TC90 Blazer part 1

It's getting about time for winter project season. I've got a few other things going on this winter, but decided to get started on this one also.

The story starts back in 2009. Browsing eBay I noticed a "buy it now" listing for a 1971 Suzuki TC90. Complete, only 2 hours away, and $150. Why not? The worst that could happen is that it would be worth that in parts. The "runs" in the listing title wasn't exactly accurate, as the description explained it didn't actually run, but I figured it wouldn't take much to get it going, and would make a great vintage play bike.


The next Saturday morning I set off early to pick it up, on I-65 headed north here.

The bike was in Chicago. A beautiful day and the traffic was light.

Got it!

I left the truck at home and used the van to save gas.

At home and unloaded, not too bad of a bike...

...with a very optimistic 100 mph speedometer. The manual I have says it is rated at 11 hp at 7500 rpm, more than enough to have fun with anyway. I think the 831 miles is likely accurate. This is one of those bikes that got stuck under piles of junk in the back of someones garage for 30 or so years.

It does have a great stance. The rims are 18" front and rear. The TC90 is different than the TS90 in that it has a dual range transmission, so 4 gears in both low and high range, which is neat. I did get it running. The problem was simply the wire from the magneto was rubbing the flywheel, grounding out the ignition, but the crank seals quickly went bad, and the tank is very ugly inside, so those are the two big items that need fixed.

Not the best service manual, but the picture on the front is cool at least!

I got an NOS gasket set from Thailand. It was $14 shipped. It is for the TS90, so not sure if all the gaskets are correct for the TC, but I might not need them all anyway. I'll need to get a seal set.

And so it begins, getting started taking it apart. It will be off road only, so no lights. I'd like to do something cool for the rear fender, and maybe a vintage number plate up front. Mostly just a lot of cleaning, inspecting, greasing and some paint. It should be a super fun project, and great fun when it is done.