Suzuki GT380

I have not owned or written a bike in 15 years, but I have my sights set on a 1975 Suzuki GT380. I have always loved the two-stroke road bikes from the 70s and I like the GT380 becuase it is light and zippy, but not over the top. Anything I should be aware of with these bikes?

Depends on what you want to do with it - if you want one that looks as original as possible, make sure it has the exhaust system - the 3-into-4 system on these is unobtanium.

In reply to BoxheadTim:

I know about the exhaust. This one has the big chambers on the exhaust, but does not have the one into two pipe setup for the middle cylinder. It has three identical pipes. The paint is probably an 8.5 out of 10. The previous owner restored it, but gave it some cafe racer influences (slighly dropped bar and cafe-like, but not a true cafe seat on an original pan). He has all the original parts, some of which need reconditioning to be perfect.

I just wan't the bike to tool around the back roads (I live in the mountains) and have a little fun.

I have had a few GT250s, never a 380. I hear on the 380 the middle cylinder can overheat and melt the piston if it isn't jetted correctly.

You won't get the same power out of if as a RD350 or Kawasaki 2-stroke but they are a lot of fun to ride around. My GT250 would cruise at 70 no problem, just a little buzzy at those speeds.

My brother bought a GT550 back in 1975, and I knew several people who had GT380s back then. As a whole they were pretty reliable bikes. As mentioned they were not quite as fast as the Kawasaki triples but they were a lot easier to live with day to day. Make sure the oil injection system is working correctly and hasn't been bypassed - some people would take it off and run premix in the gas tank.

If you need Suzuki parts, Paul Miller in CT is the guy. He has an eBay store at http://stores.ebay.com/PAUL-MILLER-MOTORCYCLE or you can contact him directly: http://www.reproductiondecals.com/paulmiller.html

EvanB wrote: I have had a few GT250s, never a 380. I hear on the 380 the middle cylinder can overheat and melt the piston if it isn't jetted correctly. You won't get the same power out of if as a RD350 or Kawasaki 2-stroke but they are a lot of fun to ride around. My GT250 would cruise at 70 no problem, just a little buzzy at those speeds.

The middle cyilner problem exists on many aircooled triples. Suzuki tried to solve this with the "Ram Air" cooling system. If this does not pan out, I know of a dealer near me who has a near perfect (9.5 out of 10) RD250 with 1,080 miles for $1600.

In reply to stuart in mn:

Thanks for the info, I confirmed that the oil injection works properly. I stumbled upon Paul Miller yesterday. I realize that the GT380 is not as quick as an RD350 or H1 triple, but after not being on a bike in more than a decade, the GT380 is about equal to my confidence level.

If you want it to last and run the best it can you'll need to check and set the squish band. Production volumes keep the factory from getting it optimized. Proper squish can not just make more power but can up the life by 3x if not more. Finding someone who will tell you what works best on that motor might be hard to day but info is out there. Check jetting often, bikes of this age and todays p4 (piss for gas) gas are not helping you

How many miles (roughly) should a two-stroke triple, such as the one in the GT380, go before requiring a rebuild?