1974 T500 Father and Son Build

Retro, Wild, Cafe, etc. The stuff only your imagination can come up with.

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sportston
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Re: 1974 T500 Father and Son Build

Post by sportston »

Grey_Ghost wrote: It's still moving along, just not as quick as I would prefer!
It never does! Don't worry, progress is progress. And it looks like you are doing a great job rather than a rush bodge job :up: I am watching this thread with great interest. It helps give me a little more impetus towards finishing my old smoker. So thanks for that and good luck with the rest of the build
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Grey_Ghost
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Re: 1974 T500 Father and Son Build

Post by Grey_Ghost »

Howdy!

Continuing the work on the Titan and am finally able to really visualize what this bike will look like when it is done! We are definitely excited for the final product. We're getting to the point where each task brings with it a greater sense of completion!

The last couple weeks has been focused on getting the seat pan built with some minor things here and there. The seat has been a big learning experience since I have never done fiberglass work before. The original seat was garbage and the underlying pan was swiss cheese from rust, except at the mounting locations and along the pan's spine. We trimmed down the rusty parts of the pan so it would provide the backbone to the new seat while still maintaining the factory mounting points. We bought some pink board foam insulation and roughed out the shape and integrated the modified pan frame inside the foam shape. We then draped the entire bike in plastic, fit the foam buck/metal pan onto the factory mounting locations and proceeded to lay the fiberglass mat. (NOTE - Pink foam board does NOT like fiberglass resin! I realized this as I watched in horror as the foam board melted away under the wet fiberglass mat! Thankfully, the mat set before too much of the foam melted away.) I have continued to lay up additional layers of fiberglass on the rear tail section as well as underneath to box in the pan and build rigidity. Next step is body filler and sanding.

I purchased a set of small, sleek LED turn signals that mount at the factory locations which really look nice. The rear tail light is fitted inside the new tail section. When the seat pan is complete I will trim down the original license plate mount and hang off the end of the trimmed down rear fender.

We have wrestled much trying to determine an acceptable color scheme. We want it to be unique, but age well. Currently, we're thinking black with red accent/graphic.

I know, this is a Suzuki forum and I run the risk of being exiled and labeled a heretic, but I figured there has to be few of you guys who, albeit secretly, would totally understand! I picked up a '75 Kawasaki H1 last weekend for a measly $400!! Motor is locked, but is essentially complete. I initially convinced the wife it would make a good flip project, but the more I think about it, I think this may become a permanent family member. I'm not a big fan of these bikes in stock form, so I am thinking about giving it the same treatment as my son's Titan. What do you guys think? I would love to hear from you.
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Grey_Ghost
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Re: 1974 T500 Father and Son Build

Post by Grey_Ghost »

sportston wrote:
Grey_Ghost wrote: It's still moving along, just not as quick as I would prefer!
It never does! Don't worry, progress is progress. And it looks like you are doing a great job rather than a rush bodge job :up: I am watching this thread with great interest. It helps give me a little more impetus towards finishing my old smoker. So thanks for that and good luck with the rest of the build
Thanks for the compliment! I hope everyone enjoys this thread as much as we are enjoying this build! Like you, I also get a lot of inspiration and drive from the folks here who, through a lot of trial and error, create beautiful machines while working late nights in cold garages with inadequate tools.

Here's a couple pictures of the airbox assembly in its final condition.
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sportston
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Re: 1974 T500 Father and Son Build

Post by sportston »

Its looking great. I like the looks of the Kwacker too. Another interesting project to play with. Hope you keep us posted on that resto also. Its the wrong forum for Kwackersakis I know, but their 2-strokes are great too!
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Grey_Ghost
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Re: 1974 T500 Father and Son Build

Post by Grey_Ghost »

Howdy!

We've (in truth, me) been working on fitting up the rearsets on the bike this last week or so. A small grinder and portable MIG welder are indispensable if you want to do any type of customization or fabrication! I bought the rearsets off eBay from a guy that had them mounted on a T500 that he raced. When I bought them I assumed it would be a simple bolt/weld on and I would be good to go. However, that was not the case. The mounting of the pegs was the easy part...the challenge was getting the linkage and shifter sorted out. The Higgspeed pipes sat too close to the shifter and I had to do some cutting, grinding, and fitting of the shifter rod. It is nestled snuggly between the pipes and the lower frame tube. It's tight, but it works.

The right side chose not to be left out of the fun, either. The linkage, when mounted to the factory tabs, stood off the frame too far and caused issues with the mounting of the rear brake cable. I removed the factory cable mount on the frame and will raise it approximately one inch so the cable enters the mount above the linkage. This will also have to stand off the frame a bit so the cable lines up properly and doesn't cause any binding. This is not completed yet, but should be in the next week or so.

Also completed was the priming and painting of the fenders. I also got the front fender mounted in its final position.

