If you are looking for the big dog of the two stroke world, few would argue that the 500 Gamma is the way to go. With a compact, twin crank, square four configuration (same as the GP racers), the RG is a favorite for modders and hot rodders alike. In this particular case, today’s bike has been transformed from a stock RG into a Skoal Bandit GP replica with the creds of Rick Lance to back it up with performance. This thing looks very, very sweet and is certain to fetch a serious price.
1986 Suzuki RG500 for sale on eBay
Looking at this paint job makes me wonder why Suzuki didn’t churn out more than the reported 150 genuine replicas. I find the color striking, and very applicable on this smoker. While the seller does note the paint is all new, it is unclear if this bike started out life as a Skoal replica in the first place. The most telling item missing is the hideous green seat that is found on a genuine Skoal stocker, but given how much has been changed on this bike I wouldn’t blame the seller for swapping that out for a better looking unit. As the Skoal bikes were simply a respray of the standard RG (with absolutely no performance differences), does it really matter what the starting point was? This bike could have started life as a Walter Wolf edition for all I care.
From the seller:
Up for sale a 17 Digit VIN clear titled Rick Lance full performance built Skoal Bandit RG 500. Getting very difficult to find one as good as the claims?, Well, you have now found it!! Suzuki waited 11 years before releasing the square four RG500, a brilliant half-litre sports two stroke. The fact that the street version which has been properly modified in Rick Lance fashion is as potent as the 1976 World Championship winning RG is quite astonishing.NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO OWN IT!!!!!
The outstanding features of this machine are as follows:
Rick Lance Big Bore motor which is inclusive of Rick’s exclusive “O” ring machined heads.
Jim Lomas Torque Pipes.
Offset bored carburetors to 31.5 mm.
Rick Lance Supplemental Fuel petcocks.
Rick Lance Air Filter kit.
Rick Lance Clutch upgrade which yields outstanding performance vs. the issues of the past regarding the Gamma characteristic “drag”.
Maranello Transmission upgrade.
Rick Lance Battery relocation.
Rick Lance Oil in frame, stock oil tank elimination modification.
SV 650 Black powder coated wheels mated to Michelin Power Pilot Radials
EBC wave rotors.
Front fork Gold Valve emulator kit/ with full Rick Lance fork tuning and Spring set.
Rick Lance specifically designed rear shock/ with Lance ride height adjuster.
Rick Lance braced and polished swing arm.
Lots and lots and lots again of polishing work as evidenced in the pictures.
AWESOME, Skoal Bandit paint scheme.
You cannot look at this bike and tell me it doesn’t appear completely awesome. Apparently most of the folks that stumbled across it on eBay agree, because the current bidding above $30k with a reserve still in place. Anyone care to guess what this one will go for? Check it out here, and then share your thoughts. It’s not easy being green, but this one pulls it off with aplomb. Pardon the pun, but this one really does have all the right snuff!
MI
Oh my!! I am on the way to buy a lottery ticket. Must have this! Or least-wise I can dream. Reserve is probably $35k.
LOL – $30K+, 26 bidders. More power to the seller and hopefully no regrets for the buyer if they try sell after the bubble bursts.
Come to think of it, a modded bike like this should sell for less than a stocker. I mean a $30K+ bike with SV650 wheels?
If someone is going to try sell a bike for $30K at least put some period Marvics on the thing.
I’ve ridden this bike in both it’s former life, and in it’s glorious new one. This is THE best RG I’ve ever thrown a leg over, and I’ve had the good fortune to have ridden many other one from bone stock to one that’s been in magazines a couple of times. Works every bit as great as it looks.
Sorry, stupid question time: why do race bikes sometimes have what looks like a piece of fuel line running from the tank to the top triple clamp?
This bike should best be appreciated by one who has flown too close to the sun and plummeted back to Earth. When countless hours and piles of cash are expended trying to achieve GP perfection with only internet wisdom and bravado to guide the project, the final article only serves to illuminate the value of an experienced hand in building a machine such as this one.
Nobody has questioned or criticized its performance – I am merely stating as I always do that for the price these bikes should include some materials worth the price of entry. While such bikes (and cars) are always more than the sum of their parts, there is also a point at which the prices asked represent a diminishing point of return. More power to the seller and many happy miles to buyer – when the prices start approaching $40K one may as well buy an RGB and move on.
Rick, the key word being ‘value’ – which is best defined in the eye of each beholder.
Love it, and very tastefully modified. As far as the “bubble bursting” I am not sure that will happen. Even though there were twice the number of RG500s produced to say an RC30 I dare say there are still more RC30`s still floating around making good original RG`s very rare. Good luck to the seller and buyer.
…or you could bypass that flexi,old 8o’s dinosaur and buy this….
http://racebikemart.com/adverts/NSR_500_Replica_Road_Registered__1413226429.php
…and get some actual exotic components for the price.
By all means everyone should give careful consideration to the the purchase of the “NSR500” West bike that someone injected into the discussion of the Skoal sale. If that is what you are looking for, then that particular bike should be the one you pursue.
Take all the time you need for a well reasoned purchase. The West bike has been for sale off and on for ages and will continue to be so until you buy it. No need to hurry.
The LG Skoal, however will have a new home in less than a week for more money than any Gamma powered collage has ever commanded.
Nice job, Rick. It’s cool to see you on here. I hope to one day own one of your machines. They’re incredible… They are what dreams are made of.
RC45, I guess you didn’t listen when your Mama told you, “if you don’t have anything good to say, then don’t say anything at all”. You don’t think the bike is worth it, we all get it, so quit pi**ing all over this guy’s parade.
