Suzuki GT500 build
Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2025 3:14 pm
Started looking for a new winter project in September last year. I didn’t want another Suzuki triple as I’d done a nut and bolt resto on a GT380 a couple of years ago. Chrome-work pricing is enough to put me off EVER doing that again. So, eventually decided on a Suzuki GT500 and started looking for something that wasn’t a restored standard bike. I didn’t want to undo someone’s ‘original’ pride and joy.
I wanted to build a stripped back bike with a double disc front end and for it to have expansion pipes. At that point in time, I had no other thoughts or plans and was happy to make things up as I went along.
Found a donor bike on eBay in early October that already had some Titan pipes on AND a GT750 front end so had it shipped unseen up to mine by courier. As is usual, the bike didn’t quite match the photographs but seeing that it was to get the full strippage treatment and a badger makeover, I was happy with what I paid and what I got.
Between buying and it arriving, the seller also decided to text me some additional, non advertised information. It had previously had a road tune by Bob Farnham / Wave racing, a lightened crank by Chris Applebee, 6 Sigma jet kit, Rex’s Speedshop GT1 Power Box CDI unit along with a new loom by Alans-Electrics. Nothing to scare me there.
MOT history showed it had done only 626 miles since 2012. It was showing 21100 miles as I started the strip down. The engine tuning was done in 2014 (for £280) so I expect that may have been its last rebuild. I wanted the engine black so it was getting a full strip anyway.
On the rebuild, I went full LED lighting, replaced the separate regulator / rectifier with a Rex Speedshop combined unit, swapped the clocks for an Acewell CA80-400 digital unit and replaced the Titan chambers as I much prefer the 22’s to the 11’s that came with the bike.
Obviously, every seal and O ring (except crank) in the engine was replaced during the rebuild. Just about every frame / body fastener was replaced with stainless items along with countless small parts such as banjo bolts / springs / grommets / blah / blah / blah. You know the score!
All strippage and rebuilding was done by myself and I even hand crafted a few bits myself such as the combined battery box-undertray, the rear indicator brackets, the rear tail tidy / seat mount contraption, dashboard and also made new front footrests from Aluminium thick wall tubing and some cheap Chinese rubbers.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the legend that is Canaletto to come out of retirement and do the paint job but the guy that did it has done an 8/10 job. Stickers are not quite where I wanted them and the paint finish is let down by attention to detail around the filler cap. However, its still 8 points better than I could do.
Started 1st kick (HONESTLY) after I’d kicked it over half a dozen times with fuel on and no plugs fitted. Had a little tweaking to do with pilot jet size initially and then jet needle clip height but now runs great thru the full rev range. Previously it had a mild stutter on 1/8th to ½ throttle when gently accelerating. Rides great and handles well, benefitting from shedding a few kilo’s (The bike, not me!!!)
It’s a bit samey to a lot of T/GT500’s already out there but I like ‘’the look’’ and mimicry should be taken as flattery. Thanks for the inspiration.
Pics available on kettle clinic website
https://www.kettleclinic.co.uk/kcforum/ ... hp?t=14273
I wanted to build a stripped back bike with a double disc front end and for it to have expansion pipes. At that point in time, I had no other thoughts or plans and was happy to make things up as I went along.
Found a donor bike on eBay in early October that already had some Titan pipes on AND a GT750 front end so had it shipped unseen up to mine by courier. As is usual, the bike didn’t quite match the photographs but seeing that it was to get the full strippage treatment and a badger makeover, I was happy with what I paid and what I got.
Between buying and it arriving, the seller also decided to text me some additional, non advertised information. It had previously had a road tune by Bob Farnham / Wave racing, a lightened crank by Chris Applebee, 6 Sigma jet kit, Rex’s Speedshop GT1 Power Box CDI unit along with a new loom by Alans-Electrics. Nothing to scare me there.
MOT history showed it had done only 626 miles since 2012. It was showing 21100 miles as I started the strip down. The engine tuning was done in 2014 (for £280) so I expect that may have been its last rebuild. I wanted the engine black so it was getting a full strip anyway.
On the rebuild, I went full LED lighting, replaced the separate regulator / rectifier with a Rex Speedshop combined unit, swapped the clocks for an Acewell CA80-400 digital unit and replaced the Titan chambers as I much prefer the 22’s to the 11’s that came with the bike.
Obviously, every seal and O ring (except crank) in the engine was replaced during the rebuild. Just about every frame / body fastener was replaced with stainless items along with countless small parts such as banjo bolts / springs / grommets / blah / blah / blah. You know the score!
All strippage and rebuilding was done by myself and I even hand crafted a few bits myself such as the combined battery box-undertray, the rear indicator brackets, the rear tail tidy / seat mount contraption, dashboard and also made new front footrests from Aluminium thick wall tubing and some cheap Chinese rubbers.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the legend that is Canaletto to come out of retirement and do the paint job but the guy that did it has done an 8/10 job. Stickers are not quite where I wanted them and the paint finish is let down by attention to detail around the filler cap. However, its still 8 points better than I could do.
Started 1st kick (HONESTLY) after I’d kicked it over half a dozen times with fuel on and no plugs fitted. Had a little tweaking to do with pilot jet size initially and then jet needle clip height but now runs great thru the full rev range. Previously it had a mild stutter on 1/8th to ½ throttle when gently accelerating. Rides great and handles well, benefitting from shedding a few kilo’s (The bike, not me!!!)
It’s a bit samey to a lot of T/GT500’s already out there but I like ‘’the look’’ and mimicry should be taken as flattery. Thanks for the inspiration.
Pics available on kettle clinic website
https://www.kettleclinic.co.uk/kcforum/ ... hp?t=14273
