Suzuki T and GT Bulletin Board

Suzuki T and GT Bulletin Board Archives
Page 6

T500 DATE,Friday 17-Nov-2000 16:53:27,62.255.192.7 writes,CAN ANYBODY TELL ME WHAT YEAR/MODEL A T500 FRAME I HAVE JUST AQUIRED IS? FRAME NO IST500 74048 & REAR PEGS ARE FRAME MOUNTED. THANKS FOR THE GT380 REPLIES. THE REASON FOR NOT FITTING THE COWLIS THE MOUNTING BOLTS ARE ALL SHEARED OFF & THE BIKE IS A BIT OF A WRECK BOUGHT FOR WINTER TRANSPORT SO COSMETICS ARN'T IMPORTANT CHEERS BRIAN ,BRIAN,
Re: 380 RamAir Cowling,Saturday 18-Nov-2000 10:58:36,209.197.132.30 writes,Brian: How cold do your winters get where you live ?? You may be able to get by without the cowling if it STAYS cold enough. Otherwise get out your penetrating fluid propane torch electric drill and your set of "easy-outs" and start taking out those broken off screws still stuck in the head fins. Good luck with your project.,H2RICK,
That frame # is a '74 but may have been registered as a '75,Saturday 18-Nov-2000 18:53:08,216.208.51.138 writes,,Stephen,stephen.szikora@sympatico.ca

1968 Suzuki T500,Friday 17-Nov-2000 16:12:55,152.163.207.51 writes,I recently aquired a 1968 Suzuki T500. It is in cosmetically poor condition because it has been in the desert sun for 32 years. I am the second owner of this bike and it has a whoppong 13 000 miles on it. I plan to restore it to perfect original condition this winter. I also have a spare engine for it that was just rebuilt and only ran when it was bench tested. My problem is that I have no idea what this bike is worth as is or restored. Anyone out there have a handle on Suzuki prices? Thanks for your help. Chris Landon Albuquerque New Mexico <jdt40u@yahoo.com>,Chris Landon,jdt40u@yahoo.com
Re: 1968 Suzuki T500,Friday 17-Nov-2000 16:59:16,209.162.17.90 writes,I'm in the final stage of a full restoration of a 1968 T-500. Mine sounds like it was in similar condition to yours but probably ran. I paid $600 for it. I have seen a couple for sale on E-BAY but really don't know what they sold for. There are'nt very many of theses around and they are unique as well as being a very good bike they do have a problem with their transmission that you should adress during your restoration. I don't want to discourage you because I feel this is a bike worthy of restoration but you're likely to have as much or more invested in the bike as it's real value if you intend to do a proper restoration. I currently have app. $3500 invested in my restoration and I do a lot of my own work that some people don't. Body panels are hard to come by tank badges are tough the correct seat cover is extremely hard don't lose those big carbs and you may find a few pieces a bit pricey but I would say most of the parts will be found just not overnight. Start by calling Paul Miller Motorcycles @ 860-828-1220. Good luck. This is my second '68 after owning one many years ago and I can tell you that it is one of the finest bikes produced during the 60's. ,ROBL,

Swarbrick Chambers,Friday 17-Nov-2000 15:48:31,205.232.94.151 writes,Anybody got any info on the Swarbrick chambers from England? I think they're replicas of the original TR500 chambers. Since the TRs had more radical porting than the T500 what kind of gains can you expect using those chambers with stock porting? As per everyone's advice (thank you) I am keeping the motor of my racer stock with the exception of chambers and jetting and concentrating on the handling. What pipes are best for the stock porting what kind of mods need to be made to fit the pipes and what are the costs? I know we've talked about this in the past but I want to get definitive answers before I spend any money so one more time if you don't mind. As there have been no answers to my posts about used chambers I fear I may have to buy new. I spoke to Martin at Crooks Suzuki in England via e-mail and he said he's putting together a catalogue of T/GT500 parts over the next month. If you want to get on the list e-mail him: martin@crooks-suzuki.com. ,Kris Larrivee,
Re: Swarbrick Chambers,Saturday 18-Nov-2000 19:05:29,195.92.198.85 writes,Kris I am told that Swarbrick has got the equipment to make a range of pipes plus tapered headers. In fact I plan to get some made soon. He normally supplies cone kits so that you can fit them to the bike to your requirements. I have had some mild port tuning done since the T500L barrels I have are the later type and they respond very well to sensible mods for the road. You must select the chambers according to your port timing figures. Its a common mistake to make the pipes too short and the motor only comes on the pipe high up in the rev range and you loose more low end power than the stock exhaust pipes. There is no fixed solution to this since anyone who knows what they are talking about will tell you that the pipe must be matched to the engine. The main parameters affecting pipe design are of course port timing and you can make some very significant gains with pipe/port/carb mods to lift the motor power more than 10 BHP without making the motor too peaky. I have been advised to have the pipe peak at about 6800 Rpm which is about midway between peak torque and peak power revs (about7400) with my state of tune. Hope this helps Phil,Phil Collins,
Re: Swarbrick Chambers,Tuesday 21-Nov-2000 04:32:50,212.67.112.99 writes,I bought some Swarbrick pipes in kit form a few months back. I haven't assembled them yet so I am in no position to make statements about power etc. The pipe kits he sells for T/GT 500s are based on the TR750 pipe as the TR500 design was found to be too peaky for most people. I paid around £230 for the kit and found Dave very easy to chat with about tuning etc. His number is 01995 640291. good luck ,Ditch (Kendal UK),dar_systems@onetel.net.uk
Re: Chambers,Thursday 30-Nov-2000 21:38:47,212.187.136.121 writes,TRY Andy Bacon @ ABCON MATAL FORMS HE DOES RACING CHAMBERS FOR THE T/TR500 GOOD QUALITY PRESSURE FORMED HEADERS ETC HIS PHONE NUMBER IS 0115 963 7392 THATS IN THE UK THEY RETAIL FOR ABOUT £280 COMPLETE IAN,ian,

GT500 in T500 Frame,Thursday 16-Nov-2000 15:56:46,205.232.94.143 writes,Hi guys. I've come across a 71 T500 that looks cherry and for the right price. Very clean great chrome etc.. The engine is apart. Apparently a piston broke and scored the cylinder. Says he's got new pistons rings and cylinders. Will that top end go directly onto my 76 GT500 bottom end? The frame tank and sidecovers have all had a repaint. I'd like to put my GT500 bottom end together with his 71 T500 top end and mount the engine in the 71 frame as it looks so nice and use my GT500 front end. Will it go right in or are there differences in the frames? I don't have a T500 frame to compare my GT frame with. Any differences I should be aware of? Thanks again. Kris Larrivee ,Kris Larrivee,
Re: GT500 in T500 Frame,Thursday 16-Nov-2000 16:37:14,198.76.106.70 writes,Kris The 71 topend will bolt right up to the 76 bottom end. Use the 71 carbs and airbox as well. If you are putting the 76 bottomend with 71 topend in the 71 then you will have to use the 76 electrics as well. The GT500 frontend will bolt right on the 71. use new tapered steering stem bearings The difference in the frames were mounting points for tank and seat. Otherwise just the same. 76-77 had changed seat tank and small incedentals.,Zooke,sundial@i-plus.net

T500 forks not dampening,Wednesday 15-Nov-2000 18:04:11,203.147.165.40 writes,Thanks for the advise Eric after a bit of playing around added about 3/4" to top above springs & now have a nice set of forks that work! Thanks again Cheers Paul.,Paul ( Brisbane),
Re: T500 forks not dampening,Wednesday 15-Nov-2000 20:34:31,198.76.106.184 writes,Glad it worked out for you.,Zooke,

73 gt380 air cleaner,Tuesday 14-Nov-2000 06:46:07,206.172.84.48 writes,lokking for info on orig air cleaner... using orig air box tried to get orig from local suzuki dealer.... not avaliable any suggestions...want to retain orig air box last thing to complete.... almost there... thanks ken,ken,ken.schwenger@sympatico.ca
Re: 73 gt380 air cleaner,Tuesday 14-Nov-2000 10:27:10,129.59.205.114 writes,Does your GT 380 take a foam or paper filter? If it is foam try Uni Filter. I was able to get a replacement foam filter element for my '74 GT750 from Uni Filter. They have replacement filters for a very large number of classic bikes. ,Bill Eickmeier,
Re: 73 gt380 air cleaner,Wednesday 29-Nov-2000 00:04:08,216.89.129.78 writes,Do you know if the 72 and 73 use identical air intake? If so I've got a 72 here (bought for parts that turn out not to fit my 75) that appears to have the complete intake setup. Email me if you're just needing pictures of the complete setup to help you get the right pieces or if you're wanting to buy mine.,BuffaloBob,bob@peakperf.com

ramair,Monday 13-Nov-2000 12:17:51,62.255.193.212 writes,can a gt380 be run without the ramair cowl?.,brian,
Re: ramair,Tuesday 14-Nov-2000 04:15:29,195.102.200.144 writes,As the other posts say you can do it ( I have after rebuilding gently so I don't have to remove the cowl to retorque the head ) but if you're using it hard there's a risk. The head finning is small compared with Kawa triples which means less heat dissipation without the channeled air effect. Also the head fins are unfinished and look really rough without the cowl ...,Craig,
Re: ramair,Saturday 18-Nov-2000 18:04:05,216.41.33.24 writes,i got one how much are you looking to spend if you are even interested? tim,tim,hilltw@gis.net