Goodies received in the mail this week included new brake and clutch levers, gas cap and bung (installation of this should be interesting!), and front brake cable.
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sportston
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Re: 1974 T500 Father and Son Build

Post by sportston »

That looks like quite a hassle to fit. You're getting there though. Having kinda similar problems making my rear brake work when the drum brake on my GT380 (from a GS400) doesn't have a cable sleeve fitting on it. Tricky but not impossible. Keep up the good work. Thanks for showing us your progress. I reckon those rearsets make it look a lot sexier than the standard pegs.
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Grey_Ghost
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Re: 1974 T500 Father and Son Build

Post by Grey_Ghost »

sportston wrote:That looks like quite a hassle to fit. You're getting there though. Having kinda similar problems making my rear brake work when the drum brake on my GT380 (from a GS400) doesn't have a cable sleeve fitting on it. Tricky but not impossible. Keep up the good work. Thanks for showing us your progress. I reckon those rearsets make it look a lot sexier than the standard pegs.
It will DEFINITELY look sexier!!

Just finished up the right side last night. Little more involved than the left side. I cut off the cable sleeve, built a new tab, and relocated it north about 1.5" from its original location. Not the prettiest, but it works!
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Zunspec4
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Re: 1974 T500 Father and Son Build

Post by Zunspec4 »

Hi Grey_Ghost

I used the same rear sets on a race build, good value for money. We cheated on the rear brake set-up by modifying a std. item.

Image

Cheers Geoff
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Grey_Ghost
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Re: 1974 T500 Father and Son Build

Post by Grey_Ghost »

Zunspec4 wrote:Hi Grey_Ghost

I used the same rear sets on a race build, good value for money. We cheated on the rear brake set-up by modifying a std. item.

Image

Cheers Geoff
I'm cautiously optimistic about them at this point, Geoff. They look good, but feel a tad sloppy in their action and I have a little concern how they will perform off the workbench...I guess I will find out soon enough!

Began working on the gas tank this week. The original cap was in rough shape and was missing the entire lock assembly and I had not been successful in locating a replacement part. We spent some time looking for a replacement cap, as well. Finding a functional and presentable T500 gas cap over here is a challenge. They are either thrashed or cost $250! The best option we found was a tab-style chrome cap and bung purchased through Low Brow Customs. This worked out much better than I could imagined! After carefully cutting the exterior lip of the existing gas filler neck, we removed the filler neck from the tank. The Low Brow bung slipped right into the hole with a perfect fit! I brazed around the filler neck and with a little touch up with a grinder wheel, the new cap fits like factory. Very happy with the results! And the cap and bung only cost me about $20! If any of you are looking for a low budget fix on your Titan gas cap, the Low Brow setup fits like a glove!

Link for the gas cap...https://www.lowbrowcustoms.com/cycle-st ... hrome.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Link for the bung...https://www.lowbrowcustoms.com/filler-n ... gIFqfD_BwE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!
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sportston
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Re: 1974 T500 Father and Son Build

Post by sportston »

Nice job! I like the economy and great look of this mod. :up: And I spent a fortune on a re-chromed one. :| :oops:
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Grey_Ghost
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Re: 1974 T500 Father and Son Build

Post by Grey_Ghost »

Howdy,

I've spent the last two weeks prepping and sanding the tank, seat pan, and side covers. The gallon of Bondo, which I thought would be PLENTY, has proven barely adequate!! I thought I had a good picture of the tank, but apparently not, so you just get to see the seat pan. Overall, the seat pan is essentially a pig wearing lipstick. (There's a reason I haven't posted pics of the fiberglass work :wink: ). While not very pretty underneath, she's plenty sturdy. I have also attached a pic of the style of seat we're looking for. Final color will be black with red lettering/striping.
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Grey_Ghost
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Re: 1974 T500 Father and Son Build

Post by Grey_Ghost »

Howdy! I’ve got a question I could really use your help with...I’ve got concerns about the integrity of the stock fuel petcock and don’t have the funds to buy a new Pingle tap. Can any of you guide me to someone who sells a rebuild kit? Thanks a bunch!
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akendall1966
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Re: 1974 T500 Father and Son Build

Post by akendall1966 »

You can get aftermarket tap complete at various places for probably less you could spend accumulating the parts to rebuild the OEM tap

Search for:
NEW SUZUKI T20 T10 S32 T250 T350 T500 FUEL TAP PETCOCK
On the well known auction site

Not tried one myself yet, but sure I have seen someone on the forum try one.

AK
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Grey_Ghost
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Re: 1974 T500 Father and Son Build

Post by Grey_Ghost »

akendall1966 wrote:You can get aftermarket tap complete at various places for probably less you could spend accumulating the parts to rebuild the OEM tap

Search for:
NEW SUZUKI T20 T10 S32 T250 T350 T500 FUEL TAP PETCOCK
On the well known auction site

Not tried one myself yet, but sure I have seen someone on the forum try one.

AK
Thanks for the info! A couple of questions, however...How much of a role does the vacuum diaphragm play in the big picture? Will just using a regular petcock cause issues with flooding/starting/running?
karl pa
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Re: 1974 T500 Father and Son Build

Post by karl pa »

I put a manual one on my 75 T500 a few years ago with no issues.
Vacuum tap or manual tap relies on float and needle valve to prevent flooding while running,just be sure to turn off when not in use.
76 GT185
77 GT250
77 GT380
76 GT500
73 GT550
73 GT750
74 GT750
71 T250 scrambler
75 T500 cafe
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