Kawi2strokes.com Forum

I kind of like this T500 1972 model. Not planning on bidding but just wondering if these are very desireable to ride and own. Thanks.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1972-Suz ... v4exp=true

I currently own several '68 and '69 T500s and bought my first one back in 1972. The bikes are extremely reliable, not uncommon so see one with 50k miles that has not been rebuilt. It is an extremely simple bike, very easy to repair and rebuild. On the other hand they are not very refined. They tend to vibrate at the foot pegs to the point it gets your attention. The brakes are so so and the front forks are crude compared to anything fairly modern. The GT550 is a more refined bike but I own the T500 BECAUSE it has soooo much character and it is a vintage bike you can ride without being concerned about breaking down (assuming you start with a good one.)

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Frank
Decatur, AL
68 Cobra - 83 BMW R80st - 88 TDR250 - 87 RZ350

+1 They are geared pretty high, and are more 'relaxed' all round than the triples, Not a lot of power, but they don't do anything wrong, either!!

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"One day, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching." : anon.

What's a decent one worth ? There's a nice one on a semi local craigs list for 2800. That doesn't sound too bad to me. it's orange, I kind of like the green one on ebay better.Good to know they are reliable even if they are not that fast.

Wow...nice one with less than 5k miles ! And SS expansion chambers.

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Busy doing more riding than wrenching.......

Yep, one of the few 70s bikes I've had and wouldn't mind having again. Not particularly great at anything, but not bad at anything either. It's a bigger bike so fits taller people better. I had a '71.
Nice to ride, Get it!
Mark

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Obstreperous stink wheels!
1975 Yamaha RD350
1975 Yamaha TZ750
1980 Moto Guzzi SP1000
2019 Triumph T100

I had a gold '68 with the big 34mm Mikunis - what a gorgeous bike. I thought it was me attracting the girls at the time but truth to tell, they just wanted a ride on the big Suzuki. (That was in the middle of the Vespa/foxtail craze. Big gold Suzuki, game over.......! )

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"One day, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching." : anon.

Two day remaining and only up to 3k !!!

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Busy doing more riding than wrenching.......

I do love those chambers on that bike.

Nice machine. I had an old 74 but it needed a full makeover, so I parted it. The engine is slated for my go kart one day once I get all the bikes I have up and running. It would be cool to take a stock looking machine like this and build a sleeper bike, provided you could loose a few pounds on the chassis.

Looking up these machines when I got it, most people seem to say they are pretty rock solid, not real 'horse' machines, but what they lacked in horsepower was made up in reliability. Through 74, some people complained about the oil delivery to the tranny backside, maybe to one of the gears, saying it was burning up a gear or bearing. I saw where some people were modding the block while they had them apart to help eleviate the issue. I'm sure there's someone more 'in the know' on these machines than I am, maybe they can comment. It's possible I could have it wrong, Its been a long time since I looked into the mechanicals.

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74 H2B with reeds and 34mm carbs
75 S3A Ram Air with reeds and 30mm carbs
73 S2A (wife's bike)
71 Yammi RT1B
83 HD Sportster
03 Yammi R1
06 Kaw 750 Vulcan (wife’s bike)
12 Yammi vstar 250 (wife’s bike)