Suzuki GT series
Suzuki GT series
The Suzuki GT series of motorcycles was introduced to the world in the fall of 1971 as 1972 model year (MY) motorcycles. The final MY of production was 1977 although some markets continued to receive the Suzuki GT380 to the end of the 1980 MY. In the interests of brevity the single cylinder models designated as suzuki GT have been omitted from this article because they were produced much later and were not true grand tourer (GT) models in the strictest sense.
The initial lineup consisted of the following models:
Suzuki GT380J
Suzuki GT380 Three cylinder (marketed in North America as "Sebring")
Suzuki GT550 Three cylinder (marketed in North America as "Indy")
Suzuki GT750 Three cylinder (marketed in North America as "LeMans")
All engines were piston ported two-stroke types equipped with Suzuki's proven Crankcase Cylinder Injection (CCI) multipoint oil injection system (previously known as PosiForce), conventional battery/points ignition system and chain-type final drive. The engines were designed following Suzuki's typical conservative design philosophy and featured classic Schnuerle porting. In a major departure for Suzuki, the alternator fitted was a three-phase excited field type using brushes and slip rings with a wound rotor. A solid state rectifier and a mechanical three-step regulator completed the system. Up to this point, Suzuki had typically used a permanent magnet single phase alternator setup on its bikes so the new equipment was quite a step up for the Suzuki GT series.
The gt380 and gt550 engines were air cooled with a system that Suzuki christened "Ram Air". This system consisted of a cast aluminum shroud covering a modified cylinder head to direct the cooling air. Read more...