Topic: Terry's Boneyard Barn find Budget Suzuki T500 Reanimation.

[PeWe]

I thought women loved overspray!!

[ekpent]

I thought women loved overspray!!

  Not after you've been married too long !!

[Terry in Australia]

I thought women loved overspray!!

Only in those cheesey 1970’s Swedish porno’s Per…..

Another magnificent day today, was actually warm and sunny when I wandered outside at 8am, it hasn’t been like this in 3 or 4 months. Before I logged on to the ol’ virtual saltmine, I wandered out to take a look at the frame, and was happy that it was shiny and importantly, dry.

I’d painted the swingarm with a rattle can of epoxy enamel, and while it looked good I’d missed a couple of spots, so I gambled that the Rustoleum, which dries much faster than the epoxy enamel, wouldn’t cause a catastrophic reaction, and painted over it with Rustoleum, and I’m happy to report that it didn’t bugger it, and it looks nice and shiny also.

On my next break I’ll carry them out into the sunlight so the paint can bake on for a few hours before I start to assemble it. I’m hoping for a rolling chassis by end of play today.

[grcamna2]

Good progress Terry.

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks Bill, and thanks again for the tip about that factory tool kit, it arrived today and I’m impressed, the head nut spanner with its extension handle is a beaut, and it looks like Suzuki cheaped out in later years with their tool kits, which don’t appear to contain that spanner any more? I cleaned the tape and gum residue off the tool bag, and found a pair of genuine Suzuki pliers in my garage, and slipped them in. Definitely worth the extra money.

[grcamna2]

Thanks Bill, and thanks again for the tip about that factory tool kit, it arrived today and I’m impressed, the head nut spanner with its extension handle is a beaut, and it looks like Suzuki cheaped out in later years with their tool kits, which don’t appear to contain that spanner any more? I cleaned the tape and gum residue off the tool bag, and found a pair of genuine Suzuki pliers in my garage, and slipped them in. Definitely worth the extra money.

That good,old toolkit looked like it was made from quality steel;I've seen some post 80's factory kits before and the steel didn't look like the good stuff even though it was ordered from a manufacturer.I'm glad it got to you in a reasonable time Terry.  Could be you could use it for the T350 also?

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks Bill, and thanks again for the tip about that factory tool kit, it arrived today and I’m impressed, the head nut spanner with its extension handle is a beaut, and it looks like Suzuki cheaped out in later years with their tool kits, which don’t appear to contain that spanner any more? I cleaned the tape and gum residue off the tool bag, and found a pair of genuine Suzuki pliers in my garage, and slipped them in. Definitely worth the extra money.

That good,old toolkit looked like it was made from quality steel;I've seen some post 80's factory kits before and the steel didn't look like the good stuff even though it was ordered from a manufacturer.I'm glad it got to you in a reasonable time Terry.  Could be you could use it for the T350 also?

Thanks Bill, I actually bought a "NOS" factory tool kit for the T350 when I was Ebaying my brains out back in May, and I thought it was pretty cheap looking, but as long as it does the job. The T350 has a steel sidecover with a metal tab/bracket spot welded to the back of it to store the took kit, I thought the T500 had a steel sidecover too, but it turns out the OEM cover was plastic by 1974, and really hard to find (I should get Franky to make some) and apparently the tool kit is still stowed there. I had to buy an aftermarket sidecover, and I don't know if it has a bracket cast in for the tool kit, or whether I'll need to stow it in my jacket pocket? We'll see.

[grcamna2]

Thanks Bill, and thanks again for the tip about that factory tool kit, it arrived today and I’m impressed, the head nut spanner with its extension handle is a beaut, and it looks like Suzuki cheaped out in later years with their tool kits, which don’t appear to contain that spanner any more? I cleaned the tape and gum residue off the tool bag, and found a pair of genuine Suzuki pliers in my garage, and slipped them in. Definitely worth the extra money.

That good,old toolkit looked like it was made from quality steel;I've seen some post 80's factory kits before and the steel didn't look like the good stuff even though it was ordered from a manufacturer.I'm glad it got to you in a reasonable time Terry.  Could be you could use it for the T350 also?

Thanks Bill, I actually bought a "NOS" factory tool kit for the T350 when I was Ebaying my brains out back in May, and I thought it was pretty cheap looking, but as long as it does the job. The T350 has a steel sidecover with a metal tab/bracket spot welded to the back of it to store the took kit, I thought the T500 had a steel sidecover too, but it turns out the OEM cover was plastic by 1974, and really hard to find (I should get Franky to make some) and apparently the tool kit is still stowed there. I had to buy an aftermarket sidecover, and I don't know if it has a bracket cast in for the tool kit, or whether I'll need to stow it in my jacket pocket? We'll see.

Terry,I have an 83' Suzuki which has a black plastic and mostly flexible 'tool tray' which straddles across both frame rails under the seat which locks.
You might try attaching the kit onto the battery box somehow.. I suppose carrying it in luggage might be safest:it would be a pain if it fell-off somewhere on the road.I don't think a sidecover is a secure spot for an attachment point myself.

