I’ve only been riding bikes for three years and passed my test on a C70. The following week I was the proud owner of a Honda CD200, purchased for me by my husband (you are wrong, he does love me). You can all stop groaning but he had one and I could handle it OK and we didn’t have much cash. I rode this bike, nick named The Bear, for just over a year before I began to long for something faster and bigger that the local lads wouldn’t take the micky out of. My husband took me round all the bike shops and the BMF rally, looking for something suitable, but I have a problem in that I’m a bit small.
I weigh 8 stone and am just 5’2" making many bikes out of the question due to their size. I wouldn’t be seen dead on a chopper and have this perverse desire to actually be able to put my feet down when I stop, so I had to look for something smallish. Eventually I found the GS450. It was only one year old with 5000 miles on the clock, all the services up to date and only £1000 from a colleague of my husband. The previous owner was a lady and I never did find out why she let Paul have it so cheap! I had a test ride - well, two circuits round the playground, and that was that. I had never wanted anything so desperately in my life. The bike gleamed, just sheer beauty on wheels, and rode as smooth as silk.
This was Friday night. Monday saw me sitting in front of my bank manager begging for a loan for a conservatory (you get tax relief on home improvements). The good chap gave me the cash and the Suzi was all mine. My husband took me to fetch the bike on his ETZ250. He turned the Suzi around in the drive, I jumped on, knocked it into first gear and off we went. Never in my life will I forget that first 20 minute ride. It was thrilling, exciting and exhilarating. We went out onto the dual carriageway, I flicked up through the six speed gearbox and suddenly I was soaring along at over 80mph. Looking in the two rear mirrors I could see the ETZ valiantly trying to keep up. Denim jacket flying, lips clamped to keep his teeth from shaking out, his MZ rattled and shook whilst the GS was just gliding along, smooth and quiet.
The way the bike reacted to a quick flick of the throttle was quite frightening for me because it leapt forward like a rocket, something which I had never experienced on the Benly. It was also so quiet and smooth that 90mph felt like 40mph. Now, on the CD we are talking basic, like two wheels and an engine, but the Suzi seems quite sophisticated, with rev counter, 12 volt electrics, decent indicator and headlight switches. There is also a gear change panel which is necessary when riding in town and any other circumstances that require frequent use of the box.
I decided that the only way to become used to the new bike was to go off for the day, so Tuesday morning saw me packing the panniers with sandwiches and cans (only lemonade officer and heading off on a 250 mile trip. Not long after I set out I couldn’t work out why I could hear a low flying aircraft but not see it. I eventually worked out that it was the noise of the engine when I shut down the throttle. I went along the A1 in fine style. I had only ever managed about 75mph on the old Benly but now I could cruise at 90mph and tank along in the fast line doing an indicated 103mph (isn’t it surprising how quickly you can become addicted to speed).
Even at 100mph the bike only turned over at 6500rpm in top gear and thanks to the engine counter balancer the DOHC twin didn’t vibrate. In fact, there were no vibes, shakes or rattles at all. I soon found that the engine braking was damn good, shut off the throttle and in 30 feet the bike loses 25-30mph without the tell-tale red light showing lurking police cars that you’ve lost speed. As I had a licence with a speeding endorsement still smouldering on it, I thought that this was great.
Having tried the bike out on the straight I decided to put it to the test on the bendy bits and decided to pull off the A1 at Grantham to see my mum. I did quite a lot of riding around the town centre before heading out into the lanes and I was really pleased with the way the bike sat on the road. Cornering was no problem - no jumping or bouncing about, but as I have never had much desire to scrape my footrests on Mr McAdam’s invention, I can only vouch for cornering up to about 50mph.
Although the Suzi is longer and heavier than the CD I found no problem in nipping in and out of the S bends and tight corners that Lincolnshire seems so fond of. The outward journey was made in bright sunshine. The return journey was not. It persistently rained all the way home. This was the first rain in over two weeks and the road wore the kind of delicate, slippery surface that takes bikers unaware, especially on corners. I was somewhat wary at first but the bike handled just as well in the wet as the dry, so I ignored the weather and hammered on. I found that the bike still held the corners and the lights were very good in the gloom. When I first tried the bike I thought the riding position seemed to have a long reach but over a long distance it was actually very comfortable, as was the seat, unlike the old Benly.
After a trip of 250 miles on the Suzi the only things wrong with me were sore wrists due to the extra weight, no voice because travelling at those speeds had caused wind resistance on my helmet and chin strap, and I was also extremely tired. I think that was due to the sheer concentration from being on a new bike and trying to make sure no idiot car drivers came near enough to spoil my pristine paintwork.
At first, I found the mass to be very uncomfortable and inconvenient. At 386lbs it weighs nearly 100lbs more than my Benly. Now that I’m accustomed to the weight I find it merely inconvenient. I always need to pull up exactly where I want to stop as I have great difficulty wheeling it about. One day I stupidly parked it nose into the curb on a camber and couldn’t move it out, but a very nice man responded to my "Please Mister" and big brown eyes, and a very kind young skinhead came to my rescue when I left my bike in the parking lot returning to find it surrounded by mopeds and Vespas (I don’t want equality, I like to be fussed and pampered and looked after).
Although I love my bike there are a few things that I don’t like about it. One is that there is no kickstart, only electric. On cold mornings this can be a bit of a bugger but, like all bikes, you soon find the right knack. On the Suzi this seems to be to have the choke wide open, touch the electric start button with no throttle, let it tick over for about 30 seconds, then gently open the throttle. If you open up too soon the carb empties and the engine fluffs.
I also had a problem with the left carb. Because I only ever put the bike on the side stand, the left carb kept flooding until the float height was altered. Another dislike is the rear shocks, even on the hardest it’s less effective than knicker elastic. The front mudguard is also badly designed and water shoots straight onto my shins. Although the engine isn’t the same as the older Suzuki twins having a plain crank instead of the previous roller bearing job, I’m assured by those in the know that the engine should be tough and reliable, despite the cams running in the alloy head, just so long as I change the oil every 1500 miles instead of the 5000 recommended by Suzuki.
The power delivery is quite versatile, the bike can pull 30mph at less than 2000rpm in sixth and true top speed is around 105mph. As I’m thirty and quite like the idea of being 31, I think I can live with this speed happily enough. The brakes on the Suzi are a major improvement over the Benly (it was easier to run someone or something down than apply the brakes on the CD) and the single front disc and rear drum work well in most conditions, as the little boy who leapt out in front of the Suzi in Coldham can testify.
The insurance is £164 fully comp., which I can’t afford or £61 TPFT which I can. I average 65mpg regardless of speed or mass. With 7000 on the clock it’s still on the original tyres, although it’ll need a new one on the back soon. To sum up, I feel my Suzi is well worth the money - I was recently offered £ 1300 for it.
It’s efficient, durable, flexible and economical and one hell of a lot of fun. It’s also been pretty foolproof. For instance, I suddenly found a straight turned into a corner whilst bowling along at 85mph, I pulled in the clutch, dropped two gears and let the clutch out, promptly locking up the back wheel - however, a quick flick of the right hand and the bike pulled itself back together. The local lads think I’m a bit of a hero and the ladies think I’m eccentric, and I shall forever love my husband for picking up the repayments.
Lorraine Johnson