$600 500cc 2-Stroke Motorcycle Sat For 22 Years (Incredible Find) 

I was wondering why the shifter and the rear brake pedal were on the same side

That shifter is driving me crazy. The location of the brake pedal should have indicated it wasn't positioned correctly - and I'd be suspicious of anyone claiming to "rebuild" the mechanicals of the bike who couldn't see that. I'd go through the rest of that bad boy with a _very_ fine-toothed comb after hearing that. Really miss my GT. Always started first or second kick, didn't blow any smoke, and surprisingly comfortable to ride - but a little loud if you wanted to go on a long trip. My only real gripe was the solid-mounted footpegs which could pick the rear wheel off the ground on tight corners as they weren't hinged to fold up (which was a little unnerving halfway around a hairpin.) 👍

@@aussiebloke609 The gear lever would have been deliberately fitted to the right side after wear on the selector shaft splines on the left side got worn, making shifting unworkable from the left side. (These had a selector shaft that went right through the cases, and was splined on both sides to cater for the late 1960s UK market, as british bikes back then were ALL arse about, brake lever on the left and gear lever on the right. - how do I know? I had one (well...many) but one that the splines on the left were too worn and I swapped sides before a better fix. Someone had a bit of rat-like cunning to do that, rather than having no idea. Not a fastidious mechanic though... hence missing one of the muffler mount bolts on the right muffler. Solid mount footpegs ...not folding up? Gawd!! Someone (hopefully not you) fitted the footpegs the wrong way around. They are the same throughout the cobra/T500/GT500 range... if you look at 2:17 you can see that there is a bolt head ....this is what holds the footpeg itself in the footpeg metal mount bracket. The inner end of the footpeg has a 45 degree cutout, allowing it to fold back if mounted correctly. If mounted the other way around, it can't fold back.... and things get nasty if you scrape hard. You were blessed having a GT500... fancy having a front brake that worked! The drum brakes on the cobra/t500s were universally crap... they could hold the front wheel enough to do burnouts by holding the front brake and dropping the clutch (thanks to the long wheelbase) but they could not lock up the front wheel on a bitumen road. I would probably have had a few less bent forks if I'd had a front brake. They made a little bit more noise with "street legal" expansion chambers fitted. All the best

@@annpeerkat2020 ​ @Ann Peerkat I should have specified - my GT was the 500's baby cousin, the GT250. Same layout, and virtually the same slyling, only on a slightly smaller scale. Definitely had solid footpegs on that puppy, and they were a little unnerving in the tight and twisties. Dropped the bike once and had to beat one down with a brick on the side of the road so the rear brake would release and let me get home. Still handled decently for that vintage, and more than enough stopping power with a single front disc. I see what you mean about the splined shaft being useful to change sides when one end wears out, but...when he pushes on the brake pedal @ 13:36 it hits the shifter, which strikes me as rather awkward. If he can do that by hand, either the brake doesn't depress enough to even work, or it's going to downshift automatically when you want to brake. Useful if you're just babying it home and don't use the rear brake, but I wouldn't want to ride like that on a regular basis. Hmm...maybe call that a "feature", instead of a problem? 🤔

It is actually a pump, pull off the fuel hose when it is running and you can see the fuel pumping out.The diaphragm pulsates, creating the pumping action. Most all Jap bikes (except Honda) had these by the late 70's. Pro motorcycle mechanic of 35 years and remember the two stroke road bike era.

AMEN to all that. This bike/model is a timeless Japanese classic. Just about the perfect motorcycle.

Thank you for this great reminiscence which I only just read and loved. I had a GT500 in 1975 which is the disk brake fitted version of the T500. I had it ported and put expansions on, GRP front mudguard, clip-ons, rear-sets, Koni shocks, decent tyres and I built my own seat and tail piece like the racers of the time, Roberts and Sheene, and painted it and the mudguard and alloy tank yellow with black stripes like a wasp. It turned it into a cool looking beast - not too much faster top end, especially as I added a couple of teeth to the rear sprocket, but it got to 120 faster than just about anything, and handled too without any steering damper, not like an H1 haha. Loud too!

