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Gaunt Suzuki


jack_h
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Well the the most important point is the gearbox, the genuine Gaunt Suzuki's had a high and low box which was particular to that bike and the reason that engine was used. I do have a factory brochure if I can find it and that should help identify it for you.

....I did see "one" for sale recently but it was far from a genuine article..

Hope yours is!

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I believe back in the day Peter Gaunt and the supported riders on Gaunt Suzukis used motors bored out from 118cc to 128cc, using a piston from a Suzuki Super Six (250 twin). This involved a change of bore from 52mm to 54mm, therefore if you can find whether your dad's bike has the 54mm bore then that would tend to show it is the genuine article. Also if it's road registered from 1967/68 then it would probably be one of the originals rather than a later copy.

Any chance of putting up a photo?

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I believe back in the day Peter Gaunt and the supported riders on Gaunt Suzukis used motors bored out from 118cc to 128cc, using a piston from a Suzuki Super Six (250 twin). This involved a change of bore from 52mm to 54mm, therefore if you can find whether your dad's bike has the 54mm bore then that would tend to show it is the genuine article. Also if it's road registered from 1967/68 then it would probably be one of the originals rather than a later copy.

Any chance of putting up a photo?

yes, quite true but most Gaunt Suzukis were not 'works' supported so could be 118 or 128.

The gear high/low ratio changeover lever is on top of the gearbox casing.

Most Gaunt Suzukis would have been road registered 1968 - 1969

I can post a photo of a GS from the time if this would be of help?

Edited by sparks2
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Not relevant to your bike I suppose but I seem to recall that Peter Gaunt also rode a Suzuki based on the later TS 125 (the one with the gold coloured tank). If me old 8mm projector still worked I'm sure I could confirm that.

I'm not sure if those ever went in to production but did spawn the McLuckie Suzuki - our Canadian friends can ask Stuart about that one - he's sure to have photos.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi,

Always willing to help with an image from my Offroadarchive, this time taken by Barrie Robinson, who at eighty-two years young is still taking photographs for newspapers. It shows Peter riding in the Ilkley club's New Year Trial in 1970.

My old mate Ralph Venables called the little bikes 'Clockwork Mice'.

As a riding member of the West Leeds club, we watched all the developments of Peter's bikes as he rode them in our club trials (We had at least one a month in those days, plus practice and new rider development evenings at Post Hill.)

Happy days.

post-19290-0-74945400-1387700404_thumb.jpg

Edited by laird387
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Hi,

Dredging back through my memory banks, I find the suggestion that there were 'factory' or even 'factory supported' Gaunt Suzukis, slightly confusing.

In those days Peter worked for one of our local dealers, Ray Dell, with shops in Pudsey (near Leeds) and Otley, and the Suzukis were, I believe, insurance recovery victims due for the scrapheap until Peter worked his magic influence on them. It is most likely that Ray would cooperate with some cost price used models for Peter to 'improve' if they had an offer to buy a model.

My own preference was one of the twostroke models, with a sort of luminous purple/maroon tank colour that seemed to pull like a train, I think that followed the goldish tanked model. Sadly I have no pictures of them but Barrie Robinson may well have.

Regards.

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Hi

It is my belief the production (1968/1969) Gaunt Suzukis were a 'parts bin special'

Peter and Ray Dell basically ordered, collected and paid for all the Suzuki parts

they required to put the bike together from Suzuki GB in Birmingham

ie Suzuki Sports 50 chrome tank.

Suzuki 200 Invader forks.

Trailcat (or Bearcat ??) frame and engine.

All this happened with the blessing and encouragement of Alan Kimber, a senior manager at Suzuki GB.

Alan Kimber (a former trials rider himself) was keen that Suzuki should have a presence in one day trials.

I think Alan Kimber must have pulled some strings to have the American only Bearcat or Trailcat spares imported

into Britain.

The production GSs were therefore an all new build and sold as such in kit form to avoid purchase tax by the trials dealers of the day.

Peter's early (1967) development one day bikes were modified Suzuki 120 road bikes but these were never sold to the public.

Don't forget that Peter G had prepared the Suzuki ISDT bikes that Suzuki GB donated to the British

effort when the British factories had pulled out of the 1967 ISDT.

