The parallel-twin precursor to the well-known RGV250, the Suzuki RG250Γ “Gamma” was built between 1983 and 1987. Dry weight was a claimed 286lbs, helped by the aluminum frame, so the bike’s 45hp can still move the bike down the road smartly. The little Gamma was styled to match the RG500, and was packed with technology to rival its bigger brother: dual front disc brakes, anti-dive front forks, Suzuki’s Automatic Exhaust Control power-valve, and a six-speed gearbox. Tires are shockingly skinny, especially the 18″ rear, but the low-mount exhausts look surprisingly modern on this classic sportbike.
Styling is a bit slab-sided, but is helped here by the dark blue and red Walter Wolf colors, while the “W” branded gauge faces add a bit of flash to the otherwise functional dash. Although he sounds like the villain of a spy thriller, Walter Wolf was an Austrian-born, Canadian businessman who sponsored several Formula 1 racing teams in the late 1970s and then touring cars in the early 1980s. How they thought to use a limited-production motorcycle to advertise the brand is anyone’s guess, but it did make for a good-looking machine.
Mileage on this example is very low and, although the bike isn’t perfect, is in very good, original condition, aside from the stingers mentioned in the listing. Even the foam instrument-surround looks solid. The seller has been importing grey market Japanese cars like Skylines and Kei-cars and for a few years now, and appear to have branched out into motorcycles more recently.
From the original eBay listing: 1986 Suzuki RG250Γ Walter Wolf Edition for Sale
Original Walter Wolf Key
OEM Fairings
Includes Spares
Includes Both Solo and Passenger SeatsThis bike only has 4,836 ORIGINAL MILES! The Suziki RG250 Gamma was never originally offered in the U.S., but now that it’s 25+ years old, we’ve been able to legally import it. It’s 100% Federally Legal and registration is like any other motorcycle. We have a valid Virginia title that is transferable to all 50 states.
This 1986 RG250Γ Walter Wolf example is in very good condition with just 4,836 original miles. The appearance is correct for the year with a red seat and wheel combination. The wheel size is 16” up front and 18” in the rear which was standard for the 1986 model. The only change appears to be a set of aftermarket mufflers and mirrors. The full aerodynamic fairings and exterior as a whole are clean for a motorcycle this age. There are a few light blemishes and a small crack on the right side fairing
The 247cc parallel twin two-stroke starts on the first or second kick and accelerates well with good pickup. Overall this unique and rare sports bike is mechanically sound and ready for its next owner. ***All of our vehicles come with a valid Virginia title, transferable to all 50 states, and a copy of the U.S. Customs release. All vehicles are located in Richmond, VA and shipping can be arranged to your front door.
You will not be disappointed with this motorcycle! We also have a number of spare parts available with this motorcycle. Including an extra fuel tank, Gold OEM Enkei wheels, brakes, stock exhaust, Solo + Passenger seat, and tail section. All of our vehicles come with a valid Virginia title, transferable to all 50 states, and a copy of the U.S. Customs release. All vehicles are located in Richmond, VA and shipping can be arranged to your front door.
This motorcycle was imported LEGALLY! It was NOT imported under a loophole, so there is no chance that it can be seized by the government. It will come with a CLEAN, CLEAR, VALID VA TITLE, and a U.S. Customs Release. **FEDERALLY LEGAL IN ALL 50 STATES**
There’s more than a week left on the listing, so there’s plenty of time to snap this bike up at that $6,000 Buy It Now price. If you’re looking for a handler, one of the more modern RGV250s is probably a better bet. But for that unadulterated 1980s experience, that seems like a very good price for such a clean machine. In spite of the sellers assurances, I’d check with my local DMV before bidding, but that valid title should make things a bit easier.
-tad
Walter Wolf used to sponsor Suzuki’s 500cc class effort in Japanese series. Hence, the replica. Those are fun little bikes, not as hardcore as RGV. There were people who preferred more friendly 2-stroke sports bikes, and so for a few years, RG was sold alongside after RGV came along.
