BRAKE PADS:

You can get high quality Genuine EBC Brake Pads quickly from stock direct from EBC by visiting: EBC Brakes Direct Once on the site, select Bike as vehicle type, then Brake Parts, Japanese Built, Suzuki, 126cc - 250cc and the model type: GT 250 EN/ET/EX "X7" (78-81). The front pads cost £ 16.63 per set including VAT. The rear Brake Shoes cost £ 26.48 inc VAT

CLUTCH KIT:

You can also get high quality, Genuine EBC Clutch Kits from: EBC Brakes Direct As above, select the following in the search boxes: Bike, Clutch Kits, SUZUKI, 126cc - 250cc and the model name GT 250 EN/ET/EX "X7" (78-81). You will then find the Clutch Plate Kit at £ 33.76 inc VAT and the Spring Clutch Kit at £ 7.61 inc VAT.

BATTERY:

For a good price on a new battery for the Suzuki X7 see listing below on Ebay UK or For Motorcycle Batteries, including the battery for the Suzuki X7 visit: Get Geared Select "Motorcycle Batteries" from the menu on the left, then Suzuki under Manufacturer, "201cc - 500cc" then the model description SUZUKI GT 250 LE(X7-E) (GT2502) (1979 - 1981). You will then have the options of a Saito Battery at £ 16.95 plus Acid at £ 4.99 or a DELO Battery at £ 24.99, plus Acid (£ 4.99). I would not hesitate to buy the cheaper Saito battery. The Suzuki X7 does not put big demands on the battery given that it is a kick-start motorcycle.

AIR FILTER FOAM:

You can get a sheet of Air Filter Foam for just £ 6.65 on Ebay from the listing shown below along with other bargain X7 parts from the same supplier. The filter foam is dead easy to fit. Inside the pastic air-box on the X7 is a perforated metal box that is secured to the air box by a wing-nut. Having removed the left hand metal air-box cover undo the wing-nut behind the carburettors, remove the metal filter box and clean it up if necessary. Cut the filter foam into appropriate width strips along the longest length of the foam sheet. The foam sits over the perforated sections around the outside of the filter box. Make sure you cut the foam wide enought to to fill tha gap which is wider than it looks as there are two lips either side to hold it in. You will not be able to cut a length from the foam sheet below long enough to go all the way around the filter box - you will need to cut a second shorter section to go all the way round. Just make sure it is long enough to fit tightly in so it doesn't leave any gaps. It is recommended that you apply a little oil (two stroke oil is fine) to the foam and spread it around to help collect dirt but don't overdo it or it will reduce air-flow. The amount of foam below will be enough to fit new foam to the filter twice with a bit left over.

SPARK PLUGS:

You can choose to go with the standard, cheap fitment of NGK BR9ES or higher spec NGK BR9EIX spark plugs which will put less load on your electrical system and offer better running, starting, fuel consumption and acceleration. Given that plugs should last as many as 5000 miles these higher spec ones aren't a bad buy. Both are readily available on Ebay UK from reputable dealers - See below:

BRAKE LINES:

Any original hydraulic front brake lines on a Suzuki X7 will need replacing if you want to stop reliably and safely. I fitted my X7 with modern braided steel brake lines which give superior performance to the original rubber ones as they do not expand. You can buy good quality Goodridge braided hose kits below on Ebay UK for £ 18.99:

HAYNES MANUAL:

The Haynes Workshop Manual is an essential resource when rebuilding or maintaining an X7 or any other used motorbike. The one for the X7 is excellent, easy to use and informative. I have never needed any other reference source and have carried out a full strip down and rebuild. It's available new via the Ebay listing below at £ 14.95 plus P&P which is a very good deal:

FORK STANCHIONS:

Most Suzuki X7's will need new fork stanchions (sliders) if they have not already been replaced, as they corrode and become pitted which then damages the fork seals which will leak and result in an MOT failure. For new replacement stanchions it is hard to beat the price of the ones below from reputable supplier Wemoto on Ebay:

NUMBER PLATE / REAR REFLECTOR:

The X7 wasn't fitted as standard with a rear reflector but without one fitted the bike will not pass an MOT in the UK. The solution is to buy one like the one shown below on Ebay for just 99p and stick it on a bottom corner of your number plate for instant MOT approval !