[PeWe]

Terry,  a guy I know  around here have thoughts about selling his better than new restored 500 Cobra complete with hand pump. Color is amber. Runs really fine.
A rolling popcorn popper soundwise!
He has repainted after this photo since the color tone was not exactly right.

[Terry in Australia]

Yeah, not sure what I'm gonna do Bill, I suppose I can buy one of those leather tool bags that were popular on Harleys and choppers back in the day, but there's not too many spare places on a T500, they're pretty compact.

Anyway, I'm happy at times to be an eternal optimist, and my whole mantra is "Aim for the stars, and if you only hit the powerlines, consider yourself lucky". Today I had plans to have a rolling chassis by end of play, but I failed miserably. No biggie, we're locked down for another 3 weeks, so if the T500 isn't a runner by then, it isn't the end. I did get some work done, after I made myself some nice English Muffins. (gotta love Youtube)

T500 Thursday 2 Sep 2021 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

First job was to find the swingarm bushes, caps and pivot bolt assembly. All of these things were in good condition, but needed cleaning/degreasing/de-rusting etc, so it took awhile, but I eventually got them all assembled, and installed the new JBS shocks, which look pretty good, IMHO.

T500 Thursday 2 Sep 2021 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Next was the front end. I found all of the bearings and races, cleaned and greased everything, and eventually assembled the fork tubes back into the triples.

T500 Thursday 2 Sep 2021 2 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

The headlight ears are in good condition, but the chrome is crumbling, so I didn't install them as I think I'll paint them. I've just ordered some wet and dry sandpaper and some etch primer, and I'll paint the headlight ears and headlight bucket, maybe that nice blue? Not original of course, but hey, it's gonna be a rider, not a show bike.

Anyway, I thought about installing the wheels, but as nice as those American wheels that I bought are, they didn't come with the brake plates etc, so I'll have to use the ones that came with the T500, which are disgusting.

T500 Thursday 2 Sep 2021 3 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I've got new brake shoes and a new rear sprocket to install too, I had to laugh when I looked at the sprocket boss that came with the T500, it was missing a bolt. I took a closer look and realised that 3 of the special Suzuki square headed sprocket bolts were missing completely and had been replaced with standard bolts (not sure how they were tightened properly) so I wandered down to the T350 parts bin and discovered that the original T350's sprocket boss assembly was actually in better condition? I'll probably use it, after I clean it up and install the new rear sprocket. More tomorrow.

T500 Thursday 2 Sep 2021 4 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

 

[Terry in Australia]

Terry,  a guy I know  around here have thoughts about selling his better than new restored 500 Cobra complete with hand pump. Color is amber. Runs really fine.
A rolling popcorn popper soundwise!
He has repainted after this photo since the color tone was not exactly right.

Looks fantastic Per, that's a '68-70(?) Cobra, very nice, how much? I found a T500 original tyre pump in my garage a couple of weeks ago, God knows where it came from, it's just a pity that once again, by 1974 Suzuki cheaped out and didn't supply a pump with the T500 Titan. I might have to see iif I can find some bicycle style mounting brackets so I can fit it to my bike.

[RAFster122s]

Terry, muffins look good! Hard to make? They have all the bubbly crevasses of English muffins I am familiar with that we get here in the US?

Bike is shaping up nicely…

The brake plates can be cleaned up with stripper pads or the abrasive embedded nylon string wheels… if using the later use the fine grit ones, pink, so the don’t remove material as readily…they can do some damage if you don’t keep them moving.  I used one on a hub center and it cut back the coarse casting nicely and if your hub didn’t need the cooling area of the added surface area skimming the center of a hub back to smooth metal and eliminating the fins adds a clean restrooms look. But you are going more stock.

Alternatively, you could use foam sanding blocks progressing up to 320 or 400 grit to get it to a satiny finish like stock Honda hubs.

[PeWe]

I'll check,  informed him about the interest

[Terry in Australia]

Terry, muffins look good! Hard to make? They have all the bubbly crevasses of English muffins I am familiar with that we get here in the US?

Bike is shaping up nicely…

The brake plates can be cleaned up with stripper pads or the abrasive embedded nylon string wheels… if using the later use the fine grit ones, pink, so the don’t remove material as readily…they can do some damage if you don’t keep them moving.  I used one on a hub center and it cut back the coarse casting nicely and if your hub didn’t need the cooling area of the added surface area skimming the center of a hub back to smooth metal and eliminating the fins adds a clean restrooms look. But you are going more stock.

Alternatively, you could use foam sanding blocks progressing up to 320 or 400 grit to get it to a satiny finish like stock Honda hubs.

Thanks David, the English Muffins are great, I'm still learning so I won't try to tell you how to make them, but jump on Youtube and have a look at some vids, there are dozens of different recipes, so I went for the simplest, and am happy with the result.

