Classic - Colleda 250TT

Come back to us to BS (before Suzuki)...

In May 1954, Suzuki Loom Manufacturing Co presented its first real motorcycle, the four-stroke, side-valve engined Colleda CO. For some reason, the company did not want to attach its own name to the bike so it created a brand name that might have been derived from the Serbian goddess of winter or a Japanese term meaning something like “This is it!” or “This is the one!”. The Japanese, so we’re told, use that word when they find something special they have been looking for.

We have not had a chance to check this with any real Japanese people, but it seems more likely than the Serbian goddess. Serbs may feel otherwise; please send your opinions to Brother Boris or anyone else who cares.

The TT250 is very European-looking

The CO had a single-cylinder 90cc, four-stroke engine that developed four horsepower. No motorcycle licence was needed at the time to ride the Colleda CO. The Japanese government had recently decided no licence would be required to ride a bike with a four-stroke engine up to 90cc or a two-stroke engine up to 60cc. That also explains rather well Suzuki’s choice of engines for the other model that reached the market in 1954 — the Diamond Free motorised bicycle with its 58cc two-stroke engine with two horsepower.

The Colleda CO had a steel frame, telescopic front fork, shock absorbers at the rear and coil springs under the seat. The gearbox had three speeds. The bike had no blinkers but it did have a headlight and a tail light. Interestingly, apparently it was the first Japanese motorcycle with a speedo.

The law changed in 1955 and it became necessary to get a licence to ride 90cc four-strokes. The result was a major drop in sales for the CO and a steep reduction in manufacturing, which makes it one of the rarest “Suzukis” ever.  Suzuki first came up with an enlarged version, a 125cc, and then pretty much gave up on four-strokes for many years. The next Colleda, the bike we’re featuring in the photos, was a two-stroke.

The 250cc twin Colleda TT was the predecessor of all Suzuki 250cc two-stroke twins. The air-cooled engine had a square 54 x 54mm bore and stroke, the same as the T20, T250 and GT250. It also had a swingarm with shock absorbers at the rear. The leading front fork design is distinctly old-fashioned though and places the bike unmistakably in the ’50s. So does the design! The bike, with its American styling, was launched in 1956.

This machine was followed very quickly by a slightly modernised version, the Colleda COX-II, and then the Colleda ST. Isn’t it a shame the styling didn’t catch on?