1980 Suzuki GS

210512

Clear

Not to alarm you guys, but there is not a limit-less supply of good GS restoration candidates out there! 6 or 8 years ago we almost never had to tear an 1100E engine all the way down--now it's getting quite common (2 in shop right now). I'll offer fewer than normal restorations this year (perhaps 4 or 5) after averaging 8-10 over the past few years as we do more work directly for clients than 'on our own nickel' which I still prefer. So yes, you've seen this bike a month or so back. We had several proposals involving trades and have a couple projects under way as a result of this listing. I present some numbers later in the listing but the deal on the table here is for about 80% of what our client paid to build this bike, you're getting the bike thrown in free. I won't go on and on like, you know, an Adell song, but one last shameless boast is that this bike rides, sounds and handles considerably better than a box-stock example. Somebody is going to love this thing. Note to bidders: If you have feedback lower than 10 you must email me prior to bidding to review my terms and conditions. Akron Suzuki Works makes a market repairing, restoring and selling vintage Suzuki’s. Staff includes a mechanical engineer with 40 yrs of tuning, modifying, racing, touring and rebuilding experience, an ex-Japanese-dealership mechanic with decades of GS-specific bench experience, restoration specialists for paint, powdercoat and polishing and others. Our work is split between GS restorations for clients (for example: http://thegsresources.com/halloffame/2010/gs_photo_aug_2010.htm) and several restorations a year of particularly nice GS examples. For additional photos of this bike at higher resolution go to my photo server at: http://suzuki-gs-bikes.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/16-valve-models/E1980-GS1100e-Red-Rover/27482158_khPSnt#!i=2312273550&k=xqRJFHg On pricing: We can't compete on price with your average Craig's List or Ebay bike seller. Fortunately for us and for you, those sellers can't compete with us on GS knowledge or workmanship. We sweat the GS details here; painstaking refurbishment of brake cylinders, calipers, clutch assemblies, vacuum petcocks, front and rear suspensions, accurate OE-quality paint and stripes. (How many sellers tell you how much free sag you have in your front suspension at and what air pressure?) If we find a hint of corrosion around a tire valve stem we don't list that bike till it gets a new stem or tube. Charging systems, coil connections, grounds, switches? If they work that's good enough for most shops but all of those details get a careful look over here because we are prepping these bikes for your trouble-free vacation trip and we know from experience what puts vintage bikes at the side of the road. Our clients appreciate that it takes specialist nit-pickers to coax an old bike into condition for a reasonably trouble-free second life. It’s not cheap even to prep and store a bike correctly. Ask most sellers if they dry-store tanks and carbs, tend batteries and monitor the humidity in their storage areas? You’ll likely get a blank look normally reserved for someone who just asked for a no-smoking booth in a biker bar.What's next? We have started a couple cafe project bikes under the AkronSuzukiWorks label. These will incorporate vintage styling with modern engineering--monoshock rear suspension, inverted forks, 4-pot brakes, etc. Details soon. Meantime, the last couple photos include an '84 GS1100GK, a museum-quality '81 GS1100E, and an '82 GS1100E drag bike that will be trading in it's drag parts for some cafe parts. These will be spring listings. Note to International Bidders: I will assist in shipping at your expense to just about anywhere in the world. Remember that ocean shipping requires a crate but air shipping may only require a pallet. Also note that this bike is over 30 yrs old so may qualify for import to many countries (Israel for example) at reduced tax rates. The ‘story’: We often take a bike back from a client as a trade or for consignment sale, but this GS story is a little different. This 1980E came to us as a local 1-owner bike--an unusual ownership history for anything 33 yrs old. It was tidy and obviously well-treated from a friend who races dirt bikes. We had a client request on file to build an ’80 1100E “to look fairly stock but with a few performance and appearance modifications”. He wanted: -a correct factory paint scheme for the year--they only came in silver or red -stainless steel brake lines -Kerker header -K&N pod filters -progressive suspension (front and rear) -original seat recovered without grab rail and trim So we built it and here it is. But wait! We shipped the bike off to our Iowa collector client and he loved it. He rode it a few times and (here’s where things took a turn for the wierd) then decided he would sell off his bike collection and get a Corvette. So we bought the bike back with a few hundred miles more on the odometer than it had when it left and are happy to have it on offer now here on eBay. The rough accounting on this bike: Original acquisition cost $2500Build-out parts & labor $6500 So, yes Virginia, you can pretty easily get $9k tied up in a custom bike restoration! Pictures include some 'how we make the sausage here at the factory' shots. These are meant to intimidate you into letting us do the work. Just kidding, if you do this stuff in your garage, stop by and we'll buy you a beer and see if you have any short cuts for us! The last picture shows a project parts order just to illustrate how much OE stuff is still available for GS bikes. The 