GT550 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 (K) (L) (M) (A) (B) USA (E03)
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| Name | value |
|---|---|
| area code | E03 |
Introduced along with its smaller sibling the GT380 in 1972, the GT550 bridged the gap between the 380 and the flagship GT750 water-cooled triple.
The GT550 was an air-cooled two-stroke triple giving 50hp @ 6500rpm; this was a full 10hp down on the Kawasaki 500 triple. It was though, in many ways more user friendly, with a flexible, and relatively economical and reliable motor, helped by the patented ‘Ram-Air’ system that helped keep the centre cylinder form seizing, a problem that Kawasaki never really solved. This meant that its power output was constant, even after hard riding.
The first model had a four-leading shoe 200mm brake, which although initially good, suffered fade with such a heavy 215kg machine. This was replaced with a disc after it’s first year of production, which like most Japanese disc brakes of the day worked fine in the dry but was ineffective in the wet.
The five-speed gearbox was deemed enough for the GT550, the GT380 having six.
Handling was more touring than sporty, ground-clearance limited by the bulky and rather ugly exhaust.
As classic machines these are undervalued today, perhaps because they were never as glamorous or as handsome as the manic Kawasaki equivalents, and the model bowed out in 1977 when Suzuki launched their superb GS550 DOHC four-stroke.