GS1100 Dyno Results Analysis

[davel]

Here are GS1150 dyno figures from a May 1985 issue of Cycle Mag

 

[davel]

And here they are again with the competition at the time. (image is a little smaller and harder to read - due to file size limit)

 

[Bad Kaw]

Very cool, and very interesting graphs...had to get the specs out to read 'em, but that's gettin' old for ya! Thanks for posting!

On a side-bar...man, I hate V-Maxs. I know they are from my 'era-of-preference', but something about those things just makes me wanna yack. I like FJs and KZs/GPzs, GSs, CBs, and even VFs (Fs and Rs only), but geeeez V-Maxs make me wanna puke! Could be that back-in-the-day I worked at the local Kaw/Yam shop to put myself through college and I got to ride a lot of V-Maxs (all bikes that got anything done to them got 'test' ridden and 'the kid' got-to/had-to do that ... me!); they always did very poorly at the local 1/8th mile drag-strip, and they sucked at the local Saturday-night street drags, too. I disliked their handling and (from our shop) their owners were real baboons ... but hey, I have a couple buddies today that have them, and they're good guys ... just can't bring myself to tell them how much I hate their bikes! *snicker, snicker*
... does that make me a bad person???

 

[Bad Kaw]

Which - by the way - here is another oddity for consumption. Back-in-the-day ('84 - '87) while working at that shop we got a run of bikes in from the factory (Yamaha) that dealers were allowed to purchase in 'bulk' groups (these bikes had been magazine test-bikes and stuff like that). Whatever, it was probably '85 I'm guessing, (maybe '86) and since these bikes were sold with warranty (MSOs had not been assigned, yet) as new left-overs 'the kid' got-to/had-to go test ride all of them (like a dozen bikes or so). In this fleet were a couple FZ750s, three FJ1100s, and two V-Maxs amongst the Venture Royals and Viragos and such. So, I called up my buddy who had a prestine '83 GS1100E with V&H meg-system, jet kit, and K&Ns. Here are the results (each of us went about 150lbs): although I whipped his butt everytime in a 'race' off the line it was b/c he couldn't ride; so we wanted to "know" and so we then intentionally came off the line together and then hammered the throttles. The GS cleanly and clearly pulled away from the V-Maxs (I "tested" [snicker-snicker] two of them); but the FJ was an absolute dead heat (only "tested" one ... didn't want fired) ... hmmmmm. These bikes were all stock "as delivered" from the factory. More reasons for me to hate the Max I guess, but the FJs were pretty nice ... and I couldn't get my hands on any of the FZs ... again, I liked my job.
Anyway, just thought-fodder.

 

[posplayr]

Which - by the way - here is another oddity for consumption. Back-in-the-day ('84 - '87) while working at that shop we got a run of bikes in from the factory (Yamaha) that dealers were allowed to purchase in 'bulk' groups (these bikes had been magazine test-bikes and stuff like that). Whatever, it was probably '85 I'm guessing, (maybe '86) and since these bikes were sold with warranty (MSOs had not been assigned, yet) as new left-overs 'the kid' got-to/had-to go test ride all of them (like a dozen bikes or so). In this fleet were a couple FZ750s, three FJ1100s, and two V-Maxs amongst the Venture Royals and Viragos and such. So, I called up my buddy who had a prestine '83 GS1100E with V&H meg-system, jet kit, and K&Ns. Here are the results (each of us went about 150lbs): although I whipped his butt everytime in a 'race' off the line it was b/c he couldn't ride; so we wanted to "know" and so we then intentionally came off the line together and then hammered the throttles. The GS cleanly and clearly pulled away from the V-Maxs (I "tested" [snicker-snicker] two of them); but the FJ was an absolute dead heat (only "tested" one ... didn't want fired) ... hmmmmm. These bikes were all stock "as delivered" from the factory. More reasons for me to hate the Max I guess, but the FJs were pretty nice ... and I couldn't get my hands on any of the FZs ... again, I liked my job.
Anyway, just thought-fodder.

That is real interesting because that Vmax is registering 119 hp v.s. the 101 for the GS1150 which is considerably faster than an a stock GS1100ED. Of course the ED was not stock (4:1, pods and jetted) but still
dont think the poded 4:1 ED is faster than a stock 1150.

 

[headsbikesmopars]

BAD KAW very good read. THANKS for posting, yes the mid to late '80's were a great time to be riding. And I do agree with you about the GS's being 'King' back in the day..they sure would 'walk the dog' on those V max's and honda magna's .

 

[Bad Kaw]

posplayer and hbm: thanks guys! I like this forum b/c it seems like we are all a bunch of 'like minded' types who live in the real world ... not the magazine world.

