A massive amount of muscle is needed to fling the GSX1100 around. Even after two years I haven't become used to it. I'd expected a bit of effort in town, after all she weighs in at 550lbs and inherited the conservative geometry of the old GS series. It wasn’t for another couple of years that the monoshock, sixteen inch wheel version came along and changed the character of the beast out of all recognition.
Even at high speeds the ponderous steering was still there. The good side of that was high speed stability that was solid. The bad part was the need to wrench muscles to get the GSX through the bends. A series of the dreaded S-bends would end with the Suzuki either down to a walking pace or us going walkies on to the nearest bit of soft ground.
I'd say that the straight line stability was so damn good that she much preferred to go right across roundabouts or through hedges rather than track the required course. This took a lot of getting used to, as can be imagined. The solution to most of the handling quirks was to use every muscle in my body to overcome the bike’s natural momentum. Oddly, putting a pillion out back made it slightly easier to handle, suggesting the GSX had too much weight over the front wheel.
The first 800 miles was mostly fun, as I fought to master the handling and revelled in the excessive torque and power produced by the engine at almost all revs. I thought I was winning, then the front end started wobbling every time I approached 45mph. If I took a hand off the bars they would slowly go from lock to lock until I freaked out and quickly grabbed hold of them again.
A few miles later loose steering head bearings were revealed when I tugged at the forks, becoming a bit desperate to find the cause of the wobbles. A set of taper rollers were hammered in but I nearly threw up the first time I tried the bike as the bars shook vehemently in my hands. It took six attempts to get the steering head stem at the correct torque. These taper bearings are very sensitive indeed.
The GSX was very sensitive to tyres. I found the best combination was rear Metzeler and front Arrowmax, as odd as this coupling might be. A much lighter friend found the bike diabolical on this rubber, so it’s very much personal taste. The front allowed slightly quicker steering than a Metz, whilst the better grip at the back end allowed fast exits from bends without the back tyre squirming all over the place. The combination of gut churning power and excessive weight, tore the back tyre to shreds in less than 4000 miles whilst the front would go for about twice that. They both had to be replaced when the tread was down to 2mm, unless you actually enjoyed falling off.
The other handling nasty was hitting potholes, either in town or out on the open highway, when the bars would flutter for what seemed like a hundred yards. The best reaction, once clear of the pothole, was to loosen my grip and not try to fight the bars. That way the oscillations could die down of their own accord. It still made my heart stop when it happened at ton plus speeds.
I bought the bike when just over 23000 miles had been done, benefiting from some upgraded suspension and an engine with a full service history. There's nothing worse than trying to cope with 100 horses and 550lbs on worn out OE suspension. One friend with a rat GSX1100 had us in hysterics with his tall tales of having to ride off the road, being thrown right out of the seat and weaving between cars on one wheel...
I've never conjured up the courage to try to wheelie my GSX. If it started to career off I doubt if I’d be able to pull it back on line. Wheelspin I can handle, though, as the back wheel slides around very controllably. Even that I don’t do very often because there’s enough torque to ruin a tyre in an afternoon.
Even better, the power was allied to a slick gearbox that was a pleasure to use even though there was no real need to employ it. The engine could be dumped into top and run between 30 and 135mph just by rolling the throttle open. It came in harder once past 6000 revs but in top gear, 50 to 90mph, roll-ons there were few bikes that could come close to keeping the GSX’s number plate in sight.
Comfort was limited by a too wide seat and tank, making it difficult to reach the ground if you were on the short side. Not very nice on a bike this heavy, which is also quite top heavy at town speeds. The few times I’ve tried to push it backwards the mass and disc drag combined to almost give me a hernia you have to be very careful how it’s parked, as a slight incline makes it impossible to pull out. The centre stand had been long since junked in the interests of improved ground clearance, sothat was one thing I didn’t have to fight. My last GS had a diabolical stand that left the back wheel a foot off the ground and all my muscles strained - and I ain't no ten stone weakling!
The big Suzuki had a surprisingly good finish, even the engine alloy and wheels not needing much hard work. The only tedious chore was cleaning the calipers every time I fitted new Ferodo pads, at around 9000 miles. The sixteen valve head and four CV carbs didn’t need much attention and the rest of the bike seemed well able to look after itself. Oil and filter are, of course, changed every 1500 miles.
After the first year, with 49000 miles on the clock, I was well pleased with my purchase, having become used to its ways and built up total faith in the reliability of the motor. One friend actually offered me £500 more than I paid for the 81 machine, so impressed had he become with the bike from the pillion perch. I thought about this for a while but decided to stick with the Suzuki.
Typically, perhaps, two weeks later the battery was having trouble holding enough charge to turn the starter motor. There was no way I was even going to think about trying to bump the brute into life. Big Suzukis are infamous for electrical burn-outs. I was relieved rather than annoyed when I pulled the battery out. It looked old enough to have been in the bike for the past 12 years. Knowing that any weak link in the electrics could take the whole system out I replaced it straight away. There haven't been any electrical problems since, not even a blown bulb.
Fuel was what you'd expect from such a big, heavy bike capable of blasting through the ton like most other bikes manage 50mph. The worst consumption I ever achieved was 28mpg, from a 130mph autobahn bash when I was fighting a heavy head wind. The GSX has wide rather than high bars that leaves the rider spread-eagled in the turbulent air stream. Not really comfortable for more than five minutes at speeds in excess of the ton, but I find that by adopting a riding position that involved getting my head down and using the pillion pegs I could take an hour or two of autobahn cruising.
I had to rely on the twin front discs when the foreign cagers did something crazy, like falling asleep at the wheel. The brakes were almost demonic at speed, surprising given their age but reassuring at high velocities. They were a bit vicious in the rain, but | guess that’s the price you have to pay. More normal motorway cruising, when not much more than 90mph was involved for most of the time, turned in 35 to 40mpg. The GSX seemed to laugh off such paltry speeds, feeling like it was barely turning over.
The best consumption I managed was just under 50mpg, that was pottering around winding A-roads where the lack of handling finesse limited speeds to a most moderate level. The GSX was rather relaxed when used in the 60 to 70mph cruising mode with none of the frenetic nature that might've been expected, thanks to its excessive torque. Town riding gave about 40mpg.
Anyone who expects these big fours to be cheap to run is wasting their time. They will run relentlessly, though, mine has now done 76000 miles, looks beautiful and has a silky rustle that many 6000 mile engines can’t match.
An amazing bike!
T. Saunders