Gallery
Gallery
Hi Clivey,how's t'ings?
I've included a new piccy of my' K' model and an 'A' that I have which,incidentally, is
for sale. Regards. . . . . . . . . . . russ.
In Canada - sweet! (or should that be Cherry?)
Len says: It's a 1974 Indy, abandoned by the side
of the road in 2001 with a sign that said "Take It - Free." I did, and $3,000
later, it's a great bike! (You never make your money back on this rebuilding stuff.) I had
abandoned riding for almost 30 years, until I found her. She brought me back into the
hobby. I rebuild abandoned bikes, and occasionally resell. I'll never resell her, though.
The engine has a light that creates an eerie green glow from it at night. I did all of the
rebuild work myself, including the paint. Engine is a complete rebuild, and I also rebuild
these GT gauges, replacing the plastic faces with glass.
She is very reliable, pretty, and fast!
This is Mike Buckbys' GT - in pices when he bought it, though the engine's now rebuilt, most of the loom swing arm etc are back in place.
Following a visit today, Mike emailed me these pics - "Thanks for your time today, its obvious now that if you have a GT550 you have to have a ZT to go with it! Nice web site so I thought I would send you a picture of my GT, this came all the way from Wolverhampton. I'll send you a picture when its complete. Thanks again and keep in touch."
I will Mike!
Clive,
Sorry to hear about the accident but it's good to hear that you're on the mend.
Since you have opened up the club to GT250's here is a picture of mine. I restored this a
couple of years ago from a wreck bought on eBay as an exact replica of the one I owned in
1979.
Also, the finished GT550 now living its days in
sunny Yorkshire. If only I was allowed to keep it in the front room!
See you soon
Mike Buckby
Mike - congratulations on being the first to post a 250, and for making such a superb job of both of them, any hints and tips for the less talented (i.e. me....!)
Clive, Well done for setting up a website. This is
something that is well overdue. Hopefully you will get a lot of interest.
I bought a 1974 GT550 off ebay and have been spending money ever since! The GT550 was my
dream bike as a teenager and I used to look enviously at people riding them - I had a
Honda CB250 so anything looked good! At the moment I am still trying to get my bike on the
road. Unfortunately, she is running rather poorly and I think it will be necessary for me
to find an expert to sort the old girl out. I think I may have found someone who used to
maintain them - he is probably about 85 now!
I attach a picture of my bike. Good luck with the site.
Regards,
Mark
Hi Clive, I saw the piece in Mechanics ,the site looks good,I've sent a pic of my GT ( and two of my other bikes),I restored it from a rusty wreck and was very happy to win best Suzuki at Lotherton last year with it.Good luck with the site.
Hi Clive, As promised some pics of the 550 I rebuilt as a Dunstall. This was I bike I picked up as a wreck from a guy in Leicester in the course of buying parts for my green 550. It had been off the road since the early 80's, but had been fitted with a Dunstall kit in the past so had no seat lugs, so when I came across a NOS kit with no brackets I thought I'd rebuild it.It's got a three into 1, S&B filters and mags, and sounds pretty good.
Rich.
Hi Clive, Noticed your plug in 'Mechanics this
month. Good to see a site for the 550. Suzuki's lesser? triples seem to be overshadowed
some what by the kettle which is a shame as I believe they had a lot to offer too.
Which brings me onto the question......
Any plans to encompass the baby of the bunch, the 380?
I appreciate that it's early days for your site but I so far haven't found a site
dedicated to the smaller triples, mainly its sites showing an individuals personal
collection.
Either way, keep up the good work!
Best regards
Mence
Here's my GT I'm trying to sell. Some good pics for your new website. I think it's great. Mark M
Hi, its about time that someone put together some
pages on suzuki air cooled triples , I had a few 380s, a while back and I still had one 9
yrs ago. My 380m was a good bike and would do 100mph with my mrs on the back (only 7 st)
.If you need road tests, I have a cycle world multi bike tests featuring gt380/550, yam
rd400, xs 500, honda cb500t, both 550 /4,s and kawasaki kh 400 ,also 380/550 j to b sales
brochures.
best regards and good luck with the web site
Pat Scerri
p.s I do own a gt 750 ,but I do like the 380 and 550 triples, and I'll be buying one or
the other when I can find a decent one
There's 2 bikes above Pat - will they do? I'd love to have extracts from any material that's out of copyright...!
