Thanks Krusty, if you need anything sent from the US fast, let me know and I'll get it sent out via my shipper. That "sense of time running out" hit me last year when I turned 60, I realised that I was entering the last quarter, but I'm fitter and healthier than I've been in years, so I think I'll still be riding for a few more years.
Speaking of which, I've ridden it! Yep, no tank, no seat, no lights, no helmet, I'm a rebel in track pants and moccasins, lock up your grandmothers! I was out the back cutting up heaps of old cardboard cartons that once contained T500 parts when I realised that my (sloping) driveway was clear, so I pumped the old Dunlop K70's up to 30 PSI and pushed it up to the top of the driveway. I pushed the choke on, turned the key on, and rolled it about a yard before dropping the clutch in second gear, and it fired right up. So there I was, sitting on the frame rails with that beautiful engine "Tak Tak Taking" away when it dawned on me that it'd be a marvellous idea to give it the berries up my street and see if I couldn't kill myself.
Surprisingly, it went really well, tons of power, no flat spots, and what a torquey engine! I was a bit worried that it'd be running lean with standard jets (needles dropped one notch) with those Chinese pods and the Titan exhaust, but nope, I didn't notice anything untoward, no funny noises, rattles, vibrations, no nothing, just went like a new one. I gave it a handful and the front got really light, which was unexpected too.
It's just a pity that the kick starter mechanism is buggared (probably how that engine ended up in a wrecking yard in the first place, because apart from the damaged cases the internals were all good otherwise) and I have to pull it apart again, it's a shame that Suzuki didn't use the same design as the T250/350, (same as your GT250) because if they had I could fix it in 30 minutes without having to open up the engine again. Oh well.
Bill, the dial indicator thingy worked fine, but it was an absolute pain in the arse to get out after it was done, the body of the gauge mount sits too low in amongst those big fins with not much to grab on to, personally I thought it was easier to just use the factory timing marks. I did see a different timing suggestion in the Australian T500 forums that Eric and just about everyone else here recommended, of 3.1mm BTDC rather than Suzuki's recommended 3.9mm BTDC so I may try that and use the fancy tool to do it.
T500 Wednesday 7 Oct 2021 by
Terry Prendergast, on Flickr
The old points were burned pretty bad, but the loose wire and the oil (no idea how oil got there) between the points plate and the magneto body probably didn't help either. I arced my screw driver across the points wire and magneto body and the right side plug sparked, so right away I knew the points were the culprit, stupid points.
T500 Wednesday 7 Oct 2021 1 by
Terry Prendergast, on Flickr
The condensors are OK I think, there was no sparking between the points with the engine running, so unless they start doing that I'll leave them alone, as the wires need to be cut and re-soldered when the condensors are replaced. If they're not busted, I'm not fixing them.
Anyhoo, my expensive NOS headlight brackets arrived today, so tomorrow I think I'll fit some shiny new parts, and maybe a tank and seat, and maybe partake in another sneaky ride? Why not.....
