Post by ap951 on Feb 4, 2013 18:55:42 GMT -5
I purchased my RE5 three years ago from a guy I met at the parts counter of a local Suzuki dealership. He told me that he acquired the bike in 1981 but it didn't run very well so he parked it in a metal storage shed in his backyard. It had about 5000 miles on the clock & looked pretty good however it had been parked with a full tank of gas and the temperatures in the metal storage unit would have fluctuated between -10 to +110 degrees Fahrenheit. I started by spending a lot time flushing/cleaning the tank (I wanted to preserve the original paint & I don't like chemical sealers) I rebuilt the carb, changed all the fluids & regularly squirted oil into the rotor housing. I completely rebuilt the brakes & forks with new seals & brake lines. I greased the wheel & swing arm bearings, replaced the tires/chain & did a lot of cleaning. When I finally took my first ride I could not believe how much noise came from the transmission & the bike had a severe flat spot around 3800 rpm. It was terrible. I made the decision to pull the motor & inspect all the pieces. It turned out that a couple of bearings in the transmission were self-destructing. I replaced all the transmission bearings/seals/gaskets and carefully re-assembled everything. I also took another close look at the carburetor & determined that the accelerator pump could not possibly have ever worked because it was missing the little steel ball that was supposed to be peened into the body & act as a check valve.
After a lot of work I took it for another first ride this last Saturday & the bike runs beautifully. The transmission noise is gone & the acceleration is seamless. I would encourage anyone that owns an RE5 project to stick with it, you will be glad you did. A big thank you to everyone that posts on this site, it has been an invaluable resource of information
After a lot of work I took it for another first ride this last Saturday & the bike runs beautifully. The transmission noise is gone & the acceleration is seamless. I would encourage anyone that owns an RE5 project to stick with it, you will be glad you did. A big thank you to everyone that posts on this site, it has been an invaluable resource of information
