1975 Suzuki T500 IT IS ALIVE! First start video 5/7/11
- Thread starter Wingspan
- Start date
sparkymoto
New Member
Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway
Yum. That's art. Hope u get it soon!
Yum. That's art. Hope u get it soon!
Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway
IT'S HERE!!!!!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
The FedEx guy came while I was in the shower and was gone before I could get to the door. No way was I waiting another day, so I threw on some clothes and jumped in the car. It took about 15 minutes, but I found him 3 neighborhoods over. Rushed home with the big box and ripped it open like a kid at Christmas.
Out to the garage and put it on the frame...PERFECT FIT!!!! I sent Sean my stock tank for reference, but I really thought I'd have some fitting to do given that he did not have a T500 frame to work with. Nope. The front mounts slotted straight on. The rear edge of the tank contacts the frame at the exact same moment the rear bumpers do. I'll put a bit more rubber on the bumpers, that and fabricating a rear mount on the frame will have the tank mounted and ready. I think the fit is as perfect as I could ever have hoped.
Oh yea...I think it looks killer too...
IT'S HERE!!!!!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
The FedEx guy came while I was in the shower and was gone before I could get to the door. No way was I waiting another day, so I threw on some clothes and jumped in the car. It took about 15 minutes, but I found him 3 neighborhoods over. Rushed home with the big box and ripped it open like a kid at Christmas.
Out to the garage and put it on the frame...PERFECT FIT!!!! I sent Sean my stock tank for reference, but I really thought I'd have some fitting to do given that he did not have a T500 frame to work with. Nope. The front mounts slotted straight on. The rear edge of the tank contacts the frame at the exact same moment the rear bumpers do. I'll put a bit more rubber on the bumpers, that and fabricating a rear mount on the frame will have the tank mounted and ready. I think the fit is as perfect as I could ever have hoped.
Oh yea...I think it looks killer too...
sparkymoto
New Member
Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway
Wow.
I sense this project will be picking up speed double-time now.
Looks great Mark. Well worth the investment.
Wow.
I sense this project will be picking up speed double-time now.
Looks great Mark. Well worth the investment.
rockcitycafe
I make things.
Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway
http://www.meadspeed.co.uk/products/honda/cr750/tank-rubbers
try these if the back of the tank is laying on the frame, they're pretty commonly seen in race bikes with alloy tanks
http://www.meadspeed.co.uk/products/honda/cr750/tank-rubbers
try these if the back of the tank is laying on the frame, they're pretty commonly seen in race bikes with alloy tanks
Titan performance
Titan cafe racer builders.
Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway
That really is a good looking tank.......would it be rude to ask the cost?
That really is a good looking tank.......would it be rude to ask the cost?
rockcitycafe
I make things.
Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway
not at all, it's the CR type tank on my site for $775, just built slightly different to fit Mark's frame
not at all, it's the CR type tank on my site for $775, just built slightly different to fit Mark's frame
Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 Engine rebuild underway
Hi Sean! Glad you found the thread.
I decided to play around in the garage a bit before settling in to watch the playoffs.
After looking at the pictures of the bike with the Roc City tail and the original tank I decided that I really liked where the back of the tail lined up over the rear tire. To that end I decided instead of moving the tail back with the longer tank, I'd shorten the front of the seat. This won't really cost me any seating area because I had to sit with my backside all the way to the rear of the seat anyway. The only downside to doing this is that my seat pan had already been upholstered. I'll sort that out later.
Chopped 5" off the front of the seat:
With that done, I couldn't resist throwing the engine (still empty cases at this point) back in the frame so I could get my first look...
The seat is just held on with a bit of tape at this point, so it's exact position and angle isn't 100%. I think I'm on the right track though, I have to admit.
It doesn't show through in the pics, but yellowing I experienced on the engine paint looks HORRID next to the polished tank and engine covers. I'm going to have to do something about that. I'll re-blast the engine and start over. I'm not sure what I want to do with it at this point. Leave it bare, repaint silver but skip the clear, paint it black? What does everyone else think?
I'm growing concerned that there will be a bit too much silver/polished surfaces on the bike. My current mental image of the bike is a black frame with the tail, oil tank, and side cover painted red. The tank will stay bare polished. My pipes, rearsets, rims, and hubs are also currently polished.
Hi Sean! Glad you found the thread.
I decided to play around in the garage a bit before settling in to watch the playoffs.
After looking at the pictures of the bike with the Roc City tail and the original tank I decided that I really liked where the back of the tail lined up over the rear tire. To that end I decided instead of moving the tail back with the longer tank, I'd shorten the front of the seat. This won't really cost me any seating area because I had to sit with my backside all the way to the rear of the seat anyway. The only downside to doing this is that my seat pan had already been upholstered. I'll sort that out later.
Chopped 5" off the front of the seat:
With that done, I couldn't resist throwing the engine (still empty cases at this point) back in the frame so I could get my first look...
The seat is just held on with a bit of tape at this point, so it's exact position and angle isn't 100%. I think I'm on the right track though, I have to admit.
It doesn't show through in the pics, but yellowing I experienced on the engine paint looks HORRID next to the polished tank and engine covers. I'm going to have to do something about that. I'll re-blast the engine and start over. I'm not sure what I want to do with it at this point. Leave it bare, repaint silver but skip the clear, paint it black? What does everyone else think?
I'm growing concerned that there will be a bit too much silver/polished surfaces on the bike. My current mental image of the bike is a black frame with the tail, oil tank, and side cover painted red. The tank will stay bare polished. My pipes, rearsets, rims, and hubs are also currently polished.
Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 New mock up pics 1/08/11
What paint are you using on the engine. I use Duplicolor ceramic engine paint. You have to be careful to not use too much of their clear as, yes, it will yellow. It will never match your tank but will look much better with only a light coat of clear.
What paint are you using on the engine. I use Duplicolor ceramic engine paint. You have to be careful to not use too much of their clear as, yes, it will yellow. It will never match your tank but will look much better with only a light coat of clear.
Titan performance
Titan cafe racer builders.
Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 New mock up pics 1/08/11
We haven't tried it in our blast cabinet yet, but we were told that blasting with glass bead gives the alli that nice sheen....which would be good for cleaning your cases.
We are going to try it on the carbs we have ultra sonically cleaned, as they come out of the bath very dull.
At this year's Chimay classic racing, there was a 500 with a gloss black engine....including barrells and heads...but the edges of the fins had been cleaned back to alli, as had the front circular area of the clutch and alternator covers, which were highly polished. It was a good look, and one which I am contemplating copying on a build I am about to start.
This is the bike....TZ framed....but sadly the picture doesn't show the motor.
We haven't tried it in our blast cabinet yet, but we were told that blasting with glass bead gives the alli that nice sheen....which would be good for cleaning your cases.
We are going to try it on the carbs we have ultra sonically cleaned, as they come out of the bath very dull.
At this year's Chimay classic racing, there was a 500 with a gloss black engine....including barrells and heads...but the edges of the fins had been cleaned back to alli, as had the front circular area of the clutch and alternator covers, which were highly polished. It was a good look, and one which I am contemplating copying on a build I am about to start.
This is the bike....TZ framed....but sadly the picture doesn't show the motor.
Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 New mock up pics 1/08/11
I considered this combo early on, but there are a TON of bikes out there done up this way. Also, the last two bikes I repainted were black and my V-Strom is black. I'm ready for a change of pace with the paint color. I'm pretty sure I'm going with the black frame / red bodywork. I'm just not sure I want to keep all the polished stuff and still mulling a change of engine color.
That's exactly what happened. I got a bit ham fisted with the clear and it yellowed when I baked it. I never expected the silver to match the polished covers, but what looked like slight yellowing by itself looks practically bronze next to the polished tank and covers. Yuk.
I glass bead blasted the cases prior to paint. Here's what my heads looked like after glass bead:
RedRocket said:
I considered this combo early on, but there are a TON of bikes out there done up this way. Also, the last two bikes I repainted were black and my V-Strom is black. I'm ready for a change of pace with the paint color. I'm pretty sure I'm going with the black frame / red bodywork. I'm just not sure I want to keep all the polished stuff and still mulling a change of engine color.
zooke581 said:
That's exactly what happened. I got a bit ham fisted with the clear and it yellowed when I baked it. I never expected the silver to match the polished covers, but what looked like slight yellowing by itself looks practically bronze next to the polished tank and covers. Yuk.
Titan performance said:
I glass bead blasted the cases prior to paint. Here's what my heads looked like after glass bead:
Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 New mock up pics 1/08/11
My first set of cases looked bronze from too much clear. I didn't bake and just used heat cycling to cure the paint. No long rides till it cured. I didn't even fire it up for a couple of weeks of static cure. With too much clear they yellow before curing. If you get a nice silver then you have done it right.
My first set of cases looked bronze from too much clear. I didn't bake and just used heat cycling to cure the paint. No long rides till it cured. I didn't even fire it up for a couple of weeks of static cure. With too much clear they yellow before curing. If you get a nice silver then you have done it right.
Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 New mock up pics 1/08/11
I tried my hand at lacing a wheel today, did the rear while watching the second half of the Chiefs-Ravens game. It's not trued yet, but once I got the hang of things, lacing the wheel went smoothly.
Now the hard part, truing!
I tried my hand at lacing a wheel today, did the rear while watching the second half of the Chiefs-Ravens game. It's not trued yet, but once I got the hang of things, lacing the wheel went smoothly.
Now the hard part, truing!
Re: 1975 Suzuki T500 New mock up pics 1/08/11
Slowly moving forward...
I've got all the unneeded brackets, etc removed from the frame. I'm sure my little old lady neighbor loved all the grinding noise this morning.
Next I took a load of stuff to the airport for bead blasting. The engine cases have been reblasted and look a lot better without the yellowed clearcoat. I think I'm going to leave the crankcase and heads as they are and paint the cylinders black. There were a ton of radial engine heads in the shop where I blast my parts and I love the look. It's not original per Suzuki...but that worry went out the window a long time ago. I also blasted some misc. stuff like the air and battery boxes, along with the triples.
Came home and did another mock up, this time with the stock forks on. Lookin' like a motorcycle!
Slowly moving forward...
I've got all the unneeded brackets, etc removed from the frame. I'm sure my little old lady neighbor loved all the grinding noise this morning.
Next I took a load of stuff to the airport for bead blasting. The engine cases have been reblasted and look a lot better without the yellowed clearcoat. I think I'm going to leave the crankcase and heads as they are and paint the cylinders black. There were a ton of radial engine heads in the shop where I blast my parts and I love the look. It's not original per Suzuki...but that worry went out the window a long time ago. I also blasted some misc. stuff like the air and battery boxes, along with the triples.
Came home and did another mock up, this time with the stock forks on. Lookin' like a motorcycle!