Well, that's a machine I'd envy - TODAY!@@tobythehairlessdog8876

Очень интересно прочитать Ваши воспоминания. 👍

thats funny, I had an RD400 at the same time as my T500, and I remember the T500 as being heavy, poor handling, and not well behaved, with not much torque because of the piston port intake, funny how two people can have opposite opinions, haha!

Got mine at 15 for $40 and a CB radio, riding Harley’s now, but wouldn’t mind having another!

I wish I could switch my kick-start on my YZ to the left as I'm left footed, feels so awkward on the right for me.

Velocity stacks did a bit for ambience and power on my various ones... not so good for cylinder wear though. Thru shifter shaft...nodsnods... a hangover from the earlier cobra, made to also suit the earlier uk market where brake and gear lever were arse about.

We had the same with RD250's (air cooled). Standard airbox all the way. K&N's were a let down.

Standard airbox! We NEVER got those pod filters to work well. Go back to stock all the way, and they run sweet. (I was a Suzuki dealer 70-77.)

Agree about the standard airbox. Sounds a lot nicer as well

Your not wrong there , 500 2stokes go for sill money here

the Same in the Netherland, this is crazy cheap

@@robhayter484 ant believe the price he got them for unbelievable same with quads over there dirt cheep

@@RUKI2909 I know it’s just crazy cheap, easily sell that for 4 grand in the uk right now , I’m currently looking for a husqvarna tx 125 enduro but people got them up for silly money atm

Aye me too here in austraila that would be heaps here!

Facts

Yes sir

Facts

Guys stealing my lines

Imagine what he will get for this when it’s finished then!?

How many top ends in 12k ?

@@dietznutz1 1

@@dietznutz1 I bought it with 7,500 done. One owner from new. I did a top end rebuild when I got it. Never was touched before that. There seriously well built like a lot of things them days. I regret parting with it to be honest

I've seen toasted ones in the late 80's. And in the early 80's Suzuki had problems with early PE's coz they were stingy lubricating the magneto side seal.

The Suzukis were good bikes. A guy in town bought one of the first water cooled shaft drive Suzukis. But for sheer speed one of my friends had a '70 Kawasaki 500 triple. After a while no one would race him because he smoked them so bad. He always claimed the hard part was keeping the front end on the ground. He would lay on the tank, crack her open and shift with the kill switch.

I think you added some extra zeros into those numbers 🤣🤣

It’s all staged

@@benny8300 you talking about 2vintage videos?

@@MLAuto69 Corrected.👍🏼

@@leewaken5059 I agree their fake

72 R-5, got 1, and some H-1's, etc. I wouldn't vouch for the brakes

A bit of misdescription I think... if I recall correctly they had 2 oversizes to cater for cylinder wear, but not "big bore" like increasing capacity to any measurable significance.

I was kinda thinking the same thing. Go with the stock air box cuz you'll spend a LOT of time trying to get those carbs jez right. If ya EVER get 'em jez right!

.

The best deals are always when both parties think are content.

I personally think it's because they're both from Wisconsin. I live in Indiana and drive a truck for a living and would visit Wisconsin often. Wisconsin people for the most part are awfully nice people. No one's perfect but they have this funny and yet polite Mid-Western way of speaking and behaving. I'd love to live there if it wasn't for the 2 seasons they have. Winter and Construction.

The T500 was always a $500 bike. That’s what I paid for my ‘71 in ‘743 When I sold )it a couple of years later, guess what, I got $500 for it.

You've got me scratching my head about the runaway because of lean... sure you didn't have a carby slide in backwards, which meant they could only seat half way down the chamber instead of being fully down?

