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Hello GS'ers!
New to GS ownership and new to this forum as of today. My previous bike was a 2011 Suzuki TU250X that, through a series of circumstances, I had to sell last summer. Honestly, I was a little bit ready for a bit more HP, but if I'd known how much I'd miss riding for the next 9 months, I probably wouldn't have sold it. Anyway, now I'm in a position to once again get an (inexpensive) bike, so, today, I bought the 1983 Suzuki GS450TX pictured here.
I'm posting this here by way of introduction, but also because some folks like to talk about comparative bikes and, well, compare, so I'll start off by doing a little of that by way of my first impressions with my new to me GS450.
First, I loved my TUX; changed the front sprocket, got the gel seat, some old round mirrors, and rode 10,000 smile-inducing miles in the two years I had it. The TUX was the biggest bike I'd had; I had a 50cc Honda MB5 in high school that I rode all over town. But after the initial learning curve, I was finding the TUX was perhaps not ideal for me in this area. I often found myself on a steep incline here in the hills of central PA with an impatient truck behind me, straining to keep ahead (and yes, downshifting and screaming up the hill.) The TUX was fantastic in the curves and I loved to lean it, but the hills and the occasional freeway stint were not as fun.
Today I rode the GS450 home after buying it about 100 miles away. It's warming up outside, but still a cold day for a ride like that with the hills still covered in snow. Anyway, here are some comparison points:
GS450
Pros
- Power. It's only a 450, but it's got 40 HP, over twice the the TUX yet is only 60 lbs heavier. I liked being able to squirt up the hills and ahead on a highway.
- Little things like mirrors, the beautiful round chrome mirrors on the GS don't vibrate at all, clear view, something I never achieved on the TUX with stock or replacement mirrors (not that the TUX vibrates more really.)
- Classic 70s/80s UJM styling, bits like chrome fenders etc.
- Gear indicator gauge - love it! Especially since the GS has 6 gears to keep track of and I do like the flexibility that 6 provide as opposed to the TUX's 5.
- Throttle note. Ahhhh that eager grumble. And it rides a little...rougher..than the TUX, both in terms of (aging) suspension, but also..not quite high-pitch vibrations..more like throbbing. This might be a downside for others. I kinda like it.
Cons and Questions
- No fuel gauge! Not even a low fuel light. How could they spring for a gear indicator and tach and highbeam indicator, but no fuel gauge? Guess I'm back to using the trip-ometer.
- Size. Although the GS450 is larger than the TUX in every measurement (some close) the seat to peg distance is actually less. Now, luckily, I'm only 5'8" so that's not actually a huge deal, but will take some getting used to. The guy I bought it from had put on new handlebars that are more straight to replace the swung-back almost cruiser stock bars (I like the change) but he gave me those bars just in case. If I feel the need to change my position, I may, or.....
- Seat. The stock seat is comfortable; this is more cosmetic. The stock seat is slightly stepped, again, somewhat cruiser like but I do like the looks of a flat bench seat and being able to scoot back and forth on long rides. I may try to replace the seat, but can't find much info on compatible bench seats for the GS450. If I could find a bench that also raised me up about an inch, that might also help the height issue, but again, it's not a big deal and I just rode 2.5 hrs straight comfortably.
- Differently sized tires? The GS has 17 on the rear and 19 up front as opposed to the TUX 18/18. So far, the bike handles great, but I'm going to have to wait for warmer weather and dryer roads to see if that affects cornering.
- Age. I'm no wrench-monkey and clearly a 1983 is going to need more maintenance than a 2011, but I'm going to try to learn some basics here and there is a good affordable Zook mechanic around here too. This bike is in good shape, chrome is excellent, new tires and battery, there was a little rust underneath the bike on exhaust pipes and such; have to suss that out and test everything over the next weeks, but mostly very good for a bike this age.
