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Difference between revisions of "Suzuki T500"
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→1968 T500 Cobra
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:{{PAGENAME}}: history, specs, pictures}} | {{DISPLAYTITLE:{{PAGENAME}}: history, specs, pictures}} | ||
{{ | {{Motorcycle | ||
|name = '''Suzuki T500''' | |name = '''Suzuki T500''' | ||
| | |photo= 1971-Suzuki-T500-Blue-5685-0.jpg | ||
|aka = '''Cobra''', '''Titan''', T 500 | |aka = '''Cobra''', '''Titan''', T 500 | ||
|manufacturer = [[Suzuki]] | |manufacturer = [[Suzuki]] | ||
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|fuel_consumption = | |fuel_consumption = | ||
|turning_radius = | |turning_radius = | ||
|related = [[Suzuki TR500]] (Race version) | |related = [[Suzuki TR500]] (Race version)<br />[[Suzuki GT380]]<br /> [[Suzuki GT550]] | ||
|competition = [[Norton Manx]] <br />[[Matchless G50]] <br /> [[Triumph T100T]] <br />[[Kawasaki H1]] <br />[[Honda CB450]] | |competition = [[Norton Manx]] <br />[[Matchless G50]] <br /> [[Triumph T100T]] <br />[[Kawasaki H1]] <br />[[Honda CB450]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
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File:1968-Suzuki-T500-Red-8361-2.jpg|left|thumb|1968 Suzuki T500 in Red | File:1968-Suzuki-T500-Red-8361-2.jpg|left|thumb|1968 Suzuki T500 in Red | ||
File:1968-Suzuki-T500-Red-8361-3.jpg|left|thumb|1968 Suzuki T500 in Red | File:1968-Suzuki-T500-Red-8361-3.jpg|left|thumb|1968 Suzuki T500 in Red | ||
File:1968-suzuki-t500-cobra-in-red-0.jpg|1968 Suzuki T500 COBRA in Red | |||
File:1968-suzuki-t500-cobra-in-red-1.jpg|1968 Suzuki T500 COBRA in Red | |||
File:1968-suzuki-t500-cobra-in-red-2.jpg|1968 Suzuki T500 COBRA in Red | |||
File:1968-suzuki-t500-cobra-in-red-3.jpg|1968 Suzuki T500 COBRA in Red | |||
File:1968-suzuki-t500-cobra-in-red-4.jpg|1968 Suzuki T500 COBRA in Red | |||
File:1968-suzuki-t500-cobra-in-red-5.jpg|1968 Suzuki T500 COBRA in Red | |||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
<br style="clear: left"/> | <br style="clear: left"/> | ||
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The T500-II of 1969/70 came in Candy Gold with a Suzuki "S" badge on the tank, the T500-III of late 1970 was similar except for the tank luggage rack fitted as standard. | The T500-II of 1969/70 came in Candy Gold with a Suzuki "S" badge on the tank, the T500-III of late 1970 was similar except for the tank luggage rack fitted as standard. | ||
==1970 T500III== | ==1970 T500III Titan== | ||
<gallery mode="packed-hover"> | |||
File:1970-Suzuki-T500III.jpg|left|thumb|1970 Suzuki T500III | |||
File:1970_T500__450.jpg|thumb|right|1970_T500__450 | |||
File:1970_T500III_Titan_450.jpg|thumb|right|1970_T500III_Titan_450 | |||
</gallery> | |||
*FRAME #: N/A | *FRAME #: N/A | ||
*ENGINE #: N/A | *ENGINE #: N/A | ||
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*ENGINE TYPE: 492cc [[Two-stroke]] Twin | *ENGINE TYPE: 492cc [[Two-stroke]] Twin | ||
*MODEL CODE: 151 | *MODEL CODE: 151 | ||
*COLOR: California Burgundy, Newport | *COLOR: California Burgundy, Newport, Candy Lavender | ||
* White tank stripes | * White tank stripes | ||
* Headlight flat at bottom | * Headlight flat at bottom | ||
* Flip-up gas cap | * Flip-up gas cap | ||
New metal "Suzuki" tank badge which would remain standard fitment until 1975. | |||
==1972 T500J== | ==1972 T500J== | ||
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File:1972-Suzuki-T500-Green-8827-3.jpg|left|thumb|1972 Suzuki T500 in Green | File:1972-Suzuki-T500-Green-8827-3.jpg|left|thumb|1972 Suzuki T500 in Green | ||
File:1972-Suzuki-T500-Green-8827-4.jpg|left|thumb|1972 Suzuki T500 in Green | File:1972-Suzuki-T500-Green-8827-4.jpg|left|thumb|1972 Suzuki T500 in Green | ||
