As soon as it was mine I took it for a quick blast through South London and around a segment of the M25 to see how it really went. It was certainly very manageable and it took no time at all to gain confidence shooting through lines of stationary traffic. It was very chuckable and stable on the sweeps and roundabouts onto and off the M25, but its straight line speed on the motorway itself was the most impressive thing of all. It seemed to have as much torque as a Laverda triple I once owned but with more top end punch, more speed and was smoother. I was beginning to think I’d made the right choice.
Three weeks after buying the bike it disgraced itself by letting me down on the road for the only time to date. It was a lovely spring Sunday and a friend (on a Laverda Mirage) and I had the enviable prospect of spending the afternoon riding from South Devon to London. What a glorious ride. Turning off the M5 after Exeter we followed the A30 and A303, a brilliant roller coaster of a road with sections of dual carriageways. The ride (race) showed that the Suzuki edged it on acceleration and top speed, although only by a small margin but on the twisty bits the Suzuki had a definite advantage because it was so much easier to throw around. And the Laverda ran onto reserve whilst the Suzuki was still half full.
We were having a whale of a time travelling at ridiculous speeds. I can well remember a Granada full of yobs that we toyed with - they seemed to take a painful amount of time to struggle up to the ton as they gesticulated out of the back window at us. We played the game and held off, grinning amiably back. I can still remember the look on their faces when we both dropped a gear simultaneously and went past them like they were standing still.
It was too good to last. Whilst cruising up the M3 on the last lap the bike suddenly lost all drive. I coasted onto the hard shoulder thinking I'd been lucky not to have been thrown under a lorry. However, a quick inspection of the rear end revealed the chain to be exactly where it should be. I suspected a snapped mainshaft in the gearbox (who mentioned Tridents?). The bike was still under guarantee so the dealer had the pleasure of fixing it. They had looked quite petrified at the cost of replacing the gearbox internals but were all smiles when they merely found that the chain sprocket had fallen off its splines at the engine end.
Later that summer, it was off to Greece in the company of two BMW R80GSs and a Guzzi. Preparation consisted of new brake pads (pattern jobs, which lasted 9000 miles, as Suzuki prices were shocking) and an oil/filter change. We had a flexible route plan which necessitated only that we visited as many countries as were possible. It was most interesting to find out that at moderate Autobahn speeds of 75 to 85mph the much bigger Suzuki was marginally more economical than the BMWs, returning 53 against 48mpg. This gave a range of just over 200 miles, just the right distance for a quick fag and leg stretching session.
The only problem was that a bolt fell out of the rear light/ number plate assembly which left it hanging off the back of the bike. The most spectacular ride was up in the Alps crossing from Austria into Italy, the GSX acquitting itself through the bends. It wasn’t quite so happy on the rutted Yugoslav roads where everything from oxen carts to Tomos mopeds had to be negotiated. Long distances covered rapidly required a deal more concentration and on lesser bikes would have meant a severely knackered rider at the end of the day.
The road down the Yugoslav coast was amazing, a sheer drop into the sea on one side and tall cliffs on the other - very mad buggers in cars and lorries overtaking on blind bends severely testing the Suzuki's brakes and flickability - it passed! One day I managed 560 miles in 13 hours, which says a lot about the roads. I was glad that I was on the Suzuki and could just enjoy the trip rather than worrying if it was about to expire, or if I was going to run out of brakes or handling. After 13 hours in the saddle in one day, though, it was not a comfortable bike - but then what is. Albania was bleak and quickly forgotten.
The roads in Greece were much better and I could get the GSX up to some decent speed. We stayed in Greece for a few days, took a boat to France and were then persuaded to take a trip up the coast of Italy. It was here I saw that the circlip was missing from my drive chain - god knows how long it had been like that. At every stop I checked that its replacement was still there. One journey was much enlivened by a mad scooterist doing a wheelie inbetween the lines of traffic. Nearing Florence the chain had suddenly become elastic and was quickly running out of adjustment, making loud grinding and creaking noises above the gentle burble of the motor.
I hadn't intended to ride the 900 mile journey from Northern Italy to London in one go but that was the way it worked out. 22 hours later I was back home. I didn’t stop as darkness fell, lucky to be riding in the opposite direction to all the holiday traffic. The more deserted the roads the faster I rode the bike, the motor felt like it could keep going for ever and ever, it instilled great confidence through the lonely night in a strange country. It was one of those journeys that will stay etched in the memory for a long time.
I had been able to replace the chain before making the journey, if I hadn't it would surely have fallen off. The bike had started to misfire slightly but was still able to pull 120mph coming out of Dover when all the luggage fell off the back, destroying the throw-overs. I suppose that if it had to happen it was better to occur near home.
I have a great deal of respect for the four cylinder, DOHC, sixteen valve motor. Suzuki have long mastered the art of making very reliable four stroke motors. The GSX1100 is such a powerful engine that for most of the time it is not very highly stressed - it takes a very long, straight road to get the motor into the red in top gear. With such niceties as gear primary drive - old Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki bike owners please note - means the motor may well go all the way around the clock with little more than a camchain replacement. Bikes that are ridden like drag racers soon burn out the clutch and there are engines with knackered heads around. But, generally, it’s one of the tougher engines available
In normal use its handling is well able to cope with all that I've thrown at it. The GSX range is well known as very flickable, although the smaller bikes tend to be a deal more twitchy than the 1100 - it does need good tyres and a decent set of shocks to stop it getting jittery, especially in the rain. Comfort is certainly good enough for the range of the fuel tank.
Those long trips I've done are evidence that it’s the kind of bike that you want to ride and ride. The suspension is a good compromise between holding the machine taut and absorbing the bumps. Stock shocks are a horror story and have to be thrown away as soon as possible. I'm as happy to use it in town as on motorways or the twisty stuff.
That trip was three summers ago and I've still got the bike. During that time the only major failure has been the usual weak point, the regulator at 30000 miles. A secondhand Honda regulator was fitted for £35. Luckily, it was fitted before it had a chance to ruin either the alternator or battery. Other gripes are insignificant the battery is irritatingly inaccessible, the side panel and rear light mounts are a bit flimsy, there’s no space for tools and no grab rail.
GSX1100s are old hat by today’s standards. A more modern 750 four could match the overall performance, but in a more frenzied manner. It’s pretty fast, very tractable, safe handling, robust and, I think, pleasing on the eye - a great all rounder. Until such time as the current generation of megabikes are superseded and become bargain priced rejects, I’m happy to stick with the GSX.
Mike Hill