05-06-2013, 09:26 AM
Yes, Ive ridden one. They were rated as 500s but had power more like a 750 of the time.They weren't sure how to measure the engine capacity. They had a very wierd exhaust note, a rather blatty sound. They burned exhaust gasses very hot and had large holes in the exhaust headers facing forward to catch air and cool the exhaust. No motorcycle mechanic I knew could work on the rotary motors. The early models had a weird cover for the instruments which looked like a can laying on its side. When you turned on the key, the cover opened up so you could see the instruments. Suzuki banked a lot of the rotary, building a special plant to produce them, and the bikes sold horribly. Suzuki almost went under because of it. If it hadn't been for the success of the 79 GS 750, they probably would have.