Carb and Petcock rebuilds?,Monday 13-Nov-2000 09:49:54,172.162.184.13 writes,Does Suzuki still sell rebuild kits (Carb and Fuel petcock) for my '75 GT750M? Andy,Andy B.,
Re: Carb and Petcock rebuilds?Suzuki parts...,Monday 13-Nov-2000 20:22:52,64.12.103.37 writes,Andy If your local dealer doesnt have em try Paul Miller in Kensington CT. He's got an excellent supply of older NOS stuff for Suzuki at very competetive prices. PH: 860-828-1220 email: collectr@erols.com,Steve Izzo,rizzlemc@aol.com
Suzuki will gouge you on these parts,Tuesday 14-Nov-2000 00:23:21,216.209.137.183 writes,I had my carbs rebuilt using Suzi parts here in Canada. Some parts took a long time to arrive since they were ordered from Japan. I paid the following prices in Candian dollars (roughly equal to 65 cents U.S.): float bowl gasket - $6.15 jet needle - $27.25 float valve - $60.09 fuel tap (beacuse they had no rebuild parts or so I was told) - $95.18 Don't even get me started on ignition parts! By comparison I was able to pick up complete NOS aftermarket carb rebuild kits that had all gaskets and the float valves for $15 U.S. off ebay from a guy in Florida (don't recall the name but his or identical parts are often listed on ebay.),Stephen,stephen.szikora@sympatico.ca

Dumb question time.,Monday 13-Nov-2000 01:21:02,64.193.239.137 writes,I've gotten to the point where I have financially commited myself to complete my '68 T-500 no matter what (as I could have most likely bought 3 for what this will end up costing). I am currently installing an engine from a '74 in place of the original. (Right barrel only came off after using a hammer left piston had exploded installing shrapnel in the main bearing case had numerous cracks around the drive sprocket cover). My questions are these does the '74 use the same petcock as the '68? The '74 did not have a petcock when I grabbed the engine for me to compare. As near as I can tell (please correct me if I am wrong) the '68 is a vaccum operated petcock petcock only opens when there is engine vaccum. there is no shut-off position on this petcock and has a third tube running to the left carb. The '74 appears to have only one tube on the left carb. Am I correct in assuming how the '68 petcock operates or am I missing something altogether? Also the '74 carbs have two tubes running from the bottom of the bowl to nothing. What is the purpose of these tubes as they were not in place on the '68. One of the tubes was pinched flat under the oil pump cover - hope this did not cause a problem to worry about. Second question I have the case split and the engine in many pieces and am in the process of replacing all of the seals I can. I have read about failure of the righthand main seal causing the engine to suck trans oil into the combustion chamber. Needless to say I assumed that the seal being referred to was the large o-ring located around the main bearing. After ordering seals by part description I am guessing that I have assumed wrong as the seal appears to cover the bearing face. Can this seal be replaced without disassembling the crank? I didn't feel like prying and poking without a little insight. Also it appears that I have ordered all of the seals for all of the bearings. Is the righthand seal the one most prone to failure? How prone are the center ones? If failure is not that common on the center bearings I will most likely pass on replacing them at this time as I assume the crank will have to be disassembled to do this (which sounds somewhat expensive and the engine does not have that mnay miles on it). Thanks for all the help that has been sent my way over the past months. My schedule for getting this thing up and running has been somewhat delayed and I am now hoping for spring. Thanks again. Best regards greg,Greg Groth,ggroth@telocity.com
Re: Dumb question time.,Monday 13-Nov-2000 08:02:42,198.76.106.200 writes,Greg My 68 petcock and other are the same except for the selection lever and selection face. It is vacume operated as are all the T500 pectocks. There is no shutoff and they only flow fuel if the engine is running or it is on prime. the 68 carbs are 34mm and a big change was done in 69 with 32mm carbs. Also other minor changes were done thru the years mostly in needle jets and jet needles pilot jets and slides. the tubes on the float bowls on the later models were overflow tubes for the bowls. The 68 did not have them. The two large outer seals on the crank can be replaced while in the cases. Unfortunately you cannot tell if the the inner seals are bad until you run the bike. I have had about 60/40 bad/good luck with this.,Eric,sundial@i-plus.net
Re: Re: Dumb question time.,Monday 13-Nov-2000 16:48:21,64.193.239.137 writes,Thanks for the info I have two small questions though. First I am guessing that there is a third tube on the lefthand carb for the petcock and I need to find the port? I didn't see one casually looking at it. Second how does on determine when the middle crank seals are bad? I am assuming if the right goes out there will be much more smoke coming out the right exhaust and if the left goes there will be traces of oil behind the rotor. What happens when the middle goes out? I am assuming that something will happen to the bikes running ability in that the downward force of the piston will force the fuel/air mixture into the other side of the crankcase rather than into the combustion chamber? Thanks again. Your help is very much appreciated. Greg,Greg Groth,ggroth@telocity.com
Re: Re: Re: Dumb question time.,Monday 13-Nov-2000 18:11:28,198.76.106.187 writes,On the left hand carb you will see the fuel intake nipple next to the idle adjust knob. The vacume nipple is up at the front of the carb on the inside where it meets the rubber intake boot on the engine. The right hand carb only has a fuel nipple. If the inner seals are bad you will suck transmission fluid out of the crankcase and out the exhaust. The center main lubricated by the transmission oil.,Eric,

gt 750 cylinder,Sunday 12-Nov-2000 21:47:26,205.251.129.204 writes,How do you remove the cylinder from the heads. I have a set of head that the center cylinder is beyond repair and I want to remove the outside sleeves.,atlantic pirate,
Re: gt 750 cylinder,Sunday 12-Nov-2000 22:32:57,209.197.132.30 writes,Hey A.P: No offense but let's define our terms here. The cylinder head is that big piece with the spark plugs in it that comes off the top of the engine first when you are taking it apart. The next piece is that big sucker with the 3 holes (cylinders) that the pistons ride up and down in. This piece is properly called the cylinder block or block for short. The cylindrical pieces that are fitted inside the cylinder block are called the cylinder liners or just liners. If you have a really really bad liner then the whole block is toast. The liner CAN be replaced but it's a big buck operation. I don't believe that anyone makes replacement liners so you would have to have one custom made. Can you imagine the price ?? Does this clear things up a bit ??,H2RICK,
Re: Re: h2 rick,Monday 13-Nov-2000 11:37:09,205.251.129.204 writes,How do you remove cylinder liners from the block I want to keep the two good one I have. The block is toast.,AtlanticPirate,

A SALUTE TO ALL VETERANS THANKS!!!,Saturday 11-Nov-2000 08:41:01,198.76.107.82 writes,For all who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the name of FREEDOM and those by their side. Eric Kalamaja 101st Airborne 1/321 FA 1st Armoured Div. 2/78 FA,Eric,
Re: A SALUTE TO ALL VETERANS THANKS!!!,Saturday 11-Nov-2000 14:10:18,209.197.132.30 writes,Thnak you for the reminder Eric. My Dad served in the Royal Canadian Navy in WWII in corvettes on the North Atlantic convoy run to England. He also served on an ocean going salvage tug during this period towing in ships that had been torpedoed by U-boats but not sunk. He didn't EVER talk about what he lived through and passed away 4 years ago at 81 years of age silent to the last. My maternal Grandfather served in WWI with the Canadian Army in France and was gassed at Ypres along with thousands of other Canadians. He never got over that but DID work a normal job after the war and died at 85 in his bed. He was quite a guy and ended up marrying my Grandmother who was quite a catch in her day and having 3 kids with her. He wouldn't talk about the war either. To get an idea of trench warfare read a book called Vimy by Pierre Berton. Absolutely incredible and all true. I miss both of these men every day and can only guess at what they went through for their country. A salute to all vets who fought for our freedom. Please keep their memory alive.,H2RICK,
Amen,Saturday 11-Nov-2000 22:32:36,149.99.14.169 writes,,,

