My first bike!! I loved my GT185, saved up the money from my apprentice wages and bought it cash in 1978, happy days! past my test on it & part ex'd it for a Suzuki GS550. Been looking at the restored prices of GT185's & not too bad. Would be nice to own one again some day !!
Loved the old 2 strokes had a gt250 when I was 17 then jumped to a honda cb550 super sport, then a gt750 kettle. Loved them orange clocks on the gs550 allways wasted the gs750. Ended up with a blue gs1000 S.
First motorbike I ever had. Bought brand new in 1976, on my 17th birthday. Only problem I ever had with it was with the exhausts. The internal baffles collapsed after a few months, after which you could hear it three miles away! The noise wouldn't be street legal now. Back then, I thought the sound was pretty cool. I loved that bike.
Wow 3 months and baffles were faulty.was it not covered under warranty ?. Tell me something I was 17 in 81 and I couldn't wait to get a 250cc.and even then I couldn't wait to pass my test to get something bigger and faster.tell me please your thought process of getting a 185cc not a 200 or 250cc ?
@@peteramberley9952after reading this I need to reply to the question.. I was 16 in 1981 and bought a 185 because I just loved the look of it. Also I’m only 5”6” and the bike felt perfect for me. 200s were not much if any quicker but a lot more on insurance, and the 250 was a huge jump it seemed to me and a huge jump in expense. I stink have two 185s, one a 1974 which is concourse and the other is like yours in red on a 77 plate. I just love them, and love the smile factor of other people seeing it. Brings back unadulterated good time feeling. Yours looks fab by the way! Do you still have it?
@mollyfilms thanks for replying I love to understand what make people tick.and I remember being at earlscourt notorcycle show in maybe 1978 and I was prob 5'6 then at 14 and sitting on a gt 185 and it was all about being able too hold one up and it was a nice chunky bike😆 they were quite ranty little bikes that would stand up on the back wheel.not as lairy as the yamaha 200 torque induction but a lot quicker then a 125cc.but after I got bored of my xl250 honda I bought a gt250 suzuki which I loved ,don't know why I didn't buy the x7 as my mate had one 2 years earlier and was amazing bike.but the gt185 was actually my mates bike and he had a 125 aswell but sold them both now
I used to ride one of those new in 1977… a great bike, and the sound was great. I blew a couple of baffles and when I had saved up enough money to buy new exhausts the return to the original sound was just beautiful 👍 👂 Adding 2-stroke oil was something I don’t miss nowadays, especially as on a couple of occasions I came close to running out of it! Looking at that video, the rider dressed in black leathers coming out of a dark background, with no running lights or headlamp on, it’s no surprise that cars constantly pulled out on bikes going 60 mph+, as you can’t easily see the bike & rider. And every time I rode this bike in the 70’s during the day, with the headlamp on, everyone, all cars, lorries, buses and bikes, used to flash me to tell me my headlamp was on. They did see me though! I didn’t expect both car and bike manufacturers to make it standard to have running lights on 40 years later.
Yes those were the days. I jumped straight onto a gt250 b back in 1981 I used to think it was hilarious to ride along and flick off and on the kill switch too make it backfire and scare people until I split the seam nearly from front to back 😭
@@peteramberley9952 Metallic Blue. I was working for Comerfords in Kingston. A motorcycle dealership. A colleague with a full licence bought a 550, great bike, real envy.
@@phillipdonnelly6430 I remember that name although we had a French teacher at school with the same name so maybe that was the connection unless the bikes reaked of garlic too 😂 I had a black gt550 lovely bike, I had a 750 kettle too strange riding a big 2 stroke weird kind torque on them
Back in 1977 I had a fsie. My work mate had a ap50 we used to race each other home at the end of the day back to Newton Abbot. One day my mate turned up on a R reg Suzuki 185 to me that was a superbike I had no chance and I still had 18 months finance to pay off before I could upgrade to a 250 yamaha. Every day while I still worked there I was humiliated.
I also had an AP50 as did some of my friends. Some other friends had fizzies and one had SS50. Passed my test on borrowed GT185, long time ago but those happy memories will stay with me forever
My first motor. Very reliable and quite revy, reasonable speed. Never liked the sound. I fell off it when van pulled in front me icy conditions and decided to go for car after that, good memories however
Love it was luck enuff to have 1 1977 Love it!
You never tire of the noise and 2 stroke smell
@@peteramberley9952 Yupp that sent of 2 stroke alias puts a spiel on my face!
My first bike!! I loved my GT185, saved up the money from my apprentice wages and bought it cash in 1978, happy days! past my test on it & part ex'd it for a Suzuki GS550. Been looking at the restored prices of GT185's & not too bad. Would be nice to own one again some day !!
Loved the old 2 strokes had a gt250 when I was 17 then jumped to a honda cb550 super sport, then a gt750 kettle. Loved them orange clocks on the gs550 allways wasted the gs750. Ended up with a blue gs1000 S.
GT back lights are the best yet. The boneo light bike as Mum used to call it. Loved mine. Love another one.
First motorbike I ever had. Bought brand new in 1976, on my 17th birthday. Only problem I ever had with it was with the exhausts. The internal baffles collapsed after a few months, after which you could hear it three miles away! The noise wouldn't be street legal now. Back then, I thought the sound was pretty cool. I loved that bike.
Wow 3 months and baffles were faulty.was it not covered under warranty ?.
