1981 Suzuki GS1100EX

[Hellgate]

Here's a photo of my '81 GS1100EX. Back in '80 and '81 this was the quickest production motorcycle, and the first production bike to break 11.00 seconds in the quarter mile. One of the magazines turned a 10.99 at about 119mph.

I bought this bike in 1985 from a guy who was being transfered to Alaska. The GS has about 1,200 miles on it, a Windjammer fairing (remember those?), matching Windjammer Saddlebags and Trunk. It came with a cover and a small sissy bar with a rack. Mrs. Hellgate, then Girlfriend Hellgate couldn't believe I was buying a touring bike! She almost dumped me. Well after 60 minutes of removing saddle bags and trunk, we went and ran one of the canyons outside of Denver. She couldn't believe how fast it was. My previous bike was a Yamaha Vision, which was a 550 V-twin.

Over the next year it turned into what you see here. My Dad and I totally took the bike apart and painted it Porsche Guards Red. The bodywork, the frame, the fork brace, fork sliders, center stand, kick stand, the inside of the brake rotors...everything. It took one week working 12 to 18 hours a day to knock it out.

For mods it had a Vance and Hines 4 into 1 exhaust, Marrzochi Shocks, Fork Springs, Fork Brace, Oil Cooler, Coils and Wires, modifed air box, and rejetted carbs, stainless steel brake lines, frenched the tail (no FE kits back then, DIY), custom made seat, and a drag bar.

When I started the project I wanted it to have a Kawasaki Eddie Lawson Replica feel to it.

It was a fun bike to ride didn't handle all that well above 110mph, liked to shake its head real bad. It was heavy too, stock was about 533lbs, I got it down to about 510 or 505. Still very heavy.

The thing I really liked about it is it was a do it all bike. I could run canyons on it, commute and tour. I did two trips from Denver to Phoenix to LA on it. With no fairing BTW.

So when I saw the FZ I saw the "prefect" version of my old GS, a great all around bike that had 25 years of improvements.

When we moved to Texas in 1994 I sold the bike to a GI from Ft. Carson. I'm sure it was wrapped about a tree in the first week.

 

[grommit]

Very Nice.:thumbup:

I bet you wish you still had it.

The brakes look a wee bit insubstantial for such a heavy bike. I suppose they are better than drums. :Flash:

 

[HavBlue]

When the GS1100 came out in 1978 the reigning power broker at that time was the Z1000. Also at the time were I4 machines that were blistering fast in a straight line but this all changed when Suzuki brought a machine to the streets that actually offered an ability to turn with its steel frame and upgraded suspension. What's amazing about this whole era is how they managed to make 500+ pound machines run the quarter mile in 11 seconds with a mere 85 or so horsepower. As it turns out, Yamaha also brought out a monster in 1978 and that was the XS1100. Those were some awesome times for sure.

 

[wolfc70]

Yes, those were interesting times. A few years prior, the Laverda 1000 3c (i.e., Jota) appeared on the scene. I remember reading my dads motorcycle mags, who were just floored that a bike could be that fast. This was the time when the big twins Triumphs, BSA, Norton, BMW and Ducati made 40-60 hp. I still remember my dad and his brother talking about the Jota, and that it was a "mans" bike, and how they both still regretted selling their Ducati Mach 1's. Then the Japanese fours started developing big power, and like the muscle car wars of the sixties, superbike wars were just beginning.

Very nice bike by the way. It's funny how if you have been around motorcycles for the past 20 years, almost everyone has a Suzuki GS, Yamaha XS, or Honda CB (Nighthawk) story, and all still regret selling those bikes. Thanks for the memory trip back to childhood.

 

[tolgatt]

i used to have 1979 Z1000 and that was my first 4 cyclinder bike,,,,i loved every minute of it,,,it was heavy as a car and with a shaft drive, it was very comfortable to ride......i was fishtailing with it on every street turn in 1st and 2nd gear,,,unfortunately after riding it for almost a year ,,,one of the pistons broke into millions of pieces while i was going around 100mph....i guess i was lucky the rear wheel didnt lock....i had it fixed and traded it with a 92 zzr250..zzr was fun too,,but what a difference

 

[Maverick]

Nice bike and story. My brother-in-law still rides his GS750E :Sport:

 

[Hellgate]

Thanks everyone, I'm glad you enjoyed the photo and the story. I do miss the bike but I wonder if I would still like it? The FZ does everything better. The thing I do like about it is the massive torque. In the canyons I only used 2nd and 3rd gear. 1st was good for 60mph, and I think 3rd was about 100 to 105 mph...just twist and go. The engine was very strong, the bottom end could take up to 200hp if the crank was welded. This was the drag racing motor until the late '80s.

The brakes weren't too bad, I could do a small stoppie with them, again nothing like the FZ.

It also had "big" sound to it with the V&H, like few other bikes.

I suppose the Bandit 1200/1250 is very similar, but I would guess it lacks the edginess and rawness of the GS.

At the time I really wanted a Katana 1100, not the pu$$y Katana 600 or 750, but the Tron, Transformer looking one. A friend of mine in the dorms had one and we would go race each other in brand new neighborhoods, fresh pavement, no trafffic. When both bikes were in the power band the sound was magical! He had a SuperTrap on his Ka-Tuna.

Those were very fun times but I'm glad I've got the FZ, it is SO easy to ride.

 

[RangerG]

I'll take you back to 1981 with my 550 Seca. I think this bike was the first or one of the first bikes that Yamaha put a sport fairing on. This would be the great grandfather of the FZ6. I bought the bike as an accident victim in '81, fixed it up and had it ever since. It sat from '93 to '03 due to kids and no money but we've been making up for lost time since. I have 59,000 kms on it and it runs great. Yoshimura header is the only addition. One of these years I'd like to update my ride and think that an FZ6 would be a very good choice. The Seca will stay with me however.

 

[OZXJR]

I had a 76 Z1000 and a friend had a 79 GS1000,there was no way I could catch him !