This is a memory lane bike for me. I was GM of a Yamaha/Suzuki dealership when this bike was introduced. I had one for a demo and put it in a 10ft deep ditch full of thorns one night. Took me 3 hours to finally get it out because nobody would stop and help me. Man I was cut up so bad but the thorns saved the bike from major damage. They actually held the bike up ,lol. They were really thick and cut me up like a thousand tiny swords. A real night to forgret,lol.
My dad was in the Navy and rode coast to coast twice on old Honda CB's, and that's what got me into riding. He just got a museum quality 1980 CB900 that I rode last weekend and I LOVED it. Keep that Suzuki!
Miko Polo A couple of years ago, I found a 95 Suzuki Intruder VS800 with only 1860 miles on it. It had been sitting in a guy’s garage for years and looks as good as it did the day he bought it. I got it for $500 and it runs great. I will be keeping it for sure! Suzuki!!!
Miko Polo had a brand new 82 CB900C Hondaline factory full bagger. Incredible. Only put crash bars and pegs and a custom touring seat on it. Amazing machine!!!
I rode my 83 GS750 over a thousand miles in 23 hrs last summer. It didn’t break down once and I was pretty comfortable the whole time. They are great bikes.
My first bike was a 1982 Suzuki GS750 and I rode that thing everywhere and all winter long too. I eventually added a large windshield, saddlebags, highway pegs, and a tall sissy-bar that I could strap things to and took several road trips on it. Honestly, that GS750 was a beast that could do it all. Many years later, I ride a Dyna Wide Glide now but I still have the best memories from riding that old Suzuki all over the place.
78 GS is still one of my favorites, mine was stolen and I've missed it ever since, it was my cafe racer with spoke rims, the most fun I've ever had hot rodding it on my block, the neighbors loved to watch and would beg me to break it out, miss those good times.
For me the seat and riding position are the two that stand out for me. I'm reminded of the old Buick bench seats in the 80's. Bikes are the same to me, went to support and skimped on the padding. The neutral riding position for me is much more comfortable than the current feet back / tuck .
Back in 1980, Sat morning I would ride out 30 miles to the Harley dealer. Yama too. I was riding a 68 Triumph Tiger 650. Others would stop in, 750 Triple 750 Kawasaki. 73 I think. All drum brakes. Rd 350's would buzz in. BSA 500 - old mid 60's bike. 15 years ago - I bought my dream bike - 82 750 Kawa - Twin cyl - 750. I put 15000 on it before I could not ride. Fella bought it off me and restored it. Gosh it was gorgeous. Cheers
Love my 1981 GS1000, bored it out to 1085 and put 1100 pistons in it, put some performance parts (exhaust, coils, etc) on it and it’s now about 115 HP. That’s on a 560 pound bike, but still plenty of power for all the fun I need.
I own a 81 GS650GL Suzuki. I love it. I've owned it since 01. Best bike ever. I love the shaft drive that it has. I'm working on upgrading and cafe'n it out.
Those old standard type Japanese cruisers are also my favorite. I'm 61 yo. When I learned to ride it was either those or Harleys which were expensive and broken down most of the time. The seats yeah, you could move back and forth on it. It is easy to change your position or strap things down behind you. I had an air-cooled 1977 Suzuki GS550 with a Windjammer faring, and a trunk. Just about the perfect gas saving touring bike. Super easy to maintain. But if you go that route try and find one with a drive shaft instead of chain drive. Way less of a hassle. GS850 is a good bike with just about everything you could want.
You were so right. I had one and have had many newer bikes. But for just plain ride quality, my GS750 was just as good as any of them. I had a color matched Vetter fairing and Kerker 4 into 1 exhaust. I put tons of miles on that bike and sorta wish I had it back. Great Video.
I had a GS850 (Shaft drive tourer, with slide carbs of all things) and my brother had a GS750 bored out to 1170cc with bell-mouths and a Rickman frame (Show off): The must-have bikes in the 1980's, the GS engines were heavy by today's standards but they were heavy because of massive over-engineering and solid as a rock. That's why they were used as the basis for a lot of drag bikes in the UK. PS As I recall, the GS were all 2-valve, GSXs were the 4 valve.
This was the very first brand new motorcycle that I bought, when I purchased it at the dealership ( 19 years old at this time ) the salesman asked me for my driver's license and I said I don't have one, he goes, that's a problem, then he said you know how to ride and of course I do so, he puts a temp tag on the bike and tells me head on over to the DMV, once there told them I wanted a motorcycle license and was told I must first have a drivers license so, I tested for that, passed it and went up and asked for the motorcycle license exam and again I passed that, now, outside I go for my road test, I went outside and did as I was told by the test lady behind the DMV building and she goes, ride around the building so, I did and she says come to a complete stop right in front of me, and I did as was instructed, she then says turn the bike off, I said did I pass and she says yes. This is a 100% true story, still to this day 40 years later I'm impressed with how I got to do something like this.
When I was 16 I bought my first motorcycle. A Yamaha YZF600R. I didn’t have a license at all. I went to the motorcycle safety course and passed the motorcycle exam. Went to the DMV and they gave me a motorcycle only license. It was a bit strange because I never had to take the road and signs test, I just did the motorcycle course test and got my license. I couldn’t legally drive a car, but I could ride a bike lol. I got pulled over once and the cop thought my license was fake, he had to call his superior and make sure it was legit haha.
@@ChristopherGuilday wow… my name is Chris also, my first bike was a ‘98 yzf600r I road around a little bit before I sold it. Bought it as a 17 year old with no license. Nice to see people just like me lmao
I had a GS750 and a GT750 (two stroke) back in the early eighties when I was in my early twenties. The GT had a huge radiator on the front to keep that two stroke cool but neither had overheating issues, though the GS750 did leak oil from poor quality rocker shaft end caps (plastic). Those were great days indeed - much less traffic congestion too. The stars of the day were the GS1000, the Kawasaki Z1 and the six Pot/six piped 750Benelli
Had a GS 750 for a few years when I was stationed in New London, CT. Loved that bike. rode it all winter when the road were clear, and all summer all throughout new england. I was in a MC club with all Harleys, but they didn't mind I was on a burner, went on all sorts of bike events with that bike
I had the 1980 GS850G with shaft drive! I rode that bike all over the country. Also had self canceling turn signals. also had the gear indicator, which I miss. Okay, gotta add this. Though the front tire was big (it wasn't thought of as big), it was very well behaved bike on the dragon, which I rode long before it was so dang crowded. I used to drag parts on the pavement and the bike never flinched. It was a very forgiving bike. I loved it so much, I rebuilt the engine. It finally ended its days smashed into the back of a parked car on the freeway. yeah, that hurt. The bad thing was that was during the age of 55mph, and it needed another gear.
It just occurred to me why I love my FZ-07 so much. It partially captures my experiences learning how to ride on these old 80’s bikes in the 90’s before like all young men I got hooked on super sports. Fun, quick, and cheap.
Those old GS bikes were great. I had an 850 shafty and an 1100. Great bikes. New bikes have more ridgid frames, better brakes and suspensions but these were real workhorses. Solid. And they can be had for cheap. I rode that 1100 on an Iron Butt /Baby Butt rally, 1000 miles in a day. This was a 15 year old bike.
At one point in time I owned 550, 750, and 1100 GPz models, all of them 1984 models. The one I regret selling most was the outstanding GPz550. The old air cooled twin cam 2 valve Kawasaki motors were GREAT, true 'factory' hot rods.
Their nice...Those were my fave at that time..Just something about them. I had the 550 Gpz, lol, and wanted the 750. I'm familiar with the hondas of that era, with lots of time in the saddle..... Side by side with this Suzuki, I take this one for performance, hands down......The more you ride it, the more you know, there's no good reason to sell it. Air up the front end right. Cruises.....Smoooth....... & Reliable.........
Had me a daily rider 1984 gpz 750 for 24 years. Modded with a k&n stage 3 kit, supertrap 4-1 stainless steel pipe, and man did it howl.....rode great when I sold it to another fan
@@michelguevara151 they had 4 valves in 1980. I have a 1981 GSX and this is the second year. Cool that young guys still love the experience and keep m rolling.