And that's why I put that up there. I don't dispute the power that the Max makes, but back then - in my little part of Kansas - the GSs "did work" on everybody and - as you might guess from my moniker - I have more than my share of 'green' bikes ... so, I'm just telling it like it happened. A friend (Andy) had one of the afore mentioned 1166 kits, a set of 1150 cams, and a set of 33 Mikunis is his '81 GS ... man, nobody saw that whuppin' comin' (couldn't have been the 750 side-plates, either :lol: ).
But back to the story: yeah Maxs all were (according to magazine hype) supposed to crank up like 119 - 121 and the big Zukes were "only" just above 100; I spent a lot of time at the local 1/8, 1000ft, and 1/4 mile drag-strips. I saw a lot of GSs, KZs, and Maxs and I NEVER saw a Max beat a big bore GS1100 or GS1150 (as long as the GS got off the line cleanly). I don't know that a header, jet kit, and filters would bring in 20 more ponies, but not only do I clearly remember seeing GS superiority, but I pulled the trigger on my share of Maxs and watched my friend pull around me and go by me. Not in a huge hurry, but he was clearly pulling the stock Max.
Further more, Kent's GS was a known quantity in the local pecking order (as always is the case) and that sort of placed the Maxs accurately on their assigned 'rung' on the performance ladder.
... and you know - being an influencable college kid who read ALL the magazines - I concluded that I would place my discretion in the real world and leave all the "corrected to sea level" and the rest of the magazine b/s to the influenceable masses. At the end of the day the GSs were still the top of the food chain; and a GS or a KZ/GPz was still the way to go with roller-bearing cranks and a no-appologies approach to building motorcycles. ...and the Maxs get the shaft, literally.

...I'll quit babblin' now, (before some V-Max guy comes and beats me up) but I like this place!

 

[headsbikesmopars]

BAD KAW , Yes I too had a close friend with a 1981 Kawasaki GPZ 1100. I liked it ok, nice bike. We would hit them on the interstate ramp and back off at 115-120 and I was ALWAYS 6 bikes ahead..ALWAYS. Me on my '81 GS1100EX and both of us was pure stock. I weighed at the time a solid 195 and Jerry was in the 165 range so my GS had NO advantage. If you read the mags the GPZ was 1/2 a tenth quicker than the GS. I believe the mags were given 'ringers' as we called them for the road tests. Road test bikes only. The showroom bikes didn't perform as well as the Magazine tester bikes. Favorable road test numbers did sell bikes. Did Suzuki hand out 'ringers' too ? I don't know..but I DO know the GS1100's were King on the street (real world) and the local 1/4 mile. Treasured memories they are. FYI..Bad Kaw I still have my '73 Kaw H2 and '71 H1. I was a KAW guy before the GS's came out. GREAT topic guys keep it going, and thanks.

Terry

 

[Bad Kaw]

HBM: yeah man, I'm still quite a Kaw-guy so I'm just being honest when I say that I have to concur with what you said. I went through exactly what you are talking about ... maybe Suzuki didn't "message" their magazine bikes as well as the others??? Looking back it all sure is funny; but yeah, I went through all that from the Kawasaki side of the confrontation ... took my beatings, then went to work on the motor ...didn't really like losing...
But we were all buddies (KZs, GPzs, GSs, a CB, and a CBX [of all things!]) and we sort of helped each other out against the military guys who would show up with their bone stock brand new bikes. We always whipped 'em, and they were good-natured about it: ... come to town, get whipped, go eat Burger King with the guys that whipped 'em, then go back to the Fort. We liked 'em.
On the nights that we got bored, we'd line up with each other and it took 'go fast' parts to make up for the GS power ... it's why this Kaw-guy has a couple Suzukis in the garage!!! ...guess my green-blood has some blue in it!
I just dig the bikes from that era; and GS power is not deniable. I've got the 1150ES that I ALWAYS wanted ... my GS1000E is a huge project (might never run) ... but the next two Zukes on the radar are a Katana and an '80 - '81 GS1100E. I had an 81 GS1100 and an 82 Katana 1000 in my garage that I got offered WAY too much money for about 5 years back, so I let 'em go when we moved ... I'm confident I will find some replacements some day.
Certain bikes have character, some have more than others...like big bore GSs.

It's threads like this and the people who post in them that keep me motivated to get my 1150 going as soon as time permits. Keep it going!

 

[posplayr]

BAD KAW very good read. THANKS for posting, yes the mid to late '80's were a great time to be riding. And I do agree with you about the GS's being 'King' back in the day..they sure would 'walk the dog' on those V max's and honda magna's .

Terry,
I posted these results although not sure of what to make of it. The measured hp is way above a standard 1100ED and using the rated hp would have the losses much closer to 10% (1-112/124=10%) probably.


Also I though that most of the European bikes were supposed to be limited to about 100 hp rated???
Jim

 

[sharpy]

So a GS1000 measuring 105 rwp would be like almost 121 engine HP? If it is, im happy with that.