Me too

I had one about 35 years ago. It was the only bike out of about 40 over the years to wind up blowing up on me. Not the engine, the gearbox, 5th gear seems to be poorly under engineered in some way, possibly not enough oil or oil flow cooling it. I've missed it ever since though, they are a great bike. They weren't as quick as the Kawaskai 3 cylinder 500 and 750 triples (and I have ridden their 750 bored, ported, expansion chambers fitted ready for the racetrack, one word, INSANE!!!!) but these were very quick but with surprising torque down low for a 2 stroke too. I absolutely loved mine and wish I still had it. They ARE quick but very rideable and forgiving. Grab one if you can find one but, remember about that 5th gear and ideally find a new gear shaft for it before it does major damage, or locks your rear wheel at near 100 mph right in front of a semi like mine did, then I pushed it all the way home (19 miles from where mine went boom) in mid summer central Australian 115 degree heat that day! I'm stubborn lol. I really did love that bike, even more than the poser machine Suzuki GT 550 triple they made at the same time with it's fancy ram air cooling, disk brake front and FOUR exhaust ends for 3 cylinders. This 500 twin was quicker and better in every way than that thing.

There’s a few on Facebook market

tHE RD 350 was a YamahaI think another really quick bike

I love two strokes, but the smoke gives me sinus. On a road bike expensive two stroke oil adds up in costs. Until the Yamaha LC, the technology never advanced. 1960's basic designs were being sold in the late '70's.

That gas flowing the heads has me scratching my head... given that being 2 stroke they were just a little squish chamber. They did respond well to trimming 20 or 40 thou off the head, and/or using a thin piece of paper instead of the aluminium head gasket.

@@annpeerkat2020 maybe the wrong term but yes we skimmed the head gasket area and also polished the exhaust ports to a mirror finish also thinning that dividing wall to a knife edge and polishing that too. It was said to improve gas flow and improve performance

It's called Synchronizing the Carburetors.

@@leebenson4874 Absolutely!

There is a way to make a home made one with clear tube and water

@@smoothlover073 Can you make a video of that! Brings back memories from 30 years ago. We had a plastic device with a gauge and a small ball. Had to figure out if we were going to use the carb with the least flow or average flow to match the others to it. Good times.

I have mercury carb synchronizer gauge. Works similar to a vacuum gauge type synchronizer.

Strong magnet and pinball works good sometimes.

They're an awesome bike, my brother had one, just had a problem with the front brake staying on 😆

I used to delight in letting my very ported titan wring out to the tacho needle to the flasher light when "dragging" something slower... just running alongside watching their aghast expression before changing up. At that stage of evolution it would have had about 20thou off the heads, but no chambers. Sitting idling, if you had play in the clutch basket they could alarm onlookers a bit!

@@annpeerkat2020 Mine would run the speedometer around to point back at you, needed a slight slope to do it. Had terrible fuel consumption after porting. Had to sell it when I got married, miss the beast despite terrible brakes and mediocre corners. Riding BM now! Done over 500,000 km on 3 of them. Suzuki wouldn't have lasted anywhere near.

My thoughts exactly. I've always wanted one. Don't change jets. Obtain a proper original air box as the manufacturer intended.

I though more an oil tanker on a single test ride :) Got the RD350

@@haroldland4620 T500's last 25,000+ miles. RD's are toast at 10,000 miles

@@DennisMerwood-xk8wp oil haze behind all good

@@haroldland4620 Use modern synthetic 2-stroke oil Harold. No smoke!😀

It’s alive!

Bingo

Me too! I loved everything about mine except that crazy wrong sided kick start. And yep, they do get moving pretty good. The thing that surprised me most was how much pull they had from even pretty low revs once tuned and running perfect. Mine ended up having 5th gear lose a tooth and lock my rear up at near 100 mph, right in front of the semi I'd just overtaken. That was rather exciting and meant I had to spear it offroad into the scrub at that speed but, somehow even then I didn't drop it. Very forgiving bike and if that hadn't happened I'd probably still be riding it today. I had a spare engine but when I stripped it down to go right through and rebuild anything needing it, it had exactly the same problem almost ready to happen so a design flaw there. A great bike though except for a couple of weird things and 1 design flaw a really good and pretty quick old 2 stroke twin. I do really miss mine.

