Smokey Two Stroke Goodness
Discussion
Not being sure what is going on with work, life and the future etc. Plus having far too many 'projects' on the go I thought I'd have a proper clear out of the garage, you know, get rid of all that crap that I'll never use, has been collecting dust and that I keep tripping over.
To say my garage is a little 'busy' is a bit of an understatement, somewhere in here are four motorbikes:
A few weeks back I sent my Pug off for a bit of urgent surgery. Actually, it wasn't urgent went I drove it the classic car place, I just dumped it off with a request to sort out that 'tiny bit of bubbling' on the rear sill...
Anyway, I digress.
While the car was out I thought I'd get rid of a load of old engines and bike parts that are littering not only the garage but our entire house. After Ebaying a bunch of bits and bobs I decided to sell the old unregistered GT380A I had mooching around the back of the garage. I'm not really sure why I bought it to be honest, it was the wrong model, wrong colour and I was never really going to do any thing to it. I ended up selling it to a lovely bloke from Perth who is taking it on as his first restoration.
Then I made a bit of a mistake, I was having a mooch through Ebay while listing a GT750 engine and chassis I had in the shed (still for sale if anybody wants it?) and this lovely early seventies Suzuki just leapt out at me from the screen, begging to be bought. It was sat there all innocent looking with it's bright 70's paint scheme, drum brakes and non-taped up seat.
Mmmmmmmmm. Thought I.
Anyway, long story short. I replaced my '76 GT380A with a '72 GT380J. Obviously I did no research into its history, no checks on the owner and bought it over the phone without a test ride purely on the basis that the colour looked fab and it is an ultra rare early model bike.
It was collected by a great bloke I know who knows all about two strokes, he said I'd done well, he gave it a service, a wee fettle and MOT'd it for me. I drove down in a van last weekend and very excitedly went to collect it from my folks where it had been dropped off.
My dad had parked it up in his garage next to his bikes waiting for me to collect.
It's actually a cracking little bike, it fires up easily and rides lovely. It is surprisingly pokey for a 380 with 38 raging ponies and it sounds a bit like an old GP bike when you give it the beans. It has been painted, it has had some sort of rebuild in the past and I doubt the 4000 miles on the clock is genuine but I am thoroughly happy with it. It also looks like it was written off sometime in 1981 but I'm not really sure. Other than it was registered in 1981 and the V5 states 'Rebuilt - from used and new parts' (or something like that). I'm not really too fussed to be honest as I can't see any dodgy welding, it goes in a straight line and stops (sort of) plus that was 35 years ago and I think anything untoward would probably have been fixed by now.
The past few days I've taken it down the coast as it was very smokey due to a lot of oil sitting in the exhaust. It was ace leaving a giant blue cloud behind me as I nailed it up through the gears!
On my first ride out I had a deer run across the road in front of me which meant I got to give the drums a really good test. They basically did very little and I just steered around the beast.
I highly recommend anybody who has never ridden an old bike like this to give it a go, it's wobbly, bouncy, crude, the front and back don't feel entirely connected but I reckon it's the best fun you can have with your clothes on. Plus the chance of being pulled while going flat out is minimal as 70 mph feels like mach 2, and it's pretty much flat out.
It's not perfect though, it looks like I'll have to pull out the engine over winter as the gearbox really doesn't like changing up into fifth and sixth (probably down to a lack of use, it's done a handful of miles in the last six years), and finding neutral is neigh on impossible when the old girl is hot. It really could do with new tyres and it needs a few miles putting on it.
I basically love it. Here it is lounging nonchalantly in the garage after I got it home:
So, moving on, some of you might remember I had a long term GT750 project on the go. This is actually still on the go...
Actually, I have just dropped it off with another chap I know who knows these bikes like the back of his hand for final setting up and (breath in) an MOT. Other than badges, it's pretty much finished...
I really cannot wait to get it out on the road.
I might get the old build thread resurrected and update that when I get it back.
Lastly, once the garage is finally cleared of the rubbish I have in it, I will crack on with my '71 T500 which is currently in bits.
That really just consists of the frame, which at the moment is acting as a helpful rest to some boxes. And some of the engine, which I am currently passing off as a 'modern art' installation in the dining room.
