Copyright (c) umgweb.com 1988
In 1988 I actually owned two 750 fours, both of 1982 manufacture, one a Honda CB750F, the other a Suzuki GSX750. The Honda came into my possession in 1987 with 44000 miles on the clock with no less than five previous owners in the logbook. The Suzuki came a year later and had endured less abuse, with only 18000 miles and two previous owners.
Interestingly, the differences between the bikes are smaller than you might suspect in hardware terms but on the road they are very different creatures. The Honda has the longer lineage, tracing its roots back to the late sixties and the original Japanese across the frame four. The GSX can only trace its ancestry back to 1977 when Suzuki switched from boring two strokes to state of art of four strokes, such as the GS750.
Quite how Suzuki suddenly managed to produce such a tough and reliable device as that GS750 is hard to figure but at a time when the original OHC CB750 was becoming fatter, slower and less reliable, the GS gave Honda the kick up the arse they needed to produce a new engine and chassis. It's quite easy to see in retrospect how the chassis of the two machines developed. Original Honda fours were renown for being a bit of a weaver and a wobbler so Honda went to some pains to stiffen up the frame and produce conservative geometry in the CB750KZ, the replacement for the ageing F2, which was quickly updated to the CB750F when everyone made fun of the KZ's appearance.
On the other hand, the GS series was long on stability and short on flickability. Suzuki changed both geometry and suspension which transformed the handling characteristics of the GSX. Whilst it was certainly much more throwable than the older machine it had become very sensitive to road and tyre condition. Twitchy is the word that springs to mind to describe its handling.
Both machines have old fashioned twin shock rear ends, although the GSX series was updated in '83 to monoshock. Both machines benefit from throwing these items away and fitting anything European. By coincidence both my machines were fitted with Marzocchis, the Honda sporting slightly longer shocks to improve ground clearance.
The CB came equipped with a set of Arrowmaxes that were worn down to the carcass. These inspired fear and loathing in the dry in a straight line, never mind trying to lean the damn thing over in the wet. They were replaced the next day with a new, expensive set of Michelins. The transformation was amazing. At least up to 90mph it was. Beyond that speed the Honda's stability goes to pot, it weaves gently at first then starts bouncing about all over the shop on fast A roads.
As the back Michelin only lasted 3500 miles, a set of Arrowmaxes was bunged on next after I'd been assured that they were the business when new by another CB owner. They certainly helped stability above the ton, but they slid much more under power in the wet. As soon as the tread was down to 2mm the handling went to hell again. The rear lasted 5000, the front 6750 miles.
The GSX was even more susceptible to tyres. It came with an odd mixture of obscure Far East rubber that weren't that bad in the dry, but the merest threat of rain had the bike sliding around like there was an oil slick between machine and road. I will never forget the first time they caught me out in the wet, I suddenly became aware that I was riding a heavy bike; generally, the GSX hides it 460lbs better than the CB does its 520lbs. I had to proceed with both feet down at less than 10mph!
I soon fitted a set of Avon Venoms, again recommended by another owner. They seemed to suit the bike well, quietening down the steering a bit and promoting high speed stability. Despite the bike's propensity for the odd bit of wheelspin during GP starts, these lasted quite well - 6000 miles rear, 8000 miles front. Perhaps down to the lighter weight of the Suzuki.
I found it strange that the Suzuki which felt twitchy at low speeds rarely weaved nastily at high speeds, whilst the Honda which was stable below 90mph could wobble badly once the speedo flirted with the ton mark. It is true, I suppose, that the handling characteristics matched the power delivery of the two machines.
Both engines were of the DOHC type and could, at first glance, have been produced by the same factory. The Suzuki has both more power and a wider spread of it. However, the Suzki engine thrives on revs, below 5000rpm it lack the civility of the Honda, clattering and vibrating slightly. Come seven grand it gathers it skirts and takes off like a mad thing - it is fitted with a Motad 4-1 so I can't say if this is true of the standard machine or not.
The Honda was running on stock, albeit slightly rotted, exhausts, the motor was happiest between 3000 and 7000 revs, finding its forte as either an 85-90mph cruiser or as a laid back means of circumventing A roads. For sure, the throttle could be twisted open and it could almost match the Suzuki's top speed of 130mph but the machine felt distinctly unhappy. Much beyond 7000rpm produces piercing secondary vibes and a ridiculous amount of valve noise, not to mention frightening handling characteristics.
It has to be recalled, though, that the Honda engine now has over 60,000 miles on the clock and has probably been mistreated and neglected in the past, whereas the Suzuki boasts just 29000 miles and judging by its appearance has been well cared for. If those situations were reversed it might well be that the Honda would have the superior power characteristics. Such are vagaries of the secondhand market that a decent test ride of the machine on offer is the only way to determine its value.
Even with its greater abuse I often find the Honda the better machine to ride, there is just something about it, as if its longer ancestry insists on breaking through its inferior specification, demanding from its rider respect and admiration. More prosaically, I have been stopped twice for speeding on the Suzuki and never on the Honda, the CB is a machine that is happy to potter whereas the GSX demands a huge grin, a wild right hand and hard blue eyes.
The Honda's engine has required much more attention than the Suzuki's, although, perhaps strangely, the Honda's valves but rarely need attention whereas I seem to be resetting the GSX's every other week. The first problem with the Honda was when the gearbox started playing up. The sudden way I would find myself in a false neutral when leant over or in the process of overtaking scared the shit out of me!
When I split the crankcases - after taking a day off to recover after removing the massive engine - I found a bit of a mess, worn gear cogs and a bent selector. That the gear change shaft seal was bashed about and covered in Araldite indicated that some time in the past it had leaked oiled copiously and perhaps drained the engine of oil. There was no movement in the crankshaft so the damage was at least limited. The bits were acquired from the local breaker who didn't believe I would be able to fix something as complicated as a gearbox - it went back together okay and has worked perfectly ever since.
Well, not perfect. I suspect it was clunky from new and difficult to achieve clean changes. It's always liked to go straight from third to a false neutral rather than fourth when changing up with the revs poured on high. My feeling of horror when this happens can only be matched by the engine's, although I have yet to tangle any of the valves. By contrast, The Suzuki's box is smooth and precise, although of late I have noticed a tendency to go into a false neutral when changing down from fifth to fourth and fourth to third.
The Suzuki also has the lighter clutch with more feel, but at 25000 miles I had to put in some new plates, so its friendliness is not without a price. The Honda's clutch is so heavy that in town I tend to leave the bike in second or third, just using engine revs to control the bike - the Honda does have better engine braking, enough stopping power available by just backing off the throttle to forget the brakes in town.
Perhaps because they have had so much trouble in the past, Honda devised a curious means of driving the camshafts. They are connected by a single chain running between the camshafts, whilst another chain drives one camshaft from the crankshaft. That Honda were able to reliably run DOHCs using just one chain as long ago as 1965 might make this artifice appear suspect, and so it turned out. I've had to replace the tensioner mechanism twice and the camchains once - admittedly, I used secondhand parts so only have myself to blame for the second job. How many camchains the Honda has gone through is anyone's guess. The rattle is immediately obvious when the camchain goes.
Suzuki have never had much trouble with their auto-tensioners or camchains and the GSX lived up to this tradition, despite the fact that at tickover it has always rattled as if something was shot. I always found it very difficult to balance its four carbs which may not have helped low rev quietness for the engine became noticeably less noisy once the throttle was opened up. The Honda, by the way, despite its greater mileage required little attention to the carbs, once set they stayed in balance.
Where the Honda's electrics were exemplary in their reliability, shortly after I secured ownership of the Suzuki it lived up to its reputation for shoddy electrics. I've owned a GS400 in the past which displayed exactly the same symptom - a battery that refused to charge up fully. On the GS I had just run it until the whole electrical system was burnt out, only then had I expensively had to replace everything.
