While Honda and Kawasaki launched a 4-stroke revolution, Suzuki continued on with two-stroke powerplants. Still, the tides of progress demanded a replacement to the aging T500 Titan lineup so at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show in 1971, Suzuki launched the GT lineup. It started with the three-cylinder 750, affectionately known as the “Water Buffalo” due to the liquid-cooling. There were two smaller siblings – the GT380 and the GT550.
While the GT750 was liquid-cooled, the 380 and the 550 utilized what they called a “Ram Air” cooling system comprised of a cast shield over the cylinders that allowed more air to cool the engine. The GT550 was exactly 544cc with a compression ratio of 6.8:1, which helped it reach 50hp at 6,500rpm. The bike was pretty advanced in terms of technology, featuring automatic oil injection, an electric starter, and rubber engine mounts to reduce the vibrations, all of which helped it win Cycle magazine’s mid-sized shootout in 1976 For more information, check out this story on Motorcycle Classics.
This example has 20k miles and it had a recent service with a fuel tank cleaning, carb clean, new air filters, new battery, new chain, new fork seals, new tires, and a brake service. The seller calls it “an incredibly fun bike to ride that turns heads wherever it goes. The sound and character of a classic two-stroke triple are something you rarely experience today.”
Find this GT550 for sale in Sacramento, California for $6,900 here on Facebook Marketplace.
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