Suzuki T500 Titan

Suzuki T500 Titan
Manufacturer	Suzuki
Production	1969 - 70
Engine	Two stroke, parallel two cylinder
Compression ratio	6.6:1
Transmission	5 Speed
Frame	Dual downtube cradle
Suspension	Front: Telescopic forks Rear: Dual shock absorbers
Brakes	Front: Drum Rear: Drum
Front Tire	3.00-18
Rear Tire	3.25-16
Wheelbase	1455 mm / 57.3 in
Weight	186 kg / 410 lbs (dry),
Recommended Oil	Suzuki ECSTAR 10w40
Manuals	Service Manual

Engine

The engine was a Air cooled cooled Two stroke, parallel two cylinder. The engine featured a 6.6:1 compression ratio.

Chassis

It came with a 3.00-18 front tire and a 3.25-16 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via Drum in the front and a Drum in the rear. The front suspension was a Telescopic forks while the rear was equipped with a Dual shock absorbers. The bike weighed just 186 kg / 410 lbs. The wheelbase was 1455 mm / 57.3 in long.

Photos

Overview

Suzuki T 500 Titan

In 1968, everyone knew the only good parallel twins came out of England. And four-stroke engines powered all of these. Two-strokes, the conventional thinking went, were noisy, smelly and high-strung. With its big-bore T500, Suzuki meant to change all that. Originally marketed as the Cobra, the first T500s garnered more fame for their extreme thirst for fuel than for their obvious merits: clean lines, good handling and, unlike most two-strokes, a smooth (at least at low rpms) low-revving engine. At 412lb (187kg) they weren’t exactly light, but considering that a comparably sized Triumph Tiger weighed a few pounds more but put out a few horses less, they were a tempting option to the British mounts. Early Japanese bikes were — and are — often faulted for their mediocre handling, but from the beginning the T500 drew praise for its good road manners, and was a winner on the track as well as the street. A T500 won the 500cc class at the Isle of Man in 1970 and 1972. Even so, as much as the T500 was admired for its low-rpm pull, testers panned the engine’s performance at high revs. As one tester noted: “To use the 500 to full rpm is an unrewarding experience, as one’s foot can be firmly but steadily shaken off the footrest.” The T500’s front brake, a twin-leading shoe affair, also drew criticism, prompting one tester to quip, “It is difficult to be enthusiastic about it, as it simply works.” In 1969 the T500 Cobra gave way to the T500 Titan, with altered porting to help quench the bike’s thirsty nature. Period testers applauded the bike’s improved economy, but its front brake — maintained to the end — still drew criticism. Engine porting aside, Suzuki changed very little on the T500 during its seven year run. The gas tank and seat changed for 1969, but after that changes were limited to color options and minor upgrades in switchgear and hardware. When Suzuki stopped selling the bike in 1975, it was hard to tell a new T500 from a five-year-old model.

Source:  Richard Backus,

So what changes had been made to the Cobra to convert it into the more appealing Titan? Some obvious changes were made to the appearance. The petrol tank was now a more pleasing shape, reminiscent of a familiar British design, as was the more conventional seat. Additionally, the front mudguard was much lighter and less valanced, the sidecover and oil tank were redesigned, the rear shocks were no longer shrouded and had exposed springs, American style cow-horn bars were introduced, new instruments and a passenger grab rail. Whilst the Cobra had the headlight cowl, instruments and rear shocks all color co-ordinated, the Titan was very shiny with abundant chrome wherever possible. The Titan was designed to bring the Suzuki 500 into the 70's, its styling was much flashier, leaner and more colourful. The Cobra had more in common with Suzuki's earlier mid 60's styling efforts with its bulbous, tall tank, complete with chrome side panels and knee rubbers, large sidecovers and studded seat. Enginewise, the Titan was little changed externally; but gone for good were the Cobra's 10 finned barrels to be replaced by 11 finned barrels with altered porting and new stronger pistons with larger piston porting. Quieter running was possibly one benefit of the new pistons as the piston to cylinder liner tolerance was much closer in the new motors. One outcome of the new pistons was a spate of piston skirt failures when the standard pistons were used in a sporting mode, i.e. over-revving the motor for extended periods. This was easily solved by using the heavier, stronger GT 750 pistons whose engines had precisely the same bore and stroke dimensions as the 500. The only other significant change to the motor was the dropping of the 34mm carburettors for 32mm Mikunis. There is no evident loss of power as a result and the intake howl is much the same; but, fuel consumption dropped markedly from 35mpg on the Cobra to around 50mpg on the Titan. Cruising at 65mph in the country it was possible to return 63mpg, which is not to bad on a loaded two stroke now is it?

Whilst the changes between the Cobra and the Titan were quite marked there was little change to the character and performance of the machine. Feel and handling had been improved by the use of a longer swingarm much earlier and the test riders of the time while unable to get overly excited about the handling commented favourably on the bikes open road stability. This stability was enhanced by the standard fitting of a friction steering damper.

Source:

Make Model	Suzuki T 500 Titan
Year	1969 - 70
Engine Type	Two stroke, parallel two cylinder
Displacement	492 cc / 30 cu in
Bore X Stroke	70 x 64 mm
Compression	6.6:1
Cooling System	Air cooled
Lubrication System	Posi-force
Induction	2 x 32 mm Mikuni carburetors
Starting	Kick
Max Power	32.8 kW / 44 hp @ 7000 rpm
Max Torque	50.8 Nm / 5.2 kgf-m / 37.5 lb-ft @6000 rpm
Transmission	5 Speed
Final Drive	Chain
Frame	Dual downtube cradle
Front Suspension	Telescopic forks
Rear Suspension	Dual shock absorbers
Front Brakes	Drum
Rear Brakes	Drum
Front Tire	3.00-18
Rear Tire	3.25-16
Dimensions	Length: 2172 mm / 85.5 in Width: 835 mm / 32.9 in Height: 1125 mm / 44.3 in
Wheelbase	1455 mm / 57.3 in
Dry Weight	186 kg / 410 lbs
Top Speed (est)	185 km/h / 115 mph

External Links

• http://www.motorcycleclassics.com
• http://www.suzukicycles.org