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I cleaned the carbs and reset the float hights (both about 2-3mm low). Took it for a ride and it felt flat and unresponsive. Came back and set to on the ignition, re-set points and set static timing. I then used a strobe to fine tune the timing, all OK on the left but a very intermittant strobe flash on the right. So I fiddled with the RH plug cap and inadvertantly pulled it free of the plug by a little way. Dang me if the engined chimed in on two true cylinders, when I pushed the cap back down it went onto 1 cylinder again. A new set of standard plugs later it's going like good-un again. Seems the "new" plug on the RH cylinder had gone west.

I was wondering why the RH pot was really cool compared to the left, seems like I've been riding a 250 single It wasn't that apparent honest.

Cheers Zunspec

[Admin]

Dofin,


BTW, I personally wouldn't use a ball hone in any bore I had correctly sized, but I'm probably being too conservative.

I used it to bring the bore to final size while chamfering at the same time. Even so, .0002" (.005 mm) isn't worth worrying about, IMHO. Most folks don't even have equipment to measure such a small amount. BTW, a lot of folks who get their cylinders bored and expect spot on sizing would be surprised at what they actually got if they measured it.

Stu

[Admin]

They are hard on plugs and I had a similar problem on first startup so I cast round and found a used plug which I installed and bing-bango-bongo...has not missed a beat since. I always have a spare set of new plugs in the toolkit as they notoriously fail.
I only use NGK B7HS as they are the correct plugs for a T500M even though some sources say B77HC.
I'm surprised that the weak cylinder was not puffing out a lot of unburnt mixture. There was a time when you could buy plug caps wih a gap built into them supposedly to get a fatter spark,I guess you inadvertently made your own!

[Admin]

Thanks all for the comments. Sounds like using the standard Champfers will be the way to go. I sure hope my GT's will like it. Dofin

[Admin]

I thought I understood the basic pros and cons of glycol v. silicone but you bring up a good point regarding compatibility...I understand that glycol and silicon are incompatible with each other but I want to better understand the effects of using DOT 5 on stock GT750 calipers that have been completely rebuilt with all new seals.

Are stock GT750 caliper seals incompatible with silicone based brake fluid? What is the material used for the GT750 seals and o-rings (ie Buna, Viton, EPDM or other)

I thought I would post if it might help....

Silicone Brake Fluids

In years past, all brake fluids were glycol. Then D.O.T. 5, a silicone fluid having a higher temperature rating, emerged, initially to meet the higher boiling point requirements of racing use. (Race car brake systems include oil-cooler-like heat exchangers and ceramic pads.) Silicone fluid was able to withstand the most heat of any brake fluid, so it earned a reputation as a racing brake fluid. However, silicone brake fluid has properties very different from glycol fluid, and has its own pros and cons. On the advantage side, silicone fluid will not harm paint or plastic, and does not aggressively attract additional moisture as glycol fluid does. On the disadvantage side however, silicone fluid aerates easily. Harley-Davison, one of the sole current OEM users of silicone fluid, warns buyers to let the fluid sit at least an hour before using it. The trip home in the saddlebag is enough to aerate silicone brake fluid until it looks like a freshly poured soft drink. Silicone fluid is also slightly more compressible than glycol fluid, does not change color to tip the user to its moisture content, and worst of all, neither accepts or disperses moisture, making systems using it more corrosion prone, and requiring much more frequent fluid changes. Silicone brake fluid also lacks glycol fluid's naturally occuring lubricity, making it incompatible with the mechanical valving in some antilock braking systems.

On the practical side, beware that glycol and silicone brake fluids are hugely incompatible with each other. Mixing even small amounts will create a sludge that looks amazingly like Italian salad dressing and is about as effective as a brake fluid -- meaning, not. Of further consideration is that, in some cases, the hardware designed for one fluid will not accept the other. Brake caliper and master cylinder seals, hoses, and other parts won't always work correctly when the type of fluid is changed.

[Admin]

If I may, speaking from experience...

When I rebuilt my Katana 1100, I used DOT5 fluid in the belief that it would be better.
I was mistaken.

I bled the system until the cows came home but I couldn't get rid of a slightly spongy feel and I lost a lot of lever travel.
For whatever reason, the lever moved a heck of a lot more before the pads hit the discs than before (compressibility?).

This brought about the possibility (although I didn't test it) of the lever hitting the bar before the system was at max (clamping) pressure.
The master cylinder on Kats is pretty primitive (not much better than a stock GT) so there was no adjustment available - basically I had to put up with it because changing back to DOT4 was going to be a nightmare.

