Description
Additional photos are available here for your perusal.
Derived straight from Suzuki’s half-liter RG Gamma XR45 factory Grand Prix racer, the RG500 was a road-legal replica racer produced between 1985 and 1987. From the mid-‘70s to the mid-‘80s, Suzuki was a dominant force in premier class competition. Barry Sheene achieved back-to-back 500cc championship titles in ’76 and ’77 before the Gallina Suzuki team repeated the feat half-a-decade-later with riders Marco Lucchinelli and Franco Uncini in ’81 and ’82. Suzuki also won seven consecutive 500cc Class Constructors’ titles around this same time.
To capitalize on the brand’s reputation for building high-performance race bikes, Suzuki decided to develop a slightly-tamed production version of its competition square-four machine. 7,340 examples were produced in the first year of production (1985), with another 1,412 in 1986 and a final 532 specimens in 1987, making for a total of just 9,284. Due to emissions regulations (among other reasons), Suzuki never officially sold the RG500 Gamma in America, though it was offered in Canada so a few grey market examples have found their way across the border.
Classic Motorbikes described the Gamma’s place among its competitors by stating, “Place the RD500, NS400 and RG500 Gamma side-by-side and you would have three of the top manufacturers attempts at producing a replica of their respective GP racers, however, with all but one of those machines, all you purchased was a mere shadow of the original design. That is not to say the others were rubbish, far from it in fact, but the RG was definitely nearer the mark, and actually far closer to the race machine than you might ever imagine. The Suzuki is almost an exact replica of the race machine.”
Manufactured in October of 1985, this example is VIN: JS1HM31A0G2100785. The seller purchased this motorcycle approximately two years ago from the second owner.
The odometer shows 17,457 kilometers (10,847 miles). The seller has put 2,000 miles on this example.
Maintenance:
The seller states they have performed the following services recently:
Carburetors vapor blasted, rebuilt and balanced.
Installed new foam air filters.
Rebuilt water pump.
Installed new brake pads, fork seals and fluid, clutch plates and cable, anti-drag clutch shims, new radiator hoses, and new fuel and oil lines.
Modifications:
Sato rearsets in GP shift.
Clip-ons.
17″ Suzuki powder-coated wheels.
Not pictured: Powder-coated front fairing stay, rear subframe, kickstand, fairing brackets, stainless-steel brake lines, and Performance Fabrications rotary valve covers.
Inside of the tank:
It is riding on Michelin tires with date codes of 3221 and 4521.
The sale includes one key.
Extras:
This sale includes the original owner’s manual and all original parts replaced with aftermarket parts.
Cosmetic Blemishes: please see the album up top for all known cosmetic blemishes. Here is a selection:
The seller reports the right-side fairing mounting tab has been epoxied and the rear brake light switch does not work.
Currently located in Salem, Massachusetts, this Suzuki is offered on a clean Massachusetts title. Have any RG500 Gamma stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!