With the GSX I acted immediately. The source of the problem was no more than a burnt out coil in the alternator. I had the rectifier/regulator checked out and it was fine. If I had left it much longer I am sure that it would have been affected. An exchange alternator cost £30 and much to my surprise arrived on my doorstep a mere three days after I'd despatched the old one and the cheque. No further electrical problems have occurred.
Both bikes have experienced similar problems with their brakes. Both have twin discs out front and a single rear. Both have problems in the wet - the Suzuki's are too powerful and insensitive with a gut wrenching tendency to lock up the wheels whereas the Honda's suffer from wet weather lag and when they do decide to work scream and wail like a pig being slaughtered. As I tend not to ride on the brakes, neither bike has required replacement of their pads but both need half yearly strip downs of their calipers.
I have found that the Honda has tougher alloy with screws and bolts that don't strip or bend or snap as easily as the Suzukis. Thus, the first time I tried to strip the rear caliper on the GSX I was not that surprised to find my knuckles covered in blood and a pile of snapped screws and bolts littering the floor. The amount of effort involved in keeping both machines' brakes in good shape is too tedious and depressing to go into here, just thinking about it makes me want to grab a 5lb hammer and bash the damn things into a million pieces...
The worst thing that happened on the Suzuki was when the petrol tank started leaking where it met the seat. I had noticed the rust but done little about it as I could only see the red stuff when the seat was open. At the time I was 200 miles from home heading for the Continent for two weeks holiday, so I was not amused. Fortunately, Shit City was not far away and I already had bought stuff from one breaker who had broken a few GSXs - apparently a lot get blown up when the crank twists under the pressures of drag racing.
By the time I reached the breakers my trousers were full of petrol and the machine was coughing and spluttering. It would only have taken some idiot to fling a cigarette out of a car window to turn me into a raging inferno. I thought the breaker was amazingly friendly when he offered me a tank for £20 and threw me the keys for his flat to get cleaned up. Too good to be true, the bastard jumped me while I was in the shower and I only fended off his advances by kneeing him between the legs. He was hung like a stallion and I doubt if I would ever have walked properly again if he had got the better of me! Ugh!
Apart from that, er, adventure the Continental trip was a great success. Some days I just sped everywhere as quickly as possible, other days I just relaxed and didn't use the bike at all. The only thing I did to the GSX in 2000 miles was change the oil twice and adjust the chain every 200 miles. I would have taken the Honda but I hadn't checked out the engine properly after replacing the camchain, so put my trust in the robust Suzuki instead. Chain wear on the latter was terrible (4000 miles) and on the Honda almost acceptable (7000 miles) although to be fair the Suzuki didn't need a sprocket change whereas the Honda's sprockets wore out almost as fast as the chain.
The Suzuki was the better on fuel if you could persuade yourself to ride it at the Honda's preferred speed. But as this was rare, they worked out pretty much the same at 35 to 40mpg. That figure was appalling for the Honda as it was ridden moderately but acceptable for the Suzuki as the balls were revved off the engine and it had a grin factor approaching ten when you were in the mood. Just why the Honda should be so bad is open to question, perhaps its engine was worn out, perhaps it was just too heavy or perhaps someone had not paid attention to efficiency when designing the combustion chamber.
If you were silly enough to neglect the oil level between oil changes, the result would be a seized engine as both motor consumed oil. On the overrun there was a hint of smoke out of the silencers on the Honda, indicative that its valves or rings were on the way out; its greater mileage an explanation for its greater need for oil. The Honda needed a pint every 250 miles, the Suzuki would go for 400 miles before needing the same amount. I used cheapo Shell 20/50 in both bikes to no apparent ill effect, but I made damn sure it (and the filter) was changed every 1000 miles. After that kind of mileage, cheap oil quickly degenerates whereas the much more expensive stuff is more resistant.
I did find that if the Suzuki was left standing for more than a month its oil emulsified whereas no such problem occurred in the Honda. A white layer formed on the inside of the Suzuki's sight glass making it extremely difficult to gauge the correctness of the oil level after it had been changed. Fortunately, a fast bash cleared the white stuff away but it was strange that the same oil should react so differently in the two machines.
If I had to chose one machine out of the two it would be the Suzuki, simply because its engine has been subjected to much less abuse and promises to last longer. If the choice was between two machines of similar mileage and condition I would chose the Honda, for I find it more relaxed and less licence endangering. If I was 20 instead of 30, I would probably reverse that choice and go wild on the Suzuki.
Examples of both machines in good condition, featuring sensible mods to suspension and chassis, are available for well under a grand in the private market. Some care is needed with the Honda to avoid the camchain and gearbox problems, so if you know little about engines the Suzuki would be the safer bet. They are both a bit of a handful if you're coming straight from a 125, each is quite capable of spitting off people who don't know what they are doing and both have the kind of conservative but butch looks you either love or hate.
What a bloody wreck, I thought. A 1981 GSX750, the one with the big fat tank, twin shocks and no fairing. 74,250 miles were on the clock and it showed. Six owners, the last looked like a drug addict with cut-offs and sharing a house with half a dozen grizzled bikers and the same number of mangy dogs. The living room had been converted into a garage cum workshop and it stunk of dog shit, spilt beer and old oil.
We pushed the heap out onto the street. No easy task, it weighed nearly 500lbs and the brakes were sticking on. The engine sounded good, catching the moment he pressed the button. Evidence of past stripdowns were the well shagged allen screws, red Hermatite around the cases and stripped exhaust flange threads.
My first ride nearly killed me. A lot of stomp from the motor, but it was a lean bugger, needing a good ten minutes before the choke could be dispensed with. Coming up to a junction I gently applied the front brake lever. Nothing, grabbing it with all four fingers and exerting maximum pressure, along with a panicked stomp on the rear brake lever, produced lots of grating noises but not much stopping power. I shot across a busy junction with 40mph up. When I arrived back at the vendor's house I was white faced and trembling.
I should have left it there. He was the worse kind of guy to buy a bike off - lots of knowledge and about as much scruples as his Dobberman. I needed transport for a 30 mile hike to work, the busses were useless and the road so bumpy that I had to buy a new set of wheels for my bicycle every week. A lot of bargaining got the price down to £500 and the promise to deliver it, as there was no way I was going to ride fifty miles home without proper brakes.
The means of delivery was an ancient bus that National Express, had they a museum, would have stomped up a lot of cash for. This didn't appear to have any brakes either, judging by the way the driver cut a path through the traffic. The neighbours all came out when this pyschedelically painted wreck appeared in our street. No sooner had I off-loaded the bike than two police cars roared into the street. The driver and the vendor were spreadeagled against the bus and then the vehicle thoroughly searched before they were allowed to leave.
It was Saturday morning, so I started to take the brakes apart. What a mess, corroded screws, stripped threads, the calipers held together with Araldite. It took me the rest of the day to strip the brakes right down. One set of pads simply wasn't there, the other had a hole in the metal. On Sunday, one spares shop was open and supplied a new set of pads and I spent the whole of that day rebuilding the calipers with new screws, helicoils and lot of cleaning up. The front brakes worked adequately after that but were not up to modern standards.
I had also noticed that the steering head bearings were shot, judging by the amount of flop the forks exhibited. I had no time to replace them, so torqued down the steering stem until the flop disappeared. This made the steering very difficult to turn and resulted in a nasty weave if I went above 50mph. This apart, the first ride to work went okay and was a blessed relief after the terror of the bicycle.
The next weekend I replaced the steering head and swinging arm bearings, the latter not an easy task as the spindle was seized in solid. Handling improved, the bike felt okay up to 80mph. After that, it began to weave again, the faster I went the worse it became. It had a Roadrunner on the front and a Michelin on the rear, both down to 3mm of tread, so I stomped up for a new set of Phantoms. The bars shook viciously at 50mph until I upped the front tyre pressure from 28 to 32psi.