Those aftermarket mirrors are awful. The correct long stalk Japanese market (and Canadian) MK3 mirrors are rare and expensive. Same mirrors on the big Gamma. If you do find them be prepared to dig deep to pay for them. A good pair at $600 might be considered reasonable these days. That is what the last 3 pairs sold for. A left mirror just sold on eBay for $400. The red exhaust cans are as bad as the awful mirrors. Installed because the stock cans are in bad shape and stock replacements don’t exist. You can get replacement skins/covers for the RG500 cans, but not for the RG250 MK3 cans. I searched worldwide for a full year for parts to restore a 1987 RG250 MK3 and can say with certainty that MK3 parts are scarce and pricey.
As for the Walter Wolf colours, it’s a lot of fuss over paint (several colours available) and stickers. While some think the WW bikes are rare the reality is there are plenty around and it really shouldn’t affect the overall price, although some may dispute that. The WW signature means nothing. He seems to sign every bike he sees.
The last RG250 was 1987. I had an 87 RG250 and an 88 RGV250 in my collection at the same time. There is absolutely nothing similar between the 2 bikes. Night and day. Aside from being underpowered and underwhelming to ride the RG250 is a good looking bike. The RG250 (early) has the honour of being the first alloy framed bike to come out of Japan. Values will never reach those of TZRs, RGVs, or RZ350 YPVS bikes, but if you have room for one in your collection it would be a good addition. In this case that shiny bodywork hides a bit of a mess underneath. Be careful of the lipstick on a pig factor.
If you aren’t a purist buy this one and stuff an RZ/RD350 YPVS motor into it. The YamaGamma is the cheapest and easiest conversion to do. Long considered the best use of any RG250 chassis.
Thanks for your post,lots of good info
If you have a YPVS Yamaha (350) mill laying around, stuff it in an FZR 400 roller, trust me on this one… Both chassis are not a “easy swap” by any means, but the PITA factor with the Yamagamma vs the Yamayama is YUUUGE!
I bought one of these ( I mean a blue/white) RG250 …not a WW in the mid 90s for a mere $400 ( as you said what a mirror goes for now !) . I kept it 2 years and sold it for what I paid for it . However back then I could not get parts for it so I gave up on restoring it . Too bad as it would have either made a nice collector ….or an equally fun track bike to screw around with . But alas as I said before I never was a 2-stroke kind of guy and I never kept my 2 strokes very long . However I regret it now when I see what these bikes go for these days !
The YamaGamma RG350 is by far the easiest conversion to do. To put the 350 YPVS motor in the RG250 you need to spent $5 on aluminum. That gets you one small piece of round stock for 2 spacers and 1 small piece of flat stock for engine mounts. No problem, no expense there. You will, of course, need the electrical for the YPVS motor, so loom, CDI and powervalve controller. It’s assumed the motor will have the stator and flywheel. The YPVS electrical bits are readily available and not expensive. I’ve been dealing with them for decades. Standard YPVS pipes fit, so again, not an issue.
A TZR350 is a better option than an FZR350. Just be prepared for the $1600 expense for an engine cradle and custom pipes. This I learned the hard way.
Help me understand this. The seller says “This motorcycle was imported LEGALLY! It was NOT imported under a loophole, so there is no chance that it can be seized by the government. It will come with a CLEAN, CLEAR, VALID VA TITLE, and a U.S. Customs Release. **FEDERALLY LEGAL IN ALL 50 STATES**”
The sellers says legal in all 50 states. How does a VA title make this bike legal in CA? Legal to own but not to ride?
And if you talk to the seller, ask why the airbox is missing. Expect tuning to be off without it. The pods look cool, but do little to help performance.
JR, I’m not sure what markets you have access to, but parts really aren’t an issue for this bike in Japan. We have an office in Japan and access to pretty much anything for sale there. A quick search turned up thousands of parts. We have people frequently contact us and it’s the same for most of these motorcycles.
Mirrors(pair): I don’t see as many available compared to mechanical parts or fairings but did find one pair of OEM mirrors. Depending on shipping cost, $175-200 would be a good estimate.
Exhausts(entire system, not just slip-ons): A quick search found approximately 30 sets – prices ranged from $100-600 depending on a few factors.
The previous owner installed the pods, slip-ons, and re-jetted the carbs. The same owner was going to throw away the spares, but was willing to send them to our office if we payed for shipping.
