An Audience With The Suzuki GT250 - Memory Lane
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- With winter starting to settle in and the weather becoming unpredictable, using a GoPro can be a bit of an issue. As a result I thought I would run a series of these short memory lane videos. If they prove to be unpopular things might change but I wanted to do them to get peoples memories and thoughts on these old but not ‘Classic’ bikes which I grew up with in one form or another.
Thank you to Colchester Kawasaki for letting me in to fondle their collectibles on their closed day.
@colchesterkawasakiltd7467
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Photos and memories to:
Email: allyearmotorcyclist@gmail.com
The All Year Motorcyclist Web Page
www.haywards.c...
#suzukimotorcycles
#suzukigt250
#2stroke
As someone who’s nearly 62, I remember those days very well. With great fondness, of course.
FS1E-DX, RD250 and RD400, were my choices of two strokes, in the late seventies
Marvellous collection 😊 thank you
What a cave of treasures! That's a GT250B. There was a C model, I think, for 78/79 which was essentially the same. Then came the X7 which was a complete redesign, a smaller lighter chassis which was the main reason for the higher performance. The X7 engine was actually down on power compared to the A/B/C models, 29bhp against 32. One period magazine test squeezed the X7 through 100mph one-way by taking off the mirrors and crouching in the time-honoured style.
Brilliant, thank you 😊 the X7 video is coming soon 😂😂
The benefits of RAM AIR on the GT 250 😂
Hi that is C model and not ram air, that was on the M model
Like you say. It's a B. No ram air black side panels. I remember MCN testing a "C" which had a modified paint scheme and somehow stormed over 90. Then the X7 and it's 100. Something.
IIRC there was some accusation that Suzuki presented " well prepared" test bikes.
The GT is a cracking looking bike.
Enjoyed that trip down memory lane. My mate had one like that, but in the rather fetching Gold (ish) colour, it had a top box on the back. For my 18th birthday, a whole load of us went to a rural pub, with me being on the back of the GT. I was plied with far too many alcoholic beverages, so much so, I was pleased the GT had a top box. My mate kept on having to reach behind a push me back up onto the seat, as I kept sliding off. I had the worst hang over imaginable 😂
The GT was much prettier than the X7, but quite a bit slower, and didn’t handle as well. Obviously the X7 was introduced to compete with Yamaha’s RD, it didn’t have to worry too much about the Kawasaki 250’s, or Honda’s. I had a GT380, with the gear indicator which went to 9 in wet weather 😂, and also kept burning a whole in the middle piston. It sounded fantastic though. Happy days, thanks for sharing.
Thanks Ian, this is exactly why I made these videos(yes,sorry, there are more to come) to hear peoples stories and memories. Fantastic, love it. 😊 thank you 😊
@@TAYM a grand idea ✅ As you are aware (if you have looked in my back catalogue), I bought a RD350LC in 2018. A bit of a rose tinted spectacle moment. Wouldn’t bother again, as nice as it was (eventually), but they are a bloody money pit, with the price of spares for them. 😢
@@ianhughesroyalenfield I can imagine 😂😂
My very first bike was a GT-250 and it was a fantastic way for me to get around town. I had a LOT of fun on that bike. Thanks for the memories!
Thanks MrT 😁
The Suzuki gt 250B, had the same bike with a gold tank. Lovely memories.
Thanks PF 😁
These were all the rage when I was a teenager. I had a CB200 then a 400F2 though. Loved the 400
The 400/4 did make a wonderful noise 😊 thank you
@@TAYM Indeed. I keep thinking about buying another to keep my CBX company :-)
@@stonkerontheroad9609 is that the six cylinder cbx?
@@TAYM It is indeed.
@@stonkerontheroad9609 marvellous 😊 I once took my brothers out to see how fast it was down a road we always used to use, dead straight with a 90 degree bend at the end of the straight 😂😂 It went much quicker than I had expected and the road seemed much shorter 😂😂😂 the brakes didn’t seem to be as good as I had hoped they might be 😂😂😂 didn’t manage to stop but did scrape round the bend 😊 I will never forget the feeling when I pulled the brake and not too much slowing happened 😱 the joy of being 17 😂😂😂
Brings back memories my first Suzuki was a X7 in blue what a bike boyesen power reeds, castral R racing oil I can smell it now, then my dad got me some expansion chambers, really miss thar bike.
Went like the clappers lol 😆
Absolutely, loved them, the smell, the noise lovely 😊
An absolutely gorgeous bike
Thanks SY 😁 very pretty isn’t it 😁
It's a 1974, it has a 6 speed gear box with 32 BHP, goes just between 92-97 MPH, and I have one right now, same year and colour.
