T/GT500 battery Protectors

[oldjapanesebikes]

I had a few copies made for my own use, of the three sided rubber battery protector used as original equipment on the GT500, and T500's between 1968 and 1977. This was Suzuki original part number 33651-15000.

In both photos, the original is on the bottom, and the copy is above it. If anyone wants to get one, you can contact Clauss Studios directly to order. Cost should be about $20 USD (plus shipping of course), which isn't bad for a custom, low production run, made in the USA item !





Enjoy !

[Suzsmokeyallan]

Hey Ian i got your message so thanks for the updates, i might as well post here once and save some trees.
That protector has a long and well traveled past,LOL, but its coming home soon, and yes the repros look very decent and are a steal at that price.

[TLRam1]

I need to get one of these.

[ericsattic]

Here is that item on eBay and I bought one to try it out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Suzuki-T ... 1c16b0dc4b" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have all-original 1970 and 1973 T500s with original battery boxes. My problem is when I put this repro rubber tray on the battery it takes up slightly too much room in the battery box and I cannot get the tool bar / battery box bar back on the battery box properly (1/4 inch smaller would about do it. The battery I am using is a Yuasa Battery 12N7-4A. I don't have the measurements for the battery handy but these batteries are supposed to be correct for the bike. My guess is they are just slightly too long (width and height are ok). If someone has bought these repro rubber trays and had them fit successfully can you please let me know the brand and model of the battery you use? Then when its time for a new battery I will try those and hopefully I can get everything to fit. Thanks

[oldjapanesebikes]

Here is that item on eBay and I bought one to try it out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Suzuki-T ... 1c16b0dc4b" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have all-original 1970 and 1973 T500s with original battery boxes. My problem is when I put this repro rubber tray on the battery it takes up slightly too much room in the battery box and I cannot get the tool bar / battery box bar back on the battery box properly (1/4 inch smaller would about do it. The battery I am using is a Yuasa Battery 12N7-4A. I don't have the measurements for the battery handy but these batteries are supposed to be correct for the bike. My guess is they are just slightly too long (width and height are ok). If someone has bought these repro rubber trays and had them fit successfully can you please let me know the brand and model of the battery you use? Then when its time for a new battery I will try those and hopefully I can get everything to fit. Thanks

Hmmm - the ones I've tried seem to fit the holder fine, and they measure near as damn to the original we used as a sample. I have to admit that I haven't tried it with a battery I'll have to do some checking.

[ericsattic]

Here's an update on this situation and I will try not to get too complicated - pictures would help but I do not have them right now. Anyway, I traded the 73 Titan plus some parts and cash for a 68 Cobra so I now have that and a 1970 Titan. My Cobra has an original rubber battery protector and when I compare it to the reproduction protector they're identical in all but one aspect: the original is soft rubber and the reproduction is a hard composite material. The original and reproduction battery protectors BOTH work fine in my Cobra battery box because there is a flat metal "battery bar" on the box to hold everything in there. It's important to note that the tool kit on a Cobra is held on a metal bar attached inside the metal side cover. But on the 69-75 etc... T500's Suzuki changed the side covers to plastic and welded a tool kit holder to the battery bar. Here lies the source of the problem - if you have a "tool bar" on your T500 battery box (you obviously can just go with a flat "battery bar" and not carry a tool kit on the bike - then no problem). Suzuki made the "tool bar" by simply welding a tool holder onto a "battery bar," but metal and welding from the tool bar actually are attached to the inside of the "battery bar." As a result, the area inside the battery box has been decreased ever so slightly. Because the reproduction battery protector is a hard composite material it does not compress like the original natural rubber one, so there can be a real tight fit. So if you have a reproduction battery protector and have this problem you can trim the reproduction battery protector down, or just use a flat battery bar and keep the tool kit at home... end of issue.

[oldjapanesebikes]

Good info - thanks for the detective work !