More of a Resurrection than Restoration!
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 10:08 pm
First off, I'm another new-guy to this forum, but closing in at age 60, I'm hardly a "new-guy". This is about the best forum for 2-strokers I've found. A ton of good info, knowledgable folks, and fun stuff. Keep up the good work & Thanks. We all need a little help from our friends!
I caught the bikin' bug from my dad, way back pre-1960. He had a BSA (650?) with the chrome tank sides as I recall, then later on, a Triumph Tiger I think. I can rememeber cruisin' around town & out in the country more than a few times with the "old man" (younger then than I am now!). Some of my best memories!
In '73 I bought a Honda CB350 from my brother. Great little bike. I put 12K miles on it in about 8 months, the sold it in '74 & got my 1st Suzuki GT550.... a Greenish-gold color '72 "left over". Probably one of the best bikes I ever owned! Had it about 2 years & sold it with 27Kmi on it. Always regretted selling it. About 4 yrs ago I had an opportunity to pick up a '76 GT550 from a friend at work. He needed room in his shed for a new R6 so he wanted it gone. Didn't run a 1st, but it didn't take much to get her going. Front brakes were frozen, but freed up nicely (& work great now!). Not real pretty, & certainly no virgin. She had been twiddled with... alot, but needed some lovin'!
I paid $400 for her, & put an equal amount into new tires, battery, seat cover, & some other little eBay goodies. About that time I let my son take a spin around the yard with her. Did pretty well until an unpracticed clutch jerked him into the door-frame of our equipment shed. Mangled front fender, "adjusted" the headlight & ears, and a few other small tweeks (OH WELL!).
I'll cut this tail short since it's getting kinda wordy. Since then, she's been close to the grave 3 times. Once from an intersection incident, once when the left crank bearing failed & pretty much destroyed that section of the engine, & again when the Right piston blew a hole about the size of a nickel.
Last winter I tore into the engine & replace the crank ('73 salvage eBay), jugs ('74 field salvage), new pistons & rings, wrist pins & bearings. Also cleaned the carbs, fixed leaky carb floats, new chain & a 2-under front sprocket, & a bunch of other minor repairs, along with a decent rattle can paint job.
She's no prize winner, but she starts great, idles well, pulls strong & tops out just over 100mph. We get alot of comments & compliments at all the gatherings, & she's rarely got any 2-stroke "competition" for attention among the multitude of cookie-cutter crotch-rockets, Harleys, -wanna-bees, & Wings. My other bike is a '92 Vmax, & I honestly enjoy the Suz'i just as much..... for different reasons, but just as much.
Since my PC HD croaked last week, I haven't been able to retreive any pix, but I'll try to get some posted soon. Thanks for reading my post. Replies & questions welcomed. I have a bunch of left over parts. Just ask. I'd love for them to help keep another old stroker alive!
I caught the bikin' bug from my dad, way back pre-1960. He had a BSA (650?) with the chrome tank sides as I recall, then later on, a Triumph Tiger I think. I can rememeber cruisin' around town & out in the country more than a few times with the "old man" (younger then than I am now!). Some of my best memories!
In '73 I bought a Honda CB350 from my brother. Great little bike. I put 12K miles on it in about 8 months, the sold it in '74 & got my 1st Suzuki GT550.... a Greenish-gold color '72 "left over". Probably one of the best bikes I ever owned! Had it about 2 years & sold it with 27Kmi on it. Always regretted selling it. About 4 yrs ago I had an opportunity to pick up a '76 GT550 from a friend at work. He needed room in his shed for a new R6 so he wanted it gone. Didn't run a 1st, but it didn't take much to get her going. Front brakes were frozen, but freed up nicely (& work great now!). Not real pretty, & certainly no virgin. She had been twiddled with... alot, but needed some lovin'!
I paid $400 for her, & put an equal amount into new tires, battery, seat cover, & some other little eBay goodies. About that time I let my son take a spin around the yard with her. Did pretty well until an unpracticed clutch jerked him into the door-frame of our equipment shed. Mangled front fender, "adjusted" the headlight & ears, and a few other small tweeks (OH WELL!).
I'll cut this tail short since it's getting kinda wordy. Since then, she's been close to the grave 3 times. Once from an intersection incident, once when the left crank bearing failed & pretty much destroyed that section of the engine, & again when the Right piston blew a hole about the size of a nickel.
Last winter I tore into the engine & replace the crank ('73 salvage eBay), jugs ('74 field salvage), new pistons & rings, wrist pins & bearings. Also cleaned the carbs, fixed leaky carb floats, new chain & a 2-under front sprocket, & a bunch of other minor repairs, along with a decent rattle can paint job.
She's no prize winner, but she starts great, idles well, pulls strong & tops out just over 100mph. We get alot of comments & compliments at all the gatherings, & she's rarely got any 2-stroke "competition" for attention among the multitude of cookie-cutter crotch-rockets, Harleys, -wanna-bees, & Wings. My other bike is a '92 Vmax, & I honestly enjoy the Suz'i just as much..... for different reasons, but just as much.
Since my PC HD croaked last week, I haven't been able to retreive any pix, but I'll try to get some posted soon. Thanks for reading my post. Replies & questions welcomed. I have a bunch of left over parts. Just ask. I'd love for them to help keep another old stroker alive!