Suzuki GT185M
Suzuki GT185M | |
Manufacturer | |
---|---|
Also called | GT 185 M |
Production | 1974 - 78 |
Engine | Two stroke, parallel twin |
Compression ratio | 7.0:1 |
Ignition | PEI |
Transmission | 5 Speed, constant mesh |
Frame | Single down tube, tubular steel |
Suspension | Front: Telescopic fork Rear: Twin shocks, springs, preload adjustable |
Brakes | Front: Single disc Rear: Drum |
Front Tire | 2.75-18 |
Rear Tire | 3.00-18 |
Wheelbase | 1321 mm / 52.0 in |
Weight | 129 kg / 283 lbs (dry), |
Oil Capacity | 1.2 L / 2.5 US pt / 2.1 Imp gal |
Recommended Oil | Suzuki ECSTAR 10w40 |
Fuel Capacity | 10 L / 2.6 US gal / 2.2 Imp gal |
Manuals | Service Manual |
Engine
The engine was a Air cooled cooled Two stroke, parallel twin. The engine featured a 7.0:1 compression ratio.
Drive
Power was moderated via the Wet, 11 plate.
Chassis
It came with a 2.75-18 front tire and a 3.00-18 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via Single disc in the front and a Drum in the rear. The front suspension was a Telescopic fork while the rear was equipped with a Twin shocks, springs, preload adjustable. The GT185M was fitted with a 10 L / 2.6 US gal / 2.2 Imp gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 129 kg / 283 lbs. The wheelbase was 1321 mm / 52.0 in long.
Photos
Overview
Suzuki GT 185M
From the very beginning, when
two-wheelers were created strictly for simple travel, they've proven to be, for
the most part, inexpensive to buy and maintain, maneuverable, easy to park,
simple to work on, and cheap to run
especially when compared to automobiles.
Almost immediately, though, people discovered that,
above all, motorcycles were fun, and often that fact took precedence over other
logical reasons for making a purchase. Because they were decidedly different
from automobiles, and required certain skills for operation, the person owning a
bike was usually looked upon as being a little odd. In reality, the inference
was that the rider was both freak and daredevil, to be regarded with caution.
Never mind that he could perhaps not afford a car and didn't like walking or
pedaling.
So for years, motorcycle advertising reflected only
the excitement side of riding, usually ignoring the practical side. "Save Gas"
was not the advertising slogan that set new sales records. It was more like:
"That Surge of Power" or "Feel the Wind in Your Hair" that had riders beating
down their dealers' doors. But oh how that situation has changed of late. Sure,
the fun and excitement are still a big part of the sales too, but the catch
phrase in the middle has something to do with economy. Suddenly the freak of
yesteryear is the practical, sensible commuter of today. Particularly if he
happens to be riding transportation bike like the Suzuki GT185M. .because this
is a machine that fits right into the commuter-bike definition of the '70s.
By today's standards, the GT185M is inexpensive
($925)and priced- competitively for its classmaking it a potential mount for
the first-time buyer. Its diminutive size also opens the eyes of riders who are
learning or are looking for a simple, short-trip, here-to-there lightweight.
Appearance-wise, the 185 should please the
sensibilities of many. Overall finish and quality of plated and painted parts
are good; and everything fits into place as designed. The only real criticism we
have is that there is too much chrome up front; the headlight nacelle and bright
parts near the instruments tend to glare back into the rider's face on a sunny
day.
This is Suzuki's smallest pure-street motorcycle.
With a couple years of production behind it, the company has had to make few
changes from the original design, which is to say that it was pretty much on the
mark to begin with. The twin-cylinder, two-stroke powerplant has a square bore
and stroke of 49mmx49mm, for a total displacement of 184.8cc. Its two major
competitors, the Honda CB200 and Yamaha RD200, have slightly larger engines and
are thus marginally quicker in both acceleration and top speed, with the
four-stroke Honda getting the nod in fuel economy.
Our Suzuki never varied much from an all-around
45-mpg average, and, with the steel 2.6-gal. fuel tank, one can figure on
traveling at least 100 miles before worrying about a pit stop. Dual 20mm Mikuni
carburetors provide fuel for the piston-port engine. Efficient air filtration is
through oiled foam elements located inside a plastic airbox chamber. Suzuki's
CCI oil-injection pump meters out lubrication for the important engine
internals; never did our test machine blow tell-tale two-stroke smoke out the
twin chrome pipes. Plug-fouling was nonexistent, although we did replace plugs
once at 1300 miles when a miss developed at high rpm. The new plugs cured the
ills. The pump is miserly; our test machine went close to 1000 miles before it
would take a full quart of injection oil.
