2009 Iron Butt Rally... on a 33 year old rotary Suzuki

[Slonishku]

Here's the latest RE5 update.

The primary RE5 is in the shop in Oakland. There, the forks have been rebuilt and improved upon. The awful old steering head bearings have been replaced with modern tapered bearings. The oil cooler is having leaks welded and will then be pressure tested. The regulator/ rectifier units which were made by Alexander Graham Bell will be replaced with a modern alternative. Timing adjusted, points gapped, yadda yadda.  Wiring is being repaired and/ or updated where practical.

I’ve gotten the 7” HID Tech headlight 90% installed- I’m going to have to do a little modification to the mounting hardware, but nothing exotic.

The secondary RE5 (Blue) seems to be running very well now. I have yet to road test it, but plan to after work someday this week. If it’s running strong, it will be shod with some new Metelers and have the wheel bearings replaced. The old battery had corroded the positive terminal cable badly ehough that it will need to be replaced. I’m using a donor cable now. The new battery is a great Briggs & Stratton unit of exactly the right size but greater cranking power I found at Tractor Supply Hardware. I’m liking it better than the Parts Unlimited unit.

My optimism is growing despite my enhanced awareness of vulnerability to system failure via decrepitude.

On a side note- I’m playing with the idea of using a windscreen vice the factory fairing. I’m not really committed to one route or the other. What are your thoughts? A big factor in favor of the fairing is, of course, historical accuracy.

[Blue Bye You]

    The RE is not great on gas mileage as you probably know. However it is not sensitve to additional load such as increased wind resistance. I have traveled with RE riders who have had both the factory barn door or a National windshied. Both got similar mileage. The main difference was comfort. Good and bad. In the cold and the rain the factory fairing is great. In hot weather it will roast you. Pick your poison. Another common problem with RE's is vaporlock in hot weather. The factory fairing adds to this problem as it blocks cooling air to the carb. It can still happen without it though. A cooling system that is in top condition is paramount. I don't know of anyone who has used stuff like water wetter or ICE coolant as they are fairly new products but it might be something to look into.

    RE's are also prone to spark plug fouling. carry several spares if you can, or convert to a newer type plug. I think Rotary Recycle sells the kits.

[Slonishku]

More great news!

As for spark plugs, I have adapters for Irridium plugs as well as RX-7 plugs. I'll be assessing the best alternative. My guess is that it will end up being the RX-7 version.

With the full fairing, I was thinking about making an air duct to cool the carb... not sure how well it would help or work.

[jwhite518]

Interesting choice. I would be the biggest threat this August will be heat not rain. Of course it is hurricane season so you never know, but odds are we'll be roasting our nuts all across America.

[Slonishku]

That's the dilemma, I suppose. The fairing provides a lot of cover, and heat will be an issue. Last IBR, most of the riders were in rain for the first few days virtually nonstop. If that were the case this year, I'd be awfully happy. I can do fine in the rain, but big summertime East Coast downpours throw a lot of water. Several hours of that stuff crackling off your visor can wear you out!

Now, cue the Star Wars music from Tatooine as the droids wander across the desert. As we make our way out west in the dry desert heat, I might be more than happy to live without the fairing.

[Tyrroneous]

This is a great thread.  Keep the progress moving forward and the updates frequent!!!  

[Bounce]

Interesting choice. I would be the biggest threat this August will be heat not rain. Of course it is hurricane season so you never know, but odds are we'll be roasting our nuts all across America.

history has shown that excessive rain is more likely than 110+ degree weather. but, depending on your routes, the odds are that you'll have both.

[Orson]

Timing adjusted, points gapped, yadda yadda.  Wiring is being repaired and/ or updated where practical.

no luck sourcing an electronic ignition, huh  

[Slonishku]

No, no luck on the electronic ignition. I found a company (British) that used to make an ignition, but that model has been out of production for several years.

[DNA]

 

Great updates - when do you expect to start making some semi-serious mileage ride?

I'm guessing you will need to do at least a few 1000K days (non-sequentially) just to have the confidence you need.

Worry is tiring as well.

[Slonishku]

 

Great updates - when do you expect to start making some semi-serious mileage ride?

I'm guessing you will need to do at least a few 1000K days (non-sequentially) just to have the confidence you need.

Worry is tiring as well.