Don't forget Peter was a James factory rider when Suzuki GB was resurrected from the ashes of the AMC crash

(of which James were a part).

GS 'Works' supported riders at the time included Denis Jones, Blackie Holden, the Lampkins and no doubt others.

The conversion from 118 to 128 using the Super Six (250 twin) piston was popular at the time with the 'works'

bikes and private owners. As to whether it was ever a standard fitment, I don't know.

So any surviving GSs could be either capacity.

GS colours I remember were red, green, blue, a yellow/amber (all metallic colours).

A parts bin special but a very, very good parts bin special.

Now, if anyone would care to disagree or add to the story??

Regards

Sparks

Edited by sparks2
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Hi,

Trawl through the offroadarchive and there's all sorts of little treasures, like this image of what is believed to be the second prototype Gaunt Suzuki, seen around the time that there were rumours of McLaren (yes, the car racers) becoming involved.

The bikes were based on the 'Trailcat' model developed with the American market in mind, and were assembled, it is believed, in a corner of the James factory in Greet.

Trouble was the owners of the Greet factory (Associated Motor Cycles) were in dire straits themselves so the 'real' story is hard to understand or unravel.

Nonetheless, enjoy the picture!

post-19290-0-33621600-1388564696_thumb.jpg

  • Like 1
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Sorry to have to correct you Deryk, but this is the McLaren monocoque Suzuki produced by the car people

some time after Peter Gaunt's involvement, and indeed after the Alta Suzuki. Great photo just the same. Spot the

Villiers air filter !!

It is my belief that the Gaunt Suzukis were assembled in Yorkshire, but the 1967 ISDT Suzukis

were developed and assembled in Greet. Up to present no one has challenged or augmented this information.

Regards

Sparks

Edited by sparks2
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Hi,

No problem, Sparks2, as you already know I'm not an authority on the later twostroke models of any make, but I would rather have the accurate information available for all to see.

I don't mind being included in many of the 'don't know' categories.

Cheers

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  • 3 weeks later...
 
  • 1 year later...

Hi

It is my belief the production (1968/1969) Gaunt Suzukis were a and#39;parts bin special'

Peter and Ray Dell basically ordered, collected and paid for all the Suzuki parts

they required to put the bike together from Suzuki GB in Birmingham

ie Suzuki Sports 50 chrome tank.

Suzuki 200 Invader forks.

Trailcat (or Bearcat ??) frame and engine.

All this happened with the blessing and encouragement of Alan Kimber, a senior manager at Suzuki GB.

Alan Kimber (a former trials rider himself) was keen that Suzuki should have a presence in one day trials.

I think Alan Kimber must have pulled some strings to have the American only Bearcat or Trailcat spares imported

into Britain.

The production GSs were therefore an all new build and sold as such in kit form to avoid purchase tax by the trials dealers of the day.

Peter's early (1967) development one day bikes were modified Suzuki 120 road bikes but these were never sold to the public.

Don't forget that Peter G had prepared the Suzuki ISDT bikes that Suzuki GB donated to the British

effort when the British factories had pulled out of the 1967 ISDT.

Don't forget Peter was a James factory rider when Suzuki GB was resurrected from the ashes of the AMC crash

(of which James were a part).

GS and#39;Works' supported riders at the time included Denis Jones, Blackie Holden, the Lampkins and no doubt others.

The conversion from 118 to 128 using the Super Six (250 twin) piston was popular at the time with the and#39;works'

bikes and private owners. As to whether it was ever a standard fitment, I don't know.

So any surviving GSs could be either capacity.

GS colours I remember were red, green, blue, a yellow/amber (all metallic colours).

A parts bin special but a very, very good parts bin special.

Now, if anyone would care to disagree or add to the story??

Regards

Sparks

Hi Sparks,

 

To add to the picture,. as it were, in ORRe-issue 22 you will find a photograph of 'Top Gear' Gaunt riding an 'alleged' James (albeit a F-B in a fetching maroon!) in the 1966 Northern Experts.

 

Enjoy. ( you did say would anyone care to add to the story........)

 

Deryk

Edited by laird387
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