I sold my GT550A back in August 2021. It had a Dresda swing arm installed. I'd had it since 1987, when I paid Lychett Breakers £168 for it with 5 months tax & MOT on it. I rebuilt the engine, in 1990, after the left hand big end failed. The engine has feet on the ass end, so that it stands up like a number 7 to make it easier to install & torque up the casing bolts, in the correct order. Use only ethanol resistant gasket sealant, such as Blue Hylomar, when rebuilding any 2 stroke motors, otherwise the ethanol contaminated petrol will dissolve old school RTV & silicone sealants within 100 miles. I've had to rebuild 5 motors that started burning gearbox oil because of modern ethanol contaminated petrol. All had lost all sealant around the crank cases.
The left hand "Big End Bearing" from what I've read, is oiled from the gearbox oil, and if this isn't kept topped up, and replaced every 1000 miles, can really suffer in the long term. Especially, with constant hard use. So, be warned.
I had a 550A which I bought after trying the other Suzi triples owned by friends, the 380 was nice but no faster than my previous RD250, the kettle was too cumbersome but the 550 hit the nail, just my opinion from way back then. I also know from experience how fast they can be, very moderate porting and a set of pipes they'll wipe out a kettle absolutely anywhere, just as much power plus even lighter and easier to throw around. The expansion chambers I made also helped with ground clearance in corners, got pig sick of wearing holes in the silencers and having to weld plate metal over them.
I had a kettle about 15 years ago, which was great, but I think I prefer the 550. It's also a bit of a nostalgia trip. The 550 was one of the first bikes I was on in the early 80's and thought it was awesome, so I thought I'd get one a few years ago and relive my youth. . It's about the same performance as the kettle right enough. but quite a bit lighter and easier to manoeuvre. Not the best handling , but it's a 70's tourer, so you can't expect much. Apart from that I think it looks and sounds great and is really comfortable to ride. I've got an XJR1300. and to be honest I prefer the GT in many ways.
@@gerrymcateer8991 I replaced the rear shocks with Girling ones, put a 5mm spacer on top of each fork spring and used slightly higher viscosity fork oil ( sorry but don't remember the grade, I do remember it was BelRay) and the lack of ground clearance in the twisty roads was easily remedied with a set of expansion chambers I made. They were similar in layout to the TZ750, two under the bike and one thru the frame to exit next to the seat. With those mods ( which were done in stages ) and some very minor porting the thing was a bit of a weapon in the twisty roads but still reasonably civilised in town and on highways.
@@madmaxsdog8040 I badly need to beef up the front forks as they're seriously spongey and probably the worst aspect of the GT's suspension. The pipes also deck out quite easily too, which would be remedied with a set of expansions. But it's good enough to get about on for the time being. I ported it slightly too on the last engine rebuild - smoothed off the exhaust ports and opened up the transfers and inlet ports. I had to up jet it , but it's going a lot better,. Quite nippy, and pulls better at the mid range too. I'm planning on doing some miles on it this summer and will take it off the road again for the winter and give it a respray and upgrade the suspension. Really enjoying riding the GT. Glad I decided to build it, despite all the hassles
Just seen your Video on my new tv, I left Hamilton 6 months ago and live in Thailand now. I used to have a GT 550 years ago and loved it. I used to live in Silvertonhill and Portland Place. I hope you make more videos in the area- I will be watching.
Thanks for the message, and good to hear from someone from my home town. I stayed down near the town centre until the late 80's. The GT550 was one of the first bikes I was ever on in the early 80's. A guy I knew at the time - also from Silvertonhill - had one, and I was on it quite a lot, and thought it was great. I always said I'd get one, it just took me a bit longer than expected - I've built this from scratch in the last few years, and It's getting a full rebuild (again) just now with a new paintjob and some tuning. I'll have some more videos of it on youtube in the next 2-3 weeks, when it's back on the road.
Love the two strokes I had the 250 wanted the 380 never got one later drove Tanks and and various other big things in the army, when I left I couldn't ride my 250 as I didn't have a full Motor Bike licence so got another car.