It still weaved at 100mph, if anything worse than before, but below that speed could be leant through the bends quite well as long as the road was smooth. On bumpy roads all hell broke loose because the suspension was worn out and it still had the original rear shocks. A set of Konis and stiffer fork springs were bought after I had the bike for a month. It still shuffled through bumpy bends but the weave had disappeared and it would hold 120mph on the motorway. This was more like it, I thought.
I had not touched the motor. Judging by the power available I had decided that it must be okay, my only complaints were intrusive vibes at 80mph in top and 35mpg however it was ridden. There was a leak between head and cylinder head which coated the motor in oil and it needed a litre every 500 miles. I tightened up all the engine bolts and this got rid of some of the finger numbing vibes but even after I paid for the carbs to be balanced I could not improve on the economy. Talking to another owner, this seemed quite normal.
The paint on the chassis and frame was tatty, peeling off and rusty in places. so I patched it up as best I could with touch-up paint. The exhaust was a very loud 4-1, the headers permanently rusty and the silencer welded in places where it had rusted through. Most of the neighbours complained about my early morning exit, so I used to roll the bike down our hill and out into the main road before I started it. At least car drivers were always aware of my presence.
It ran for 8000 miles with no problems and little expediture other than changing the oil every 2000 miles. Then the old Suzuki bogey reared its ugly head. The battery drained itself overnight and I had to start it off the neighbour's car. The same thing happened in work. Rather than fix it, I charged the battery overnight and disconnected the live lead when I left it standing in work. After about a month the charging system failed altogether and I was running the bike on a total loss principle.
As I wanted to take the bike on holiday I decided to have the alternator rewound and put in a rectifier/regulator unit off a Honda CB900 that I bought for £35 off a breaker. The manual states that you should only use Suzuki components in no uncertain terms, but there was no way I was going to pay up for shoddy units. Whilst I was at it, I rewired the charging side of the electrics. Much to my surprise, this solution worked fine and I had no further electrical problems.
Before the holiday I decided to give the bike a full service, which included taking the cylinder head off to replace the gasket as the leak had become a flood. I had a bit of a shock when I went to do the valves, the cam lobes were pitted and two had small indents in them. The clearances of all 16 valves were okay, the camchain looked in good nick and there was no movement due to worn camshaft bearings, so I left well alone. Apart from complete replacement there was nothing else I could do, so I might as well run it until the cams were really shagged out.
The holiday was to spend a couple of weeks in Paris. The bike ran there and back like a dream, the only problem came when some gorilla on the ferry tied the bike down in a way that meant it emerged with a big dent in the tank. As it already had several small ones this did not worry me. On one stretch of French motorway I saw 135mph on the clock, although the bike was weaving across its lane of carriageway. Even caned the bike still did 35mpg.
Phantom tyres lasted 8500 miles front, 5500 miles rear. Chains only go for about 5000 miles, sprockets twice that. Disc pads about 7500 miles front, the rear for ages because I rarely use it. Not a cheap bike to run for high mileages but not as expensive as the big superbikes.
The main thing is that I enjoy riding the bike. I weigh 16 stone and am over six feet tall, so the bike's size is no problem for me, although if you're on the small size I think you will find it intimidating. I've had it for over two years now and have improved it as I've gone along. It now looks good, handles reasonably and goes like a good 750 should. My last two mods have further improved stability - a fork brace and trick alloy swinging arm. My mate's Z1 can't keep up down A roads and so called classics like the CB750 haven't got a chance. I like aircooled bikes without all that plastic rubbish over them, so the GSX750 suits me fine.
Geoff Sutton
The GSX550 had suffered a traumatic lifestyle. Its previous owner having been a bit of a despatching nutcase. Rear tyres were bald in 3000 miles, chains snapped on a regular basis and plastic bodywork cracked, scarred and tore whenever he felt the urge to fall off. Its most ferocious fling took place at 90mph when the successful negotiation of a bend was not viable and a swift detour into a ditch the result. This bent the forks beyond recognition and tore apart the steering head assembly. The relevant parts were replaced so that only the scratch on the owner's Boeri which had butted mother earth at an inordinate speed lay testimony to the event actually taking place.
I therefore bought the matt black hound in a fair to middling level of lack of roadworthiness. There were only two out of a possible four bolts clamping the front wheel spindle to the forks, oil leaked out of the sump plug, the crankshaft was, and still is, visibly in motion at a frantic pace due to the pick-up cover's absence. The front master cylinder was off a GS650 and flexed when the brake's applied, whilst fluent riding is marred by second gear jumping out and third gear being a neutral - a common trait amongst high mileage GSX550s. This, made worse by tight spots in a worn chain. It is therefore totally infuriating to ride and I want to buy a new engine, but finding an honest breaker is a big problem.
Good tyres on the GSX are absolutely essential if you value both the bike's and your own anatomy. This is because the bike forces the helpless rider to race everywhere, treating every roundabout as an opportunity to fry the tyre edges to shreds. Avon Roadrunner AM20/21's come with recommendations, as they not only keep the bike upright but also give a continuous progress report upon how far you can lean the damn thing over.
The majority of power is produced above 7000rpm but it will take less revs to slide the back end when accelerating hard in first whilst banked over on bumpy country roads. I've even developed a tyre fetish and can be seen racing around Mallory park paddock examining everyone's rubber to see how much bottle they have. It's now got a Metz on the rear after the old one was illegal, deformed and deflating at a disconcerting rate. A burn out and doughnut session contributed to its final demise and the constant prospect of losing the back end when accelerating hard on bends due to the 18psi tyre pressure was curtailed.
Fuel consumption varies between 32 and 65mpg, depending on acceleration and speed. At 85mph it does 45mpg, at 100mph around 35mpg, 55mpg at 70mph and 65mpg at 55mph. However it's impossible to ride at the latter's snail's pace for any distance without a dangerous boredom factor occurring, unless it's foggy, snowing, you're running out of gas or trying to attain the impossible with a girlfriend. For some time, two cylinders have cut out erratically due to the dirt and muck in the carbs. This naturally occurred at the most inconvenient times such as when overtaking or going round complicated roundabouts.
A trip up to Northampton stretched the chain sufficiently for it to jump off the sprockets, producing a long and lurid slide, a missing drive and a five mile push home. It's after this sort of disaster that I manage to summon up the motivation to actually do some mechanical investigation and solve the problem - the bike gets wheeled into the flat and some heavy metal music accompanies the spanner wielding. Usually, the landlord makes a surprise appearance, his superficial smile of greeting rapidly replaced by abject horror and a tirade of abuse plus a reminder of how five gallons of fuel is just waiting for the right moment to wipe out the whole tenement.
The GSX had always had bad luck in Leicester, the previous owner banned for six months after being caught without insurance. I was working there for four days with a mate on a Suzi GT750 (bloody bland, according to the Ed), cruising around wearing suits. We cruised into the centre on a Saturday night, brain fried from lack of sleep and were attacked by the savage one way system. I pulled out without looking after nearly entering a no entry street when a scream of skidding tyres revealed a Sierra which was on collision course but managed to grind to a halt a mere six inches away.
"I could have taken your f...ing legs off you stupid cunt. All you bikers are the same, think you're f..king super heroes." The driver was looking for a fight but we were too tired to oblige so we all went into a Burger King where I had to listen to a diatribe as to why he could never consider slinging a leg over a bike, let alone ride one of the damn things. Finally we got shot of his harassment only to have a plod mobile follow us home and even cruise past our temporary home a few times. Compared with the GT750 the GSX could out brake, accelerate, handle and speed it, as well as being a good 10-15mpg better on mpg. However, the GT is far more pleasant to look at, has more character and street cred, plus it's a more comfortable high speed cruiser, as well as a sound investment.