A Fruitless Search,Friday 10-Nov-2000 18:15:28,205.232.94.136 writes,I posted a couple of weeks ago about an ongoing search for a T500 dragracer I kept hearing about. I finally got a name and an address (sort of). The bike was supposed to be located at a farm on the top of a hill and the last name was McNeely. After driving around the area for an hour and trudging through mud and cows--- asking everybody where the McNeely farm is I was about ready to give up. The last farm I stopped at this ninety year old woman told me that there had never been a McNeely in the area but there are a lot of Keneelys around. She directed me to the nearest farm and off I went into the rain again but not before she offered to give me something to eat. Very nice of her. I knocked on the door at the Keneely farm and there didn't seem to be anyone home but the barn door was wide open. I had to see if she was there but it was dark. A voice from behind asked if he could help me. I explained to him that I had heard he had a T500 he might want to sell. He said he did have that bike but sold it this summer to the Kelly boys up the road. More directions and another trip to yet another farm brought out only Pa Kelly who told me that yes his boys did have a motorbike but lost it this summer when the barn burned to the ground taking alot of hay and some livestock with it nothing survived. He said they hauled everything off to the dump after the fire. I thanked him ran back to the truck to get out of the pouring rain thought about the long winter ahead and wished I could get this T500 racer project moving. ,Kris Larrivee,
Your search makes Homer's Odyssey sound...,Saturday 11-Nov-2000 14:01:26,209.197.132.30 writes,like a walk in the park. Quite a story. I guess it was that bike's karma to have a fiery end. How unfortunate. However you'll find that if you put the word out all of a sudden the darn things will appear. Neat bikes are like buses...if you miss this one ther'll be another along soon. I started off looking for H2 Kwackers about 5 years ago...no joy. Gave up and bought a GT550 to make into a rat-bike street racer. Word got around about the nutbar looking for these 2 kinds of bikes. 5 years later both kinds (& parts) are STILL drifting into my yard on the wind. Now I've got to either get rid of some OR....make more space. LOLOLOL Good luck on your search. Keep us posted. ,H2RICK,

GT750B CARB SETTINGS,Thursday 9-Nov-2000 18:15:02,195.92.194.13 writes,can someone give me the correct setting regarding the float level on my gt750b. i'm looking for the distance between the upper-most edge of the float and the flange of the mixing chamber body?,ERIC,eric@bigaber.freeserve.co.uk
Re: GT750B CARB SETTINGS,Friday 10-Nov-2000 18:37:34,198.76.107.67 writes,ERIC That will be 1.06 inches or 27.0 mm.,Eric,
Re: Re: GT750B CARB SETTINGS,Tuesday 21-Nov-2000 19:20:07,195.92.168.164 writes,27mm is right + or - 0.5mm BUT only when the carbs are tilted at a 30 degree angle ie: the float tang is not pressing on the float needle. From upside down 25mm is nearer the mark.,Clive,

GT500 front forks not dampening,Thursday 9-Nov-2000 08:44:34,203.147.165.25 writes,Hi all. I have put a GT500 front end on my 71 titan. The forks appear in good nick inside & out but they do not seem to dampen properly & are very spongey . Does anyone have a diagram of the order of the wave washers inside the forks? Could this be a problem if they are not set up right? How much fork oil ? I have used the amount for the original front end maybe it is too little . Any ideas much appreciated . ( This is the final thing I have too sort out then after 3 years I can finally register the beast !) Cheers for now Paul (Brisbane),Paul ( Brisbane),captainbellybuster@hotmail.com
Re: GT500 front forks not dampening,Thursday 9-Nov-2000 08:59:46,198.76.106.57 writes,Paul I have one on my Historic Production Racer. I works well but is a little spongy. Suzuki forks are still that way like on the GS500 and the SV650. I use 30 weight oil in the forks and a little preload (extra washers above the springs or different lenghts pvc tubing). You will have to experiment with this. You can also get aftermarket spings for the forks like Progressive Springs. Crooks-Suzuki also sells some aftermarket springs for this model. It is a great front end it just needs a little work. Since I have put mine on the Hist. Prod. bike I have gone faster on it than ever before.,Eric,sundial@i-plus.net
Re: GT500 front forks not dampening,Friday 10-Nov-2000 18:39:58,198.76.107.67 writes,Paul The oil amount is the same for the GT500 220cc 7.4 US oz. 7.7 Imp. oz. Again I use 30 wt fork oil for this procedure.,Eric,

street pipes or race pipes?,Wednesday 8-Nov-2000 11:42:40,152.163.207.84 writes,A friend gave me his Jemco pipes.He sold his Gt500 with the stock mufflers.Pipes fits perfectly but damn are loud.They have a built in baffle.The opening on the back is about 1 inch.If I stay behind the pipes about 2 feet away I can fell the pressure of the exhaust on my legs.We call it free flow LOL.Friend could not tell me if the pipes where street pipes or race pipes.He does not remember.Is anybody familiar with Jemco pipes?.Is it possible to make the pipes a bit quiter?.Thank's Ps:bike runs great just are too loud.,Ted,
Re: street pipes or race pipes?,Wednesday 8-Nov-2000 12:54:03,205.232.94.135 writes,When I spoke to the guy at Jemco he told me that the "race" pipes were a "s--- and get" type for all out horsepower (he claimed a 13 hp gain over stock that's with race porting jetting ect.) and very loud. He mentioned something about silencers but I don't remember what. He did stress that without the right porting running the race pipes would yield only minimal gains and more noise. For the street pipes with proper jetting (he recommended jumping up at least 3 sizes on the main) Jemco claims an 8hp boost. Here's their phone# for more info 713-461-3834. If you decide not to stick with the Jemcos let me know I'm building a GT500 vintage racer and currently looking for used pipes.,Kris Larrivee,fxlkoa@northnet.org
Re: Re: street pipes or race pipes?,Wednesday 8-Nov-2000 16:06:50,152.163.201.73 writes,Street pipes have the baffles built inside the pipe or not?There is no silencers attached to the end of my pipes.....I suppose they are street pipes.,Ted,
Re: Re: Re: street pipes or race pipes?,Wednesday 8-Nov-2000 19:19:26,205.232.94.133 writes,The Jemco guy told me their pipes didn't come with silencers but some guys fit aftermarket ones to pass noise regulations at a cost of some horses. I'm not sure what the internal differences between the two kinds of pipes are but Jemco said that the race pipes give more on the top end sacrificing some low and midrange whereas the street ones give a little more throughout the powerband. I guess that really won't help identify them Jemco could probably tell you right off the bat what you've got.,Kris Larrivee,
Re: Re: Re: Re: street pipes or race pipes?,Wednesday 8-Nov-2000 20:36:54,198.76.106.14 writes,Jemco street pipes are a blot on item and use the stock mounting points at the original pipes. the header pipes are not tapered. They should have baffles but internal and do not look like they are attached to a stinger. The stinger is inside. The race pipes have a collar on and springs at the front and are tapered. They are also huge and require removal of side stand and bracket and centerstand and bracket. They also need the rear brackets welded on. They have a silencer welded to a stinger and are also loud. You can see a pic on my services/parts page.,Eric,
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: street pipes or race pipes?,Thursday 9-Nov-2000 05:10:58,64.12.104.42 writes,Street pipes?.Good lord.Is there a way to quite the noise a bit?.Thank to you all,Ted,

That annoying noise problem ...,Friday 10-Nov-2000 09:12:50,216.209.137.70 writes,Here are your options: 1. try a tighter fitting helmet 2. hum to yourself whenever it is running 3. when you are idling it in the driveway and the neighbours come out to have a look point to the Harley in the next driveway and shrug your shoulders with a look of disdain on your face 4. just blame it on a confusing ballot 5. stick a banana in each pipe (short term solution but cool to watch) 6. if anyone asks you're mowing the lawn 7. try the "noise what noise .. I don't hear a noise" line 8. have your passenger put her finger in one of your ears and her tongue in the other 9. after riding the bike say 3 Hail Mary's and seek forgiveness 10. Personalized licence plate ... "NADER",Stephen,stephen.szikora@sympatico.ca
Re: I'll go for #8.,Friday 10-Nov-2000 12:05:34,198.76.106.40 writes,,Eric,