Wish I had one 😁 thanks NP 😁
Ahhh, the good old days of motorcycling. I really enjoy riding the old bikes, it's amazing how the sounds and smells of the old bikes bring back memories.
They certainly do 😊 thank you
That's in nice condition.
I had the GT250M with ram air, 6 speed gearbox, lovely bike 'twas!
It’s not bad is it 😊 thank you 😊
I had a Suzuki GT250 as my first real motorcycle after a Honda moped and a C70. I still remember the number plate as well SLY598M! Bridgestone tyres were lethal in the wet though.
@@ashleyhouse9690 excellent memories 😁 they weren’t much better in the dry as I remember 😂😂 thanks Ashley 😁
At 17 I had this bike in 1977 after my AP-50. The passion is still with me with Himalayan, CB500s and ZZR1100. Best hobby in the world !!
Marvellous, I had an AP50, marvellous bike loved it. Much better than the famed fizzie 😊😂😂
Mine was a beautiful gold colour. Loved it 😁
Marvellous, a wonderful early 70s colour 😁 thanks EWM 😁
Excellent trip down memory lane. Couple of mates had the ram air versions of the GT250 back in 75/6. I had a CB250G5 at the time which was a lot slower but did look like a grown up bike. Loved the smell as they pulled away, but not the piss taking when I eventually caught up.😛. What great days!
😂😂😂😂😂 marvellous. I bet they had to stop and fill up more often though😂😂
Great little bike. My 2nd bike after having the TS 250. Got it second hand in 1979 and first thing I noticed was how wide the foot pegs were and that they were fixed. I was always envious of my mate that had the 750 water bottle at the time.
Ha, the old kettle! Unbelievable bike that wanted to negotiate everything, stopping, cornering etc. still marvellous though 😊
What fabulous condition that Suzuki two stroke is in. A wonderful blast from the past. I bet that you had fun on the bike! I think that visiting bikes from the past like this will be popular.
Thanks 😊 I hope so, I hope it brings in some interesting stories in the comments 😊
What a great bike, and that shop is just incredible. At some point I’m going to have to go for a visit.
These memory lane videos get a big thumbs up from me 👍
😊 thank you 😊
There was a point around 1992 where three of my friends each had one of these.
I bet they wish they still had them 😁 thanks Michael 😁
That one took me back Mr T. I had a mate in the mid 70s who had a GT250 and on the way back to work one afternoon (we were apprentice chefs in the days of split shifts), I was on the back and some kind soul coming the other way in a car decided to turn right in front of us!😱😱😱One minute on the back of a bike the next waking up in an ambulance! Needless to say we weren’t in work that evening or for a few weeks following. I had a broken wrist and my mate a broken ankle. Thanks for taking me back to being 17!
Thanks RB 😁 yes, it happened a lot back then 😁 amazing we all survived 😁 but aren’t memories great and these old bikes are full of them 😁
Ah The suzy GT250 X7 the bike that subjected those born after 1st February 1966 to hell on a 125 for 2 years, there's nostalgia for you. Makes me glad I was born in the 50's,, not many things do😁
😂😂😂😂 brilliant 😂😂😂😂
What a beauty. Always wanted one as a kid. Thanks for showing. 👍
I would like one now, but then Mrs TAYM always says I am a big kid 😂😂😂 thank you 😊
Beautiful lines !
Very classic I think, a proper bike 😊
@@TAYM pretty much perfect !
Another missed one TAYM I had a 194 one with the ram air cover crashed it into a car though one of my first bikes those were the days 😉👌👍
They were indeed 😁😂😂
Marvellous, love how excited you are about the old bikes 😊 I was going to say you’re like a kid in a candy shop.. but you said it 😂
Such a nice collection of old bikes there 👍 they should let you mutter on them 😊
I totally agree, they should 😊😂😂😂
That little 2-stroke is one of the prettiest engines I’ve ever seen! The bit of corrosion on the fork sliders is typical of Japanese suspension. They figured out that by adding other metals to the alloy it became much stronger. Unfortunately it made it much more prone to corrosion. The simplest solution was to paint clear over the alloy. It will look good for a couple of years then it’s time for a new bike😂. To fix it you have to strip the clear, sand and repaint or sand and polish. And keep polishing forever.