File:1972 Suzuki T500.jpg| | File:1972-suzuki-t500-in-orange-0.jpg|1972 Suzuki T500 in Orange | ||
File:1972-suzuki-t500-in-orange-1.jpg|1972 Suzuki T500 in Orange | |||
File:1972-suzuki-t500-in-orange-2.jpg|1972 Suzuki T500 in Orange | |||
File:1972-suzuki-t500-in-orange-3.jpg|1972 Suzuki T500 in Orange | |||
File:1972-suzuki-t500-in-orange-4.jpg|1972 Suzuki T500 in Orange | |||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
{{clear}} | {{clear}} | ||
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* White tank stripes | * White tank stripes | ||
* Thin chrome ring at bottom of gauges | * Thin chrome ring at bottom of gauges | ||
A noticeable change for this year was the adoption of a larger tail-light lens which would remain standard on the GT range as well. | |||
==1973 T500K== | ==1973 T500K== | ||
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* Round headlight | * Round headlight | ||
The new models T500K & L were designed to accommodate 1400cc of gearbox oil, some 200cc more than the earlier models. This modification ensured that high speed running would not lead to oil starvation of the 5th, 4th and 3rd speed gear clusters. The bane of T500's until now, the inadequate gearbox oil supply could, over time, lead to pitting of the gears and their eventual destruction as the case hardening deteriorated. It is easy to tell if the gearbox on an early model is on the way out, when riding the bike the gearbox will make as much noise as a steam driven freight train pulling up hill. Perusal of any T500 enthusiast's garage will unearth a comprehensive supply of stuffed 4th and 5th gear clusters! | |||
Suzuki also modified the lower crankcase half of the motor to resolve a long-standing design weakness. | |||
Perhaps in a bid to make their GT range of triples more attractive, the Suzuki factory de-tuned the T500. In Australia the maximum power of the T500 was as low as 44 horsepower for the 1973-year's K model. The subtle changes to the inlet port and the carburetors had robbed the T500 of almost 3hp and returned the fuel economy to near Cobra standards. | |||
The cynical marketing exercise of de-tuning the Suzuki T500 to make the GT range more attractive did not work. The [[Suzuki GT380|GT380]] and [[Suzuki GT550|550]] triples were overweight, peaky and unattractive. The T500 had a loyal following and still sold steadily if unremarkably. | |||
==1974 T500L== | ==1974 T500L== | ||
<gallery mode="packed-hover"> | |||
File:1974_T500L_450.jpg|thumb|right|1974_T500L_450 | |||
File:1974-Suzuki-T500L.jpg|left|thumb|1974 Suzuki T500L | |||
</gallery> | |||
<br style="clear: left"/> | |||
*FRAME #: T500-68083 | *FRAME #: T500-68083 | ||
*ENGINE #: ..... T500-68083 | *ENGINE #: ..... T500-68083 | ||
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* Gold tank stripes | * Gold tank stripes | ||
Other than the gearbox, there was no real change for the better in 1973 through to 76. In 1976 we saw the Suzuki factory finally make some significant changes for the better, well overdue and as usual with Suzuki, some bad always accompanies the good. | |||
==1975 T500M== | ==1975 T500M== | ||
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*COLOR: Coronado Blue | *COLOR: Coronado Blue | ||
* Gold pin stripes on tank | * Gold pin stripes on tank | ||
1975 was the last model year for the Suzuki T500. It was replaced by the [[Suzuki GT500|GT500]], at a glance the same bike with just a letter G added to the model name. But the GT500 was an improvement on the Titan featuring a bigger tank, electronic ignition and a front disk brake. | |||
==In Media== | ==In Media== | ||
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==References== | |||
{{reflist}} | |||
{{Suzuki}} | {{Suzuki}} | ||