Hello from Southern England

[Guest]

Good afternoon to you all - I'm Andy, I live in Hampshire, in southern England, and following a long search, I have recently acquired a GS400B.
My little 400 is a UK (E2) model, and pretty much in standard trim. The previous owners have kept the bike in good condition, and I have no intentions to do anything to it, other than keep it clean and serviced, and get out for a ride now and then whenever the weather looks fair.
Only two main cosmetic changes to deal with right now - the bike has been fitted with flat handlebars, which are not to my liking. My research into the original fittings show this bike to have raised bars, so I shall be looking at changing back to raised bars very soon. The seat has also been recovered, but with a plain cover, unlike the lined-pattern cover of the original model - again, this will be sorted very soon. Doesn't seem to be that many GS400 owners here in the UK, but if there are any on this forum, then I look forward to chatting with you at some point.
I'm looking forward to starting the works I've outlined, and I'm certain that as time/works progress, I'll find other tasks to deal with!

OK - time to get on with it!

Best wishes.

 

[rphillips]

Welcome, Congrats on a very nice looking bike... I'm with you, don't like the flat bars & seat looks good for a replacement, but not near as nice as OEM. Your bike, do what you want, but, my opinion, something to think about. If you could luck up on a "79" GS400 "E" (slightly stepped) seat, it will add a lot for looks & comfort, & should be a direct bolt on plus will look OEM ,,, OEM bars for those bikes seemed a little too tall for "a whole lot of people", I think they were near 6" rise, everybody's different, but many around here used appx. 4" or 3" rise, not nearly flat, but not near as tall as the OEM either. Good luck & keep us updated.

 

[Guest]

hi rphillips, and thanks for the advice.
I'm with you on the 'too high' high-rise bars, so I'm going for a set with a 4" rise. Already found out that the no.1 top brake hose fitted to the bike is too short by around 4", so I'll have to order a longer replacement hose for that. Clutch and throttle cables seem to be ok for length with the higher bars (surplus had been tucked away using insulating tape!), but I'll do a better check of the lock-to-lock once the brake line is sorted and I can take the bike out into the driveway for a test. The seat cover has been done to a good standard, but its not as per the original so its gonna nag away at me! Just sorted out a professional restorer to fit a period-correct replacement for me next week.

 

[Kiwi kid]

Hi There,nice looking bike.Good Job

 

[Baatfam]

I like it....

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[Nessism]

In the USA there are bars termed "Daytona" bend which are medium-low rise, which would look nice on your bike. Regarding the seat, it's supposed to be flat, but with a little more texture. Your seat looks nice so unless the quality of the cover is poor, there is little to gain by changing it.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_dk...cat=0&store_name=pitreplica&_oac=1&_nkw=gs400

 

[Gorminrider]

Nice! and I like that rear rack...if you decide later it's 'ugly" don't throw it away because stylistic whims change and it's Hard to find one with good chrome and that fits without modding...
I guess you're already familiar with this site...they show a red one for '79 ,with a slightly stepped seat and a blue one for '76 which is a close match for the seat you have
http://suzukicycles.org/1970-1979/index.html

 

[rphillips]

Just looked in that link & it shows an "E" model (with slightly stepped seat) in both "78" & "79".

 

[Guest]

Evening all - thanks for the comments and suggestions; all noted.

That rear carrier/rack is a genuine Suzuki item, so yes I'll definitely be holding onto it - doubt I'd find another if I wanted one. I'd like to source some front and rear crash bars/engine protectors if poss - they were a common add-on to many UK bikes in the day, and are very evocative of that period whenever I see another bike fitted with them..

As for the seat, yes the re-cover has been done very well, but as it doesn't have the pattern which the UK bikes had when they arrived, I'm going to have it re-upholstered with a cover that matches the old 76/77 pattern, same as shown on Gorminrider's blue bike image above. Its actually off to the upholsterer first thing tomorrow, and despite the high temperatures we're forecasting tomorrow, I'm doing a 340 mile round trip to deliver it in person - there's no way I will entrust it to our delivery services over here, so it will be another round trip to collect it when its ready.

I have also spent the weekend swapping the flat bars for some medium hi-rise bars which will probably be a close match to the Daytona bars mentioned by Nessism - they are on the bike now and I have to say I'm very pleased both with the revised riding position and the overall look - definitely more like I remember them first time around. Just the front brake system overhaul to complete and get the seat back on and we're good to go.

These are only subtle changes, but they will make this bike just how I want it. I'll put some pics up once the work is done and see what you all think.
And thanks very much for the warm welcome on here - appreciated!

 

[Agemax]

Hi, welcome to the site from a fellow UK member. I am down in Plymouth.

 

[ddaniels]

Welcome to the site. Beautiful little bike. Much fun for running around town.

 

[Rob S.]

Front AND rear crash bars? I guess, if it's evocative of a good time in your life, it's got to look just right. Me, I LOVE Quadrophenia, but I've always limited my mirrors to no more than two.

 

[Guest]

Rob - yes, definitely a common thing over here in the 70s - a number of accessory companies made them for a good selection of bikes - the manufacturers themselves also joined in. Whether the bars did any good if you dropped your bike is up for discussion! I'm not sure there was a set for the rear of the 400, but I will look out for them.

 

[Guest]

Here's a photo of my GT250M with the full set of crash bars and rack fitted - something like this would be the desired finished add-on for the 400.

 

[Gorminrider]

Yes, I remember those... Front or rear, they tend to fold back "in the event" without a strut to support them. Instead... I'd go for the ones that cradle hard saddlebags... here's some "Hondaline" from the https://www.hondatwins.net/threads/hondaline-saddle-bags-for-cb360.80465/#lg=thread-80465&slide=0

 

[allojohn]

Rob - yes, definitely a common thing over here in the 70s - a number of accessory companies made them for a good selection of bikes - the manufacturers themselves also joined in. Whether the bars did any good if you dropped your bike is up for discussion! I'm not sure there was a set for the rear of the 400, but I will look out for them.

I had a rear crash bars on my '76 GT380- very early one winter morning had my leg trapped between the crash bar and rear indicator after sliding off on ice (this often happened) - couldn't move... but was rescued by the milkman.

 

[Gorminrider]

Yes^^ ...hahha i shouldn't laugh but I can picture it .Even the three-supported bars can fold back.(similar story HERE but with boggy road and no milkman)

 

[Rob S.]

I had a rear crash bars on my '76 GT380- very early one winter morning had my leg trapped between the crash bar and rear indicator after sliding off on ice (this often happened) - couldn't move... but was rescued by the milkman.

We had to read that in high school - The Milkman Cometh.

 

[Guest]

Cosmetic refurb is progressing, with the repaired/re-upholstered seat being the last piece to be returned and fitted last night. Raised handlebars make a big difference to the riding position and overall look of the bike, so I'm happy with that. After I've checked a few engine/fuel related items, I'll be ready to take it out for a proper test ride. Still can't make my mind up about that rear rack, but I do now have a set of front engine protector bars, so maybe still go down the 'front/rear bars+rack' route as was the fashion in the 70s if I can find a rear set.

Hope it goes as good as it looks (IMO, anyway!) ...

 

[ddaniels]

Yes, the seat and bars look much better now. If you are going to change out brake lines, might as well go with steel braided lines.