I bought one of these back in 1983 for £100 so it was a bit of a wreck, but it ran and had two good tyres on it. So I repainted it, put a new seat cover on it, changed the head gaskets, put a new centre stand on it as the old one had no foot lever. And, all in all, after a good clean, it looked quite a tidy little bike.
Just one annoying problem with these bikes, inc GT250, GT380, and GT550. They all suffer, with age, from misted up Speedo's & Tacho's due to plastic lens's. I cured the problem by gently rubbing with a soft cloth, T-cut over them in a circular motion. And between applications, using a clear wax polish, and buffing them up with a clean soft cloth. I repeated this until they became clear again. I thought I would just pass on this tip, which worked for me.
I had 2 380's and 1 550 back in the seventies, paid about 200 quid for them if I remember? Now retired and watching these videos I've decided to look for another 550...has to be a good one, if anyone out there knows of one for sale? And if its still 200 quid, all the better....yer right!! 😉🤭
Nice bike ! I wouldn't adjust your carbs until you check the ignition timing . Especially if it's the points version . Ignition and carbs are so closely interrelated on 2 strokes
Cheers. Yeah I think the igntion timing was out aswell, but it turns out the centre crankshaft seals have also been damaged (I did a leak down test on it) and they've been letting air in. Must've happened on the last engine rebuild. Apparently on the 550's you have to be careful installing the crank as the centre seals can move out of line slightly. I'm in the process of stripping the engine just now for a crank rebuild Hopefully have it back on the road in a few weeks.
@@gerrymcateer8991 I've always wondered if I should've bought the GT380A instead of the GT500A in 1976..one of my regrets of my youth..I'll never know if it suited me better..the 500 was a longer wheelbase bike for a 6 footer like me back then..they were both similar performance..just about a 100MPH..your 550 is capable of at least 10MPH more..possibly 115..I still own a disassembled KH250 which I hope to complete one day..at least it's a triple..take care of the Suzi..she's a beauty
I just bought a 1973 GT550 and I would like to know what brand are your expansion chambers? They sound great and I would like to buy some for my bike. Please let me know.
HI - The expansions are home -made. I welded them together myself. Got the formulas for the sizes / angles off Google and bought some sheet metal from ebay. Downpipes are a hassle though. You really need a tube roller. I just bought some standard exhaust mandrels for cars off ebay and cut/welded them up. Going to tidy the expansions up (need new paint and brackets) and put them on for the summer, and do some new vids.
I think the earlier models didn't have the red LED gear postion indicator light. I think it was only the later models ( L- B) from 1974 - 1978 that had them
@@gerrymcateer8991 I had an earlier model gt550 (drum brake front wheel) and it didn't have the gear indicator. but to be honest I never missed it either.
Had gt550 back in my younger days. Thanks for the memories.
I once went two's up on a fizzy, from Edinburgh to Lloyd brothers in Hamilton, via the Lang whang , memories eh 🏴 happy healthy peace ✌️
I was a 4 stroke guy during my biking days but I wish I'd had one of these, something very appealing about them.
What an absolutely Glorious Sound!
A very engaging motorcycle to ride. Lots of character. Great filming thanks.
the best thing about these bikes (380 & 550) was the TALL 6th gear. could cruise anywhere, fast and not overrev, all day long
550 didn't have a six speed gearbox.
I sold my GT550A back in August 2021. It had a Dresda swing arm installed. I'd had it since 1987, when I paid Lychett Breakers £168 for it with 5 months tax & MOT on it. I rebuilt the engine, in 1990, after the left hand big end failed. The engine has feet on the ass end, so that it stands up like a number 7 to make it easier to install & torque up the casing bolts, in the correct order.
Use only ethanol resistant gasket sealant, such as Blue Hylomar, when rebuilding any 2 stroke motors, otherwise the ethanol contaminated petrol will dissolve old school RTV & silicone sealants within 100 miles. I've had to rebuild 5 motors that started burning gearbox oil because of modern ethanol contaminated petrol. All had lost all sealant around the crank cases.