So, now the R1200 has gone, I am down to a purely 70's two stroke fleet. Think I need a Capri to accompany the bikes now...
To say my garage is a little 'busy' is a bit of an understatement, somewhere in here are four motorbikes:
A few weeks back I sent my Pug off for a bit of urgent surgery. Actually, it wasn't urgent went I drove it the classic car place, I just dumped it off with a request to sort out that 'tiny bit of bubbling' on the rear sill...
Anyway, I digress.
While the car was out I thought I'd get rid of a load of old engines and bike parts that are littering not only the garage but our entire house. After Ebaying a bunch of bits and bobs I decided to sell the old unregistered GT380A I had mooching around the back of the garage. I'm not really sure why I bought it to be honest, it was the wrong model, wrong colour and I was never really going to do any thing to it. I ended up selling it to a lovely bloke from Perth who is taking it on as his first restoration.
Then I made a bit of a mistake, I was having a mooch through Ebay while listing a GT750 engine and chassis I had in the shed (still for sale if anybody wants it?) and this lovely early seventies Suzuki just leapt out at me from the screen, begging to be bought. It was sat there all innocent looking with it's bright 70's paint scheme, drum brakes and non-taped up seat.
Mmmmmmmmm. Thought I.
Anyway, long story short. I replaced my '76 GT380A with a '72 GT380J. Obviously I did no research into its history, no checks on the owner and bought it over the phone without a test ride purely on the basis that the colour looked fab and it is an ultra rare early model bike.
It was collected by a great bloke I know who knows all about two strokes, he said I'd done well, he gave it a service, a wee fettle and MOT'd it for me. I drove down in a van last weekend and very excitedly went to collect it from my folks where it had been dropped off.
My dad had parked it up in his garage next to his bikes waiting for me to collect.
It's actually a cracking little bike, it fires up easily and rides lovely. It is surprisingly pokey for a 380 with 38 raging ponies and it sounds a bit like an old GP bike when you give it the beans. It has been painted, it has had some sort of rebuild in the past and I doubt the 4000 miles on the clock is genuine but I am thoroughly happy with it. It also looks like it was written off sometime in 1981 but I'm not really sure. Other than it was registered in 1981 and the V5 states 'Rebuilt - from used and new parts' (or something like that). I'm not really too fussed to be honest as I can't see any dodgy welding, it goes in a straight line and stops (sort of) plus that was 35 years ago and I think anything untoward would probably have been fixed by now.
The past few days I've taken it down the coast as it was very smokey due to a lot of oil sitting in the exhaust. It was ace leaving a giant blue cloud behind me as I nailed it up through the gears!
On my first ride out I had a deer run across the road in front of me which meant I got to give the drums a really good test. They basically did very little and I just steered around the beast.
I highly recommend anybody who has never ridden an old bike like this to give it a go, it's wobbly, bouncy, crude, the front and back don't feel entirely connected but I reckon it's the best fun you can have with your clothes on. Plus the chance of being pulled while going flat out is minimal as 70 mph feels like mach 2, and it's pretty much flat out.
It's not perfect though, it looks like I'll have to pull out the engine over winter as the gearbox really doesn't like changing up into fifth and sixth (probably down to a lack of use, it's done a handful of miles in the last six years), and finding neutral is neigh on impossible when the old girl is hot. It really could do with new tyres and it needs a few miles putting on it.
I basically love it. Here it is lounging nonchalantly in the garage after I got it home:
So, moving on, some of you might remember I had a long term GT750 project on the go. This is actually still on the go...
Actually, I have just dropped it off with another chap I know who knows these bikes like the back of his hand for final setting up and (breath in) an MOT. Other than badges, it's pretty much finished...
I really cannot wait to get it out on the road.
I might get the old build thread resurrected and update that when I get it back.
Lastly, once the garage is finally cleared of the rubbish I have in it, I will crack on with my '71 T500 which is currently in bits.
That really just consists of the frame, which at the moment is acting as a helpful rest to some boxes. And some of the engine, which I am currently passing off as a 'modern art' installation in the dining room.