On a road such as the A416 from Matlock to Alfreton the 550 was in its element, rocketing round all bends, chewing rubber like a ravenous Tasmanian devil. The GT, however, would bounce off line and scare the shit out of the rider if the line had to be altered mid bend to avoid dissecting a car.
On a weekend mission to St David's in Wales, I began to understand that the amazing roads were the root cause of perhaps some of the Ed's more obscure eccentricities revealed in his rambling. Some of the roads were absolutely phenomenal and this was before the magic mushroom season. The B5421 from Ross to Abergavenny was bliss. The first glimpse of culture shock hit at the backward garage which was like something out of the thirties. The riding pace jumped in tune to the knackered chain and we nearly ran out of road on a blind left just escaping the edge of the ditch on the wrong side of the road.
Slightly after this heart palpitation, I vaguely remember an insect fly down my leather jacket and sink its proboscis in at 70mph. The ensuing chest cramp prompted a frantic beating of my jacket to stop the kamikaze pilot from reeking internal injury. The chain was making more noise than the engine and causing earth shuddering vibes, plus a detour to M & P in Swansea.
The handling is often criticised for being twitchy due to the 16 inch front wheel, but I find it more stable and controlled than RS250s and quicker steering than Z650, XJ550, GT750 and BSA A10. The frame must be very good, as despite all the crashes, it still banks over without trauma at ton plus speeds on fast sweepers. In fact, the faster you go the more confidence inspiring it becomes and in S bends it's a pure joy. Having said that, doing something silly like taking both hands off the bars at any speed develops a huge tankslapper!
The engine is a 16 valve four with tappets that need adjusting every 3000 miles. The 4-1 exhaust annoyingly obscures the sump plug so has to be removed every 1500 miles at the cost of exhaust gaskets and patience. It's done 70,000 miles, cost me £375 and still struggles up to 120mph, two up, if it's in the mood and the chain isn't messing around. There's ample torque below 6000rpm to keep ahead of most of the traffic but always sounds frantic and urges you to thrash it faster. The addition of a passenger turns it into a slug and requires downchanges for overtaking.
Engine vibes are quite prominent at this mileage but no smoke pours out of the exhaust and bits don't fall off. The alternator is a very tight fit and tricky and expensive to rewind. It is worth putting a fuse between alternator and rectifier to stop the latter burning out, which has happened two times on mine. The first replaced with a secondhand Suzi unit and the second with a rewired Superdream item which hasn't worked successfully as the battery burns off electrolyte all too often.
The brakes have aged quite considerably since 1983. The back disc has always behaved disgracefully. At the moment it squeals so much that it sounds like feedback on a PA. If an emergency stop is in progress and the front brake is squeezing the discs enough to boil the fluid then merely dabbing the back will send it slewing to one side in full lock up mode. It's much better to keep it for special occasions like Christmas and Easter, or use it in foreign countries where the road surface is so bad that using the front stoppers will have you off. It works okay on its own but requires a lot of time and patience to bleed and clean.
Sometimes the front brake can squeal the front tyre and at others they'll struggle to clean the dust off the discs - temperamental bastards. Mine's got a GS650 master cylinder and seven year old hoses but still hauls the 432lbs up promptly enough. Pads cost £12 a pair and seals about £3 each. When I cleaned the calipers there was a black sludge inside and a veneer of corrosion that could not easily be removed with wet and dry. I pretended the black indentation didn't exist as they're too expensive to throw in the bin and replace.
The Stockiemuir road near Glasgow was enfamed in issue 4 for its jumps, pub, scenery and high death toll for those who ride too drunk or beyond their abilities. Living in Glasgow, I often found it necessary to escape from the day to day anxieties and aggro by going for burn ups along this nice race track that passes for a road. The GSX had always been very happy leaping around the tarmac until I shoved it into the powerband in 4th just before the first hillock where you lose sight of the oncoming road.
That was the closest I've come to completely totalling the bike. At about 85mph the front wheel took off and literally leapt up into the air as the still accelerating back wheel dropped with the road. The handlebars waggled from side to side and my view of the upper atmosphere gave me a sufficient adrenalin overdose to offer a prayer book of hymns in the blink of an eye for it to return to mother earth. In this situation it is always much better to carry on at an horrendous pace than to stop and have a nervous breakdown on the verge. It is definitely for good reason that so many people have died on this road to hell.
A Highland tour in the company of a Guzzi 1000 was marred by the bike being relocated on the night that Scotland beat Costa Rica in the world cup. The previous evening we'd ridden up to Lancaster on the tedious M6, repeatedly leapfrogging to relieve the tedium. I had fallen in a cowpat underneath the GSX in a remote Lancashire lane when on a campsite recon and then been woken up by cows eating the tent at 4am in the morning - a good lesson to avoid camping out in the dark. The Highland roads are phenomenal when dry but treacherous when wet - the prospect of flying over a hedge and laying in a cow field with a compound fracture in an arm and leg out of view of the road until the blood supply expires does not appeal.
Most riders intensely dislike the rain but when you get as much as you do in a wet and slimy autumnal Glasgow you begin to appreciate the virtuous ability to wheelspin and slide the back tyre in a controlled drift when exiting junctions. Doing a U-turn in a tight street is much easier by using an excess of revs and doughnuting the back round then struggling with the mass. I let a girlfriend loose on it in the summer only for it to collapse on her leg when it overbalanced leading to a 4am sortie to the hospital.
The bike copes with long journeys quite well. Oxford to Glasgow takes about six hours at a steady 85mph apart from when stuck behind the traffic slowing plod mobiles. Comfort is increased by a duvet on the tank and feet on the pillion's pegs. Sometimes it's better to leave the headphones at home as the music makes you all too conscious of the time. It's much better to veg out and detach oneself from reality. The next long distance sortie will be to Barcelona in March, which will really test the bike's reliability and my inability to drive on the wrong side of the road.
In short, the GSX is like most middleweights, a very practical and enjoyable means of transport. Naturally, there are other bikes I'd prefer, a Z1300 or old style GSX1100 are high up on the shopping list. If one of these was bought it would undergo weight saving surgery just leaving a huge engine, petrol tank and a couple of wheels - forget the exhaust. The GSX's low cost permits constant facelifts - matt black, camouflage with netting, gloss black and fluorescent green - which would not be viable on a new bike.
It is spoilt by rapid chain wear and rectifier demise but that fairing does aid high speed comfort. I preferred my old XJ550! I would not buy another one as in a way it's a bit of a plastic missile but at least the plastic supports the bike when sliding up the road. The success of the continental trip will determine whether I fall in love with it or loathe and despise it forever and a day.
Bruce Jones
The Suzuki GSX550 has now been under my mismanagement for a year and a bit, in which time it has suffered more than its fair share of trauma. Living in Glasgow and going for regular Highland burn ups and crashes are going to be inevitable, especially when you view the road as a race track. The big spill occurred after an afternoon's frenzied riding in the Campsie Fells, the pace gradually increasing and the angles of leans becoming more than a little silly.
I had just stopped by a river to do some drawing when two dirty urchins came along. They clambered on to the bike and dribbled huge quantities of saliva into the lid whilst mimicking a frenzied engine noise. Eventually, I could handle it no more and bumped it into life whilst they refused to let go of the rear rack, thus getting dragged up the road.
I was by then brain fried and going ballistic, taking off the ground over a monster hump back bridge and then flying towards a notorious black spot bend. I made the split second decision to avoid the brakes and get my knee on the deck instead. However, this patella contact coincided with the loss of the front tyre's adhesion and I was spewed off the bike, happily sliding off the road whilst watching the bike self destruct.
I immediately yanked the GSX up so as not to give the car driver who I had just burnt off the satisfaction of laughing at my stupidity, so I waved as he passed but the tell-tale wedges of grass betrayed the crash. The handlebar was bent, the exhaust smashed beyond recognition, the pick- up cover and assembly ripped apart and the indicators rendered useless.
