£50 Hacks: Suzuki GT185

This was one of those bland looking Suzukis which hid a nasty line in power development - one that needed spot on tuning to avoid holed pistons. Invariably purchased by young hoodlums who screwed the balls off the poor thing, it was designed to expire, every which way, a few thousand miles after the warranty ended.

This two stroke twin had quite big holes cut in the barrel and needed the throttle screwed three-quarters way round to make it shift. Suzuki were kind enough to put some marks on the alternator that let tune-up artists set the bike up without a strobe.

Experience and a little luck could be just as effective as technology. If the ignition timing was slightly retarded, the bike coughed and spluttered like a Gold Star at idle and if it was too advanced there was no power below six grand and then a sudden kick in the pants - for fifty or so miles until the engine overheated and, er, expired. The trick was to get it advanced just past the point where it stopped coughing. This was a weekly chore.

The tubular frame looked very flimsy and was welded by a robot who was determined to get its revenge on the human race. Give it three years of abuse and the paint and chrome would flake off the cycle parts. The disc brake was laughable after two years, it had... well, it had every nasty trait you've ever heard about early seventies discs, I say no more. The forks and shocks were also in lots of trouble after a few years - minimum damping and springing.

Riding an old GT185 is not a nice experience (they ran from '73 to '79), there's this engine that only wants to run at maximum revs, a wobbly back end (shot swinging arm bearings and shocks) and a front brake that's either on or off. Shutting off the throttle gives minimum engine braking (unlike, say, the old CD175 that has a nice growl and slows down the bike), only the slick action of the gearbox gives any hope. I'd hate to ride one in the wet. Yeah, I know, riding the thing flat out everywhere can be fun (until the wobbly handling turns into a speed wobble) but it'll soon grow tiring.

Expect frequent engine rebuilds (5000 miles, anyone?) and lots of two stroke hassle, especially if you're only going to spend fifty quid.

Bill Fowler