As the owner of a '79 Honda CB750, gotta say I love these types of videos. Just for info sake, one of my cars--a '67 Alfa Romeo Duetto--has disc brakes all around from the factory AND came with hardened exhaust valve seats that allows it to run on lead free gasoline without modifications. I don't know that I agree that this bike would be a good starter bike for several reasons. For one, it's much too powerful and heavy a bike for someone who has never ridden before and can easily get people into trouble before they even realize it...I've advised my kids over the years to start with a 450 or below until they get the hang of things and then move up. I also don't think that these are the bikes to "drop" as that can result in broken clutch/brake levers and cooling fins, dented tanks as well as case damage. Another negative is that they're carbureted (X4, no less), which means that they will usually require maintenance after a winter's storage which will likely be beyond the abilities of your average new bike rider. So, if I were recommending purchase of one of these old classics, it would be to a seasoned rider who is into classics for their own sake and not as a beginner's bike. But I do strongly agree that they're a blast to ride and get lots of attention...I've been told many stories while gassing up that were triggered by my 750.
Rocket Power, there is one up for sale on Craigslist right now in my area. It's an 'as is' purchase, and an '87. Are they finicky when it comes to problems and issues? The thing looks good, and I know a bit about restoring older bikes from the '70's, you think $600 is too much?
@@CaliforniaCarpenter7 600 is nothing for such of classic bike and the fun that comes with it, plus they're super reliable low maintenance bikes. Follow your gut and remember to ride safe.
Great memories! Reminds me of my '74 GT750 (3 cylinder, water cooled). It also had the digital gear readout in the instrument cluster. And it was bass-boat orange!
My first street bike. Paid 400.00 in 1988. Loved that bike, never a problem - ever. Sold it in 2010 for 800.00. Wish I had the 1100cc, but the 750cc was fun as ... thanks Sean, great video.
Nice to see. In 1980, for $2700, I bought a brand new GS-750E, mine was blue. Funky rectangular headlight. 85mph speedo. But the gear position indicator, choke on the handlebars, vacuum petcock, O-ring chain, and twin brake rotors up front were all kinda new at the time. TSCC heads were new for 1980. I added engine guards and highway pegs, a windshield and a luggage rack, used it as a commuter scooter for years. They had weak factory rear shocks, and changing the oil filter was a bit of a pain. Stator replaced after 3 years. But overall, very reliable. Sold after 16 years of ownership. I miss it to this day.
Picked up a '86 Yamaha Venture Royal deluxe with 600 miles on it. Sat for decades. Bypassed the the fuel tank, on choke with a fresh battery it fired up. Those 80's bikes are awesome
I have a 1979 gs850. Was sitting for 25 years. I've rebuilt it from front to back. It was a one owner before me. I ride with friends who have giant Vtwins. Harley's big hondas etc. I appreciate my old straight 4 at the stops when I look over and see their hands vibrating on the grips. 1 Corinthians 13:7. Blessings! I enjoy your videos!
That must have been an awesome trip! I was heading to Allegany forest this weekend with a group of guys but it doesn't look like the weather is going to cooperate.
Rode my 77 Suzuki GS750 this morning. Bought it new, it was 5th Suzuki. The riding position is the best. Love the digital gear indicator and red gauges.
I have a 2006 Suzuki C50 bagger, a 2007 Suzuki S50 (which I bought from you and just love it), a 2017 Yamaha R3 and my latest fun bike a 2017 Yamaha SR400. I just had to get the SR400 it makes me fell like a teenager again lol.
My first real streetbike was a 1980 Suzuki GS550. Same recollection here. Wonderful seat, nice lines, mellow yet revvy engine, smooth.....threw a Kerker 4-1 pipe, cafe style bikini fairing, and some Dunlop 591’s....Dunlop makes a similar tire now for these old bikes. Enjoy your GS beast! Upgraded to a 1984 Kaw GPz750, rode it for over 20 years before selling that for a 2006 Suzuki vstrom 650, which I’m still on. Gotta say, the vstrom is infinitely better a bike. As someone who lived with old bikes for so long, I could never go back to a non fuel injected ride!
I own 30 bikes and have been riding on the street for 42 years. Some of my favorites are my old gs1000`s / gs1150 and kz 1000`s. I do own a Hayabusa and some newer bikes, but I always seem to go back to the older ones. One tip, with the newer ethanol fuel, I found that I had to turn out the idle/air mixture screw about 1 turn on the carbs - I have done this with every carbureted bike that I have and they idle much smoother!
I owned two of these back in the day, same color. Still one of the best looking and running 750s ever made. Super comfortable riding position. During the period these motorcycles were built, the motorcycle magazines called this style the "universal Japanese motorcycle". I have never understood why manufacturers moved away from this style of motorcycle. I still think of these as very modern motorcycles. These were so great.
I had this exact bike in college, even silver. I loved that bike. The only thing I was not crazy about was the rectangular headlight. I never had an issue with that bike.
I had a CX500, not the prettiest bike but comfortable , shaft drive , electronic ignition, service was oil, filter change, adjust four tappets without removing the tank, stainless steel wheels, just wipe them with a cloth, camped all around Ireland with it and back in 1980 cost the sum of £1,560.00 new.
I've had two 82 & 83 GS750's they both had two valves per cylinder. Great bikes smooth,fast enough,comfortable and reliable. Only issue I had was the stators went out. Wouldn't charge the battery. Cheap and easy to fix.
Does my heart good to see a youngster like you Shawn, enjoying the beauty and simplicity of the older road bikes. I've been riding bikes for over 60 years and I will NEVER own anything newer than 1990. At the moment I own a 1981 Suzy GS1000. Are the older bikes reliable? Well sure, if you do the proper maintenance. They are so simple that you can work on them yourself instead of relying on some snot nosed kid that only know how to read a computer. But the thing is, once you get these older bikes 'tuned' the way you want, they will easily keep up with the newer bikes. Suggestion: Get an AVON Speedmaster front tire, drop the forks down 1 inch, and fill the forks with 20 wt. oil. Updated performance rear shocks, with a Dunflop rear tire, and you will really notice the difference. Never could understand why these kids think it's cool to ride with their butts higher than their shoulders. It's all about the comfort. And these older bikes are comfortable.
I loved the variety of bikes available in the 80's! A lot more models and Variants were available. Excellent mid sized bike selection in that era. More character. Almost everything other than rockets are Harley imitations. Sad. Honda CB900C with the two speed gear box was a awesome in the mountains! 127,000 no repair miles on that 82 factory bagger. Only improvement I would make to it is liquid cooling. Made for an incredible police bike! Loved it! Same with the CX500 deluxe with the massive fuel tank. 1025 miles. 4 fuel stops including filling to go. I truly miss the variety! Love my wing but loved all the others I owned. Four Hondas in the 80's. Put over 100k on every one of them. Only regular maintenance and in 400,000 miles two minor breakdowns.
Me too I absolutely luv all the old Japanese bikes...the standard, the ujm's, I had Honda 450 Scrambler, '79 Yamaha Xs650, '84 Honda 650 Nighthawk, and now my almost new '97 Cbr1100xx, which I'll ride tomorrow morning to work, if the Lord wills!
Had a bike like that in the 80's. We're called it thre vibracycle!. Obviously, something was wrong with it. It shook so hard that you're upper body lost feeling quickly. We were all terrified to ride it. Of course, we did ride it, alot.
I love my late 70's early 80's bike! I bought a 1979 CB750 a few years ago for $200 its not much to look at but starts every time and rides great havent had to put more then a few oil changes in it! picked up a 82 gs650 for $400 two months ago put a new battery in it and its been running like a dream barley touch the starter and shes going choke cable is broken got a new one ( $14) but havent bothered replacing havent needed to use the choke once, and just this past weekend picked up a beautiful 81 gs850 for $600 that didn't run took less then a hour to get srb tarted another hour or so to adjust carbs enough to take a ride needs more fine tuning but rides great! they were built to last and be easy to repair witch is a lot more then I can say about a new one!
