1983 Suzuki GS1100ES

[El Camexican]

Finally getting back onto my longest running project. Like most of my stuff, its old and needing more investment than it will ever be worth, but represents an epoch of my life that I never want to forget. I’m sure I’ve put a few photos of it up on here over the years, but I don’t think ever started a thread dedicated to it, so here goes.

I’ve had it since 1990 or 91. I also knew both previous owners, one of which is deceased. It’s stared in a lot of stories over the past 34 years including being stolen, drag raced, road raced, used as a daily driver and it’s been in 4 countries if I count Japan. I recall I got it with about 30,000KM on it and removed the pod around the 90,000KM mark.

It looked like this when I got it (not mine)



Then it aged (a lot ) so it was chromed up and painted to look like this for a few years



Then I got bored of it, tore it apart and started changing everything



I shot it yellow in 2010, dropped the motor in, wired it and got into dirt bikes. Fortunately I purchased almost everything needed to finish the bike 7 years ago and looking at prices and availability now I’m glad I did. Still kudos to Suzuki for still carrying a lot of parts for these old beasts. I raked the frame to just shy of 37 degrees, did some gusseting and frame notching to fit a 4130 swing-arm custom made by the now retired John Trutnau that utilizes a 6” GSXR wheel and installed custom made bearings from some Russian guy to allow a 2004 GSXR 1000 front end and steering damper. A bunch of other tweaks were made to get the GSXR wheel to align with the counter sprocket and clear the chain. Forks have been lengthened .375” and a set of Traxxion Dynamics springs that can handle the extra 150 pounds this thing has on the GSXR.



The motor is a 1327cc with a every possible modification needed to reliably drag race it, but the compression has been lowered to run on pump gas. It has an oil cooler, but heat will still be its biggest enemy if I ever run into traffic while going for breakfast tacos.

The plastic had a lot of layers of primer, paint and clear on them, so a lot of sanding is needed. The stock tank had some bad dents and had started to rust, so I picked up what looked like a perfect replacement, but the clear was so thick I could sand through it, so I stripped it and as feared there was some Bondo underneath.



So it sits like this, but I expect to have it completed before summer

[tripledog]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0zKqiClt1k

[El Camexican]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0zKqiClt1k

Please tell me that's not the music you listened to when you were a teenager.

[jb2wheels]

Great project.

I have lots of love for the old Suzukis and I completely understand the "epoch of my life" sentiment.
A little jealous you were able to keep it even in mothballs.

My dad had a red 83 E-model he bought as a new leftover.
Gorgeous with the freight train headlight and no fairing.
Wonderful engine.
Brakes and chassis were so-so. It was a weaver as I recall and had the "anti-dive" that always gave the brakes a strange feel at the lever.

I got to ride it a lot along with the 79 GS1000N (spoke wheels & single disk) all over CA when I finally got my class M license. I turned 16 in 85 and took the test on the GS1000 while home on leave fro USAF a couple of years later.

[El Camexican]

After a ridiculous amount of prep work the panels are ready for the first stage of paint which is two coats of base and two coats of clear. Now I have to decide if I will do painted graphics, or embed decals into the next layers of clear.

[ironchop]

Imbed the decals in clear.....Unless you like some more of that "ridiculous amount of prep time"

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[HairyJR]

Got to love those early inline 4 cylinder bikes, they where the "cats meow" for racing. Wonder how many more are hiding in "baby boomer's" garages? I have 2.

"HJ"

[El Camexican]

Got to love those early inline 4 cylinder bikes, they where the "cats meow" for racing. Wonder how many more are hiding in "baby boomer's" garages? I have 2.

"HJ"

I've owned 8 of them over the years and know 4 other guys that combined still have at least 20 tucked away and in use.

[fabiodriven]

Wow Nico! I am seriously impressed! First the Ducati, now this! You're an animal man!!

[El Camexican]

I completed the spraying of the clearcoat a few days ago and started scuffing down the panels these past few evenings. As is usually the case when spraying outdoors, there are plenty of tiny defects to deal with when you start cutting down the clear.

Tonight I did the tank. Started with 1200 grit and work my way down to 3000 before hand buffing it. Of course I started with the filler neck as that is really the only part most people care about.

[ironchop]

.... Of course I started with the filler neck as that is really the only part most people care about...

Lmfao

Nice work. Looks fantastic.




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[knappyfeet]

Noice!

What did you buff it out with?........3M or McGuires 105/205?

[El Camexican]

Noice!

What did you buff it out with?........3M or McGuires 105/205?

I’ve been playing with compounds and what seems to work is 3M 5974 followed by Maguire’s Step 1 Paint cleaner and finally Maguire’s “Ultimate” Polish. I won’t wax for at least a month.

[El Camexican]

Lmfao

You do know where that filler neck polishing crack originates, right?

[bkm]

Not too bad, but it could use a little more work around the filler neck.

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