Aus spec GS1000ST

[sharpy]

For a laugh.
Here is me back in about 82/83 on my ST.



And my mate Doug around the same time on his.
He bought his new.

Thanks for the pics.Finally have proof some STs didnt have the grab rail on the seat. People swear they did and i know mine didnt as my boss at the time brought the bike i own now new. I also see the bloke on the red one has the townsville riding boots on. Non Aussie people....Townsville is a hot place up nth of australia.

[tfb]

KGB, tfb, anyone...Isn't that an ST in the US?

Er yes, my mistake... that is indeed a US ST (1980). Note the CV carbies and the slotted discs, for starters. That and the fact that KGB says it's a 1980 model!

But he does have SN chromed indicators which have been painted black.

[neilaction]

That's what I thought. No grab rail. I asked 2 other people including one guy who bought it new and no they didn't have a grab rail.
But, the pic I first posted, the "as original" ST, has a grab rail on it. And the owner of that ST is a real perfectionist.
Was it an option?
Did some have it and others not?
mmmmmmmmmmm

Thanks for the pics.Finally have proof some STs didnt have the grab rail on the seat. People swear they did and i know mine didnt as my boss at the time brought the bike i own now new. I also see the bloke on the red one has the townsville riding boots on. Non Aussie people....Townsville is a hot place up nth of australia.

[tfb]

Maybe the grabrail was one of those things that had to be bolted on (like the handlebars) by the dealership when they got the bike out of the crate? Some dealers put them on, others threw them in the bin?

Or maybe no one put them on, but we GS1000S-philes have been looking at too many photos of examples from around the globe, and have assumed that our bikes should have the grabrail?

Sorting fact from fiction is always harder than it first seems. What we need is a Suzuki dealer who dealt with the things out of the crate, to help clear up the situation.

And then of course, there is the mighty Camshaft Sprocket Mystery! According to my workshop manual, the ST's intake sprocket should be numbered '451' and the exhaust should be '49S'.

But, my (now yours, Neil) ST had (has) a '490' intake and a '49S' exhaust.
While some other soul in Melbourne has a '451' intake and a '490' exhaust.

Is this how they came out of the crate here in Oz? Or have we had SN camshafts (and their sprockets) slipped into our machines sometime over the last 29 years?

Go figure...

[sharpy]

ok this is a ST head.....



And this is me just after i finished rebuilding it and still had the vinyl seat....



Also someone said my front guard is off a GSX as its wider than his SN.. more myths. Have a GSX550esd one on there now for the 18 in wheel

[shedman1300]

In my parts catalogue they have a part number of a grab rail, but in the inside photo of a ST the bike does not have one.
Maybe it was an extra?

[simon kuether]

Here's mine.'79 ,98,000 km and pretty much standard.Cheers,Simon.

[sharpy]

What size sprocket is on the back? that a 530 as well?

[tfb]

Ah, more great photos of GS1000S's... I'm drooling again.

[KGB]

Mine is a US spec ST.
Note the "rear set" style pegs and slotted disc brakes.
I'm the second owner, of close to 20 years now.

I have a steering damper mounted on the right side, go figure.

As to the chrome pieces over the edge of the air box, nope not painted, they're wrapped in plastic and in storage.

The original owner painted the bike a darker blue than the Suzuki factory racing blue from back in the day.

He also changed to the 1100 swingarm.

I added SS brake lines, Russel brand awhile back, every bike should have them, IMO.

I have the famous US spec 85mph speedo. The clock still works!
My only problem with the clocks are the reset on the trip odometer, won't reset, it seems stripped.

I have added an oil cooler, a must in my opinion. These big blocks run hot
in the center cylinders.

I did the chain conversion on it many years ago. Simple change over.

I have the stock seat with the step in it. I had it refoamed a few years back. The ZERO brand superbike seat is nice, but not a 300 mile seat.
I've done 300 mile days on the stock seat, no issues.

I use Progressive suspension front and rear, front has 15 weight fork oil, no air.

Tire/tyres are Dunlop GT501, good grip and decent mileage,good in the rain.

She's got about 35K miles on her and is in need of a good going over.
Polish the cases, repaint and ridden more!

Another shot, this is with my 97 Triumph Sprint Sport.

[tfb]

Great motorcycles there, Keith!
All your mods to the GS make sense to me.
I put an oil cooler on mine to help the oil do its job and so increase engine longevity... prevention is always far cheaper than cure, eh.
Ditto the braided lines. I replaced mine because I could actually feel the old brake lines swell when the brake lever was applied! Very hard to trust a set of lines like that.

As to the chrome pieces over the edge of the air box, nope not painted, they're wrapped in plastic and in storage.

I was actually referring to your indicators, hadn't noticed the missing chrome from the sides of the airbox!
Thanks for sharing mate.
Mike.

[hampshirehog]

Guys, my twopennorth.

The UK SNs and STs were definitely parts bin specials - what Mr Suzuki had in his factory he put on. That was further muddled by the dealers and importers eg we got mainly blue SNs and some dealers cross-dressed them with red ST bodywork to make them look like the latest model - Heron was in on this as well I suspect as my old boss sent quite a bit of bodywork back for swapping.

I had thought until very recently that the VM30 equipped STs were 'down-under' bikes only. I now think I've found out that some did make it to the UK (or at least the carbs did) - and from new, not recent imports.

For example of some SN / ST / E mixed parts, all original as supplied:

78 black airboxes on SNs (normally chrome sides).
SN (long) pipes on STs (shorter).
The screwdriver prime fuel tap on bothe models.
Full SN instrument panel on STs; STs also fitted with E instruments and a sort of halfway between design.
SN indicators (round chrome) fitted to STs (square black).
17" and 18" rear wheels (I think this was a European rather than UK thing).

The only definitive that I can absolutely pin down is the rear sets fitted to the STs - as far as I know they were the only bike to get them. Someone now tell me I'm wrong and they've got a SN or an E with standard rearsets!

[neilaction]

The UK SNs and STs were definitely parts bin specials -

Interesting what you say about a "parts bin special".

I have always wondered just how likely that Suzuki made the short mufflers only for the Aus spec ST.
Surely it was used on another bike?

Then I found this on ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...%3AIT&viewitem=

Which looks like its off this 1980 GSX1100e.



Could they be the same as the what was fitted to the Aus ST?
Or close enough if you get my drift?
(the muffler part numbers are different)

I didn't end up taking the chance as they would have cost me over $A1600.

Just thinking out aloud here.

Any thoughts?

[salty_monk]

They look like the GL mufflers to me... Maybe off a 1000L?

Dan

[Nessism]

Those are 16V 1100 mufflers. Totally different from the 8V 1000 mufflers of any variety.