You're riding a sportsbike! All motorcycles are by definition high performance. GS is a twovalve, this is rétro fitted with a fourvalve GSX motor, the x came in 1982. Shame as you lose out on a kickstick, slidecarbs and points ignition. don't put bigger rims on it if you want to keep it's handling, 100 90 19 front no bigger than 130 70 18 rear and watch the latest sports bikes go backwards on twistys. Just put bog standard metzeler on it, they're a million times sticker than sports tyres from the 80's, don't waste money on fancy rubber, not needed with GS geometry! My alltime favourite bike is the GS550, careful tuning gives 138 over standard 115mph topend, and 65mpg over 55mpg. Open four-into-one and GS850 main jets are the only mods you'll need. sliders give instant power, all my pals in the early nineties riding my little Swampy back to back with their firebuckets and thunderaces kept comingback with looks of awe and testimonials of 'it's so damned fast!'. Go figure.. Modern bikes are expensive plastic nonsense in comparisson 😁 P.S. you need to check your tappets, you've a couple of wide clearances.
I had a red GS750E in northern Maine. Brand new and the only one in town. It's still the best bike I ever owned! I'm a 250lb guy and nobody could touch me! A guy from the next town over had a Kawasaki KZ650 that always wanted to race me...he never won!! And it screams around a curvy racetrack!! I put shorter race bars and a Kerker header, it was perfect!!
Before my Moto Guzzi Breva my last Japanese bike was a 1983 Suzuki GS850G. Black painted motor fins...Fantastic bike, I should never have sold it. The fellow who bought it was a radio DJ host and rode it across Canada. He was so impressed he did a show about it. If that bike is out there I would buy it back in a heartbeat. The big difference from today’s bikes are the seats. You could move around on them and they had more cushion. The 2-4” handle bar rise was also just right. I rode that bike all day without fatigue so me I was more enjoyable that the newer ones.
1972 GS380 6speed riding to Goose Lake Music Festival. Yep. Had to sell it be be around for my new family. Money paid for wall insulation for the new used house we bought. This video brings back memories. Thanks.
The difference between old-school superbikes and modern sportbikes is the ergonomics. You could actually ride this GS750 coast-to-coast without wrecking your back. Modern sportbikes sacrifice comfort for the Joe Cool racer look. That's why you see so many sportbike riders riding one-handed, so they can sit up a little straighter.
Bought my 1981 GS750E brand new on August 20,1981, the summer I graduated High School! Basically identical to the 1980 model. Best bike I ever owned. $2992.50! I can’t remember what I had for breakfast but I remember what I paid for that bike. The best days of my life were spent on that saddle. Young and free. A new decade unfolding. A cool motorcycle. I was 10 feet tall! Great memories.
Same, but I bought a Honda CB750F for R3299, still remember as it was the first new vehicle I ever bought,---that's South African Rand. At the time it was between the Honda and this bike for the best 750. I preferred the Honda's slab-sided tank looks. My old country has gone to shit so much now that the currency which was about 1:1 with the US dollar is now almost 15:1. I rode that bike thousands of km's and it was my only transport, at the time I could not even envisage ever WANTING a car.
The first time I ever laid eyes on one of these in 1982, it was love at first sight. I was 18. I bought it used for $2700, trading in a 1976 Kawasaki KZ440. The Kawasaki was a good bike, but the Suzuki was a GREAT bike. Rode it up and down California, also in Texas and Florida when I was in the Air Force. These were great motorcycles. I ride a Gold Wing now, but have never forgotten how great these Suzukis were.
I also have a 1982 GSX750EX...customized it to a modern street cafe just recently to make it look modern, just sweet!!! Heritage that's what it is. This bike is the grand daddy of all modern GSX-Rs 😉👍
Quite a discovery you've made there, amigo. I'm glad you finally know the real truth. " New bike don't mean better bike." By the way, look up "mustache bar" you'll dig the foot position. You can go anywhere, and do anything, on that scoot. Forever.
Had a 79 gs1000l great bike. Wife and I road it all over the place. Never worried about being broke down and it never did... sold it to a friend of mine and he is still ridding it to this day.
Those are great bikes. Owned one identical a few years ago for three years. Loved it. Easy to ride. Plenty of power. Handled well.Comfortable. Then i stupidly sold it it. Still regret that day. Word of advice...Don’t sell it..Enjoy it man.
I bought a GS750 ET identical to that in 1980. It was the 7th in line from when I started riding street bikes 10 years earlier and I’ve owned 8 since then and still own three today and ride regularly at 67. I remember the GS to be a very capable bike for its time and I chose it over my next close choice a Yamaha 750 Seca. I put about 35,000 miles on it in the time I owned it and had to sell it when we bought our house. It was replaced 3 years later by a pre owned GS1100 EZ. I’m just a few hours from SRK Cycles and Pa is one of my favorite destinations from here in Maryland so I can see myself stopping by in the non COVID future to have a look around.
I had one of the 1st GSX250 almost identical looking tank and Engine with Twin Cylinders double overhead cam 8 valve's..I rode it all year round in Hail and snow in the UK winters I did thousands of miles on it and it never ever let me down..Classic old 4 stroke Suzikis run forever.
I sold my 2018 Triumph Bonneville T120 2 years ago - I recently purchased a 1979 Yamaha XS1100 Special - super fun bike and I get compliments all the time. Also, just bought a 1980 Suzuki GS850G - Keep these old bikes alive! They truly have soul. PS - I love the Bible verses - keeps things in perspective while we are out there risking it :D
The first time I saw one of your videos I knew that you were in York or Lancaster PA just from the housing styles, old barns by the side of the road, cemeteries, and corn fields. I don't remember if I was ever on Harrisburg Pike or Landisville road, but I might have been. First bike was a 68 Honda 350. Second was a 69 Triumph Trident I bought in York. I've had at least fifteen others since then. Next time I'm in southern PA I'll make it a point to visit you guys.
I have an '85 GS 550L. It's fun to ride and it scoots right along when you open it up. I've looked at new ones, but can't seem to convince myself I need a new one when this one runs so well.
Dovetails I'm feeling a little nostalgic and a little jealous. That was my first bike! I put 40,000 miles on it and only ever replaced the regulator. Had a medium sized fairing on it and road from Connecticut to Texas and back twice. Super comfortable. Enjoy!
Oh, fun. I got this one from my neighbor when he bought the house next door. Previous owner abandoned in an old shed out back. He didn't want it so to get a title, he had to put a storage lien on it, then after a time, could sell it to recover the fees. I paid $1.00 for it (storage fees). :) I parked it when our son was born (couldn't mount a car seat to it) and now 17 years later, he has his own car and I don't have to drive him around any more. Over the winter, I painted it a muted yellow, new tires, fork seals, tank treatment, battery, gas valve rebuild and took it to a bike mechanic to go through the carbs. He got it running great again! It starts right up after only 1 second of hitting the starter. It has 18k on it and I buzz all over town on it running errands.
That's awesome. It was just a great all-around bike. Light weight with the smaller front tire made it great around town but comfortable enough for long rides. I currently still ride a "classic". It's a 1992 Suzuki VX800. Another great all-arounder.
I bought this bike used in 1990 - rectangular mirrors though. The sound of the engine brings back memories. Cool sounding at low speeds and high. The engine was unfloodable. A lot of fun to ride. Some years ago I rode a 140 hp (!!!) Yamaha, 1400cc, or something - super fast, but utterly lifeless.
My first day out on my 1981 XJ650 Yamaha ended with me hitting a pothole and locking up the front brake. After launching over the handlebars at 20 mph and plenty of road rash by 7 p.m. the bike was fixed and I was out back on the road that very same evening. You can't kill these old Japanese motorcycles. I just got back from a cross country trip from Arizona to New York on a 1981 CB900 Super sport.
My mate had a GS550 back in the 80s. It was bulletproof. He went off the road and put two dents in the petrol tank, as he slid forward off of the seat, with his test icles. Seriously. He rode it for years with the offending spherical dents as a silent warning.
Riding an older model of bike, is based on memories and nostalgia. Riding my buddy's 1984 Virago 500 takes me back to my 20s😀😀😀 I now own a 2019 Triumph Street Triple RS, and I'll keep riding until I no longer am able. I'm 57 now.
