Rotary Engine Motorcycle? 1975 Suzuki RE5 - Jay Leno's Garage

This misunderstood motorcycle boasts an incredibly smooth rotary engine but was not a commercial success due to many factors that you'll learn about in this episode!

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Rotary Engine Motorcycle? 1975 Suzuki RE5 - Jay Leno's Garage

Jay Leno's Garage

[amazingredkitty]

I was the Suzuki Factory Service Rep for NY & NJ when the RE5 was introduced. One of the big problems with the dealers servicing the bike is there was about a 6 month delay between the factory training of the dealers and the bikes arriving at the dealership. Everyone had forgotten what they had learned. Some of the first bikes that were shipped had the carburetor linkage misadjusted at the factory. Using a protractor type special tool attached to the butterfly shaft the linkage had to be bent to adjust it properly. I would willing to bet that the RE-5 carburetor is the most complicated carb ever put on a motorcycle and it baffled the mechanics. Being the "RE-5 Guy", I think I worked on at least half the RE-5's sold in my territory. It is a great bike once it's dialed in and fun to ride. On a humorous note, we called the speedometer "the lunch box". Thanks for a great video and a blast from the past.

[robertcarkeek]

" the wife left years ago, the kids won't talk to him, he washes carburetor parts in the kitchen sink." That's poetry Jay . You should finish it Jay, It's too good!

[johndangelo]

Thank you Jay for covering the Re5. I bought mine in 1980, it was considered a 1976 model. Yes as you described Suzuki tried to de-weird it by putting GT750 turn signals and gauges on it and painting it black with gold pinstripes on the tank, which I thought looked pretty sharp. My good friend talked me into buying this bike because the dealer had a bunch of them and was trying to just get rid of them, I paid a $1000.00 for mine brand new still in the crate, and was pretty happy about it. My buddy who already had a water buffalo (GT750) got one too. And then he talked his neighbor into getting one also. When all three of were riding together we thought they sounded like a B-17 bomber, or so we thought. I did a lot of touring on it and even took it to Daytona from Detroit for bike week. I entered it on the boardwalk bike show and took 3rd place in the most unusual category behind a Honda minibike powered by Kawasaki Mach3 motor and then a custom bike with Chevy 350. Its funny you mention the kick starter because I had to use it for while when the starter clutch failed and I had to wait for parts to fix it. All in all a fun and reliable bike with a lot of great memories.

[ftbymikeD]

The instrument panel always reminded me of 'Rosie' the maid on the Jetsons!! Thanks Jay for sharing & preserving history once again.

[bodeyjamison]

My grandpa has one of these and actually was licensed to work on it. He still has all the old paper work and everything.

[creedsexton]

I love it now and I loved it then I bought one in 76 when I got my drivers license... still have it... it runs as good now as it did then.. of course I have only got 14, 000 miles on mine.

[brettlathrope]

My Dad's favorite motorcycle. We both loved riding it. He would ride it from Cypress, CA to Kamiah, ID a couple of times a year to see his mom (he was retired Navy). He crashed and died on it in '79. I still have the bike out behind my garage.

[MrTonhill]

My Dad and our family business from 1970 to 1982 was motorcycles, we sold Suzuki and this brings back some fun memories! For the introduction of the bike to the dealers in Las Vegas they had this big space theme and nasa astronauts to meet people. We had one on our floor, it was dark blue. It never sold. I think my dad traded with a guy to get it out of shop. They were smooth and fun to ride, but the rotory engine scared folks. Nice to see it's not forgotten!

[mcburket]

I was a Suzuki mechanic when these came out. I owned a '76 for awhile, as did the service manager (he still has his). Suzuki had a two day training course at the time - I still have a couple of training manuals from that class. Since Suzuki didn't let dealers work on the engine 'proper', the bike wasn't that bad to deal with, except that the carburetor was probably the most complex carb I've ever worked on. If the engine did have a problem you would have to replace the whole proper assembly (cases, rotor, eccentric shaft) as a single unit, and return the old one.

It would have been pretty entertaining to see Jay try to start the bike with the kick starter. I think I was able to do it once.

There is a guy in the midwest that was a friend of one of the Suzuki managers and he ended up buying every spare part that Suzuki USA had. He still has almost every part for the bike.

[PlasticKelly]

I bought the 1976 model new and had it until 1982 when I was hit by a drunk driver. Put me in the hospital for 9 weeks with a broken femur and totaled the bike. Sold it as scrap for $100.00. The most regretable episode of my life. I loved having that bike and enjoyed riding it so much. Forty years on and all I have left is memories, a few pictures and a limp. Thanks Jay, good see one again.

[johnmooney]

Hi Jay
I saw a write up in a magazine in 1975 when I was 15 years old and I was so taken by its futuristic design, it got me hooked on motorcycles. I have had many motorcycles but never had a RE 5, never quite had the money for one at the right time and apprehensive of the complexity of the bike. Maybe one day ! Thanks for showing us your bike .

[dmc]

Jay would be an excellent salesman. So much detail and history in such an effortless and genuine way makes you fall in love with whatever he’s talking about.

[joezednick]

drove me crazy placing that cylinder with all the sharp edges on that vintage Wow!

[jimweed]

As someone who rode a couple of Harley's for a good amount of time I can appreciate a motorcycle that does not vibrate.

[rodh]

I parked my bike next to an RE5 every day at university in 1975. I thought it was the coolest bike. Never saw the owner. I still think it's the coolest bike.

[markleadbeatter]

I can remember first seeing one of these in a motorcycle shop when my best mate was picking up his first bike (a 1973 TS125) and it honestly was like the future had arrived. I thought that flip up instrument cover was the coolest thing I had ever seen. Sadly I was too young to ride at the time, or I may well have signed up to buy one! It was a product of the times though, as no corporation would take such a huge gamble on such a risky technology these days. It is interesting how something that was viewed as a bit of a lemon back in the day has become a genuinely sought after automotive collectable. Thanks for uploading this video, very enjoyable.

[ACoustaDC]

I learn as much from Jay as I did my auto shop teacher.... both of them .. very knowledgeable.

[patricklozito]

A dear friend of mine worked at the Suzuki dealer in Queens NYC when this model came out and to
show how smooth and vibration free it ran, he would start it up and then balance his cigarette on it's filter on the gas tank.
I can still see it sitting there, smoking, as he revved the engine. Good times!

[mitchelllorens]

I’ve followed Japanese motorcycles much of my younger days and only wish I’d of paid attention to this gem more closely at the time. I love it! Real head turner. So sad the parts got deep-sixed 😔. That failure ( So to speak) probably sunk a few careers but Suzuki is still strong and I’m enjoying one of their maxi scooters . Thanks for this really special review. Totally enjoyed this.

[ksigurdsen]

The Honda CB500 I owned got 50 mpg even with lots of full throttle takeoff. I owned a 2004 Mazda RX-8. Beautiful car, superior balance and handling but the rotary engine still suffered Apex seal and water jacket failures. Your specimen is beautiful, glad to see it is loved.