feature=related
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkPeB1rAagU&feature=related>
 > > > Jim Brewer
 > > > That is cool. Here are some pictures I have.
 > > I have no idea why they stopped building it.
 >
<snip>

Paul Lamar

There were several problems with the RE-5. First, they had a horrible
backfire problem because they refused to inject the engine at the low
price point they were shooting for.  That could be corrected. They used
a dual points system to retard timing in decel. While I love the
function of the rotary, the RE-5 was simply one of the ugliest bikes
ever built. OK I know that appearance is a subjective thing, but the
public treated the RE-5 like a leper. That and production costs killed it.
Bill Jepson

Bill,
A couple of interesting points Bill, The exhaust (outlet) seems to be later
than in the Mazda and only one spark plug seems problematic. I am curious
about the wear surfaces and apex seals, if you have any info on those. Apart
from that it looked good.
George (down under)



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