cool Suzuki RGV500 video

[sandman]

Just listen to this thing! Freakin' awesome- it sounds exactly like Schwantz's 500 GP bike from 1993, but it has a single sided swingarm, and lower pipe exits are different. I don't know if it's an ex-GP bike or not, but it definitely has a close ratio transmission, it's so damn cool...this is a very short (1:25) video clip from a German site, done on a closed street circuit in France, expert rider. Again- amazing sound!

http://www.gaskrank.tv/tv/motorrad-fun/suzuki-rgv-500-richtig-artgere-11080.htm

[z1 zonly]

Wow!  Balls to the walls.  And agreed on the sound.

Thanks for posting.

[warmseth]

that was sick!  Makes me want to get back out onto the track. 

[sandman]

I wonder exactly what this bike is. Although the video is entitled Suzuki RGV500, I've paused it a couple of times trying to see closer. Guess what? When he slows way down for that slowest left hand corner, you can clearly see the white YAMAHA and tuning fork logo on the fuel tank. Do you think this is an RZ500 special? It's impossible to really get a good look at the frame.  

[Mattydiah]

Yeah thats definitely a Yamaha logo on the tank

[RGB500]

The bike was built by Gilles Coulanges of France.  I believe that is a ROC chassis with a RGV500 GP engine installed.
.

[2 smoker]

 

[z1 zonly]

Rock the fuck out.

[RGB500]

More info on the bike.  Apparently, Gilles used to work for ROC.  The chassis was built by Gilles patterened after the ROC chassis, swingarm is RC30, engine is a roadbike RG500 engine punched out to 616cc's. 

[Spike]

Gilles is just acroos the lake from me. A few precisions:
We are not allowed closed circuits here in Switzerland since a 1950 crash in GP France (lots of spectators were killed, it was the Mercedes Silver Arrows).
So the only thing we can do inside the country is mountain racing (for lack of better words). This is what you see in this vid.
We are not short of mountains…   Same championship happens in France in the same region as mine, not short of mountains either !
Think TT racing uphill in the midst of a pine forest and you'll be close.
Extra Titanium reinforced balls are mandatory and also a good life insurance: crashes are often fatal.

I am almost 100% certain that it is Gilles himself you see slicing through the curves there, he often had 309 or 301 as his number.

Gilles is locally known as "the Witchdoctor", he started building TZ frames in the 70's on his own.
He was racing in the circuit races until 86 when a big crash meant he concentrated in the mountain races (even more dangerous?!!?)
He is at least 14 times "King of the Mountain" in 250 and 500 class.

One of his bike (the one you see in action, I think) is a 572 cc, 169 hp and 133 kg wet. He used that in the 600 class. Nowadays 500 = 600cc.
Another bike is 612cc, 146hp for… 126 kg, for competing in the unlimited category.

The 572 had an Rc30 swinger and the 612 had a home-made one.
He manufactures the rest of the bike himself   including frames.
Apart from the crankcases, the motors are all designed and built in-house.
To think that he started in life as a woodworker

You might have been mistaken mentioning ROC, as the bike's are known as RGCs, very close looking names.
I don't think he ever work for ROC, lots of other strange jobs (theater technician amongst other).

Sadly, during the last race of 2007, he crashed hideously and was almost declared dead (his heart stopped). He spent a year in coma, massive brain bruises.
Last news we had in may last year, was that he started talking again, although he thinks he only won 8 titles!

So very slow recovery.

When you ask him what he is dreaming about: 2 words: "victory" and "moto"…

[RGB500]

Spike,
 Thanks for the clarification.  I had just done a quick search on him, and couldn't find much (well, at least written in english).
He is definately a talented gent.
I did read about his terrible crash, and thats where most of the info on him seemed to end on him.

His contributions have been outstanding.  Wishing him a speedy recovery.