Marvellous, sounds like good practice for owning a British bike 😂😂😂 Thank you 😊
Thanks for bringing back so many marvelous memories, I never owned the GT 250 myself but did swap bikes with mates as you do. I had a dealer built Honda CB 250 built from two bikes a K4 and a G5, one Gold the other Red. When I went back a couple of weeks later to collect the bike, I couldn't see it anywhere in the showroom but couldn't help but admire a black cafe racer. "Where's my bike? " I asked, "You're looking at it" came the reply, only you can't take it away yet, it needs a new Speedo the one which was on it only goes up to 100mph. High lift cams and high compression pistons meant it was fit for more than that. He let me ride it to the end of the road, there was no way I was going home without it, "but it's got no speedo OK promise not to get caught speeding, I'll call you when the new Speedo arrives". Nifty two fifties 😁 those were the days 👍
Brilliant story, love it. It is strange that things seem to be getting slower, cars, bikes, planes ships even people 😂😂😂😂 Thanks for a great comment. 😊
@@TAYM I'll try and dig out a photo, I loved the bike but it did get a bit vibey the faster you went, brakes weren't great and cornering took a bit of effort 😵 Sure today there are much faster bikes but funnily enough the retros seem slower than their past rivals. Only last night I was comparing my 1999 Triumph Thunderbird 900 Sport with the modern Bonneville's. With 82bhp that 884cc triple beats most of today's apart from the 1200 Thruxton. It's a bike I regret selling but as I rode it to meet its new owner I couldn't resist giving it all it had. Glad I had my youth when I did, that's all I can say 😉
@@greywolf9292 me too 😊
Morning TAYM just catching up lovely bike there I had the Suzuki GT 185 cc and then moved on to the 500 GT The A model the 500 was a fun bike back in the day nice sharing this great little bike 🙏🙏👍
Thanks Derek 😊 hope you are well.
@@TAYM yes all good thank you went the NEC yesterday good day out then over to Hitchcock’s to pick up the 16 tooth sprocket for the interceptor make run better and drop the rpm 👍👍🙏
@@SOLOMOTOUK marvellous, I shall look forward to seeing the video 😊
'Trimming' hedges in the countryside. ❤.
@@MarkTrentham-t4h absolutely 😁 thanks M😁
Had a gt250A back in the day and loved it👍races with my mate on his yds7 .great memories 😂
Marvellous, thanks for sharing 😊 both great bikes 😊
Great looking bike. I would like a rd350lc but all two strokes fetch a lot of money today.
Yes, all crazy money and require a good supply of spares I should think 😊😂😂
I had one exactly the same, though mine was R reg, it was a Suzuki GT250B, they were available in red or blue. The engines were rated at 31hp, 1hp less than the A model before it, but it had more mid range, with a wider power band. It's amazing to see that, it brings back many very happy, though sometimes very scary memories. One thing about the B model, it had updated clocks with glass lenses, and the Speedo on mine was surprisingly accurate, with a top speed of 91mph as tested in the press, the Speedo actually read 91 with the rev counter showing the 8,000 rpm red line. If I knew where this bike was, I'd go and ask them if I could buy it.
Many thanks for the vid, it brought back so many memories.
Thanks Neil 😁 Brilliant memories of much easier and simple times 😁
Lovely memory. Likely mid 70s. I had a GT500A in 76, new model just replaced the T500. Kickstart on that was on the left/nearside too. Strange. Highly underrated bike, but a big ol 2 stroke.
Also had an old Honda CB72 which had the kick start operating FORWARD (- offside I think).
And after the GT, I got the 90S BMW with it's weird, nearside, kick-OUT start, which if wisdom were followed was used with the right foot whist balanced on the left cylinder head.
😂😂😂😂 you’ve got wonder sometimes 😂😂😂 what were they thinking 🤔 😂😂 brilliant
Learnt on this bike would love to own one again.
Me too 😁 thanks Wayne😁
omg a kickstart on the left 😵 makes me feel uncomfortable inside 🤣- good old days!
😂😂😂😂 I know what you mean, my left leg feels all funny just at the thought of it 😂😂😂
@@TAYM it's just plain wrong - I won't sleep tonight 😱
@@icedidi 😂😂😂😂
Marvelous TAYM, never had one myself but a lot of my friends did along with the RDs, I went straight from my CD 175 to a 400/4, the GT 250 as I remember was pretty quick. I always thought the Kickstarter was on the right too....
The sound and smell was the sound and smell of the 70’s for me, loved it but then I just loved motorcycles 😊 Thanks H 😊
I never understood why Suzuki persisted with that left-footed kickstart mechanism, which I believe was a hangover from the designs it ‘borrowed’ from Adler from behind the then Iron Curtain. It always looked unnecessarily awkward when my teenage mate used the one on his GT250A versus the right-footed ones we had on our RD’s and KH’s. That’s a lovely example to be sure but I will stick with the X7 that I have, as that was arguably a more seminal machine
You’ll get no argument from me but I do really like the look of this bike😊
What a fantastic video . I remember seeing cool old bikes like that. I would have only got my first push bike then 😆 🤣
😂😂 stop showing off with your young age Ian, it’s simply not cool 😂😂😂
Actually that IS the C model ! 6 speed box btw and yes was odd kicking it up before climbing aboard lol,Mine was registered RDK 170S wonder whatever happened to it….
