Bikes I have owned pt VIII. Suzuki T10

I think this was my second bike, bought when I was fifteen or so, a 1964 registered Suzuki T10. The T10 was a 250cc two stroke twin and the model before the legendary 'Super Six'.

The bike was registered in 1964 though I have a hunch that it came in to the UK in the first batch of Suzukis brought in by AMC motorcycles (Associated Motor Cycles - manufacturers of AJS, Matchless and Norton) in 1963 - talk about Turkeys voting for Christmas... The T10 was really an excellent bike and with 21 horses available it was fairly nippy and flexible too. Styling was slightly quirky and there was some neat unusual engineering. An electric start was fitted (can't remember ever using it though, kick starting seemed infinitely cooler to a seventeen year old), the gearbox was four speed with sequential changing (ie neutral was at the bottom and the rest of the gears up) and the rear brake was a hydraulically operated drum. Also particularly clever was the length of clear pipe at the front of the petrol tank that served as a fill level indicator. Oiling was of course automatic.

Suzuki T10 1964.

I tazzed around on the little Suzuki for a year or so. It was twenty five years old so I took it on a couple of Vintage Motor Cycle Club runs, it didn't really go down very well at the time (look how things have changed now, it would be near the oldest bike on a good few events). In many ways I don't think people appreciated what an interesting and important bike the T10 was, they probably still don't now either!

I guess I didn't really appreciate my little T10 enough either. It was a cracking original, unrestored example of a very rare bike in the UK. It developed a tricky misfire that I didn't have the urge or probably skills to sort out so was sold on cheap. I really hope it is still out there.

15 year old me trying to look nonchalant aboard the T10.

Near side view of the T10. Within Japan the T10
would have been a higher end and larger touring
machine. Twin carbs and 21 horses gave comfortable
cruising around 60mph, open it up and the two stroke
fog aft of the bike was very considerable.