bobbansgarage

No unnecessary stuff like blinkers, fresh oil lubrication, batteries or fairings was seen on the mopeds in Finland before new regulations in 1994. The maximum weight limit of 60 kg (132 lbs) didn’t allow you to mount anything unnecessary on the bike. The Finnish laws didn’t force the moped manufacturers to mount pedals like in Spain and the Netherlands but there was a speed limit of 40 km/h and maximum power output was restricted.

According to the Finnish regulations the Solifer-Suzuki R engine had only 1,5 hp (1,1 kW) horsepower while the Japanese RB50 GAG had 5,2 hp (3,9 kW). The flashers and some other ”unneccessary” equipment were stripped in order to make the 64 kg heavy (?) bike lighter than the allowed 60 kg. The basic 2-stroke engine had 4 speeds and no fresh oil lubrication, the users had to mix the oil and gasoline themselves.

Although the engine was weak, Solifer, the Finnish importer of the Suzuki motorcycles and manufacturer of Solifer mopeds, Bensow Oy, could still offer the racing replica mini-bike with hydraulic front disc brake and Full-Floater swing arm. The aluminum box-type frame was more than adequate for full use of the speed resources of the bike.

If the original RB50 GAG was far slower bike than it appeared to be because of its small engine, the Finnish version of it was even slower. The looks don't give the bike more speed, only a trim kit would. Fortunately trimming mopeds was a widely spread knowledge in Finland...

As far as I know, the RB50 GAG was dropped from the Suzuki program soon after the model was launched in Finland, and the last Solifer-Suzuki R's were sold in 1989.

Jarmo Haapamäki, August 2002