I've got mine out in the garage. Same year and an E model. Haven't ridden in years due to health issues. Love that bike. Many amazing trips through the mountains of California, from one end to the other when it was new and I was younger! Amazing bike. Thanks for the ride. A Vietnam era veteran.
In 1979 I bought this model exactly, same color same everything. I put some flatter bars on it, a kerker 4 into 1, modified the airbox, rejetted the carbs and put a hot electronic ignition set up on it. She flew and I tore up the highways in Northern California for years. I moved back to Ohio and she is setting in my garage as I write this. I have some back issues that stopped me from riding, but she wouldn't take much to get her going again! It's such a reliable, powerful, good handling, good looking machine. I'll get her redone some day!
One of the best bikes. It brings to me lots of sweet memories of 80's in Iran when GS1000 riders gather in Tehran every Friday afternoon to show their wheelie skills.
My dad bought a 1978 gs 1000 new. it has been sitting since 1984. I just pasted my MSF this past week and am already looking to restore the bike. great video!
@@dandelion4206 Still working on the politics of him letting me restore it 😆. I still see it almost everyday. paint is mint, motor just needs to be rebuilt.
A test drove a GS1000 when I was 18 , in '82. The one thing that blew my mind , and I still remember clearly , was the sound of the power from the Amazing engine & the huge torque when driving ! .... Stunning machine - well done Suzuki ! 💝
Would this bike be a nightmare for a new rider to learn on? I am 33 and athletic, and raced bmx growing up/mild experience on dirt bikes as a teenager. I know it is big and powerful, but there is one cheap locally for less than most 250 starter bikes and I just feel lkke i would be getting a lot more for my money with something like this instead of a ninja 250 or something.
@@strongocho they are a collector's item now .... if it's cheap , buy it ! Quite heavy , so I wouldn't recommend the GS1000 for learning on , but you could do if you were strong enough to handle it and TAKE IT EASY :)
@@Twit.Tw00 yeah, the heaviness of it is more of what is scaring me than the power. The other bike I am interested in is the late 80s honda hawk 650 because that is more my style and what I am looking for. Kind of struggling to find a clean one for less than $3k. Just being patient and scouring the forums. I am into older cars/bikes and stuff like this suzuki or the Honda hawk is cooler to me than a modern sport bike or whatever.
@@strongocho The GS is such a classic and you could do well with it as an investment, and it handles AMAZINGLY WELL for the size ..... you wont lose money on it , it will make you $ !! - I definitely wouldn't rule it out. See if you can have a test drive , I think it will blow you away Bro , seriously 😳
Mine is in my garage. It is the shaft version from 1982. The E version and the G version is similar in handling. The handling is quite unpredictable in HIGH speed on bumpy curvy roads. I got a Moto Guzzi Le Mans 1000, that is super steady, reliable with a front fork that can handle hard cornering in HIGH speed. But the GS1000 engine is suuuper smooooooth. Nothing is comparable.
I remember riding my cousin’s GS1000 at more than 140 mph down the highway. Those big handlebars force an upright riding style and the force of the wind is really strong on the body at that speed.
It's always a pleasure to hear you talk Ken, your enthusiasm is infectious. I admire your work and fantastic attitude. I liked the Blue 1980 GS1000E you had as well. I wish they had continued and styled the GS750 in exactly the same way as the GS1000E It's arguably one of the best motorcycles from the best era of Japanese Motorcycles in my opinion. I prefer the slightly lighter GS750 model. The blue GS1000E is a superbly balanced looking motorcycle and certainly has everything I appreciate in a motorcycle, though I haven't ridden a motorbike since the late 80's and 90's. That's one of the reasons I enjoy listening to your enthusiasm and seeing the bikes that I most appreciate from my favourite era. 1969 - 1983. All the very best to you and your team. Your enthusiasm speaks for itself and I feel God's presence listening to you because you have a great attitude towards life. I used to have a 1981 Suzuki GSX250 in silver with blue decals. I've never seen an identical survivor in good condition up to date. I loved that bike. Thank You for all your hard work and dedication Ken and once again, best wishes to all your team. Regards GARY
Man, what a beauty! Had one years ago, course it had a windjammer and Samsonite bags on it but was a great bike! Sold it to a buddy who rode it for years after. Hehe, I laughed at the "They don't leak oil" remark. People would comment that my bike was on fire due to the smoke rolling off the front when I came to a stop. The valve cover gasket was bad and dripped oil onto the exhaust. I was too lazy to change it, so I just put up with it.😆
My dad picked up a 78 GS1000 from a motorcycle boneyard, rode it a couple times but the carbs were all gummed up and dumping gas out of the overflow tubes. He didn't have the patience to get the carbs off so it sat in the weeds for a few years until I needed a shop class project in high school.he said if I could make it run I could have it. I must have had the carbs off 6 times before I got them right, I rode that bike for years. Absolutely loved it wished I still had it.
