I was rather taken by the late sixties Suzuki T500. The thing that immediately got to me was the lack of stroker smoke pall out of the exhaust. The trick is to use smoke-free lube and adjust the oil pump to its minimal setting. Usually, there's a bit of a haze but beware of heavy smoke as it can indicate that the crankshaft seals are shot, oil drawn out of the gearbox (with obvious consequences on its longevity - but easily sussed by a lack of slickness in the gearchange).
For a sixties bike, everything on the T is surprisingly smooth - gearbox, lack of vibration and even the controls. Compared to anything British from that era, the height of sophistication. It isn't exactly frenzied in the forward motion stakes but it will kill things like 400 Superdreams and shouldn't be underestimated. It doesn't have the stroker twin edge of an RD400, at least not in stock set-up and anyone who's fitted spannies to them usually rides in a wicked way; should be avoided if you want to get a good deal rather than a pile of trouble.
The owner wanted 1600 notes for the 23000 miler, which was basically a stocker and had only experienced three owners. Amazing what you can find in the classifieds. I fell for the bike instantly, liked its feel and its lines. One of those things! I kept that to myself, though, and offered 1200 notes, which I just happened to have on me. Loose change, rich bastard... no, only joking. The wife had given me the money to buy a bedroom suite she had set her heart on and I contrived to go via the T500 owner's house. He found this tale highly amusing and immediately agreed to the deal.
The moment I walked in the house the wife knew what had gone down. Not just from the motorcycle parked in the drive but also from the silly grin I sported. When we were courting (a silly, old-fashioned word, but it fitted) she loved motorcycles as much as I did, but her policy of fiscal probity prohibited massive indulgence (witness the ancient Honda C100 I usually pottered around on). After a bit of name calling she decided not to make a massive issue out of it and, instead, demanded a ride! This was the kind of woman you could fall in love with!
Two-up, the T500 was a touch muted but then we are both on the large side. However, I pushed the old girl to 110mph just to give wifey a thrill, though it has to be said that stroker tingles between the legs don't have the same affect as, say, a vee twin. But it's surprising what a fast blast on a bike can achieve later in the bedroom, almost worth the entrance price just for that!
I soon settled into life with the Suzuki. To be honest, it was such a pleasant old bumble bee that not much effort was needed on my part. Lacking an electric start, I could actually 'kickstart' it into life using hand pressure! The usual stroker peaks and troughs were lacking, too, though it wasn't bland in the way of the later GT500, there was a bit of an edge come 5000rpm. Enough to make for a pleasant saunter through the slick gearbox.
Cruising at the ton wasn't a problem, possible to put 120mph on the clock. Koni rear shocks and firmed up forks combined with a decent bit of tubular frame made for almost modern handling, only the relatively narrow Dunlop tyres giving the game away. Still, the previous owner reckoned they would last for more than 15000 miles! The TLS front brake was still a sharp little number and absolute bliss in the wet. The same couldn't be said for the SLS drum, which was basically on or off.
The latter was down to worn down shoes and oval linings, something I found out to my cost when the back end locked up as solidly as any sane person's backside in a public school shower. We did an almighty slide until I lost a massive amount of velocity by applying the front brake. I actually had to take the back wheel out, borrow a hammer to free off the shoes!
This was how I found out that T500 spares are now very rare on the ground. Just for a laugh, I phoned up a Suzuki dealer who promptly accused me of taking the piss. Anyway, a friendly engineering workshop did the business on the rear hub and mail order took care of the linings and shoes. It's worth noting that on sixties Jap's minor hassles can turn into major nightmares. Find a bike for spares!
That fixed, life was back to normal. The T gained much applause from various old rockers who wanted to know where they could get one but didn't want to hand over the two grand I was asking. That kind of dosh would buy a similar era Brit that was in a barely usable state, sixties Jap's as undervalued as they are underrated. But then they aren't backed up with the kind of re-engineering that's available for the classic Brit's.
The spares situation was a kind of worry but it shouldn't have been. I did 13000 miles in ten months, then sold the bike for 1900 sovs. In short, I was paid to enjoy myself and the wife finally got her luxury suite! Everyone was happy. The profit went on a Honda CB400N Superdream. But a nice one with a Transit full of spare bits. I was learning the way of motorcycle survival - fast!
Alex Trellis