Time Capsule from 1985 - 0 Miles.

Dresden

Dresden

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I love seeing these pop up. Very cool rotary engine.

Crazy that bidding is already up to $11k. Anyone know what the original MSRP was?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Suzuki-Other-/360825579563?afsrc=1

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I have only seen about 4 of these on the road.
What a fat pig of a bike.

But rare, non the less.
 
It was the bike that almost bankrupted Suzuki so its has a pretty interesting history. The Norton rotary worked almost as well..........
 
An interesting machine--innovation can be a double edged sword sometimes. The exhaust was crazy hot for some reason (~1000C) which required double-walled pipes AND a shroud (if that's the term). Elaborate oil/water cooling system too.

Despite Mazda's hard work on the rx7 over the years (first generation gets the nod from me), Wankel rotary engines are funny beasts. On paper, they have the goods in terms of mechanical simplicity, compactness and smoothness of operation. In the real world, fuel efficiency, high emissions and shorter lifespans (before a rebuild) bring them down.

Direct injection and better engineering might see a resurgence in the concept. Since they work better with a constant load, I'm guessing that rotaries might work well with CVTs.

EDIT: I don't think it's possible for a Wankel rotary to seize up, due to their design. Something to do with the aluminum case expanding more than the iron rotors to accommodate the uneven heating caused by rotary combustion.
 
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I'm not sure what possessed me to put the title under 1985 when it's a 1976 bike.

I had a quick read on the wiki page. Very interesting bike for sure. Didn't know about it almost bankrupting Suzuki at the time.




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Low rider said:
I can still remember walking into the bike show and seeing one of those for the first time.
wonderment and dreams washed over my body, I was in love.
Click to expand...

I was a kid at Mosport, at the Superbike races, and Suzuki paraded a few laps with one. EVERYONE was impressed. It was the first Japanese bike designed entirely by an external designer as the flagship for Suzuki. I thought they made it better in 1984 with the pop-up headlight bike, but after that, they diluted the name.

I have seen many restored 1981 1100s, but the 750s have gone, and the 84s sold in few numbers.

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There is a pristine 81 1100 in the vintage section of the show this weekend.
 
This bike can be called revolutionary.
After this bike came out the sport bike market changed.
Then came the Hurricane.
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