Overall, I'm very happy with the GS so far, happy with the power upgrade most of all. I look forward to chatting with you all!
my_gs450.jpg
New to GS ownership and new to this forum as of today. My previous bike was a 2011 Suzuki TU250X that, through a series of circumstances, I had to sell last summer. Honestly, I was a little bit ready for a bit more HP, but if I'd known how much I'd miss riding for the next 9 months, I probably wouldn't have sold it. Anyway, now I'm in a position to once again get an (inexpensive) bike, so, today, I bought the 1983 Suzuki GS450TX pictured here.
I'm posting this here by way of introduction, but also because some folks like to talk about comparative bikes and, well, compare, so I'll start off by doing a little of that by way of my first impressions with my new to me GS450.
First, I loved my TUX; changed the front sprocket, got the gel seat, some old round mirrors, and rode 10,000 smile-inducing miles in the two years I had it. The TUX was the biggest bike I'd had; I had a 50cc Honda MB5 in high school that I rode all over town. But after the initial learning curve, I was finding the TUX was perhaps not ideal for me in this area. I often found myself on a steep incline here in the hills of central PA with an impatient truck behind me, straining to keep ahead (and yes, downshifting and screaming up the hill.) The TUX was fantastic in the curves and I loved to lean it, but the hills and the occasional freeway stint were not as fun.
Today I rode the GS450 home after buying it about 100 miles away. It's warming up outside, but still a cold day for a ride like that with the hills still covered in snow. Anyway, here are some comparison points:
GS450
Pros
- Power. It's only a 450, but it's got 40 HP, over twice the the TUX yet is only 60 lbs heavier. I liked being able to squirt up the hills and ahead on a highway.
- Little things like mirrors, the beautiful round chrome mirrors on the GS don't vibrate at all, clear view, something I never achieved on the TUX with stock or replacement mirrors (not that the TUX vibrates more really.)
- Classic 70s/80s UJM styling, bits like chrome fenders etc.
- Gear indicator gauge - love it! Especially since the GS has 6 gears to keep track of and I do like the flexibility that 6 provide as opposed to the TUX's 5.
- Throttle note. Ahhhh that eager grumble. And it rides a little...rougher..than the TUX, both in terms of (aging) suspension, but also..not quite high-pitch vibrations..more like throbbing. This might be a downside for others. I kinda like it.
Cons and Questions
- No fuel gauge! Not even a low fuel light. How could they spring for a gear indicator and tach and highbeam indicator, but no fuel gauge? Guess I'm back to using the trip-ometer.
- Size. Although the GS450 is larger than the TUX in every measurement (some close) the seat to peg distance is actually less. Now, luckily, I'm only 5'8" so that's not actually a huge deal, but will take some getting used to. The guy I bought it from had put on new handlebars that are more straight to replace the swung-back almost cruiser stock bars (I like the change) but he gave me those bars just in case. If I feel the need to change my position, I may, or.....
- Seat. The stock seat is comfortable; this is more cosmetic. The stock seat is slightly stepped, again, somewhat cruiser like but I do like the looks of a flat bench seat and being able to scoot back and forth on long rides. I may try to replace the seat, but can't find much info on compatible bench seats for the GS450. If I could find a bench that also raised me up about an inch, that might also help the height issue, but again, it's not a big deal and I just rode 2.5 hrs straight comfortably.
- Differently sized tires? The GS has 17 on the rear and 19 up front as opposed to the TUX 18/18. So far, the bike handles great, but I'm going to have to wait for warmer weather and dryer roads to see if that affects cornering.
- Age. I'm no wrench-monkey and clearly a 1983 is going to need more maintenance than a 2011, but I'm going to try to learn some basics here and there is a good affordable Zook mechanic around here too. This bike is in good shape, chrome is excellent, new tires and battery, there was a little rust underneath the bike on exhaust pipes and such; have to suss that out and test everything over the next weeks, but mostly very good for a bike this age.
Overall, I'm very happy with the GS so far, happy with the power upgrade most of all. I look forward to chatting with you all!
my_gs450.jpg
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I would personally avoid doing this on cold roads, though. And do make sure you're not riding on old tires (more than 5 years old) or you could be in for an unpleasant time.
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