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Suzuki T 500 Daytona 1971
With the boom in large motorcycles in the United States,
Suzuki, like Honda, realized that racing victories made good advertising,
arousing interest and boosting sales. Suzuki had a two-cylinder, two-stroke
touring 500 in its catalog as early as 1969. The company developed a racing
model from the production version and put it into American races, where the
Suzuki 500 often beat its rivals.
In 1971 Suzuki sent an official team to the Daytona Beach 200
Miles, but the team's performance was disappointing. In the world championship
that year, several Titan Daytonas were raced by motorcyclists who had been hired
by European importers. They turned in fine performances but failed to challenge
MV Agusta's supremacy. Jack Findlay rode a Titan Daytona privately to win the
Ulster Grand Prix after Giacomo Agostini's withdrawal from the race diminished
the mightiness of MV Agusta.
At the end of the 1971 championship, Titans raced by the
Englishman Thurner, the Dutchman Bron, and the Australian Findlay were in
second, third, and fifth place, respectively, in the classification.
With these successes, an updated engine was prepared with water cooling,
six-speed transmission, and dry clutch. The new engine generated 80 h.p.
Motorcycle: Suzuki T 500 Daytona Manufacturer: Suzuki Motor
Co. Ltd.,
Hamamatsu Type: Racing and Formula Daytona Year: 1971
Engine: Suzuki two-cylinder, two-stroke, with cross-port distribution.
Displacement 492.6 cc. (70 mm. x 64 mm.)
Cooling: Air
Transmission: Five-speed block
Power: 70 h.p. at 8,000 r.p.m.
Maximum speed: Over 160 m.p.h.
Chassis: Double cradle, continuous, tubular. Front and rear, telescopic
suspension
Brakes: Front, central drum, four shoes, four-cam; rear, central drum, double
cam
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