If it had been a brand new spanking bike on HP I would have burst into tears and been a broken man, chucking myself under the first tractor. But seeing as it was a knackered old dog and I'd just bestowed it with more fighting scars and deep meaningful character, I was ecstatic with happiness. Whether this was because I was suffering from the confusion and misplaced euphoria that accompanies a heavy dose of shock or because I had at last gone completely mad and lost all touch with reality and the desire to live beyond 25, I don't know.
I therefore had to push it to the nearest pub in Fintry to wait for the AA. It was here that I was told of how to control Suzuki electrics - use a Superdream rectifier, ensure all connections are impeccable, mount it behind the right-hand side panel for air cooling and preserve the alternator with 1000 mile oil changes.
After three weeks of being off the road waiting for parts to come from extortionate bike breakers, your leathers are shredded and you're faced with a mangled heap of junk, then the whole charade of riding like a maniac stinks of regret and nurtures a doomed gut feeling, that makes the momentary impulse to take the risk so devastatingly - people I know who have paralysed themselves or killed their pillions know this far better.
Eventually, I was on the road again, an exhaust off an unnamed Yamaha was bought for 85p off a closing down breaker - it seems that there's little demand for them outside London unless they're big mail order concerns, two having closed down in Glasgow in the last year. To celebrate the occasion, a Highland tour was arranged with the latest girl friend.
This nearly ended prematurely when the chain threatened to come off the sprockets on Rannock Moor - it had stretched an unbelievable amount in the last 100 miles since I had taken two links out. We asked the nearest cottage for some Molegrips and were overwhelmed with coffee, obscure liquors, country music and chat before we could drag ourselves away to set up tent overlooking Shee-Halyon, therefore high enough to escape the ravages of the valley midges. A helmetless burn up to a romance filled nearby lock was fun in fourth. On the way home my girlfriend fell asleep but somehow managed to stay on board despite frantic bend swinging.
On another occasion a spontaneous decision to take off into the countryside one Friday led to an amusing weekend. The pillion was, this time, one of the most obnoxious people ever to inhabit this earth - you can afford to be when you're six foot five. He donned the white pudding basin and reflector shades, went on to intimidate motorists at traffic lights by sticking his head through the open car windows and emitting earth shaking belches and stealing cigarettes from under their noses. He tried this trick in a cafe, doing a huge belch before making a sharp exit, making it seem to the shocked clientele that it was myself with the gut problem.
I got my own back on the phenomenal coastal road, north of Helensburgh, by doing a huge jump that left only his foot in contact with the footrest and the bike keeling over at a disturbing angle. Unfortunately, the mad bastard thought this hilarious, ironic seeing as I hadn't even seen the jump. After a mission into the hills to find Rob Roy's cave that involved demolishing a fence to get the bike around the waterboard's gate (we had previously used a Forestry Commission fence for firewood), we met some bikers at the idyllic setting of Inverrary. They were looking for a campsite and we for petrol. I embarrassed myself by dropping the bike in front of them whilst in a U-turn. They softened the damaged pride with comments on the underlying moss but I blamed the mad Irishman on the back. We then went to the campsite and started planning how to siphon petrol out of a speed boat that was in a shed but the owner came along and kindly siphoned it out of his own car instead - generous people, these Highlanders.
The GSX now has two illegal tyres, a dead brake light, fried battery, empty forks, erratic starting and an MOT due next week. It suffered a recent puncture caused by a brat upstairs reared on violent videos and inner city solitude whose vocation in life is to destroy, tear apart and vandalise everything in sight that gets strewn in the close, including bottles and mirrors. On the occasion that I dumped a battery outside he had it torn in half within an afternoon. A flash of lightning will strike him down if he starts laying into the bike, which is being enveloped in its own personal rain forest.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance has been bought for inspiration to do the maintenance but I find the horrendous chemicals that one has to deal with tends to shed yards of skin from my fingers due to a nasty accident with chain lube some time ago!
Bruce Jones
I first noticed that something was wrong with the rear mono-shock when I rode fast over a series of bump. The road surface had been neglected for years, but that did not fully explain the way the back end leapt about. I pulled over, fearing a puncture. The bike had only done 19000 miles then, so I was surprised that the swinging arm had some play in it.
Also, the front fork seals had started leaking. The handling had become more and more twitchy as the tyres wore down. I found that a set of Metz's were only good for about 7000 miles. The front still had 3mm of tread left at that point, but its 16" size didn't help it maintain stability once worn past a certain point. I didn't fix the forks or back end for another 1500 miles, at which point there were some really violent speed wobbles once past 95mph.
Handling was usually pretty good. The ride was a little remote, making it difficult to know just when the tyres were going to let loose when on the edge. The relatively mild way the power flowed out of the engine did mean that the frame, a hefty square section job, was never put under too much stress. Weighing about 430lbs the bike felt light in town, flickable on country roads yet reassuringly stable when cruising fast along motorways. All those merits disappeared rapidly when the suspension components or tyres wore too much.
I took the back end apart, drilling in some grease nipples whilst I was at it. Not a smear of grease was in evidence, just a lot of worn bearings. Thereafter, every time I changed the oil (1000 miles) I pumped grease into the mono- shock spindles. They are still okay with 97000 miles done so far. The front forks were not so easily tamed, as new seals only last for around 10,000 miles.
Also the front end has a weird and wonderful anti-dive system that is linked into the hydraulic brake circuit. The twin discs worked rather well whatever the weather conditions when I first had the bike. Every winter, though, the piston seals would gum up, leading to a couple of strip downs. Every time new brake fluid was added, some air got into the anti-dive part of the system, causing the latter to turn the front forks into pogo- sticks. When working properly the anti-dive was useful for counteracting the huge braking forces available. Calipers only lasted about 25000 miles until they were no longer repairable. Breakers do a good trade in newish ones.
In fact, by the time 60,000 miles were accomplished the front end was in such a bad state that I had no choice but to buy a whole newish unit off a breaker for £150. Not even the discs were salvageable from the old one as they had worn wafer thin. The breaker threw in a newish rear shock, which was just as well because since 55000 miles the original one had started leaking oil. Surprisingly, the lack of damping did not upset the back end. Or perhaps I was too concerned about the way the front end was flopping about all over the place.
This newer front end proved to be rather more robust than the old one, with just the obligatory oil seal changes and caliper rebuilds required. Pads lasted about 15000 miles on the front and as much as 25000 miles on the rear disc, which I rarely used. The speedo cables were consumed at an horrendous rate, anything from 4000 to 7000 miles a piece. Ridiculous!
The bike ran up to 22000 miles on the original chain and sprockets. Replacements, perhaps because they were patterns, rarely did more than 10,000 miles even when I stomped up for an O-ring chain. Even with a knackered chain and high mileage, the gearbox remained smooth and precise. The only time it lost its poise was when I did a hard, fast run of over 500 miles in a day. The engine burnt about a litre of oil which left the level dangerously low. Any bike with a ratty gearbox has been thrashed, so should be avoided.
Buying a bike with around 20,000 miles on the clock could be an expensive business. Along with the faults listed above, the exhaust starts to fall apart at this mileage. Rotted out baffles might make the bike sound flash but they also lead to huge flat spots in the rev range. I fitted a Motad Neta, which took out some of the midrange torque but has lasted very well. It's extremely easy to strip the threads in the cylinder head that hold on the exhaust clamps. I took three of mine out but got away with using Araldite to repair them.
The power comes in at around 7000rpm, but not to the extent that it really gets the blood running or could throw the machine off the road in the wet. Below that the Suzuki is easy to ride but accelerates no better than a thrashed CB250N. The six speed gearbox could do with two gears less, I often roar off in second with no apparent ill effects (the clutch is still original). It's possible to fit a slightly larger gearbox sprocket which would give a more relaxed cruising poise. I never bothered, as I found the bike would lope along at ton plus speeds with no vibes, with some additional acceleration still on hand if the need arose.
