Suzuki T500 1971

Suzuki T500 from 1971. Engine rebuilt; crankshaft seals, bearings, pistons and water pump are all new. No more than 1,000 km since the rebuild.

When the Suzuki T500 Cobra was launched in 1968 it was a sensation. No manufacturer had built such a big and powerful 2-stroke before.

Suzuki's 2-stroke expertise was put to full use, and this 47 hp twin not only outperformed most 650s of its day but was more reliable too.

The T500 needed less maintenance than almost any other motorcycle, with sturdy roller bearings and a direct-injection oil system in the crankcase.

Performance was almost four-stroke-like too, with plenty of pull from low revs and no oiling of the plugs. In fact the only 2-stroke habit the Cobra had was its remarkable thirst for fuel.

The model got a styling update and became the T500 Titan, with 1970s styling and colour schemes. It stayed in production with changes such as an extra cooling fin on the barrel, now 11 instead of 10, and revised porting. The carburettors also went down from 34 mm to 32 mm. There was no noticeable loss of power, but it now managed a respectable 50 MPG (21 km/l) instead of only 35 MPG (15 km/l). One of the most important changes was the longer swingarm, which improved stability and gave more room for touring, something this model was ideally suited to. For the same reason, stability, a friction steering damper was also specified.

The T500 eventually bowed out in the mid-1970s, now slightly down on the original but more than making up for it with surprisingly good fuel economy.

De originele Cobra en Titan zijn vandaag de dag geweldige klassieke Suzuki's, modelle die de TR500 Road racemachine hebben voortgebracht en succesvolle productieracemodellen die tweemaal op de Isle of Man TT sporen wonnen en beide keren de Honda CB450 versloegen!