Modified and Titled 1986 RG500 on Ebay

Modified and Titled 1986 RG500 on Ebay

Making its’ second appearance on RSBFS is this heavily modified RG500.  I’m sure most visitors to RSBFS know all about RG500’s so I’m not going to delve into their history.  Instead  this bike brings up a subject I’ve always wondered about with rare bikes.  What is more appealing to a buyer of a  rare bike:  a stock bike or or a bike  modified with quality components (mileage being the same on both bikes)?  This bike has been pretty heavily breathed on engine wise and the chassis has also been brought closer to modern specs.  Lately it seems clean/low mileage/titled RG’s have been selling in the low teens.  The seller has listed this RG with a $13,000 Buy It Now price (Down $1000 from the previous listing).  What do you guys think, is that price in the ball park?

From the Ebay listing:

In 2005 before moving to the USA, the engine was given to BDK race engineering, who completely rebuilt the engine (Replacing all crankshaft bearings and seals), bored it to 570cc and performed a stage 3 tune. A Nova gearbox was fitted to cope with the extra power, the carbs where offset bored to 31.5mm and Mark Dent’s ITG air filters where fitted. The motorcycle was then assembled in Austin and put on the AF1 dyno in New Braunsfel where it recorded 108hp (A week later without any mods, it recorded 126hp on a dynojet 250!! AF1 dyno is known to under read..). The bike is extremely fast.

The frame is a standard RG500 frame but with a complete RGV250 front end fitted, the forks where modified (new springs and damper units) by Maxton Race engineering in the UK to correct for the weight difference of an RG500 compared to an RGV250, BDK also custom made a rear shock for the bike which raised the rear by about 15mm to speed up steering. The rear wheel is a 4.5” CMA and matches the front wheel very closely. The bike handles beautifully. The rear swing arm is a standard RG 500 swing arm which has been braced for extra rigidity, the rear axle was also changed to increase rigidity (it is now a hollow 1” axle instead of the very weak ½” standard axle).

The motorbike is running a set of Mark Dent exhausts which where coated by HPC (High Performance Coatings) in the USA. The battery has been relocated to the steering headstock to get more weight over the front wheel.  The fairing is a modified RGV250 fairing, the gas tank is a standard RG500 gas tank, and the rear bodywork is a copied/modified RG500 bodywork. The motorbike is running the standard 2 stroke oil pump, (no premix) which has proved very reliable and is far less hassle when out riding.

My opinion in general is that when you modify a bike you need to it for yourself and not expect to retrieve that money upon selling.  I go on the assumption that not everyone likes the same modifications.  Can you argue though, this owner has done all the hard to work to modernize the RG and has it ready to ride?  I know those Mark Dent pipes weren’t cheap, that is for sure!  If this RG is for you get . 

IK