Really, 6 speed, never knew that 🤔 thank you 😊 I often wonder about past bikes, strange 😊
@@TAYM
Yes as was it’s main rival the Yamaha Rd 250 ah them were the days!
@@stephenheaton8205 I do believe this is the 'B' model because of the black side panel. The 'A' and 'c' models had the same colour for the tank and side panels. I myself had the 'M' Ram Air model in gold. Brilliant days. I can smell the two stroke now !!
@@mryorkshire3623 yes after much thought it is the B model I definitely had the C ( last before the x7 ) it did have black side panels but the tank graphics were wide and blocky
I loved my GT 250 M...not as quick on the top end as the Aand B,, but hey....that RamAir cowling???!!! Yup....marvellous......
Marvellous indeed and although I had the X7 looking now I wish I had had the GT 😊
@@TAYM And to think I was planning a 2 up trip to Strasbourg on it!!! Happy days!!!
@@lauriebloggs8391 young and care free 😊 anything and everything was possible 😊
I had one of these (in red with the black plastic side panels) from brand new in 1977, great bike, great fun. It put out 32 BHP and would on a good day with a following wind, just about do 100mph. The X7 was quicker probably because it was lighter!!
Yes, wonderful bikes 😁 the smell, the sound, just everything about them 😁 they are a truly sensory experience 😁 thanks Martin 😁
I had the 1971 Suzuki Hustler 250 in green. Yes, the kickstarter was on the left side even then. It was a 6 speed. If you started going up hill in 6th the little 250 wouldn't be able to pull the hill and you would have to shift down to 5th or sometimes even 4th and thus, keep the revs up to climb the incline. I rode a Yamaha RD 400 once and it had all the power you needed unlike the 250. Don't get me wrong, the 250 had some power and could go pretty fast so long as you kept the revs up but didn't have any power in 5th or especially 6th if you were in lower rpms. All in all though, I really loved that bike.
Thanks J 😁 yes, great bikes that made great memories but perhaps better as memories than at the time 😁
What a beautiful Suzuki 250 never had one but you should get one or at least ride it 😊😊
that place what a superb display I know the place has been on before but wow
Amazing 🤩
They have some great bikes for sure😊 sadly not all for sale
@@TAYM
Awee Shame great investment for the dealer owner 👍👍
@@-old-school-motorcyclesltd checked with BSA, still a week or so away is what I am being told 😕
@@TAYM
Itl be Xmas freezing bloody cold 🥶
@@-old-school-motorcyclesltd thank heavens you’re a Yorkshire man 😊
What a fantastic looking bike, really like the look of some of the old Japanese bikes… The Kawasaki Z series from the seventies are also marvelous looking bikes and so a lot more too👍
Btw, I hope you did get a chance to take out that other good looking bike in the back too …. that would be marvelous wouldn’t it?😊
😂😂😂 not yet but soon 😊😂😂
Buy it, buy it, buy it !
😂😂😂
The noise and of course the smell of the two stroke oil, I would love another two stroke ❤
@@Irishrover1 is it an emissions thing as to why they don’t make them anymore?
@@TAYM buy that GT 250 and enjoy every minute of it !
250, 350 and 500 Suzuki two strokes had left side kickstarter.
Interesting, I just don’t recall that, how strange 😊😂😂 thank you 😊
Lovely little bike that, that exhaust is really nice on it too! Wonder what kinda sound it makes? 🤔 That Moto Beta is a very funny looking thing, never heard of them before 😆
Thanks BW, need to catch up with your videos, i am having withdrawal symptoms 😊😂😂
@@TAYM No worries at all, I need to catch up with yours too! Work and life's gotten a bit hectic recently unfortunately so I'm a bit behind on everyone's videos 😆
The bike looks better then i do after 52 years...
And me too 😂😂😂😂
Did you notice on the Moto Beta there is a spark plug spanner and a spare spark plug on the frame? And a place for a second spare spark plug. Looks like it went through plugs !
😂😂😂 I did at the time but forgot that 😂😂😂
Did you offer them the original price for cash? 😂
Just returned from a day at the bike show looking at all the 2023 candy on display. It’s amazing at our ages ( born in ‘55) how we still yearn for the beauty of those ‘70s models also the simplicity of the ride they gave.