NEW wires on OLD coils,Tuesday 7-Nov-2000 09:55:47,12.84.177.217 writes,As most of you know I've been asking everyone lately how to make my GT 550 go faster and handle better. I thank everyone for their responses. A "friend" of mine who was supposed to be knowledgeable gave me some bad advice. When I told him I was buying new ignition coils he told me I could just replace the wires. He said they were attached inside the coil just like they are on the sparkplug boot; with that little scew thing that goes up into the wire. Well I carefully twisted and pulled the wires out of the coils. (The coils had metered out good and the coil bodies were in excellent shape). When I finished the first one I noticed that the actual wire core was still attached down in the coil I had just pulled the insulation off the wire. I had also ruined the coil. Since I am an Industrial Electrician and I had to work this past weekend I took the coils to work and started to investigate. With the combination of a razor knife hacksaw drill and soldering iron I was able to get through the plastic where the wires attached and see that the old wires were soldered to a tab on the coil. I cleaned up the tab drilled out the hole along the side of the coil for clearance and soldered in my new low resistance wires. I then sealed everything up with RTV. I got better with each coil I did. (The third one looks much better than the first) I'm almost tempted to buy more coils and tear them up too so I can perfect this operation...nah I guess not... Anyway if anyone wants to renew their sparkplug leads cheaply I believe this will work. Just don't cut down into the body of the coil. ,Todd T,
Re: NEW wires on OLD coils,Thursday 9-Nov-2000 10:16:13,152.163.194.214 writes,If is not broken don't fix it.,Fred,

Metaphysical Musings on a Fall Afternoon,Sunday 5-Nov-2000 19:10:36,209.197.132.30 writes,1) Why is it that your battery uses more water in the fall than at any other time of the year: a) lower humidity at that time of year b) charging system is working better because of cooler weather c) you use your lights more because the days are shorter d) you're trying to get in more rides before winter arrives e) none of the above f) all of the above g) some other answer not revealed to mankind yet 2) Why is it that the second cell from the positive post of your battery always goes dry first: a) it's cell number 2 so it's trying harder b) the Microsoft/military/industrial/CIA complex knows but isn't telling anyone c) some weird chemistry/physics thing d) none of the above e) all of the above f) who cares about such arcane trivia anyway 3) Why is it that the first winter snow/rain catches you with your bike not yet stored/winterized: (you anal retentive types can skip this one; also the guys in Oz) a) you're the world's champion procrastinator (I'll do it after I finish this beer/take the old lady to the mall/polish my 1976 MX 3rd place trophy/paint that back porch/recategorize my toothpick collection/defrag my hard drive) b) you're the eternal optimist (I think it'll be nice enough to go riding tomorrow/next week/next month) c) you're really lazy d) you're punishing your bike for losing that last "stoplight Grand Prix" e) you like buying new batteries every year because you want to keep the economy rolling along (ooops..froze/cracked another one) f) you like ungumming your carbs every spring (a "rites of Spring" thing) g) you think that mud/crud/road grime from that last ride in the rain is an artistic "statement" h) none of the above i) all of the above j) who the he!! cares ? I gotta get out there and do it NOW !! There are no prizes but points are awarded for neatness. Alternate answers are acceptable as long as they're really really funny (OK I'll settle for just really funny). ,H2RICK,
Re: Metaphysical Musings on a Fall Afternoon,Monday 6-Nov-2000 04:01:24,195.102.200.79 writes,Hey Rick -- obviously your weather's been as shitty as it has been here in Limeyland. Three solid weeks of pissing rain and have I got a biking jones bad! And please no-one give me any smart answers about how you can ride bikes in the wet too ... that's what I have a car for.,CRaig,
Re: Re: Metaphysical Musings on a Fall Afternoon,Monday 6-Nov-2000 23:07:41,209.197.132.30 writes,Hey CRaig: Cars get my vote when it rains too. If I want to be wet cold and miserable I'd rather stand fully dressed in a cold water shower in my bathroom. At least there rescue/warmth is close at hand. Hope the rain lets up soon for you guys in UK. I see on the TV the incredible flooding where it hasn't happened for maybe 300 - 400 years. Good luck and keep on "strokin".,H2RICK,
Re: Metaphysical Musings on a Fall Afternoon,Thursday 9-Nov-2000 00:56:52,64.12.103.49 writes,G A/F A ... LOL... never do today what you can put off till tomorrow !!! Steve,Steve Izzo,Rizzlemc@aol.com
trans oil choices from a previous post,Sunday 5-Nov-2000 01:16:06,205.188.200.23 writes,H2 Rick the info about synth trans oil exposing leaky seals is great stuff. I'd love to hear you drone on about this topic more if you would. Is the 80wt Amsoil too heavy cause its affecting clutch performance or shifting action? I've used BelRay gearsaver which smells and looks like ATF. do you know the story on this lube? If you've already posted all this elsewhere just point the way. thanks Steve,Steve Izzo,Rizzlemc@aol.com
Now Steve...is that any way to curry favour,Sunday 5-Nov-2000 14:23:35,209.197.132.30 writes,with a serious and dedicated "lecturer" like me ?? LOLOLOLOLOL Since it is way too long to post on the board I will email it to you. This "learned paper" presupposes some knowledge of high school physics and chemistry on your part. Enjoy !!,H2RICK,

T500 trans condition...,Sunday 5-Nov-2000 00:58:45,205.188.200.41 writes,I changed the trans oil after less than 200 miles to find a fair ammount of metal glitter in the oil. This stuff is really fine but there none the less. Is it already too late for the trans?? I've read of the 1400cc mod for the trans oil and needless to say I'm not riding the bike at this point. Also it makes a hell of a chatter below 1800rpm while idling. Pull in the clutch and it stops so it the clutch or something driven by the clutch. I've heard two other T500's makin this same noise. This is usually a bad clutch basket bushing but this is the worst and loudest I've ever heard by far. Is it normal?? Whats the deal? thanks Steve,Steve Izzo,Rizzlemc@aol.com
Re: T500 trans condition...,Sunday 5-Nov-2000 01:05:12,209.197.132.30 writes,Steve: Is the "glitter" silvery or goldish ?? Goldish is usually the basket bushing. Silvery can be tranny gears shift forks or primary drive. Better pull that clutch cover and check it our pronto. Good luck.,H2RICK,
Re: Re: T500 trans condition...,Sunday 5-Nov-2000 18:26:34,216.224.129.61 writes,I had this noise develop in T-500 I previously owned. Disassembled engine to find large ball bearing (behind clutch) supporting trans shaft damaged. If you remove your clutch the telltale sign would be discoloration or deformation of the shield on the bearing.,RobL,
Silver... tear down time... thanks guys...n/t,Thursday 9-Nov-2000 01:04:00,64.12.103.49 writes,,Steve Izzo,Rizzlemc@aol.com

