Calling all T500M owners!

[Rustygt550]

Hi Guys,
If anyone has a 75 T500m could you please take a look at the bolts that hold the rider footrests onto the frame to see if they are domed or flat headed.

Ive seen earlier t500's with the domed heads & Gt500's with flat headed bolts & I am trying to determine the correct type for my restoration.

It seems that the M model was a bit of a crossover model between the T500 & GT500, looking around the web Ive seen pictures of T500m's with the passenger footrests on the swingarm & some with the footrests on the exhausts. Also the oil tank outlets differ between the type with a sump trap (T500) & some with the Gt500 oil outlet. Crankcase breather is another difference some T500m's have a old screw in style breather & some with the GT500 style pressed in breather.

My T500 Frame number is 843** it would be interesting too me anyway!! if any of you T500m owners have the same combination as my bike (passenger footrests on the swingarm, gt style oil tank outlet & Gt500 crankcase breather) with a higher or lower frame number.

[H2RICK]

It seems that the M model was a bit of a crossover model between the T500 & GT500, looking around the web Ive seen pictures of T500m's with the passenger footrests on the swingarm & some with the footrests on the exhausts.

Rusty, the T500's never had footrests on the swingarm to my knowledge. That was a feature of the GT500's only.
However, the factory may have run out of the original style swingarm in the late stages of the M production year and installed the redesigned swingarm that was scheduled for GT production.
Whatever the reason, it was a dopey modification. In my experience, any manufacturer that had originally had footrests on the swingarm changed them over to frame mount style....rather than the other way round like Suzuki did it.
A case in point is the brand H CB400 Four SuperSport of the mid 70's. I could probably find lots of other examples with a little searching.
If your bike came with the later style swingarm and you don't carry passengers a lot of the time, I'd just leave it as is. Then you have a great talking point with any T/GT500 folks you meet up with.

[Wingspan]

FWIW, my '75 T500 had the passenger footrests on the swingarm and the later style breather. Judging from the overall condition of the bike when I bought it I have no reason to think the swingarm wasn't the original part. Not sure on the oil tank, I've not seen a GT500 tank up close so I don't know what to look for. My frame number is 825XX.

[Rustygt550]

thanks for the replys.

Wingspan, my t500 is the same as yours & I reckon mine has its original swingarm too! what type of bolts are used for the rider foot pegs onto the frame?
Here is a few pics of the T500 & Gt500 oil tank outlets. Just out of interest do you know the build date of yours?

[Wingspan]

thanks for the replys.

Wingspan, my t500 is the same as yours & I reckon mine has its original swingarm too! what type of bolts are used for the rider foot pegs onto the frame?
Here is a few pics of the T500 & Gt500 oil tank outlets. Just out of interest do you know the build date of yours?

Thanks for the pics. Mine has the GT style tank outlet as well. According to the frame sticker the build date was 12/74.

As for the peg bolts, I'm afraid a pic is as helpful as I can be as I took mine off about a year ago and the bolts just went in a box with everything else that wasn't going back on the bike:



I'd say they're of the flat head style.

[johnakay]

the early models were fixed to the frame and not the swinging arm.
thats why there is a recess in the pipes.
my old bike.....

cobra....


there seems to be different positions according to which country etc.
check these out ...
http://www.suzukicycles.org/T-series/T500_models.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Rustygt550]

Thanks again guys, Johnny, on your bike where did you get your footrest hanger bolts from?

If any one has any more info on the quirks of the t500m I would be happy to hear them!

Thanks

[johnakay]

Thanks again guys, Johnny, on your bike where did you get your footrest hanger bolts from?

If any one has any more info on the quirks of the t500m I would be happy to hear them!

Thanks

had those made out of stainless(not bolts but pins with a 'p' clip)

[johnakay]

even more confusions this GT's not on the swinging arm!

[H2RICK]

This is REALLY strange.
John's J model has the unindented mufflers with the swingarm pegs.
Wingspan's M has the indented mufflers but has still has the swingarm pegs.
I don't suppose there'll ever be a "solution" to this puzzle....

[wvc]

Crap !! I thought all T500 / GT500 mufflers were the same. Didn't realize some had peg cutouts and some didn't. Now I don't know what style I sent the the chromers for my GT500 project. Guess I'll have to live with whatever I get back, and hope for I sent the right style.

[johnakay]

Crap !! I thought all T500 / GT500 mufflers were the same. Didn't realize some had peg cutouts and some didn't. Now I don't know what style I sent the the chromers for my GT500 project. Guess I'll have to live with whatever I get back, and hope for I sent the right style.

no no no they are all the same,they've all got the indented inc mine.
if you look carefully you will see the tip of it.
and my ol girl was a 'M' model not a 'J' as uncle Rick pointed out.

[jabcb]

Another T500M variation for frame # 78xxx.
Frame mounted footrests & swingarm with plug where footrests would be mounted.

T500_2008-03-11a.jpg

[wvc]

no no no they are all the same,they've all got the indented inc mine.
if you look carefully you will see the tip of it.
and my ol girl was a 'M' model not a 'J' as uncle Rick pointed out.

Whew!! I was scared there for a bit. That would have been a $700 mistake. I just found pics of my gt500 before disassembly, and yep, it too has the peg indentations, even though it has the swingarm mounted pegs. I had sent a different muffler to the chromer than the one that came off the bike due to some road rash on the original. Glad to hear they're all the same.

[CJF]

Where did you end up finding a chromer that would rechrome a used exhaust?