The left hand "Big End Bearing" from what I've read, is oiled from the gearbox
oil, and if this isn't kept topped up, and replaced every 1000 miles, can really
suffer in the long term. Especially, with constant hard use. So, be warned.
Lovely sound
Cheers. It's off the road just now (winter rebuild) Should be back on the road March and I'll be doing some new vids of it.
Beautiful sound…….but I still miss my RD400 more 😢👍🇨🇦
FANTASTIC !!!
I had the 750 , what a bike
I had a 550A which I bought after trying the other Suzi triples owned by friends, the 380 was nice but no faster than my previous RD250, the kettle was too cumbersome but the 550 hit the nail, just my opinion from way back then. I also know from experience how fast they can be, very moderate porting and a set of pipes they'll wipe out a kettle absolutely anywhere, just as much power plus even lighter and easier to throw around. The expansion chambers I made also helped with ground clearance in corners, got pig sick of wearing holes in the silencers and having to weld plate metal over them.
I had a kettle about 15 years ago, which was great, but I think I prefer the 550. It's also a bit of a nostalgia trip. The 550 was one of the first bikes I was on in the early 80's and thought it was awesome, so I thought I'd get one a few years ago and relive my youth. . It's about the same performance as the kettle right enough. but quite a bit lighter and easier to manoeuvre. Not the best handling , but it's a 70's tourer, so you can't expect much. Apart from that I think it looks and sounds great and is really comfortable to ride. I've got an XJR1300. and to be honest I prefer the GT in many ways.
@@gerrymcateer8991 I replaced the rear shocks with Girling ones, put a 5mm spacer on top of each fork spring and used slightly higher viscosity fork oil ( sorry but don't remember the grade, I do remember it was BelRay) and the lack of ground clearance in the twisty roads was easily remedied with a set of expansion chambers I made. They were similar in layout to the TZ750, two under the bike and one thru the frame to exit next to the seat. With those mods ( which were done in stages ) and some very minor porting the thing was a bit of a weapon in the twisty roads but still reasonably civilised in town and on highways.
@@madmaxsdog8040 I badly need to beef up the front forks as they're seriously spongey and probably the worst aspect of the GT's suspension. The pipes also deck out quite easily too, which would be remedied with a set of expansions. But it's good enough to get about on for the time being. I ported it slightly too on the last engine rebuild - smoothed off the exhaust ports and opened up the transfers and inlet ports. I had to up jet it , but it's going a lot better,. Quite nippy, and pulls better at the mid range too. I'm planning on doing some miles on it this summer and will take it off the road again for the winter and give it a respray and upgrade the suspension. Really enjoying riding the GT. Glad I decided to build it, despite all the hassles
That's a sound like no other.
I had a GT 550 back in 76, wish I still had her but lure of GS 1000
Won.
Just seen your Video on my new tv, I left Hamilton 6 months ago and live in Thailand now. I used to have a GT 550 years ago and loved it. I used to live in Silvertonhill and Portland Place. I hope you make more videos in the area- I will be watching.
Thanks for the message, and good to hear from someone from my home town. I stayed down near the town centre until the late 80's. The GT550 was one of the first bikes I was ever on in the early 80's. A guy I knew at the time - also from Silvertonhill - had one, and I was on it quite a lot, and thought it was great. I always said I'd get one, it just took me a bit longer than expected - I've built this from scratch in the last few years, and It's getting a full rebuild (again) just now with a new paintjob and some tuning. I'll have some more videos of it on youtube in the next 2-3 weeks, when it's back on the road.
Rock on Pattaya!
Stop telling lies lad
Love the two strokes I had the 250 wanted the 380 never got one later drove Tanks and and various other big things in the army, when I left I couldn't ride my 250 as I didn't have a full Motor Bike licence so got another car.
I bought one of these back in 1983 for £100 so it was a bit of a wreck, but it ran
and had two good tyres on it. So I repainted it, put a new seat cover on it, changed
the head gaskets, put a new centre stand on it as the old one had no foot lever.
