79 1000 engine number

[trippivot]

ok so I bought a 1979 gs 1000E {n} American for sure .. cleaned up carbs , got it running nice . time to sell it. well. I think I lost a sale because the engine number is above the listed info on ozebook. I don't fault a purist owner wanting a number matching machine.

my question is does anyone know of a bike with original parts that are out of the posted range?

my VIN is listed gs1000-51xxxx in range from the info at ozebook - but the engine number is over the 121,xxx...

and get this my number is-- gs1000- 123456 which is over the 79 year and under the 1980 starting number .

[Big T]

Suzukis never were "numbers matching" machines. None of my 3 GS 1000s have matching engine and frame numbers, and I'm willing to bet that no member has a numbers matching machine

[trippivot]

problem was not that the numbers were not exactly the same - according to the buyer my engine case number is too high to be a genuine 1979 original -

I do some research and aussie web site called ozebook has some numbers but I guess thee is always something new to learn about gs motocycles

[Big T]

I think that it's a case of trusting the internet for a model from another country

If the number on the cases is too high, the motor would be an 80 with the BS carbs, not a 79 with VMcarbs

Very few 80 GS 1000s sold in the US

[Sandy]

problem was not that the numbers were not exactly the same - according to the buyer my engine case number is too high to be a genuine 1979 original -

I do some research and aussie web site called ozebook has some numbers but I guess thee is always something new to learn about gs motocycles

I think the published Suzuki numbers were numbers that came out preproduction and not actual production numbers. My '79 GS1000N was a very earlier production in July 1978 and the chassis number is about 130 earlier than the first number listed for '79 and the engine is about 250 after the start number. And yes it is all original. I've known of this bike since it had 5,000 miles on it and bought it with about 8,000.

[trippivot]

Thank you sandy for your input -- that is the exact situation I wanted to learn more about. I knew there had to be some gaps or overlaps in production.
That was a pretty exciting time in motorcycle history and I the Pre 17 digit VIN era there are a lot of variance.

[Nessism]

Intake port size is a better method of judging between '79 and '80, with the later using CV carbs and larger ports. Regarding worrying about a "numbers matching" machine, I'd like to know where this (possible) buyer is? God knows nobody around here worries about such things other than maybe on a 1000S. Tell this guy to join up. We need more guys around here that do serious restorations!

[bwringer]

Yep, Suzuki engine numbers don't mean squat. That guy missed out on a nice bike. Oh well.

There are also plenty of cases of factory mongrels created as Suzuki used up whatever was in the parts bins.

Not to mention that many DMV offices didn't pay a lot of attention back then. There are plenty of cases of, for example, someone buying a leftover '79 model in early 1980, which then got registered as a 1980 model and led to decades of low-grade irritation.

Let's put it another way: Suzuki ain't and wasn't Honda... the sketchy dribs and drabs of information that somehow trickled out of Hamamatsu four or five decades ago can't be taken as gospel.

[salty_monk]

DMV offices don't pay a lot of attention now....

[limeex2]

If it is a 17 Digit vin, it will show date of manufacture on the vin plate. Where did he get his info from? Surely if it was published, someone here would know about it. Only Yamaha had matching frame/engine numbers, but I have been out of the biz for 19 years now. Good luck finding matching numbers on any bike than was prone to heavy modifications.

[bwringer]

DMV offices don't pay a lot of attention now....

Man, they sure do around here. The evil shrews at the Indiana BMV (it's a Bureau here, not a Department. No idea why.) have killed more cool old bikes than ethanol, crashes, mice, and crispy stators put together. They absolutely live for the thrill of denial...

[aclaytonb]

They're a bureau here so as to identify that no actual work will be performed on the premises.