Suzuki 500 2 stroke Cafe Racer
Discussion
I have been looking around for a while as a suitable bike to make into a café racer over the winter... problem has been that everything I look at has a high price!
Talking to a mate the other day and he commented that he has a Suzuki 500 twin from the mid 70's still in his garage! seems he took it off the road in the early 80's and stripped it down to paint the frame as it was going tatty... he never put it back together. It has been there ever since, the frame is in the roof, and all the parts are in boxes under the bench. He said it was running fine before taking it off the road.
I guess a lot will depend on the condition of the bits and pieces, mainly the chrome. If its all good, it may be a restoration job back to standard, or if things are tatty maybe a café racer?
any thoughts welcome before I go and see it tomorrow night!
Talking to a mate the other day and he commented that he has a Suzuki 500 twin from the mid 70's still in his garage! seems he took it off the road in the early 80's and stripped it down to paint the frame as it was going tatty... he never put it back together. It has been there ever since, the frame is in the roof, and all the parts are in boxes under the bench. He said it was running fine before taking it off the road.
I guess a lot will depend on the condition of the bits and pieces, mainly the chrome. If its all good, it may be a restoration job back to standard, or if things are tatty maybe a café racer?
any thoughts welcome before I go and see it tomorrow night!
Thought's - expect a lot of work,have a look at EvilLens project.
Had a look at ebay and there are minty 500 twins for £5k - £6k and a complete rusty wreck for offers to this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suzuki-T500-T-500-K-Tita... which is complete but does not run and is a US import.
If it's cheap enough and you have the patience and the skills then go for it.
Had a look at ebay and there are minty 500 twins for £5k - £6k and a complete rusty wreck for offers to this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suzuki-T500-T-500-K-Tita... which is complete but does not run and is a US import.
If it's cheap enough and you have the patience and the skills then go for it.
You know what they say? - Never buy anything in boxes.
Parts for classic Japanese bikes are very expensive and often hard to find, so my advice is to do a deal with your mate whereby he has to refund you for any missing parts.
I am currently helping a friend to restore an old Lambretta from a pile of boxes, the seller, another friend, swore everything was present.
He was badly mistaken, though Lambretta parts are remarkably cheap, the hassle and expense of identifying, sourcing and buying a large number of insignificant but vital parts has spoiled the experience and trebled the restoration time.
Years ago my brother acquired a Stag, in bits, the seller, an acquaintance, swore everything was there, it was not, adding a year to the build time. Can you see a pattern emerging?
Parts for classic Japanese bikes are very expensive and often hard to find, so my advice is to do a deal with your mate whereby he has to refund you for any missing parts.
I am currently helping a friend to restore an old Lambretta from a pile of boxes, the seller, another friend, swore everything was present.
He was badly mistaken, though Lambretta parts are remarkably cheap, the hassle and expense of identifying, sourcing and buying a large number of insignificant but vital parts has spoiled the experience and trebled the restoration time.
Years ago my brother acquired a Stag, in bits, the seller, an acquaintance, swore everything was there, it was not, adding a year to the build time. Can you see a pattern emerging?
kev b said:
You know what they say? - Never buy anything in boxes.
Parts for classic Japanese bikes are very expensive and often hard to find, so my advice is to do a deal with your mate whereby he has to refund you for any missing parts.
I am currently helping a friend to restore an old Lambretta from a pile of boxes, the seller, another friend, swore everything was present.
He was badly mistaken, though Lambretta parts are remarkably cheap, the hassle and expense of identifying, sourcing and buying a large number of insignificant but vital parts has spoiled the experience and trebled the restoration time.
Years ago my brother acquired a Stag, in bits, the seller, an acquaintance, swore everything was there, it was not, adding a year to the build time. Can you see a pattern emerging?
I can, and I agree. I guess my plan is to check it out, see what its like and how much appears to be missing, if any, and make an offer based on that and condition. If all else fails, I don't intend to spend any more than I think I can recover in selling the parts if I need to.Parts for classic Japanese bikes are very expensive and often hard to find, so my advice is to do a deal with your mate whereby he has to refund you for any missing parts.
I am currently helping a friend to restore an old Lambretta from a pile of boxes, the seller, another friend, swore everything was present.
He was badly mistaken, though Lambretta parts are remarkably cheap, the hassle and expense of identifying, sourcing and buying a large number of insignificant but vital parts has spoiled the experience and trebled the restoration time.
Years ago my brother acquired a Stag, in bits, the seller, an acquaintance, swore everything was there, it was not, adding a year to the build time. Can you see a pattern emerging?
