I had a 74 GT 550 I rode to high school back in the late 70’s . I wish I would have kept it . I remember the Suzuki shop told me there was a recall on the starters back when I had mine but i didn’t get it done in time . I remember part of the recall was there was a problem with the starters coming loose . I always kick started mine . Running around town cruising with friends it would carbon up a bit and I would have to take it on the highway and blow it out . I sure miss it .
It sure sounded like the Sprague clutch went out on the starter while you were ripping it. Taker her apart and inspect it, I bet that clutch is fried. By the way I have one of these bikes, mine is a 1972 gt550
I had the Sprague clutch go on my GT550A, back in 1989. It used to stick, so the starter motor would spin up and eventually the Sprague clutch would engage. My GT550A sounded like a WW2 aircraft piston engine flywheel starter, as it would whir away for a few seconds, then engage the Sprague clutch and turn over the crank. The Sprague clutch is on the back of the clutch basket. It is the same clutch basket as used on the Suzuki GT750, GS550 & GS750 motors. Usually giving the Sprague mechanism a good clean out fixes the problem. If it doesn't, then replace the clutch basket. The starter motor is the same as used on the Suzuki GT750, GS400, GS450, GS550, GS750 & GS1000.
Check the brushes on the starter motor, as the wires inside the brushes can detach internally with age. They will require cleaning, tinning, reinsertion and gluing back in place. The starter motor is the same one as used on the Suzuki GS400, GS425, GS450, GS550, GS750, GS1000 and GT750. The starter motor enters directly into the engine's sump, so the oil will have to be drained before removal. I discovered this the hard way, whilst on my back, under my bike, whilst a friend read out the step by step destructions, for removing the starter motor, from the workshop manual. The "By The Way" warning about the oil pissing out when the starter motor is pulled out, was at the top of the next page, following the previous instruction step to pull the starter motor out.
'73 model, hard to say for sure, but there was a period when the starter clutches would engage at speed, spinning the starter motor until the armature would basically explode. As a Kawasaki/Suzuki mechanic back in the day, I recall repairing several of these for that problem and it included a new type starter clutch and a new starter motor - all under warranty. The factory made the changes on the production line so later models were O.K. out of the box.
@@GoldGuyRides Probably ok to ride but the starter clutch on the back of the clutch driven gear might shed some parts over time and that would not be beneficial for the engine. IIRC, the starter clutch uses rollers on ramps that use little internal springs to help the rollers bite to start the engine but retract after the engine rpm comes to life. That same system was used on many Japanese makes during the period. The engineering of putting that mechanism on the back of the clutch is a Suzuki only variation and only one I know of prone to failure. The improved design uses different "dogs" to engage and would positively retract, as I recall. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprag_clutch
I used to commute on my GT550A between Poole & Dorchester, Dorset, England. The bike used just over 8 imperial gallons of leaded 4 star petrol a day to travel 28 miles work and 28 miles home again. The weight distribution is 70% front and 30% rear, hence the wheel spins.
They had 2 different types of starter clutches. The earlier year was notorious for having issues. If I remember correctly, they had a recall around 73 or 74 for installing the new type of Borgwarner one that was much better. Super hard to find a replacement. I may be off on my facts, its been over 10 years since I was knee deep in the GT550. Those are super rare now, I doubt you will get a chance to get one later on, but I agree its fun run get on the pipe but it handles like a pig.
I hope you gave it back to the owner already. You're going to rag it out until it is a p.o.s. F'n hell BTW, you wouldn't have rode a GT 750 "water buffalo " like that. 😂
@@chasingembers2520 yep, I gave it back to the owner. Like I said in the video, I was giving it a good shakedown ride to iron out any last problems and then I said "this is my last ride on this bike".
Until the next bike build series, I’d like to see the CB750 hit the screens again. That is the bike that brought me to your channel. It would be nice to see a motovlog or maintenance videos on it. Keep up the great vids Mas.
I was paid to get this bike running and riding again and I did. Then I had to test it thoroughly to iron out any last problems that it might have so it is ready to go back to the owner.
They are old dry-rotted tires and the owner said he is going to replace them with new tires anyways, he doesn't care. People on TH-cam are so quick to judge without even knowing the facts or the full situation, it's crazy.
If you have to justify your bike purchases to your girlfriend, get a new one. 😂 Unless your finances are shared/she's providing equally, it really shouldn't be of any concern to her. I have 10 bikes in the garage and as long as my gf can still park her car in there, I'm good.
Haha yeah I was kinda just joking. I only have 3 bikes right now and she already can't park in our little 1 car garage. She really doesn't care but she might be a little annoyed if I keep bringing in more bikes when we already have limited space.
@@denlsgoulden2307I think it's more abusive to the bike to just let it sit in a garage and collect dust and rust than actually go out and ride it the way it was built to ride but hey that's just me I guess.
@@GoldGuyRides There's a huge difference between riding a bike and enjoying it without thrashing it and abusing it. These machines are 50 years old now and getting rarer by the day and are irraplaceable, they should be used with the respect they deserve 🙁
@@denlsgoulden2307 Yes, you are right. They should be respected and I think I was pretty respectful. Although, it's hard to make entertaining content when just babying a bike and not actually riding it the way it was built to ride. I didn't break anything on the bike in this video except for the starter motor clutch which is due to a major design flaw from the factory and was bound to happen anyways.
He is a proper clown, its not even his to abuse,& will end up on his ass,which might sort out his tiny disrespectful brain,but im not holding my breath.
@@GoldGuyRides good man! Cant wait. Be like the old days restoring it bit by bit. What i loved about it was u was learning on the job so we was to. Seeing what works n dont work. Its always great content!
I had a 74 GT 550 I rode to high school back in the late 70’s . I wish I would have kept it . I remember the Suzuki shop told me there was a recall on the starters back when I had mine but i didn’t get it done in time . I remember part of the recall was there was a problem with the starters coming loose . I always kick started mine . Running around town cruising with friends it would carbon up a bit and I would have to take it on the highway and blow it out . I sure miss it .
6:58 "It think it's ready to go back to its owner"......that broke me🤣
There's a problem with the front end,
probably the ancient tires. They weren't made with wobbles!
It sure sounded like the Sprague clutch went out on the starter while you were ripping it. Taker her apart and inspect it, I bet that clutch is fried.
By the way I have one of these bikes, mine is a 1972 gt550
I had the Sprague clutch go on my GT550A, back in 1989. It used to stick, so the starter motor would spin up and eventually the Sprague clutch would engage. My GT550A sounded like a WW2 aircraft piston engine flywheel starter, as it would whir away for a few seconds, then engage the Sprague clutch and turn over the crank.
The Sprague clutch is on the back of the clutch basket. It is the same clutch basket as used on the Suzuki GT750, GS550 & GS750 motors. Usually giving the Sprague mechanism a good clean out fixes the problem. If it doesn't, then replace the clutch basket.
The starter motor is the same as used on the Suzuki GT750, GS400, GS450, GS550, GS750 & GS1000.
So hard to watch you disrespecting this old bike. I wouldn't lend you a moped.
Check the brushes on the starter motor, as the wires inside the brushes can detach internally with age. They will require cleaning, tinning, reinsertion and gluing back in place.
The starter motor is the same one as used on the Suzuki GS400, GS425, GS450, GS550, GS750, GS1000 and GT750.
The starter motor enters directly into the engine's sump, so the oil will have to be drained before removal. I discovered this the hard way, whilst on my back, under my bike, whilst a friend read out the step by step destructions, for removing the starter motor, from the workshop manual. The "By The Way" warning about the oil pissing out when the starter motor is pulled out, was at the top of the next page, following the previous instruction step to pull the starter motor out.
'73 model, hard to say for sure, but there was a period when the starter clutches would engage at speed, spinning the starter motor until the armature would basically explode. As a Kawasaki/Suzuki mechanic back in the day, I recall repairing several of these for that problem and it included a new type starter clutch and a new starter motor - all under warranty. The factory made the changes on the production line so later models were O.K. out of the box.
@@whalesong999 that's sounds like exactly what happened. Is it okay to just use the kickstart only and still ride it like this?
@@GoldGuyRides Probably ok to ride but the starter clutch on the back of the clutch driven gear might shed some parts over time and that would not be beneficial for the engine. IIRC, the starter clutch uses rollers on ramps that use little internal springs to help the rollers bite to start the engine but retract after the engine rpm comes to life. That same system was used on many Japanese makes during the period. The engineering of putting that mechanism on the back of the clutch is a Suzuki only variation and only one I know of prone to failure. The improved design uses different "dogs" to engage and would positively retract, as I recall.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprag_clutch
I used to commute on my GT550A between Poole & Dorchester, Dorset, England. The bike used just over 8 imperial gallons of leaded 4 star petrol a day to travel 28 miles work and 28 miles home again.
The weight distribution is 70% front and 30% rear, hence the wheel spins.
Holy crap, thats like snowmobile mpg's, maybe worse🤔
8 gallons to do 56 miles. Something was not right with that.
6:58 just broke me 🤣
its a vintage bike ffs treat it with a bit of respect
They had 2 different types of starter clutches. The earlier year was notorious for having issues. If I remember correctly, they had a recall around 73 or 74 for installing the new type of Borgwarner one that was much better. Super hard to find a replacement. I may be off on my facts, its been over 10 years since I was knee deep in the GT550. Those are super rare now, I doubt you will get a chance to get one later on, but I agree its fun run get on the pipe but it handles like a pig.