Hello Clive, You might be interested in the
attached photo of the Difazio hub steering GT 550 that I've just bought at the Cheffins
auction at Ely for £1,500 which I thought was a good buy. During the 1970's I tested a
lot of Jack Difazio's hub steered bikes and myself owned a Triumph huricane engined
machine which I had constructed in 1976. I'm a regular contrbutor to The Classic
Motorcycle magazine and over the last two or three years have wrtitten several articles on
Hub steering which has created a lot of interest. Approximately 50 hub steerers were made
but only 1 with a GT 550 as motive power. The bike had been standing in the back of a bike
shop for a number of years and was sold when its owner died. Despite being stood for a
while we've got it running and amazingly the engine seals seem to have survived the
lengthy lay up. At present I'm waiting for a genuine air filter to arrive from Japan so
hopefully it will be soon on the road. Do you have any good contacts for a source of
spares?
Best wishes
Andy Westlake
....and more from Andy!
Hi Clivey, I have just got this SuzukiI GT 380
this week!
...looks tidy my friend!
Clivey, my brother and I restore bikes the Suzuki GT550 was found in a barn this bike has come with a considerable amount of spare parts - new and used and a spare frame. It is a 1977 bike, we live in Cambridge and we are 60 years old. The bike has not been on the road in some time.
Andy.
Well, Andy - it looks really clean - don't forget to use the forum for any advice at all!
Hi, I've just bought a Dunstall bodied GT380 as a project. Noice to see a website being setup Enclosed pictures show I'm going to be busy this wnter. Cheers!
Bob Allen.
Hi Clivey. Here is a pic my of recently restored
GT 550 J model. She came to me as a complete wrecked parts bike with a seized engine and
one holed piston. I noticed it had frame # 10264 so I knew I had
to restore this one. Anyone out there with a 550 frame number under 264? I would love to
hear from you. Thanks and good luck with your site.
Chip Miller
Hi Clivey !
Just bought classic bike mag ( I don,t buy it every month ) and saw the ad for your 550
web site, a great idea ! I am a bit of a 2 stroke fan. I was looking to buy a classic last
year and found this 550 in Leeds, I can,t claim to have restored it as it has beed done
some years back although I have improved it with polishing and some replacement items such
as rusty exhaust centre pipe and a replacement of a dented exhaust on the r/h side.It is
not show standard but I don,t mind that. Paintwork is good and has been done before I
bought the bike although I have resprayed several bike tanks for freinds over the years
usualy triumphs, paintwork is a bit of an interest of mine and have done a few costom jobs
back in the 1970,s although " candy paint " that is used on most jap bikes is
very expensive unless you live in USA ..keep in touch !
Chris Sillence
I am restoring a 1976 (A) Started it last March, I will send in some photos, I'm glad someone has fired up a GT550 site, about time. At the moment I am looking for wiring loom No.2 any ideas? I was going to do it without new looms, bad idea apparently. I have about 70 % of new bits to go on, EBAY seems to be OK if you go careful. Speak to you again soon. Gary.
Don't forget the forum Gary - if it takes off, I'll get it professionally hosted!
Hi Clive , I have two Gt380's,one in bits,a
European model, and the other an American spec, which is a runner except for fuel
blockage probs with centre pot. The engine on this has never ran up to speed. I suspect
the prev owner tampered with the carbs which I have yet to get right,,theyre running on 80
main jets which seems to starve the engine at higher revs.......but I'll get there
someday!
The other Euro model I'm converting to a sports style and I'm looking for a sports type
tank/seat a la Dunstall or Crooks Suzuki style, like I had on a Crooks Super Six i once
owned (sob!).For now this is just a hello as i am new to the club and still finding my way
around. I will be at Stafford as usual looking for bits.
If you know of owners in Derbys it would be good to hear from them.
Keith
I also have an FJ as you can see.