Im sorry, im an old guy, but i did not baby my GS1000 , i rode it as it was meant to be ridden, and i ran it 100 mph every time i got on it , which was every day for several years. Mine was the AMA superbike and it was a monster! Works shocks and forks, disc breaks , and an engine that never stopped pulling,,,, ever! Of course im a motorcycle tech so only the best tires, chains, and fluids used . Carbs were dialed in , and i left the factory exaust alone even though i wanted to install a Kerker race pipe on it, i couldnt bring myself to alter the bike in any way except fatter stickier tires .💯👍
And....you never even got it in the power band. But that's ok. You weren't on the right kind of road to unleash it. In seconds you would be doing over 100. I rejetted my carbs, put a kerker 4-1 on it, modified the air box and installed a K&N air filter, hot electronic ignition system...got rid of points and condenser and put a set of flatter bars on it. That really makes a big difference. Stock, they are a little starved for fuel at higher rpm. With these modification, it pulls well past redline. She's got 55,000 miles on her. My ex wife said it's me or the bike.
That’s the bike I learned to ride on! Well, not THE bike, but a 78 GS1000, five years ago. It wasn’t clean like this one is, but looking back, it was a great bike. Definitely wish I still had it in the garage.
@@jasonbarrett320 I was already 40, so I had MOST… okay, SOME of my immature hooliganism out of my system by then, so I knew enough to treat the bike with respect. I had never driven a standard automobile, so I was having a hard enough time learning how to shift and use a clutch. Factor in that I was learning on a 40 year old bike that wasn’t in “top” form. So I had a lot of learning opportunities with it, and I sometimes learned things the hard way. I did have a wreck with it by the end of my first year that left it needing more repair than I knew how to handle at the time. The wreck was 100% my fault and due to my inexperience. I don’t think it being a 1k cc bike played into that though. It was a slow-ish speed thing. Would I recommend a 1000cc bike as a learner? Never. Can it be done? Absolutely.
My brother had one of these in the early 80’s. As a Harley owner comparing GS power and speed to it isn’t even a comparison. That’s why if I want to haul donkey I get on my V65. The Harley is my road bike. You see Harley’s every day where’s my V65 and the GS1000 are rare. I’m on a quest as money permits to fill my garage with bikes I wanted back then but couldn’t afford.
Just love the videos Kaplin. Kevin you sir are my kind of man. All cycle fun at work. It's not work at all, when u love what your doing. You rock my friend. Keep up the great work.
Badass I have a 82 Suzuki gs650 and a 88 Suzuki gsx600f I would love to snag up a Suzuki gs1000 Nothing like riding a Classic Sports Bike they are bringing Back the Naked Sports Bike's again
mine was the even lighter base model with aluminum rims with spokes and a single front disc. never saw another. ran great. you really should swap those tires, in a wet area you'd be down and out.
The gs150 is still manufactured in my country and the engine it is so strong it can defeat the Benelli tnt150. But the only main issue with that bike is the poor electronics and horrible uncomfortable hard seat..
I had this same bike, back in the day. This road makes me nervous, the trees are right up against it. If anything goes wrong, you have to swerve, you blow a tire (they are tube type, so that happens), then you are dead.
i had the same bike in 1979 sadly i crashed and was in hospital for many month but it was every bit as good as you say i truly miss it even tho i had over 55 more motorcycles that has a special place in my heart thank you for sharing the video
@@kristercarlson2635 had 6 ford's, if you take care of your car,bike, right, then you will not have the problems, maybe you had, with something from America
@@johnllewellyn7085 I've owned 3 Kawasaki's, 3 Honda's and a Harley. All bought brand new, all but the Harley were ridden to over 60,000 miles (Harley is an '09 with 45K).All have been great bikes, all bone stock. I have never had a complaint with the quality of any of them, but to say "nothing compares to a Harley" shows your bias.
@@kristercarlson2635 hey man I'm an a American, i believe in America first, i have Kawasaki ninja, Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki bikes 4 wheelers, street, and dirt bikes, also a Harley, just saying, America first 🇺🇸