As with a few other models in Suzuki's GT line of
street bikes, the little 185 uses the patented Ram Air cooling system, which
does what it's supposed to. The 185 can be strung out for miles on end without
heat buildup and the associated loss of performance. The Ram Air scoop on the
185 is cast into the cylinder head, unlike on the larger 380 and 550 GT models,
which use a bolt. scoop. From the standpoint of appearance, the 185 engine unit
is a gem, and the Ram Air finning creates part of the style. Engine sidecovers
and cases are polished to a satin finish. Really nice.
The crankshaft assembly is a hefty unit that rides
in four main bearings. Flywheels are on the small side, which allows the engine
to buzz quickly to redline, as well as to snap back to idle in rapid fashion
when the throttle is winged at a standstill. Bolted onto the left end of the
crank is a large armature for the starter motor and charging circuit. Dual
breaker points can be easily reached when servicing the battery/coil ignition
system. High tension coils mount under the fuel tank.
Primary drive is via helical-cut gears that transmit
power impulses from the crank to an ample Il-plate wet clutch assembly, and then
on to the five-speed gearbox. Transmission ratios are perfectly spaced and mate
well with the engine's power characteristics. Shifting is smooth and precise,
and neutral can be found easily, even when the engine is hot. The gearshift
lever accommodates many different sized feet, but looks crude and unfinished.
Frame design is patterned after that of the larger
Suzuki GT models, and uses a solitary downtube with ample bracing and gusseting
around areas of heavy stress. Welds are fair, about what you'd expect from
automated welding equipment. Finish is traditional black.
Because the Suzuki Adventurer is compact in size, we
expected it to be on the cramped side for our 6-ft. staffers. Not so. Though the
machine certainly feels small and strange after climbing off a big 900, things
fall into place quickly, and the GT185M becomes a surprisingly comfortable
.piece of equipment. Fairly light in weight (285 lb.), the bike can be hefted
easily on and off its center and sidestands and wheeled around with little
effort in the garage or parking space.
The seat works fine on shorter jaunts, but gets
harder as the miles add up. More padding would help, along with the removal of
the annoying passenger grab-strap that's totally useless for hanging on. There's
enough length for two-up riding, as long as the riders aren't behemoths on leave
from the circus.
With a flick of the ignition key, the seat-latch
lock opens, along with the seat, revealing the battery and oil-tank filler
opening. What's missing and should be included is a small storage compartment
for extra plugs and a document holder for registration papers and owner's
manual. It would also be nice if the seat latch could be left unlocked so the
rider wouldn't have to use the key every time the seat was raised.
Handlebars are narrow to conform with the rest of
the motorcycle, a definite asset in traffic's tight going. Footpegs though
non-folding, fall into position where they belong, as do all the pertinent
switches, controls and levers. The ignition key is double-sided and the switch
is centrally located just under and between the instruments.
Both tach and speedo are easy to read at a glance,
night or day, but non-glare glass would keep the reflections down a bit. Idiot
lights include turn signals, neutral, high beam and battery charging indication.
A tripmeter is standard fare, and is most definitely welcome. Often this
valuable feature is left off of lightweight street machinery.
One of our staffers rode the Suzook for a week
before he realized that the bike had an electric starter. But, either way, by
kicking or pushing the button, the 185 fires almost instantly every time, hot or
cold, rain or shine. The flip-lever choke is only required for a minute or so
when the engine is cold, and warmup happens quickly.
Hand grips are on the hard side, but are far better
than the waffle-pattern type found on many Japanese motorcycles. In easy reach
of the right thumb is an emergency on-off rocker switch and the electric starter
button. The left hand can easily operate the on-off light switch, high and low
beam, horn and turn signals. Positioning of all switches is ideal; about the
only thing we'd like to see is a stronger detent on the signal switch, and
perhaps a lane-change feature such as the one found on several Honda models.
Headlight illumination is ample for the machine's speed potential; other
lighting is also adequate, save for the rear turn indicators, which should have
the more visible amber lenses rather than the red they come with. An owner could
make the change easily by purchasing front lenses and installing them on the
rear.
