Suzuki ZR50 SLP

Johan from the Netherlands sent me a story of the renovation of his bike and some pictures. Do likeJohan — send pictures and the story of your Suzuki to be published here! Read more here.

1981 Suzuki year code: X

The story of the restoration of my Suzuki ZR50SLP by Johan, the Netherlands
I bought the Suzuki ZR more than four years ago in loose parts and packed in boxes. The frame was in terrible shape. After buying it I thought what have I got myself into? Most of the parts were worn out or rusted through or missing, these I would have to replace.
	This was easier said than done. ”How do I get these parts and how do I get this moped back to its original state?” I wondered. I tried via Internet to find information of the Suzuki ZR50SLP but couldn’t find anything. After that I contacted the local moped dealer that had sold me a Suzuki GT when I was 16. Luckily enough he had still some Suzuki ZR parts lying in his attic! I got almost all the parts I needed but I still needed a few more. I bought a new fuel tank, both front and back fenders, side panels, a muffler and cables for the engine and new brakes from the moped dealer. The few parts I didn't have didn't stop me from the restoration process. First, I took the frame and all loose steel parts and had them sand blasted. Then all the parts were powder coated (better than paint) so that they would last for years to come. The star cast wheels were not in the best of shape, they were dated 08/78 and had to be replaced. After a couple of weeks of searching I found a pair of nice wheels for the ZR with the date of 01/81, too bad I couldn't restore the original, I would have wanted the original date. Anyway, I cleaned the new wheels completely and mounted them on the frame, so now finally after eight weeks it was standing on its legs. Now it was time to start building it back up again to a complete bike. All of the parts were renovated back to their original state and or replaced with the news ones I had bought. The cable harness was checked out properly. All loose or worn contacts and wires were replaced. All operating cables such as the clutch cable, gas cable etc. were replaced with new ones. After that it was time to mount the fuel tank and the front and back fenders. The engine block was in the meantime overhauled and also mounted.
It was now time put the buddyseat back on, a good friend of mine who was a professional saddler recovered it. The last parts mounted on were the side panels; these were bought new and spray-painted in the original colour. The original stickers were placed on. The restoring took a total of three years, including the time it took for searching and buying parts, repairing parts, polishing, painting etc. My Suzuki ZR50SLP is now totally back in it's original state. All of the new original parts (totally 80%) were from the Suzuki Motor Company Japan. The value of this moped is beyond description to me. It is not the money value of the moped but the 1,000 or more hours that I have put into it. My passion for my moped has grown from the many hours that I worked on it. To me, this moped is priceless and I will never part from it! Johan September 2002 All the pictures have been taken after the renovation. Click to enlarge. You can find more info on Johan's Dutch website Suzuki Bromfietsen.

More: Suzuki ZR50SL brochures & adverts

More: Suzuki ZR50SLP Owner's Manual (Handleiding) in Dutch (pdf)

More: All Suzuki models

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