Hello everyone. New rider and first time owner.

[Guest]

My name's Jack and you are going to be asking "What's wrong with Jack's bike now..." in no time at all.

I just bought what I can only assume is a 1981 GS 400 in rough shape for parts bike prices and hope to rebuild it to its original former glory. Here's a picture:
20170803_181536.jpg

This bike has been through at least four sets of hands before it landed in my lap and I am hoping someone can help identify it. The metal sticker on the frame has a good section of it rubbed out and only shows the last half of the VIN but the registration paper shows that the VIN is JS1GK51A3B2(SERIAL) but the registration paper is also a little sparse of detailed information. I'm in BC, Canada and the provincial single provider insurance agency does not have GS or GSX in their system. The closest the have are GSXRs, so they left the specific model blank. Does anybody recognize what model this GS 400 is?

The reason I am trying to figure out the original model is that at one point one of the previous owners went at the bike with black spray paint and I would like to set things right. Thankfully they did a poor job at it and did not remove the original decal so I'm hoping that that will be a clue. I will post a close up picture in the next post of the decal I'm talking about. Another clue is that the registration states that the original colour was Grey. I hope those of you who have been around these bikes can use that info to narrow down the exact model.

I hope this is an active community and look forward to eventually contributing some knowledge to it.

P.S. I'm pretty sure this bike is also original to Canada and not privately imported from somewhere else.

[Polish-Jack]

Here is the close up of the side of the tank:


And here is a top view:



I hope someone recognizes the stickers. I've sleuth'ed the Google and found some that might be similar except that the top of the tank did not have any decals.

[steve murdoch]

Welcome to the site, Jack.
Quite a few B.C. riders on this site.

Your bike might be an '81 GS450E.

http://www.diablocycle.com/GS450E-1981-Fuel-Tank-Stripes.html

[Polish-Jack]

Hmmm. Now I am confused. If I'm reading the VIN correctly the 'K' in the Vehicle Descriptor Section that reads 'GK51A' indicates that the engine displacement of the bike falls into the 250cc—399cc category. In this case the gas tank must not be the original to the bike and taken from a GS450.

[Gorminrider]

That's a "GS400E" Canada and Europe only. I like to call them "GSX400" to somehow separate them from their very close American cousins, the GS450 which shares everything except the engine... and a few tiny changes at carbs too..

The engine serial will be "GSX40 -then serial... which denotes an engine with Twin Swirl Combustion Chamber and 2xIntake,2xExhaust valves per cylinder. These are screw and locknut adjustment .
Your VIN info indicates 1981. I have the same but mine is Red.

The "1" before A indicates it's an "E" like mine. "A" indicates unrestricted which means some bikes to europe are detuned to a lower hp (27hp?) but ours aren't (44hp).

The GSX400 T and L were also sold in the same year- these share engine but the style is very different...starting with a teardrop tank... it gets very complicated comparing models to find parts but you will be able to get many of the expendables (gaskets, plugs,seals,cables,clutch plates...but some others (body parts) will be unobtainable without a scrap yard or ebay...

[Gorminrider]

go here to look

All Suzuki Motorcycles Ever Built

[Jedz123]

Curious how the 8V engine is compared to the US 4V engine... More power???

[Gorminrider]

Hi Jedz..don't know BUT it compares very well to my 88 Honda 450 S with less Vibes too.

[Gorminrider]

Go to Bass cliffs site get these two shop manuals . The 400's shop manual is the addendum to the 250-300s and merely explains what few differences there are.
If you buy a manual, you want the Haynes one. Clymer manual will be about the American 450 so useful for wheels but not engine...

http://zeus.mtsac.edu/~cliff/storage/gs/GS250T-300LZ_manual-82.pdf

http://zeus.mtsac.edu/~cliff/storage/gs/GS400_Complete_Manual.PDF

[Gorminrider]

Curious how the 8V engine is compared to the US 4V engine... More power???

JohnPark (or Mekanix wherever he is these days) could weigh in on this. He's had both. "We" in the GreatWhiteNorth DID get the odd 450 showing up in...83? to 86? I'm not at all sure but I've seen the odd one on Craigs

There's also an opinion that the GSX valve system is weaker less durable. It's more complicated and finicky than shims, I can agree...

[Polish-Jack]

The engine serial will be "GSX40 -then serial...

Thanks for all that info, GrominRider! The engine serial number on my bike is actually GS40X-SERIAL. Does that still match up with what you said about the Canadian version of the bike?

Also, Steve Murdoch (Thanks for your help!) posted a link to the similar decals from Diablo Cycle store which confirms your information about the bike being a 400cc dressed up to look like the American 450E. But the Suzuki Cycles page that you mentioned does not have a 450E, only a 450S and 450L in the 1981 list.

Also, is there a paint number or listing that will replicate the original Suzuki grey color?

P.S. Would you mind posting the ISBN number of the Haynes Manual so I don't get the wrong one?

[Gorminrider]

The engine serial number on my bike is actually GS40X-SERIAL

yes,yes. My memory is a little scrambled, but the best clue are those square chrome cam-end covers. Look for these and you will have a "GSX" engine. It is a quick help.

Haynes is ISBN 1 85010 253 8 last revision?Mine is 1990. The bike on the cover is the last model and is different than ours but the manual is good and concentates on ours.

I could be wrong (easily, in this game of suzuki models!) but Never seen Grey. I Suspect it's undercoat. Red for 81's for sure in Canada at least.. Black is seen too..Japan? Europe? but I've always figured it was for the 1980 bike or for the "GS400ES" (S for sport- same bike with a cool little fairing ...)

An 81 like mine is GS400EX or GSX400EX . In Suzuki outlets or better Motorcycle Shops in Canada, just 1981 GS 400 should do per seals and stuff but many will be as confused as you if they have American suppliers.... the Earlier GS400 and 425s are the wrong tree to be under. These have kickstarts and points and many more differences...

There are also confusions where the Earlier model was revamped and sent to Holland? Australia? in 1980,81 .
So you Have toBe Careful.

Paintcode...from my notes but is not confirmed by anyone..just my best guess...
00J Candy Gypsy Red-3" = ColorRite 4474UL top coat and 1075UL base coat

What I HAVE actually used for a repainted red fender is CBGM0509 from Canadian Tires "Duplicolour" selection. It's close enough considering the idiotic neon lights they have in Paint depts- impossible to match GoTo A WINDOW or OUTSIDE to match Paint!!!

[Polish-Jack]

Holy Hanna!

I found a listing for a GS 400 in Canada that might be exactly what my GS 400 used to be. Either way I like the way this one looks so I am going to use these pictures as an end goal for my GS 400.

Check these out! It's grey! or is it silver... damn it...

http://imgur.com/a/wdFKl

[Gorminrider]

Silver.I'd say Silver.... Never seen one of those! but it looks stock, alright. Paint stripes are exact pattern as mine so why would a modder goto that length?
Suzuki made bigger bikes as silver so you could get the colour match from someone here ....

as yet another stylistic quirk? Some bikes in Japan have between the ridges on sidecovers painted black which I've wondered about as "stock" but then too Japanese are Great Modders when it comes to these so it's very hard to say for sure.

Rooting around in Japan can be interesting try here. Look at GSX 250Es too. They have same everything with smaller engine ...That might turn up more silver ones.

http://motorcycle.goobike.com/motorcycle/bike/suzuki.html