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Post by CD on May 3, 2007 20:34:45 GMT
But not a Russel Hobbs  I've come into a bit of cash and rather than let it fall into the sinking pit, I want to get meself a Suzuki GT750 Kettle. Something in more or less original condition to be ridden and cherished rather than and parked & polished would be nice. I haven't got time for a basket case/box of bits and can't afford concours. |
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Post by eliminator on May 3, 2007 21:44:21 GMT
Contradiction here ;D
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Post by CD on May 3, 2007 21:58:54 GMT
Hmm... now you mention it.
Dunno though I'm not after a "cheap" basket case that costs double what its worth to do up.
But I could be "sensible" and the money will get used up on living etc & I still wont have a GT750.
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Post by iooi on May 3, 2007 22:02:43 GMT
Ah the memory's that will bring back. Remember a lad at a bike club i used to go to in my youth  having one and longing after something the same as i could only muster a X7... |
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Post by maddogmcq on May 3, 2007 22:09:20 GMT
Hey Chiro, I used to have one of them!! And during the last couple of years I decided to take trips down memory lane to the 1970's and bought me a CB550, a CB750 and a CB400/4. I spent fortunes on them, brought them back to their former glory and then sold them for a loss. So if you want a nice Kettle, be sure to buy one from some mug like me :-) I'm pleased to report that I have now got thru my "70's phase" and have returned to the land of brakes and suspension!   |
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Post by CD on May 3, 2007 22:33:57 GMT
Its all a sinking fund really, but its cash I didn't expect so at least I'll have a shiney bike. Though I doubt I can afford anything as smart as your old Hondas. I was a teenager when Suzuki GT750s were made so couldnt afford the insurance never mind the bike & running costs. My biggest regret is selling one of these around 1981. It really was a minter except for the rusty exhaust.  |
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Post by iooi on May 3, 2007 23:00:55 GMT
If i could afford it i would have a LC 350.
I had the 1st one in Yorks and can remember riding it 15 miles home in heavy snow..... Boy was i glad to get home and polish it clean.
After less than a week it was back for 1st service and had over 1000 miles on in less than a month.....
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Post by council ( panman ) on May 4, 2007 4:26:08 GMT
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Post by council ( panman ) on May 4, 2007 4:32:12 GMT
Ok so you want to own a Suzuki GT 750, or perhaps you’ve just acquired one and want to jump in and start work. Well, the first thing to do is stop and think! They are very very desirable, but like any piece of machinery they have important, individual points to watch out for before spending money. All of our members would strongly recommend that anyone contemplating buying and/or restoring a Suzuki GT 750 who does not know this machine inside out (literally) sign up now for membership of The Kettle Club and seek the clubs knowledge and assistance before parting with any (more?) hard earned cash, other than the club membership fees of course!.
It is worth repeating
STOP -THINK- RESEARCH, JOIN BEFORE BUYING ANYTHING.
What model is it? (See model changes under the bike section for differences.)
Buying any model as boxes of bits and restoring a machine can cost you twice what you could pay for a fully restored running machine. Expect to be asked to pay between £2,000 to £3,500, (yes three thousand five hundred pounds!) for a better than "showroom new" early 'J' or 'K' model fully restored inside and out. After all there is nothing wrong in asking is there? Bear in mind the seller has probably spent more than this and hundreds of hours of Tender Love & Care locating parts and restoring it.
If you are not after that degree of excellence £1250 to £1750 should buy a very presentable (later model) and reliable machine if you take care. If you take your time and look examples can still come up between £600- £1000 due to seller’s circumstances.
Incomplete project rebuilds can give good results, if the seller has bottled out after spending lots of cash on bits over a long period of time. Always start by asking the history. I don't think you will find a "one elderly lady owner with 10k on the clock, kept it in her front room" examples, but a quick external paint job and polish can hide big problems internally so history is a must.
So, does you’re prospective purchase have merit? If you do not know, get onto the members help line (you did join before going out to buy didn't you?) and see if anyone local to you can assist, that's what they volunteered for, to help! If you think you do know then check the following. Some are a bit obvious but may be missed through those rose tinted specs you may not be aware you are wearing as you fondle all that hot cash! “What about the crankshaft oil seals.” ? This is one of the most frequently asked questions and one of the most important (In some cases the most costly problems). If the bike has been standing for a long period of time the seal(s) may have dried, become brittle and stuck to the crankshaft, turn the engine over and oops failed seal(s). Depending upon which seal(s) have failed visible symptoms may or may not be present. An easy way to check this is to remove the oil pump front cover, which is retained by two screws, one top left & one bottom right, on the right-hand side of the engine. (To the rear of the top half of the crankcase.) Look for signs of gearbox oil around & in the "well", the small collection area in front of the oil pump. At the bottom of this "well" (at the front as you look at it) there is a 6mm hole, bottom left. This hole should be free of any foreign objects such as; small round bits of wood, putty, filler or anything else that the present owner may tell you should be there. In all cases it should not have a screw or bolt of any description fitted in it, The hole is there for the purpose of draining any fluids that has accumulated here & on top of the crankcase. check this area first. I have found that sometimes a very small amount of oil combined with small bits of grit are usually road debris that has accumulated there over a long period of time. Clean around this area leave the cover off.