The half fairing of the ES version provides a useful degree of wind protection but hands and knees are drenched in the wet and frozen in the cold just like on a bare bike. Neither does the plastic aid aerodynamics, fuel economy often hovering on the wrong side of 40mpg, whilst top speed is a mere 125mph. The bike is well off the pace compared to the latest 600s, but its relaxed riding position does mean that prolonged town riding is easily encompassed as well as indecently fast touring.
Engine reliability has been top notch. Poor starting had been the mere result of worn spark plugs. Both carbs and valves have settled down well, only needing minor attention every 10,000 miles. I have heard of cases of exhaust valves burning out but suspect that is down to running on illicit exhausts without changing the carb jetting. The bike is still on the original camchain, not rattling to any noticeable degree. My extremely regular oil changes (with an oil filter swap every 5000 miles) must've played a large part in this longevity.
I was initially paranoid about the robustness of the electrical components, especially the alternator and rectifier/regulator unit. I took the precaution of wiring in separate earth leads for all the black boxes and mounting them on additional rubber blocks. Every 5000 miles I go over all the leads making sure that there are no loose connections. This has worked well, as I have not experienced any failures.
What usually seems to happen is than the rectifier/regulator fails partially but not enough to stop the machine charging. Bulbs or fuses start blowing, the alternator burns out a coil. By the time the rectifier/regulator fails completely, the voltage surges have taken out the electronic ignition, burnt out all the alternator coils and boiled the battery. A watchful eye has to be kept on the electrical system to avoid such an expensive fate, it is an extremely common event with GS and GSX series engines.
Finish has been very variable. The black engine paint has lasted well, as has that on the petrol tank. The plastic bits have developed lots of small cracks but have not actually fallen apart. The frame paint seems to fall off as fast as it can be applied, whilst the wheels need to be taken out every 15000 miles, hosed down and touched up. Chrome is limited to the fork stanchions, it started to go off at about 40,000 miles and was well pitted by the time I did the front end swap.
I came to the GSX550 straight from a maggot 125, so the difference in performance, handling and weight was all the more magnified. I found the bike extremely easy to ride, very stable at low speeds with the modest power output below 7000 revs giving a new rider plenty of time to get used to the machine before going wild with the throttle. In over 70,000 miles I have never fallen off the bike, nor even had it fall over when grappling with the far from easy to use centrestand.
I've used the bike for everything. The daily grind into work, fast rides in the night, long weekend tours and more than a couple of month long travels through Europe. The bike continues to amaze me with the way it will knock off several hundred miles in day, just sitting there ticking over contentedly, not even marring its record by dropping the odd spot of oil on to the ground. They were made right up to 1989, so there are still some nice ones around.
Most reports on the GSX suggest that it is a bland motorcycle, but one that is able to encompass most roles. I think it is very unfair to call a motorcycle bland just because it works so very well. Even after five years I am not bored with the machine. I would like something newer - who wouldn't? - but can't get the money together for anything appreciably faster.
Ian Haynes
A seven year old 1985 machine for £600? There had to be a catch. 45000 miles! The engine started first time, settled down quickly. Overall appearance was better than expected. Helped by a new stock exhaust system and spending its nights safely garaged. A blast on the pillion left me weak in the legs. Compared to my RXS100, the acceleration was mind blowing. Uh, uh, I thought, I'll have it. After kicking the wheels and trying to look more knowledgeable than I really was, the deal was struck.
Riding home I was laughing with the thrill of it. Every time the tacho hit 7000rpm everything went blurred as the traffic in front went backwards and the front wheel went light. The bike did an easy 120mph which had me gripping the bars in a death hold. Not from the handling but from the sheer velocity. At speed the 400lb bike handled with a reassuring ease.
Back home I was enervated by the highway kicks, could barely sit still. I walked around the house reliving the moments of glory, blabbering away about the speed to concerned parents. They had breathed a sigh of relief when the RXS was sold, dropping hints about helping out with the insurance on a nice little car. Now, there was a monster machine in the hallway that they had to squeeze past. The old man was having palpitations because I'd ridden home without any insurance and after an argument with my mother insisted on paying for TPF&T. It was just as well that he was sitting down when I told him how much it was for a 17 year old!
With that sorted I was ready for some serious riding. That mostly involved shooting up to corners 20mph too fast, realising my mistake and whacking on the twin discs. The forks had an excellent anti-dive set-up that took most of the trauma out of my desperate use of the front brake. The bike would bank over with the brake on, bounce a bit once it was released and stay on line until it was time to accelerate out of the corner.
There were times when things went very wrong. When I'd brake just as the forks whacked into a bump with enough force to shake the steering head. Then the whole fairing would wobble and I'd end up aboard a bike that rather than leaning over was trying to go straight across the road. One time I missed the back of a car by inches, frightening myself so much that I had to pull off the road and start gibbering like a chimpanzee.
The solution was to operate some restraint on my right hand, enter corners without the need to brake frantically. This took some doing, as the acceleration from the 65hp DOHC four cylinder engine was intoxicating, as was the drone from the silencers. After a couple of weeks, somehow without killing myself, I felt more in control than like a high speed accident looking for somewhere to happen.
That hadn't stopped me finding out that the top speed was 130mph (helmet bouncing on the clocks) and that the bike had some quite dire weaves above the ton. Felt like the back tyre was slowly deflating but when I checked the tyre pressures they were spot on. The bike had a pair of newish Japlops, the past owner telling me they were much cheaper to buy because dealers had to tear them off new bikes. I suspected that these were the cause of the weaves but wasn't going to change them until they wore out.
The rear tyre was down to the carcass in 5000 miles, the front looked like it would go twice that distance. Dire warnings accompanied my inquiries about mixing and matching tyres but I thought they were just trying to get me to pay up for two tyres. How wrong can you be? The combination of different tyres had the bike hopping all over the road on the 16'' wheels every time I went above 65mph. A day was all it took to convince me of the need to buy a front Metzeler as well.
That was better, although the weaves, perhaps slightly less intense, were still there above 100mph. The Metz's were much better in the wet, though, much more able to control the back wheel when I used the throttle in anger. The rear lasted almost a 1000 miles longer than the Japlop and the front went for about 9000 miles. Not brilliant wear but given the level of grip not bad value for money.
I had to make sure the tyres were up to scratch whenever I did some long distance work. Not just because I didn't want to change them halfway through a trip but also because the suspension was pushed to its limit when two-up, loaded with tons of camping gear. The girlfriend likes a touch of luxury - a bloody massive tent that could comfortably take the GSX as well, if it was allowed. It was whilst loaded up to the gills, leaning on the sidestand, that the bike collapsed on to the tarmac with such a thud that I jumped about a foot in the air. The sidestand had gone and broken. I was thankful for the engine bars which took most of the weight and left a large hole in the tarmac. It was a two man job to put the GSX on the centrestand when loaded up (the bike, not us) and even when free of camping gear a great struggle ensued.
That happened at 53000 miles. A little later, the fairing developed lots of tiny cracks that by the time 55000 miles had passed had all joined up. The fairing, like the pillion pegs, was often attacked by high frequency vibes, although my own perch was insulated from such intrusions and jolly comfortable for hundreds of miles at a time when in high speed touring mode. The cracks were so widespread and the fairing flapped about so much that I bought a replica fairing. A stupid thing to do as it was very thin, wavered around all over the place and after 5000 miles was just about ready to fall off. For half the money I bought a nice secondhand fairing from a breaker. It was a different colour but so shiny that I sprayed the rest of the faded bike to match!
The front brakes had started to become very spongy. New fluid was chucked in and about ten hours later I'd finally got all the air bubbles out of the hydraulics - the anti-dive is linked into the braking circuit making it difficult to purge the system. The calipers had a tendency towards seizing up solidly if not cleaned up every time a new set of pads was fitted at 5-7000 miles.