With just how perfectly this particular RG works, I think the guy selling it is nuts for even putting it up for sale. I’ve ridden everything from Stock RC30’s, to RC30’s with $50,000 (1992 dollars) heaped upon it, Munch Mammot’s, many MV’s, Ducati’s from a lowly 250 MK3, to a 900 NCR (yes, a REAL NCR, 1 of 3 in USA), Laverda’s, OW01’s, RGV 250’s, and lots of other very cool & rare stuff. The only bike that comes close to this one, in just how good it worked, was a RC30 with the best of everything thrown at it. This RG will be a fantastic addition to someones collection, but……………..it BEGS to be ridden and not just stuck up on a display to be looked at. If it doesn’t sell, I for one won’t be sad, because then I’LL get to ride it again! LOL!
This is one of the nicest Rg500’s ever offered for sale on ebay. Usually examples as such go for sale thru word of mouth only, and for top dollar. A smart man once told me, “the most expensive thing you will ever do is to buy a cheap gamma that needs a little work”. This is a beautiful bike and if Rick built it, you know its dialed.
Chris Wyckoff is it? Yeah, my mother actually told me to always speak my mind, no matter how much of a yes-man circle jerk was going on around me. I am guessing your mama never quite explained the blog and discussion forum thing to you – it involves discussion and often times differing onions and points of view. We get it, you like this bike and think its a bargain, well I don’t.
As for this spindly RG forked, heavy SV wheeled bike being the best sorted and handling bike you have ever ridden either means you haven’t really ridden all the exotica you claim to have or you are just full of it and using some exaggerated poetic license for the benefit of the seller 🙂
Lets get real here – this is just a tastefully modded RG500 that when viewed in the clear light of day couldn’t even be parted out for $32,000 due to the lack of exotic components. No Ohlins multi-adjustable forks/shock, Brembo cast iron brakes, BST or Marchesini/Marvic wheels or even aluminium tank – now I see no mention of the bodywork being carbon, and there are few Lance Gammas running around with custom carbon fiber bodywork. So lets alloy $15,000 for the motor and $5,000 for the bodywork if it is a custom carbon set – I still don’t see $10,000 worth of bits left over.
But the reality is folks over pay for things all the time. – it is called a free market. Buyer meets seller and they exchange currency for goods and both part company satisfied.
Don’t you just love discussion forums? hehe
I totally agree with RC45’s last post.
There are old school bikes that are cool to be seen on,but I must say,this is not one that I would like to be seen arriving on at a true motorcycling enthusiasts hangout.on.It’s a bit “Boy Racer” for me.You would come across as a total wanker pulling-up on this thing! It’s just does not present itself as the thinking mans sportbike.A Ducati green frame,a Honda RC45/30,Yamaha 0w01/02,Guzzi Le Mans,Bimota DB1RS….you get my drift.This bike is for those “TYGA” internet geeks…you know the ones…they know the difference between a Honda NSR 250 SP and SE by the warning sticker placements.Great fun at partys….or forums.
Got a felling it runs better than RZ784. LOL.
…..”TYGA Boys”….there’s no spare seat at thisbar table…..best you head off to the McDonalds carpark.
“This bike should best be appreciated by one who has flown too close to the sun and plummeted back to Earth.”
Touche,indeed.
This bike must surely be listed on the “For Sale” page of the TYGA site.
err why would someone give a damn wtf anyone else thinks about their ride… I got my bike because I wanted it, couldnt give a toss about what anyone else thinks if i tried
I totally agree with RC45’s last post.
There are old school bikes that are cool to be seen on,but I must say,this is not one that I would like to be seen arriving on at a true motorcycling enthusiasts hangout.on.It’s a bit “Boy Racer” for me.You would come across as a total wanker pulling-up on this thing!
Het Pie-hole, I guess the RG wouldn’t fly at the “Leather Bar” LOL!
Meant…………..HEY
Guys over the years there have been some great rg500’s for sale. Some still in their original create still. This doesn’t look all that perfect. It looks OK. I’m sure someone will buy it.i know of a gay pilot let’s call him “natural Norman” who flies for emirates and lives in East London. He would love this and ride the hell out of it. I’ll let him know there is a bike for sale like this.
Nice one – and a fair criticism considering although the bike isn’t even complete yet
I will happily concede this point with the knowledge that the only 2 pieces of the bike that are still ‘RZ’ are the upper and lower engine cases (and even those are modded beyond recongnition). Everything else is either custom made, ex-GP/WSB race bike magnesium or titanium or aluminium customer race bike parts book sourced.
In the middle of negotiations for a set of customer 1986 YZR500 forks with magnesium yokes as we speak 😉 – so by the time this hybrid thing is fired up for the first time, even if it does turn out to be a heap of crap, the parts alone can be sold off to negate the frustration or just left sitting in the den 🙂
If you are referring to the hose on this RG, it is a line running from the fuel tank breather / vent valve to a safe and tidy place for such vapors to go. Standard issue on the production Gamma street bikes as well as the racers. Early GSXR’s are fitted with the same system.
This bike will look stunning parked in front of Starbucks – heck the colors even match. I hope the ‘Boomer that buys it via their second mortgage will actually ride it. Get that hip surgery now so you can ride by next spring! Needs this applied to the tank….http://findingcoffee.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/pollpubpolls634312295300255000-_-screenshot20110121at85649pmpng.jpg
that last post is just is of no benefit and the kind of stuff that will unfortunately make people not want their bike posted on this site. Congratulations no class.
This comment thread is done. Please try harder to keep things civil, we’d rather not have to moderate this area if we can all play nice.
dc
Final bid was $34,950 with 52 bids, but the reserve was not met.
dc
Back on eBay with buy-it-now set at $34k.
dc
[…] all the activity surrounding the recent Skoal/Lance Gamma RG500, we almost missed this offering in Canada. Though thin on details, it does note an engine rebuild […]