My first restoration - '77 GT185

For those wanting to keep their bike the way the factory made them.

Moderators: oldjapanesebikes, H2RICK, diamondj, Suzsmokeyallan

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2StrokkenDokken
Still in the Driveway
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:46 am
Country: United States
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1977 GT185

My first restoration - '77 GT185

Post by 2StrokkenDokken »

Hi all! I'm still fairly new to motorcycles but I caught "the bug" a little over a year ago and can't seem to stop finding good deals on bikes :D I've been doing most of my own maintenance but wanted to take a little deeper dive and "rescue" a classic bike. This crusty guy popped up on Facebook and after some back and forth it followed me home. Pics when I bought it:
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2StrokkenDokken
Still in the Driveway
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:46 am
Country: United States
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1977 GT185

Re: My first restoration - '77 GT185

Post by 2StrokkenDokken »

One of the first things I've done is address that nasty chain guard. To my surprise, there was actually metal under there!
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Alan H
Moto GP
Posts: 3160
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2012 11:50 am
Country: England
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 4 x GT550s - J, M, A, B.
Location: The Republic of South Yorkshire

Re: My first restoration - '77 GT185

Post by Alan H »

Welcome to the forum 2SD, you'll find that the 185 is very interesting with the charging system being a DC generator that also acts as a starter motor. Powerwise, it's quite placid until the rev counter hits 5k, then all hell breaks loose and it's a little flier.
Where are you based in the US and what sort of biking experience do you have?
It's good to know which area folks live so that anyone local to you can help with advice, parts and drinking your beer...... :wink:
Think of how stupid the average person is, then realise that half of them are more stupid than that.
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2StrokkenDokken
Still in the Driveway
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:46 am
Country: United States
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1977 GT185

Re: My first restoration - '77 GT185

Post by 2StrokkenDokken »

Alan H wrote: Fri Jun 04, 2021 11:40 am Welcome to the forum 2SD, you'll find that the 185 is very interesting with the charging system being a DC generator that also acts as a starter motor. Powerwise, it's quite placid until the rev counter hits 5k, then all hell breaks loose and it's a little flier.
Where are you based in the US and what sort of biking experience do you have?
It's good to know which area folks live so that anyone local to you can help with advice, parts and drinking your beer...... :wink:
Thank you. I'm in Maine. I have only a little over a year of biking experience but I dove in head first. I love riding and it's more fun and cheaper to tinker on bikes than cars...

And yes, the "charge" light is certainly a strange phenomenon!
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2StrokkenDokken
Still in the Driveway
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:46 am
Country: United States
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1977 GT185

Re: My first restoration - '77 GT185

Post by 2StrokkenDokken »

Seat cover time! I find one for like $40 on eBay and it was easy to install--no staples required! I've never covered a seat before and I think it turned out really well.
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2StrokkenDokken
Still in the Driveway
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:46 am
Country: United States
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1977 GT185

Re: My first restoration - '77 GT185

Post by 2StrokkenDokken »

So in the past few days, I've put on new shocks, mirrors, and I'm proud that I've now mounted my own tires for the first time. The rear is a Heidenau K33 and the front is a TRC TR1 dual sport tire. I went back and forth deciding what tires to get, and since I'm planning on doing some light trail riding in addition to fairly low speed street riding, this was the best compromise. We'll see if I was right, haha. In my opinion they at least do look good together.
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karl pa
To the on ramp
Posts: 490
Joined: Sat Sep 05, 2015 3:14 pm
Country: us
Suzuki 2-Strokes: GT
Location: southeast pa

Re: My first restoration - '77 GT185

Post by karl pa »

Looking Good :up:
76 GT185
77 GT250
77 GT380
76 GT500
73 GT550
73 GT750
74 GT750
71 T250 scrambler
75 T500 cafe
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2StrokkenDokken
Still in the Driveway
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:46 am
Country: United States
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1977 GT185

Re: My first restoration - '77 GT185

Post by 2StrokkenDokken »

karl pa wrote: Tue Jun 08, 2021 2:17 pm Looking Good :up:
Thank you!
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