The extra length also had a spin-off of providing more space for a pillion passenger and for mounting panniers, so the Cobra began to find favour as a tourer as well as a sports machine. The ploy worked, and thereafter the Cobra gained a reputation for predictable steering to match the impressive power output. Outwardly and inwardly there was little difference, but in an attempt to tame the handling, Suzuki lengthened the swinging arm by a whopping 11.7mm. That model was fairly short-lived, and was replaced by the T500 Cobra. When the first version of Suzuki’s big two stroke twin appeared as the 500/Five in 1968, with the vast majority of production destined for the USA, it rapidly gained a reputation for a prodigious thirst, and extremely wayward handling, as well as a rather astonishing turn of speed. Before the four stroke invasion took over, Suzuki’s big two stroke twin enjoyed an enviable reputation as a roadster, as well as proving very receptive to tuning for the race track. ![]() Story and photos: Jim Scaysbrook/OBA archives. From our Old Bike Archives – Issue 62 – first published in 2016.
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