The History of Suzuki's GT250
“And we’re away, flicking through some of the best bends and gradients this side of the Alps. Choose a gear, the change is slick and smooth then give it some beans and listen to those silencers emit a delicious scream which echoes nicely off the Welsh hillsides!”
The GT250 began life back in 1971 as a Japanese market only machine looking very similar to the last T350 sold in Europe and America. With a thick black stripe down the tank, a twin leading shoe front brake along with old style clocks it was stepping-stone between the 60s designs and the forthcoming 1970s line up. Japan received the GT250 II in 1972, arriving pretty much as we recall the early UK GT250S with gaitered forks and a front disc brake. The GT250K was sold into Europe in 1973 where it proved to be an instant success. The subsequent L and M models received only minor and mostly cosmetic changes such as a chrome headlamp shell along with the rubber fork gaiters being drooped on the M versions. The dog bone rear light was also axed in favour of a more anonymous unit. Again they sold well and ranked as the number one learner bike. A revised A-model appeared in 1976, minus the Ram Air cowling but now with a four port SCAV motor said to deliver more power. This change may have upped horsepower, but the general feeling was that the changes had left the engine lacking in drive below 4000rpm. From the A-model onwards the some of the gear ratios were revised, the air-filter was now a washable one and, crucially, the crank now ran four main bearing not three as previously: the subsequent B-model sported black side-panels and headlamp bowl and a revised paint scheme. The final iteration came in 1978 with the C-model returning to painted side-panels and again revised cosmetics. At the end of the model year a totally new GT250 design was launched and marketed as the X7. Being almost 20 kilos lighter than the old machine and substantially faster it meant dealers still left with stocks of the old GT were obliged to offer them at obscene discounts just to get shot. The GT250 was dead. Long live the GT250!