Ultra Light-Weight
The Suzuki factory team in Europe constructed an ultra-lightweight version of their new 325cc model in 1976 and, by drastic weight-paring and use of special alloys, they cut the machine’s weight down to an amazing 165lbs! One of the ploys used was this sp
When you consider that the trials machines of today weigh around 150lb that is not a lot of weight loss from a period spanning nearly 40 years! The ‘lightweight’ swinging arm on the Suzuki RL 325 was in fact magnesium but proved to flex too much to be a viable option and so a steel one was produced, and this is what is referred to in the above article as the slightly heavier model.
There were reports of lead weights being taped to the swing arm to effect grip, and it has also been suggested that the riders of the day simply didn’t know how to ride a machine as light as the new Suzuki.
For whatever reason, the machine was not the success that the Japanese manufacturer had hoped for — far from it in fact. Suzuki entered two of these for the Scottish Six Day in 1976, with John Metcalfe riding number 246 coming 6th and Stuart Oughton riding number 148 coming 25th.
In the 1977 Scottish Six Days Trial Nigel Birkett, riding number 30, finished 3rd with Brian Higgins, also riding the 325, finishing 27th.
One Owner
This machine has been in the sole ownership of Graham Beamish from the time it retired from competition until his death, when it was inherited by his son Graham. He showed me this machine in 2004 and told me it was the only one that had not been molested or cannibalized over the years. He went on to explain that there were only four ever produced – and one of those was used as spare parts to keep the rest going, which left three.
Nigel Birkett owns the one he rode and the other appears to have disappeared completely — maybe it’s tucked away in someone’s shed or in the Suzuki museum in Japan, who knows — does a Classic Trail Magazine reader have it?
This machine came into my possession about eighteen months ago and I vowed to restore it to its original condition, as Graham had intended to do himself. The engine numbers on the magnesium works engines begin with the letters ‘XR125–X’ and this one is engine number XR125-3.
Suzuki probably made less than fifteen works engines and not many of those have survived, as the magnesium is very prone to corrosion and goes ‘rotten’.
Special Materials
When this machine was originally built most of the steel parts were substituted with titanium. Other parts were drilled to reduce the weight. Most of the aluminium parts were substituted with magnesium, for the same reason. Nothing was left untouched as they chased the goal to lose weight. The engine casings, cylinder head and barrel, swinging arm, carburettor, clutch basket, clutch hub and pressure plate were all once again produced from magnesium.
The cylinder barrel was Nikasil-plated rather than having a steel sleeve as the coating was once again lighter than a sleeve. What’s so good to see in the machine is the amount of detail the Japanese went into. All the engine screws (slotted pan head), bolts, studs, brake cams and the clutch spindle are titanium, the exterior casing screws are aluminium. The front forks were machined from billet aluminium. The wheel hubs are magnesium and laced using thinner gauge spokes than standard, and even the wheel rims themselves are lighter. You must remember that the Japanese wanted to depose the Spanish as leaders in development of the ultimate trials machine at the time.