SUZUKI RG500
Jeff is having a ‘Carry On’ moment.
G’day! Well, I hope you had a great Christmas and managed to get some shed time and plenty of food and drinks into you. Most of us need a turn or two of preload added to the suspension of our bikes after Xmas... not just Bertie! I got heaps done to the RG500, but failed my goal of riding it before the festive period. I’m sure I’ll be able to ride it very soon. I just want to make sure it is all correct and right, first. Having it running is good. I start it weekly and I’ve continued to get it running nicely. It idles like a new one now and has a very crisp throttle, which sounds wicked. However, there have been a few dramas like a coolant leak I had to fix, plus I’ve got the old two-stroke oil weeping/feeding issue so I have ordered four oil check valves, which are on the way as I type. I also ordered two inline fuel petcocks, one for each fuel line, to help prevent storage flooding. The carbs at the front can get overwhelmed and flood if I turn the fuel on suddenly, but if I turn the tap on slowly they don’t flood. Fuel lines of 10mm and a big tank, plus the low positioning of the carburettors and the size reduction of the lines into the second carbs, make the floats and needle/seats get overwhelmed by the sheer fuel flow. Just one of those
things to live with, but I’m not going to get ball valves or anything, I’ll just fit the fuel taps for extra insurance and hope the oil check valves can stop the two-stroke oil gravity feeding. Away from the engine, I decided on black wheels as I mentioned, so I went about washing and sanding the wheels, then washing them again. Being on a tight budget, my only option was to rattle can them so I used what I think (after loads of trial and error on other bikes) to be the best of the shelf rattle can enamel – British Paints Spray Easy Paint & Prime at ten bucks Aussie a can. I paint as per the instructions so I couldn’t go wrong, and I cure the wheels in the hot Aussie sun for a few weeks. The enamel goes rock solid. Then I use the same brand clear coat. I’ve even done this on one of my previous racing bikes, and after a full season the wheels were not
scratched. with that in mind, I figured it was good enough for the RG500. After painting was complete, which included stripping, etch priming, then six coats of the enamel (two of them clear), I fitted new wheel bearings and valves before hand fitting a set of Bridgestone BT45S. Here’s another bonus of living in an oven. I simply sat the tyres on top of my dog’s kennel in the hot sunshine for a few hours (dogs were inside as usual, relaxing under the air conditioner), and with some soapy water I sprayed around the bead. They slipped straight on to the rims, they were that soft. I then static balanced them. Job done. Shiny black wheels with mint new BT45S. Happy days. The next job was to paint the brake rotor inners and brake rotor bolts, which had been painted white. These came up really well. I let them cure for a week before
fitting them and tightening to the correct torque of 15ft-lbs, remembering to use thread lock on them. Once I wire wheeled and greased the axle and greased the speedo drive and cable, I slotted the front wheel (36ft-lbs) in and fitted the front guard, admiring my work. Then I sat the rear wheel aside once I fitted the cush drive rubbers and sprocket carrier with a new bearing. Now came the bit I’d been dreading – servicing the Full Floater rear suspension. I popped the front wheel in a front stand, strapped the forks to the bench and with a block of wood between a jack and the lower expansion chambers, I took the weight of the bike, then removed the rear race stand. Removing the swingarm is really easy. Simply pop off the foot peg hangers and the lower mufflers, which slide off, then undo the main swingarm pivot shaft and the upper Full Floater linkage shaft. Knocking these out can be tough if they are dry, but to my surprise and relief, there was plenty of lube in there and within a short minutes I was done (C’mon! I know what you are thinking: filthy Pom minds…). The whole lot comes out in one piece, shock still in the swingarm, a-la the name, which gives you a clue: Full Floater! With the unit on the bench, I stripped, cleaned, wire wheeled, inspected, greased and assembled it all back together. I
decided, after inspection, to keep the OEM shock until I can make a good one that I want. It’ll be a quick, easy fit once done. Fitting the swingarm is much harder to achieve than removing it, particularly as it is such a tight fit due to the shimming behind the dust caps. After much swearing, I relented and had to ask Heather to help me get it in (here we go again.. the bike, people, the bike), then we were good to go. I tightened all of the bolts to spec and fitted the wheel (swingarm pivot 60ft-lbs, others 50ft-lbs). Then it was just a matter of fitting and adjusting the chain and fitting the chain guard, before tightening the rear axle up (60ft-lbs). I now had the RG500 sitting on its own wheels for the first time in six months. I couldn’t help but fit the side covers, tank, seat and seat cowl to get a better look at the way it sits with the black wheels. I have to say, I’m chuffed! Next time, I should get the fuel taps and oil check valves, finish the calipers, and then move to bodywork. cmm