Having owned a GS1000 for ten years I feel I am qualified to drop a few pearls of wisdom on the subject of large, DOHC Suzuki fours. A 1980 example, it now boasts a moderate 78000 miles on the clock. As a pensioner, mileage has been on the low side, the bike coming into my hands with a mere 8400 miles already clocked up. That works out at less than 7000 miles a year under my tender care. Not much, I will admit, but they have been largely enjoyable.
The first owner had replaced the alternator and associated electrics twice under warranty. The third was only to last about 3000 miles under my ownership. I was not too amused as total electrical failure occurred about 120 miles from home. A great time was had persuading British Rail employees to lift the hulk into the guard’s van. They retired shocked and hurt after the unprecedented effort involved.
Once home, I tore out every last wire in the machine. There was obviously something fundamentally wrong with the electrical wiring and there was no point pissing about. I had the alternator rewound and soldered up my own rectifier and regulator unit with components supplied by the local electronic store. I used to build radios in my youth, so the relevant techniques came back to me as I progressed. New wiring and the aforementioned bits seemed to sort the beast, there were no further electrical problems.
This alternator burning out is very common on both the GS and GSX series, many a perfectly good machine has been left totally useless by recurring and sometimes intermittent faults, which are very difficult to trace. I know many motorcyclists who cringe and head for the hills at the mere mention of the word electrics, but doing it yourself is amazingly cheap even if you have to go out to buy a new soldering iron and a book on how to use it. I renovated my Suzuki’s electrics for a lot less than fifty quid including the rewound alternator.
The other major problem I've encountered with the GS was caused by its sheer mass. For some people 520lbs is next to nothing but as a ten stone weakling with brittle, aged bones it's one hell of a lump. I am quite tall and the seat height is reasonable, so I don‘t have that horror to worry over. The several times the bike has landed on the tarmac, often with an earth shattering crunch, I've had to summon some aid. My pensioner status usually helps here, but it has often taken three of us to right the beast, and even then with a great struggle.
This mass is also prevalent at speeds of less than 30mph. The GS is a great burden to try to manoeuvre through slow moving traffic. The engine width is massive, with the alternator sticking out so far it's a prime candidate for being torn off when traffic gaps close up. Engine bars are a vital investment - they have saved damage worth several times their original cost! God knows how BMW boxer riders get on. I've actually fallen off when trying to swing the Suzuki between gaps in cars. There's a point of no return, when at low speed the beast just flops over and dies.
This has caused a few irate car drivers to go berserk when they’ve found their auto crushed to death. Even at my great age I've been threatened by the GTi louts for wrecking their car, not to mention their day. One gorilla actually started laying into me. I stood there with my helmeted head crouched down, thanking god for several layers of protective gear. I was rescued by some old dear rushing out of her Allegro and screaming abuse at the lout.
The centrestand was created by someone with a grudge against society. The first time I used it I fell over on top of the toppled bike. The second time, the bike fell over on me. I don't know which was worse! Damaging myself or the bike? Thereafter I tried to avoid using it unless assistance was at hand and it was totally unavoidable. The stand needed perfect balance and a massive amount of body weight flung on its prong. Get it just very slightly wrong and the bike just fell over.
These days, even after most of the chassis bearings and suspension have all been replaced, handling is always limited by the excessive amount of mass. Perhaps it’s just me! I don’t even go that fast. The GS has a theoretical top speed of 135mph. I've gone over the ton on several occasions, but mostly limit myself to about 90mph. it's just not rewarding to go any faster. Not just because of the way the bike is thrown around, like it's about to go into orbit. The secondary vibes are also something to write home about.
The vibration has destroyed various bulb filaments, cracked mudguards, shattered mirrors, shaken off essential bolts and led to the carbs going out of balance rapidly, which further increases the vibes which puts the carbs further out, which... The solution is rather simple, ride below 90mph. There is still a bit of a buzz but it is a mere echo of the fierce stuff that exists as you near the red line. I would question the sanity of anyone who rides one of these beasts often above 100mph.
Especially in the wet, when the remote chassis leaves you wondering what is going to happen next. The only certain thing is that you won't like it very much! I have had the back wheel come round so far that I was certain I'd blasted through the rules of physics and was travelling backwards at the same time as I was going forwards.
The hefty tubular trellis which holds the engine and suspension together is hardly adequate for taming the Suzuki. The geometry is biased towards straight line stability, so usually backing off the throttle brings the bike back into coherent shape. Unfortunately, that also means it needs a lot of muscle power to throw through a series of bends if you want to travel at fast speeds. I opt for slowing down a bit and conserving my strength for the important things in life.
The bike had stock twin shocks out back when I bought her. These were so awful that they were changed within days for a set of Konis, which are still there. Adequate rather than stunning. The forks are no longer original, as they ended up a bit bent after hitting the side of a car. The GS now sports early GSX1100 forks and twin discs, which are merely adequate - I pity anyone still running one of these huge brutes with original forks! I naturally fitted gaiters, my reward perfect chrome, still!
The engine is mostly as it came out of the factory. I haven't had to replace the camchain or tensioner although the rattling noises have risen of late to a level where they will need attention soon. In fact, the cylinder head bolts have not been touched...which may explain the now quite copious flow of oil past the cylinder head gasket... also the rather dense fog out of the exhausts on the overrun. As a believer in quiet motorcycles I've had to stomp up for no less than two new Suzuki exhaust systems. Oh for stainless steel. The only engine component that has proved at all troublesome, other than the alternator, was the clutch. This has required two sets of plates and one new drum.
I'm not a wheelie mad youth, nor even a tyre scorching drag artist, so how brief is their life under the normal abuse exemplified by the average UMG contributor I would not like to think. Still, they were relatively cheap and easy to fix. Consumables have been pretty horrendous. Figure 5000 miles for a full complement of bits, including chain and sprockets, tyres, pads, etc. Fuel has averaged 40mpg plus or minus 5mpg. It is now nearer 35 than 40mpg. Oil consumption works out at 165mpp. Servicing, apart from carb balancing and oil changes, is hardly ever necessary. The valves have needed doing only about three times.
The motor’s probably going to need a major overhaul soon, but I'm not fazed by that. Despite the weight problem I've found the GS a good friend and don’t see myself buying a replacement before I leave this mortal coil. This is the kind of bike, for all its inherent faults, that you appreciate the longer that you own it.
Greg Michaels