What's this?

[nudemetalz]

A good friend of mine owned this in the late 80's (yup that's an H100 bucket racer of mine in the background..).
He got it for a song but never raced it and onsold it. I remember blasting it up and down an "unnamed" street in Sydenham at night thinking this was friggin' fast !!!

Is it a converted T500 or has TR500 connects perhaps?
Someone may know.

[unstuck]

It would be a T500 Titan that has been modified, I had one and it was awesome.Wish I would of kept it.283352

[Grumph]

Interesting - obviously a kitted T500 motor but I don't recognise the frame.

Mike Sinclair built a run of 3 T500's while working at Tommy's but used braced stock frames. That's a lot shorter than a stocker
but it's not a Steve Roberts frame I'd think.

There are a few oldies left around ChCh who might know where it came from.

[Edbear]

It would be a T500 Titan that has been modified, I had one and it was awesome.Wish I would of kept it.283352

Me too! A '73 T500. My first Jappa and an awesome bike for its time. This one is a special build using the T500 motor but I can't tell you anything else about it.

[Drew]

Titan motor as everyone has said. Maybe GT forks but impossible to tell for me.

That frame is weird, the way the frame rails mount the headstock is funky as all hell. The swingarm is half the length of a T or GT too.

Had a couple Titan and GT 500s as my second third and fourth bikes. Good way to learn how to ride!

[Drew]

I remember blasting it up and down an "unnamed" street in Sydenham at night thinking this was friggin' fast !!!

I bet the thing cackled like all hell with those pipes on it.

[nudemetalz]

It felt and sounded glorious plus ..err..rather loud ..

Actually carburetted really well,..pulling from 3000rpm not too bad and then from 5500 to about 8000 it really opened up !!!
I remember a few unintended wheelies. Quite a lot for a 18 year old boy used to his CBX400F !!!

[bistard]

A good friend of mine owned this in the late 80's (yup that's an H100 bucket racer of mine in the background..).
He got it for a song but never raced it and onsold it. I remember blasting it up and down an "unnamed" street in Sydenham at night thinking this was friggin' fast !!!

Is it a converted T500 or has TR500 connects perhaps?
Someone may know.

Is it a Seeley frame ??

[Edbear]

It felt and sounded glorious plus ..err..rather loud ..

Actually carburetted really well,..pulling from 3000rpm not too bad and then from 5500 to about 8000 it really opened up !!!
I remember a few unintended wheelies. Quite a lot for a 18 year old boy used to his CBX400F !!!

8k rpm would be a lot for that motor, quite impressive! My stocker was red-lined at 6,500 with peak power at 5,500 and would pull from 1500.

I seem to recall the reason the swingarm was lengthened from the first Titan was also to do with the tendency to pop the front wheel up.

[Drew]

8k rpm would be a lot for that motor, quite impressive! My stocker was red-lined at 6,500 with peak power at 5,500 and would pull from 1500.Ya needed to take the baffles out of the pipes.



I seem to recall the reason the swingarm was lengthened from the first Titan was also to do with the tendency to pop the front wheel up.Dunno about this. My Titan and GTs had identical swingarms.

Titan was never that eager to hoist the front either.

[Edbear]

Ya needed to take the baffles out of the pipes.


Dunno about this. My Titan and GTs had identical swingarms.

Titan was never that eager to hoist the front either.

I'll see if i can dig out the specs, I recall in a Two Wheels article that the swingarm was lengthened by about a half inch or so from the original. It was back in about '71 or '72 so the memory is not as good as it could be.

My '73 wouldn't get the front end up very easily and I confess to never having done so.

[nudemetalz]

Is it a Seeley frame ??

Have no idea. Thought someone may know. Love to know where it is now.


8k rpm would be a lot for that motor, quite impressive! My stocker was red-lined at 6,500 with peak power at 5,500 and would pull from 1500.



From my memories, it was very willing to rev and would see 9K easily but def tried not to do that.
They had a fairly robust crank though didn't they.

I wish I had some footage of it but it was back 1988/89 and smartphones weren't around then.....

[Drew]

They had a fairly robust crank though didn't they.



Gearbox bearings were the weak link on all of mine. Never needed to do anything to the cranks.

[Edbear]

Have no idea. Thought someone may know. Love to know where it is now.



From my memories, it was very willing to rev and would see 9K easily but def tried not to do that.
They had a fairly robust crank though didn't they.

I wish I had some footage of it but it was back 1988/89 and smartphones weren't around then.....

The motors got a rep for being pretty much bullet-proof. I know I caned mine! I used to carry two sets of plugs though, Champion L82Y's for slower speed stuff and L78's for the high speeds as if you used the hot plugs on the open road and got the revs up you could burn holes in the pistons.

The hotter plugs though, did reduce the chance of oil fouling at low revs in town.

[nudemetalz]

This is a Seeley T500 so dunt think it's one of those..

[Edbear]

This is a Seeley T500 so dunt think it's one of those..

I miss my old bike, now! Saw a very tidy one in Classic_Z's workshop a while ago, sigh...

[nudemetalz]

Speaking of the "T" family,..I miss my old Stinger. I had one that had (low) chambers, clip-ons and a single seat. Went quite well, saw 80mph once or twice.
My parents used to get peeved when I come home as the static from the ignition used to interfere with the TV signal as I rode it down the driveway !!

[Edbear]

Speaking of the "T" family,..I miss my old Stinger. I had one that had (low) chambers, clip-ons and a single seat. Went quite well, saw 80mph once or twice.
My parents used to get peeved when I come home as the static from the ignition used to interfere with the TV signal as I rode it down the driveway !!

