Bikes

Bikes

Suzuki TR250 Replica

Suzuki TR250

Suzuki T20

Suzuki TR500 (XR05)

Seeley TR500

HI TAC 500 Suzuki

Harpowa Suzuki 750

Originally obtained from a dealer in Markham Ontario in the fall of 1981 this was basically a modified T20 with TR250 barrels and heads.  The frame was braced and chromed, the whole package being visually quite pleasing as you can see from the photograph. With Yamaha forks and the frame bracing it handled quite well but that monstrous Yamaha 4 leading shoe front brake made braking tricky and ultimately was the cause of Terry Swatten falling of the bike. 

Mechanically the thing was a monster with a knack for seizing absolutely with no warning.  It was so bad that Paul Bowyer, the bike's second rider, named it “Whispering Death” after the famous Suzuki factory 250 4 cylinder machine of the mid 60’s.   Many of these problems were solved when the ignition was up-dated from the original points system to a magneto CDI unit.  In 1984 it was judged reliable enough to be sent to the Isle of Man for the Manx Grand Prix to be ridden by Frank Whiteway.   Frank did not race that year so the bike lay in Eddie Crooks’s shop for 6 months and was returned to Canada in October of that year.  The machine was disposed of later in 1984, the new owner fitted a 4 bearing crankshaft to the engine and sold the machine to a gentlemen in Japan.  As far as we know it’s still there!    

Frame:

Open loop constructed of Chrome Molly tubing and tig welded.

Swinging Arm:

Box section

Suspension:

Front: 38mm Ceriani forks with Maxton internals.
Rear: 14.1/2" Falcon shock with aluminum bodies.

Brakes:

Tokiko single piston, dual acting calipers front and rear. Suzuki discs front and rear.

Wheels:

Period style Dymag magnesium wheels.

Engine:

Bore 70mm Stroke 64mm

Displacement:

738cc

Carburetors:

Mikuni VM style 38mm

Gearbox:

5 speed close ratio with straight cut primary drive.

Clutch:

Wet multiplate. Conversion to dry clutch is planned for later in 2007.

Weight:

320 lbs.

Max. Power:

110 BHP at 8500 rpm.

Seeley TR500

This is an original bike that's not quite original.  A true product of the early 1970's,  the frame is genuine Seeley (serial number CS235S) and was supplied by Colin Seeley to Eddie Crooks of Crooks Suzuki in late 1970 or early 1971.   This was one of two frames ordered and was first used at the Easter meeting at Oulton Park in the UK of that year.  Charlie Williams and Stan Woods were the riders but it's not known who rode which machine.

This photograph shows the 2 machines at Oulton Park in 1971. The eagle eyed of you will spot the machine on the left as TIR's machine and is identifiable from the shape of the fuel tank.

These two frames handled well but were plagued with a lack of ground clearance.  It is said that both Charlie and Stan could grind away the clutch housings… they could lean over that far!  The subsequent frames that Eddie ordered all had 1 inch shorter down tubes to help alleviate this problem.  The original frames were sold with this one being purchased by local Barrow-in-Furness racer Dave Maskel, and Tired Iron Racing acquired it from Dave in 2000.  The engine was built by Roy Dixon, the same gentleman that built Les Trotter's Manx Grand Prix winning Suzuki 500 engine from 1976.  Many of the parts he used were "left over" parts from that period and surfaced from the bottom of some mysterious box that Roy owns. The ignition has been updated for the sake of reliability, but other than that it's pretty much original. From the photograph you will be able to see that 1 inch "lift" spacers have been placed in the original engine mounts to raise the engine.  Despite this modification the pipes still drag on the ground when in the heat of battle.  To solve this problem it was decided to put one pipe under the engine and the other over the top… voilà!  no more grounding problems!  Having said that, Les Trotter still managed to touch the bottom pipe in turn one at Daytona in 2002 when he finished 3^rd in the AHRMA Formula 500 event. I guess he was trying hard! The exhaust pipe was manufactured by Swarbrick Racing in the UK to a Tired Iron Racing specification. Before you call Dave Swarbrick to order one please be aware that he told me "never again" Give it a try though … you might be able to bribe him!

1" lift spacers on engine mounts

The bike was used last at Mosport Park by Les in 2004 but after two piston seizures in 4 laps we parked it and sat in the sun for the remainder of the weekend.

Les Trotter (left), D'reen, Kate Fletcher, Kevin Fletcher (right)

Currently the machine is being thoroughly overhauled in preparation for 2007.  The frame has been painted in the original silver colour and new fiberglass has been made.  The paint finish will be the same as the Crooks Suzuki colors of 1976.   See the "Projects" section for details.

