11th Oct 2007, 19:58

I have a Suzuki 1971 T500 original condition with 9700 original miles. It has been stored since 1979. It looks and runs great. Started right up after 25+ year with fresh gas and a new battery. I was wondering what it is worth on the market today?

14th Nov 2007, 12:52

I had a 1974 500 Titan and loved it. I'm not sure about the dude who "beat other bikes light to light up to a 900" and also said "kind of loud". He may be confusing it with an H1 Kawasaki or woke up screaming from a bad dream.

With the stock tall gearing, these things could hardly beat a RD250 from light to light, and they were probably the quietest and least annoying sounding 2 strokes ever built.

That having been said they handled well (once you got rid of the stock tires), were EXTREMELY dependable, were competently quick (but not rapid), and just did enough things right to keep you sitting in the saddle for longer than the stock seat should ever have been sat upon.

I miss mine and would gladly have accepted another one like the fortunate gentleman in the previous review.

15th Nov 2007, 20:18

I purchased my T500 new back in 1972, a long time ago. It has just been sitting around for the past 15 years, and no it did not start first kick. The carbs were blocked with scale big time, and the left coil was shot. But I am slowly bringing my baby back to life. This time I will give this great motorcycle the respect it never got and be proud to ride it. Ride on. Mike.

18th Nov 2007, 18:53

Purchased a T500III (Old Blue) in July 1970. Rode it 14K in the first year I owned 'er. That included a 2813 mile dash in five days and change from Phoenix to Chicago via Yellowstone National Park in temps from as low as 18 degrees F up to over 100 degrees.

Finally gave Old Blue away a number of years later with over 40K miles. Only thing I ever had to do was replace plugs about every 6K miles, change oil about every 5K, and had to put a new clutch in at about 30K.

A wonderful ride that consistently delivered well over 40 mpg on regular gas, about 1000 miles per quart of two stroke oil. Wish Suzuki had kept making them.

25th Jun 2008, 15:13

I acquired a 1969 T500 Mk-II with 22400 miles as a gift from a family friend. It's my first bike, and as such I have a deep affection for it. The man I received it from suffered from a brain tumor and could not ride anymore.

He used to ride it everywhere and camp out wherever he stopped, sleeping bag in hand. He said he almost never had any trouble with it. He had a Suzuki dealer completely rebuild it a month or so before his surgery. It sat in his garage since 1979. The health condition struck him so suddenly, he didn't plan on prepping her for storage. Once recovered he couldn't really get his leg over the seat anymore, so was forced to not ride it again-then lost interest in the bike. I acquired it with a half tank of 30 year old gas, a flat tire, seized motor (from sitting), plugged petcock and carbs - not to mention the pitted chrome and rust. I saw beyond the ton of work ahead of me and undertook the task of lightly restoring the 40 year old bird for summer riding. I replaced the rings, cleaned the carbs and petcock, cleaned the points, new fuel lines, new head/base gaskets, honed the cylinders, and cleaned the fuel and oil tanks.

The story around this bike is very sad, and I greatly appreciate his generosity and trust in me to take care of it.

Since, I have been riding it for about a week now, and been caught in 3 severe rain storms it without any problems. I added nearly 550 miles to it. There are still the obvious bugs that come about like adjusting timing and tuning the carbs. Once I work these out, it is safe to say that this machine stood the test of time so far and stands as a great testament to its engineering. Numerous reviews boast of its bulletproof durability and rarity.

I have found this bike a great joy to ride. Its drum braking system is definitely dated and it has intense vibrations (just a characteristic of its construction, ask any enthusiast), but this aside, it is an absolute pleasure to own and ride.

I encourage anyone who still happens to have one of these in their possession to take care of it, rebuild/repair it, and get it out on the road. There are many people out there that can point their finger as you pass and remember this bike from when they were young and bringing this reminiscence from them makes me proud to own one.

This machine is indeed a proud one. If you need proof, check its race records, its enthusiast forums, and the hearts of the owners that still ride them.

19th Sep 2008, 06:02

I have just bought a 1971 T500r, it's in need of quite a bit of work to get it back to its former glory. I have herd nothing but good things, and am looking forward to the day I get it on the road. I am having issues with the clutch push rod, it does not seem to be actuating the clutch, any ideas would be appreciated.

3rd Apr 2009, 17:17

I bought a T-500 Titan new in 1975 and rode it for three years and sold with about 14,000 mi on it as I recall. I wish I had it now. It was a great bike and never let me down. Bullet proof. It was a match (at least) to my friends Triumph Bonneville in speed and handling. My only complaint (minor) was that it seemed to need chain adjustments frequently. I attributed that to it's rather long swingarm length

4th May 2009, 17:01

I have just purchased a 1975 T500. This is the fourth T500 I've owned. I had new 69 and 74 models, and a 72 purchased used in the 80's.

The bike runs great and looks decent after a good cleaning and detailing.

These bikes are fairly quick and easy to handle around town, and very easy to maintain. With the lower euro bars, the seating position is quite comfortable.

I will not fully restore it, as I intend on riding it on a regular basis on nice days and don't want to worry about getting a mark on the paint or chrome.

Bikes were intended to be enjoyed and RIDDEN, and that's what I intend on doing ;-)