… MotoWasabi … Vintage Japanese Ring-Dings A Go-Go » T250 Hustler

Suzuki T250 1969 model Road test.

admin — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:02:53 +0000

The previous test being slightly disappointing, I moved on to the 69 T250, which hadn’t moved since over a year!
I quickly reinstalled the regulator, but that caused a problem: I could hear the battery boiling over. So it had a short somewhere. Further investigation showed that only the the wire to the turn signal was shorting. So I just left it out of the system after isolating it carefully. This means that the charging system goes through the reg, but the turnsignals are fed directly by the alternator. Blown bulbs are normally the result of a system wired like this, but since all US T250 were wired this way I doubt that there’ll be a problem… maybe if I throttle it madly while switching on the signals.
Not likely.

Test ride was a nice change from the previous ones… everything worked faultlessly.nHandles well, shocks a commendable OK, fork just as the T350 i.e. well suited to the bike. The engine, which still needs to be run-in, is a riot!
Brakes work decently, although not the best I’ve had. very nimble, thanks to the large bars.

I understand why people do them up as racers of cafes.
The exhaust note is very pleasant, I suspect Suzuki paid special attention to it. Mellow but raspy, it makes the bike feel much larger in the capacity range than it is. A big thumb-up! Makes me feel like restoring the T20, so that i can compare them again… I was very impressed by the T20 and had a hell of a good time with it.

Needs to be done:

General check all over the bike.
Needs also a battery door.

This one will get plated chop-chop.

Although the paint is quite faded, that Mojave orange paint is still quite something to look at. Have a look at the gallery to see the many unique details Suzuki built in their bikes at the time. The 69 model is also a rarity and has design features unique to this year’s model.

Regulators on T250.

admin — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 06:12:17 +0000

I received finally my parts list from Marcel Vlandeere, and sure enough, for most of the markets, the T250 was sold without a regulator. But for the swiss, french market, it was sold with a specific alternator, a regulator, loom, LH control and turn signals as standard fitment. South African and Brazilian customers had a locking fuel cap as standard…

I will have to put the reg back on the bike.

Fine tuning.

admin — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 06:15:33 +0000

Had a better look into the electric side and decided to kick out the regulator. It is very cleanly integrated but after testing my rectifier (was OK) it boiled down to maybe getting the bike back to Intl version. The regulator wire bullet are not Japanese type but european. Garanteed to rip out when you disconnect the reg. Very well welded on and all but just a tad too big for the Jap female connectors.

These regs must have been installed at the Importers.

I also adjusted the brakes and clutch as usual. Should be Ok now. I do find the motor slighly noisy, bearing noise and clutch noise.
It does pull quite well even though it’s not quite run in. The seating position is very senatorial, I need to make a visit to the breaker’s yard to collect the remnants of a rer set system I saw on another T. Maybe also a “Speed” saddle?

Sunny day.

admin — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 06:15:03 +0000

And time to check if all is well, not too many cops on ester week-end, perfect for slapping plates on another bike.
Little bugger runs well, needs just a few tweak for controls, brakes and the idle is a bit off, too rich.

After a short ride, the batery went flat, si I still have my electrick problem…after testing the rectifier OK, I just removed the regulator as it doesn’t appear on any diagrams (but all my T250 have it )

After a ten-minute idling tuning session, the bttery was at 13.5 Volts… I suppose it’ll be fine for riding.

I’ll post more on these regulator as they do appear to have been fitted at the importer here in Switzerland.

You gotta love that “Mojave Red” color, I feel the itch for a repaint!

Houston, we have…

admin — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 06:14:35 +0000

AN IDLE 1200rpm and stable.

After many scratching of the head, we finally found what was the prob with my 69 T250… You bet it was stooopid (I told ya!)

It has 72 “R” jugs and the carbs, carbs are a bit bigger (26 instead of 24, if i remember well). The friggin cables we a bit short or so it seems. The bottoming sound I heard was the slides hitting the throttle stop… not the bottom.

I had to fab new end cables, nice and easy, gave them 7mm extra travel which is a bit too much but works… maybe there was a prob at the cable distributor, cables that popped out I don’t know. I also had bent thzrottle stop rods, certainly didn’t help… BUT IT WORKS NOW!

Thanks for all the help, I just need a seat cover and it’s over. I still have dreams of putting rear sets and a race seat à la Fang on it, though

Another visit from Tom.

admin — Sun, 26 Mar 2006 06:13:53 +0000

Tom will probably buy the remaining T250s, I do need the space… and I need to know what I need in exchange.
He also offered 2 of the final T125 carb ruber repros, this could also bring some money on the spares front.

Another setback

admin — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 06:02:33 +0000

Well PAul did send me the pistons, but they were the wrong size… I need the last overbore.
When I arrived at the engineers, the pistons went plop inside the barrels…
Gotta sort that one out before I can finish this damn motor.

Gotta sort thatout.

Now, did it repair itself?

admin — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 06:13:23 +0000

This is just to tell you that all of a sudden there is a bit of hope for the little T… I haven’t given up yet!
Had a lot of work lately, as well as a few horror stories at home: How about getting asked for 15 LArge ones on the 1st of JAn? Year is not starting well and I have to make a bit of dosh… funds are real low so bikes become really the last of my priorities.

The return of the son of Electrickery.

admin — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 06:12:45 +0000

I had 4 T250 at one point in the workshop and ALL of them are (were) wired up with this regulator. One bike is broken in spares now.

2 of the Ts are 69 and in original shape, no bodging electrically, they come from different parts of the country… can’t be the same mechanic.

The connectors are original and both original bikes are wired EXACTLY the same (color of wires, connectors and all)…

As I said, Switzerland was used as a test market (because of license laws) and often got “specialized” models for the Swiss market.

I am pretty sure signals were an option for you guys, but here they had to be on…. of course you could remove them, but for model approval on the DMV side, it was easier for the importer to slap them on and get the approval done.

This is getting interesting… I will mock up a wiring diagram with this thing on… I am not brilliant (aprt from bulbs) with the electrics. Stay tuned.

The son of Electrickery.

admin — Tue, 21 Feb 2006 06:12:13 +0000

I have 3 of these 69 T250 early models and all have the type of rectifier showed by Elbert, but there is also an extra piece of kit on all of them which looks like a regulator… similar to those on, say Yam RDs… silver box. This doesn’t appear on my manual (french) or the spares fiche (alpha sport, US models then)

It wouldn’t be the first time a brand did a speciality run for the Swiss market, as it is (was) often used as a test market.

Off my head: Lambretta scooters from the 50s fully decked with chrome accessories and pinstriping… elsewhere in Europe, they were butt-nakeded with drab paintwork… or jap bikes coming with indicators (signals) when these were accessories elsewhere in the world… of course everybody removed them

I’ll shoot you a pic… just to be sure I’m not mind-numbed by my air leak!

Here’s the set-up on my bike