The final specifications after overhaul will be as follows:

Model:

Suzuki T500

Engine:

Twin Cylinder 2 stroke

Bore X Stroke:

70mm x 64mm

Displacement:

498cc

Intake System:

Piston Port

Carbs:

2 x Mikuni VM 38

Frame:

Seeley tubular cradle type in Reynolds 531 chrome moly tube

Compression:

7.2 to 1

Ignition:

Rex Caunt CDI

Clutch:

Wet Multiplate

Gearbox:

Constant mesh 5 Speed(ex factory) with straight cut primy gears.

Brakes:

Front: 11" Norvil single disc with Lockheed caliper
Rear: Tired Iron Racing designed and manufactured disc with Lockheed caliper.

Weight:

250 lbs with gearbox oil.

Power:

Over 70 BHP at 10,000 rpm.

Suspension:

Front: Norton roadholder forks with Maxton internals.
Rear: Falcon aluminium bodied shocks.

Suzuki TR500 (XR05)

In 1986 the team acquired this bike from a gentleman in New Jersey.  At the time of purchase it was alleged that the bike had been used by Jody Nicholas when he raced for Suzuki USA though the owner could not be absolutely sure as this information had been relayed to him and there was no supporting documentary evidence to substantiate the claim.  In 1996 Jody saw the bike (see photograph) but was unable to substantiate the claim.  He agreed that the bike appeared to be correct but commented that the factory bike did not use the oil injection pump and this engine had a pump fitted.  So the origin of this piece remains a mystery.  Some have speculated that it might be an ex Ron Grant machine but there is no way of knowing.  We have never raced this bike and have no intention of doing so but it's on the list to be prepared for "parading" and will probably be seen later in 2007 or early 2008.  Again, stay tuned to the "Projects" section of the web site for details of this project.

Jody Nicholas and TR500

Model:

Suzuki XR05 (TR500)

Engine:

Twin Cylinder 2 stroke

Bore X Stroke:

70mm x 64mm

Displacement:

492.6cc

Intake System:

Piston Port

Carbs:

2 x Mikuni VM 34SC

Frame:

Duples tubular cradle type.

Compression:

7.2 to 1

Ignition:

Kokusan crank mounted magneto

Clutch:

Wet Multiplate

Gearbox:

Constant mesh 5 Speed close ratio.

Brakes:

Front: Ceriani(CFW225) 4 leading shoe 225mm.
Rear: Ceriani(CFW170) 2 leading shoe.

Suspension:

Front: Ceriani (CS 1207-3G) telescopic forks.
Rear: Originally Ceriani but now Progressive.

When the TR250 was retired, an inventory revealed that we still had many spare parts "on the shelf" that could be put to good use.  Someone, possibly Les Trotter, or maybe Dave Hughes suggested that we should build a T20 for racing.  The T20 project should incorporate all that we had learned from the old TR250 campaigns(11 or 12 years) while at the same time ensuring that the bike remained compliant with the various clubs rules.

We set about this task with gusto,  A replica tank and seat units were ordered, a T20 frame modified, a Crooks Suzuki supplied fairing and an engine built from spare parts….  voilà! we had a racer…    It was put on the plane and went off to the UK for Les to use.  In September of 1995 the bike finished 2^nd. in the 250 Classic Manx Grand Prix behind Bud Jackson.  Eager to improve on this we decided to enter it into the race the following year at Daytona Florida.  The bike was returned to Canada, modified a little and due to a local sponsorship deal from a restaurant it was painted "Taxi" yellow and that was the birth of the "Yellow Peril" and   the beginning of the problems. It would be difficult to relate all the problems experienced with this bike but failed ignition systems, piston seizures

Engine:

T20 with TR250 barrels and heads

Gearbox:

6 speed close ratio with straight cut primary gears.

Carbs:

30 mm VM Mikuni

Frame:

Tony Baker type manufactured with Reynolds 531 tube bronze welded.

Suspension:

Front: 35 mm Ceriani with magnesium legs and yokes. Maxton modified internals.
Rear: Aluminum Falcon Shocks

Brakes:

Front: 230 mm 2 leading shoe magnesium Oldani with DID rim.
Rear: 200 mm 2 leading shoe Mennani in magnesium with Excel alloy rim.

