Suzuki 2 Strokes

Hi all, just picked up a ‘73 GT550, in very rough shape but 100% complete (albeit in a few boxes, and I don't think the handlebars are stock). I’m actually in the middle of restoring another bike so won’t begin this for a while, but am very excited and just wanted to let you know.
To my horror there was a nest underneath the seat complete with seeds, but no signs of chewed wires thank god. I sprayed all the rubber with Armor All to stop any further dry rot, and sprayed every nut and bolt with WD-40 to put a halt to further rusting, though I have no illusions of the enormous restoration ahead. I've always considered the blue GT550 to be one of the very nicest looking bikes of that era. No idea yet what the original color was, but someone painted it an awful black, but I have every intention on restoring it to one of those blue beauties!

Anyway, I’ll eventually be posting updates on my progress.

Thanks,
Chris

Hi and welcome to the 550 club! You are right you have some work to do there. Here is a link that may help you
https://www.oldjapanesebikes.com/mraxl_ ... /index.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks GT, for the welcome, and the link!

Welcome to the asylum. My first 550 resto was a 1973 GT550K model, and I'm currently on with a 1972 J model. There's plenty of help here.
This site might help too - http://www.suzukicycles.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - lots of model and colour info.
My K rebuild - viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7198&view=previous#p132230" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Welcome! You have a fair amount of work ahead of you but persistence and patience will see you through. You’ll find this forum helpful and friendly. Where in the US are you?

Good luck & have fun with that GT550 build.


I’m close to finishing a ’72 GT550 cafe build. I started with a fugly bike that had less rust than yours.
viewtopic.php?f=21&t=13106

The one sore spot on finding parts is the exploding starter clutch. Early GT550s have a starter clutch that tends to eventually self destruct.
The upgrade is discussed in Service Bulletin GT-26: http://www.ozebook.com/compendium/techb ... 022-26.pdf

The upgraded clutch parts have long been NLA, but complete late-model clutches show up on eBay from time to time.
Per the service bulletin, there are some part tolerance issues, so you should try to get a complete starter clutch + clutch mechanism.
Your bike might already have the upgrade. Its worth checking to see if you needs the parts. Or just go on the assumption that you need the upgrade.

Thanks so much for the helpful links. I’m in New Hampshire, riding season is just about over, sadly, but she won’t see the road for quite some time haha. Ah, so this is another bike with starter clutch issues huh? I went through that once with a 750 Virago. I actually like the fact that the bike is so rough looking, it’ll make it that much more enjoyable when she’s shining like a diamond!

Congratulations! I too, am starting a 73 restore. I'm gonna need a lot of help from the experts here (buttering up intentional )