I worked at a dealership in this era. The Honda Hurricane, The GPZ Kawasakis, and the GSXR were the biggest sellers. I was the assembly guy, so I rode them all before placing on the showroom floor. All the bikes had 5 miles on them.
And when we took off on a bike for the day we were not reachable. No one expected an answer to their text message within 5 minutes and started sending follow-up messages.....”Hello”!! Stress was all left behind. There will not be motorcycles in 39 more years. They will be made illegal through the collective’s. Accidents will put a toll on the Socialized Healthcare. Therefore you can’t have a bike.
2 year beard here, in the late 1800’s 95% of men wore facial hair. There were God and Zeus beards aplenty. Bare face was seen as an unemployed bum. Beards like mine are definitely not popular.
I had a '77, the first year. The cb750 changed motorcycling, but suzuki in 1977 was the first to give it a frame and swing arm beefy enough for the power and weight. Outstanding bike. I bought mine for $50, had been sitting 20 years, no title.😅
I had an '81 GS 550L in the mid 80s when I was in the Navy stationed in San Diego. My only transportation for a couple of years. Rode it everywhere. Crashed in the mountains near Julian, CA. Picked it up next day, had the HT's on the ship weld and bend a few things, replaced a turn signal and had her back on the road. Tough bike. Sold it in 1990.
I bought a brand new gs750 in 1977.I loved that bike.It was insanely fast for the time.And yes,it was extremely comfortable.My first wife made me sell it.She had gorgeous long blonde hair,and didn’t like what the helmet did to it.We had two cars,and only two parking spaces,sonher request for me to sell it wasn’t entirely out of line.I’always missed that bike. Thanks for the video
Been odd for me, Learned to ride on a Yamaha VMAX, then i got myself a CBR600f4 and honed in my skills, but my current 1982 Yamaha XJ750 bobber build has been my favorite. Perfect balance of power and handling mixed with nostalgia and simple mechanics. Shaft drive is a hoot.
I had a very similar 1983 (I think) Suzuki GS650 GL inline 4 with shaft drive that I bought used for pocket change. It had all the features: gear indicator, fuel gauge, side stand, center stand and the most comfortable riding position in the world. I didn't even have to think about shifting because it felt like the bike read my mind and I never, ever missed a gear. No matter how hard I thrashed it, I got 50 mpg average in the mountain twisties or on the interstate. Super reliable. My one and only complaint was the heat from the air cooled engine roasted my legs at stop lights. I still don't know why I sold it -- maybe it was because I sold it for four times the amount I paid for it. I wish I'd kept it. Oh, it was also the best handling bike I ever owned. Now I'm old and ride a Sportster. Oh well....
Amazing motorcycle! In '94 my father had an '80 GS750. It was beautiful however it didn't run very smooth when he first got it so he had a shop thoroughly clean the carburetors. The thing ran like a beast afterward. After my first ride on it I told him it was too much power for me so he sold it. Here I am almost 30 years later shopping for another one.
I've had newer bikes, but I've kept my 1981 GS750E, added 4 into 1 header,rejetted because of pod air cleaners, it will run a low 12 quarter all day, great bikes
I bought one in the crate in 1981. GS750e where the e designated mag wheels, stepped seat, firsts for big bikes were the mag wheels, dohc and 4v/cylinder, o-ring chain, dual front discs and first with rear disc. The bike had a power band at about 5000rpms and first time I found out it scared me! I got to break the bike in and rode it for many years. Best bike I’ve ever had.
Steve my first bike in ‘78 was a blue ‘74 GT380. That thing would spank my dads Honda CB350. Loved the two-strokes. Then went to a ‘80 CB750 Custom then a new Suzuki GS1100E in Aug of 83. $3495.
I ride a 1985 Honda Nighthawk 750S, in the U.S. you guys were restricted to 700cc of the same bike. I've owned it for 20 yrs, it has shaft drive, gear indicator, comfortable seat and best of all insurance for me is $150 full coverage because it's an antique.
I had a beautiful blue GS750 in the early 80s. Loved the gear indicator and it ran great once properly jetted because they came really lean from the factory. You would cry if you knew how inexpensive they were brand new.
I owned one of those in the mid 80's, loved it, I liked the choke location, and if I recall you can lock the handlebars through the ignition not the forks.
I had a 1982 GS 650 that was just right. Plenty enough of everything. Basically, I'd climb on and forget I was riding anything. No separation of rider and machine. Another of the many things I wish I'd kept.
I have that bikes older brother. I have a '78 Suzuki GS750E. It is very fast, comfortable and dependable. I've taken mine on long road trips and run around I'll take it over a new bike. Thing is this is the engine the Katana was born from.
I have always known old bikes were better. They were built better, they were more comfortable, they were simpler and they had absolutely NO electronics. Yet they ran just as well, were just as reliable, and very easy to work on. They were also much more rational. That 1979 Suzuki GS750 is a standard motorcycle, but was still very good on curvy roads. Many had cast wheels, or Honda's Comstars, which meant tubeless tires. They were far safer, because the lost air very slowly when punctured, and could usually be repaired beside the road. Most bikes of this era had centerstands. Back when I was 18, I wanted a new 1980 Honda CB750F (in silver) in the worst way, but could not afford one on $2.30 an hour. I would have a garage full of these bikes, except for one thing. Parts for them are non existent. When they break down, they stay broken down, because you can't repair what you can't get parts for. The Japanese abandoned them, and they have no aftermarket. Sad. BTW, the Corvette had rear disc brakes in 1963. My 2013 Chevy Sonic still has drum rear brakes. Disc brakes, especially in the rear, did not happen overnight. I even question the need for rear discs, as over 80% of the braking power in in the front brakes. The rears are just for fine tuning. Cars have linked brakes, which work fine on cars, but do not work at all on bikes. Sadly, some bikes have them anyway, especially Honda.
80’s bikes were great!! They still are for that matter
Before they realized how good they were making them
I remember the Kawazaki Z 1000 J from that time too i had one, it's one of the best looking bike that time i thought!
Absolutely gorgeous. I absolutely love old Japanese motorcycles.
This is a memory lane bike for me. I was GM of a Yamaha/Suzuki dealership when this bike was introduced. I had one for a demo and put it in a 10ft deep ditch full of thorns one night. Took me 3 hours to finally get it out because nobody would stop and help me. Man I was cut up so bad but the thorns saved the bike from major damage. They actually held the bike up ,lol. They were really thick and cut me up like a thousand tiny swords. A real night to forgret,lol.
Holy cow man that's one heck of a story! At least you were able to say the thorns helped.
My dad was in the Navy and rode coast to coast twice on old Honda CB's, and that's what got me into riding. He just got a museum quality 1980 CB900 that I rode last weekend and I LOVED it.
Keep that Suzuki!
+Miko Polo send pics that’s sounds awesome
Srkcycles will do Sean. Love your videos, dude.
Miko Polo A couple of years ago, I found a 95 Suzuki Intruder VS800 with only 1860 miles on it. It had been sitting in a guy’s garage for years and looks as good as it did the day he bought it. I got it for $500 and it runs great. I will be keeping it for sure! Suzuki!!!
Sweet! I'm in the hunt for a low mileage classic. I love them.
Miko Polo had a brand new 82 CB900C Hondaline factory full bagger. Incredible. Only put crash bars and pegs and a custom touring seat on it. Amazing machine!!!
I just bought a 79 GS850 this week. Granted it's been modded but I'm loving it.
I rode my 83 GS750 over a thousand miles in 23 hrs last summer. It didn’t break down once and I was pretty comfortable the whole time. They are great bikes.
My first bike was a 1982 Suzuki GS750 and I rode that thing everywhere and all winter long too. I eventually added a large windshield, saddlebags, highway pegs, and a tall sissy-bar that I could strap things to and took several road trips on it. Honestly, that GS750 was a beast that could do it all. Many years later, I ride a Dyna Wide Glide now but I still have the best memories from riding that old Suzuki all over the place.
Cool younger dude man. Cool vid Sean
Had a `78 GS750, great bike and performance for the day and absolutely bullet proof!
