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How fast is is your old GS?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous
  • Start date Start date
I was going south on the sprain parkway just past the tappan zee br. and looked down to see the needle whipping around 134-140. Never did that again. Bike was bouncing too much. Have replacement speedo from another year and a fork brace.






1981 GS650GX
 
Last edited:
firesurfer said:
I was going south on the sprain parkway just past the tappan zee br. and looked down to see the needle whipping around 134-140. Never did that again. Bike was bouncing too much. Have replacement speedo from another year and a fork brace.






1981 GS650GX
Click to expand...

Did your needle do what mine did in the first post here?
https://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?253120-Crazy-speedometert hit 120mph but I know I was going 70mph or so. The cable was the culprit.
 
This little girl right here was purchased 25 years ago, and completely rebuilt by yours truly without any engine modifications what-so-ever, and she's topped out at 125 mph more times than I can count.

IMAG0131.jpg

An old naked bike like this at that speed makes you feel like your going damn near 200 mph, and she's never let me down.......GO SUZUKI!!!!:)
 
Those that have 85 MPH speedo's use your tach to determine your speed when you are above 85 mph. When you tach out in high take notice of the tach reading. If you are at 8500 rpm then 'half' that is ALSO half the speed. If 8500 rpm then bring down rpm to 4250 and read your speed off of the speedometer. So if 4250 rpm is 65 mph then 8500rpm is 130 mph. I sent my speedometer to 'Moonlight limited' to have it recalibrated with new speedo face to 150 mph. Looks factory . Very reasonable price too.

Terry
 


https://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?248167-Gs1000-Bonneville-Bike

For those who havenot seen this thread yet, we made several passes in excess of 140mph on thesalt flats with a stock engine!



 
Heh! Currently my old GS is pretty quick at collecting dust & leaves in the shed!!
 
Back in the day I had a new 1979 GS1000EN and had it up to an indicated 121 MPH. I also had a 1981 GS1100EX that I wicked up a number of times but it had a 85 MPH speedo on it. I lost count of how many times the needle hit the pin, but on just about every ride I believe.
 
I had my 82 750 e up to a little over 100 last summer as indicated by the speedo and chickened out.

but with good reason.

when I had a late 70's GS 750 in 79 through about 84 I got it up to an indicated 120 on a highway at 2am and hit the tiniest of tiny bumps and the front wheel took on a life of its own with the handlebars shooting back and forth uncontrollably. I managed to live but ... my shorts needed to be thrown out. The engine can do it but the stock suspension is not up to snuff. I will never forget that day.
 
My GS450 is so fast that I was able to exceed the speed of light! This made it possible to travel backward in time where I ended up in the Suzuki engineering offices in the mid 70's to make a suggestion that resolved that pesky problem we all have with 3rd and 4th gear popping out under acceleration. The fact that this is no longer an issue proves my success but they had to cut some corners with the charging system to price the bike competitively, this was a lower cost option in case there was a recall.
 
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I have pods and exhaust on my gs400. Seems as it was rebuilt before I bought it so who knows what else was done. I got the thing to 100mph and it was stable enough....
 
I hear you not bad for a 400 cc engine.well done. I have a 1979 KZ 1000 LTD with stock engine and VM26 carbs jetted with velocity stacks and Mac 4-1 with Kerker comp baffle hits 140 MPH full throttle even do starts to shake at 120 mph. the same bike had a 1400 cc engine with Cam motion Z6 cams and VM33 and did hit 150 mph I felt that I needed an extra pair of nuts to ride that engine bike that fast I loved yo go next to the Harley's guys and leave them behind
 
you need to check your steering and adjust it with the front wheel in the air that bike should hit 120 straight like a dart.
 
When I was 27, I once hit 80. That was fast enough for me.

Now that I'm approaching 80, I don't go much above 27.

Maybe that's why me and my bikes are still going strong.
 
I saw 80 mph (hugging the tank, long downhill) on my 1982 GS300L. With me then commuting on it - standing probably 265 lbs with my work backpack. Going up that hill was grateful to get to 65.
 
My CB350 topped out at 96. My first year 903cc Z1 would probably have gotten well into the 130's, but that bike's notorious high speed wobble dumped me once and killed my cousin! So I never took her over about 117mph.

Fast forward several decades without riding when I bought my 11EZ. The Cycle World review in 1982 said it was geared for 142, but by that time my testes had started to retreat from whence they came so 115 or 120 a couple of times, but 100mph pretty much every time I took her out. With the open exhaust and intake, and Dyna jetting and tuning, I like to think it might hit 150.

My 883 Superlow Sportster topped out at 100 on level ground with me laying flat on the tank, blowing smoke on big twins pushing police windshields and pulling all manner of saddle bags.

Of course, as a result of my last Sportster ride I now top out at about 1mph with a noticeable limp. Good times!
 
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