1975 T500 Build

My dad gave me his old '75 Suzuki T500. I used to go on dates with this bike, but it's been in a shed since 1989. I thought I would create a build project here since I'm sure I will have a ton of questions as I go. My 16 year old son and my father-in-law are helping and none of us really know what we are doing! I'm putting it in the Special category since I'm not 100% sure how far I'll go with it at this stage. Here are the things I would like to do on this first rebuild.

• New Paint Scheme
• Cafe Racer Seat
• Lowered Handlebars
• New Minimized Front Fender
• Shortened Back Fender

The first thing we wanted to do was get it running again. We cleaned out and rebuilt the carbs and after replacing the points, condensers, spark plugs, fuel lines, and gas tank (the original one leaked like a sieve), we fired it up. She ran fine, although there is some obvious carburetor tuning required. I was immediately reminded why these bikes are known as smokers. If anyone wants me to post the video of us starting it up, let me know.

Now that we know that it runs, this past weekend, we tore it apart. It's down to a bare frame and we are looking for a good place to have it blasted. If anyone is interested, I'll continue to post our progress here.

I'll be following along. Just disassembled a '73 T500 I've had for years and years last weekend. Think I paid $350 for it. A real heap but I'd been wanting one for a long time and figured it was only $350, so what the hell. So last weekend I cleaned the carbs and connected a car battery and it fired right up second kick! Purred like the proverbial kitten after tightening one of the fuel bowl drain screws I accidentally left loose. I LOVE these bikes! Unfortunately it was making some pretty evil noises from the trans, and seemed to only have 4th and 5th gear on the center stand so I took it apart. Looks like the PO removed the shift cam locator pin instead of the trans oil drain plug and replaced it missaligned with the cam, which broke the case, and then second gear after starting it up. So for now I will be working on my Titan vicariously until I can round up a transmission. Such a shame, the top end is standard bore and looks flawless! Looks like the road ahead for you will be smoother! Of course post that start up video!

Here is a link to the video of the "first" start since 1989. I put "first" in quotes because we "kinda" had it running before this, as you can tell from the smoke in the air. Both windows and the garage door were open, just not enough breeze! Kicking the beast is my son, Jack. SHHHH! Don't tell him, but he might get the bike as a gift once we are done. ;D

http://youtu.be/M9m5hxUFGJQ

Restore it! I redid my dads old Titan last year it was very rewarding

That is an absolutely beautiful bike bradj!! I'm keeping all the original parts so if I ever have the resources (the chrome is SHOT and re-chroming isn't an option right now), I can restore it.

Wow!signing up sir.

I hope you have fun with this project whichever way you decide to go with it. I had a '67 Titan that I restored about 10 years ago. After a few years I decided I had too many bikes and sold it...I'm not good at parting with things I have fallen in love with...I still miss it. if you wind up giving it to your boy, at least it'll still be in the family

I think I read somewhere that the number one rule for fixing up a T500 was that you HAD to start with the oil pump cover. So, not wanting to buck that trend, here's the cover all ready for the rest of the bike to look nice around it.

We've gotten the frame and swing arm blasted and will get it back today. I'll post pictures as we prep them for painting.

Sweet

Looks like a a nice project! I am quite partial to GT/T500's myself. I don't think your bike is a 75 though as I think they were GT500's then with electronic ignition (I could be wrong though) . My bike is a 72 T500 with a 75 GT500 engine and it has electronic ignition.

I was able to spend a few hours working on the bike over the holidays. The frame and swing arm are back from blasting and have been given a coat of primer while it waits for paint. I've been scrubbing on the engine, trying to remove 40 years of dirt, oil, and corrosion. I'll post a couple before and after pics. The first is the top of the transmission. The second set is the transmission cover, which has been cleaned, but still needs to be polished. I've been working on the fins as I feel up to it. They are going to take a while.

Thanks for the encouragement from everyone. I appreciate it. John, I'm pretty sure it's a T500 (although I have been proven wrong before, just ask my wife.) '75 was the last year for the Titan and mine has points and condensors.