3 pics at the end of the GK are presented as a follow-up since I mentioned that bike last auction. A client asked if we could 'put it on a diet', lose the bags but save the character. We've got a day into swapping turnsignals (Sportster units in back--shorter stems and smaller bodies) and mini's in the front which are mounted on lower fairing mounts which we fabbed up for this fairing.Other details about the build-out on this bike:Full engine service--valve adjust, new spark plugs, new cam-box gasket & cam end plugs, clutch service (mounting bolt torqued with new rubber cushion, plates bead blasted, new springs, new cable) Lots of o-rings and seals you can’t see but will appreciate they were replaced when you find out how hard it is to get to them (chain tensioner kit, tach drive, carb mounting flanges, etc). Brake master cylinders and calipers overhauled, fresh seals, boots, custom-made stainless lines front to back with correct bend radii to keep lines un-stressed New Dunlop tires (and tubes) Carbs overhauled, jetted for Kerker, K&N filters; choke pick-ups drilled for improved starting Forks got a full tear-down and overhaul--btw, the internals are quite different from the 82-83 suspension; progressive springs replace stock; fork oil upgraded to 20 wt based on experience in this climate. Rear stock suspension replaced with progressive shocks and springs to match front upgrade. Engine alloy covers, carb-tops and bowls removed, polished, gaskets replaced All switch contacts, cleaned, several replaced Battery replaced Oil, filter & filter o-ring seal changed, Castrol 10-40 motorcycle-specific oil New 96-link gold 630 chain, sprockets Charging system tune up: New stator, grounds buffed shiny, all connectors replaced and shrink-wrapped to prevent deterioration; charging system spot-on for amps and volts All body-works stripped and refinished in Suzuki ’80 red; stripes to OE specs from reproductiongraphics.com Engine mounts, side and center stands, brake torque tube, turn signal mounts; removed, stripped and powder coated or painted black Tail light plastic and most signal lenses replaced with NOS Clear IA title ready for immediate transfer Flaws and Issues No mechanical, electrical or functional issues; performs and looks substantially as it did when it left the showroom in 1980 except the brakes and handling are actually better! The Kerker header was a good used unit fitted with new mounting hardware so it shows some age and wear, er I mean ‘patina’--but as a bonus this bike sounds terrific, a nice growl on downshifts letting car drivers know you are there without turning them into motorcycle-hating mutes, you know, like your brother-in-law’s Harley does. Several different seats are shown in the photos including the original seat. Buyer can select from all those shown--including the ‘michelin man seat’ (the overstuffed king&Queen model); a straight recover without hardware or trim or a stock seat with trim). For the Lawyers: As everybody knows by now, when buying a 33 yr old vehicle it comes to you as-is where-is with no guarantees expressed or implied that it will do what you, I or anybody else expects it to do. I do guarantee that it has been described accurately and back that up by sale cancellation if the bike doesn’t meet your expectations. Additional Notes about Akron Suzuki Works: I have a 2-bay shop and a few part-time Suzuki nuts who love to put GS bikes into primo condition for your daily riding and viewing pleasure. I look for low miles examples of GS750, GS850 and GS1100 bikes and get them looking and running as close to new as possible. We have sent bikes and parts to Europe, Canada, South America and all over the US. I need a few of you GS lovers out there to step up and buy some of our bikes--the guys keep threatening me, they may be forced to get real jobs. We can’t have that! After 75+ GS restorations in the past 9 years we have identified the weaknesses and common problems that these durable, well-designed machines suffered from. We go over each bike with these things in mind and make logical, professional repairs, upgrades and minor modifications to improve function and reliability. GS guys know I am referring to charging systems, cold blooded starting, fuel system and carb problems and of course a long list of things that happen over time to any machine. We incorporate Suzuki factory service bulletins that have been issued over the years and we keep an eye out on the GSResources site and web forums for good ideas. We prefer genuine Suzuki OE parts where available including filters and gaskets because they tend to fit and last better than aftermarket parts. which we select based on experience with what works best. We also take pride in making these bikes easy on the eyes. Whenever possible we leave the excellent quality factory paint alone. The alloy case covers, peg mounts and trim are usually giving up their clear coat so we strip them and professionally polish them to a chrome-like finish. Tech note from Frequently Asked Questions What's up with the numbers for chains--630, 520? Chains are about the last thing in the world that are still sized in fractions of inches (remember those)? So the stock E chain, a ‘630’ has a pitch of 6/8 or .75” and a width of 3/8” or .375”. If you convert to a ‘530’ chain of the same length, you’ll get a chain with slightly less mass per link but 20 or so more links in the case of your GS. The countershaft and rear sprockets must be changed also of course. A 520 chain will be narrower with a lower mass reducing the angular momentum created when a heavy chain rotates around a sprocket. Which is a good thing to reduce.