78 GS is still one of my favorites, mine was stolen and I've missed it ever since, it was my cafe racer with spoke rims, the most fun I've ever had hot rodding it on my block, the neighbors loved to watch and would beg me to break it out, miss those good times.
For me the seat and riding position are the two that stand out for me. I'm reminded of the old Buick bench seats in the 80's. Bikes are the same to me, went to support and skimped on the padding. The neutral riding position for me is much more comfortable than the current feet back / tuck .
seat foam is too expensive these days. having a solid two inches would double the cost of the bike!
Back in 1980, Sat morning I would ride out 30 miles to the Harley dealer. Yama too. I was riding a 68 Triumph Tiger 650. Others would stop in, 750 Triple 750 Kawasaki. 73 I think. All drum brakes. Rd 350's would buzz in. BSA 500 - old mid 60's bike. 15 years ago - I bought my dream bike - 82 750 Kawa - Twin cyl - 750. I put 15000 on it before I could not ride. Fella bought it off me and restored it. Gosh it was gorgeous. Cheers
Love my 1981 GS1000, bored it out to 1085 and put 1100 pistons in it, put some performance parts (exhaust, coils, etc) on it and it’s now about 115 HP. That’s on a 560 pound bike, but still plenty of power for all the fun I need.
I own a 81 GS650GL Suzuki. I love it. I've owned it since 01. Best bike ever. I love the shaft drive that it has. I'm working on upgrading and cafe'n it out.
Those old standard type Japanese cruisers are also my favorite. I'm 61 yo. When I learned to ride it was either those or Harleys which were expensive and broken down most of the time. The seats yeah, you could move back and forth on it. It is easy to change your position or strap things down behind you. I had an air-cooled 1977 Suzuki GS550 with a Windjammer faring, and a trunk. Just about the perfect gas saving touring bike. Super easy to maintain. But if you go that route try and find one with a drive shaft instead of chain drive. Way less of a hassle. GS850 is a good bike with just about everything you could want.
I’m a younger guy and I have had my 81 gsx750e for the last 6 years. Love it, it is my forever bike. Had newer bikes since they just don’t stick.
There is an inexplicable communion of soul in the two wheeled world.
Brother, you explained it all in this incredible comment you shared!
I wholeheartedly concur!!
4 wheels move the body, 2 wheels move the soul.
Yes.
"One can measure the worth of life lived, by the number of times one has truly had their soul stirred" Soichiro Honda
I bought a new 1982 Yamaha Seca 650. Shaft drive, good looking. It's the one bike I regret selling the most.
You were so right. I had one and have had many newer bikes. But for just plain ride quality, my GS750 was just as good as any of them. I had a color matched Vetter fairing and Kerker 4 into 1 exhaust. I put tons of miles on that bike and sorta wish I had it back. Great Video.
I had a GS850 (Shaft drive tourer, with slide carbs of all things) and my brother had a GS750 bored out to 1170cc with bell-mouths and a Rickman frame (Show off): The must-have bikes in the 1980's, the GS engines were heavy by today's standards but they were heavy because of massive over-engineering and solid as a rock. That's why they were used as the basis for a lot of drag bikes in the UK. PS As I recall, the GS were all 2-valve, GSXs were the 4 valve.
This was the very first brand new motorcycle that I bought, when I purchased it at the dealership ( 19 years old at this time ) the salesman asked me for my driver's license and I said I don't have one, he goes, that's a problem, then he said you know how to ride and of course I do so, he puts a temp tag on the bike and tells me head on over to the DMV, once there told them I wanted a motorcycle license and was told I must first have a drivers license so, I tested for that, passed it and went up and asked for the motorcycle license exam and again I passed that, now, outside I go for my road test, I went outside and did as I was told by the test lady behind the DMV building and she goes, ride around the building so, I did and she says come to a complete stop right in front of me, and I did as was instructed, she then says turn the bike off, I said did I pass and she says yes. This is a 100% true story, still to this day 40 years later I'm impressed with how I got to do something like this.
When I was 16 I bought my first motorcycle.
A Yamaha YZF600R.
I didn’t have a license at all. I went to the motorcycle safety course and passed the motorcycle exam. Went to the DMV and they gave me a motorcycle only license.
It was a bit strange because I never had to take the road and signs test, I just did the motorcycle course test and got my license. I couldn’t legally drive a car, but I could ride a bike lol.
I got pulled over once and the cop thought my license was fake, he had to call his superior and make sure it was legit haha.
@@ChristopherGuilday wow… my name is Chris also, my first bike was a ‘98 yzf600r I road around a little bit before I sold it. Bought it as a 17 year old with no license. Nice to see people just like me lmao
@@vintagepowersports7918 That’s hilarious. Did it have a broken second gear like mine too? Haha
I had a GS750 and a GT750 (two stroke) back in the early eighties when I was in my early twenties. The GT had a huge radiator on the front to keep that two stroke cool but neither had overheating issues, though the GS750 did leak oil from poor quality rocker shaft end caps (plastic). Those were great days indeed - much less traffic congestion too.
The stars of the day were the GS1000, the Kawasaki Z1 and the six Pot/six piped 750Benelli
And the Honda CBX1050. Still prefer the gs1000 to it though.
Had a GS 750 for a few years when I was stationed in New London, CT. Loved that bike. rode it all winter when the road were clear, and all summer all throughout new england. I was in a MC club with all Harleys, but they didn't mind I was on a burner, went on all sorts of bike events with that bike
I had the 1980 GS850G with shaft drive! I rode that bike all over the country. Also had self canceling turn signals. also had the gear indicator, which I miss. Okay, gotta add this. Though the front tire was big (it wasn't thought of as big), it was very well behaved bike on the dragon, which I rode long before it was so dang crowded. I used to drag parts on the pavement and the bike never flinched. It was a very forgiving bike. I loved it so much, I rebuilt the engine. It finally ended its days smashed into the back of a parked car on the freeway. yeah, that hurt. The bad thing was that was during the age of 55mph, and it needed another gear.
I had one in 81. Great do I it all standard motorcycle. It has 18" rims. A perfect bike to make a cafe racer out of .
It just occurred to me why I love my FZ-07 so much. It partially captures my experiences learning how to ride on these old 80’s bikes in the 90’s before like all young men I got hooked on super sports. Fun, quick, and cheap.
Those old GS bikes were great. I had an 850 shafty and an 1100. Great bikes. New bikes have more ridgid frames, better brakes and suspensions but these were real workhorses. Solid. And they can be had for cheap. I rode that 1100 on an Iron Butt /Baby Butt rally, 1000 miles in a day. This was a 15 year old bike.
I still ride my 82 gpz 750 to this day
Those were sweet bikes! Look good too, still look good today.
At one point in time I owned 550, 750, and 1100 GPz models, all of them 1984 models. The one I regret selling most was the outstanding GPz550. The old air cooled twin cam 2 valve Kawasaki motors were GREAT, true 'factory' hot rods.
Their nice...Those were my fave at that time..Just something about them. I had the 550 Gpz, lol, and wanted the 750. I'm familiar with the hondas of that era, with lots of time in the saddle..... Side by side with this Suzuki, I take this one for performance, hands down......The more you ride it, the more you know, there's no good reason to sell it. Air up the front end right. Cruises.....Smoooth.......
& Reliable.........
Had me a daily rider 1984 gpz 750 for 24 years. Modded with a k&n stage 3 kit, supertrap 4-1 stainless steel pipe, and man did it howl.....rode great when I sold it to another fan
"...not around in 1980." Way to make me feel old, dude. ;)
me too man
Old guys, unite!
TJ Barranger neither were fourvalve GSX motors.. but hey, we have 30+ years of motocycling joy that these kids are only just getting to grips with
@@michelguevara151 they had 4 valves in 1980. I have a 1981 GSX and this is the second year. Cool that young guys still love the experience and keep m rolling.
The exact moment I knew I could not learn anything from this video....