shifting shaft situation,Saturday 4-Nov-2000 20:50:26,4.54.43.244 writes,I am working here and there at restoring a T500K to street running. Today I tried to have a look under the left engine cover and discovered to my dismay that some dumbass had welded the shifting lever onto the shifting shaft. This of course makes it impossible to remove the engine cover so one cannot even replace the front sprocket. Sigh. So I ground the weld off and found that this shortsighted individual had also drilled a hole through the shifter into the shifting shaft and driven what looked like a thread chasing screw with no head into this hole and then welded a pile of pot metal over the whole mess to hold it in place. Ah the woes of 2nd (3rd? 4rth?) ownership. Anyway I finally got the thing off but only after much weeping and cursing. Behind the engine cover there was a nice surprise of dirty slugde dead spiders and other sundry nasties. I just thought I'd tell my story to help me move on. Thanks!,Matt,
Re: shifting shaft situation,Sunday 5-Nov-2000 01:02:18,209.197.132.30 writes,Matt: Woes is right. But it sounds like you've got everything sorted out. NOW you get to remove the clutch cover to replace the shifter shaft AND whatever other neat "surprises" you find on that side of the engine. My experience with ALL twin and triple Suzis is that if you don't Loctite that shifter lever pinch bolt it WILL back off and then you start chewing up the splines on the shaft every time you make a shift. Your other choice is to put a box end wrench to the pinch bolt every time you're near the bike. Loose pinch bolt/chewed splines is probably what happened to your Titan way back. Good luck with your project.,H2RICK,
Re: Re: shifting shaft situation,Sunday 5-Nov-2000 12:09:07,152.1.208.16 writes,Thanks for the advice H2RICK. My manual (chilton) indicates that the shifting shaft can be replaced without cracking the transmission case but is sparse on the details. It looks to me like you remove some parts on the right side and then you can just pull the bad one out and insert a new one (I need to get a Suzuki manual but I can't find one yet). Does that sound right? You are correct about the worn-off splines. I know I need to crack the case eventually...and I will but just not right now. I am getting the cylinders bored .5 mm over by a great little old auto machine shop here in Raleigh NC - for only $55.00 total. The reason I knew this machinist knows what he is about is because he refused to do any boring until he had the new pistons in his hands to check them. It is nice to find somebody like that nowadays. My new pistons rings wristpins and roller bearings are on their way ( ,Matt,
Re: Re: shifting shaft situation,Sunday 5-Nov-2000 12:41:07,152.1.208.16 writes,Oops. Sorry about that. Now I just need to find some new circlips. I've cleaned out all the exhaust components painted the battery box with Zero-Rust cleaned the airbox completely cleaned and adjusted both carbs removed and cleaned the steering dampener (dear god that wasn't easy liberal application of liquid wrench and wire bushing of the mainscrew threads) and cleaned up everything I can reach. Next I need to get into the brakes. I could not for the life of me get the master link off the chain last night. I removed the clip but just can't seem to force the master link apart. Oh well I may just cut it off. Also I need to chemical line the tank (Kreem) and replace the fuel c--- assembly because some keen fellow "repaired" it with approximately 1/2 lb. of JB weld. And another thing I need to replace the points since they are green and fuzzy with corrosion. That is unless I go ahead and take this opportunity to purchase one of these electronic ignitions I am reading about. I read a post of yours from WAY back where you preached the virtues of electronic ignitions. Can you recommend a brand for the T500? I cannot thank you and the others here on this message board enough. It is great to have this forum.,Matt,
Re: Re: Re: shifting shaft situation,Sunday 5-Nov-2000 14:09:39,198.76.106.19 writes,Matt You can replace the shift shaft without splitting the cases. You need to take the clutch cover off and remove the complete clutch assy. Then you can remove the shift shaft by pushing it thru making sure there are no burrs on the spline end. Put new seals in and push in the new shift shaft and reassemble in reverse.,Eric,sundial@i-plus.net
Re: Re: Re: shifting shaft situation,Sunday 5-Nov-2000 14:16:02,209.197.132.30 writes,Matt: Shifter shaft replacement is a quite straightforward procedure. Once you have the clutch cover off it will become quite apparent. The only thing to watch out for is the cleanliness/smoothness of the left end of the shaft. You have removed the lever with a lot of work and the shaft end is all rough and burred. Either cut the end off with a hacksaw and clean the stub with a file and emery cloth or clean up what is CURRENTLY still there with file and emery. Make sure as best you can by eye that the left end is NOT bent in any way. If it is the you will have to try to straighten it as much as possible THEN saw it off as close to the cases as possible. Make darn sure whichever way you go that the remaining stub is as smooth as possible so it doesn't bind anywhere as you pull it our the right side. If it does bind during the removal process push it back in and then rotate it a little bit and try again. Stll no joy ?? Push it back and rotate it a little more. Repeat until removal is successful. Do NOT try to force it out. You will wreck/distort/score the 3 bored holes it is carried in in the cases. This is a VERY BAD THING as the new shaft will then be a loose fit in the cases and will NOT help with shift smoothness at all. 

Yes I'm a big fan of electronic ignitions because of all the things mentioned in that earlier post...mainly consistent spark timing because of no wearing/rubbing parts. I like Boyer-Bransden but Muzza is I believe a big Newtronics fan. I personally have not tried Newtronics but what bothers me about them is that they use an OPTICAL trigger system. This of course can be affected by dust/dirt or moisture/oil on the lens of the pickup. Maybe they have solved that problem. I do know that the Detroit car manufacturers tried such a system in the early 80's and quit using it after about 2 or 3 years. Good luck with your project. ,H2RICK,
Re: Muzza libelled,Monday 6-Nov-2000 06:14:39,198.142.91.80 writes,Thanks H2 for keeping my name alive on the board. Just for the record I have never used Newtronics or even recommended them. I couldn't as I've never seen one. It's Rootronics I recommended and they are no longer available since using kangaroo products was banned in Australian racing many years back and anyway supplies of period fencing wire are becoming difficult to source. I am really a fan of the GT500 CDI ignition which I have used with success racing and so far without breaking any crankshafts. Thanks mate catchya later,Muzza,pindan@hotmail.com
Sorry Muzza...I got you mixed up with...,Monday 6-Nov-2000 23:43:45,209.197.132.30 writes,that guy from Oz on the "other triples" board. My apologies again. There are so many guys from "down under" all over these various boards that it's hard to tell the players without a program. LOLOLOLOL,H2RICK,
Thanks,Tuesday 7-Nov-2000 09:20:05,152.1.208.16 writes,Thanks again for the info and advice H2RICK and Eric. I'll keep you posted on my progress.,Matt,
Re: shifting shaft situation,Friday 10-Nov-2000 07:43:17,129.37.152.59 writes,welcome to the club i just had the same same situation. Jean Marc,,
Hey...Gregp,Saturday 4-Nov-2000 13:07:28,209.197.132.30 writes,Send me your email addy. It's not in any of your post addresses. Click on my name in this message and that will get you an email form you can send to me (just in case you weren't sure of how to go about it ;-) ).,H2RICK,31242332@3web.net

Possible to replace bearings on the crank?,Friday 3-Nov-2000 21:32:40,208.34.226.139 writes,Has anybody ever had to replace a connecting rod bearing on the crank? Is this even possible? I have had a knocking sound in my 1972 GT550 for a while and 'think' I have narrowed it down. Any ideas/info is appreciated GREATLY! Also any ideas on parts cost? I plan to pull the engine and disassemble her (again) next weekend and hand deliver the crank to the shop for repairs replacement of the bearing and removal of the money from my wallet. I have had the engine apart three times in efforts to resolve the problem and take care of the knocking sound. The pistons look great (so do the rings) and the tolerances are fine. Compression is great on all three cylinders. New wrist pins wrist pin bearings and SRIS tubes. HERE IS THE CLENCHER! While replacing the SRIS tubes (the last thing I've since done) I found that the left cylinder's "recycle injection system" port on the back of the cylinder was TOTALLY BLOCKED. Could this tie in with a bad bearing on the crank? I cleared the port. JD,JD,j_dunfee007@hotmail.com
Re: Possible to replace bearings on the crank?,Saturday 4-Nov-2000 01:31:20,209.115.233.28 writes,Yep you can replace the big end rod bearing with minimal wallet strain (for the labour charge) since it's on the outboard end of the crank. The fun part will be getting the rod kit from Suzuki or Paul Miller. Is the big end really shot though ?? Can you see any score marks on the big end pin ?? Is there too much play in the up and down direction of the rod ?? Are the thrust washers chewed up ?? Any little bits of shrapnel in the crank chamber or in the SRIS filter ?? Don't be in too much of a hurry to condemn the big end until you check out all these things first. Re: SRIS blockage. I don't BELIEVE that this would do damage to any portion of that cylinder in normal circumstances. If enough liquid collected in the crank chamber and was sucked up the transfer ports you'd probably get something happening suddenly like a bent rod or cracked piston head and you know right away if something like either of those things happened. Keep us posted on this. I'm really curious now.,H2RICK,

Newtronic ignitions,Wednesday 1-Nov-2000 19:42:16,198.107.240.10 writes,here's the link for the Newtronic ignition. It's 81 pounds do the conversion $$$. Anyone ever run this? Muzza Eric any chance you can get these cheaper? I know Eric you had the Boyer-Brandsen units is this any better? Muzza I'll be in AUS. in a few weeks if you know a place to get something like this down there I would appreciate it the dollar conversion is better. http://www.newtronic.co.uk/system/index.html,RD in Portland,
Re: RD I'll call them this week and see what I can sell them for.,Wednesday 1-Nov-2000 20:01:06,198.76.106.102 writes,,Eric,
Current Monetary Conversion,Thursday 2-Nov-2000 09:52:42,152.1.208.16 writes,Here is the current conversion for interested US dollar people: Universal Currency Converter™ Results by Xenon Labs Rates as of 2000.11.02 09:48:55 EST. 81.00 GBP United Kingdom Pounds = 117.528 USD United States Dollars ,Matt,mwparrow@unity.ncsu.edu
Is buying from the US you shouldn't have to pay the VAT which make the price 68.98 GBP (roughly $100),Thursday 2-Nov-2000 11:00:18,206.242.68.38 writes,,,
Re: Newtronic ignitions,Friday 3-Nov-2000 08:32:58,198.142.113.244 writes,Nope nope don't know of such fancy gizmos in Oz we tend to get a spark by striking fencing wire against tanned kangaroo hide; Rootronic. Never fails. :),muzza,
Re: Re: Muzza how do you mount that on your bike? Could you send a pic? What's the cost? And do you need hotter coils with that system? :-) LOLOLOL,Friday 3-Nov-2000 08:48:47,198.76.107.120 writes,,Eric,
Re: Re: Newtronic ignitions,Friday 3-Nov-2000 16:28:47,198.107.240.10 writes,HAHA ,RD,

