Chi Slamma Gamma – 1986 Suzuki RG500

Fully ten years after Barry Sheene won the GP world championship on his RG500, Suzuki had tamed the beast for the showroom.  Though the delay missed the window of opportunity in the U.S., many examples have been imported, and this looks like one of the finest. 1986 Suzuki RG500 Gamma for sale on eBay Unthinkably…

Wild Wolf: 1986 Suzuki RG500 Walter Wolf

If you’re not into oil drilling and late-1970s Formula 1, you might be nonplussed at the handsome red and purple livery that graces this otherwise-standard 1986 Suzuki RG500 Gamma. But, under the alliterative name and the cool-if-dated graphics lies a story of early business success followed by a longshot investment in a passion project that…

Canadian Stroker: 1986 Suzuki RG500Γ for Sale

Suzuki’s RG500Γ “Gamma” didn’t actually use a detuned version of the racing RGB500’s engine, but at least shared that machine’s square four two-stroke configuration, so it looked and felt like it could have been developed from the real thing. The specifications were certainly unlike anything else on the road: twin cranks, disc valves, four cylinders…

Featured Listing: 1986 Suzuki RG500Γ for Sale

Suzuki’s RG500Γ “Gamma” is a modern classic, a bike from the tail end of the two-stroke sportbike era, at least here in the USA where lightweight, smoky strokers were gone by the mid-80s. At the time, it offered significant on-paper advantages over something like a GSX-R750: it was lighter and the 498cc engine made similar…

Two stroke restomod: 1986 Suzuki RG500

The problem with owning classic sportbikes is that even in their best shape, they perform like they would have 30 years ago, which can be a terrifying affair if you’re used to modern suspension and tires. Couple that with a take-no-prisoners 500cc two-stroke powerband, and you’re really playing with fire. This 1986 Suzuki RG500 has…