As the owner of a '79 Honda CB750, gotta say I love these types of videos. Just for info sake, one of my cars--a '67 Alfa Romeo Duetto--has disc brakes all around from the factory AND came with hardened exhaust valve seats that allows it to run on lead free gasoline without modifications. I don't know that I agree that this bike would be a good starter bike for several reasons. For one, it's much too powerful and heavy a bike for someone who has never ridden before and can easily get people into trouble before they even realize it...I've advised my kids over the years to start with a 450 or below until they get the hang of things and then move up. I also don't think that these are the bikes to "drop" as that can result in broken clutch/brake levers and cooling fins, dented tanks as well as case damage. Another negative is that they're carbureted (X4, no less), which means that they will usually require maintenance after a winter's storage which will likely be beyond the abilities of your average new bike rider. So, if I were recommending purchase of one of these old classics, it would be to a seasoned rider who is into classics for their own sake and not as a beginner's bike. But I do strongly agree that they're a blast to ride and get lots of attention...I've been told many stories while gassing up that were triggered by my 750.
I was 14 when my dad give me his 750 GS for my birthday.
Ha, my dad gave me his when I was 34
Rocket Power, there is one up for sale on Craigslist right now in my area. It's an 'as is' purchase, and an '87. Are they finicky when it comes to problems and issues? The thing looks good, and I know a bit about restoring older bikes from the '70's, you think $600 is too much?
@@CaliforniaCarpenter7
600 is nothing for such of classic bike and the fun that comes with it, plus they're super reliable low maintenance bikes. Follow your gut and remember to ride safe.
@@Rocketpower713 Will do, man. I'm gonna pick it up. Thank you for the input!
@@CaliforniaCarpenter7 did you buy it?
Back in 98, I owned a 78 GS750. I loved that bike. It even had the gear indicator.
Great memories! Reminds me of my '74 GT750 (3 cylinder, water cooled). It also had the digital gear readout in the instrument cluster. And it was bass-boat orange!
Gotta love the "Water Buffalo's"!
My first street bike. Paid 400.00 in 1988. Loved that bike, never a problem - ever. Sold it in 2010 for 800.00. Wish I had the 1100cc, but the 750cc was fun as ... thanks Sean, great video.
Nice to see. In 1980, for $2700, I bought a brand new GS-750E, mine was blue. Funky rectangular headlight. 85mph speedo. But the gear position indicator, choke on the handlebars, vacuum petcock, O-ring chain, and twin brake rotors up front were all kinda new at the time. TSCC heads were new for 1980. I added engine guards and highway pegs, a windshield and a luggage rack, used it as a commuter scooter for years. They had weak factory rear shocks, and changing the oil filter was a bit of a pain. Stator replaced after 3 years. But overall, very reliable. Sold after 16 years of ownership. I miss it to this day.
Picked up a '86 Yamaha Venture Royal deluxe with 600 miles on it. Sat for decades. Bypassed the the fuel tank, on choke with a fresh battery it fired up. Those 80's bikes are awesome
I have a 1979 gs850. Was sitting for 25 years. I've rebuilt it from front to back. It was a one owner before me. I ride with friends who have giant Vtwins. Harley's big hondas etc. I appreciate my old straight 4 at the stops when I look over and see their hands vibrating on the grips. 1 Corinthians 13:7. Blessings! I enjoy your videos!
Bought a new GS850 in `79, two months later I drove it to Alaska and back, possibly the best street bike I ever owned!
That must have been an awesome trip! I was heading to Allegany forest this weekend with a group of guys but it doesn't look like the weather is going to cooperate.
Rode my 77 Suzuki GS750 this morning. Bought it new, it was 5th Suzuki. The riding position is the best. Love the digital gear indicator and red gauges.
I have a 2006 Suzuki C50 bagger, a 2007 Suzuki S50 (which I bought from you and just love it), a 2017 Yamaha R3 and my latest fun bike a 2017 Yamaha SR400. I just had to get the SR400 it makes me fell like a teenager again lol.
My first real streetbike was a 1980 Suzuki GS550. Same recollection here. Wonderful seat, nice lines, mellow yet revvy engine, smooth.....threw a Kerker 4-1 pipe, cafe style bikini fairing, and some Dunlop 591’s....Dunlop makes a similar tire now for these old bikes. Enjoy your GS beast! Upgraded to a 1984 Kaw GPz750, rode it for over 20 years before selling that for a 2006 Suzuki vstrom 650, which I’m still on. Gotta say, the vstrom is infinitely better a bike. As someone who lived with old bikes for so long, I could never go back to a non fuel injected ride!
I own 30 bikes and have been riding on the street for 42 years. Some of my favorites are my old gs1000`s / gs1150 and kz 1000`s. I do own a Hayabusa and some newer bikes, but I always seem to go back to the older ones. One tip, with the newer ethanol fuel, I found that I had to turn out the idle/air mixture screw about 1 turn on the carbs - I have done this with every carbureted bike that I have and they idle much smoother!
I owned two of these back in the day, same color. Still one of the best looking and running 750s ever made. Super comfortable riding position. During the period these motorcycles were built, the motorcycle magazines called this style the "universal Japanese motorcycle". I have never understood why manufacturers moved away from this style of motorcycle. I still think of these as very modern motorcycles. These were so great.
They never did get stop making this style of bike LoL. Many manufacturers are still making this retro style.
All I see on the road are fat guys hunched over small, low-displacement crotch rockets where the frame is too small for them. 🤷🏼♂️
Gosh. Those 80's inline 4s are the best sounding bike ever. Nothing else comes close. Might have to put my cb900 on the road this year.
I had this exact bike in college, even silver. I loved that bike. The only thing I was not crazy about was the rectangular headlight. I never had an issue with that bike.
I had a CX500, not the prettiest bike but comfortable , shaft drive , electronic ignition, service was oil, filter change, adjust four tappets without removing the tank, stainless steel wheels, just wipe them with a cloth, camped all around Ireland with it and back in 1980 cost the sum of £1,560.00 new.
I've had two 82 & 83 GS750's they both had two valves per cylinder. Great bikes smooth,fast enough,comfortable and reliable. Only issue I had was the stators went out. Wouldn't charge the battery. Cheap and easy to fix.
Does my heart good to see a youngster like you Shawn, enjoying the beauty and simplicity of the older road bikes. I've been riding bikes for over 60 years and I will NEVER own anything newer than 1990. At the moment I own a 1981 Suzy GS1000. Are the older bikes reliable? Well sure, if you do the proper maintenance. They are so simple that you can work on them yourself instead of relying on some snot nosed kid that only know how to read a computer.
But the thing is, once you get these older bikes 'tuned' the way you want, they will easily keep up with the newer bikes. Suggestion: Get an AVON Speedmaster front tire, drop the forks down 1 inch, and fill the forks with 20 wt. oil. Updated performance rear shocks, with a Dunflop rear tire, and you will really notice the difference.
Never could understand why these kids think it's cool to ride with their butts higher than their shoulders. It's all about the comfort. And these older bikes are comfortable.
UJMs changed motorcycling for the better! Oil tight, reliable and affordable. Try a Yamaha XS650 Special.
UJM?
I loved the variety of bikes available in the 80's! A lot more models and Variants were available. Excellent mid sized bike selection in that era. More character. Almost everything other than rockets are Harley imitations. Sad. Honda CB900C with the two speed gear box was a awesome in the mountains! 127,000 no repair miles on that 82 factory bagger. Only improvement I would make to it is liquid cooling. Made for an incredible police bike! Loved it! Same with the CX500 deluxe with the massive fuel tank. 1025 miles. 4 fuel stops including filling to go. I truly miss the variety! Love my wing but loved all the others I owned. Four Hondas in the 80's. Put over 100k on every one of them. Only regular maintenance and in 400,000 miles two minor breakdowns.
Me too I absolutely luv all the old Japanese bikes...the standard, the ujm's, I had Honda 450 Scrambler, '79 Yamaha Xs650, '84 Honda 650 Nighthawk, and now my almost new '97 Cbr1100xx, which I'll ride tomorrow morning to work, if the Lord wills!
Had a bike like that in the 80's. We're called it thre vibracycle!. Obviously, something was wrong with it. It shook so hard that you're upper body lost feeling quickly. We were all terrified to ride it. Of course, we did ride it, alot.