If the bike is running ok, & if possible, take the bike for a hard blast. (Of course when riding the bike from cold it is not a good idea to thrash it) to see if any oil appears in the well, or if any has dribbled out of this hole. If so, then one of the crankshaft oil seals is likely to be failing or the gearbox oil level too high. Point this out to the seller as you could reduce the selling price by hundreds of pounds. After purchasing, keep an eye on the points above for a few weeks if you followed the advise you should not have any problems. Will the oil pump still work? The oil pump should still work fine after standing for a period of time. However, thoroughly check the oil feed pipe from the 2-stroke oil tank to the 2-stroke pump for signs of perishing or cracks. Also, slip the pipe off of the pump to see if any 2-stroke oil is flowing through it. After purchasing. It would be a good idea to replace the 2-stroke oil with new as you will not know what sort of oil has been used. This need only be done after the engine is found to be running ok. You could bleed the pump with an oilcan filled with the 2-stroke oil of you’re choice and obviously of the same type as in the 2-stroke oil tank. When replacing the 2-stroke oil decide which type of oil you want. You can use either vegetable, mineral, semi-synthetic or fully synthetic. Caution should be used here and a note made that once you have selected the type of oil you want, continue with that type. If you wish to change the type of 2-stroke oil at a later date ensure that you clean and flush through the 2-stroke oil tank, the pump and the oil lines to the engine. It is not a good idea to mix any of these oils. “Will the fuel be OK”? If the bike has been standing for an extended period of time, (three months) then probably not, it is recommended to replace the fuel. Ask the seller if he has new fuel to put in the tank before trying to start the bike, if not then take some with you. After purchasing. A good idea is to remove the tank & fuel tap. Flush the tank with new fuel to remove any fragments of old paint or rust that may have accumulated in the bottom of the fuel tank. At this point it would be a good idea to clean the internals of the fuel tap/cock. This should be done before commencing any cleaning of the carburettors. The carburettors should also be OK, if they are still fitted to the bike? But if they have the same old petrol in them as in the tank then the bike may not start very well or at all. If this is the case ask the seller to drain the carbs and refill with the new fuel. After purchasing. They can be drained and modestly cleaned whilst still fitted to the barrels and air filter. By removing the tops of the carburettors you can then remove the diaphragms & slides. Remove the drain plugs and spray a carburettor cleaner (available in most auto / motorcycle accessory shops) down through the inner body of the carburettors up through the drain holes. If cleaning the carburettors whilst still fitted to the bike ensure adequate ventilation & protection of surrounding area e.g.. the top half of the crankcase, paint-work on the bike, e.g.. the frame with absorbent material such as rags/cloth It would be better to remove the carburettors and clean them if necessary. If you decide to clean and dismantle them yourself ensure that you put the float bowls back on the carburettor that they came off of. Beware! If the carburettors have not been removed for sometime, the rubber mountings from the carburettors to air box & barrels may have hardened. If this is the case, take my word for it, they will be difficult to put back on.
Exhausts. Although you may think two strokes are too oily to rust from the inside on Kettles that is what happens. Check for signs of scrape damage to front underside of outer pipes where the flat area is. Check the baffles look ok. Ask when they last came out for a clean. New standard exhausts are now as rare as rocking horse teeth (? you know what I mean) and a good re-chrome can cost up to £600. Some presentable sets do come up occasionally in the club newsletter but you have to be quick.
If you cannot take the machine for a run, get on the pillion, insist on it. It should start from the electric start no problems, perhaps a little choke after a minute on prime if it has not run for a while. Expect any smoke to clear from exhaust after a mile or so. (when stopped oil in crank case drains to the bottom and is injected into the inlet on next start up). Good sign is smoke from centre pot (the two smaller exhausts) and very little visible from outers. Two up it should pull cleanly away but if not done properly may seem to bog down.
