Archived Posts

Post by **Admin** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:38 am

It's not a dirtbike anymore. I only run it on the street, and rarely. It's so loud that I really only ride it at Deals Gap. It was just something to do.....

Lane

Post by **Admin** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 3:29 am

Okay I'll bite... What type of pipe do you have that makes it so loud?

Post by **Admin** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 6:37 am

Well Lane ,
That is a heck of a vintage Motard but I am looking to get this one back close to original.It is a 73 .Even looking for a side cover to buy to have paint sample.
I ride different street bikes ,just wanting to be able to go off road when I want too. Had a 77 RM 250 in the day ,wicked little bike that wound up hurting everyone that rode it.
Now just slower. I have an original 1970 TS 250 that is O.K. Just like a little more speed of the 400 on highway.
Thanks Kenneth

Post by **Admin** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 6:07 pm

Back in 1971, I was out on a photo shoot for Suzuki. Champion Spark Plug company used the bike for their ad shoot in North Hollywood California. The photographer was one of those that had to wait for the golden hour when the sun was setting and cast that golden hew on everything. Meanwhile, the doors are getting locked at the Santa fe Springs headquarters of Suzuki. I ended up taking the bike home (what else was I going to do with it?). I wouldn't be able sleep thinking about this handmade, titanium soaked jewel sitting in a van with U.S. Suzuki pasted all over the thing!! So it ended up in my living room (parents house). The folks just about crapped when I told them the value of the bike. They couldn't resist and took the picture. Oddly enough, we had two other works bikes stolen from a truck parked behind U.S. Suzuki. The Dipwads were stupid enough that they went to a local Suzuki dealer for parts!!!... Idiots
Willie

Post by **Admin** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 7:17 pm

I remember that bike well. COOL!

Lane

Post by **Admin** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 7:26 pm

It's a JEMCO chamber with a 1.25" baffle core. It's not as loud as an open pipe, but it was louder than all of the Triples at DG last May. The other thing that keeps it in the garage most of the time is that it simply isn't any fun where I live. You must have turns to make this bike any fun.

Lane

Post by **Admin** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 8:14 pm

That was a little before my time but Have always Lusted after the Factory works Racers.Thank you for Posting the Picture Willie.

Post by **Admin** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 5:45 pm

I hope you can appreciate how fortunate you are for the experiences you have had. I'd like to sit down, shoot the breeze and split a 12 pack with you sometime!

Post by **Admin** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:01 pm

Suzuki used to send out a magazine around to its dealers every quarter in the 70s, it usually had in loads of photos of new bikes or products and all sorts of racing related info.
I distinctly remember the pics of the factory "R" series dirt bikes shown in the magazine that Roger "the man" Decoster and Gerrit "the dutch dentist" Wolsink rode in the open class.
At a mere lad in his early teens THESE bikes were the ultimate dream to own or just see in action.
Heres some old b/w photos in my posession that i took digital pics of. These Suzuki would send out to their dealers periodically, as you can see some are studio shots while others were obviously taken by factory photographers at the events.

Post by **Admin** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:18 pm

GT Tim wrote:I hope you can appreciate how fortunate you are for the experiences you have had. I'd like to sit down, shoot the breeze and split a 12 pack with you sometime!

Hey Tim, you mean we only get 6 a piece?? What the Heck.... Really,not a days goes by that I don't think about my travels and the people I met and worked with while at Suzuzki. If I get the oppotunity to be in your neck of the woods, I'll get a shout out to you and we can tip some.
Willie

Post by **Admin** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:30 pm

Suzsmokeyallan wrote:Suzuki used to send out a magazine around to its dealers every quarter in the 70s, it usually had in loads of photos of new bikes or products and all sorts of racing related info.
I distinctly remember the pics of the factory "R" series dirt bikes shown in the magazine that Roger "the man" Decoster and Gerrit "the dutch dentist" Wolsink rode in the open class.
At a mere lad in his early teens THESE bikes were the ultimate dream to own or just see in action.
Heres some old b/w photos in my posession that i took digital pics of. These Suzuki would send out to their dealers periodically, as you can see some are studio shots while others were obviously taken by factory photographers at the events.

Hello Allan, I remember those magazines and was fortunate enough to be in a couple here in the US. When Roger and Gerrit were traveling the US transam circuit in the early 1970's, Roger autographed my Bell Magnum helmet. This was really great, except one of the test team members that was visiting at the same time took a fancy to my helmet. Evidently, Bell helmets were either very rare or expensive (or both) in Japan. I gave him the helmet. I think I ended up with a race worn factory jersey that Gerrit wore at a race at Ascot park in Gardena California. My "EX" wife decided to wash it with some others clothes one day and something in the wash turned it GREEN!!! One other reason I wanted to kill her! Oh the story I could tell you about Barry Sheene at Daytona in 1974, but I will save that for another time.
Thanks for the response to the post!!
Willie

Post by **Admin** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 6:15 pm

Ahhhh.....the RN71 !!!! We had a big poster of that bike on the wall in the showroom at the dealership I worked at. I wonder what happened to that poster ??? I'd sure like to have it in my basement now......
We used to breathlessly await the results of every race on the calendar in the motocross world. Win on Sunday and sell on Monday....just like Nascar. The RN's and RH's sold a ton of TM's for us.....and a few TS's, if the boss's tongue was working exceptionally well that day.....

Thanks for the memories, Willie.

Post by **Admin** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 6:25 pm

Ken:
TS400K....a buddy of mine had one as his very first bike and he bought it at the shop where I worked. We didn't know each other at the time but I'll always remember the four-eyed almost-midget who bought the first K model 400 we took out of the crate. We shop guys laughed and laughed about this guy who thought he was big enough to:
A) stand it up
B) be able to kick it over
C) actually ride it
In the event, Bill DID learn to do all those things and was so happy with the TS, he bought a new RM370 later on.....and rode it in the woods as a cross-country bike !!!

One of the original colour schemes was a beautiful satiny dark metallic blue with orange decals. Very nice and restrained but pleasing to the eye.
We won't talk about the green colour scheme since that's a real sore point with me.

Post by **Admin** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 11:19 pm

As far as i can remember those TF models were only made in the 125 and 185 versions and for a very short time too.
Besides the bigger tank they also had on a half seat and rear rack combo which made them 'one rider' machines and were offered with knobbys and came in a orange/red colour.
Heres a C model photo:

http://www.suzukicycles.org/photos/TF/T ... us_500.jpg

Post by **Admin** » Sat Dec 29, 2007 7:06 am

Thanks for the reply.
Still looking for a body part to buy to match color or somebody have one on loan to match.I cannot find color chart that is in good enough shape to pull a match off.
Just one of my bikes I would like to bring back to original.Hoping to take to friends in Tennesee this coming year to ride at the Lorreta
lynn Ranch Function and enjoy some of that country riding there.
Does anybody have a body part for Sale or loan that is 73 Coronado Blue?
Thanks Kenneth

Archived Posts

Eye Candy! Joel Roberts RN71 in my living room!!