1988 Suzuki GSX-R

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1988 Suzuki GSX-R1100 This is a really beautiful bike I purchased on eBay a while back from a sport-bike enthusiast in Florida. He tried explaining to me how nice it was when we spoke on the phone but it didn't really hit home until I saw it in person. Wow was all I could say when it came off the closed carrier. It ran great, it looked great, it actually idled! So, I did what any GSXR fanatic would do - I took it all apart and tried to make it better :) About a year, a whole bunch of time, and a whole lot of money I know I'm not getting back, later, I'm putting it back up for sale. We've had our fun: lots of nice weekend rides, thumbs-up from just about every bike on the road that sees it, and even my wife thinks it's easy on the eyes (that's saying a lot people.) Again, she was pretty well sorted when I got her (the bike not my wife,) but you know how it is with these things: you don't feel comfortable riding them until you go through the whole bike front to back. I've probably owned a dozen or so of these over twice as many years and this one really is a specimen. I call it my trophy jigster. I've tried to be as detailed as possible in the description below so please read the whole thing if you're serious about bidding. I check my email everyday so ask any questions you like and I'll get back to you reasonably quickly. Paint/Body PROS I wish I could take credit for this paint job but I got it this way. It is hands down the nicest repaint I've ever seen on a jigster. Lets say 9 out of 10 to be conservative and keep the naysayers at bay. I've seen some low mileage stock survivors that don't look this nice. OEM color match with all the decals in the right places. Even the clear heel guards are there. Every piece of bodywork is painted front and back. The decals wrap around the edges like they're supposed to and there's no evidence of road rash anywhere on the backsides of any of the plastics. Heat protection has been applied on the lowers just like the factory did. They used a lot of clear and it is applied perfectly. No overspray, no bubbling, no peeling, no chips. The black has a very slight "orange-peel" in it that you can see under fluorescent lighting. I don't think this is a bad thing just a feature of modern paint. The tank is equally pristine. Perfect metal, perfect paint application and perfect decal placement. No dents, no dings, no chips. Body panels line up really nicely and all of the fasteners are OEM with the correct black rubber washers and metal inserts where they're called for. Forks, swingarm, and wheels are all powder coated black. I'm not a powder coat expert but it would seem that whoever had the time and talent to do the paint probably did this application as well. It is perfect. Not a scratch or nick to be seen. It is a satin black that matches very nicely with the red/black color scheme of the bike. The frame is the factory aluminum and you'll be happy to hear that not a single inch of it has been polished, chromed, or buffed. It is has that dull metal look its supposed to and other than normal little marks here and there it is in perfect condition as well. Paint/Body CONS There's really not much bad to say about the body but for the sake of disclosure here are some things I didn't get around to. There's a tiny crack behind the right side (if you're sitting on the bike) rear fairing that goes below the seat. You can't see it with the bolt in it but when you take it out to work on the bike it is noticeable The left side lower doesn't line up perfectly with the mid panel and so it pulls downward ever so slightly on the mid which in turn pulls down ever so slightly on the front clip. You really have to look close to notice this. The tank cap (where you put the gas) has some oxidation on the bolts that mount it to the tank. The tank is very clean inside (no aftermarket sealants) and has no evidence of rust anywhere. The fuel comes out clear and the petcock filter is clear as well (I've checked it twice.) All that said I didn't think it warranted taking apart. It is still a 30 year old bike. There's some odds and ends other than the bodywork that need attention but are not critical to the performance of the vehicle. Some of the plastic bits here and there are a little older and faded, but the majority of it even from a few feet away is totally passable. I wouldn't call it a show-bike and I'd be hesitant to call it a frame-off nut and bolt restoration, but you don't usually see them nice is what I'm getting at... Engine/Transmission PROS The motor is reliable and powerful. The transmission shifts fine through all the gears and the clutch is new. I've run through tank after tank of gas going on rides and have never had a hard start, a