Tell me something I was 17 in 81 and I couldn't wait to get a 250cc.and even then I couldn't wait to pass my test to get something bigger and faster.tell me please your thought process of getting a 185cc not a 200 or 250cc ?
@@peteramberley9952after reading this I need to reply to the question..
I was 16 in 1981 and bought a 185 because I just loved the look of it. Also I’m only 5”6” and the bike felt perfect for me. 200s were not much if any quicker but a lot more on insurance, and the 250 was a huge jump it seemed to me and a huge jump in expense.
I stink have two 185s, one a 1974 which is concourse and the other is like yours in red on a 77 plate. I just love them, and love the smile factor of other people seeing it. Brings back unadulterated good time feeling.
Yours looks fab by the way! Do you still have it?
@mollyfilms thanks for replying I love to understand what make people tick.and I remember being at earlscourt notorcycle show in maybe 1978 and I was prob 5'6 then at 14 and sitting on a gt 185 and it was all about being able too hold one up and it was a nice chunky bike😆 they were quite ranty little bikes that would stand up on the back wheel.not as lairy as the yamaha 200 torque induction but a lot quicker then a 125cc.but after I got bored of my xl250 honda I bought a gt250 suzuki which I loved ,don't know why I didn't buy the x7 as my mate had one 2 years earlier and was amazing bike.but the gt185 was actually my mates bike and he had a 125 aswell but sold them both now
I can smell it from here. 👍👍
I used to ride one of those new in 1977… a great bike, and the sound was great. I blew a couple of baffles and when I had saved up enough money to buy new exhausts the return to the original sound was just beautiful 👍 👂
Adding 2-stroke oil was something I don’t miss nowadays, especially as on a couple of occasions I came close to running out of it!
Looking at that video, the rider dressed in black leathers coming out of a dark background, with no running lights or headlamp on, it’s no surprise that cars constantly pulled out on bikes going 60 mph+, as you can’t easily see the bike & rider. And every time I rode this bike in the 70’s during the day, with the headlamp on, everyone, all cars, lorries, buses and bikes, used to flash me to tell me my headlamp was on. They did see me though! I didn’t expect both car and bike manufacturers to make it standard to have running lights on 40 years later.
Yes those were the days. I jumped straight onto a gt250 b back in 1981 I used to think it was hilarious to ride along and flick off and on the kill switch too make it backfire and scare people until I split the seam nearly from front to back 😭
I always used to use the electric start, over the kick start. Great bike.
Was my favourite bike 40 years ago, have now got 1 again!
its my fav two stroker everrr not too powerful yet so enjoyable
A lot of smoke, must be burning some oil 😬. What a bike.
That thing would run circles around m 2006 Suzuki 250 4 stroke cruiser.
had a couple of these back in the 70,s would love another
My first 76 and orange got it from a guy that went to Michigan from chattanooga Tennessee twice, had 14000 miles when I got it in 79.
I had one back in 74. RYT 77L. Quick little bike. Came off it several times! Easy to repair, well, then anyway.
Wow must have been one of the first ones. What colour?
@@peteramberley9952 Metallic Blue. I was working for Comerfords in Kingston. A motorcycle dealership. A colleague with a full licence bought a 550, great bike, real envy.
@@phillipdonnelly6430 I remember that name although we had a French teacher at school with the same name so maybe that was the connection unless the bikes reaked of garlic too 😂 I had a black gt550 lovely bike, I had a 750 kettle too strange riding a big 2 stroke weird kind torque on them
Thanks for lighting a fire under me to get mine done. : )
Your welcome hope you share your project on here 🙂
Back in 1977 I had a fsie. My work mate had a ap50 we used to race each other home at the end of the day back to Newton Abbot. One day my mate turned up on a R reg Suzuki 185 to me that was a superbike I had no chance and I still had 18 months finance to pay off before I could upgrade to a 250 yamaha. Every day while I still worked there I was humiliated.
Love it .I had an ap aswell too quick for the fizzes. Lol enochpowel and race in the same sentence whoed have thought 🤣
I also had an AP50 as did some of my friends. Some other friends had fizzies and one had SS50. Passed my test on borrowed GT185, long time ago but those happy memories will stay with me forever
Nice
Awesome. Just pick up a 77, not running that good yet.
👍👍👍
i had an orange one would love to find another one
Nice little run around my friend had 1 for work was cheaper to run than gs750
I wasn't expecting t8
Always fancied one of these bought the Yamaha Rd 200 instead but this looks pretty
Was it the torque induction or the coffin shape tank ?
My first motor. Very reliable and quite revy, reasonable speed. Never liked the sound. I fell off it when van pulled in front me icy conditions and decided to go for car after that, good memories however
Sorry to hear you fell off it but punchy little bikes for the size
I had a 78 model. Alloys and different rear light arrangement.
Was it an import
No. I can't find one on TH-cam.
The late ones had the square rear light and the cross spoke alloys + different paint work
Why does this sound better than the 125 and the 250?
I guess it's the air box induction sound
i used to go to school on mine . . .
Im in the process of getting one running atm!
Nice, what year? And is it a rebuild or you bought it as a non runner?
How you make the mix? with automixer or in the fuel tank? sorry for my bad english.
Auto lube pump still working fine. But added a bit of oil in the tank on initial start up
Blody fust majster
This
Wielkie podziękowania