quote:
i dont know what kind i would like to look for but more info
the better i like my cb350 but would like something cool and old
for the street. the sport bike and hd guys think there the shinz nit.
so to show them up at bike night would be cool...
eric
It works that way with any old two stroke street bike, you should see how many people tell me about "the widomaker" they used to have or a friend did whenever I show up on a kawasaki triple.
As far as what kind to look for, the earlier ones (1967-1969)are rarer and sought after by collectors. The later ones (1970-1976) are a little more common although the T500 was kind of an off the radar bike so there are not that many today. If you want to put on perfromance parts then try to find one with them already on the bike since there are not a lot of companies making pipes and such and the price of the bike will not be out of line with a stocker, but the pipes can be expensive by themselves.
I really like my candy teal 1971, it's a good looking bike and reminds me a lot of the norton commando I used to have (not the sound, but the ride quality). Since suzuki was influenced by norton in designing the t500 chassis (the TR500s used suzuki built featherbed style frames) it is no surprise that the bikes feel similar. The 72 and later bikes use 32mm carbs instead of 34, and it is possible to tune a later bike up to the earlier specs and beyond so no t500 is a sloutch. A really clean T500 will run you $2000 to $3500 (not show concourse but close), a good clean daily rider should run you $1500-$1900 and anything that is a project should be less than a grand. That is why I think the one works is selling is a deal, since the bike is ready to ride (no problems) in good condition, and comes with DG pipes already installed (which on ebay would cost you $300-500).
Other street two strokes you may consider ar an RD350/400 and a kawasaki H1 or H2. The RD has a thriving aftermarket which means parts are plentiful and cheap. The bikes themselves are in the same price range for a t500 (maybe a little more) and there ain't nobody that doesn't love an RD. As for a triple I would recomend a 1973-1976 H1/kh500. It is a bigger bike physically than the rd or the t500 but there is no sound like a two stroke triple, and properly tuned they will rip your arms off. They are slightly less maintenance intensive than a brit bike, but are far less forgiving when you screw something up. The 73-76 are the tamer h1s which can actually be used for daily riding if you don't mind the vibration (they vibrate less than other models since they are rubber mounted, but it is still a two stroke and two strokes vibrate)