Suspension travel is limited both front and rear;
and if there is one major shortcoming to the entire machine, this is it. It is
obvious that someone at Suzuki saved a few dollars on rear shocks, because the
ones fitted are about as bad as we've ever seen. They might have been cheap to
buy, but they do nothing for the motorcycle. With a short wheelbase, 4 in. of
trail and
27 degrees of steering-head angle, the little 185M
does things quickly in the handling department. Fine if you ride normally and
take things easy. But try to push the Suzuki around a bend quickly, using up
lots of its ample ground clearance, and you could get into big trouble before
you know it. The rear end pitches and wallows severely at the same time that the
front suspension is pogoing. With both ends working against each other as they
do, really fast cornering has a tendency to put great big eyeball prints on the
inside of riders' faceshields. Take heed: stay prudent with this one. Under
normal conditions the 185 is just fine. Even in rain grooves it remains stable.
We rode our test machine more than 1 000 miles in
commuter-type going and took several trips of the 250-mile variety. In town, the
bike responds beautifully. There are no real flat spots in the powerband, and
the engine surprised us with its pulling ability. The rider doesn't have to make
a conscious effort to "stay on the pipe" as with some small-bore machinery. It
runs around town happily, totally content in the realm for which it was
designed.
And the biggest surprise hits the rider out on the
open road. This is one of the few lightweights on which we'd even consider
taking a long jaunt. It'll run at a steady 65 all day, as long as there are no
severe headwinds and a 20-percent grade. While the engine does vibrate, it isn't
especially annoying, particularly if you've had a chance to sample the
competition, as we have.
A bumpy road is something to be avoided, because the
suspension just can't handle it. Watch out for drainage dips and the like, and
don't play road racer. Also, certain irregularities on freeways or turnpikes can
start the suspension wallowing where control gets sketchy. Subtle corrections
and a reduction in speed will have things back in hand once again.
Brakes are adequate, but a small tire contact patch
on the pavement, plus poor suspension, won't set stopping-distance records. The
front disc unit is a nice feature, but the one on our test bike squealed
annoyingly, an easily solved difficulty. Aside from it, the only other problem
we had with the motorcycle concerned one of the exhaust pipes. A baffle broke
loose inside the pipe and started rattling, not too common a problem.
We wrung out our GT185M a lot harder than most
owners would. And it held up like the Rock of Gibraltar. Aside from the
suspension shortcomings, we think it's the best lightweight going, and that's
saying plenty. Granted, 45 mpg can be bettered by many larger motorcycles, but
there are other money-saving traits to be considered with the purchase of a bike
such as this.
The initial cost is far lower, chains and tires are
cheaper and last longer, the bike can be self-maintained or serviced quite
cheaply at a dealer, insurance is less costly, even license fees are in some
states. There are plenty of things that make a lightweight a smarter proposition
than a big-bore, and there's no contest if you put it up against a second car.
No doubt about it, this Suzuki gets the job done and
will deliver much more than many will ever want. Though we think of it as a
commuter machine, an around-town hauler, it'll hit the highway happily and keep
the rider smiling. Kind of makes it a dual-purpose bike in its own sense.
Really, one can't ask much more from a lightweight.
Make Model | Suzuki GT 185M / A / B |
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Year | 1974 - 78 |
Engine Type | Two stroke, parallel twin |
Displacement | 184.8 cc / 11.3 cu in |
Bore X Stroke | 49 x 49 mm |
Compression | 7.0:1 |
Cooling System | Air cooled |
Induction | 2 x 20 mm Mikuni carburetors |
Ignition | PEI |
Starting | Electric and kick |
Max Power | 15.7 kW / 21 hp @ 7500 rpm |
Max Torque | 20.6 Nm / 2.1 kgf-m 15.2 lb-ft @ 6000 rpm |
Clutch | Wet, 11 plate |
Transmission | 5 Speed, constant mesh |
Final Drive | #520 Chain |
Frame | Single down tube, tubular steel |
Front Suspension | Telescopic fork |
Rear Suspension | Twin shocks, springs, preload adjustable |
Front Brakes | Single disc |
Rear Brakes | Drum |
Front Tire | 2.75-18 |
Rear Tire | 3.00-18 |
Rake | 27o |
Dimensions | Length: 1950 mm / 76.8 in Width: 770 mm / 33.3 in Height: 1065 mm / 41.9 in |
Wheelbase | 1321 mm / 52.0 in |
Dry Weight | 129 kg / 283 lbs |
Fuel Capacity | 10 L / 2.6 US gal / 2.2 Imp gal |
Consumption Average | 5.2 L/100 km / 19 km/l / 45 US mpg / 54 Imp mpg |
Oil Capacity | 1.2 L / 2.5 US pt / 2.1 Imp gal |