Many thanks to Grant for talking us through the many fantastic modifications he’s made to his Suzuki GT750 classic motorbike.
The Suzuki GT750 was an oddball machine when it first made an entrance way back in 1971.
Known as the Kettle, Water bottle or Water Buffalo, the GT750 rolled off the production line as Suzuki’s answer to the dawn of the superbike, but in the end it was best suited as a tourer. Let’s have a look at why today the Suzuki GT750 is a very popular ‘buy to ride’ classic.
In 1969 the Honda CB750 was released which today is considered by many to be the world’s first superbike. This meant the competition needed to offer something that could compete with the ‘big’ Honda.
Suzuki responded with the GT750 and although it missed the mark in offering the same superbike capabilities of the Honda, it was a hit with the motorcycling press and public, that still remains consistent today.
An estimated 71,000 GT750’s were produced between 1972-1977.
It was a water-cooled, 738cc, 2-stroke triple and though produced in 1971 it was released as a ‘72 model. The engine was a Suzuki twin T500 Titan engine with a third cylinder added.
The inline triple engine, bright paint schemes including Candy Lavender, combined with being the first mass production Japanese motorcycle to have a liquid-cooled engine meant the GT750 was out there and it caused quite a stir amongst the motorcycling press and public.
The liquid-cooled engine was momentous as it was also the first production bike to be liquid-cooled since the Scott two-strokes in the 20’s and 30’s.
The bike was powerful, but its 530lbs meant it was heavy and it was built tall and wide. It was a comfortable tourer and could happily cruise at high speeds. The problem was that riders expected a superbike like the CB750 and the fact is, it just couldn’t match the Honda.
It had a 5-speed gearbox and three-into-four exhaust which stylistically was appropriate for an already quirky looking bike.
The front drum brake was the bikes main downfall with the public, many manufacturers by this time had switched to a twin-disc brake for their big bikes.
For the 1973 model the drum brake was swapped for twin-discs, which was purely down to the pressure from riders at the time. The GT750K model also received lots of additional chrome, including replacing the previously painted side panels.