I love my late 70's early 80's bike! I bought a 1979 CB750 a few years ago for $200 its not much to look at but starts every time and rides great havent had to put more then a few oil changes in it! picked up a 82 gs650 for $400 two months ago put a new battery in it and its been running like a dream barley touch the starter and shes going choke cable is broken got a new one ( $14) but havent bothered replacing havent needed to use the choke once, and just this past weekend picked up a beautiful 81 gs850 for $600 that didn't run took less then a hour to get srb tarted another hour or so to adjust carbs enough to take a ride needs more fine tuning but rides great! they were built to last and be easy to repair witch is a lot more then I can say about a new one!
You're riding a sportsbike! All motorcycles are by definition high performance.
GS is a twovalve, this is rétro fitted with a fourvalve GSX motor, the x came in 1982. Shame as you lose out on a kickstick, slidecarbs and points ignition.
don't put bigger rims on it if you want to keep it's handling, 100 90 19 front no bigger than 130 70 18 rear and watch the latest sports bikes go backwards on twistys.
Just put bog standard metzeler on it, they're a million times sticker than sports tyres from the 80's, don't waste money on fancy rubber, not needed with GS geometry!
My alltime favourite bike is the GS550, careful tuning gives 138 over standard 115mph topend, and 65mpg over 55mpg. Open four-into-one and GS850 main jets are the only mods you'll need.
sliders give instant power, all my pals in the early nineties riding my little Swampy back to back with their firebuckets and thunderaces kept comingback with looks of awe and testimonials of 'it's so damned fast!'. Go figure..
Modern bikes are expensive plastic nonsense in comparisson 😁
P.S. you need to check your tappets, you've a couple of wide clearances.
The guy Who held the Speed record (racing straight through the town) in my old hometown did it on that model... 112 mph... 🤪
I had a red GS750E in northern Maine.
Brand new and the only one in town. It's still the best bike I ever owned!
I'm a 250lb guy and nobody could touch me! A guy from the next town over had a Kawasaki KZ650 that always wanted to race me...he never won!!
And it screams around a curvy racetrack!!
I put shorter race bars and a Kerker header, it was perfect!!
Before my Moto Guzzi Breva my last Japanese bike was a 1983 Suzuki GS850G. Black painted motor fins...Fantastic bike, I should never have sold it. The fellow who bought it was a radio DJ host and rode it across Canada. He was so impressed he did a show about it. If that bike is out there I would buy it back in a heartbeat. The big difference from today’s bikes are the seats. You could move around on them and they had more cushion. The 2-4” handle bar rise was also just right. I rode that bike all day without fatigue so me I was more enjoyable that the newer ones.
1972 GS380 6speed riding to Goose Lake Music Festival. Yep. Had to sell it be be around for my new family. Money paid for wall insulation for the new used house we bought. This video brings back memories. Thanks.
I have an 82 gs750ez that I am currently restoring with my son. I rode the bike all the time 15 years ago and it is a great bike.
The difference between old-school superbikes and modern sportbikes is the ergonomics. You could actually ride this GS750 coast-to-coast without wrecking your back. Modern sportbikes sacrifice comfort for the Joe Cool racer look. That's why you see so many sportbike riders riding one-handed, so they can sit up a little straighter.
Bought my 1981 GS750E brand new on August 20,1981, the summer I graduated High School! Basically identical to the 1980 model. Best bike I ever owned. $2992.50! I can’t remember what I had for breakfast but I remember what I paid for that bike. The best days of my life were spent on that saddle. Young and free. A new decade unfolding. A cool motorcycle. I was 10 feet tall! Great memories.
Same, but I bought a Honda CB750F for R3299, still remember as it was the first new vehicle I ever bought,---that's South African Rand. At the time it was between the Honda and this bike for the best 750. I preferred the Honda's slab-sided tank looks. My old country has gone to shit so much now that the currency which was about 1:1 with the US dollar is now almost 15:1. I rode that bike thousands of km's and it was my only transport, at the time I could not even envisage ever WANTING a car.
The first time I ever laid eyes on one of these in 1982, it was love at first sight. I was 18. I bought it used for $2700, trading in a 1976 Kawasaki KZ440. The Kawasaki was a good bike, but the Suzuki was a GREAT bike. Rode it up and down California, also in Texas and Florida when I was in the Air Force. These were great motorcycles. I ride a Gold Wing now, but have never forgotten how great these Suzukis were.
I also have a 1982 GSX750EX...customized it to a modern street cafe just recently to make it look modern, just sweet!!! Heritage that's what it is. This bike is the grand daddy of all modern GSX-Rs 😉👍
Let us see it boy
Quite a discovery you've made there, amigo. I'm glad you finally know the real truth. " New bike don't mean better bike." By the way, look up "mustache bar" you'll dig the foot position. You can go anywhere, and do anything, on that scoot. Forever.
Had a 79 gs1000l great bike. Wife and I road it all over the place. Never worried about being broke down and it never did... sold it to a friend of mine and he is still ridding it to this day.
Those are great bikes. Owned one identical a few years ago for three years. Loved it. Easy to ride. Plenty of power. Handled well.Comfortable. Then i stupidly sold it it. Still regret that day. Word of advice...Don’t sell it..Enjoy it man.
I bought a GS750 ET identical to that in 1980. It was the 7th in line from when I started riding street bikes 10 years earlier and I’ve owned 8 since then and still own three today and ride regularly at 67. I remember the GS to be a very capable bike for its time and I chose it over my next close choice a Yamaha 750 Seca. I put about 35,000 miles on it in the time I owned it and had to sell it when we bought our house. It was replaced 3 years later by a pre owned GS1100 EZ. I’m just a few hours from SRK Cycles and Pa is one of my favorite destinations from here in Maryland so I can see myself stopping by in the non COVID future to have a look around.
I had one of the 1st GSX250 almost identical looking tank and Engine with Twin Cylinders double overhead cam 8 valve's..I rode it all year round in Hail and snow in the UK winters I did thousands of miles on it and it never ever let me down..Classic old 4 stroke Suzikis run forever.
I sold my 2018 Triumph Bonneville T120 2 years ago - I recently purchased a 1979 Yamaha XS1100 Special - super fun bike and I get compliments all the time. Also, just bought a 1980 Suzuki GS850G - Keep these old bikes alive! They truly have soul.
PS - I love the Bible verses - keeps things in perspective while we are out there risking it :D
The first time I saw one of your videos I knew that you were in York or Lancaster PA just from the housing styles, old barns by the side of the road, cemeteries, and corn fields. I don't remember if I was ever on Harrisburg Pike or Landisville road, but I might have been. First bike was a 68 Honda 350. Second was a 69 Triumph Trident I bought in York. I've had at least fifteen others since then. Next time I'm in southern PA I'll make it a point to visit you guys.
I have an '85 GS 550L. It's fun to ride and it scoots right along when you open it up. I've looked at new ones, but can't seem to convince myself I need a new one when this one runs so well.
Dovetails I'm feeling a little nostalgic and a little jealous. That was my first bike! I put 40,000 miles on it and only ever replaced the regulator. Had a medium sized fairing on it and road from Connecticut to Texas and back twice. Super comfortable. Enjoy!
Oh, fun. I got this one from my neighbor when he bought the house next door. Previous owner abandoned in an old shed out back. He didn't want it so to get a title, he had to put a storage lien on it, then after a time, could sell it to recover the fees. I paid $1.00 for it (storage fees). :) I parked it when our son was born (couldn't mount a car seat to it) and now 17 years later, he has his own car and I don't have to drive him around any more. Over the winter, I painted it a muted yellow, new tires, fork seals, tank treatment, battery, gas valve rebuild and took it to a bike mechanic to go through the carbs. He got it running great again! It starts right up after only 1 second of hitting the starter. It has 18k on it and I buzz all over town on it running errands.
That's awesome. It was just a great all-around bike. Light weight with the smaller front tire made it great around town but comfortable enough for long rides. I currently still ride a "classic". It's a 1992 Suzuki VX800. Another great all-arounder.
I bought this bike used in 1990 - rectangular mirrors though. The sound of the engine brings back memories. Cool sounding at low speeds and high. The engine was unfloodable. A lot of fun to ride. Some years ago I rode a 140 hp (!!!) Yamaha, 1400cc, or something - super fast, but utterly lifeless.