And, all in all, after a good clean, it looked quite a tidy little bike.
Just one annoying problem with these bikes, inc GT250, GT380, and GT550.
They all suffer, with age, from misted up Speedo's & Tacho's due to plastic
lens's. I cured the problem by gently rubbing with a soft cloth, T-cut over them
in a circular motion. And between applications, using a clear wax polish, and
buffing them up with a clean soft cloth. I repeated this until they became
clear again. I thought I would just pass on this tip, which worked for me.
kJkznn
Ho girato mezza Italia con lei❤
Yeh" that things hunting , Air leak or crank seals,
You too? I was thinking, “I hope he doesn’t have an air leak, like I did on the F7…”
いい音、サイコー🔥🔥
I had 2 380's and 1 550 back in the seventies, paid about 200 quid for them if I remember? Now retired and watching these videos I've decided to look for another 550...has to be a good one, if anyone out there knows of one for sale? And if its still 200 quid, all the better....yer right!! 😉🤭
Cool Bro 🏖️🤘
Nice bike ! I wouldn't adjust your carbs until you check the ignition timing . Especially if it's the points version . Ignition and carbs are so closely interrelated on 2 strokes
Cheers. Yeah I think the igntion timing was out aswell, but it turns out the centre crankshaft seals have also been damaged (I did a leak down test on it) and they've been letting air in. Must've happened on the last engine rebuild. Apparently on the 550's you have to be careful installing the crank as the centre seals can move out of line slightly. I'm in the process of stripping the engine just now for a crank rebuild Hopefully have it back on the road in a few weeks.
Don't forget that the plug gaps are 0.25" for cylinders 1 & 3 and 0.27" for cylinder 2 in the middle.
Oh that sound.
Nice run. Notice somebody mentioned timing. Is the exhaust original? Only ask as the back pressure could also be week. Thank You.
左通行ですねどこの国？イギリスかな？
I had a GT380, the smaller version.
I like the 380. Nice sound from them aswell, and 6 gears too, which I wish the 550 had.
@@gerrymcateer8991 I've always wondered if I should've bought the GT380A instead of the GT500A in 1976..one of my regrets of my youth..I'll never know if it suited me better..the 500 was a longer wheelbase bike for a 6 footer like me back then..they were both similar performance..just about a 100MPH..your 550 is capable of at least 10MPH more..possibly 115..I still own a disassembled KH250 which I hope to complete one day..at least it's a triple..take care of the Suzi..she's a beauty
Not quite the same sound as a kawasaki H1 500. The kawi just has that vicious roar..
I just bought a 1973 GT550 and I would like to know what brand are your expansion chambers? They sound great and I would like to buy some for my bike. Please let me know.
HI - The expansions are home -made. I welded them together myself. Got the formulas for the sizes / angles off Google and bought some sheet metal from ebay. Downpipes are a hassle though. You really need a tube roller. I just bought some standard exhaust mandrels for cars off ebay and cut/welded them up. Going to tidy the expansions up (need new paint and brackets) and put them on for the summer, and do some new vids.
👍
You really need to adjust your carb's!
Yes, the tickover is bad, and the engine does not rev very good. I do not know what the problem is. Possibly the float height?
Be careful
@ 4:35 Over-Taking on the Brow of a Hill 😈
You're Going to An Early Grave Doing That = Tut Tut !
Whats the red light on the dash?
digital gear position indicator light.
@@altoncrane9714 I live in Australia and dont remember the light being red, looks like and charging failure light 😀
@@patrickcoleman3 No matter where you live, its a GEAR POSITION INDICATOR LIGHT. tells you which gear the transmission is in. Yes they are RED.
I think the earlier models didn't have the red LED gear postion indicator light. I think it was only the later models ( L- B) from 1974 - 1978 that had them
@@gerrymcateer8991 I had an earlier model gt550 (drum brake front wheel) and it didn't have the gear indicator. but to be honest I never missed it either.
I has 5 gears FFS change it
Boring place