1979 Suzuki GS

GS425102467

Clear

I bought this rather uncommon 1979 Suzuki GS425 from the original owner last Summer. He originally purchased it for his wife in 1979 at Seymour's Suzuki in Latham, N.Y. and it spent all it's life in the Albany area.... Seymour's is still in business by the way. When i got it home, i changed the engine oil & filter then rode the bike 80 miles to Arkport Cycle in Arkport, NY and had the carbs cleaned, sync'd, & adjusted, two new throttle cables installed, two new NGK spark plugs installed, the fork oil changed (i was told the fork seals looked fine), the brake fluid changed, had it inspected, then rode it back up to Rochester. They also disassembled the front brake caliper and cleaned & lubed the master cylinder. Yesterday on a test ride, i noticed the front brake reservoir area does weep brake fluid, so i would tend to whatever original gasket, etc. might need replacing there. All lights, horn, instruments, etc. work exactly as they should excepting the tach. The tachometer functions but is "sluggish". The needle rises and descends slower than it should. Arkport removed the tach and sprayed it with silicone but apparently there's more necessary to free it up properly. I owned two of these in my younger days, one identicle to this, right when they came out. My middle brother had one too. The 425's were (as were a couple other models) notorious for being improperly jetted for North America, and this example is exactly the same as ours were. They run perfectly once underway at speed, but don't choke or idle the way they should without a proper idle jet installed. This bike needs just that to really shine the way they were meant to. The paint is all in excellent condition. The rear tail section has a "fog". i don't know if it would polish out or not, i simply washed the bike with soap & water. The chrome is excellent overall but has surface rust in varied places. The left exhaust is perfect, the right has surface rust invisible to the eye as you look at the bike, on the underside. The engine cooling fins on the left have been bumped in a few spots and have some dents. Front fender chrome and rims/spokes are gorgeous. there's one tiny dimple in the tank that i cannot capture in a photo, when you see it i think you'll understand. There are some misc. nuts, washers that are rusty while others look outstanding. Generally, please look closely at the photos to get an overall idea of condition or contact me. The original stickers are on the sidecovers (they're not reproduced by anyone, only the GS425E decals are available). ....and on that note, this is what i consider to be the prettiest of all the 400 series bikes Suzuki made(400, 425, 450) . The 425E had the stepped seat (didn't like it), the mag spokes (didn't like them) and a different style of pinstriping. It's all a matter of opinion of course, but the '79 Red W/ Gold 425, with the kickstart still present, chrome front fender, chrome rims w/ wire spokes, slick seat & ducktail rear section, well, i thought it was thee example to have.... and still do. I'm selling simply because i realize i have far too many toys in my garage & a few things will need to go. Please email with any questions you have. Call me at 1-585-851-1718 if you prefer. The bike is sold as is, there are no "returns" or warranty. This is not a video game, please be certain you want the bike if you bid, and have the funds in hand to make the purchase. Buyer must make arrangements to have shipped, trailer or ride home. Appreciate the looks at my auction. Best of luck to you. Trent. P.S. battery is brand new last year and was tended all Winter. Dunlop tires were installed by original owner, i have no idea of their age. They have no cracks that i can see and appear to have life left in them (remember, bike has less than 3k on it), they passed NYS inspection w/ no problems. as i look at my photos, i must say the paint looks better in person than it appears in the pictures, no doubt. It's a richer red while it appears a little dull to me in these photographs. Bare in mind as i stated above, the bike has varied areas with surface oxidation, rust.... both the black painted frame, swingarm, chrome, etc.. The rear drum brake outer surface shows this oxidation, engine cases in places. Front fork lowers have this speckled oxidation and are "graying". Basically a mixture of areas that have survived exceptionally well and others that show their age. The bike, as you can see in the photos, is clearly a significantly above average example while certainly not a museum piece. The only thing that's really needed on this bike is to get the carb jetting the way it should be to ease starts/idling (a kit is cheap),.... and you're there. I hope the detailed description helps, please bid accordingly. Thanks. On May-10-16 at 05:45:01 PDT, seller added the following information: In response to a few inquiries i've received..... If you choose to pay for the bike entirely with Paypal, that's fine, but you'll have to add 3% to your winning bid. ( for example, $2000.00 would be $60 )