After a year of hard work and f**k loads of cash...actually a shed load of cash, she is back together. A full on ground up, nut and bolt restoration, retaining as much originality as i could....but a few tweaks here and there to improve the already challenging handling (they were nicknamed the Flexi Flyer for a reason) LOL But i have (Oh no the purists are going to have a fit) used a lot of stainless fixings. Non original bits are the headlamp, as i actually like to see where i am going, indicators ( 2 old ones were missing and 2 were fooked) Obviously the HiggSpeed spannies are not original but i am having the originals repaired and re-chromed which is a BIG job. And the Hagon rear shocks are different from the original Hagon Copies from the 70's, oddly enough Suzuki copied the Hagon and fitted it to the GT !?!?!?!
Oh BTW, she is chassis No 83 of the original 1972 J model, so a bit of a rare beastie. Yep, very proud of it, cant wait to get her officially registered and first (one and only MoT) as she is 45 years old...haha, 10 years younger than me. Always wanted one from the first time i saw Barry Sheene on one (the original sales brochure) I was hooked. Wasnt old enough back then...I was 10 ffs...but it was this bike that started my passion for motorbikes and its never faded. Saw Sheene ride back in 69 before he got famous....at Snetterton on a 250 i think. But it was this very bike that i fell in love with, could never afford one, then they stopped making them, and then they became just scrap bike. A few years on and they became collectable, now a good one goes for 13 to 15K FFS. I honestly just love the sound, smell, vibrations, feel, ugliness, beauty of simplicity. Hate the brakes (OMFG) and these were the twin leading shoe which were the dogs danglies back in the day. First ride on it today after all this time and it put an instant grin on my mush, and you cant put a value on that feeling at all
That's lovely. I love the smell of two strokes and the crackle from expannies, memories of a mis spent youth me thinks. The kettle was always but a pipedream of mine back in the day, I settled for rd350's and 400's, Stuart
Coming from a guy with the name of T500, i take that as a great compliment. Am i assuming you have, or had a T500? Like all full on restorations, its a labour of love, painstakingly slow at times, infuriating trying to get parts (especially early models like this one) Many........ HOW F*****G MUCH moments when collecting spares etc. People make the mistake of thinking its a quick way to make money, its exactly the opposite, a great way to loose money in the short term. If i sold it (and i wont) i would just about break even and that does not account for the 1000+ hours of my time. I guess its the fact of rescuing an old soldier like this one and bringing her back to life as good *if not better* than new. Proud, YES, very Here she is, when i got her, mostly complete but seized, rotten and busted up. The fact that everything looked original and was there, apart from the rack or grab rail made it a viable restoration.
Oh, you have made me miss my old A-model. For some reason, it is the instrument panel that gets my lower lip quivering, every time ... : o ) Accelerating in 2nd gear on those bikes was a delight, so satisfying. The handling was interesting though, I occasionally found myself coming out of a corner with no real idea how I managed it. I believe the J came with radiator fans as standard?
Congratulations Tell me about the cost LOL!! Absolutely brilliant work, bet you're beaming with bride & rightly so
Yup Loz, Rad fan as standard, early J frame without the brace, later with! Very early J's also had the desirable split head design as well. Mine missed out on that by a few engine numbers...bugger As for the handling, they were nicknamed the Flexi-Flier for a reason
I used to get fed up with people approaching me to ask if mine had rad fans and turning away disappointed when I said no. WTH? LOL Yours is a beauty, and restored to a greater extent than mine was when the money ran out : o )
Hi Andy I have restored several T500 over the years my favourites being the mk1 Cobra and Titan 2 models my latest money pit a.T350 arrives tomorrow Never tackled a GT750 but seeing what you have done has given me the inspiration to find a suitable bike to restore
Nice job a credit to you.Been through the process with z900 definitely can’t be done properly on the cheap. Had a B model which I loved .Fancied a kettle as another go at resto but it’s difficult to get value for a starting point
