Original paint?

[callmelenny]

I'm going to sell my 850G soon and am trying advertise as honestly as possible. The previous owner claimed the paint was original. Do you guys think so? I've done a lot of web and forum reading and still have my doubts.

This pic is not the greatest but hopefully one of you experts can tell.

[Blueandorangefish]

I'm going to sell my 850G soon and am trying advertise as honestly as possible. The previous owner claimed the paint was original. Do you guys think so? I've done a lot of web and forum reading and still have my doubts.

This pic is not the greatest but hopefully one of you experts can tell.

The guy I bought my bike from said that there was just a single dent in the tank and no others, yet as I stripped the paint off this week I found 1/4" of bondo covering up two very deep dents, along with numerous other smaller ones. Lesson learned, even honest-looking people lie. Only one way to find out if the paint's original, though.

[spyug]

Its hard to tell but it looks like the side cover and the tank are slightly different shades but that might just be sun fading to the tank. I'd say it is likely original however.

It shouldn't matter much anyway but you can always say, "You were told by the PO that it was original paint". That gets you off the hook if it worries you.

To me original paint is only important in a bike your are buying as an antique or collector for display with no intention of riding. I doubt your 850 falls into this category.

Good luck on your sale.

Cheers,
Spyug.

[bwringer]

It looks like the 1979 GS850G came in black, an orangey-maroon, and blue. Judging from one tiny blurry photo, it seems like it could be original paint.

Where's the "SUZUKI" badge on the tank? Is it just out of the photo a bit, or has it been removed?

"Original paint" doesn't mean much to most potential GS850G buyers, other than it's an indication the bike might have been well-treated otherwise -- the condition of the inside of the tank makes a LOT more difference.

[mrbridgeport]

My father had that exact bike when i was a kid, and that looks like the right color and original theme of the pin stripes...