Car and motorcycle manufacturers have followed this mantra forever: Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday.
Naturally, a world championship motorcycle will impress prospective customers who want to ride the same motorcycle model piloted by their heroes. Sometimes, manufacturers build race replica motorcycles, the closest thing a rider can get to owning a Grand Prix bike.
This 1989 Suzuki RG500 Gamma, like the one recently available on eBay, is based on Suzuki’s world-champ RG500 racer.
An Amazing RG500 Gamma Survivor
The RG500 Gamma’s original Michelin tires dried and cracked over time. That aging reveals how this Gamma was never ridden. The paltry two miles on the odometer come from being pushed to photo shoots and motorcycle shows. Between its well-documented history and immaculate condition, this 1989 Suzuki RG500 Gamma is in pristine condition. It’s probably the world’s finest surviving example of a classic two-stroke race replica.
The Suzuki RG500 Gamma features a feisty 498cc liquid-cooled inline-four engine with rotary valves and a twin crank. Because rotary valves were used for the induction system, its Mikuni 28mm flat-side carbs had to be mounted to the side.
The exhaust also used a rotating valve, utilizing Suzuki’s Automatic Exhaust Control—with a servomotor and cables that open and close the valve for maximum power. With all that valving, the RG500 Gamma had the signature two-stroke temperament. One second you’re waiting for the power to hit, then boom, watch out.
Suzuki RG500 Gamma: Trickle-Down Tech
The 1989 Suzuki RG500 wakes up with front tire-lifting power around 6,500 rpm and holds it there as it climbs toward the redline. Thanks to its 95 horsepower, it can rocket to over 130 miles per hour. Moreover, it can lay down an 11.5-second quarter-mile.
Suzuki’s race replica has a slim box-section aluminum frame and a dual swingarm, the “full floater” rear suspension trickle-down tech from the race bike. The box-section frame has a cast steering head that channels air to the carbs.
Between the rigid frame and punchy engine, the RG500 Gamma requires a lot of attention from its rider. After a couple of spirited hours, the bike might wear you out. However, that probably won’t be an issue with the bike’s new owner. Its pristine condition should energize any enthusiast.
On Display for Decades, But Never Ridden
Other manufacturers at the time were making replica race bikes. But the 1989 Suzuki RG500 Gamma is the cream of the crop. It has more horsepower than the Yamaha RD500 and Honda NS400R, and the chassis is more racetrack focused than the RD500. Some circles claim it remains the closest any manufacturer got to offering a legit Grand Prix 500 racer for the road.
The seller says this RG500 Gamma was one of the last built. The beauty sat on display in a Suzuki dealership in England before making its way to American shores in 2021. The underbelly and fairing show a couple of scratches from being moved around. Otherwise, the bodywork continues to glimmer in traditional Suzuki blue.