Concerning it being 50 state legal – It’s the same as the cars we sell. Ownership and title transfer works in all 50 states(we’ve sold to every state except Alaska). From that point, registration and requirements are the same as any other motorcycle. Unfortunately, whether it’s an imported bike or car, California is the one state that seems to have an issue with registering these as “operable”.
I speak of the market sources that most buyers and collectors have access to. My experience has been that finding early RG250 MK1 and MK2 parts may not be the most difficult thing to do, but finding RG250 MK3 parts is a challenge for most of us. The MK3 has many parts that are MK3 specific so MK1 and MK2 parts simply will not fit or function. Having done it myself and having access to the worldwide market I can only tell you what I know based on my work. Yahoo Japan may have parts, but not everyone is comfortable or familiar with the site and finding clean undamaged parts remains difficult. It took me a full year to find undamaged MK3 exhaust cans. MK3 mirrors are MK3 specific and remain unobtanium and when they do show up on eBay or other sources that are quickly bid (by RG500 owners) up to what most people would consider unreasonable. $175-$200 would certainly be a bargain and I would buy all I could find at that price. The last 3 sets I had were $600 each. I envy your ability to access your parts sources.
Sadly, it seems that most of the Japan based sellers have recently discovered the true value of rare parts (over inflated by some buyers willing to pay whatever it takes) and prices have doubled and tripled pushing most buyers out of that market. For us rabid 2 stroke collectors/restorers it means the cost of doing business has gotten out of hand.
Looking at the bike I suspect it is a repaired/repainted WW if even that. Might just be a run of the mill stocker with catchy paint.
The scheme does not look like either the very limited (2000 units) 1985 WW model or the more readily available 1986 WW colour scheme used on the 250.
It looks like it was done using a 1986 500 WW decal set.
Not being original and having those gawdy red stingers and weird mirrors the buyers should not get caught up in a crazy bidding war.
I’d say those Walter Wolf gauge faces suggest more than just a repaint of a stock RG250… But with a bike that old, it’s certainly possible it’s been repainted at least once and those red stingers need to go.
I know what you are saying, but in Japan, we had quite a few different Walter Wolf scheme, and this is definitely one that was available on RG250.
I suppose Tamiya wouldn’t normally duplicate a fantasy colour scheme on one of the model they made, so perhaps that is the mystique about the 1985 version – limited to 2000 (according to Replica magazine) units and an unknown variation of WW schemes within those 2000? From what I have seen and read, the RG400 WW’s where variations of the silver scheme, the RG500’s variations of the deep purple and then the 250’s a mish mash of the 2. Maybe the only proper rare WW Suzuki is one particular 250 colour scheme, but since they where not closely documented and recorded no one knows for sure so there really isn’t a way to determine rarity so they should just fetch normal 250 pricles LOL
If fitting an RZ lump in an RG or RGV will only cost me “5 (FIVE) dollars worth of aluminum”, brother, sign me up! I have done a couple of conversions, i.e. YPVS 350 in an RGV, RZ 500 in an FZR 400 frame, and an RZ 350 mill in an FZR 400 frame as well, and to do it right costs exactly five dollars… and about three thousand more in grey hairs. I have the templates, reciepts,and photos for all these builds. Golly, the cone sets for the chambers run a grand by the time the temp gauge needles lift of the pegs (EGT)… So I have a lump and a rolling chassis sitting right here, and five bucks cash… I’ll let you know how far I get on “five dollars worth of aluminum”.
Typical. You’ve managed to completely misunderstand what I said. Go figure. $5 worth of aluminum is all you need to mount the YPVS 350 engine in the RG250 chassis. No cradles, no frame modifications, no great expense, no custom pipes. You need the YPVS electrics, as I said. Go to http://www.rdlccrazy.co.uk/ and click Gammaha on the top of the page. That tells you all you need to know. It is the easiest hybrid to do. If you have the $5 for the aluminum. I did.
I’m not sure what you read, but at no point did I suggest any other hybrid was easy or cheap. This isn’t my first rodeo.
Those red things are called silencers or mufflers, not stingers. (Stingers are preceding the silencers). I suppose the owner thought that they went well with the other red highlights.
Joel