Are the cases the same from 78-80 GS1000E

[Dan Ruddock]

Want to replace my 79 engine cases with a 1980 GS1000E cases. I know the heads are different but what about the cases. Dan

[TeamDar]

Yes they are.

[SqDancerLynn1]

the cases are the same except their is 80GS1000 shaft drive -definately different

[Dan Ruddock]

the cases are the same except their is 80GS1000 shaft drive -definately different

I will never buy another shaft bike for my own use. Don't like the way they feel. Dan

[Steve]

I will never buy another shaft bike for my own use. Don't like the way they feel. Dan

Kind of a surprising statement. Suzuki actually got their shaft drive bikes to have the least amount of "shaft effect", so except in extreme riding situations, most people might not even notice the difference. Maybe congratulations are in order for being better than most people? No sarcasm intended there, I recognize that some people are good enough to recognize very slight differences, evidently you are one of them. Personally, I don't ride hard enough to notice that much difference between chain- and shaft-drive, but I do appreciate the easier maintenance and quiter operation of the shaft.

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[Dan Ruddock]

You might have me on this one. I have ridden quite a few different shaft bikes and all of them were not what I like but I have never ridden a GS shafty. When I accelerate hard and the bike does not squat down like a chain bike it just feels wrong to me. Even if I ride a GS shaft and liked the way it rode I still would not own one. I like the lower weight of a chain and I like to play with gear ratios. Yes the shaft lasts a long time but when it does wear out it is a big deal to fix and as time goes by the parts for them will get harder and harder to come by but chains and sprockets will always be around. For me the maintenance is a small price to pay for what I like. Dan

[Steve]

Yeah, I thought it might be a simple case of perception.

Although my current bike and previous rides have all had plenty of power, they have all been ... well ... LARGE bikes, so "hard acelleration" is a relative term. After all, you can only acellerate 900 pounds of bike (plus rider and luggage) just so hard.

True, chains have a lower weight for better suspension response, but when your bike weight increases, the heavier shaft drive is still about the same percentage of un-sprung weight, so suspension compliance remains about the same.

You got me on the ratio adjustability. No question there. Sometimes it would be nice to have either a different ratio or at least another gear in the transmission.

Shaft-drive components do last a long time when ridden properly. I just totalled up the approximate mileage that my family and I have put on our bikes, and it's about 225,000 miles. With all those miles (spread across 7 bikes), we have had only two failures. The u-joint broke on my Kawasaki Voyager 1300 while on our way home from Colorado, and my son sheared the shaft on his 650L. If you don't count the cost of the U-Haul truck to get the Kaw home, I have a total of less than $75 invested in replacing two driveshafts. How much would 225,000 miles worth of chains and sprockets cost?

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[Nessism]

What to replace my 79 engine cases with a 1980 GS1000E cases. I know the heads are different but what about the cases. Dan

When faced with a question about part interchangeability, I go to Alpha-Sports and look up the part in the Suzuki parts manual. http://www.alpha-sports.com/suzuki_parts.htm In this case, the crankcase is the exact same part number between 1978 and 1980, so yes, the parts are the same. Sometimes the part number will have been superseded with an updated part which means the parts may be slightly different, but they will interchange. For example the head gasket.

Sorry if you already know this info...but someone reading this thread may not know how this stuff works. You doing an engine rebuild I assume? Thinking about picking up a '80 engine for parts? I'm going through a 1980 GS1000S engine right now and scrounging for parts. Learned a lot about what fits what but have only scratched the surface so far...

[82Shafty]

You might have me on this one. I have ridden quite a few different shaft bikes and all of them were not what I like but I have never ridden a GS shafty. When I accelerate hard and the bike does not squat down like a chain bike it just feels wrong to me. Even if I ride a GS shaft and liked the way it rode I still would not own one. I like the lower weight of a chain and I like to play with gear ratios. Yes the shaft lasts a long time but when it does wear out it is a big deal to fix and as time goes by the parts for them will get harder and harder to come by but chains and sprockets will always be around. For me the maintenance is a small price to pay for what I like. Dan

I was going to say that my rear end lifts up under hard acceleration, of course so does my front tire through the first three gears. I did that once last season dialing it in (the front tire bouncing), but normally I just cruise it back and forth to work with as much weekend time as I can get in.

The other big difference I noticed is when one shifts gears, you have to give a bit of throttle when reapplying the clutch with gear changes unlike a chain drive bike. On both my bike and a FJR I noticed this: must be a shaft thing. They also decelerate much faster when you close the throttle.

I'll ride either one, no real preference here.

[Dan Ruddock]

When faced with a question about part interchangeability, I go to Alpha-Sports and look up the part in the Suzuki parts manual. http://www.alpha-sports.com/suzuki_parts.htm In this case, the crankcase is the exact same part number between 1978 and 1980, so yes, the parts are the same. Sometimes the part number will have been superseded with an updated part which means the parts may be slightly different, but they will interchange. For example the head gasket.

Sorry if you already know this info...but someone reading this thread may not know how this stuff works. You doing an engine rebuild I assume? Thinking about picking up a '80 engine for parts? I'm going through a 1980 GS1000S engine right now and scrounging for parts. Learned a lot about what fits what but have only scratched the surface so far...

Thanks Ed that is nice to know about alpha. When I compare part numbers I have used the flatout site and they don't list part numbers for NLA parts. Very helpful thanks. Dan

[Suzuki mad]

Suzuki changed the crank on the later 81 models for the generator as they changed the design hence the different part number.

Suzuki mad

[Nessism]

Suzuki changed the crank on the later 81 models for the generator as they changed the design hence the different part number.

Suzuki mad

Suzuki stopped selling the chain drive 1000 in 1980 within the US market. Did they continue in other locations of the world?