The engine was a brilliant piece of work, even at 70,000 miles there was nothing wrong with it. The valves had never needed any adjustment and the carbs could be left for 10,000 miles before they went out of balance so far that the clutch rattled and the vibes became frenzied. Oil was changed every 2500 miles and filters at every other oil chance - a lot of the time the GSX was used out of town, had it been a city commuter then I would've halved those distances. The only sign of age was oil that went through the engine at the rate of 500mpp.
When the handling became suddenly vile I didn't have far to look for the cause - I'd already noticed that there were no grease nipples on the mono-shock linkages. Sure enough, there was an excess of play and a whole weekend's worth of work in stripping down the back end to replace the bushes and spindles. With all the suspension turned up high there was the taut feel of a new bike!
Come 72000 miles I had an excess of expenses. The exhaust had rusted through (in less than two years) at one end and corroded into the cylinder head at the other. The flange screws were almost impossible to remove. Only a combination of long bar and big hammer finally had them creaking undone. I was lucky that none broke off. A four into one had been secured from the breaker but needed a lot of work with the hammer. The bike ran well, if loudly, with no carb mods.
No sooner had I done that than the fork seals blew, leading to far from fun 70mph speed wobbles! I found it very hard to make the new set sit properly, and sure enough after 500 miles they went again. It was only on the third set that I achieved the seemingly impossible.
Both the chain and airfilter were also in desperate need of replacement. The hefty O-ring job had lasted over 20,000 miles so I couldn't really complain. I was a bit narked when a month later the battery showed signs of fatigue. The electrical system is sometimes marginal so I bunged a new one in straight away, although I could probably have got another 1000 miles out of it.
The bike now has 75000 miles on the clock and seems set up for the next year or two. The engine's by far the beast feature but the chassis ain't half bad once you get used to it. I've learnt a lot in the last two years and hope for more adventures on the GSX.
A.D.
These are exciting times we live in. No doubt about that as regards modern motorcycles. Also very expensive. I've been tempted to trade in my GSX750 many times for some hot-shot Japanese race replica. I've even been offered some very good deals on the GSX. When I add up the cost of fuel, servicing and insurance, though, the figures just don't make sense. Every time I become a little bored with the Suzuki four I tell myself not to be silly. Not to be taken in by the marketing hype and the glossy tests that bear no relationship to real life.
My GSX750 was built in 1987, came into my hands two years later with just 3500 miles worth of abuse. The reason for such a low mileage was chronic electrical problems. Under the guarantee just about every electrical component was replaced. Even that exercise didn't stop the alternator burning out twice in the second year. In the end, the owner had given up on original components, combining a rewound alternator with an electronic control box.
In the past 500 miles he had experienced no electrical problems, a record for this particular bike. For some reason, the owner was totally honest about the GSX and sold it to me for about £750 under the going rate. I gained the impression that he never wanted to see the thing again.
In the first couple of months I didn't venture far. Just the usual round of commuting, charging through the cages and doing GP starts. Figuring the battery needed revs to keep it charged, I caned the Suzuki in second and third for most of the time. Acceleration was giddy-making, the poor old jerks in GTi's hadn't a hope in hell of keeping up.
I did about 1600 miles of commuting before I decided that the electrics were not going to cause its demise on a long run. I did have a problem with a flickering headlight but that turned out to be worn terminals in a connector. It'd probably been ripped apart so often that it was worn out well before its time. I wound the wires together and sealed with insulation tape.
The first long trip out of town revealed that the acceleration didn't fade until 120mph, a combination of its 80 horses and reasonably aerodynamic fairing. The handling was in line with its 460lbs and the stability with its relatively modern chassis. A hot pace could be maintained on any half decent bit of road. There was a choice of rolling along in top gear, with more than adequate acceleration between 50 and 100mph, or really going for it on the slick gearbox. The first trip, of 350 miles in a day was, as I expected, done without any breakdowns.
Towards the end of the day, my backside was beginning to complain but that's more a function of my sensitive body than any complaint about the ergonomics. With the protection of the half fairing 100mph cruising held no terrors whilst the bars were sufficiently high and near to the seat to make an hour's town commuting as easy, if a lot more exciting, as lolling in front of the TV.
The first bit of money I had to spend was on a new set of front brake pads (about £25 for two pairs) at a mere 6200 miles. I put that down to some frantic braking in town. The bike hurtled forwards so rapidly, come 5000 revs in the lower gears, that the ground was eaten up before I expected. The twin discs were immensely powerful and adequately sensitive to lose speed safely and quickly.
The next expense was a new set of tyres. The bike was on Japlops, which I'd found surprisingly good in the dry. They didn't slide when heeled over at extravagant angles. Even in summer rain showers they held on to the road surface as well as most tyres. It was only when a bit of frost appeared on the road that their limits were found. Once they let loose on ice there was no way they would regain grip when they found some proper tarmac. The full 460lbs bouncing on the road sounded terminal even at 15mph, but the chassis proved more resilient than my arms and knees.
After that experience, the half worn tyres were torn off in favour of a nice new set of Pirelli Phantoms. They gave better grip than I'd expected but the rear lasted for 3750 miles! That's a record for me! A rear Roadrunner went on next, but produced some weaves when matched with the Pirelli front, something to do with radically different profiles. Reluctantly, I shelled out for a new front Avon, was relieved to find stability and grip just as good as the Phantoms. Life was much improved, 12000 miles out front and 9000 at the rear.
A couple of months in 1990 were spent proving the bike's mettle. Many thousands of miles rolled under its wheels, with shameful neglect of its motor and a bit of bodging to make the chain and sprockets last more than 10,000 miles (I was eventually to get the better of them by buying a high quality O-ring chain and sprocket kit). The GSX is the kind of bike you can load up with an excess of camping gear without upsetting its character.
Protection from the rain could've been better, as the screen sprayed off water into my chest and the visor collected droplets. I could've got my head down but it was a bit of an awkward position that soon led to a stiff neck. The plastic also thrummed with vibes above 7000 revs but everything else, save for the pillion pegs, was well insulated. One way of checking engine condition is the level of vibes, a GSX with an excess of buzzing is on the way out.
Coming into 1992 there were 24000 miles on the clock. Charging through town, the acceleration as good as ever, a rather alarming grinding noise emanated from the back of the engine. Pulling the clutch in didn't help, coming to a halt did. On the centrestand, rotating the back wheel revealed a chain that was jumping all over the place. The engine sprocket was loose on its shaft, just about ready to fall off. They needed to be bolted down with Loctite to avoid this all too common complaint. Even then, it's worth checking the cog every 5000 miles, as it keeps working loose.
A couple of months later both the swinging arm bearings and fork seals went at the same time. Any pretence the bike had towards stability did a complete disappearing act. It was almost impossible to ride above 30mph but I somehow staggered back and forth to work until the weekend. Definitely no fun. Knocking out the swinging arm was almost as difficult as fitting the seals without ruining them. A weekend's work fixed it but the whole procedure had to be repeated twice within the next 15000 miles.
I couldn't complain, the engine ran tirelessly despite only having an oil change every 5000 miles and sod all attention to the valves and carbs. The fuel tap did start leaking at one point and was so far gone that I had to buy a brand new one. The petrol tank was still sound. Indeed, for some reason - it certainly wasn't because I cleaned it very often - the bike would shine up like new with very little effort on my part. All the stranger when I'd seen younger GSX's with less miles that were real rats.
It took until nearly 50,000 miles for the rear mono-track linkage to go and the OE shock to lose most of its damping and springing. The back end would leap about like a Jack-in-the-box. A nice Marzocchi shock went straight in, along with some new bushes. Made the bike feel like new again. Around that mileage the brakes became a bit vicious in the wet. I'd clean them up every time I did a pad change but they were otherwise reliable. However, by then they were so far worn all I could do was locate a new set from the breakers.