Keith - if it wasn't for the fact that I have a ZX7R in the garage, and an XJ650 Turbo in my lockup, I'd have to ask you to leave for being unfaithful....
Clive, please find attached a picture of our GT550L when first purchased. We are in the process of cleaning it up (not restoring at this stage) and are having some fun with rusty forks at the moment!!
Hi, I live near Sandown on the IOW - so pretty
close to you I think. My GT is a 1972 550J Frame no 10256 which I believe is pretty early,
I've had it for seven years or so now, bought it from someone in Newcastle. I too just had
to have it as I had had a GT550 in my teenage years! It is an import from California in
original condition and ridden regularly. I will attach a pic. I also have a few parts for
sale - if anyone's interested I have a good frame for GT550A, a GT550 tank and various
other bits and bobs - will delve in the garage if anyone is looking for anything in
particular!
I also have a GT185 keeping the 550 company....
Cheers!
Peter Craik
Hi Clive Found your website and think it's going to be a good 'un. I own two GT550's the last one I bought came from Ross-on-Wye, and boy is it rough! The other I bought off a workmate about nine years ago, she's not too bad, I eased her over on the kickstart every time I went into the garage and thought about it, so I hope I saved the crank seals by doing this. About a month ago we got her started and the neighbourhood disappeared in a blanket of smoke. We had four big fans running and it was all they could do to keep the garage breathable. (We knew what was going to happen) Need a seat for if now, aren't they expensive? Have attached a couple of pictures, one of the latest GT550 on her way home from Ross-on-Wye (with a little help from my son) and one of my first GT550 in the raw. Best regards Bob Fisher.
PS Hope new website is a resounding success!!!
Hi Clive,
I saw your site when Len posted it on Smokin' Paul's Yahoo Group. If you'd like, I can set
up a link to you on my website... www.3cyl.com and if
you want, you can crosslink back to me. I have a lot of tech data already on my site that
would be of interest to 550 owners and I'm adding to it as I can. 3cyl.com is hopefully
going to become a repository for all kinds of information about 2 stroke street bikes, but
my main aim right now is to get a lot of stuff up for the GT Suzukis and the Kaw Triples.
I'll try to get some pictures and descriptions of my 2 running GT550s and send them to you
for your Gallery. Both are pretty nice and I'm particularly proud of my GT550A. I've been
riding GT550's for 22 years. A GT550M was the very first bike I ever swung a leg over and
I put 40K miles on it in the 3 or 4 years that I owned it.
Talk to you soon,
Jeff Gootblatt
East Stroudsburg, PA, USA
(and a kettle too, lucky man!)
Hi, it's Dave from Coventry. I've been riding/restoring Suzuki GT's since the late 70's. I am the proud owner of Suzuki GT 380B, which has been mine for 22yrs now, which featured in Superbike magazine some years back. Sorry not pics of complete 380 yet, full engine rebuild in progress!! Project this winter will be the restoration of my first GT550A model.
It's nice to have some pics showing how much work goes into restoring one of these, and it looks like you're achieving levels of finsish that I'll never have the patience or skills to reach!
Hi Clive, just looking through my photos. Sorry its a XR 750, but it is a two stroke, I was lucky to ride the bike at The Barry Sheene run in Rugby July 2003..
Dave - you jammy git!
Have a look at the features page to see the 'Superbike' article reproduced in all its glory!
Clive: Just in case you didn't get my first email......Here's my GT550A complete with genuine factory parcel rack. I finally found the parcel rack on Ebay about 6 months ago and had been looking for one ever since I got my 550 in 1990. The 550 currently has 4500 original miles on it and when I bought it in 1990 it had 660.....yes, 660.....original miles.
Anyway, here's a couple of pics for your gallery.
H2RICK
Calgary, Canada
Nice looking bike! - sorry but I don't know you by anything but H2Rick...!
Clive: Thanks for posting the pics of my 550A.
There is a long story on how I found the bike and bought it and THEN got it running. Maybe
I'll post the story if I can find (or if you even have) a section for "Owner's
Stories" (or something like that).
