'76 Suzuki TS185 "Roker"

Brodie

Gold Coast, Queensland
DTT SUPPORTER
Alright I thought I would start a build thread for the latest addition to my garage. I picked her up for cheap off a friend who knows I have been chasing a 2T thumper.
She has come straight from a farm and has only been sitting for about a year. As this is my first smoker I am up for a bit of a learning curve.
This bike will not be getting the same treatment the GS has been, this will be a quick and dirty Cafe build. Rattle can paint, sandblasting in the front yard and a "close enough" attitude.
The main thing I will focus on is having the motor running well. Cosmetics are not a big deal as this will be my new daily.

So the problems I was instantly faced with were two snapped bolts in the upper triple and one bar clamp missing. Lucky for me I was given a pair from my friend. I decided to focus on cleaning up the rear end first, then the front. After welding some nuts to the remaining thread the two bolts were easy to remove. But the throttle was a different story. I ended up having to drill the heads off the bolts as they were stripped out and there was no way any screwdriver would remove them.

Here are a few quick pictures with more tomorrow.
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Re: '76 Suzuki TS185, unnamed project.

Subscribed, small bike builds are the most interesting :)
 
Re: '76 Suzuki TS185, unnamed project.

Awesome. I'm start to search for a smoker too, and I don't know shit about them. I'll learn along.
 
Re: '76 Suzuki TS185, unnamed project.

Ok so from my narrow understanding this bikes lower end is lubed by the oil injection system.
So I need to have the bottle and pump.
Works a bit different to the outboards I am used to.
 
Re: '76 Suzuki TS185, unnamed project.

Erskine said:
Subscribed, small bike builds are the most interesting :)


Me too...........wish I could get my little tinker toy off and running.

But, some of these builds I read don't make me feel to too bad, there's one I'm watching first post was in 2010.

So, my tinker toy build isn't to far off.

Interested in seeing where this one goes.
 
Re: '76 Suzuki TS185, unnamed project.

Brodie said:
Ok so from my narrow understanding this bikes lower end is lubed by the oil injection system.
So I need to have the bottle and pump.
Works a bit different to the outboards I am used to.

Yep Defo worth re-installing and not going pre-mix.
 
Re: '76 Suzuki TS185, unnamed project.

Yeah just get this thing rollin, looks like it would be lots of fun. Be sure to get a ridiculous exhaust to really amplify that awesome 2-stroke sound! Haha and don't forget the GS! ;)
 
Re: '76 Suzuki TS185, unnamed project.

I am thinking about just flipping this pipe until I find something more suitable. I was planning to find a wrecked moped and use exhaust parts from that.
 
Re: '76 Suzuki TS185, unnamed project.

I just removed the engine from the frame. It has quite a few spots where the previous owner has used... silicone.... to patch a few leaks and unwanteds such as the tach port.

I gave the engine a quick bath and she started to look a lot better. I also noticed I need a new rear brake cable.

So my plan is to leave the engine as it has good compression and focus on pulling everything down, replacing bearings, greasing spots and sandblasting the frame. After I get that sorted a quick carb rebuild and a few bits of dodgy wiring and we will be set.
 

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Re: '76 Suzuki TS185, unnamed project.

Did a bit of work on the wheels today. I pulled the rear off and sand blasted it ready for painting. I then attempted to remove the front axle, but the bike had other plans. So I removed the fork caps and got a bit of heat into the axle and spacers. After that came the hammer and all was right once again.
That propane torch has become my favourite tool.
After I blasted both front and rear rims I called up the tyre shop and ordered some shoes, this looks to be the first set of road tyres this bike has seen. As I am trying to keep this a very low budget build so I went with the cheapest tyres that will fit. So a Pirelli City Demon on the rear and a Bridgestone Bt45 on the front.
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I can tell it has been jumped and had a hard life. There is a flat spot on the front rim, only small which should be easy to fix. The rear shocks are dead, the front seals leak and the retainer bolt at the fork base also leaks on both forks.
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Looks like a front end spruce up will be in order, along with new rear shocks. I have a set of Chinese shocks off an old quad I wrecked. They are about 2 inches longer that the set on there and have different sized bushes.
I was thinking of using those but now I am leaning towards having a set made when I have a pair made for my GS.

I also started sanding the tank. I knew it had a hole in it somewhere as one of the first things I noticed when I bought the bike was sticky fuel residue on the bottom of the tank. There is a small crack just below where the back of the tank sits on the rubber mount, nothing a bit of metal epoxy won't fix.
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Re: '76 Suzuki TS185, unnamed project.

Awesome little project! Got a couple ts sitting in my old van, this might just give me some motivation lol *subscribed*
 
Re: '76 Suzuki TS185, unnamed project.

Definitely following this build. Looks like it will be fun
 
Re: '76 Suzuki TS185, unnamed project.

I was gonna offer you the new tach cable I was sent, but alas, shipping would be a bit. Still, yours if you want it.
 
Re: '76 Suzuki TS185, unnamed project.

Hmm. I will see what condition my cable is in and let you know. Thanks mate.
 
Looks like I am up for new oil lines. I was considering it anyway and whist attempting to tape them so I could paint the motor one of them broke. I wonder where I can get a set made with clear hose. If I can't get clear I guess braided will have to do...

Ohh and AB, my tach is buggered. Must be why they removed the cable.

I decided on the name "Roker" for this bike. No real reason other than it is a Smoker, and the dutch word for Smoker is Roker.
 
Re: '76 Suzuki TS185 "Roker"

Alright so it looks like the banjo bolts have a spring valve in them. Looks like I will be making my own lines.

I have a bit of pvc tubing at home but I am now sure how oil resistant it is. I will see if I have any of the right diameter and use that if I can.

The stock tube appears to get larger at the banjo joints. If I use a pipe of the same I.D. of that I would imagine there might be some flow issues with the pump, but seeing as there are check valves and it is only 1mm larger I don't imagine it to be too adverse.
 
A battlax on this mudslinger? Are you sure they have the proper size?

You're going to make your own oil lines. Also, you want them clear to be sure you have no air in the lines. Air can seep in at the joints so even if you're "sure" you can't be sure unless you can see it.

I found those check-valves on ebay. Not cheep, not easy to find. You may search elsewhere, as the valve is universal through Suzuki's lines. GT, T, TS, all the same valve.

If you're rebuilding your valves, you will need to completely disassemble them. Sonic bath etc won't do it. I'm sure the springs are buggered though so start searching.

Judging by the bodgey patch work...
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Re: '76 Suzuki TS185 "Roker"

Front and rear wheels painted in epoxy gloss black. I didn't bother to file and of the burs off the rims. I want this too look like a trail turned cafe.
Just a little show but mainly about go.
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I then got to work on the oil lines while the paint dried. (16hours or some bs)
I had some 5mm tubing laying around at home but I was concerned about the lack of pressure from the pump with the ID being bigger. So I went out and bought a metre of 4mm for a dollar.
Had to heat it to get it over the hose barbs but here we are. Old hose vs new and both new hoses.
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I have plenty of outboard 2t oil around. It is dark blue and should be very easy to see in those tubes. Just need to replace the feed line and bleed the system.

I was thinking about spraying wd40 down the line to clean the pump a little. It seems to have standard motor oil in it...

Ohh and I paint stripped the tank. Leopard rust spots everywhere.
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The rims will go down to the tyre shop in the arvo and I will advise them of the wet paint. Hopefully I can pick them up Saturday, if not the Monday.
 
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