T500J resto

[Oilburner]

Completed the restoration of my T500 last year. Here are some pics.

[Fritz500]

Nice! Looks like you have put a lot of effort into the detail.

I'm doing a 500J in the same colour. I'm still chasing parts and building a place to work on it.

Like to share some of the issues in getting it all together?

Thanks

[Oilburner]

There are a few things worth checking. Since the J model never had the mod for the gearbox oil I fabricated a plate to increase the oil to 1700cc. you can find lots of info on it...just google. Make sure all the oil lines are operating correctly as I had to repair one of the lines due to air bubbles in it. This was caused by crankcase pressure forcing the oil back up the line due to a faulty valve at the banjo fitting. Good idea to tap out the main jet emulsion tubes and give them a good clean. It seems as they get clogged up it causes the engine to ping. Mine is doing it as we speak but a fellow club member had similar probs and after much stuffing around found cleaning the tubes and the aerator holes it runs perfectly now. There is some good information and specs on Ozebook as well. For hard to find parts let Paul Miller be your friend. Lots of stuff on Ebay. He might be a little bit expensive but all the parts are top quality or NOS.
I came across a guy on the weekend that has a GT500 that belonged to his grandfather. It was submerged in the floods here in SE QLD. Just need to keep the pressure on him for a sale before it rusts beyond repair.
From start to completion(including purchase price ) the bike owes me about $6500 but I am stoked that it turned out so well. Won second place last year at the Laverda concourse here in Brisvegas for pre 85 japanese bike. Got a nice trophy and a bottle of 4 stroke oil!
Every second person I talk to used to own a T500 and they all wish they still had it.
Good luck with your project.
P.S Never had any trouble putting it together as I have a T250 and a T350. The T500 is the same but the parts are bigger.
Good link
http://www.ozebook.com/compendium/t500_files/tech.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Fritz500]

I'm 90% the way through building my workshop (I retired recently) so I will have a decent place to build the 500J. The one I have is a goer but looks nothing like a J model as the owner (he says he owned it since the mid 70's) made a few changes as it was his day to day transport.

I used to own a second hand green/white 500J when I was young. Was my first big bike. Traded it in on a 500K. I bought a low mileage 500K about a year ago that has been in storage since the mid 80's. Only requires a little bit of work.

Thanks for the workshop info - I deal with Paul Miller and his competition regularly. Happy so far with the service and availability of parts. The chrome side covers were very hard to come by (NOS). One was very cheap, the other wasn't. On average it was bloody expensive! I have most of the critical parts now. I assume 4/5 gear may be shot given the high mileage but I found a near new trannie with great looking gears.

I'm not going to return it to original - I have got a GT750 drum front end that will work a bit better than the standard drum, plus narrower Euro handlebars and alloy rims. I'm going to make up a set of standards wheels and front end in case I decide to sell when I get to old to enjoy it...LOL

Who did your paint job?

Cheer

[Oilburner]

The paint on the bike was done by http://www.buddhasspraypainting.com.au" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; The paint was matched by a small piece of original paint under the fuel cap. There is a mob up here at Narangba that rechromed the plastic parts called The Diecast Wizards. The original fuel cap looked like bird crap and now it looks brand new. I had the side cover parts, tail lamp plastic and the fuel cap done. It wasn't cheap at approx $300 but the results were excellent.

[Fritz500]

I tried the link but got "This Account Has Been Suspended" .

I was quoted really silly prices to re-chrome my old side covers. I may get them done through The Diecast Wizards if there is a market for them. I found a couple of tail light plastic backing plates (still in the packets) that were too cheap to pass up.

What did you do for spokes? Reuse the old ones? I can't find NOS front spokes anywhere.


Cheers

[Oilburner]

The spokes came from Vintage avenue shop in Thailand. Good quality and they can usually supply aftermarket chrome ones or sometimes genuine Jap ones
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUZUKI-T500-I-I ... 53ec2b6523" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Tried the link to Buddhas as well and got the same result although it was working the other day.

[Fritz500]

What made you choose chrome instead of cadmium plated?

So were you happy with the quality of the spokes & nipples? I was just about to ask them to send me a sample of each type so I could check for myself.


Cheers

[Oilburner]

I have purchased a few sets of chrome spokes from vintage avenue and so far I have not has any probs with them. My T250 has had them for about 4 years and they are still ok. Cad plated spokes are ok but they seem to weather after a while and you cant really do much with them when they start to look a bit crappy. When I'm not using the bikes for a while I just spray the wheels with some of that wet look tyre shine and then wash it off when I go riding.