Why muzza really LIKES to ride motorcycles...www.goodnet.com/~aussie/bahhh.jpg,Friday 3-Nov-2000 16:34:49,198.107.240.10 writes,,RD,
Re: Why muzza really LIKES to ride motorcycles,Friday 3-Nov-2000 19:35:06,198.142.81.145 writes,I'm safe he's riding a Yamaha.....now that is what I call unnatural!! Eric I'd like to provide a picture but the sun is so strong down here that we need unflash bulbs. I'm still working on it I'm sure there's a quid to be made here somewhere. ,Muzza,
Re: Re: Why muzza really LIKES to ride motorcycles-last word,Friday 3-Nov-2000 20:01:07,198.142.81.145 writes,For someone who loves dogs....RD is treading on dangerous ground here! see http://members.nbci.com/tr500/dp.jpg :) Baahh humbug....actually Kiwis would like the sheep picture.....me I like those Suzuka pitlane girls....,Muzza,

Smoker,Wednesday 1-Nov-2000 07:25:35,196.28.48.99 writes,Hello crowd: My 1976 GT-500 is smoking too much from the RH exhaust I splited the crankcase I suspect the center main bering o-rings. any advise the RH bearing looks OK. Thanks Albert,Albert,
Re: Smoker,Wednesday 1-Nov-2000 09:53:08,24.64.0.9 writes,Hey Albert: What about that outboard seal on the right hand side as well as that seal collar and oring ?? You may be sucking a little bit of gear oil into that right hand cylinder. This is not an unusual problem with a lot of 2 strokes if previous owners have not paid any attention to gearbox oil levels or changed the oil regularly or used the wrong oil.,H2RICK,
Re: Re: Smoker,Thursday 2-Nov-2000 20:11:14,38.30.117.224 writes,Hello Rick. What do you consider a "wrong oil"? I'm not trying to be a smartass. Just trying to learn the most I can about oils and I value your opinion. Have you ever heard of an oil named Ams? If so what have you heard? Thanks and take care. -gregp ,Gregp,

Re: oils,Saturday 4-Nov-2000 01:48:36,209.197.132.30 writes,Ahhhh.....the great tranny oil debate. AMS or Amsoil is a full synthetic oil. I currently run their straight 80 weight gear oil in the tranny of my GT550. It's a little heavier than I'd like so I'm switching to a Torco 75 weight partial synthetic at the end of this season which by the looks of the weather forecast is tomorrow. F'cast calls for rain and snow showers starting overnight tonight (Friday) and continuing all weekend. I digress. One danger using any synthetic/part syn in an older bike is the fact that syns have verrrrry efficient detergents in them. That means that if you have seals that are worn but are not leaking yet because they have a dirt buildup still keeping the oil in your bike will look like a wild oil well gusher when you put in the syn. It will clean up all the dirt and....voila....lotsa leaks. Some guys will say to use automatic tranny fluid but that's a non-starter of an idea cuz it TOO light in viscosity. I could go on for hours about this but I'll email you something I ginned up after many discussions on that "other 3 cylinder" board. Or maybe post it here. Oooops....sorry Eric...I didn't mean to imply that this board was only for 3 cylinder Suzis...LOLOLOLOL,H2RICK,
Re: Re: oils,Sunday 5-Nov-2000 07:49:29,198.76.106.213 writes,I used to use standard trans oils as well. When I went to full synthetic oils I had a great increase in crank seal failures. This causing me to get cranks reconditioned with new seals. No other seals gave me problems. A crank I had reconditioned was sent back with the used parts as requested and upon looking at the part of the seals that meets the crank there of course was the aforementiond dirt. This being cleaned off by the sythetic oil causing copius amounts of oil to exit the exhaust. And on this particular bike I mean copius. So much oil came out the exhaust that it didn't make smoke just a huge puddle at the back of the bike. I either use Bel-Ray Gearsaver or Klotz Flexdrive 30.,Eric,

,Tuesday 31-Oct-2000 21:14:09,205.251.218.93 writes,I have two questions..... 1. The star shaped timing indicator is not lining up with the correct cylinders. The oil pump gear is lining up with the punch mark what is the problem? 2. Right cylinder is indicated center left is right and center is left can I time it using this set up knowing I have this mix up?,,j.shapter@roadrunner.nf.net
Re: timing stuff,Tuesday 31-Oct-2000 23:56:45,209.197.132.30 writes,As a matter of curiosity have you static timed a bike before ?? What bike do you have ?? Sounds like a 380. Do you have a service manual for the bike you have ?? The star wheel is held in the correct postion by a pin through the jackshaft that has the points cam on it in the 380. It may be that someone has had that stuff all apart a neglected to reassemble it properly. It looks as if you are 120 degrees out on the wheel poistion compared to reality. Sure you CAN do it this way as long as you remember about it the next time you come to do this. If the clutch/points cover has been removed at some time and reassembled incorrectly you would get the result you have. The correct way to fix this is to remove the cover align the dimple on the primary pinion gear with the arrow plate attached to the cases (this positions the crank with Left or #1 piston at TDC) set the points cam to "L" (left hand or #1 cylinder) then reinstall the clutch/points cover. NOW everything is in phase you can set the timing without worrying about which cylinder is which mark on the wheel. I'm not sure what "oil pump gear" you're talking about unless you mean the primary pinion. PS: pick a nickname and use it so we know who's posting on this board,H2RICK,
How are you rotating the points cam?,Wednesday 1-Nov-2000 04:46:32,195.102.201.226 writes,If it's a 380 beware: the points cam runs backward (anticlockwise) so DON'T use the nut on the end of the cam to turn the engine: it's not only confusing but you can also break the nylon gears which drive the points cam. Use the kickstart to turn the engine and everything should be OK. The owner's manual doens't help by actually advising you to turn the motor the wrong way .... caused me the same problem 'til I saw the light.,Craig,

Re: (No subject),Wednesday 1-Nov-2000 06:42:35,24.231.28.211 writes,H2 Its me Atlantic Pirate. I was so ticked off with this problem all I could do was do this posting. the bike is a GT 750. All the marks are lined up except for the timing gauge where left denotes right and so on. I have tryed to change the setting but I can't seem to fix it when all marked line up.,Atlantic Pirate,
Re: Re: (No subject),Wednesday 1-Nov-2000 09:42:35,24.64.0.9 writes,A/Pirate: OK. Will check into this when I get home tonight....ooooops...it's motorcycle fixit night tonight at Big Al's garage so will have to get back to you Thurs night. My post still stands re 120 degrees out though and the propellor is NORMALLY fixed to the end of the crankshaft with a pin. Look through the oval shaped "window" on the points backing plate with a Maglite and watch as you turn the engine over. You SHOULD be able to see where/how the wheel is located on the crank with a protruding dowel. If the dowel has been lost/misplaced then the wheel can be put on pretty much any old way. This MAY be your problem. Will get back to you on this.,H2RICK,
Re: H2 Rick,Wednesday 1-Nov-2000 10:06:41,24.231.28.211 writes,I have it all apart the dowel is lined up with the punch mark and the propeller is lined up with the pin.It just does not match the cylinder in TDC. Thanks AP,,
Re: Re: H2 Rick,Thursday 2-Nov-2000 20:24:59,38.30.117.224 writes,If it's like my 550 when the mark is ligned up to the right cylinder (for instance) the right cylinder is NOT at TDC. It is (in my case w/550) 0.132" BTDC (Before Top Dead Center). -gregp,Gregp,
Re: Re: Re: H2 Rick,Sunday 5-Nov-2000 01:10:30,209.197.132.30 writes,A. P: The starter clutch housing is keyed to the crank and the points camshaft is pinned to the starter clutch housing. It IS possible that the woodruff key holding the starter clutch housing to the crank has been sheared allowing everything to move. Get your Clymer/Haynes manual out and start checking it out.,H2RICK,

Dutch GT500.... Swap time,Tuesday 31-Oct-2000 16:46:12,195.121.192.159 writes,Hi smokers Last week I luckily found the time and tools to take a close look at the ignition of my beloved/behated GT500. Swap coils/bobines. No change swap CDI. No change either. So what's left are the charching coils. And to my big BIG surprise and shame they both measure about half the resistance of what they should be. While they were quite close to the nominal values when I installed them on the bike about a month ago. Shit am I questioning people for such a stupidity ? At least I am rather sure I finally found a good way to find faults in my ignition. Wish I had that a year ago. For the moment I am merging two engines together the engine of my "Donor" bike with rebuilt crank and slightly ported cylinders combined with the ignition of my new Blacky. Once I get this running good I will try again with fitting chambers. Gijs,Gijs Baron,gijs.baron@planet.nl
Re: Dutch GT500.... Swap time,Tuesday 31-Oct-2000 23:59:33,209.197.132.30 writes,Way to go Gijs...time and brainpower can overcome any problem. Sometimes it takes money too though. LOLOLOLOL Keep us posted on your progress.,H2RICK,

