1975 Suzuki T500 IT IS ALIVE! First start video 5/7/11

[Wingspan]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

Relocating the upper shock mounts yes, but not the rear down tubes. You would have to remove the down tube cross brace that the rear fender is attached to and make a curved one in its place for rear tire clearance under compression.

This matches all I've read about the normal road racing mods for the T500 and further than I want to go with the frame mods. I'm staying pretty simple in this aspect. I'll have to do some minor changes to fit the new tank and seat but that's as far as I'm going with the frame, aside from removing any unneeded brackets etc. My welding skills aren't what you'd call advanced. I did some in college, but that was ~15 years ago.

 

[zooke581]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

What you're doing is going to work out great. The bike handles in stock form far better than what has been writen about it. With todays tapered bearing, better fork oil, better shocks, proper swingarm bearings, you can have a very well sorted out custom and stocker.

 

[Wingspan]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

What you're doing is going to work out great. The bike handles in stock form far better than what has been writen about it. With todays tapered bearing, better fork oil, better shocks, proper swingarm bearings, you can have a very well sorted out custom and stocker.

Thanks for the encouragement! ;D

There hasn't been much progress on the Titan lately. The engine build is stuck waiting on a few bit parts that should be here soon. Nothing major just some seals and a few other small parts I managed to lose during despite my best efforts to bag and organize everything. Hopefully I'll be stuffing the goods back into the crankcase soon.

I did drag the buffer out of the corner this afternoon and spend a few hours making myself look like a coal miner. ;D Still a long way to go in the polishing department.

 

[zooke581]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

Let me know if there are any incedentials as I have quite a lot of engine parts laying all over the place.

 

[Wingspan]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

Let me know if there are any incedentials as I have quite a lot of engine parts laying all over the place.

Will do. Thanks for the offer.

 

[TR500]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

Hi Mark.....Paul and Tim from Titan Performance in the UK here..........

You really are doing a first class job, and we are following your progress with great interest on a regular basis. You may be checking on our website at www.classic2strokesuzuki.com as you are one of our valued customers.....but in case you haven't been there for a while, we are currently building 2 Titan cafes....one for ourselves, (to ultimately sell on), and one a customer commissioned us to do.
Our own bike will be slightly radical....we have gone for the extra TR style brace in the frame that you contemplated. We are sure that you are right when you say this is probably not needed on a street bike, but we liked it cosmetically, and it's easy to do, we are also doing away with the side panels. Once your slim race style tank and seat are fitted, the stock side panels look clumsy and out of place...so we are using a neat polished cylindrical oil tank, and have moved the battery and all the electrical components back under the seat hump. This gives a very tidy race ready look. The seat is hinged to gain access to the 2 stroke oil filler cap.
We are developing a box section swing arm like the Dresda item from the seventies, so hopefully that will be done in time for this bike too. We are also almost done developing our expansions in a "Siamese" style....that's both pipes up one side, with the tail pipes resembling an up and over shot gun from behind. These will certainly be fitted to this bike, as we want to make it a mobile advert for our work ! The pipes will be the same as those you bought from us in dimension, finish, and quality, and will ultimately be for sale to the public.......
Looking forward to your progress Mark....all the best from, Paul and Tim, Titan Performance.

BOX Section swinging arms are already available from TR500.Suzuzki@btinternet.com as is anything titan make and we have been doing it for decades

 

[TR500]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

Hi Mark.....what a bummer ! Ebay essentially operates on trust, so I guess it will occasionally go wrong.
On the front brake score.....and from my experience....the stock single disk setup as fitted to the Gt500 is pretty poor too.
Back in 1978 when I first got my current cafe racer, it had been used on the track, and the tws drum was fitted with Ferodo green linings, which were awesome in the day...way better than the single piston disk set up. Tim and I are looking at an adaptor plate to mount a more modern twin pot single sided caliper (sadly opposed piston calipers are too deep to clear the spokes). We will of course keep you posted once we have figured it out......

All the best.

Paul and Tim.

Again already available from TR500.suzuki@btinternet.com as supplied and fitted to atleast 30 bikes..........you really need to do your homework boys

 

[Wingspan]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

Again already available from TR500.suzuki@btinternet.com as supplied and fitted to atleast 30 bikes..........you really need to do your homework boys

Why don't you stop wasting time with posts like this and actually show us what you make? I don't buy from vendors who use the type of business practices you are showing here.