My first day out on my 1981 XJ650 Yamaha ended with me hitting a pothole and locking up the front brake. After launching over the handlebars at 20 mph and plenty of road rash by 7 p.m. the bike was fixed and I was out back on the road that very same evening. You can't kill these old Japanese motorcycles. I just got back from a cross country trip from Arizona to New York on a 1981 CB900 Super sport.
Just bought my first street bike yesterday. An 81 GS550L in pristine condition for its age
My mate had a GS550 back in the 80s. It was bulletproof. He went off the road and put two dents in the petrol tank, as he slid forward off of the seat, with his test icles. Seriously. He rode it for years with the offending spherical dents as a silent warning.
Riding an older model of bike, is based on memories and nostalgia. Riding my buddy's 1984 Virago 500 takes me back to my 20s😀😀😀 I now own a 2019 Triumph Street Triple RS, and I'll keep riding until I no longer am able. I'm 57 now.
I worked at a dealership in this era. The Honda Hurricane, The GPZ Kawasakis, and the GSXR were the biggest sellers. I was the assembly guy, so I rode them all before placing on the showroom floor. All the bikes had 5 miles on them.
My 77 is still in extremely good shape! Love my bike!
Yeah, we had bikes before you were born.
Amazing right?
We had hipster beards too.
And when we took off on a bike for the day we were not reachable. No one expected an answer to their text message within 5 minutes and started sending follow-up messages.....”Hello”!! Stress was all left behind. There will not be motorcycles in 39 more years. They will be made illegal through the collective’s. Accidents will put a toll on the Socialized Healthcare. Therefore you can’t have a bike.
bullshit, I know the guy who invented facial hair,
magna116 whatever boomer
Speak for yourself ya hippie!
2 year beard here, in the late 1800’s 95% of men wore facial hair. There were God and Zeus beards aplenty. Bare face was seen as an unemployed bum. Beards like mine are definitely not popular.
I had a '77, the first year. The cb750 changed motorcycling, but suzuki in 1977 was the first to give it a frame and swing arm beefy enough for the power and weight. Outstanding bike. I bought mine for $50, had been sitting 20 years, no title.😅
You rock for not shying away from vintage. Vintage rules. Love the vids!
Great video brother! I have my dads old 81 gs850 and love it. It runs perfect, and my Dads angel rides pillion keeping me safe.
I had an '81 GS 550L in the mid 80s when I was in the Navy stationed in San Diego. My only transportation for a couple of years. Rode it everywhere. Crashed in the mountains near Julian, CA. Picked it up next day, had the HT's on the ship weld and bend a few things, replaced a turn signal and had her back on the road. Tough bike. Sold it in 1990.
I bought a brand new gs750 in 1977.I loved that bike.It was insanely fast for the time.And yes,it was extremely comfortable.My first wife made me sell it.She had gorgeous long blonde hair,and didn’t like what the helmet did to it.We had two cars,and only two parking spaces,sonher request for me to sell it wasn’t entirely out of line.I’always missed that bike. Thanks for the video
I had a 1981. It was a great bike. I did a lot of long trips on it. It was incredibly smooth and quite peppy. I upgraded to the 1100
Fuel cap is on backwards, that causes venting issues (why it stalled on you). and the pilot power 2ct is not a cool tire.
Wow I saw this bike for the first time in childhood 36 yrs back in my home land Goa
Been odd for me, Learned to ride on a Yamaha VMAX, then i got myself a CBR600f4 and honed in my skills, but my current 1982 Yamaha XJ750 bobber build has been my favorite. Perfect balance of power and handling mixed with nostalgia and simple mechanics. Shaft drive is a hoot.
Suzuki brought out the GS750 to North America in 1977 with a digital gear position indicator!
I had a very similar 1983 (I think) Suzuki GS650 GL inline 4 with shaft drive that I bought used for pocket change. It had all the features: gear indicator, fuel gauge, side stand, center stand and the most comfortable riding position in the world. I didn't even have to think about shifting because it felt like the bike read my mind and I never, ever missed a gear. No matter how hard I thrashed it, I got 50 mpg average in the mountain twisties or on the interstate. Super reliable. My one and only complaint was the heat from the air cooled engine roasted my legs at stop lights. I still don't know why I sold it -- maybe it was because I sold it for four times the amount I paid for it. I wish I'd kept it. Oh, it was also the best handling bike I ever owned. Now I'm old and ride a Sportster. Oh well....
Amazing motorcycle! In '94 my father had an '80 GS750. It was beautiful however it didn't run very smooth when he first got it so he had a shop thoroughly clean the carburetors. The thing ran like a beast afterward. After my first ride on it I told him it was too much power for me so he sold it. Here I am almost 30 years later shopping for another one.
I've had newer bikes, but I've kept my 1981 GS750E, added 4 into 1 header,rejetted because of pod air cleaners, it will run a low 12 quarter all day, great bikes
I bought one in the crate in 1981. GS750e where the e designated mag wheels, stepped seat, firsts for big bikes were the mag wheels, dohc and 4v/cylinder, o-ring chain, dual front discs and first with rear disc. The bike had a power band at about 5000rpms and first time I found out it scared me! I got to break the bike in and rode it for many years. Best bike I’ve ever had.
Used to have a two Suzuki GT 380's, one with gear indication...on a 70's bike .....
Steve my first bike in ‘78 was a blue ‘74 GT380. That thing would spank my dads Honda CB350. Loved the two-strokes. Then went to a ‘80 CB750 Custom then a new Suzuki GS1100E in Aug of 83. $3495.
I ride a 1985 Honda Nighthawk 750S, in the U.S. you guys were restricted to 700cc of the same bike. I've owned it for 20 yrs, it has shaft drive, gear indicator, comfortable seat and best of all insurance for me is $150 full coverage because it's an antique.
Another great bike from back in the day is the Honda CB400 Super Four. There is a 2018 version of it out now.
Cb750 four is better
I just picked up an 81 gs650 I love it
I had a beautiful blue GS750 in the early 80s. Loved the gear indicator and it ran great once properly jetted because they came really lean from the factory. You would cry if you knew how inexpensive they were brand new.
I owned one of those in the mid 80's, loved it, I liked the choke location, and if I recall you can lock the handlebars through the ignition not the forks.
True.
I rode an 80 GS1100E back in the day. It was one of the best all around street bikes ive riden. I now have a 90 GSXR750 and an 85 GS1150.
I had a 1982 GS 650 that was just right. Plenty enough of everything. Basically, I'd climb on and forget I was riding anything. No separation of rider and machine. Another of the many things I wish I'd kept.
I have that bikes older brother. I have a '78 Suzuki GS750E. It is very fast, comfortable and dependable. I've taken mine on long road trips and run around I'll take it over a new bike. Thing is this is the engine the Katana was born from.
I have always known old bikes were better. They were built better, they were more comfortable, they were simpler and they had absolutely NO electronics. Yet they ran just as well, were just as reliable, and very easy to work on. They were also much more rational. That 1979 Suzuki GS750 is a standard motorcycle, but was still very good on curvy roads. Many had cast wheels, or Honda's Comstars, which meant tubeless tires. They were far safer, because the lost air very slowly when punctured, and could usually be repaired beside the road. Most bikes of this era had centerstands. Back when I was 18, I wanted a new 1980 Honda CB750F (in silver) in the worst way, but could not afford one on $2.30 an hour. I would have a garage full of these bikes, except for one thing. Parts for them are non existent. When they break down, they stay broken down, because you can't repair what you can't get parts for. The Japanese abandoned them, and they have no aftermarket. Sad.
BTW, the Corvette had rear disc brakes in 1963. My 2013 Chevy Sonic still has drum rear brakes. Disc brakes, especially in the rear, did not happen overnight. I even question the need for rear discs, as over 80% of the braking power in in the front brakes. The rears are just for fine tuning. Cars have linked brakes, which work fine on cars, but do not work at all on bikes. Sadly, some bikes have them anyway, especially Honda.
No electronics? When did pointsless ignition come in? My old Susuki Gs550 E had a CDI black box ignition unit that was quite expensive to replace
Just picked up my first bike a 1982 GS850. Cool video. Didn't realize how popular they still are.