Racing Bikes 1966 & 1967,Tuesday 31-Oct-2000 16:34:35,195.92.67.65 writes,Wanted any imformation about Bridgestone road racers 350cc that anyone can prove raced before the end of 1967 .Here in the UK we are trying to get the OK to race in classic races next year. Please please all you good Suzuki guys talk to your buddies and see if you can help. Many Thanks Brian McDonough,Brian McDonough (In good old UK),brian@bikeaddict.freeserve.co.uk
Re: Racing Bikes 1966 & 1967,Wednesday 1-Nov-2000 00:04:19,209.197.132.30 writes,Have you surfed over to the Bridgestone boards ?? The answer is probably there. However if the requirement is that the bike had to have raced in the UK that answer might be a little harder to track down. If you don't have their addys post back here and I will post them for you. Good luck with your "rotary valve rocket".,H2RICK,
Re: Racing Bikes 1966 & 1967,Wednesday 1-Nov-2000 13:54:22,160.94.79.39 writes, There is a picture out there of a 350'stone raced by a fellow named Tony Murphy back in the 70s. I believe this was a factory unit and it had a neat looking glass seat-tank combo. I can't understand why there should be a problem with your club regarding this bike. Just about every bike has been raced somewhere sometime. I had three GTR's back then and even tried racing one but learned quickly that an RD400 was the bike of the day. Guzzi John,john pierson,piers006@tc.umn.edu
Unfortunately the CRMC in the UK is pretty strict and while we all know of GTR's raced in the late '60's early '70's they need proof it was raced somewhere prior to December 31 1967. I am on the Bridgestone list and have persued this on Brian's behalf.,Wednesday 1-Nov-2000 19:29:57,216.208.51.158 writes,,Stephen,stephen.szikora@sympatico.ca

suzuki TR 750,Sunday 29-Oct-2000 09:32:07,195.64.43.169 writes,Hello suzuki lovers I'am looking all over the world for parts of a suzuki TR 750 and/or other information about this bike.I own a lot of parts enough to built almost one complete racer but I need some new parts and a lot of knowledge about this bike. Any information is welcome. Many thanks in advance Bert Hotting.,Bert Hotting,deutekom@knoware.nl
Re: Suzuki TR 750,Sunday 29-Oct-2000 11:03:14,209.197.132.30 writes,Bert: Go to Muzza'a website at http://members.nbci.com/tr500/t500scr.htm and then select the GT/TR750 pages over on the RH side of the page. Lots of good TR750 stuff there including a scan of the factory TR750 setup service bulletin/instructions with port specs etc. You WILL have to learn to translate from Japanese-English into American-English though. LOLOLOLOL. Very good exotic stuff and the only board I know that has it. Also if you are a real fanatic I have the Autocad drawing of the under-the-cylinder-block spacer plate that raises the block to change the port timing like the privateers TR's had. Evidently this blaock saves a lot of fiddly Dremel work on the ports but I have no experience of this myself. This drawing can be fed into any CNC machining centre (that will take Autocad drawings) and will thus save you MUCHO dinero on programming by the machine shop as well as producing a perfect plate AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT. A lot of older centres will not take Autocad drawings directly but have a translation program to convert ACad into the machine's native format. Let me know if you're interested. BTW this drawing CANNOT be viewed by you UNLESS you have Autocad Release 12 or later. Interesting note that the website says ~112 HP @ ~8200 RPM whereas the factory only ever claimed about 90-95 HP. Probably some kind of "fool-the-competitors/smokescreen" kind of thing. Did I say "smokescreen" ....LOLOLOL Muzza may also know of some TR750 fanatics in Oz. He posts on this board and you can probably get his email addy from one of the posts. If not his website probably has it. Good luck with your project.,H2RICK,
Re: suzuki TR 750,Sunday 29-Oct-2000 20:21:48,205.188.192.161 writes,Nova Racing in the UK still has some parts for the GT/TR 750. As the bike was never mass produced like thr RG 500's there were very few actual TR parts that filtered down to us mere mortals. Swarbrick Racing/UK makes replica TR pipes for the 250/500/750 and they are sead to be of factory specification. Pricy but the best you can get for a machine nearing 30 years young! Krober still makes CDI racing ignitions for the triple too. Good luck....,Kris Bernstein,wang fat@aol.com

FORWARD TO THE PAST ?? BACK TO THE FUTURE ??,Saturday 28-Oct-2000 22:07:54,209.197.132.30 writes,Cleaned up a bunch of stuff at work the other day and what did I find ?? Glad you asked. I found a complete TM175 conversion kit. This made a "civilian" Suzi TS185 enduro into a 175 motocrosser....more or less. Yamaha started this craze with their GYT kits in ~1971 for their DT enduros and Suzuki followed up with the same idea a year or so later. The kit was installed on my 74 TS185 for a few ice races one winter and made the bike into quite a respectable racer. Unfortunately the 175 class was never very popular as the 125's and 250's had more followers at least in North America. 175 class dirt bikes WERE very popular in Europe in the 60's and early 70's but bigger is better and the 250's took over. Annnnnyway...the kit is for sale if you have a 185 you want to hotrod. Yeah....I know...it's only got one cylinder and it's a dirt bike...but it is a Suzuki so cut me a little slack. PS: the biker still runs around on my brother-in-laws ranch....talk about durability.,H2RICK,
Re: your post,Sunday 29-Oct-2000 11:58:45,216.208.51.133 writes,What does the kit include? Was it taken off your ice racer or is this another kit you are refering to? How much? E-mail me direct please.,Stephen,stephen.szikora@sympatico.ca

Increased power for Titan 500,Saturday 28-Oct-2000 21:09:13,205.188.200.49 writes,I want to get more power out of the T500 but want to keep the stock power curve. I intend to cut the heads and reduce squish to @.040 but what basic porting can I do to get a couple more ponies... and I mean basic. I DO NOT want to alter the off idle power. Anybody have any specific dimensions that they've actually used with success?? Any other ideas welcome. Thanks Steve,Steve Izzo,Rizzlemc@aol.com
go to my website,Saturday 28-Oct-2000 21:23:11,198.142.91.175 writes,all the info you need at.... http://members.nbci.com/tr500/index.html,muzza,pindan@hotmail.com
Re: Increased power for Titan 500,Saturday 28-Oct-2000 21:25:12,209.240.200.142 writes,Hey Izzo anything that you do to the motor is going to change its charactoristics but I beleive that by skimming the heads you will get more bottom end. good luck ,,
Re: Increased power for Titan 500,Tuesday 31-Oct-2000 09:39:56,205.188.192.159 writes,Like saying:You want drink that bottle of wine but you like it full as well.You got to sacrifie something for something.You can't pretend to boost you bike power and not to alter a bit your power band.Not so.Keep it stock.,TEd,

76 GT 500 Parts,Friday 27-Oct-2000 14:37:22,205.232.94.145 writes,Anybody need any stock GT500 parts? I've got stuff left over from the racebike I'm building and as the project is momentarily stalled due to lack of funds it's time to get rid of some stuff. I've got the original tank signal lights tailight fenders seat (needs cover pan & foam good) and other stuff. If you need anything give me a call (315)-644-4880. I'm currently looking for used chambers for this bike as well as a used race seat and or fairing clip-ons etc. If you've got anything let me know. I think I'm taking the term "budget racing" to new depths but what're you gonna do? Thanks.,Kris,
If anyone else is racing a Suzuki Two-stroke it would be great to hear about it on this message board. Please let us know how you are doing. Any going to race a Suzuki next year? Let's hear about that too. Those "verdamnt" Yamahas are filling the grids. At the last AHRMA event all were Yamahas except for Sundial's GP T500 and the Historic Production T500.,Thursday 26-Oct-2000 20:17:48,198.76.106.44 writes,,Eric,

Re: If anyone else is racing a Suzuki Two-stroke it would be great to hear about it on this message board. Please let us know how you are doing. Any going to race a Suzuki next year? Let's hear about that too. Those ,Friday 27-Oct-2000 19:00:22,12.84.176.105 writes,Do you think I could get a 1974 GT 550 approved for Historic Production? I am building 2 bikes; one relatively stock and one for WERA Vintage.,Todd T.,
Re: Re: You would have to contact AHRMA and ask but the rule book states only 350-500 cc two-strokes. Where are you going to race WERA Vintage?,Friday 27-Oct-2000 21:50:54,198.76.106.167 writes,,Eric,
WERA Vintage,Saturday 28-Oct-2000 18:07:23,12.84.176.128 writes,I live in Cinti. Oh. so definitely Putnam and any where else within a 5 hr. drive. My wife has agreed to devote one summer to going racing and then we will discuss what to do from there on.:) ,Todd T.,
Re: If anyone else is racing a Suzuki Two-stroke i,Friday 10-Nov-2000 04:21:02,203.164.3.167 writes,I have been campaigning gt550 sidecars for many years. Made lots of mistakes and noew I am getting going with new vigor. Currently we are running a stock cb750/4 SOHC just to get the skills tuned whilst we reconstruct the 550 . Incidently it would eat almost anything on the track but because I was the only person racing a 550 I had to make all the mistakes. I welcome any input or questions. Presently we are converting to methynol to reduce the holes in pistons and trying some more tricks I have heard about. All the tricks are basic but reliable. I had better stop now or I shall finish a book on the matter. A separate message board on racing alone would be great also check out www.sidecarworld.com if you like them see ya,john daley,dalrac@optushome.com.au

