GT550 3 into 1

Getting your blazingly fast Suzuki powerplant to perform even better!

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Craig380
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Re: GT550 3 into 1

Post by Craig380 »

That looks super-cool with the Jemco.

Nearly 15 years ago now, but I contacted ZenShin and the price for a 3-1 for my 380 including shipping was pretty reasonable, the whole cost was about two-thirds of a price of a set of new AllSpeeds at the time.

Then I got lucky and found a period Piper 3-1 which sounded incredible. I took the bike to a local bike show, and when I was leaving, EVERYONE stopped and stared when I fired it up. A 10-year-old kid came up to me and said "Wow, what kind of engine is that?" :twisted: :lol:

But it stopped the bike revving at 7,000 as if it had hit a rev limiter. So I sold it and found some period J&R Power Pipe chambers, which added power right through the range.
1976 GT380 - wounded by me, and sold on
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Evans Ward
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Re: GT550 3 into 1

Post by Evans Ward »

Here’s a pic of my JEMCO 3-1 on my GT750A. I elected to have mine chromed and it sounds fantastic! Pulls harder off idle and revs higher than I expected too. The added bonus is the weight savings over the stock 3-4 pipes. Has to be at least 30 lbs savings. I don’t know if I could do a long ride with the increased volume of sound without ear plugs though.... I also did the air jets too when carbs were off for rejecting. Big thank you to teaser for the jetting specs which seem spot on. With this pipe, it sounds like an F1 car at full wail.
34FB708B-4098-4D5F-A1A6-9B17CC81D2BF.jpeg
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1976 Suzuki GT750 (Maui Blue), 1972 Kawasaki H2 750 Mach IV (Candytone Blue), 1984 Yamaha RZ350 (KRR- Yellow/ Black).
Vintageman
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Re: GT550 3 into 1

Post by Vintageman »

jabcb wrote:Would like to see pics of those Zen Shin 3-into-1. Also, how/where did you buy them?
They have a few kinds for GT750 and this one interested me. I will try and take a pic of it on my bike with tape measure along side in pic so we can guess dimensions, next weekend and I put them away for the season. Same with GT550.

I think if you look at your Jemco 3 into 1 and compare you will see the overall tuned length on Zen Shin is inches shorter I think.

Image.

https://ibb.co/vLYF21B" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I bought it from ->

https://www.motoparts-online.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Now I look at emails with them it was $1099(?$999?) plus $350 Shipping quote. They were Sketchy at communication and thought for sure I was screwed ones I paid via Paypal plus 8% transaction fee. But It came after some weeks and packed well in a Zen Shin labelled box.

Zen Shin makes this lovely one for GT380 and judging by its looks, it should perform well.

https://www.croooober.com/en/item/bpart ... otato-Tube" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think if I could figure out various Japanese Auction sites It would cost less to buy, but motoparts-online did get it for me OK.
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Re: GT550 3 into 1

Post by Vintageman »

As promised 8)

Strater 3 into 1 GT550 -> Hmmm, Omar/Jemco may have copied this design best they could

https://ibb.co/sKVGK6t" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

GT550 3 into 3: Ocelot (in front) vs (J&L or Bassani... I was told latter when bought but not sure). Previously I used a string to figure "Tuned" length and Ocelot about 8 inches shorter as discussed earlier in post is a nice tune ->

https://ibb.co/jHpzBqj" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


GT750 Zen Shin "Black" 3 into 1 with Chamber section -> Looked to be a shorter tuned length vs Omar's (Stater?) as I was looking for why I bought it.

https://ibb.co/GP8P6BP" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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jabcb
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Re: GT550 3 into 1

Post by jabcb »

Interesting. I don’t know enough about expansion chamber tech to have insight into the different designs.
But it looks like the Zen Shin “early fat” design cuts into ground clearance a bit too much for Pennsylvania roads.
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Re: GT550 3 into 1

Post by Vintageman »

I think I
jabcb wrote: don’t know enough about expansion chamber
I sure wish I had the skill to fabricate them, still need to keep my day job.

I have have done research and now that I have tried several designs things are making sense and repeatable for me. Tuned" length is one of those fundamental decisions in a pipe design objective one can understand and experience.

For a specific goal, reason states a 3 into 3 should give better performance than a 3 into 1. What I have learned, it is not true that 3 into 1s are low end only and you will loose upper RPM on a stock or mildly tuned street bike. That can be true for a 3 into 3 design as well. It's all what you want and with some basic understanding you can get it - if you can find it or make it yourself. I rely on the former.
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Re: GT550 3 into 1

Post by jabcb »

Looks, sound, cornering clearance & the desire for a center stand are also factors.

Some of the Higgspeed 3-into-3 exhausts are compatible with a centerstand.
The stock exhausts are contoured for the stands. Cornering clearance at the side stand can be a problem with some of the 3-into-3.
The Higgspeed 3-into-3 on my GT380 are REALLY LOUD.

Looks are obviously subjective. For maximum coolness, I like the 3-into-1 & 4LS front brake.
BAS (Bike Acquisition Syndrome) - too many bikes but have room for more

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Craig380
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Re: GT550 3 into 1

Post by Craig380 »

jabcb wrote: The Higgspeed 3-into-3 on my GT380 are REALLY LOUD.
The J&R chambers on my 380 were LOUD too, until I did a 'sandwich' wrapping around the baffle tubes of a layer of wire wool, then a very tight layer of dirt bike silencer wadding, all wired into place. This left the musical tones untouched, but took away the buzz-saw edge to the sound.
1976 GT380 - wounded by me, and sold on
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tz375
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Re: GT550 3 into 1

Post by tz375 »

Vintageman wrote:As promised 8)
...

That 'Strater is not a STRADER as made by Walt Strader. Strader used individual head pipes and the collector is welded to the chamber. What I don't know is if it is miss labeled or if there's actually a STRATER pipe out there.

There are many issues with a 3 into 1 and the main one is that pulses arrive at the wrong time. That's one reason that Sled 3 into 1 pipes always used really short headers to minimize that effect. Yes length and volume have an impact and that needs to be tailored to exhaust duration and projected peak power.

All that aside, a 3 into 1 on a Suzuki to my ears sounds much better than most or maybe all 3 into 3 pipes. They don't make as much power but the sound makes up for that. I have a Strader and a Jemco and they both sound really good.
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Re: GT550 3 into 1

Post by Vintageman »

tz375 wrote:That 'Strater is not a STRADER as made by Walt Strader. Strader used individual head pipes and the collector is welded to the chamber.
Thanks for the info. I actually may have forgotten what the guy on ebay called it. It was a name I heard before and thought Strater or Strader, purchase history is loss, so may be wrong. Via this post It looks very similar to Omar's as stated, but I think the 3 into 1 collection point in a tad different. I'll try to get a close up of that area and exhaust outlet so maybe someone can compare for me. Maybe it is just a chromed Omar. It had thick dust and minor rust pitting so from patina looked older, but that of course depends how it was stored.
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tz375
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Re: GT550 3 into 1

Post by tz375 »

You are right. The seller may have just misspelled the name based on what he thought it was.

I went back and looked at all the pics I have harvested over the years and can't find another one of that pipe you posted as a Strater. Strader used individual down pipes on all the 550 and 750 pipes I have see, but it's always possible that his earlier, or later, pipes might have been a different design.

It's academic, but might be nice to know the story behind that pipe.
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