So, now the R1200 has gone, I am down to a purely 70's two stroke fleet. Think I need a Capri to accompany the bikes now...
tezzer said:
Can't beat it, my favorite ride from the garage at the moment is my '76 GT550A, never fails to put a smile on my face !
That is a lovely looking thing. I quite fancy a 550 when my 500 is (eventually) finished.Did you do the twin disc conversion up front or did it come like that?
It had been done when I got it.....not sure it makes a lot of difference, just been stripping the clocks down as the gear indicator window Perspex went AWOL on a ride out on Sunday, looked for it, couldn't find it, so bought a "scrap" binnacle from DK spares, and when I stripped the tacho / speedo out this morning, there it was, wedged between the plastic case, and the tacho body. Still, at least I have a spare now !
Saga details here (if your not already a member) http://www.kettleclinic.co.uk/kcforum/viewtopic.ph...
Saga details here (if your not already a member) http://www.kettleclinic.co.uk/kcforum/viewtopic.ph...
Edited by tezzer on Thursday 21st July 12:13
tezzer said:
It had been done when I got it.....not sure it makes a lot of difference, just been stripping the clocks down as the gear indicator window Perspex went AWOL on a ride out on Sunday, looked for it, couldn't find it, so bought a "scrap" binnacle from DK spares, and when I stripped the tacho / speedo out this morning, there it was, wedged between the plastic case, and the tacho body. Still, at least I have a spare now !
Sage details here (if your not already a member) http://www.kettleclinic.co.uk/kcforum/viewtopic.ph...
I'm not sure having twin discs actually makes a massive difference, looks pretty cool though! Sage details here (if your not already a member) http://www.kettleclinic.co.uk/kcforum/viewtopic.ph...
I suppose it's good news on the binnacle, the plastic ones on my Kettle were cracked to buggery and I ended up sending them to an American bloke in Barbados to have them re-made. He has had a run of plastic cases made and completely stripped everything and rebuilt them. They looked a real work of art when I got them back, to the point where I didn't actually want to put them on my bike as I think they looked too nice!
The Kettle Clinic is a great little forum. Baz is the bloke who is setting mine up for me right now.
Edited to add a picture of the clocks, the piccie just doesn't do them justice!
Edited by bob1179 on Thursday 21st July 11:58
Steve Bass said:
Welcome back Bob..... good to see you around.
Looking forward to hearing how the kettle turns out...
Cheers Steve! After almost four years of fannying about with it I can't wait to actually ride it!Looking forward to hearing how the kettle turns out...
Yoda. said:
Nice clocks!
What do the letters at the bottom of the rev counter stand for?
N = Neutral (presumably)
B = Boiling...?
F = Full Beam (I assume?)
As I understand it...What do the letters at the bottom of the rev counter stand for?
N = Neutral (presumably)
B = Boiling...?
F = Full Beam (I assume?)
N = Neutral
B = Beam (as in 'Full Beam')
F = Flasher (for the indimacators)
podman said:
Great thread..smokey goodness indeed..
Ive began to appreciate these 70s paintschemes more and more of recent, spotted this 750 last Sunday and thought it really stood out.
'Candy Lavender'.Ive began to appreciate these 70s paintschemes more and more of recent, spotted this 750 last Sunday and thought it really stood out.
I seriously considered painting mine this colour as it looks awesome. In the end I chickened out and went for 'originality'. I sort of regret it a little now!
I love bright and funky. The 500 is going to be Candy Vedoro Green. Which is a sort of nuclear snot green flake. It'll be awesome!
3DP said:
Looking good Rob! I'm still surprised you got those clocks back at all. Looking forward to seeing them both in the flesh.
We have enough classic bikes now, we can do an 'old boys' tour of Scotland? Though 700 miles just to get to mine on that Thumper of yours would be an interesting prospect!Yazza54 said:
Great stuff Bob, to be honest I thought the kettle was done. End date??
Cheers Yazza. The Kettle should have been finished ages ago, but we ended up moving house, I went abroad again for a year and we've had two kids in the meantime. However this year I finally pulled my finger out. Plus I sold my only working, taxed and MOT'd bike last year and I was really getting withdrawl symptoms...Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff