1980 - is it a GS or GSX/

[ggreenfield]

I just picked up a really nice 1980 Suzuki GS750 from a good friend who also happens to be the original owner. It has less than 19000 miles and runs beautifully. I'm wondering if it's actually a GSX though.

Frame number: GS75X-513962
Engine number: GS75X-123791
Manuf Date: 7/1980
Sill hunting for the title to see what it can tell us.

The side panels say GS750 but in all of the photos of GS750's that I see they all have single exhaust like this GS750

This image of a GSX750 is exactly what my bike looks like down to the Silver color and dual exhaust. Of course the dual exhaust could have been changed but the original owner says he did not modify or change the exhast.

Looking at the explainations of VINs here I can't really match anything to what I have.

Any ideas or explainations are welcome.

[Guy]

Round cam box covers-GS
Rectangular cam box covers- GSX

[dtkid]

The "X" designation within the VIN (frame and engine) numbers indicate that the bike is a 1980 model.

It is a GS if it was sold in the US.

AS mentioned concerning the cam covers........square indicates the machine is a 16 valve.

Round indicates the machines is an 8 valve.

Your machine (if sold in the US) is a 1980 GS750E.

[Ghostgs1]

Hello GGreen, Suzuki marketing for some reason called the new 16 valve models GS in North America and GSX elsewhere. Have you checked out the gsers map? Slow but interesting. Ray

[ggreenfield]

Well then, the square cam covers & the GS emblem w/ "16V DOHC" seem to confirm, it's a GSX by design and a GS by name. Interesting that Suzuki made the name change for NA bikes. Oh well...
Thanks for all the replies and for clearing this up so quickly!
This is a great forum.

[dietcokeking]

The 1980 bike should be called the GS750ET, the 1981 was the GS750EX. Your date of manufacture might make your bike a 1981 model.

I know that the 1980 GS1100E DID NOT have front running lights, while the 1981 model did have running lights. Does yours have running lights? If so, I'd suggest that Suzuki sold yours as a 1981 model.

As someone else had stated, the GSX designation seems to apply in the UK, Europe, etc., and GS was used in North America.

I have a GS1100EX (1981).