Roger DeCoster's 1973 World Championship Suzuki

Niiiiiiiiice! The pipe alone is a work of art.

that’s really an awesome bike … and I love fact that it’s in such incredible yet un-restored condition

[quote="FishBone":773b2]that’s really an awesome bike … and I love fact that it’s in such incredible yet un-restored condition [/quote:773b2]I can't believe the condition either. It starts right up and is it ever LOUD!!!!

I know I always show my age, but to me that is what a MX bike is supposed to look like. Minimalistic, clean, fierce. Today's bikes are obviously technologically superior, but will always look (for the lack of a better word) cluttered to me.

[quote="JPT":06a88]I know I always show my age, but to me that is what a MX bike is supposed to look like. Minimalistic, clean, fierce. Today's bikes are obviously technologically superior, but will always look (for the lack of a better word) cluttered to me.[/quote:06a88].

Amen to that

Terry:

Weren't the works Suzuki's somewhere in the 178- 185Lbs range ?

I remember that the 250 was like 168 lbs.

[img:d6c82]http://www.mxworksbike.com/RN73_8_750.jpg[/img:d6c82]

got drool on my keyboard from that

[quote="bigmaico":5a3df]Terry:

Weren't the works Suzuki's somewhere in the 178- 185Lbs range ?

I remember that the 250 was like 168 lbs.[/quote:5a3df]Roger's weighs 209. 1973 was the year that the FIM came up with the weight limit. It was 194 for 250's and 209 for 500's.

I think you need to be an old guy to really appreciate that bike. it's friggen sweet!

the best looking bike ever. the sand tank is cool.

Not restored? Afuggingmazing!!

Terry:

I seem to recall that Maico showed up at Carlsbad that year with forward mounted shocks while Suzuki still had "conventional" placement. This forward mounted configuration therefore would be a mid-season refinement by Suzuki??

The other folklore is that Suzuki had to pour lead into the frames of their bikes to make the new FIM minimums. I'd expect that the forward mounted shock mod and requisite gussetting added weight but is the frame otherwise beefier than the 72 frame on Joel's 72?

Whereas Joel's 72 250 represented the holy grail of technology (real or imagined) Roger's 73 was, at best, on par with the competition (thanks to minimum weights and the suspension revolution). Does the "obsolescence" of the bike (as the season closed) have anything to do with how it managed to escape the crusher? I know it didn't pass into Roger's hands as that practice didn't start for another couple of seasons.

[quote="maicobreako":983ac]Terry:

I seem to recall that Maico showed up at Carlsbad that year with forward mounted shocks while Suzuki still had "conventional" placement. This forward mounted configuration therefore would be a mid-season refinement by Suzuki??

The other folklore is that Suzuki had to pour lead into the frames of their bikes to make the new FIM minimums. I'd expect that the forward mounted shock mod and requisite gussetting added weight but is the frame otherwise beefier than the 72 frame on Joel's 72?

Whereas Joel's 72 250 represented the holy grail of technology (real or imagined) Roger's 73 was, at best, on par with the competition (thanks to minimum weights and the suspension revolution). Does the "obsolescence" of the bike (as the season closed) have anything to do with how it managed to escape the crusher? I know it didn't pass into Roger's hands as that practice didn't start for another couple of seasons.[/quote:983ac]
The 1973 Suzuki's were initally very similar to the 72 bikes. Just before the 73 season began, the weight limit was implemented. This was from pressure from the Maico factory. This forced Suzuki to artificially "fatten" up their bikes. In doing so, the bikes were somewhat out of balance.

Maico came out with the forward mounted shocks the GP before Carlsbad in Czecho. The GP after Carlsbad (West Germany), Suzuki came out with a new frame, the shocks were in the same location but they were longer. This helped some but it was not enough. After that GP, Roger and Sylvain Geboers, took a spare frame and did their own mods to Rogers National bike. This bike was raced at the Belgian GP. which Roger won. The same mods were then applied to the GP bikes for the Luxembourg GP and the final in Holland.

This is just a brief summary of what happened. I will post a detailed story on the site later. It is an amazing story for sure. The whole GP season went down to the last moto of the last race between Willy Bauer and Roger.

I still have a hard time with the factories destroying those old works bikes...what else. 'The Crusher'...sheesh.

Bauer's Maico definitely ruled at Carlsbad that year (1973)...but if Jim Pomeroy on the opening laps had not cartwheeled down the downhill on the works 360 Pursang, he may have given Willi what-for!

Francisco Bulto - many a time the 'works' bike that was dropped into the crusher and witnessed by someone from Japan was in fact a cleverly disguised TM with a few destroyed RH/RN bits on it

Hey Russ!

Thanks for that information about the works machines being diverted from 'The Crusher'...those RHs and RNs, along with the mid-'70s RC Hondas were the envy of every rider who ever twisted a throttle into the knuckles-up position 'back in the day'. Now if that factory Honda from the '80s with the RIBI 'quadrilateral' front-end on it is still alive and kicking out there somewhere, that would be the ultimate! Pix, please y'all?

- Francisco
Compania Espana de Motores, S.A. (CEMOTO)
San Adrian de Besos
Barcelona, Spain

Terry

That last picture looks to have a different tank. Is it the same bike ?

Man I hated that gap between the seat and the tank from the old days. Actually it was my nuts that hated it.

Ask T-Bond Francisco ... he probably has it stashed in a packing crate somewhere

[quote="Francisco Bulto":e31b5]Now if that factory Honda from the '80s with the RIBI 'quadrilateral' front-end on it is still alive and kicking out there somewhere, that would be the ultimate! Pix, please y'all?[/quote:e31b5]

I know for a fact that the Ribi-Honda is still around and in good condition, I seem to remember somone posting a pic of it not too long ago.

This is the only pic/drawing I could find on the 'Net regarding the RIBI system:

http://freepatentsonline.com/image-4379567-1.html

Oh, well...

Here is a photo of it.

http://www.mxworksbike.com/82%20RC250_ribi.htm

Thanks, T-Bond!

Does that machine look like a 'Space: The Final Frontier' model or what?!

Well, we know that Honda holds the patents on it...who knows what trickness might yet emerge from deep within the Honda factory.

Features in the next VMX if I am not mistaken.

[quote="T-BOND":a6fa7]Here is a photo of it.

http://www.mxworksbike.com/82%20RC250_ribi.htm[/quote:a6fa7]

Looks like something from "The Terminator".

[quote="JPT":5cdde]

Looks like something from "The Terminator".[/quote:5cdde]FYI, The reason it is not used today is that with that system, you cannot preload the suspension for clearing jumps. If you were to just use it on rough ground it would be superior to todays suspension systems. Another downfall to it is the high maintenance of lubing all the joints. Not practical for the consumer.