Australasian Dirt Bike — September 2017

154 | SEPTEMBER 2017 http://www.adbmag.com.au

FACTORYRIDE/READERS RIDE /HERITAGE / ACTION / OAS / BUYERS GUIDE

THE BASICS

SUZUKI RELEASED the

PE175C in 1978 and although

the following year’s N model

looked the same it did have

some changes. The biggest

category in enduro back then

was the 250cc class and the

release of 175s saw a lot of

riders jumping ship.

The thinking was “almost

the weight and nimbleness of

a 125 with almost the power of

a 250”. It was this philosophy

that saw a jump in sales for

the Suzuki and Yamaha 175s

as previously all that was

available had been the much

more expensive Euro models.

Early N models reached our

shores before the April 1, 1979,

implementation of a law

requiring all motorcycles to

have indicators fi tted, but

later arrivals were fi tted with

compact, rubber-mounted

blinkers and were ADR

compliant. The front turn

signals were mounted on top

of the handlebar inboard of

the lever perches with the

rear ones immediately behind

the seat on the sides of the

subframe.

Compared to its nearest

competitor from Yamaha, the

PE had 20mm more ground

clearance (280mm) and 3.1kg

less weight at 98kg and was

easier to fl ick in and out of

tight sections due to better

weight distribution. It also had

longer suspension travel at

230/200mm front and rear

and a tank holding 11.5 litres

of 20:1 premix and was said to

be easier to start than the

blue machine.

The updates to the

six-speed N model were a

quick-release rear axle with

snail cams and a cast lug on

the brake backing plate to

replace the torque arm. Along

with the new axle removal

handles at each end this made

tyre changes quicker and

easier, a vital feature in those

pre-mousse tube days.

The special PE multi-tool no

longer needed an axle

removal lug and was made

stronger but still mounted in

the same place alongside the

headlight. Carburettor size

had increased 2mm to a

34mm Mikuni and the exhaust

system was new, without the

baffl e halfway along the

expansion chamber and with a

larger exit hole in the muffl er.

Transfer ports had been

lifted 1mm and the exhaust

port by 2mm. All of these

engine and exhaust changes

gave more power at the

expense of a little bit of

bottom-end.

The N model was faster

accelerating than its

predecessor but no better at

climbing hills. Overall the

changes meant that Suzuki

had given buyers a bike that

was a little more of an enduro

mount with just enough

differences to warrant it being

called a new model.

Heritage Editor Warren Jacks

PURE ENDURO

GETS BLINKERS

WHAT

1979 Suzuki PE175N

WHEN

ADB #20, Nov/Dec, 1979

PURPOSE

Small-bore enduro

HOW MUCH

$1389 plus on-roads

BIKES FROM THE DAYS WHEN DINOSAURS ROAMED THE PITS

REAR GUARD

HE

RITAGE

RIDE

SUZUKI

PE175N