My cousin had a 125 Stinger with the high pipes! I loved it! :niceone:

Ah, the days of fitting suppressors to plug leads, LOL! :lol:

[Grumph]

This is a Seeley T500 so dunt think it's one of those..

By the look of the frame it's late 70's rather than early. Have you shown the pic to anyone at Boyle's ? Is the shop even still in existence ? By the late 70's there wasn't a lot of T500 tuning going on in ChCh as Mike had gone overseas but Wgtn and points North were still doing them. There were a few guys making one off frames up North too but very few in the SI. It's def not a Frepin.
I'm actually wondering if Steve Roberts ever did a Mk2 T500 frame - the tank looks very professional.

[Drew]

.
I'm actually wondering if Steve Roberts ever did a Mk2 T500 frame - the tank looks very professional.There's an emblem on the back cowl I can't make out. Did Mr Roberts brand his stuff?

[jellywrestler]

Titan motor as everyone has said. how do pick that Drew, and others, as opposed to the first T500 Cobra motors or the later T500 that weren't named titan, any obvious differences?
This is one of Steve Roberts early 70's frames, there's a similarity in the headstock area

[Drew]

how do pick that Drew, and others, as opposed to the first T500 Cobra motors or the later T500 that weren't named titan, any obvious differences?
This is one of Steve Roberts early 70's frames, there's a similarity in the headstock area

I thought all the Ts were titans is all.

That frame does have a similar look at the headstock. Do you know how many were made?

[Grumph]

how do pick that Drew, and others, as opposed to the first T500 Cobra motors or the later T500 that weren't named titan, any obvious differences?
This is one of Steve Roberts early 70's frames, there's a similarity in the headstock area

Jelly - you've probably had more contact with Steve than most, any idea if he ever did a "Mk2" T500 frame ?

The one in the original pic looks like it's taken ideas from the later H1R - the rear subframe in particular - which is why I'm picking late 70's rather than early. But by that time the TR500Mk3's with water cooling were about and this would have been seen as just a club bike hence sold off to club level rider....

[nudemetalz]

Just to go off track a little (bad pun). In the same sequence of pics, here's my RD50 racer which I ended up bucketracing back in '88-89. Took it to Levels where it overrevved constantly and nipped up on me,..so when I was going down the straight I had one finger on the clutch.....

[nudemetalz]

Good idea to go see John Boyle and see what he says. Boy what I wouldn't give to have another go on it today.

[Sable]

I want one.

[Paul in NZ]

My flatmate at the time had a T500 and I can only remember it as a bloody horrible thing compared to something decent like a round tank RD350.. It was long and unwieldy and handled like a wheelbarrow but given the owner I'm sure it was running on tyres made of recycled school shoes at 10psi ... He replaced it with a CB450 which wasnt much better really... My Norton Atlas was better than either of them at everything except retaining its oil...

Regarding the frame. NZ was full of people that you would only have to show a picture to of a race frame and they would knock one up in the railway workshop. Usually twice as heavy and half as strong as the original but a race frame never the less...

[Edbear]

My flatmate at the time had a T500 and I can only remember it as a bloody horrible thing compared to something decent like a round tank RD350.. It was long and unwieldy and handled like a wheelbarrow but given the owner I'm sure it was running on tyres made of recycled school shoes at 10psi ... He replaced it with a CB450 which wasnt much better really... My Norton Atlas was better than either of them at everything except retaining its oil...

Regarding the frame. NZ was full of people that you would only have to show a picture to of a race frame and they would knock one up in the railway workshop. Usually twice as heavy and half as strong as the original but a race frame never the less...

OI! I resemble that remark... :lol:

[Road kill]

My first big jap bike was a 72 T500 and I had several others after that.
Comfortable reliable interesting to horrible handling an pretty average looks.
My Mrs and I rode T500's for about 6 years an did lots an lots of miles on them.
Great bikes wish I had one now.:rolleyes:

[husaberg]

<img src="http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=283350&d=1369652954" width="340px"/>

Frame reminds me of a H1R.

283502
or this
<img src="http://www.pulstudio.com/1bike_web_gallery/T500%20edit%20copy/T500frame_edit/Frame_T500_race9.jpg" width="340px"/><img src="http://www.pulstudio.com/1bike_web_gallery/T500%20edit%20copy/T500frame_edit/Frame_TR500_race.jpg" width="340px"/>
http://www.pulstudio.com/1bike_web_gallery/T500%20edit%20copy/T500frame_edit/01_T500_frame.html

Genuine XR05 frame.
283567283568283569
Grumph is it Mo Haley modded Frame?

KB wont let me paste in pics today in this thread

the frame looks like a modded std frame to me with the brace under the tank.

[robinm]

This is a roberts tr500 that i owned in ChCh in the early 80's283615

[husaberg]

I just cottened on i basically repeated Grumphs post.

Maybe Grumph or someone else can confirm as i always thought the T500 etc differed visually from the air cooled TR500.
On account of the TR500's not having splayed EX ports the one's in the pics seems straight is it a trick of the angle?

My fuzzy recollection from reading about the differences were for the road bikes the Early Cobras had 2mm bigger carbs 34mm carbs vs 32mm?
the oil level was lower and i think the GT500 had CDI. i think the later than cobras were maybe a little longer in the swing arm ( 2 inches?)

The old man had one (probably still does) it was an interesting bike to ride.

[jellywrestler]

There's an emblem on the back cowl I can't make out. Did Mr Roberts brand his stuff?
he often put the kiwi made logo on his bike but never his own name.
I was at Steve's place today he's just bought his lotus he brought in 1970 into the workshop to restore, blew it up in 1984 and it's sat ever since. it's good to see him do is own stuff, his motivation was his son getting a lotus so it got him cracking