A trip on a friend’s machine confirmed that my short little legs actually reached all the way to the ground when sitting on the beast. This is very useful for when you need to actually stop. I also found that despite weighing in at 420lbs the centre of gravity is so low that it is a very easy machine to push around. I can also lift it up when it’s decided to have a lie down; I don’t have to ask a man to help me.
When my T350 decided to destroy its crank oil seals, I just happened to know where there was a T500L for sale. I rushed over and purchased it. The bike was a bit scruffy but it sounded fine. It had around 19000 miles on the clock. Over the next two years I put another 20000 miles on the poor beast. It was forced to live outside but never refused to start, although it was advisable to have a copy of War & Peace to read whilst waiting for the motor to warm sufficiently for the engine to pull the bike away - I was living in the frozen North at the time...
During these 2 years the only problems I had were dicky wiring in the headlamp resulting in many blown fuses and the final drive gearbox bearing collapsing. At 40000 miles I treated the bike to a rebore. 5000 miles later the crank oil seals decided to die quietly, allowing all the gearbox oil to be sucked up into the bores, resulting in a fried gearbox. I replaced the seals and ignored the whinings from the box for two years, when the bike was used for spares after I bought a T500J.
The second bike was immaculate, but not complete. After close inspection I found that the wiring loom, crankcase oil seals and gearbox bits weren't quite so immaculate. I captured a fellow Vintage Japanese Club member and chained him to the bike for three weeks until he got it running.
Our main problem was the wiring loom. The two models had different looms so I was forced to buy a new one. We couldn’t get sparks on the right side. As an alternative to double suicide we decided to strip the covering of the main power wire. What a mess we found there. A year later when I bought a new loom for my T350 it had exactly the same problem. These Japanese must have a warped sense of humour.
When the T500 was first introduced in 1967, the opinion of the day was that a two stroke engine of such size and bulk would overheat. They are, in fact, very cool running, proved back then when one was ridden through Death Valley without any problems. Lubrication is by Suzuki’s Posi-Force system, oil supplied to the rear of the cylinder and the big ends. Each oil line is fitted with a check valve to stop oil being pushed back by crankcase pressure. I had a problem on my T250 with a valve letting air in, but such small problems must be expected on 15 year old bikes. So far, I’ve had no big or small end problems, just the oil seals and the gears (a smooth five speeder when it’s working).
Power output is 47hp at 7000rpm, with a claimed top speed of 120mph, a little difficult to achieve with the original high and wide bars. Around 100mph a tingling vibration is persuasive enough to make the rider back off, but 80 to 90mph cruising with a pillion and as much luggage as can be carried is no problem. Acceleration is nippy enough for the traffic light GP. The front TLS drum tends to fade from high speeds, but is fine around town.
Straight line stability is excellent, never the slightest suggestion of a weave and resists winds very well. Bends aren’t so much fun as both bikes like to take their own lines; perhaps the fact that I’m an eight stone weakling has something to do with it - I can certainly throw the 250 and 350 around much more easily. The running costs are reasonable. 40-50mpg, which can be drastically reduced by thrashing into a headwind. The tank only holds three and a half gallons of two star, so the bike can run out of fuel when touring in remote areas.
Despite all the rumours to the contrary, spares are not a problem. The price can be. I felt sorry for myself until I saw the price of spares for new bikes. Used parts are available, but the real bargains come when a dealer decides he does not want obsolete spares cluttering up his shelves and sells them off. I bought a complete set of forks, two headlamp shells plus brackets for £25. I nearly fainted with ecstasy.
Front tyres last up to 20000 miles, although the rear can be spent in less than 5000 miles, as can chains and sprockets. These are the main source of expense in running the T500. In its day, the T500 was regarded as a bit of a workhorse despite its success out on the race track. The Honda 750-4 and Kawa 500 triple were the bikes to be seen on. The reason I bought my first one was that I needed reliable transport (have you ever tried catching a bus in Cheshire?).
At one time there were lots of T500s about, now they are a pretty rare sight and the ones that have survived, for some reasons best known to their owners, seem to be hand painted black. A decent T500 is definitely a collectors item. The models to look for are the original Cobra, a Mk 1, 2 or 3 or a J model. The L and M models are easier to get hold of and GTs are almost common black corroded ones, that is.
The only decent one I know of belongs to my brother. Once you have spent some pocket money on one of the above, all you have to do is restore it. Paying full retail for spare parts can be a bit upsetting. I know of folks who have spent £1500-2000, which I suppose is not so bad when at the end of the day you have a usable, reliable piece of classic machinery.
But when, like me, you have three bikes to keep on the road, then you can’t afford to be quite so extravagant. It helps if you are not in a desperate hurry and can wait for the bargains to appear. The original sales brochures are a useful reference and make interesting reading - I was left having a small identity crisis when one of them referred to the T500 as a real man’s bike.
Points to look for when buying a T500 are rotting cycle parts (although you'll be very lucky to find one that isn’t well rotted, unless you're buying a restored model), seized swinging arm spindles and cracked front brake drums. If it’s a runner, listen for a whining gearbox and after purchase drain the gearbox to see if there’s any oil there - the level plugs are not much help as the oil can get caught in the clutch cover giving the impression that there’s sufficient oil when there isn’t.
Early bikes had 1200cc stamped on the clutch cover, which Suzuki later decided should be 1400cc. Expect to pay between £50 and £400 depending on condition. I’m often tempted to sell mine and use the money towards a new bike, the Yamaha FZ600 being favourite at the moment - as I feel this would be a more practical way to capture my lost youth as he has a Kawasaki GPz900R.
Hilary Richards