Create a web site, a catalog, or even a thread of your own and showcase your work. There are several T500 builds on this site and that means potential customers. You cannot expect people to just know who you are. We are spread across the globe and word of mouth is a poor business model. I am truly interested in what you have to offer but until you can practice some form of advertising that isn't based on attempting to discredit others, you will see no business from me.

 

[Titan performance]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

Hi Mark.....can you clear something up for me? I have seen the word "franken" used on this site, and indeed a contributor to our thread said he was going to build a franken bike......it's not a phrase I have ever heard before, so at the risk of appearing dumb.....what does it mean?

Paul
Titan P.

 

[Wingspan]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

Hi Mark.....can you clear something up for me? I have seen the word "franken" used on this site, and indeed a contributor to our thread said he was going to build a franken bike......it's not a phrase I have ever heard before, so at the risk of appearing dumb.....what does it mean?

Paul
Titan P.

"Frankenbike" is just a play on "Frankenstein" the Mary Shelley book about monster built from the parts of multiple dead bodies. A frankenbike is built up from bits and pieces of several motorcycles.

 

[Titan performance]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

Ah right.....it makes sense now. Should have figured that, but it's not a phrase used over here.

Though I think I may have gone out with a couple of frankengirls a few years back !

 

[Erskine]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

"Frankenbike" is just a play on "Frankenstein" the Mary Shelley book about monster built from the parts of multiple dead bodies. A frankenbike is built up from bits and pieces of several motorcycles.

Ah! so that's what it means! We'd call it a 'Hybrid' over here in Blighty.

 

[Wingspan]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

With the GT550 front end purchase a bust, it was time to either go back to the original plan of keeping the stock brakes or explore other options. I never wanted a disk anyway, I like the vintage-ness of drums. Here's the new, and hopefully final plan for my braking system, a GT750 4LS drum:

This thing is MASSIVE! I also got the rest of the system (lever, cables, etc). I know the stopping power still won't be on par with modern disks, but it should be better than the stock 2LS drum and way cooler! (which, let's be honest...is what it's all about)

This drum and stock rear drum will be laced to a set of 18" alloy rims which are also on a UPS truck somewhere on their way to me. Other UPS trucks should be carrying GT750 forks and and a triple tree. ;D

 

[sparkymoto]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

LOVE IT!

 

[tWistedWheelz]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

Very nice find on that waterbuffalo front hub! I bet it cost a nice wad of cash too, but it will look and perform great on this bike. I think you are going to wind up with a very fine example of a classic styled cafe racer. I cant wait to see this bike when its done, I am thinking it will be very BOTM worthy!

Keep up the excelent quality work as you have done so far!

 

[Titan performance]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

Hi Mark,

Wow....what a great find, that is going to create such a super authentic look. I am positively envious.

How did you find that little beauty?

 

[Wingspan]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

Very nice find on that waterbuffalo front hub! I bet it cost a nice wad of cash too, but it will look and perform great on this bike. I think you are going to wind up with a very fine example of a classic styled cafe racer. I cant wait to see this bike when its done, I am thinking it will be very BOTM worthy!

Keep up the excelent quality work as you have done so far!

Thanks! I doubt that she'll be BOTM worthy though. There are so many amazing builds here, many far more complex than mine.

 

[tWistedWheelz]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

Thanks! I doubt that she'll be BOTM worthy though. There are so many amazing builds here, many far more complex than mine.

Sometimes less is more! In the case of a very traditionally styled cafe bike, most of the time IMHO, simple is better! I like all types of builds, I am no purist, I like wild customs with modern parts and so on, but I love a classic cafe too, brithish bike or other.

I am only one vote, but if what you have done so far indicates what the outcome will be........I know one guy who will vote for it!

 

[Wingspan]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

Thanks Twisted. ;D

Another box showed up yesterday, the 18" shouldered alloys are here.

I haven't decided if I'm going to try lacing these myself. I originally planned to, but now that I'm mixing and matching hubs and rims I might send them out and have a pro do it.

 

[sparkymoto]

Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway

Another box showed up yesterday, the 18" shouldered alloys are here.

I'm lookin' into these as well. After market XS rims or custom order for t500?? Those will really authenticate the vintage vibe.