Engine. Look for signs of the bodger. Damaged screw heads, rounded nuts and bolt heads, missing washers, mismatched screw sets etc. Expect the same quality of work inside the engine as outside. If you have any intention of doing an engine strip down see if you can find out when was the last time the barrels came off. They often seize on their studs and you have a battle on your hands. Look for signs of past battle damage at the base of the barrels and hammer damage under exhaust ports.
Exhaust clamp bolts are often over tightened to stop exhaust blowing and strip threads in the barrels. A few common "faults" occur that can be checked for.
If chain has lost its spring link in the past the chain can jam up around the drive sprocket and damage outer crankcase and neutral/gear indicator switch housing. Remove gear lever and cover to check.
Check gearbox oil, any milkiness is probably a sign of water pump seal failure. Check water level and signs of oily water. Check also the small drain outlet on the edge of the water pump cover on the underside of the engine/gearbox. This can weep oil or water or a mixture of both if the water pump seal(s) are iffy.
The clutch. The clutch basket has a steel band around the outer edge. This often splits, comes away from the basket and is chewed up by the primary gears with steel and bits of aluminium going everywhere inside. Worst case is enough band bits jam the primary drive gears to made the engine appear seized.
Originality. Unless you are a stickler for originality there a few add ons we think improve the machine and are worth looking for. Electronic ignition is a big bonus. If a Newtronic system is fitted that's a plus, some prefer the design of the Boyer Kawasaki unit. The Boyer unit fires all three pots every 120 degrees and therefore timing is not individually adjustable for each cylinder. The Newtronic system replicates the original points set up, electronically, each pot firing separately every 360 degrees and the timing of each pot is adjustable separately. Solid state rectifier/regulator, again the Newtronic unit has given good service to me. Sealed beam halogen headlight good mod, fork brace is another. Allspeed 3 into 3 pipes are not available new any longer and do improve performance if jetted correctly. There are some sets around but they are valued by their owners, watch for adds in the club newsletter. The Piper 3 into one has its followers. Improving bottom end performance but some say chokes the top end. Finally do not forget to ask for any spare parts he/she may have. Even if you do not need them you may recoup some money by selling them through the club newsletter the "Flexi Flier" and help another member get another Kettle on the road. Why not copy and paste the above information and print it off and take it with you to use as check list when you go to look at your dream bike.
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Post by Welsh Ade on May 4, 2007 5:16:50 GMT
Ah the memory's that will bring back. Remember a lad at a bike club i used to go to in my youth having one and longing after something the same as i could only muster a X7... Nowt wrong with what was in its time the fastest production 250. |
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Post by General Gman on May 4, 2007 6:29:46 GMT
Should have been at Box Hill weds - a whole shed load of kettles turned up - complete with allspeeds etc..... gorgeous.
I'd still have a YPVS though - best bike I've ever had and ever will have.If I ever come into money I'll have another (or if I REALLY come into money it'll be a RD500 )
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Post by An X-Member on May 4, 2007 8:28:44 GMT
Should have been at Box Hill weds - a whole shed load of kettles turned up - complete with allspeeds etc..... gorgeous. I'd still have a YPVS though - best bike I've ever had and ever will have.If I ever come into money I'll have another (or if I REALLY come into money it'll be a RD500 ) Ooohhhhh the RD500. now there's a license looser if ever there was one. Classic bikes, i love to look at them and admire the work that people have done to bring them up to original pristine condition. But would I want one? No. would i want to go back to rubber frames and plastercine brakes that only just do the job? No. And not to mention those awful cross ply tyres. If you do go for one do your research first. |
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Post by iooi on May 4, 2007 8:32:53 GMT
Ah the memory's that will bring back. Remember a lad at a bike club i used to go to in my youth having one and longing after something the same as i could only muster a X7... Nowt wrong with what was in its time the fastest production 250. Sure was. Seeing your 1st ton up is a nice sight, weather the speedo was reading correct is a different matter, but i did find on my 2nd one that fitting a fairing and a top box. It was not a good idea to slip below screen level..  resulted in one hell of a tank slapper which to this day i cannot work out how i stayed on. Talk about dirty washing I always got regelated to the back when out on any ride with mates as most rode boring super dreams and hates getting smoked ;D |
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Post by beeblemaster on May 4, 2007 8:33:12 GMT
Miserable git, El-B  |
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Post by An X-Member on May 4, 2007 8:41:57 GMT
Tom. I take it that FJR on it's back wheel isn't you..  Nice web site may i add. |
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Post by CD on May 4, 2007 20:45:25 GMT
Thanks for the advert and Kettle club tip. Already printed the application form. I'm amazed at the prices on Ebay. If those are the correct prices for todays market, I'll not be getting myself a kettle I mean £5000 for a 1974 L model. OK, its lovely no expense spared etc,but c'mon really? I agree with everything folks say about rubber frames and needing a handy broom handle to stuff through the spokes because brakes are cr*p. But they have style and presence and I have a Divvie 900 for normal everyday stuff. Anyway Harleys have all of the above and they cost 10X as much. Oops, sorry all you Harley riders only kidding |
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Post by pebbles on May 6, 2007 20:27:50 GMT
would like one again myself had one in 77
there are 2 riding around congleton one of
them is in fantastic condition blue but most
are the other is yellow cant remember if that is original
scheme
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Post by CD on May 6, 2007 21:57:11 GMT
Well I've done for better or worse. I bought the Bristol bike Thanks Council :-)
It's not perfect but good for its age. I dont want (and can't afford) an over restored sculpture that no-one dares ride for fear of a fly splat on the chrome.
