August 2009
Specifications Suzuki RE5 Suzuki GT550
Engine type Single Rotor 2-stroke Air-
Wankel engine cooled inline-3
Displacement 497 cc 543 cc
The rotary engine has a much simpler design as there is no need for cam- for the tip seals by mixing oil with fuel. The carburetor was adapted from a
Power 62 bhp at 50 bhp at
shafts, crankshafts, pistons, connecting rods, intake and exhaust valves and rotary power unit in a car and was exceedingly complicated by motorcycle
thus has a very few moving parts, making it refined and rev-happy. The RE5 standards (of the day) and only operated well when in a carefully tuned
6,500 rpm 6,500 rpm was quite advanced in its steering and overall handling with critics around state, something often outside the abilities of the average owner.
Torque 75 Nm at 54 Nm at
the world remarking on this. It also had exceptional ground clearance and Motorcycle buyers in the mid-1970s did not take to the RE5, and very few
you had to be a brave man indeed to scrape the pegs of an RE5 on its origi- of them were actually sold. Final numbers were around 7,000 units world-
3,500 rpm 6,000 rpm
nal Japanese tyres. wide with most of those going to the U.S.A. The RE5’s complex looking
The RE5’s rotary engine produced a lot of heat, requiring a large and cum- mechanicals combined with some teething problems made the buyer’s look
Fuel consump- 11-12 kpl 13-15 kpl
bersome radiator for liquid cooling as well as a separate oil cooling radiator. for safer alternatives. The reality though was that the bike was much sim-
tion
The very high exhaust temperatures necessitated the use of an air cooling pler than it looked and gave good service to the few who persisted with it.
duct between inner and outer shells along with external heat guards mak- Many RE5 owners have lovingly restored their bikes. On the road, the bike
Weight 229 kg 200 kg
ing the exhaust pipes heavy and complicated. Ignition was CDI but used was heavy compared to the GS500 but was much more powerful and more
two sets of ignition points, one for normal acceleration and the other under importantly produced substantially more real world torque. Ridden sensibly
Acceleration: 13.9 sec at 148 14.6 sec at 141
deceleration. This also required additional sensors and speed relays. There the bike would return around 37 miles per imperial gallon. Treated well, the
Quarter Mile kph kph
were three separate oil tanks (sump, gearbox and total loss tank) and two oil RE5 proved to be a reliable bike provided you were prepared for its Achilles
pumps (one for normal engine lubrication and one to supply oil for tip seal heel, the single spark plug. Carry a spare one and the bike was as good as
Top speed 176 km/h 158 kph lubrication via the carb). The throttle controlled not only the primary car- any Japanese machine of its time. It has to be one of the most novel vintage
buretor butterfly but a second valve in the inlet manifold of the secondary machines on the road today.
How the RE5 compared to a contemporary 550 cc two-stroke
throat (the “port” valve) as well as the oil pump which provided lubrication
motorcycle from the Suzuki stable
Hercules Wankel 2000
Norton Commander Van-Veen OCR-1000
From 1974 to 1977 Hercules produced a limited number of The motor tooling and blank apex seals from the Hercules were later used by Dutch manufacturer Van Veen produced the OCR-1000 be-
motorcycles powered by Wankel engines. It used a 297cc single Norton to produce the Norton Commander model in the early 1980s. Two tween 1978 and 1980.The first prototype was completed in
rotor Wankel engine which produced 27 bhp at 6500 rpm and types of Commander were built. The first, code-named P52 was a single-seat 1974 using a 1000 cc Comotor 624 twin-rotor engine. Small-
propelled the 176 kg bike to a top speed of 140 km/h. It also model equipped for police use, while the second version of the Commander, series production of the OCR 1000 began in 1978. 38 examples
returned a respectable kpl of 15.5. code-named P53, was a dual-seat model sold as a civilian tourer. were built before production ceased in 1981.
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