Building a GT grenade/race engine,Wednesday 25-Oct-2000 19:44:45,12.84.177.203 writes,Thanks for the response to my GT 550 race bike questions.Rick why does the Kawi H1 make more power? Can you compare the porting of these two engines? Can I make the GT 550 engine more like the H1 as far as performance? I have the one bike licensed for the street. I planned to test my mods on this bike on the back roads where we take our Sunday morning rides and see what works and what won't. I do have a Neutronic electronic ignition and aluminum rims and all new wheel bearings as well. My last pipe is supposed to be welded up on Saturday then I can start testing. Any starting points as far as jetting ? Thanks again to everyone for the help. ,Todd,
Re: Building a GT grenade/race engine,Thursday 26-Oct-2000 05:27:47,205.188.192.158 writes,No thank you for us?.We tryed to help too.Oh well,Tom,
Re:I was thanking everyone and then asking Rick a ? ,Thursday 26-Oct-2000 19:22:13,12.84.176.60 writes,,Todd,
Re: Building a GT grenade/race engine,Saturday 28-Oct-2000 12:01:57,209.197.132.30 writes,SURGEON GENERAL'S BOREDOM WARNING (you know the rest....) Comparing stock H1 to stock GT550: Firstly the H1 is lighter by about 40-50 lb. BIG ADVANTAGE H1 !! Although the flexy flyer frame of the H1 is a MEDIUM DISADVANTAGE H1 a talented rider can negate some of that disadvantage. Secondly the H1 engine uses more radical porting and I believe a little higher compression ratio. I believe they also have more transfer port area than the GT550. You Kawi guys can shed more light on this part. BIG ADVANTAGE H1 !! Your GT would need serious port work to even approach stock H1 porting. Thirdly the H1 has CDI ignition so has very hot and CONSISTENT spark compared to GT550 with points. BIG ADVANTAGE H1 !! You have taken care of one part of this H1 advantage with the Newtronic but I believe you would be wise to look into uprated coils/spark leads to get full benefits of Newtronic. Fourthly (is there such a word ?) the H1 has stock exhausts (69 through 71 models) which are really thinly disguised high performance expansion chambers inside an outer skin (and very lightweight compared to 550 pipes). The GT pipes are very conservatively designed...more for torque than HP (and HEAVY). BIG ADVANTAGE H1 !! You are taking care of some of this with your chambers. Fifthly ?? The H1 has "stuffed" crankcases. In other words the crankshaft is designed so that there is very little clearance between the crankwheels of each bottom end and the cases themselves. This gives much faster throttle response because the fuel charge is easier to compress (smaller volume to compress) and the charge moves faster through the crank chamber into the combustion chamber. BIG ADVANTAGE H1 !! It would be VERY expensive to overcome this disadvantage on the GT550 if it even COULD be done. As I've said before the H1 is a much more "intense" bike than the GT550. It also has a much shorter durability "fuse". BIG DISADVANTAGE H1 !! Again as I've said before the stock GT550 will STILL be running and piling up miles when the H1 is having its engine rebuilt for the second or third time. At the end of all this after you make all your mods and do all your tuning you will probably be able to scare the bejeezus out of the odd H1 but most H1's STILL on the road are USUALLY ridden by guys who KNOW how to ride them in the "Stoplight-to-Stoplight Grand Prix" and they will probably be at least 1 bike length ahead of you at the next light. A fifth gear roll-on at say 40-50 MPH will be a different story assuming stock gearing. You should be able to blow their doors off up to about 70-80 MPH but they WILL catch you eventually once the H1 comes on the pipe at about 6000 RPM. As to jetting: start with 2 sizes larger than stock and use one heat range colder plug i.e. B9ES. Don't bother buying platinum plugs for the tuning/adjusting period because (hopefully) you WILL foul one or 2 sets of plugs until you get things just right instead of burning up a piston. Take those plug readings and adjust accordingly for rich or lean conditions. Try to keep all external conditions constant i.e. don't change jets AND adjust timing for the same plug check. Set the timing leave it alone and concentrate on the jetting. Jetting solved finally ?? Much hapiness ?? Now go back to the timing and start doing plug checks again. Above all DO EVERYTHING IN SMALL INCREMENTS !!,H2RICK,
Re: Building a GT grenade/race engine,Sunday 29-Oct-2000 11:24:08,209.197.132.30 writes,Todd: You've probably seen this about 2 or 3 pages previously but I'm copying/posting it again because there's lots of good stuff in it. GT380 porting for power Wednesday 20-Sep-00 14:47:27 Craig and H2Rick were talking about GT380 power and how the engine was so conservative well I had 5 of these beasts and thought the same! The 380 has true pure Schnuerle porting with no auxillaries or boosters and the ports are quite small in height and width. I got a great idea from examining my GT250 which basically had the same porting but with one major difference: the exhaust port had 2 small ports on either side near the top to effectively widen it without the risk of losing ring support. I know how to take a hint and drilled two 1/4 inch holes on either side of the 380's exhaust port the tops of the holes being equal with the top of the exhaust port. Next I used my Dremel and a carbide bit to drop the bottom of the new holes 3/4 of the way down towards the bottom of the exhaust port and slightly ovalled out the tops of the holes. Next I drilled two 3/8" holes in the piston skirt on the intake side just on either side of the intake port but so as not to fall in the ring gap areas. Then using the Dremel I cut two troughs or grooves if you will in the cylinder walls that were even with the tops of the tranfers and the bottom of the grooves were even with the holes in the skirt at BDC. Basically I added 2 booster ports angled right at the plug and widened the exhaust with webbed holes to support the ring. Next I had the head milled to set the squish at .040" and went up 2 jet sizes on the mains used Uni-Filter foam on the stock filter cages and re-packed the silencers. Talk about a difference.....It would do roll-on wheelies in first just snap the throttle open and enjoy the view of the sky! The stock 380 would crap out at about 7K but this one would pull hard all the way to redline and you didn't need to take it that far to get all the thrills you wanted. I got the booster idea and drilling the holes in the skirt from Aerimacchis and RDs that I had seen back then. I never told anyone until now as it was my big speed secret........and later I forgot about it altogether. Now that I don't have the bike I might as well tell everyone what I did. jmendoza This stuff will probably point you in the right direction. Good luck with your project.,H2RICK,
Re: Re: Building a GT grenade/race engine,Tuesday 31-Oct-2000 20:42:55,12.84.176.137 writes,Thanks Rick and everyone else. The more I learn the more questions I have. I read that post the first time but I can't picture how those ports can line up as described. I think I better read my A. Graham Bell book again. I'm going to check out Muzza's site and pick up some of the TR 750 info to further cloud the picture. I have my exhaust done and I'm assembling the ported heads with the transfer port modified pistons during my off days from work. Hopefully I will have something to report about how it worked next week. I am taking your advice about the jetting by the way.,Todd,
Re: Re: Re: Building a GT grenade/race engine,Wednesday 1-Nov-2000 09:49:25,24.64.0.9 writes,Todd: That's the kind of thing best seen in an actual cylinder off a 250 twin as mentioned in the original post. For someone who has not had a lot (or none at all) of 2 stroke engines apart it's difficult to visualize. Maybe tour your local wrecker to see if he has some engines/barrels lying around from at T250/T350 or GT250 wrecked or not. You could prbably get them cheap/free if you ask nicely. Nobody wants parts off those bikes so if a wrecker still has them they SHOULD be cheap/free. It will also be a great learning experience too.,H2RICK,
Re: Re: Re: Re: Building a GT grenade/race engine,Friday 10-Nov-2000 04:31:38,203.164.3.167 writes,I have raced 550 in sidecars for many byears annd am still learning how to improve things. the high torque has been beneficial to us and reliability has been the main item to strive for. Currently we are trying to overcome overheating problems { holes in pistons } but I would like to keep in touch ,john daley,dalrac@optushome.com.au

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