Its got Allspeed spannies which I would have tried to find anyway and the engine is good. The forks legs are unmarked, everything seems to be there that should be there. Rust on frame tubes under engine, but not full on rot. Some chrome needs cleaning but its mostly good & mudgaurds are great. The middle spannie probably needs re-chroming but it might clean up.
Just got to get it home now.
I'm paying £1875. Not long ago it would have been £1000. Some of the current prices on ebay are completely barking.
PS He's got a mint '89 Yamaha Exup OWO1 and an RG500. Contact number: 01392 825600
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Post by iooi on May 7, 2007 15:36:28 GMT
Piccys......
Please
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Post by HRHpenfold on May 7, 2007 15:55:09 GMT
Tesco's sell kettles, cheap as owt ;D
suzuki ones were great bikes in there times, but don't do corners and are about as fast as the divvie 600
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Post by iooi on May 7, 2007 17:53:37 GMT
Ah but its a far better smell Just luv the smell of a well run 2 stroker... |
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Post by CD on May 7, 2007 18:00:27 GMT
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Post by HRHpenfold on May 7, 2007 18:19:38 GMT
looks good |
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Post by CD on May 7, 2007 18:55:36 GMT
Thanks Penfold :-)
I'll post pics of the details in a few weeks when I'm back in Derby.
I gave it a good check over (as best you can without stripping the thing) and all was fine. The seat is a period accessory; an original would have been nice but I'll keep a look-out for one. The swing arm is chromed (another fashion thang), but it was a poor job & its flaking off. I'll probably have it powder coated. I needs a few details like water pipe clip covers but nothing serious I could see. The Allspeeds give it pronounced power band at 5000. Its not rough below that but above 5K it flies. The Kettle club have an article on some new remanufactured Allspeeds and they really do add 10bhp! over the standard pipes. Rejetting wasnt discussed, but the plug colour looked ok on mine so can't be far out.
The rusty frame rails under the engine ar a must-do, but its only surface rust.
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Post by HRHpenfold on May 7, 2007 19:31:20 GMT
they sounded nice, but i would have thought they were loud on allspeeds |
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Post by CD on May 7, 2007 20:05:43 GMT
Louder than standard but not bad. Might need a tame MOT station, but the originals were loud compared to modern bikes.
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Post by iooi on May 7, 2007 20:12:59 GMT
Nice.. |
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Post by pebbles on May 8, 2007 17:45:52 GMT
good looking bike m8 nice one
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Post by CD on May 8, 2007 19:11:51 GMT
Thanks :-)
When I saw it I had to take lots of deep breaths to keep my head clear. Original pipes would have been nice to go with the Allspeeds, but for £1875 in the current market I can't complain. Virtually perfect originals are now worth best part of £700+ so many bikes are being broken which simply shoves up values of the remaining stock. For me this was the best model with the best balance of performance and style.
It rode well gears solid and smooth (normal Suzuki) even the digital indicator works !!!. Forks solid and no pitting, steering bearings good. Back springs hard which might be normal or might be siezed swing arm bushes. There is some rust on the bottom frame rails but nothing serious - though if left another year it will be serious. Already said the spannies need to come off for a clean and that's about it. Engine amazingly mechanically quiet even allowing for the huge water jacket.
I'll post pix later this month when back home. I'm sure when I get a proper dig around some stuff will crawl out of the woodwork.
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Post by maddogmcq on May 8, 2007 20:15:16 GMT
Hey El-Bandito, what makes you think its not me on that back wheel?? Err, no it isn't. Only time my front wheel pops into the air is when the missus sits on the back LOL
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having one and longing after something the same as i could only muster a X7...
resulted in one hell of a tank slapper which to this day i cannot work out how i stayed on. Talk about dirty washing 