Re: aluminium polishing, I'm struggling a bit at the moment because with the lockdown I can't just walk into my big box hardware store and select something, I have to order it online, then wait (and wait, and wait....) for an SMS message to tell me that I then have to book an appointment, to collect my purchases. I ordered the black frame paint on Sunday, and the earliest I could pick it up was late on Wednesday afternoon. (4.30pm)

So because of that, I'll probably just clean the brake plates etc up on my wire wheel attachment (the "Face Breaker") for the time being, and I may come back to it at a later stage. Actually, I might have the spare sprocket carrier vapor blasted, and buy a couple of used brake plates and get them vapor blasted too.

[Zunspec]

Hi Terry,

Tool Kit stowage - The metal plate/strap type thingy that holds the battery in place should also have a spot welded clip to hold the tool kit.

Cheers  Geoff

[MauiK3]

The frame and shocks look great, as well as the English Muffins. I'm surprised there isn't an Aussie version of them somewhere, Oz muffins?

[PeWe]

Terry,  a guy I know  around here have thoughts about selling his better than new restored 500 Cobra complete with hand pump. Color is amber. Runs really fine.
A rolling popcorn popper soundwise!
He has repainted after this photo since the color tone was not exactly right.

Looks fantastic Per, that's a '68-70(?) Cobra, very nice, how much? I found a T500 original tyre pump in my garage a couple of weeks ago, God knows where it came from, it's just a pity that once again, by 1974 Suzuki cheaped out and didn't supply a pump with the T500 Titan. I might have to see iif I can find some bicycle style mounting brackets so I can fit it to my bike.

It is a -68 Cobra, registered 69.
I got the reply, " come with almost $9000 US and its yours!"
Sounds not that much for such good bike. 
I know it cost some to restore a bike.
The owner need space for another CB750 K0 build.

I guess shipping is another thing.
A nearby company that build a crate for it and take care of everything is unfortunately not around here .

[RAFster122s]

Building a crate can be entertaining...surely there are plans out there for how to build a good MC crate? Whether or not it could have anything loaded on top of it will impact the shipping costs usually.
PeWe, would you consider building a crate for the bike?

[Tintop]

If you need a MC crate just go to your local dealer.  They are always getting rid of the crates new bikes come in.

[Terry in Australia]

Ha ha, thanks guys, I can’t afford any more bikes, I was just interested in what they are going for and that Cobra sounds about right, the only T500 for sale in Oz is a 1973 Titan that’s a US import thats had a light restoration, priced at $12K AUD. ($9K USD) All going well I’ll have around $7K AUD in mine, although it won’t be as pretty as that Cobra until I either get some chroming done, or find some better OEM fenders etc. No biggie, I just want to ride it…… Oh and thanks for the info about the tool bag holder Geoff, mine is missing the battery box lid, but I did see one on Ebay USA and wondered what the bracket on it was for?

[MauiK3]

It’s amazing where these 70’s era Japanese bike prices are going.

[Terry in Australia]

Yep, I saw a “1973” Z1 which was actually a 1973 engine in a 1975 frame but with 1973 paint etc sell for $35200.00 AUD this week Steve, imagine what your 1972 Z1 would go for here in Oz!

[PeWe]

Z1 900 prices are high. The look of a fresh one is hard to beat.

[Terry in Australia]

I reckon Steve's bike would go for $50-60K (AUD, say, $37-44K USD) here, crazy money, but good boost to your retirement funds, I'll put my Z1-B together ride it and enjoy it, and maybe when I'm 70 I might need a few bucks to top up my retirement funds, so I'll sell it. No skin off my nose, they're a beautiful bike, but there are plenty of other bikes in the world to fill my garage.

Anyhoo, the weather today was miserable, wet and windy, so no bike work. I got a message from the guy who did the vapor blasting to tell me that the barrels, heads and carbs are ready to collect. I thought about the brake plates and sprocket carrier and offered him that work too, and he said, "No problem", so I'll pull them apart tomorrow and take them around to his place. I'll just make some axle spacers up so I can put the wheels on so I can roll it around. I should have those parts back in a few days, but I'll wait for the new tyres to arrive and put the brake plates on when I install the new tyres.

[Terry in Australia]

The weather here today is awful. It rained all day and all night yesterday, and it remained overcast until around midday today. I drove around to the vapor blasting guy's place, and he had my barrels, heads and carbs ready to go, so I gave him some cash, plus a box of assorted parts that I'm too lazy to clean. He was happy, and gave me a promotional T Shirt, which actually fitted, so I'll be happy to promote his business.

I was very happy with the results, considering how filthy the parts were.

T500 Saturday 4 Sep 2021 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

The carbs weren't even the "Good" ones, they were a pair of junkers that had been stripped by a PO and were covered in crap, so I was blown away with how good they looked when I got them back.

T500 Saturday 4 Sep 2021 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Also my tank decals arrived. I was so excited I wet rubbed my tank back in preparation, and in one spot, rubbed thru the paint, AAAAGGGHHH! But then I took the decals out to the tank and it looks like they'll cover the tiny spot where I rubbed thru the paint anyway, so I should be good to apply the decals tomorrow, and give it another few coats of clear whenever the weather is suitable. I think tomorrow I might think about starting to assemble the engine. More soon.