Sounds rough, theyre as smooth as silk when settup, great tourer,
Frame flex is when the frame bends like it's made of rubber
Yikes
It’s a tubular frame so flexes. That’s the way it was in the 70’s.
Love it always fancied a gt 380
Always enjoy the videos! Since 2018!
Hell yeah!! Thanks for coming along for the ride! Lots more to come...
Same
Cookin with that burnout
Great vid GG. Let's dissect it, fix it and do an epic wheelie in celebration! GG for the win!
Do you need another bike project?
I hope you gave it back to the owner already.
You're going to rag it out until it is a p.o.s.
F'n hell
BTW, you wouldn't have rode a GT 750 "water buffalo " like that. 😂
@@chasingembers2520 yep, I gave it back to the owner. Like I said in the video, I was giving it a good shakedown ride to iron out any last problems and then I said "this is my last ride on this bike".
Poor old girl.
She's alright, she waited 30 years for someone to ride her like this.
@@GoldGuyRides Fair play Sir
I had a GT380 was never a fast bike . Fitted expansion chambers to it. And the big end went
Until the next bike build series, I’d like to see the CB750 hit the screens again. That is the bike that brought me to your channel. It would be nice to see a motovlog or maintenance videos on it. Keep up the great vids Mas.
@@RedStarMotoworks Thanks!! The CB750 is going to make a comeback very soon, stay tuned!
I enjoy your videos but you can't abuse a customers bike like that. I also suspect the sprag clutch and as the saying goes you break it you bought it
Exactly,i would not go anywhere near this clown.
👍👍👍^_^
Why do abuse a bike that you don’t even own?
Exactly.
What do you mean by abuse? This is what this bike was originally built to do...
I was paid to get this bike running and riding again and I did. Then I had to test it thoroughly to iron out any last problems that it might have so it is ready to go back to the owner.
@@GoldGuyRides It wasn't necessary to be pulling burnouts with it. Immature behaviour for views just makes you look like a clown.
They are old dry-rotted tires and the owner said he is going to replace them with new tires anyways, he doesn't care. People on TH-cam are so quick to judge without even knowing the facts or the full situation, it's crazy.
If you have to justify your bike purchases to your girlfriend, get a new one. 😂 Unless your finances are shared/she's providing equally, it really shouldn't be of any concern to her. I have 10 bikes in the garage and as long as my gf can still park her car in there, I'm good.
Haha yeah I was kinda just joking. I only have 3 bikes right now and she already can't park in our little 1 car garage. She really doesn't care but she might be a little annoyed if I keep bringing in more bikes when we already have limited space.
@@GoldGuyRides makes sense! :)
For science!
@@e.avegarage6449 yes, science!!!!
2 stroke power 😅
2 Strokes are so much more fun!
Abuse of a classic bike, sacralidge 🙄🙁
@@denlsgoulden2307I think it's more abusive to the bike to just let it sit in a garage and collect dust and rust than actually go out and ride it the way it was built to ride but hey that's just me I guess.
@@GoldGuyRides There's a huge difference between riding a bike and enjoying it without thrashing it and abusing it. These machines are 50 years old now and getting rarer by the day and are irraplaceable, they should be used with the respect they deserve 🙁
@@denlsgoulden2307 Yes, you are right. They should be respected and I think I was pretty respectful. Although, it's hard to make entertaining content when just babying a bike and not actually riding it the way it was built to ride. I didn't break anything on the bike in this video except for the starter motor clutch which is due to a major design flaw from the factory and was bound to happen anyways.
He is a proper clown, its not even his to abuse,& will end up on his ass,which might sort out his tiny disrespectful brain,but im not holding my breath.
This bike was not built to be thrashed. It's not a Kawasaki.@@GoldGuyRides
When you going to get a old clapped out dirtbike to restore again. Somthing popular. Your views will go up again
That's a good idea, I've been thinking of doing this soon. Stay tuned!
@@GoldGuyRides good man! Cant wait. Be like the old days restoring it bit by bit. What i loved about it was u was learning on the job so we was to. Seeing what works n dont work. Its always great content!
frankly I'm surprised the police have not seen this video... 60 in a 25? At least find an airfield etc?
@@jtreg it's ai generated so not even real, don't worry. AI is getting scary these days isn't it.
Go away Dad you're embarrassing. Police have crime to worry about, not a gold guy on a motorcycle in the middle of nowhere.
@@GoldGuyRides LOL, That's your story and you're sticking to it. Gotta CYA when playing.
@@CRFLAus hahaha I couldn't have said it better myself.
Shoosh or else ill tell the Police about how your children smoke marijuana.
6:58 "It think it's ready to go back to its owner"......that broke me🤣
6:58 "It think it's ready to go back to its owner"......that broke me🤣