Steve Cooper looks at a machine which survived because of the failure of another Suzuki model.
Those that know – or think they do – might tell you to avoid Suzuki’s biggest two-stroke half litre twin. The mighty Titan, Cobra, Charger, T500/5 et al isn’t a sporting two-stroke in the most commonly accepted format. It won’t win an impromptu quarter-mile drag race, it will only wheelie under the most heinous provocation and, in standard format, won’t best 100 mph in all but the most advantageous circumstances.
No, Suzuki’s first bigger bike marches to an all-together different drum beat. The big two-stroke twin was designed in the early-to-mid 1960s as Suzuki’s only real response to the big British twins that were all the rage stateside. Why didn’t the firm copy the Midlands 500s and 650s? Because they knew two-strokes inside out and didn’t have the resources to develop a pushrod clone. The result was a masterpiece and even now, fifty-eight years after its launch, Suzuki is rightly proud of the bike and especially so of the engine. The big stroker twin matched the Brits in most areas (others than handling) but was somewhat marginalised by Kawasaki’s H1 triple that came out the same year.
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In various guises the model (known in-house simply as the T500) ran from 1968 through to 1975 and was possibly pencilled in for obsolescence, but fate had other ideas. The disaster that was the RE5 meant Suzuki had to back pedal and thus the T500 received a stay of execution whilst the firm was sorting out its four-stroke range.
Taking the disc brake front end from its middleweight triple, the ‘all-new’ GT500 finally received a half-decent front brake. It wasn’t perfect but significantly better that the old TLS arrangement … unless it was raining!
The other long-standing criticism of the T500 was its tank range, but this was addressed by fitting a GT750 tank. To complete the revisions the bike was fitted with electronic ignition which meant owners didn’t need to faff around with gapping points and setting up timing. Some might suggest the GT500 was something of a Plain Jane, yet it fulfilled a market need and still sold to riders who appreciated the bike’s understated charms.
Half a century later the GT500 still rolls on doing what it was intended to do – eating up the miles with the absolute minimum of fuss. That motor majors in creamy torque rather than revs and will get its rider to the desired destination in a calm and predictable manner; some have suggested it’s a big stroker twin that thinks it’s a four-stroke.
Running one now is so easy with many wear and service items available from various sources. Modern brake pads max out the brake’s potential and if you wanted to upgrade there’s a floating disc available. Pistons and rings are available from multiple sources, ditto con rod kits. Rex’s Speed Shop will happily sell you a modern CDI black box and The Motorcycle Works of Peterborough specialises in engine/gearbox rebuilds. Now add in the fact that the bike also has been used very successfully for classic racing and you get a good idea of just how robust the model is.
Although prices have calmed down now it’s the T500 that generally grabs the headline sales figures with the GT500 some way behind, which is good news if you’re in the market for one of the classic scene’s hidden gems. Where a comparable condition T500 might come in at
£5500, the GT500 equivalent will only relieve you of £4000. And if you’re feeling adventurous, complete projects start from as little as £1500. However, I’d have to advise caution here and respectfully suggest you get a mate involved. As mentioned earlier, Suzuki designed the motor to be as strong as possible so it’s no lightweight – and its 55 kilos mass does seem to be a fair bit more for those of us of advancing years!
Original article appeared in Old Bike Mart. To subscribe, click here: https://www.classicmagazines.co.uk/old-bike-mart
