Hi Bernard. The TS250 and more especially the TS185 had a better reputation then the TS400. The 400 was very vibey, and more prone to crank problems, but great, if somewhat raw, fun to ride. Ask me how I know! Personally I think the TS185ER was the pick of the bunch, but the TS250ER is still a very nice bike. If you are looking, only buy the ER variant, unless you get a real bargin or want an early one for collector reasons. The ERs have reed and piston porting which makes it a much more civilized bike to ride, and more fuel efficient.

Kind regards

Nigel in NZ

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The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with . -- 2200 BC Egyptian inscription

Well Nigel. I went ahead and bought one, A 1981 250. I'm just off to pick it up. It looks good and has only done 11000 miles. I'm excited, my wife is not. This is bike No.8. Ebay is a dangerous place for the motorcycle enthusiast.

Bike number eight? Is that all? I have about 35 runners! Tell your wife she's lucky!

Kind regards

Nigel in NZ (With THE most tolerant partner in the world!)

__________________
The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with . -- 2200 BC Egyptian inscription

35 runners. I'm not sure whether or not to show this to my wife as evidence that I am not as sick as she thinks. She will only start to worry about the company I keep.
The '81 TS 250 is not as good as it first appeared but nothing too much wrong. Is 65mph what I should expect as a top speed? Perhaps the gearing has been changed or maybe it's my expectations that have changed.
The kick start lever is clearly the wrong one. It has a much coarser spline than the shaft, although it looks like a Suzuki item possibly off an earlier TS.
For now I refuse to look at it too closely. I get a sick feeling and go dizzy.
Any knowledge regarding splines and different models would be welcome.

You guys sound like you know what you are talking about so you might be able to help me. I recently bought a TS185 1984mdl and the only problem with it is that when the clutch is pulled in it still remains partially in gear. The cable is adjusted right and you can feel that it is pulling the plates apart but it still remains in gear. Someone told me that because the bike might have been sitting for awhile the plates could be stuck to together so I pulled it apart and cleaned it up and replaced the oil but it still seems to be stuck. The clutch plates did still have alot of meat on them, although they were far from new. Any advise would be great.

Hi Lance.
Partial release of the clutch means that the plates are not stuck, especially if you pulled the cover off and took out the plates. Did you have problems getting the pins back under the clutch springs? That can be a bugger of a job, and easy to loose the pins if they ping off.
The other causes of partial release are:
Over-adjustment of the cable. You should only have about 2-3mm lever travel until you see the cable start to move. You say this is OK.
Bent clutch plates. Almost always the steel plates are the ones that bend, usually from a cooked (overheated) clutch. The only solution is to replace the clutch pack.
Worn Clutch basket fingers. This traps the plates stopping them from sliding apart. Dress the grooves out with a fine flat file, but not too much or there will be more free-play in the driveline.

Cheers!

Nigel in NZ

__________________
The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with . -- 2200 BC Egyptian inscription

Hi there I found this thread a very interesting read as I've just brought myself a brand new Suzuki TS185ERC. I live in Mexico and the bike is still available here it cost me about $2500 (US). I'm 44 and haven't ridden a bike since I was 18, but so far so good and I'm very pleased with the bike around the city and off road. You can see some pictures of the bike here:
http://www.bikepics.com/suzuki/ts185/06/pics.asp
As you can see the bike comes with a 13 Litre steel tank as standard so I guess this part is still available if anyone wanted to increase the tank size of an older model. I have one question about the top speed. I have just run mine in (1000 miles) and opened it up I can't get it to go above 7000 rpm in 5th gear (unless going down hill or with a tail wind) this gives a top speed of about 110kmph or 66mph. I've read in this forum that the ts185 should have a top speed of 75mph any idea why it won't go above 7000rpm in top gear.
Regards

hi,hope you enjoyed your new bike.just a quick comment.You should start selling the parts if still available in mexico,as ive just bought a 84'plate version,which is an 1980 model 185erx,and the trouble im having getting parts is unbelievable.I have just found an exhaust end can after months of searching and thats not bad!!i looked at your pictures and the exhaust is the same one but a younger bike!!the only difference i can tell in your and mine is the tank and seat shape.Im not far off completing a renovation on mine,so hopefully will get some picture on as soon as poss.Had one of these as my first bike in 1984 so for me to find one on the same year is great ot me

I'm surprised you have problems finding parts from what I can gather parts are still readily available in the US. For example:
Alpha Sports - Suzuki Motorcycle Parts Catalog
click on 1980 on the left hand side of that page and you'll see the TS185 is listed. Or try searching for "suzuki parts fiche" in Google I'm sure you can find someone who will ship to the UK.
Regards

Hi folks I`m in Australia and i can only find very few pieces for my two ts185`s the list posted in the link here says parts are no longer available they have a few but not the major pieces....

Hey nice bike that guy in mexico has I have looked everywhere to try to get one new here but no one will have any part in it I looked in suzuki`s site American Suzuki Motor Corporation they still make em but why will no countries import them??.

I say countries because i believe aus is not the only place where u cant buy these anymore hope this topic is still alive or is there a newer thread for suzuki ts 185

thanks in advance,
looking foward to catching up with peeps with ts`s themselvschug

Hi there. This thread and other like it generated so much interest over the years that there's been a dedicated TS/TM/TC website opened. It here:

Suzuki TS TC TM Forum • Portal

Sign on over there, and tell us what parts you are after. There's lots of TS185 people there.

Cheers bloke

Nigel in NZ

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The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with . -- 2200 BC Egyptian inscription

i`m there see u`ss all there!!!

just joined. Loved these bikes. Our reintro to 2 strokes in the early 80's converted my dad. I started from 81 to 89 owning these as farm bikes and first one registered on the road with a shovel holder and rack was A$885.

I didnt have a huge oil issue as some found in this thread and maybe a better quality of oil should be used but not needed to be synthetic.
I never found the power some say and the speed some expect. 7000 rpm would be best you can get. Exhaust is too restrictive to go higher. You wil blow the manifold gasket very often for revs over 6000. to me 5500 was tops and all that is needed and you ran out or past the power zone. These bikes were made to last by standard gearing and speed no more than 85 kmh.
I would be happy to take one around the world. cheap, easy to find parts. easy to repair. maybe no repairs needed and no issues expecting 50,000 km if you are doing long km and days the bike is hot all day. These bikes would do 400,000 km in the philippines and many 125 would work 18 to 20 hour days pulling a sidecar and 6 people as passengers. In the rice field they use 3/8 rods as spokes welded in and can carry 500 kg. I've seem 15 passengers on one bike. Suzuki have made many of the most durable bikes in history in my opinion and I have had over 100. I own 9 now but always had 5 or 6.
Looking to buy a ts 125 er or a new drz 125 big wheel now for son. the ts is hard to find in good cond cheap enough and a brand new 2015 has been offered to em at 3250 aussie dollars!!! I want him to start on the old TS but im not going to pay $1,500 for it.

Those TS 185 ER are legendary, people still quote my stupid comments "why would you want anything more" i used to say. My TS worked hard! Now my stead is a ktm 525 and I have come to know proper and suspension.