It took until the end of 1993 and 64000 miles before the mill gave any signs of mortality. First, the cylinder head started gasping, spewing out large quantities of oil and reducing top speed to about 60mph. Tightening down the head bolts with desperate force helped for only 50 miles.
A new head gasket survived 2000 miles before I had to buy a replacement. This time because the rings had gone and vast quantities of oil was spewing out of the exhaust. I didn't want to chance using the old gasket. I thought it'd need a rebore and some valve work but the motor's run fine for the past 10,000 miles with just a new set of oil rings!
I have the feeling that the bike's going to make it around the clock at least once. The motors are tough old hulks in the Suzuki four stroke tradition. I still appreciate the sturdiness of the chassis and the friendly character of the bike.
Alan Earley
Crasher wanted me to buy his GSX750.
Despite his name he reckoned she was straight and never been in
the red. 'Course, if you believe that you'll believe anything.
He practically picked me up by the scruff of the neck and dropped
me on the saddle. The bike felt a lot better between the legs
than it looked from a distance. Much like the only women I can
get my hands on.
A couple of hours later I rolled up at Crasher's humble abode
(I'm sure he's a drug dealer), trying to hide the insane grin.
After a bit of bickering, a thousand notes changed hands. Not
bad for an '88 model. It was only after I'd handed over the money
that Crasher pointed out that the MOT was due in five days time
and that the tax disc belonged to his GSXR1100. Thanks, mate!
I didn't think the MOT was much of a problem. Then I looked at
the exhaust and the rear disc brake. The former was full of holes
and the caliper was seized (I never use back brakes). Scream?
I ran around the garage in circles waving my mole-grips in the
air, chanting death threats in Crasher's direction. I had to reluctantly
admire the guy, he had perfect timing (a trait confirmed by the
permanent grin on his girlfriend's face).
I grumbled away to myself as I tried to remove the header bolts.
They're deliberately designed to break off, as far as I can see.
I sprayed on an unlikely quantity of WD40 and beat the odds by
only breaking off one! The four into two exhaust fell apart when
I tried to remove it. A used Motad four into one was secured from
the breaker, along with a rear caliper, and hammered on to good
effect.
As soon as everything was working I rushed down to the MOT tester,
a back street hovel with yellow walls from the chain smoking old
git who'd been there since I was born. He muttered something about
me being a stupid boy buying this kind of Suzuki as they were
renown for their doubtful electrics. After half an hour of cackling
he gave me the certificate.
I roared up to Crasher's mansion to boast at this unlikely achievement
only to find that the bugger had gone off to the States. The Motad's
growl at tickover had his Dobberman monsters trying to charge
out of their kennels (he breeded the beasts) so I got out of there
so fast I almost hit a car that was meandering along the road.
A few taps on his roof with my fist woke the driver up.
The GSX wasn't exactly easy to ride, weighing in at nearly 500lbs
and having a hole in the power output between 2000 and 3000 revs
(on both the stock and Motad exhausts). The bike ran a lot better
under acceleration than at a constant rate of knots. Between 5000
and 6500 revs, the engine refused to settle at constant revs.
I figured there was some wear in the carbs but they just needed
a balance. Once that was done the bike was transformed, roaring
through traffic like a cruise missile. Alas, the carbs needed
a balance every 500 miles, a pain given the robustness of the
rest of the motor.
The carbs were efficient, though, mild riding giving around 60mpg
and even crazed throttle work still resulting in 40mpg. I usually
bettered 50mpg. Another sign that the engine was in good condition
was that no oil was used between 1500 changes. The motor was completely
oil tight.
I didn't know what kind of mileage the bike had done as it was
fitted with a newish speedo that read just 4000 miles! Not even
Crasher could've passed the GSX off as low mileage. The plastic
was curdled, the paint faded and blistered with rust, the alloy
was encrusted with white corrosion like an ancient fossil, and
the seat had a good going over by some knife wielding vandal.
None of this was a great worry, all it'd take was some hard graft
and a few tins of paint and polish. I made various excuses until
I became fed up with being stopped by the cops, who'd snigger
about Japanese crap and direct me to the nearest scrap yard. A
weekend's worth of hard work cleaned off the worst of the corrosion.
It was whilst I had the front wheel between my legs, furiously
working a rag around the hub that I found some cracks.
Judging by the depth of the original corrosion the alloy was really
crap. Rather worrying given the importance of having a front wheel
that didn't fall apart. The cracks were hairline, starting where
the disc sat, making me suspect electrolytic corrosion between
the two different materials. I'd advise anyone with an old Jap
to give the wheels a good going over. Out of three wheels I found
in the breakers, two were similarly afflicted. When I told the
breaker he just shrugged, squeaked something about them being
bought as seen. Everything went back together and the bike looked
half decent.
By then Crasher was back in town, full of himself, having acquired
a crate full of Harleys, most of which he'd sold sight unseen.
Like a lamb to the slaughter I looked through the pictures and
fell for a two year old 883. Only £2500, said he, perfect
nick, have every young girl in the town desperate for a ride.
When I stopped panting I managed to say yes and give him £250
as a deposit. I had two months to sort out the rest of the money.
I put the GSX up for sale for £2000. Some chap took her
for a test ride, came back with a stuttering engine. The electrics
had gone, would I take £500? F..k that! I suspected he'd
sabotaged the electrical system but no it was the good old burnt
out alternator scenario. It was enough to turn me to voodoo.
The usual hassle with the alternator cover screws that'd been
fitted by psychotic robots - only three broke off. The alternator
was a blackened mass, sent off for an exchange one that came within
four days. I secured a Superdream rectifier/regulator, topped
the battery up and went over all the wiring. All was well with
the GSX on reassembly.
I tried a few more adverts but apart from some desultory phone
calls (''I can manage £600, mate, how that sound......'')
no-one wanted the bike. I rode around in an increasing frenzy,
an accident looking for somewhere to happen. The GSX topped out
at 130mph, would even hold 120mph if I crouched down behind the
half fairing. It all seemed too frenzied to me, my head full of
languid Harley dreams. The small front wheel was well twitchy
on anything other than a perfectly smooth road but it never seemed
to develop into anything serious.
Comfort was good, even with the slashed seat, the suspension able
to soak up both small and large bumps without going into pogo-stick
mode. I particularly liked the Full Floater rear end, which would
take bumps even when well heeled over. Cornering was much more
limited by the mass than the suspension or the grip of the Pirelli's....
my muscles were given a full workout when riding fast down a series
of country roads.
The front discs combined with the anti-dive worked exceptionally
well for a while, until some air found its way into the hydraulics
and the two systems started fighting each other. When I released
the brake the forks would unwind, bouncing the front end about
like the springs were breaking up. Countless evenings and tins
of brake fluid were blown trying to remove all the air until I
gave up and took the anti-dive out of the system.
By then I'd reduced the price to £1500, going out of my
mind with annoyance when I realised that insurance rate hikes
meant no-one wanted bikes over 600's, certainly not old bruisers
like the GSX which had trouble keeping up with hot 400's. To heap
trouble upon my shoulders I had a mild crash into the side of
an Escort. The bent wheel didn't go down well as I knew they were
hard to find but the cager licked off a few fifties and wished
me well.
By the time I secured a wheel, the Harley had turned up and the
price was down to £1250. That had the phone ringing all
day long and someone turned up with the dosh. Hurray, I'd gotten
rid of the damn thing.
That's a bit unfair, electrics aside, the GSX750's a tough old
beast with a fair turn of speed. But I found the bike rather bland
with the frightening feeling that the chassis was rotting away
beneath me (rust was breaking out again on the frame despite my
previous efforts and the calipers were starting to seize up).
The Harley's slow, handles strangely and vibrates harshly but
it has bags of character, something the poor old GSX just wouldn't
recognize.
L.Jones
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