Hope you enjoyed the show.
No, I am a Yorkshireman and its second hand, thought fifty quid might do it 😂😂😂 but it didnt 🤔 Not at the show until Sunday. Thank you 😊
Marvelous Gt 250.A XS 650 for sale in NZ another classic.
Seen the new 650 Nash line up
Splendiferous.The new 650 Classic is great & is a single cylinder with twin port head hence the 2 pipes and unique rumble.39.4hp 46Nm &
a measly wet weight of 181kg.Be
nimble as & with light weight be similar power to a Interceptor.Euro 5 compliant & do a scrambler bike too.
Check them out.
Pity the Nash bikes aren't sold down under.
Will do 😊
@@TAYM Mash not Nash
Marvellous bike, I never had a GT 250 or an X7, I rode one as my mate had an X7, marvellous bike. I had RD250’s, but would have preferred an X7 in hindsight. Then went on to RD350LC’s they really where splendiferous.
They were indeed. I went big multi after my x7 but returned to 2 strokes with the gamma 😊 which was also marvellous 😊 thank you 😊
@@TAYM I nearly bought a Gamma 250, never rode one. It would imagine it would handle well. After 350LC I bought a GS750E, great time.
@@hughphillips1427 great bikes, great times, lots of fun 😊
I owned a RD250C but passed my test on an X7, the RD felt a little more planted,X7's front end was very light.
@@mickymac6571 it was indeed. On my race bike (x7) I had to slip the clutch to around 9/10 k (can’t remember exactly) and that made the front end very light indeed 😂😂😂
I actually bought a Gt250c brand new in January 1978 just before the x7 arrived, my mate at the time got the X7 and he was mortified my bike was faster!
Marvellous, a much better looking bike too 😊
I had one new in1977 in this colour
Marvellous 😊 those were the days 😊 thank you 😊
I had one 😊of those. Only it was green.
Thanks Kevin 😁 don’t remember the green ones🤔
A handsome looking bike and this is the style of motorcycles when I was young, no wonder bikes like the Classic are so popular with my age group in today's market I bet it rides like a pig mind you haha.
😂😂 I think they went ok but like their big brothers stopping and corners were an issue 😊😂😂
@@TAYM who needs to go around corners or brake, not real bikers for sure haha 😁
@@blearyview2254 😂😂😂
My orange gt250 ram air arrives today :) it's absolutely the better looking bike.
Absolutely 😁 much more of a bike 😁
@@TAYM something is wrong with me. I'm 29 and I love bikes nearly twice my age. So even without any nostalgic connection. They still appeal to me. All my mates think I'm mad. Unless they're alot older. Modern tat just doesn't appeal to me. And yes I've owned alot of it. It's just more of the same.
@@bb-ballistics1706 it’s just the same for me with the triumphs, bsa and royal Enfield. Love them now, hated them when I was riding the strokers and the multis 😁 now I just love them all so long as they aren’t generic 🤔 which rules out a lot of new stuff 😁😂😂😂
@@TAYM yeah. Recently I've been all about Urals with sidecars, mz250s, Jawa 350s etc
@@bb-ballistics1706 yes I wanted a Ural outfit but we’ll over £20k
Royal enfield and now gold star are getting all the attention for this style. It makes no sense that none of the Japanese makers are putting out a real retro.
Totally agree, well said 😊
That Moto Beta seems to be missing the engine 🤣
Tiny little thing, as Mrs TAYM would say 😂😂😂
@@TAYM 😉🤣
When did they add ram air I don’t know 😊
I thought that was only on the 380 and 500 wasn’t it? Not sure 🤔 now my memory is tying my brain in knots 😂😂😂😂
ram air was also on the 250 didnt do anything had 2 of these company owned them didnt stop on wet/dry massive gap between 1st and 2nd gear then they went on to yamaha rd 250 much better
Think the ram air was on the first couple of GT250 models. The K, L & M ? It was dropped for the A model.
@@richardeyers322 thank you 😊
@@martinowl interesting 🤨 thank you 😊
Where is this...?
This is at Colchester Kawasaki 😁
@@TAYM Thankyou Sir, And thankyou for your wonderful content and enthusiasm....
@@wjones6606 you are welcome 😁 thanks WJ 😁 you’re very kind 😁
stop talking kept talk³ all this that especially british but not even the owner of that bike/car whatsoever with perfection till yieled tonque . thats too annoying . im pay my data not want to hear anybody mumbling but for that particular part of what we search for!
😂😂😂 marvellous 😂😂😂