GT380 New and used parts

[Mikey GT380]

Hey everyone!
So the 380 project has started and, of course, I'll need to buy various new and used parts as the months proceed. I've checked out ebay and seen that there's a lot of seal kits, rubbers, springs, bearings, gaskets and the like but quite expensive. Is ebay a good place to go or can anyone suggest a good mail order depot? I live in Australia but I realise that I might have to get parts shipped from the USA or UK.
Thanks, Michael.

[yeadon_m]

Hi Michael,

First, this group has members in Aus such as Roger who hopefully can give you good, local info.

For mail order (if the postage doesn't kill the deal) then two possibilities I've used a lot:
-Discount Bike Spares http://www.discountbikespares.co.uk/our ... GT380.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(do note that quite a few new parts have different finishes, bolt heads etc than the originals, so if originality is important then...)
-email: gtreiner1@aol.com - Reiner (Germany) holds a very good range of NOS parts (though please don't expect exhausts ) and is a highly reliable and trustworthy private seller.

Ebay IMO is best for the odd rare/unusual part such as one you wish to get restored when your own is missing, eg a brake calliper, if you have it missing or damaged, while new ones are neither available nor needed, you can definitely pick up one for restoration easily enough.

Last, an easy way to look up part numbers if you don't have a parts book is here - navigate to year / model / section etc
http://www.alpha-sports.com/suzuki_parts.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good luck!
Mike (UK)

[GT750Battleship]

Hi Michael,I can't add much more than Mike in the UK has said in regards to sourcing parts for your GT380,I always ask the question these days about what's still available from Suzuki Australia,they surprise me with what they have in stock in Melbourne for the GT750.GT Reiner in Germany is very good & knowledgeable about the Triples,& have bought lots of parts from him without a problem.
Good luck with the 380 resto...where abouts are you in Australia ?
Cheers,
Roger
GT750A

[joolstacho]

Suziparts Australia Ph 08 8295 1661.

ray@suziparts.com.au

Ray is a Suzi specialist with lots of stuff.

[Mikey GT380]

Thanks very much for your replies, everyone.
Roger, I'm in Perth.
I was hoping to het the bike started before the full dismantle and the paint, polish and restore work gets underway.
So, I removed the float bowls from the carbs and blew out the dust, made good the HT cables connections to the plug caps and checked for sparks, mixed up some fuel with 2 stroke oil 20:1 (because I don't trust the oil pump at this stage) and pulled the battery from my car as a temporary measure so that I wasn't depending entirely on the magneto.
After a few kicks, guess what? That's right, it didn't start. Ha ha!
Now, I know that the 2 stroke system is dependant on crankcase pressure and that those seals down there could be in a pretty bad state after being left for 20 odd years. But, compression feels pretty good at the kickstart and I was determined to hear the motor fire up before I went to work on it to give me the determination to complete the job.
So, next I checked the contact breaker points for cleanliness and gap and it all seemed pretty good... Until... and here's the strange thing: The Haynes manual suggests rotating the motor by putting a 14mm spanner on the end of the shaft where the points are and rotating clockwise (engine rotating in reverse). This is when I discovered that the spanner would keep turning in 90 degree increments (not 120 degree) WITHOUT the crankshaft going round.
So, the question is: have I stripped gears or splines in that camshaft mechanism and buggered up all hope of ever having proper ignition timing?
Thanks. I appreciate your time to read this. Cheers, Michael.

[karl pa]

The GT380 points shaft is driven by a nylon gear off the crankshaft,if you try turning motor with this side it will break the nylon gear.These gears are still available from suzuki.

[Alan H]

I would suggest taking the head and barrels off and filling the cases with diesel. Turn the engine over steadily and occasionally for a few days, drain and do it all again.
My logic as an engineer is that the diesel softens the crank seals and also any crap on the crank where the seals rub so that when the engine eventually does start, the seals aren't worn/torn by rusty crank journals.
Make sure all the diesel is drained out (use the SRIS outlets under each crank) and then with a bit of luck and a squirt of easy start, the engine should run. I would also completely strip and clean the carbs, not just the floatbowls.
Make sure the bearings are well oiled before starting just for luck too.
I did this with a 550 that hadn't run for possibly 40 years and 1500+ miles later, it's still running fine.

[Mikey GT380]

Thanks for your help, guys.
Ah, well. It looks like I'm going to have to split the crankcase to inspect that nylon gear. So while I'm in there, I can assess the state of the seals.
Cheers, Michael.

[Alan H]

Just take the clutch cover off - the big cover that the points are attached to and the bits you need are behind there. Part 31. Have a look HERE (Clicky)

[karl pa]

Alan is right,pull clutch cover and the nylon gear comes off with the cover,assembling is tricky because you must align timing marks on everything,on mine i had all marks on but still was still a few degrees off.