Ignition:

Rex Caunt CDI type

Weight:

210 Lbs ( 95Kg.) with gearbox oil but no fuel

This bike was purchased from Randy Woods at R&K Racing Services in Edmonton Alberta on Feb. 14, 1984. Unknown to us at the time the bike had a long history and had been raced very hard by some talented riders.   The TR250 race bike was a rare machine, we don’t believe anyone (even Suzuki) really knows how many were made but we guess about 36 in all.  Most of them went to Europe with Eddie Crooks of Crooks Suzuki in Barrow-in-Furness UK getting the lion's share.  Some were imported into the USA and actively raced for Suzuki USA by the likes of Jody Nicholas and Art Bauman.  Several private riders in the UK, Europe and the USA purchased machines but all things considered, there were never a lot of them to start with.  Today, almost 40 years after their introduction, there are very few genuine TR250s  that have survived. We don’t believe any of those surviving machines have such a well documented history as this bike.  This bike, having been retired from racing in 1995, has been in storage ever since. In 2006 an extensive restoration will be undertaken. See the Projects section for details and photographs.

Here is the Story of Suzuki TR250 No.30

The bike was originally purchased from RADCO sales in Victoria, British Columbia in Oct. 1968 for the price of $1608.00, that included purchase tax.

Peter Kellond was the first person to race the machine.  Peter raced the bike for many years on the West Coast of Canada and the Northern USA with some success.  Here is Peter's recollection of those days.

“The Suzuki was light and nimble and with the 6 speed box and twin leading shoe front brake it was almost impossible to beat.  I was the devil against the Yamahas from the Canadian Yamaha  distributor, especially if it rained.  I was (almost) always 1^st, and won races in the 250 cc class and the unlimited class because it was so fast in the corners and I managed to out brake most of my competition.  Then Trev Dealey got really annoyed and got hold of a factory RD56 Yamaha for Tim Coopey to race.  Now, while Tim was a very good friend, I really enjoyed twisting Trevor's tail, and proceeded to beat Tim  3 times out of 5 (my memory).   In the rain the race was mine and the track at Westwood was usually damp or wet, however in the dry it was near impossible to beat the RD56, it was so fast, but also somewhat unreliable so I won more than I lost.“

Peter Kellond
Westwood PK BC

Peter returned the TR250 to RADCO Sales at the end of the 1968 season when it became clear that continued support from RADCO was not forthcoming.  From  this point, the history of the bike has been lost up until sometime in the early 70's when the machine was acquired by Gordon Lebredt. Gordon bought the bike from RADCO sales in Vancouver in 1972, he raced it for many years and like Peter before him had a lot of success. Gordon sold the bike to someone in the Winnipeg Manitoba area around 1978 and lost track of the bike, though he did recall that he heard the machine had found it's way to Alberta some years later. From this point on the history of the bike is unknown until it surfaced again in Alberta(I guess Gordon was correct) at R&K Motorcycles.  The team found out about it quite by accident.  While attending the Toronto International Motorcycle Show in 1984 a chance conversation revealed the location of the bike and immediate efforts were made to secure the its purchase.

In March of that year the bike arrived in Toronto.  Eddie Crooks of Crooks Suzuki in the UK was contacted and after a visiting him, plans were made to field a team for the 1984 Classic Manx Grand Prix.  Originally it was intended that Les Trotter, Frank Whiteway and Eddie were to comprise the team but due to work commitments Frank had to decline the offer.  Two bikes were shipped from Canada but in the final analysis only the TR was used. Local motorcycle ace Geoff Hadwin was drafted into the team and Geoff elected to use his own Suzuki.  The result was "less than perfect" with only Eddie finishing the race in "replica" time.  Both Geoff and Les DNF'd due to mechanical problems.

Continued sponsorship from Dorman Diesels allowed Les to continue racing the bike in the Kenning Classic Series in the UK.  Eventually the team garnered the championship in 1986 and again in 1988 with 2^nd place finishes in 1985 and 1987, all in the capable hands of Les Trotter;  additionally, we actively campaigned the bike in the Classic Manx Grand Prix every year until 1994. The TR never won on the Island but we had a couple of close calls.  In 1992 we were leading on the last lap only to have an ignition failure at Governors Bridge… Les pushed in to finish 6^th.  In 1995 we finished 2^nd to Bud Jackson… another close race. 
By the winter of 1994 the bike had found it's way back to Canada and after a thorough inspection we realized that to keep racing this machine on a full time basis would be unwise, simply put, it was starting to show its age and we did not want to "race it to death".  TR250 No. 30 was finally retired from use after almost 30 years of active competition.  Most of the original parts were preserved including the Kokusan crank mounted magneto, the Mikuni remote float carbs and other original "hard to get" parts.  We intend to restore the bike to original condition in 2007, so watch the "Projects" section of the site to follow the progress and see the photographs.