Re: your comment on my nickname. That's been my nick ever since I started hanging out on
bike message boards 'way back when. Too late to change it now, I guess, and for an old
fart like me with a baaaaad memory, it's just easier to have ONE nick instead of 2 or 3
like some guys have, depending on which particular board they're on at any given time.
And, yes, I do have a few Kwakkers as well as a few Suzis as you can see from my info and
I have owned a few brand H's in my time.....but no brand y lumps. A man has to have a FEW
principles in life, after all.
I'm located in CowTown which is known to the world outside Canada as "Calgary".
To those who may not be familiar with Calgary, we are home to the world famous Calgary
Stampede, the "Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth", which is what the Stampede has
been billing itself for over 75 years. We are also home to the Calgary Flames NHL pro ice
hockey team as well as having hosted the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. So there's a little
background on me and my town.
I've posted up your story too.... See "Your letters"
Thought I would mail you a picture of the
direction my GT550 is headed for the gallery - more as it takes shape.
Intend to cut the entire back off leaving just a mono shock and the tailfin with a tiny
seat.
Have a good Xmas and happy new year
Many thanks
Mark
This is my GT380B, the last year Suzuki made them. It was a basket case when I bought it, had a bent wrist pin in one piston and a bad crank bearing.
The rod with the bad piston checked out straight,
replaced the loud outer bearing and both outboard seals, new pistons, rings and pins. The
mags are GS450 rear and front is a GS550, both fit right on with no problems. I also have
a GT750A and a TS250R in work.
Barry.
Like the wheels Barry, a worthwhile mod!
Hi thanks for the link on soc site, enjoyed looking at gt550.com and
hope it gets bigger, here is a pic of my gt380 all rechromed brand new pipes from the usa,
new paint etc,
cheers John Parrott(uk)
Great web site...........I got this GT from my Dad - a 1976 GT380 and spent anout $75
modifying it. This bike draws more attention than my custom Harley....
PS Not real Nitrous, it's my 2-cycle oil tank I made out of a Fire Extinguisher
Mike Ribeiro
Mike, that really is a nice looking bike - the 'NOS' bottle is a great trick!
It just makes me shudder to see you guys riding in shorts - below is a pic of what happened to me at 30mph in full armoured leathers and a back protector, (broken arm, 2 smashed vertebrae, damaged spleen and a collapsed lung, that's 24 staples where they operated on my back) - look at the helmet - that would've been my face, as it was I only got a black eye and lost 2 teeth....
What looks cooler - no helmet or a wheelchair? (No offence - it's just my hobbyhorse lately...lecture over....)
Hello Clivey,
I hope you are getting well from your nasty little spill. My old 75 GT 550 is finally
starting to take some shape.It still has a long way to go but I had to get out and ride.
That means somethings will have to wait for awhile. Anyway I just wanted to thank you and
everyone on the forum for all your help and parts. I've got a couple of before and after
pics.Once again, keep it going. This is the only place where there is anyone who knows
about these bike and is willing to help another out.
The entire front end and swing arm are from a 1993 Suzuki GSX 750 (with a lot of
modifcation of course) But it all worked real well especially the rear disk brakes.The
gearing is a little tall but it will work for now. From one way or another I believe the
pipe on there once belong to you. Been having some jetting issues and if you have a little
time I might have some question for you. When i get further along I will send you some of
my gt550/servi-car trike project. It is pretty stupid, but having a great time doing it.
Thanks Again,
Zakk
Zakk - that looks really sweet - the wheels and
forks don't look out of place at all.The Cafe racer look suits it well. Perhaps you could
do an illustrated article on the mods for me - I'll post it up in the Features section....
Mind you - I'm still looking for an FZR400 1WG to put a GT engine in - then spray it Heron
Suzuki colours....
Hi Clive
Please find attached a few snaps of my 550L resto. Yes the pics were taken high up in the
Chilterns on a very chilly day this April- proof positive that she does work and I do ride
her, even in sub 5 degree temperatures!
