The good thing about the GS850GT is that generally it does not attract the usual juvenile delinquents. I bought my two year old example off someone who was even older than myself, and as I am drawing a pension that is no common thing! I have been riding motorcycles since before most of you were born and intend to keep doing so until I drop!
I do appreciate the civilised aspects of Japanese machinery. The lack of hand numbing vibes, electrics which work rather than fall apart and engines that are remarkable in their reliability. l have tried all the Japanese makes and have decided that Suzuki offer the best engineered motors, although I must admit that I was once put off that marque by a year with a GT380 triple.
But I wander off, no doubt down to my age, dear reader. The GS850 was registered in 1986 and had accumulated just 7000 miles with its first owner. It even came with a full service history, something very rare - my usual enquiries of such things, from the safety of a phone, were met with the barely articulate gruntings of some obviously mentally deficient youth who ended his statement of neglect with the information that he changed the oil once a year, mate.
No, I thought then, and four years and 42000 miles later see no reason to change that thought, that I was on to a very good thing. At my age, I have no time for grovelling about in the dirt adjusting chains so the GT's shaft came as a welcome relief, all I did was change its oil two years ago The GS850 engine has a surplus of torque and absolutely no need to rev it anywhere near the red sector. At my age I never go beyond 90mph and more normally stick to an 80mph cruise when road conditions allow.
My only problem with the GS came from its mass. At around 600lbs with a full set of panniers, it is both heavy in traffic and in corners, but set it on a mildly curvaceous A road or motorway and it sits rock solid on the road up to any sensible speed you'd care to name. The word you should take note of there is sensible...
I let my grandson have a go, although not without insisting on going pillion. He more normally rode a FZR600 and expected the GS to circumnavigate his favourite series of switchbacks at his normal pace. The poor old GS shook its shaft drive rear end, twitched its front forks and almost ran off the road a couple of times. The vibes that came up through the pillion footrests, as the wretched youth took my engine into the red in lower gears, reminded me of my days with a Norton Atlas with its main bearings on the way out. When we came to a stop, I was gasping for breath with a strange pain in my chest. After I recovered, I insisted on taking the controls and we returned home at a much more moderate pace.
The grandson had commented on the splendid way that the GS would hold top gear down to 30mph and then take off strongly by just opening the throttle. He insisted I take the controls of his FZR, warning me that I would have to make more use of the gearbox. In fact, I found the engine surprisingly punchy. no doubt aided by the Yamaha's very low mass. What I could not take was the riding position, my backside was up in the air, my head seemed to be in the clocks and all my ageing joints were strongly protesting at being cramped up in the tiny FZR's riding position. I did once own a Triton and I can't recall that it was particularly painful, but I was 30 years younger then!
It was a blessed relief to come back to the controls of the Suzuki. If it was a bit of a whale of a motorcycle, it was at least one I had been able to tailor to my own needs. The handlebars had been the first to be ditched, replaced with a set with a sixties Bonnie type bend. Some people find it a little peculiar, but I have been using the same bars for the past 20 years. I had relocated the footrests slightly lower and further back to match the new bars, not having to adjust the brake or gear levers as l have very large feet covered by even larger jack boots.
With this set up I can do 300 to 450 miles in a day, depending on the weather - I don't like riding the GS through the rain very much as it’s not very stable on white lines or crossings. In the wet, I have had heart palpitations several times. Another problem I have is with night vision, I find it very hard to pick out the contrast between objects in certain conditions, an apparently common problem people have with otherwise acceptable eyesight. There is a name for it but I forget it at the moment. At least by wearing goggles and an open face lid (no, not a pudding basin, mate) I don’t suffer the same dazzling effect from oncoming headlamps as do most motorcyclists with scratched visors.
I have received some very funny looks when I roll up at ferries or stop off at roadside cafes, especially in the winter when people look at me as if I should be tucked up in bed with a hot water bottle if not locked away in an old people's home. As I refuse to pay the TV licence for the licentious rubbish they put out these days, motorcycles take up an inordinate amount of my time, one way or another. I am always planning some trip, either in the United Kingdom or abroad. I plan my routes and accommodation with military precision but quite often go off course once in the saddle. | feel sure that motorcycling has kept me young at heart and healthy in body...
There is something so invigorating on starting out on even a short ride. The GS purrs into life straight away, snicks into first gear and even on a cold motor tears off up the road with just a slight amount of throttle abuse. Sitting on the bike, it's almost god like the way I can wade a path through all the congested traffic; we are such an imposing (or perhaps impossible) sight that car drivers don’t even seem to swerve into my path any more. Out on the open road, away from the polluted cities, it's even better. Force fed a healthy dose of fresh air, stimulated by the way the machine rumbles along the tarmac, I forget all my worries and age, just enjoying life as it comes at me. I'm sure the NHS could save money by issuing OAPs with motorcycles!
The GS has proved a good companion for the past four years. Fuel has averaged between 45 and 50mpg. Avon tyres last a reasonable 9000 miles a set and even the disc pads do over 10000 miles, although they are so powerful that I tend to use engine braking whenever possible. In the wet they are a positive liability. Apart from engine oil and filter changes I have not had to touch the motor and there are no signs of rattles or smoke. A new set of exhausts was needed two years ago and the seat split about six months ago, which gave me the opportunity to fit a King & Queen type of immense comfort.
I am going to use the bike for a long tour of Europe. I have spent months researching this one and saving money from my pensions. I plan to set off at the beginning of April and stay out of the country for six months, heading first up to Germany and then across Europe until I end up in Portugal. No great deal to many people but I will be in my seventieth year by then! A lot of the inspiration for this trip is down to the good old GS, it has been so friendly and reliable that I have absolutely no qualms about using the machine over such a time and distance.
Charles Durling