Editor’s note: If you’re having trouble with that old Suzuki, BSA or BMW, Keith Fellenstein is your guy. From motorcycle tuning tips to detailed motorcycle engine repair, he can draw from a wealth of experience to help guide you to success. Send questions to: Keith’s Garage, Motorcycle Classics, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609, or send an email with “Keith’s Garage” as the subject.
Q:Hello, Keith, I hope you don’t mind my asking a few questions of you. I just purchased a 1967 Suzuki T20 barn find and it appears that the gas tank and headlight shell are plastic. Would this be correct? Also, can you tell me what the original color options would have been? The bike is very rough and will need extensive work to get it running. Thanks!
-Joe Malpezzi/Carlisle, Pennsylvania
A:At first I thought you probably had a bike that had had the gas tank replaced at some time, but as I dug deeper I began to think you have a T20 (X6 Hustler is another name for them) with the GP kit, consisting of fiberglass tank and seat base. Suzukicycles.org has magazine advertising from that model year and more info as to how the bike came to have the tank and seat. We did an article on the more standard configuration T20. From what I have seen of the period advertising, they were available in the GP version in blue or red. If you revive this bike, never put any gas in the tank that contains any amount of ethanol; it will dissolve the resin and eventually the tank. Check the tank carefully for soft spots. I’d be inclined to find a steel tank for it and put the glass tank away for show use only.