If possible, I'll be doing the Cal24 rally on the RE in June. I have a borrowed back-up RE5 that's running well, albeit smoking like an early 80's Puch moped. It's a blue Flash Gordon-esque 1975 model. If necessary, I might use it to at least learn what I can in terms of oil consumption, tire wear, and the like. If anyone is in the San Jose area for the start, stop on by on Friday (June 12th).  Of course, if you're there and NOT riding the Cal24, you should be ashamed.

[Blue Bye You]

No, no luck on the electronic ignition. I found a company (British) that used to make an ignition, but that model has been out of production for several years.

The RE comes with a capacitive discharge type electronic ignition. The points are used as a low voltage low current switch. Therefore they don't wear, pitt or change setting like other point ignition systems do. All you need is a backup stock unit or 2 to swap out. And that would be a fairly rare occurance for it to fail. I hope this helps relieve some apprehention.  

[Slonishku]

It does. A new set of points can be had without toouch fuss.
I should have the new Lester wheels on Sunday. If Chaparral in San bernarino is open sunday, I'll have 'em mount some new shoes up too!

[Blue Bye You]

They are open on Sunday but the last time I tried to get tires on a Sunday the Shop staff was off and no tires could be mounted. But Malcom Smiths in Riverside Has had the shop open on Sundays in the past and may be able to help. Or you can just get the tires at Chaparral and mount them when you get home. I don't recall, did you say you had new shocks for it? If not GS 1000 shocks are a good choice for a beeter ride. Our fiiend with the wheels has them on his bike so take a look when you're there.

[Slonishku]

I'm headed down there tomorrow. I'm pretty anxious about the visit!

[2wTraveler]

I found this lurking in my photobucket acct. Thought of this thread as soon as I looked:

[Slonishku]

The visit with Tim went great! I now have a set of Lester cast alloy wheels. I stopped off at Chaparral in San Bernadino and had 'em chuck the old tires (apparently made of something like bakelite) and put on some nice modern tires.

The standar tire sizes are 3.25H 19 front, 4.00H 18 rear. Pretty skinny stuff. I found out from Tim that some of his RE5s run 100/90 19's and 120/19 18's. I went with dome Dunlop 404s. I need mileage, mileage, and more mileage. I'm open to suggestions in that department.

To my surprise, Tim is the same Tim in Jay Leno's video. This guy has got to be the West Coast RE5 guru. I knew I was in the right place when I pulled into his house to see two rotary powered Mazdas- and RX7 and an mid-70's mini truck! Tim seems to know most everything there is to know about these things. He really gave me a LOT of information. Dana, I can't thank you enough for making that connection for me!

My primary rally bike is getting a lot of care up in Oakland now. Because of scheduling issues, I won't be picking it up until a week from this saturday, which is getting really close to the Cal 24. What complicated this is the fact that the oil seal on the breaker rotor shaft is leaking oil... all over the points! That's merely irksome over short rides. But it's a real problem on oh, say, 1000 mile days. Replacing the shaft has a few complications: 1. I have to go relatively deep into the engine to get at it, and 2. the oil seal has no part number and is not in production. Lucky for me, Rotary Recycle out in Ohio has them in stock and will be sending me two of them straightaway.

The next few weeks will be pretty active as I prep this and that, then get the RE all set up for the Cal 24. At this point, I'm just looking to get the HID's and fuel tank set up, plus electrical hookups for the GPS, phone charger, and low-wattage Gerbings Warm & Safe heated vest. I *should* have the power requirements covered by reducing draw (HID headlight conversion and replacement of running lights with LEDs. In any case, the Cal 24 should be the acid test of preparedness.

[Stray Cat]

I'm really late to the party. How did I miss this thread for so long?
Anyway, it sounds like you have pretty much sourced all the right people out. I was looking into trying to find one of these a few years back, but never followed up.
I actually rode one on a test ride years ago when I was considering buying one new. I ended up needing a car.
Speaking of cars, nice Datsun Roadster in the background in your OP picture.  

[Blue Bye You]

I'm really late to the party. How did I miss this thread for so long?
Anyway, it sounds like you have pretty much sourced all the right people out. I was looking into trying to find one of these a few years back, but never followed up.
I actually rode one on a test ride years ago when I was considering buying one new. I ended up needing a car.
Speaking of cars, nice Datsun Roadster in the background in your OP picture.  

I got a fixer-upper for sale??????

[Slonishku]

Well, when this whole shindig is over in mis-September, I should have a good strong running RE5 for sale. I'll probably sell my back-up at some point not too long after the rally.