Description
Suzuki GT750M
Beautiful condition
Supplied fully serviced
Supplied with fresh MOT
Investment grade motorcycle - realistic price
Model history
The Suzuki GT750 was a water-cooled three-cylinder two stoke bike made by Suzuki from 1971 to 1977. It was the first Japanese motorcycle with a liquid-cooled engine.
The prototype Suzuki GT750 was shown at the 17th Tokyo Motor show in October 1970 and launched in Japan in September 1971 as a sports tourer (GT standing for Grand Tourismo) and was developed from the Suzuki T500 with an extra cylinder and liquid cooling. Marketed as the Le Mans in the US and Canada, it was nicknamed the "Kettle" in Britain, the "Water Bottle" in Australia, and the "Water Buffalo" in the United States. The GT750 was heavy at 550 lbs, with a 739 cc two-stroke three-cylinder engine with 70 mm bore and 64 mm stroke. It had a five-speed gearbox and three-into-four exhaust.
The first model year (1972), the GT750J, had a double-sided, twin-leading shoe, 200 mm drum front brake with 180 mm drum rear. The Exhaust Coupler Tube System (ECTS) that connected the left- and right-side exhausts together was designed to boost low-end torque. Carburettors were 32 mm Mikuni slide type and power output was 67 bhp at 6, 500 rpm. Also included was Suzuki's SRIS (Suzuki Recycle Injection System) which was a method for lowering the visible exhaust smoke by collecting and burning residual oil/ gas lying in the bottom of the crank chambers. This was a first for any two-stroke from any manufacturer
In 1973 the Suzuki GT750K was announced with extra chrome plating and two 295 mm discs replacing the drum front brake. No other manufacturer was offering dual front disc brakes at this time, so this was quite a marketing coup for Suzuki. The following year the GT750L gained unitized/ rack mounted 40 mm Mikuni CV type carburettors, a gear position indicator added to the instrumentation and redesigned side covers along with other detail changes. The connecting pipe between the exhausts was removed and the exhausts redesigned to improve road clearance. The engine was also re-tuned with an increase in power to 70 bhp for the Japanese domestic market starting in January, 1974. The rest of the world received these changes with the introduction of the 1975 Suzuki GT750M with the new silencers without connecting pipes, raised gearing and power output increased by 3 bhp, now giving a top speed of 120 mph. Handling and performance were thus improved.
The 1976 GT750A model pretty much stayed the course with only minor changes to trim items and the obligatory paint colour change. The final 1977 model GT750B had black side panels regardless of tank colour, black headlamp holders, brown faced instruments instead of blue, updated turn signal indicators/ lights and taillight assembly.
As with all big two strokes of the late 1970s, the GT750 was a victim of stricter emission regulations and competition from technical developments of four-stroke motorcycles
This machine.
OK I confess I bought this bike without actually even seeing it. It was purchased at auction in early October 2019. It came with good provenance, several recent invoices from well established bike mechanics and looked (on screen at least) immaculate. I then waited several days for it to be delivered. Auctions are huge fun and there are bargains to be had but you can also make costly mistakes (I know I have, the Laverda being one). However this bike didn’t disappointed even the driver (From Chas Mortimer) reckoned it was ‘the best he’d ever bleedin’ seen’. We put the motorcycle through the workshop and frankly didn't have to do too much work at all as it was pretty much spot on. Firing the bike up did, I am delighted to say, set off the smoke alarms - lovely.
Investment potential
The GT750 has a very loyal band of followers are there are ‘kettle clubs’ all over the world with a lot of GT750’s still around, this is not a scarce classic but it’s a very desirable one. This bike hits most of the key points collectors are looking for. Its has all the right bits, it is (as far as we know) all pretty original, it has a lot of provenance and it runs beautifully. If your looking for a usable classic this is definitely in that category, but it does need a lot of cleaning and careful (if basic) maintenance. The two-stroke engine has largely been confined to the rubbish bin of history, the amount of smoke these bikes generate is actually quite amusing, although its likely to upset the local tree huggers. So is this bike a good investment? I would say on the whole its pretty good, again sorry but we will be asking top $ for it (as frankly we don’t want to sell) but it’s a thing of beauty and over time will yield a pretty good ROI and hey just think each time you look at it, let alone ride it, is worth a few £££.
