At the end of 1966, Honda withdrawal from the 50cc and 125cc classes, which means Suzuki, had no fears of real competition for 1967. The Kreidlers, Derbi’s and the Dutch Jamathi had not much chance for real treatment to the Suzuki. The riders Anscheid, Katayama, and Graham get an improved version of the two stroke twin.

The RK67  50cc twin

The water cooled RK67 which gives a power output of 17,5 hp at 17.300 rpm, via a bore and stroke of 32,5x30 mm, has rotary disc intake with 22mm carburettors installed. The compression rate was 8,5:1 and it needed 14 gears to keep the engine in his power band. The weight was 58 kg and the little bike had a top speed of 176 km/h. Hans Georg Anscheid becomes world champion before his team mates Yoshimi Katayama and Stuart Graham.

At the end of 1967 Suzuki turns up with a sensation by presenting a brand new three cylinder, afraid of the possibility Honda would bring out, like rumours has it, a three cylinder in 1968.

The RP68 was a very interesting machine, it has 2 lying and 1 standing water cooled cylinder, behind the standing cylinder is a waterpump installed. The bore and stroke were 28x 26,5mm, the little engine has rotary disc intakes, and was given up at 19 hp at 20.000 rpm, good for some 200km/h. It had a power band of 500 revs and it needed 14 gears.

The machine was a prototype and not very successful, it did the training and that was that.  Also by his short performance there are hardly no photo's taken from the RP68. Only some interesting pictures from the engine are publisched in Japan, whereas the construction of the engine is shown. The photo's below gave some idea from the size of the parts such as pistons, crankshafts, cylinders and the 14 gearbox from the little engine.

When it came out Honda windrowed at all classes at the end of 1967, Suzuki did the same, and herewith the curtain falls for the RP68. The chance to see this wonderful piece of technique ever racing reduced to zero when the FIM decided as from 1969; 50cc engines may have only 1 cylinder and 6 gears maximum.  The RP68 gets a one-way ticket to the museum.

Anscheid wins on the machine from the previous year the RK67, his 3^rd world-title in succession, and provided Suzuki once more a well-deserved success. Second in the end-ranking was Dutchman Paul Lodewijks on his Jamathi. He performs a stunt at Assen by beating Anscheid on the finish-line.

Below are some pictures of the very successful Suzuki RK 50cc twin where it shows how small these bikes were in relation to the Japanese mechanic and also the little Hugh Andersen. The picture shows the first model of the twin, the RK65. Also it shows how much space the 14 gears with the jackshaft taken in the small engine.