ZINC PLATING KIT:

If you are restoring and X7 or similar bike or just own one and want to improve it you can make a big difference to its appearance by having steel components Zinc Plated. You can Zinc Plate any steel components but typically its smaller parts like bolts (engine mounting bolts and wheel spindles), Kickstart Lever, Rear Brake Lever, Gear Shift Pedal, Chain Adjusters, Spacers, Choke Lever etc. A Zinc Plate finish on these components will not only look fantastic but it will protect them from corrosion. The zinc will become part of the top surface of the steel and stop it from rusting even if it is scratched. The kits below are easy to use and allow you to zinc plate parts like this as you wish and in your own time. If you do just a few parts the kit will pay for itself and you can work round the bike doing a few parts at a time rather than having to prepare everything you want plated in one go to save cost at the platers. You will also find it difficult to find many Zinc plating sepcialists that would take on work like this anyway. Of the two kits below the more expensive one is the the better buy as it includes everything you need to give the parts an Acid Etch prior to the plating. The Acid dip is necessary to remove all traces of rust and plating prior to the Zinc plating process. As soon as I have the garage space I will be buying one of these kits myself and would not hesitate to buy one now if I had the space.

Other really good sources of parts online (all in the UK) are as follows:

http://www.suzuki-gt.co.uk/ This is a really useful website for Suzuki GT models including the X7. A number of parts are available from the Shop section at pretty good prices. Delivery is reliable, service is very good and they are helpful if you have any questions. Parts available include Chrome Front Mudguard (Pattern, not original), Mirrors (Pattern), Decal (Graphics) Sets, Brake Pads, Shoes (rear), Levers and Springs, Chain & Sprockets, Ignition Switch, Flasher Unit, Coil, Indicators, Rear Lens, Engine Badges, Clutch Cable and Push Rod, Exchange Reconditioned Cranks, Gasket Sets, Piston Kits, Bearings, Exhaust Silencers, Headers and Clamps/Connectors, Fork Seals and Shock Absorbers.

Picture Below of front Mudguard from www.suzuki-gt.co.uk (see link above), Front Bridgestone BT45 and Hel Braided Brake Line:

http://www.bitzforbikes.co.uk/ This is an easy and good source of parts for the Suzuki X7 and other bikes. After selecting Suzuki as the manufacturer, put in GT250 as the model name and select EN/EX/EZ (X7) 78-83 as the model year. You will then find a useful list of Brake parts, Cables, Sprockets, Clutch parts, Bearings, Seals, Gaskets, Lights, Pistons etc. Most interesting about this site is the availability of "Power Air Filters". These are hard to come by these days. K&N used to make filters like these but no longer list them for the X7. I had K&N's fitted to my original X7 and they give a really good induction noise to the bike which is heavily muted with the original air box. When combined with more open exhausts like the Gibsons they will probably give a small performance advantage but the best thing about these is being able to get rid of the original Air Box (air filter box) behind the carburetors. Anyone who has ever removed or refitted the standard Air Box to a Suzuki X7 will know my point: there is next to no clearance between the back of the Carburetors, and the Air Box and the hard tubes that link the two so removing and refitting the standard air box is a real pain. If you do find yourself doing this make sure you warm up the rubber hoses by sitting them in boiling water before you refit the airbox as this will help make them soft and easier to fit. When rebuilding and running a bike like the X7 you are likely to have to get into the Carburetors fairly often to adjust float heights and needles, replace or clean jets and needles etc and the only real way you can test your handiwork is by refitting the lot (including the air box). If you don't get the Carb adjustments right then repeated removal and refitting will drive you insane. So these Power Air Filters are a dream to use by comparison. The big issue you must consider is that they will allow more air through the carbs which might make the engine run lean. A lean engine will run hot and this could cause it to hole a piston (not good). So as with the Gibson exhausts, if you fit these filters you need to check the Spark Plugs (with a plug chop) to see the effect they have had on the mixture.

My shocks, yesterday:

http://www.wemoto.com/ This is another great online source of parts for the Suzuki X7 and many other bikes. Go to the site and select the GT250 X7 model year that you have under Suzuki bikes. Here you'll find a lot of useful parts at good prices and this is a reliable site/company. Useful parts include the Haynes manual, Mirrors, Bearings, Break Pads, Cables, Chain & Sprockets, Clutch parts, Battery, Switches, Piston & Con rods, Gasket sets, Seals, Air Filter element, Levers, Bulbs & Lenses.

http://www.rk-leighton.co.uk/ If your seat base (metal part) is sound and not ruined by rust but the seat needs recovering or re-foaming and recovering then I don't think you can do any better than get it done at Leighton's in Birmingham. I had mine done here and 4 years later can't fault the quality of the job. The cover has remained tight, they can give a choice of cover patterns including the closest possible to the original. I can't tell my one apart from the original. They paint the metal base for you and add or replace foam if necessary. These guys are real professionals and it doesn't even cost that much (I only paid £ 66 in 2005) so if you can get your seat to Birmingham don't think twice.