The restoration took a relatively modest 16 months to complete. OK, so she ended up
costing a bob or two - but I think she's worth every penny - and every hour. I started
with a 16,000 mile, 2 owner machine which was pretty straight but, as usually happens,
every last part - inside and out - ended up being refurbed, refinished, replated or, more
usually, replaced NOS. My two main suppliers were 'GT' Reiner and Manfred Schoenherr in
Germany. Their stock is huge and the quality is always second to none - Germans doncha
know. Manfred is particularly good with the very rare parts - a complete NOS airbox
assembly was his finest hour!
Crowning glory - or crowning idiocy - depending on your point of view, was having a set of
24 'S' head bolts made for the crankcase halves. That was when I knew I needed a holiday.
Just recently I've managed to track down the original owner and will be nipping over to
Watford to show him the old girl in the near future - should be fun seeing the expression
on his face.
Cheers for now - Chris
That's an immaculate restoration Chris - I will never achieve that sort of quality! I did notice a speck of dust on the oil pump cover though....
Recently bought this, gt380j, doesn't look too bad eh? Many years ago had a couple of kettles, hustler, t500l,a 550 that had a bump (repaired and sold before i rode it, and loads of non suzuki's. Hope you get this, and thanks for the use of the site. My name is Barry, and i live in west wales..........cheerio for now..............
Glad you found us Barry - now go spread the word.. :-)
Hi,
Just found your web site - well done! Your GT550 looks great, obviously worth the blood
sweat and tears.
Thought you might like to see mine. I have owned it from brand new in May 1976. Bought it
straight out of the Suzuki dealers window just as you see it now - I fell in love with it
as soon as I clapped eyes on it. As far as I know, it is genuine Dunstall kit - I suspect
that there are not too many like it around?
Take care!
All the best,
John.
That's a real beauty John, the yellow is eye watering, probably better still in the flesh! You're actually the 3rd Dunstall on the site - but I've yet to see one in the flesh!
Thought you might like to see my ongoing GT380 four cylinder project
which I can't afford to finish unless I sell my other bike a '78 Suzuki GT250X7, just
posted an add on your forum so hopefully might get some interest??
Here's the 500 four cylinder
And here's my X7:-
Cheers,
Steve
Steve - that motor just looks barking mad - love to hear it running, can we have a square 6 next time please.. :-)
Congratulations on being the first X7 on the site too!
Hey this is Toke from Denmark?
I cuttent miss that you havent any pics. of a GT 125 on your website! I got one just
before my 18birtsday, fore almost no money. And its good when you are a student! Its a
quite rare bike and everywhere i go people just love it. I think everthing on it is from
1975 when it was made. 20000Km have the little bike droven. So its like a new one still.
Im 19 now so one year whit problem free driveing thats very nice Most of luck to you
little website
~Toke~
......and congratulations to Toke for having the first GT125 on the site, it looks sweet, keep it as an investment - an appreciating classic!
Hello Clivey,
Thank you for starting this GT550 site. I'm hoping to get allot of valuable information
over the course of the coming months. I'm 44 years old and have found a renewed interest
in my GT after going to the Drag races (IHRA sanctioned track) about 45 minutes away from
where I live. My GT550 is a 75 model It was my first bike and the same one was also my
4th. So I've had it along time. It has been sitting in my shed since 88 when the cost of
insurance became unreasonable. Anyway back on track, I have been talking to the guys who
race bikes telling them I'm thinking of running my GT there, they didn't laugh but all but
told me to invest in a GS1100 cause I'd have more fun. Well I'm not the kind of person
that likes to be told "I can't or you shouldn't". So I'm on a mission to prove
them wrong. So I hope with the help of fellow enthusiasts I'll find the information I need
to make this GT I have a real screaming demon. I'm sure there are lots of little tricks
one can do to the motor that will really increase performance.
I have enclosed a couple of pictures I took this morning after I pulled her out of my shed and hosed off the dust. I spent the next 2 hours stripping her down.
At his time all that remains together is motor and frame. Motor will
come out one night this week, and torn down. She still has pretty good compression though.
Thanks and look forward to further correspondence!
Best regards,
Vern Barton
Pleased to have you with us Vern, you'll be amazed how a bit of spit and polish, elbow grease and TLC will make them shine and sing!
Mail me to talk
about your GT, or ask me a question, even send me a pic! 
Why not log onto the GT550 forum - it's
fun and free! 
