Amazing how good this GS1100E is

[bobgroger]

And who can forget the Wankel Suzi?!? I love my '83 GS1100e, but the buzziness is a bit of a buzzkill...heh...

I have had both 80/81, and 82/83 1100e bikes. The later bikes vibrate more. And ALL the e bikes vibrate more than the 2 valve bikes.

[bwringer]

Agreed -- these bikes function far better than one would expect. They were among the first thoroughly modern machines you could trust to take on a trip and return.

There are a several reasons for that.

For one, Suzuki was the first to figure out handling and frame geometry. The GS750 and GS1000 in the '70s and the later derivatives, including all the shafties, have excellent handling and ergonomics. With a few suspension upgrades, they handle astonishingly well. Suzuki also paid careful attention to comfort and ergonomics. They were MILES ahead of the competition of the day.

The 1100E is a bit of a long pig, but can still be made to handle pretty darn well.

This is all somewhat arguable, but Honda in particular developed a reputation for reliable machines you could trust to finish a trip, and Suzuki was a close second in reliability, with better power and handling. Kawasaki was arguably in third place, and Yamaha a distant fourth. All were absolutely rock-solid compared to the English, Euro, and American competition. Remember when Harley riders considered it perfectly normal to rebuild their engines every winter, oil leaks were expected, and every ride required a couple of pickups following?

In the present day, Suzuki GS issues and how to address them are quite well-known. We routinely ride them hard for thousands and thousands of miles.

Suzuki, far more than Honda, tends to re-use engineering and parts for as long as possible, even sharing a lot of part dimensions across several models. This corporate trait means a greater parts supply 40 years later. OEM parts availability is also surprisingly good, although it is slowly dwindling.

Starting in 1980, brakes were another often overlooked Suzuki strong point. With rebuilt hydraulics, fresh pads, and braided stainless lines, stock GS stoppers work astonishingly well. A lot of people complain about GS brakes and look for upgrades based mostly on deteriorated and rock hard 40 year old brake pads. The stock stuff actually works better than most people think once you undo the effects of time.

[wymple]

"This is all somewhat arguable, but Honda in particular developed a reputation for reliable machines you could trust to finish a trip, and Suzuki was a close second in reliability, with better power and handling. Kawasaki was arguably in third place, and Yamaha a distant fourth."

I would put Kaw at the bottom of that pile for reliability, with Yamaha and Suzy battling for 2nd behind Honda. But it's all subjective as Suzuki had great bikes with what some think was the worst wiring of the big 4. Yamaha had great motors, a little lax in the trans area. I think Honda over complicated some stuff like wiring as exercises in engineering. The last year of carbed Goldwings had an amazingly large mess of vacuum lines, and you know what happens to those. I preferred Yamahas until I picked up a near new 82 GS1100. From about 84 on up, when they fixed their damn stupid starter mess on the Viragos, they were far better than the competition. Great charging systems, wiring, best clutch & rear drive units you could find. We had Intruders with problems, Shadows (which I still like) and some KZ stuff. Fried a KZ engine going to the Black Hills, a Suzuki twin going to Branson. Lost the electronic ignition on 2 Suzukis on road trips to Ohio and Southern Missouri. My Yamahas and mildly problematic Guzzis did me better overall. A pair of the lowly regarded Viragos never let me down anywhere, and my XS650's were golden.