See photo of seat below to get an idea of the quality of the work done by Leighton's:

As a test to compare prices for new original replacement exhaust Mufflers, Suzuki-gt.co.uk have them available at £ 220 each while CMS have them at € 181 each. This is one example where even with delivery charges the CMS price is pretty good. See the advert for CMS on the left titled "Japanese motorcycle parts".

As an alternative to the original exhaust you can get beautiful looking hand-made expansion chambers from Gibson Exhausts: http://gibsonexhausts.co.uk/ These look and sound great but be aware that the lead-time can be fairly long and you should check the jetting in the carburetors once these more open pipes are fitted to avoid engine problems.

FUEL TANK: If you have or find a Suzuki X7 with the original fuel tank fitted I would be amazed if it is not badly rusted on the underside and worse inside. The fuel tanks inevitably rust from the inside whether they are kept inside or outside, although they will of course rust faster if kept outside. This happens as the air in the tank warms up in the day then overnight cools down and condenses. The condensation results in water inside the tank which is heavier than the fuel so sinks to the bottom and over time causes the tank to rust. This is a problem with any motorbike with a steel fuel tank and one that is definitely an issue with the X7. There are two ways to guard against this problem. The first is to only let the bike stand with a full tank of fuel. This minimises the amount of air in the tank that can cool, condense and cause water droplets. The second is to completely empty if the bike is to be left standing for more than a few weeks, remove the fuel cap to allow air flow and perhaps spray inside with a bit of WD40 or 2-stroke oil etc (don't over-do it though). Both of these are a pain. The former because you will end up with a tank full of stale fuel, the second because you will have to drain the tank and refill each time you want to start/stop the bike.

The good news is you can get brand new original Suzuki fuel tanks although these are rapidly becoming harder to get and more expensive. When I rebuilt my X7 the original tank was badly rusted. I bought a brand new genuine Suzuki replacement from http://www.sparesdirect.co.uk/ (Tel 020 8969 0741 - London UK). Back in 2002 this cost me about £ 90 but prices have risen steeply since then and may be closer to £ 150 now. Note that these are supplied painted in grey primer in preparation for a professional respray of your choice. CMS still have the genuine X7 fuel tanks finished and painted in the original colour schemes at € 353.50 (as at July '09). Buying the finished parts will easily save money compared to getting a tank sprayed by a professional paint spraying outfit so this makes a lot of sense. The same applies to the rest of the bodywork including the side panels and rear cowl.

ENGINE WORK: In the UK there are quite a few good places that will carry out rebuild services on engines like the X7, the main mechanical work entailing crank rebuilding, crank seals, re-bores (re-sleeving if necessary) along with new con-rod's, big and small end bearings and pistons/rings. I don't know anywhere else in the UK offering a better service than PJ Motorcycle Engineers (PJME) in Wednesfield near Wolverhampton West Mids. Find them at: http://www.pjme.co.uk/. These guys are busy but have great services, capabilities (including cylinder re-sleeving) and good prices. As an alternative you might choose the legendary Stan Stephens. Stan became a legend in the 70's and 80's as one of the UK's best known tuners of 2-stroke engines and is still the owner of the business you can find at: http://www.stanstephens.com/

I actually had my engine rebuilt by Fowlers of Bristol who fitted a new crank seal, re-bored the cylinders and fitted new pistons, piston rings, small and big end bearings with gasket set. This cost about £ 300. The cylinder heads were easy to clean and polish with rags and Autosol and I re-sprayed the crank cases with hand-held spray-can paint from halfords. To finish the engine off you can get new genuine SUZUKI engine labels that stick on the alternator cover and clutch cover. These are available from http://www.suzuki-gt.co.uk/ at £ 20.86 and £ 12.30 respectively. Go the the shop section and select Engine Parts

Crooks Suzuki in Barrow-in-Furness is a real specialist in classic and modern Suzukis. They can get pretty much any Suzuki part that is still available and have all sorts of spares in stock. They really know the X7 too, having tuned and raced the GT range in the 70's.

Ebay is a great place for finding parts that are no longer available new or at a much lower price than new ones would cost. Parts like frames, wheels, oil tanks, carburettors, brake calipers, exhausts etc can be picked up for pocket money prices. All these parts are robust, wear well and can be refurbished at minimal cost. If a part you are looking for has a lot of interest then prices might get a little high but if this happens just wait for another one to come along. I've bought many new and used spares on Ebay and always received good products at a good price. I've seen some great bargains as well like rare Micron Exhausts go for less than £ 100. It is also a good source of new pattern parts like wheel bearings, spark plugs, air filter foam. If you own or plan to buy a bike like the Suzuki X7 you should definitely consider Ebay as one of your sources for spares. All Items currently for sale on Ebay UK for the Suzuki X7 will be listed below.