Stock bike with a standing 1/4 of 14.28 and about 100mph if you fart... not what I found to be "get away from ya real quick" once I'd ridden one for a few months. If you aren't accustomed to something with a modicum of power I agree, but that's more about the rider than the bike. My ultimate version with various engine workings and chambers ran standing 1/4 best of 12.97 seconds, with about 120mph top speed. Fast, but like stock, everything was quite predictable... nothing like the yam rd350s or kwaka 500s of the day. That was get away real quick material.... no power then zap when they hit the powerband.

@@lorditsprobingtime6668 Wincing @ the lockup in front of a truck. 5th gear was an ongoing problem with the 1200cc gearbox oil capacity. Mr suzuki knew all about it, and finally got round to sorting it on the 1975 GT500s, doing a cheap bit of crankcase trickery to increase gearbox oil capacity to 1400ml. Problem solved, after selling thousands of replacement gears and countershafts! Kick starting... well.. compared to 4 stroke big singles and twins they were a pussy. I was fine with the left side kick start...quite a novel feature when folks tried starting it without your permission.

@@annpeerkat2020 Ahh thanks! That all happened over 30 years ago and no internet and way out in a tiny country town too so information like that wasn't easy to find. I kept it for several years, bought other bikes and kept hoping I'd find parts somewhere, I just didn't know where to look, or about any types of mods to cure the problem. I didn't even know for sure till your post here that it was a common problem. Oil would have been all around in a spray in the gearbox, if increasing the oil capacity/ raising the oil level suggests the main issue was it getting too hot and softening, does that sound right? I'm glad you liked the kickstart, I hated the thing. I don't know if this is common with them but mine could kick back, not like an old 450 BSA single a mate had that would throw a kid like I was at the time across the room, more like someone swung a light ball peen hammer really hard and fast against the bottom of your foot. I had BOTH feet bruised in the finish and it was getting to be a "I have to go somewhere but, to do that PLEASE start first kick WITHOUT smashing the bottom of my foot again" type situation. I did have a Hilux 2 WD ute but MUCH preferred riding so kept punishing myself. It was good comedy watching someone else try to work it out, even throw them the keys and maybe bet a beer on whether they could fire it up in 1 kick lol. In stock config they weren't an insanity machine but, they were reasonably quick, stable and surprisingly forgiving. Many times I should have come off but, somehow that bike always stayed upright, it's one of the very few bikes this particular silly b stard never dropped. I would love to ride a race setup one, I can imagine a VERY big difference if done right. Of the quick ones you mentioned, I did have an RD TWO fifty. I swapped a fish tank for it completely stripped down and in boxes. He'd had the cylinders bored and new oversize pistons and rings so it was just a matter of putting it all together. Not having pulled it apart made that challenging but, I had no leftover spacers, nuts or anything left over so that's always a good sign. That little thing was surprisingly zippy! The RD 350s were a legendary fun machine, till I got that I didn't even know they had a smaller but still pretty lively little brother. A mate here still has one that was apparently running when he stuck it in his shed years ago. He offered it to me but after a crash that I wasn't expected to survive a few years ago I do still ride but I can't make it far and am pretty useless so, rebuilding, or at least, going right through an old rusting bike isn't something that excites me anymore.

0:45 Good luck finding an air filter element for it. If you are lucky and find one somewhere in the world you’ll need a second mortgage to pay for it.

And the not quicker kwaka used about twice as much fuel..... A bit better on fuel than its ancestor 350 triple, but not much

I'm envious of your experience having a GT... though it probably would have felt bloody strange to have a front brake!

@@annpeerkat2020 Don't be too envious of the GT's disc brake. I too had one of these, complete with a sticker on the fork leg saying the brake wouldn't work in the rain - and they weren't kidding. Great engine though, albeit a little breathless at the top end, but fantastic low-down torque. Mine did about 50,000 miles before being taken out by a car turning into a side road.

Had a 76, it ran great, I loved that bike!

Had a 76 too, brend new red , the most change with front disc was electronic ignition. Very good bike✌

Wasn’t the “76” a GT?