Guess it depends on how much he wants for it...
yes, very nice!
re the box of bits and parts missing... My mate bought a sanglas from a guy in a local village a few years ago. It was all in bits, but the guy assured him it was all there... And it was! to every last bolt! he did a dry build on it first and got it running before a full strip and rebuild.
all excited now!
re the box of bits and parts missing... My mate bought a sanglas from a guy in a local village a few years ago. It was all in bits, but the guy assured him it was all there... And it was! to every last bolt! he did a dry build on it first and got it running before a full strip and rebuild.
all excited now!
Cafe bits
http://classic2strokesuzuki.weebly.com/one-stop-ca...
Forum
http://www.suzuki2strokes.com/forum/viewforum.php?...
And for all the parts you can't buy in the UK
http://www.classicsuzukiparts.nl/
He's cheap too what with the strength of the Euro at the momnent
Best of luck
http://classic2strokesuzuki.weebly.com/one-stop-ca...
Forum
http://www.suzuki2strokes.com/forum/viewforum.php?...
And for all the parts you can't buy in the UK
http://www.classicsuzukiparts.nl/
He's cheap too what with the strength of the Euro at the momnent
Best of luck
Well…. It’s bad. Last on the road in 1986, it’s a GT 500 with the front disc brake. The frame and many of the parts are in the roof of the one garage which is dry; the exhausts are pitted but seem sound. Fork legs look OK where the seals run, but pitted above that. Tank looks OK, as does the oil tank, clocks, and all the bits. Frame is not too bad. All the nuts and bolts are there in a box, and from what I can see it’s complete.
The engine and wheels have been in another shed which is damp, the engine has been covered and it looks as if it will clean up. I couldn’t get to it fully to see if it will turn over. The wheels are the worst bit as they have been against the wooden wall, and the rims are very poor.
As a restoration project its simply a no go… However, as a basis for a Café Racer project I think it may be OK. So I have bought it for £200. I will strip the engine down first and have a look, if that’s no good; I will break it for parts and should easily make more than my £200 back.
I will keep you all posted!
The engine and wheels have been in another shed which is damp, the engine has been covered and it looks as if it will clean up. I couldn’t get to it fully to see if it will turn over. The wheels are the worst bit as they have been against the wooden wall, and the rims are very poor.
As a restoration project its simply a no go… However, as a basis for a Café Racer project I think it may be OK. So I have bought it for £200. I will strip the engine down first and have a look, if that’s no good; I will break it for parts and should easily make more than my £200 back.
I will keep you all posted!
buzzer said:
As a restoration project its simply a no go…
It sounds perfect for a restoration project if it's all there, and sounds rather better than some bikes I've restored in the past. Wheel rims are not a problem, new or good s/h rims aren't that expensive.For £200 it's a bargain (provided the engine isn't beyond salvation), the larger capacity two strokes are fetching strong money these days.
Well it’s here... It’s all there as far as I can see; all that's missing is the down pipes, headlight brackets and number plate bracket. The last owner assures me these are in his loft and he will sort them out. No big deal either way.
I have had chance to assess the condition and every piece of chrome is very poor… I guess I could restore it but to bring it up to mint, it would cost a fortune, and I would never see my money back. So a Café Racer it is.
First job was to look inside the engine, where I was pleasantly surprised! The fact he had put tissue paper in the inlet and exhaust ports probably saved it, it was all free, apart from the kick-start shaft which had sized in its bush. I have now pulled the engine apart and all is good, I will just rebuild with some new seals and rings.
I have started a page on my website which I will update periodically if anyone is interested.
https://jtccc.wordpress.com/
I have had chance to assess the condition and every piece of chrome is very poor… I guess I could restore it but to bring it up to mint, it would cost a fortune, and I would never see my money back. So a Café Racer it is.
First job was to look inside the engine, where I was pleasantly surprised! The fact he had put tissue paper in the inlet and exhaust ports probably saved it, it was all free, apart from the kick-start shaft which had sized in its bush. I have now pulled the engine apart and all is good, I will just rebuild with some new seals and rings.
I have started a page on my website which I will update periodically if anyone is interested.
https://jtccc.wordpress.com/
tricky1962 said:
No problem. I've used the forum and the Dutch guy - Marcel - a fair bit to keep my T500 on the road, as it's my daily workhorse.
Hi Tricky, I have placed an order with the Dutch guy... Is there any other supplier you use, or do you have any other links to share, those were very useful!Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff