Manufacturer Suzuki Production 1988–1998 Predecessor Suzuki RG250 Class Sport bike Engine 250 cc (15 cu in) two-stroke Power 62 hp (46 kW) (unrestricted)[1] Transmission Six speed manual Brakes Drilled vented discs front and rear Wheelbase 54.3 in (1,380 mm) Weight 305 lb (138 kg) (dry) 345 lb (156 kg) (wet) The Suzuki RGV250 (Gamma) was a Suzuki high performance sport bike which had a great number of its features and design cues based on Grand Prix technologies and ideas. It is a race-replica based on Suzuki's 250 cc (15 cu in) GP bikes from 1987 to 1998, the RGV Gamma V-2 racer. This motorcycle replaced the RG250 Gamma, which employed an alloy frame with a two-stroke parallel twin engine. The bike produced over 50 bhp[citation needed] in a narrow power band between 8,000 and 11,000 rpm. The dry weight ranged between 128 kg (282 lb) (1989) to 140 kg (309 lb) (later models) dry weight.[citation needed] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_RGV250
I like the RGV, as it was the first bike I ever had (that one seized and ended up scrapped). I have two RGV's now, one VJ21, and a VJ21, the 21 is a genuine 'Pepsi' and the VJ22 is a 'Team Suzuki / Lucky strike (Moto GP replicas). I picked this one up for 2000 dollars, it had obviously sat for a long time. The uptick is that the fairings are original (and the exhausts are OEM as well). The Exhaust on the Pepsi are a black shiny type homogeneous to this model only, and very hard to find without road rash. Other side I took the fairing and tank off. Brakes have seen better days. (the fluid has leaked onto the front guard, messing with the paint Fuel tank a bit leaky, good news is degreaser and scrubbing removed most of the staining. Dusty as. (and some interesting repairs) The subframe shouldn't look like this, an interesting repair job. Let me introduce you to the screw that is stopping me dropping the engine, it is stripped. Needs a clean up. Magneto has seen better days Don't have a chain breaker, so I improvised Any suggestions how to neaten these up?
I have read a really good thread on an RGV restoration here (https://2fiftycc.com/index.php?threads/95-rgv-250-rebuild.3535/) so I'm keen to hear the ideas and experience on here, to help guide me through a new experience...
The vj22 was a better bike , but if you are going to own a vj21, a Pepsi is the holy grail, so congrats on picking up something so awesome. 2 stroke values in general have gone nuts of late with an 8 out 10 rgv250 vj22 fetching $12,000 at Shannon’s auctions earlier on in the year, we saw a heap of bikes jumpnfrom $5k on gumtree to $10k overnight. So you know what you have is quite valueable. The subframe failure is quite common, they just vibrate themselves apart, I’d try and track down a replacement. To answer your question about ideas to help you, my suggestion would Be to look at the top end first and see what condition everything is in , ie barrels pistons and powervalves the good news is all of it is still available from Suzuki. With the barrels off, you can check for any play in the rods which will help you determine if the crank is any good. Cool bikes mate . My 2c is keep it original as possible, it will run better and be worth so much more. And once you have it back together, pay someone who knows their stuff to help setup the powerrvalves and the carbs so it runs like it should
Thanks for the reply, that was my thinking. I have a VJ22 M model (Lucky Strike with the bannana swing arm) that I threw a few K at to get back in good condition. I'm hoping I can do the labour (removing engine, cleaning stuff) and I'll leave the re-jetting and rebuilding up to a guy I know who is really good with them. I am hoping I'll get away with a top end only, I have a set of aftermarket power valves, which don't have the 'pin dropping' problem.
Only bike I ever owned new was a Red & White VJ21 - wish I hadn't sold it for obvious reasons I sat on a VJ22 and much preferred the shape of the tank, never got to ride one though. Both are wonderful bikes Good score, looking forward to seeing the progress. One thing which does come up on the twins is the labyrinth seal between cylinders leaking and causing problems, so depending on the state of the top end, it's worth doing a leak down test to check to verify it's condition if you don't go as far as getting the crank rebuilt
Thanks for the comments guys, I'll be having another crack at getting the engine off on Saturday or Sunday, in the mean time I have a video, it at least runs...
I was going to take the leads off engine side, however that didn't work out, here is how today went. Stripped screw on the magneto, defeated by Threaded screw remover from Bunnings, it worked really well. Couldn't remove all the cables from the magneto (Didn't have the tool to remove it), so I removed the battery holder (white box under the seat), to do that had to remove a bunch of screws from this silver thing, and a black box ( I don't know what they do.) It's out... More bitching swearing and cursing, eventually... I had to leave the carbies in there, as I couldn't get the throttle cable off (I'll work on that later). Looks messy! Now for the money shots,
Anyone with more knowledge than me wanna comment on those barrels? To me they look better than I Expected... Also any suggestion on how to clean the engine up?