Me too lmao

I had 2 triples but once you had a twin. I didn't like 3 cylinders yhey were not a stable moter kawasaki.tried but all them were a flop poor hsndelin frame issue on and on yhey should of made the h1 in a twin then all there issues would be gone

Not mine ever no.leakes .mine never sat ever.. greatest bike Suzuki ever made yhe only thing thst would cause crank seals to Leake is if the bike sat for years not running or driveing this does a huge amount of damage to all the seals when they sit all seals dry up and crack

Congrats, I also went from a T500 to a GT 750.

or cute holes in the top of the pistons

The tranny problem was the oil flowed away from 5th gear in 73 they put a dam to retain oil on the 5th gear..also I think they did increase the oil supply

@@johnleidle9910 Yeah from 1.2l to 1.4l

To noisy.

Did you know where the Suzukiguys had the twostroke expierence & Development from? There whas a refugee from east Germany whas leaving over skandinavia after an race and move to japan ...

@@GpunktHartman Yeah, l saw that video also. The German guy was escaping after they built the wall (Iron curtain) and he was a racer and developer for a German motorcycle company. Escaped to Japan with all the blueprints and sold out to Suzuki.

Another former owner here who misses his badly. They were a well designed (mostly), safe, forgiving and quick bike. I wish they still made them, I wish all the old simple 2 strokes would come back but, especially these. I had the 3 cylinder GT 550 too before I got one of these and THIS was a better and quicker bike than that show pony.

@@lorditsprobingtime6668 Oh the memories. I used to own a race prepped Kawasaki KH400 triple. Learned so much on that bike at an early age that has helped me always. I swear that frame had a hinge in it. Rocket in a straight line though.

Scratching my head about the two gearbox drain plugs... but the front brakes and forks were never wonderful. Yep, longer intake manifolds dropped power from 47 to 44hp... reduced intake noise a fraction, and fractionally better lower rev torque. Worth it? no way.

@@auralumin I never rode either the 4 or the 500 triples Kwakas but I did get to ride the big brother, the 750 triple, both in stock config (bonkers) and then a month or so later, again except now bored, ported and expansion chambers fitted, possibly bigger carbies, I just can't remember for sure. What I do know is it was both the most exciting thing I'd ridden till then (only beaten by a 200kg 165 hp BMW insanity monster fairly recently but, that Kwaka was even more insane. Kind of good to know they stuck with a super light rubber band frame right down to the small ones too lol. BTW, I never rode the 400 but did have a mate with one and that little thing WAS quick too!

@@annpeerkat2020 Damn! I didn't know about the 2 gearbox drain thing, that would mean 2 separate fillers too and I definitely don't remember that. Mine blew 5th gear on me eventually and now I'm wondering if it could have been my fault for not keeping enough oil in one but, I stripped the engine in the bike down, found the tooth missing off 5th gear and all the other teeth worn almost away, then stripped down the spare engine that I'd got with the bike only to find 5th gear in it in almost as bad condition. Admittedly that was about 30 years ago but surely I wouldn't forget something like that. Discovering that would probably have answered why 5th blew and would have well and truly stuck in my memory. BTW, agreed on not reducing power, stuff that idea! I've got the workshop manual still, not here with me unfortunately but I do remember in the specs showing something just under 50 hp and that seems so weird. I know these were pretty quick bikes and I've since owned one that likely weighed less but had 165 hp and yeah, it's quicker from speed and much faster but, those T 500s were still quick and a pretty stable platform. I think they did a pretty good job when they designed these, all except some cooling or too small and weak 5th gear. The bike was at least third hand by the time it wound up in my hands and I can't remember how many but, had done quite a few miles but, the bores were still almost like new, cross hatching marks from the final factory honing still clear to see. That engine itself could have gone a LOT longer.

Yep. Crank seals.. They can suck air too.

Yeah the japanese companys had not worked out the tyre compound mix in the arly seventys .i had an RD 350 that had the same problem with the tires .put a set of avons on problem solved .i think those early japanese tires probably caused quite a few deaths .

Suzuki are actually pretty darn good for classic parts.Even for racing bikes.Maybe get in touch with Suzuki UK!!