stall, a bog, a backfire, a burp, smoke, a leak, or a gear pop out. It pulls VERY hard through every gear and comes on VERY strong at 3k and again at 7k. I think I mentioned earlier that it idles really nicely. I don't know why that surprises me so much I guess I've just messed with the carbs on these things so many times over the years and it always seems like a compromise between street-ability and performance. This motor feels like it has a good balance of both. I took the carbs apart more than anything just to see the jetting combo. I was curious. Opposite to what I thought they ran a little bit smaller main jet and a little smaller pilot circuit. The float height was also off by 2mm towards the lean side. I did the plugs at the same time and noticed they had a cooler burning units installed. I replaced them with the same ones, I got new sliders, new needle valves, cleaned everything really well, put it back together, and it runs like a champ. It has a modern yoshimura header and pipe. I took it off, replaced the gaskets, and re-torqued the exhaust bolts after a few rides. I did the full service to the motor including valve adjustment, headbolt retorque (stock cams btw,) oil and filter, coils, wires, plugs, and caps (dielectric grease too) I did the clutch, replaced the line, flushed the system with DOT 4, and it works great. New throttle cable Engine/Transmission CONS The motor has 30k on it and besides the service I did I have no history on it. I don't know if the top or bottom end have been rebuilt and I don't know if it is actually the numbers matching unit. It looks like it, and if you would like the engine number and know how to figure it out I'd be happy to give it to you. I really didn't care either way as long as it ran nicely. The paint on the motor is really nice but it does have some fading. The alternator has some paint discoloration and the fins on the cylinder housing look like they are a little discolored too. All pretty normal stuff for a bike this old. The oil cooler works fine but some of the fins are bent where people have grazed them with a tool over the years (myself included.) Again pretty normal. The throttle cable is new (the old one was fine.) I replaced it because the throttle rolls back in the opposite direction if you lean too hard on the accelerator. I couldn't figure it out at first but realized that there used to be a little plastic piece in the handlebar/throttle assemble that prevented this from happening. It probably wore down over the years. This has no dangerous or negative effect on the throttle control or response. It is almost like having a little too much free play in the control but only if you roll it backwards past where it would be if your hand wasn't on it. The throttle stop on the carb works and that keeps the slack on the throttle cable just fine. Brakes, Suspension, Running Gear Pros You can see in the pictures the braking/dampening system has far less miles on it than the rest of the bike. These are NOS units and work great. New front master cylinder, new lines, new pads, and DOT 4 flush front and back and fresh fork fluid too. New head bearing New swingarm bushings New wheel bearings New tires New 530 chain conversion Brakes, Suspension, Running Gear CONS Though I bled the front brakes endlessly and replaced the master cylinder the brake lever still gets spongy if it sits too long. Don't mistake this for poor braking. Turn the bike on, pump the handle one time, and it will put the rear wheel in the air if you want it to. If it sits for 3 or 4 hours and you don't pump the lever once before you ride the lever can come down almost to the bar to get to a complete stop. I've only had it happen once and since then I keep a rubberband on it when parked to keep the pressure up. I think I remember this on another GSXR in the past and hearing that it was a common condition because the braking system has no real outboard accumulator other than the master cylinder. ***OK, that's it! I can get kind of wordy when it comes to my GSXR. Clear FL title, registration just expired, insured in my name. Buyer is responsible for shipping. Personal check, money order, or wire transfer are all fine. Selling all of my bikes to put money towards a home purchase so my kids can have a yard to play in. Am I a good guy or what ;) Happy bidding! On Apr-19-16 at 08:20:48 PDT, seller added the following information: ***This is a 1987*** Thank you savvy ebayer who noticed a mistake in my listing. Apologies to all bidders and watchers. I totally understand if you need to remove your bid. I accidentally listed this bike as a 1988. It is, in fact, build date 11/86 and registered on the Pink Slip as a 1987. Again, my bad... ***Engine number U703-106589*** A few people asked so here is the engine stamping.