I don't think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages for general (street) use.
Sure it won't harm paintwork, and I didn't experience any seal deterioration with it, but it didn't feel right at the lever (and was potentially dangerous!).
You will lose braking effectiveness and it costs shitloads more than DOT4, if you can find it.

IMHO, stick with the standard (glycol) stuff.
Paint has come a long way over the years and will withstand DOT4 fluid for a time if you do spill some, but it comes down to careful handling techniques.
Have some water and/or methylated spirits handy to mop up any indiscretions and you should be ok.

Change it every 12 months to stave off moisture contamination and corrosion and use new seals where possible when doing a rebuild and you should be good.


Cheers
Paul

[Admin]

I have run Dot 5 in several bikes and a 1969 Camaro show car. I always started with a clean system that had been dissassembled and was totally clean.
I have never experienced a problem, the brakes on my Waterbuffalo are better than they have ever been, and I have never ruined a brake job with brake fluid on any of them that had Dot5 in them.
Don't know anytbning aobut other folks experiences, but I have yet to see a down side to Dot 5 if you do it right.

Wayne

[Admin]

Evening all,

Well, I spent last Friday entertaining a Journo and photographer from ClassicBike magazine. First a bunch of photos in the garage followed by a couple of sessions blasting to and fro through some corners for some action shots. Great fun was had by all, the jouno loved the T500 and some sort of article, themed on a 1st restoration, should appear in the near future.

However on the return back to my house after the action shots the T500 was again showing its versitility as a 250cc single . Not so bad at higher revs but pulling away from junctions was a bit frail. Back on the bench a day later the symptoms were confirmed when with the bike running the RH header was almost cold and the LH header took the skin off my fingertips. Using a strobe the LH timing mark was clear and steady, the RH mark appeared slightly blurred and moved anti-clockwise (retarding) if the engine was revved. The condernsors test OK, although I do have new set on order, so I am wondering what is causing the trouble.

One of those problems that is not easy to describe unless this post runs into a small book, so I'll let you know how I get on with further investigations.

Cheers Zunspec

[Admin]

Seems to me you have the 'factory supplied coil' malfunction.I don't know for the life of me why that was a malfunction,it just was. My T500 had it from a very early stage and I didn't want to accept that Suzuki effed up in design,but they did.Maybe they outsourced the coil manufacturing and quality control sliipped by them,whatever,they were at fault. Look at your coils and if you see the slightest unusual cracking in the casing,look no further.You can only prove it if you have a brand new set of plugs and the misfire problem still occurs.
In my experience,condensers rarely fail,points too,if points are failing they do so visibly.If one set of points shows to be faultless with the strobe test the other side should too and can be rectified with the engine running,deftly.
The cure is simple really. Just look closer and not trust factory supplied OEMs.....let us know where to find your expose-eh in literature. If probs continue,keep asking here,tons of knowledge readily available.

[Admin]

Hello all,

Well the T500 got a 5 page spread in the August edition of Classic Bike. Hope I represented the marque adequatley. The front brake did not get a good report so a bit more work required there (still, made it a bit more exciting for the journo )

Picture from page 1 0f 5 attached .



Cheers Zunspec

[Admin]

Great, scan the article so we can read it.

[Admin]

The facing page to the previous shot.



I don't want to incur any (oops) copyright misdoings in consideration for the site owners so I had better leave it at that for moment. The issue only came out on Wednesday after all. Well worth the read as it is their bumper "summer" issue, lots of variety.

Jeez, I feel on thin legal ground here

I did have a fun day doing it, although no riding shots of me putting on the style. I must have made 20 - 25 passes in all and was getting quite good at it by then (reality - slow old git pottering around )


Anyway cheers Zunspec

[Admin]

Great stuff. Those photos look pretty cool - can't wait to see the full spread. We get that mag down here in the colonies, so I'll hunt it out.

You can never get enough of the Candy Lavender - by far the coolest looking Titan ever.

Congrats
Mike

[Admin]

Thanks Mike,

I fully agree about the Candy Lavender, It's my personal favourite but I think all T500s are pretty cool.

Sorry for the size of the images, They are linked from my "zunspec" Flickr.com pages (which has the rest of the article, hint there ) The photos in the magazine are even better.

Cheers Zunspec (currently in Boston, MA where it is wetter than back home )

[Admin]

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