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FROSTY
15th November 2004, 13:33
The GSX1100G is a shaft drive inline 4 powered by a GSXR1100 motor
its got a huge fuel tank and a somewhat raked out front end.
I've owned 3 of these machines over the years and we always have a love/hate relationship.
I love the suzuki shaft drive. Most of the time you just dont know its there and its only when you want to change direction suddenly or decide to trail the throttle a bit in a corner you remember. I've always ridden shafties so the dreaded wobble doesn't really worry me -drag a bit of back brake and she stiffens up again.
I love the turbine like power delivery -Right on up to the 200km/h mark
(I discovered on a racetrack somewhere) Mind you over 140 for any time is bloody uncomfortable with no fairing to protect you. Having smaller carbs, different cam settings and and a different CDI to the gsxr its power is focussed lower down made to lug loads up to 150km it feels like to me
The seat it extremely well padded -it seems to be about 80mm thick and is so comfortable on a long trip.
Passengers are well catered for -with footpegs positioned for comfort and that plush seat. -I have had a couple of complaints that the seat is TOO wide --sheesh ya can't please everyone.
once up and running the bike is suprisingly easy to ride -flicking from side to side with no problems at all.It takes a heck of a lot to unsettle it so it handles gravel roads easily. If your primary riding was covering long distances and you like the naked look this would be hard to beat.
Tyres are a 120 17 front and a 160 17 on the rear and the braking department is taken care of by twin pot calipers on the front.
The brakes were --well up to the job but only just -My old xj900 from 1984 would frequently outbrake one of these but then it was carrying a lot less bulk.
What I hate. -its so frigging tall I for once dont feel safe manuvering around in my bitch of a driveway on it,its also at the super low speeds you realise just how heavy it actually is. It certainly would suit a 1.8m type bloke
This bike has a truck like turning circle and a small steering lock.its caught me out a fair few times -I've hit full lock doing a slow speed turn and gone -OHH shit as Ive slowly toppled on my side.
The clutch is a non adjustable hydraulic unit -in itself not an issue but it just sits in the wrong place on my fingers
The love/hate comes out in my daily commute -As Im buzzing along with instantly accessable power on hand -and a comfortable quiet ride its just perfect. As Im in stop .go traffic at 2km/h its hellish.
Mr Suzuki almost got it right dambit --Now if we could start again with the bandit 1200 and fit an xj900 shaft drive unit you would have perfection---aww hang on --sorrry suzuki yamaha did it--the fjr1300.
oh yea for the record-brake lever -$45 to replace -engine sidecover $125.00
Shame factor 100 dropping a bike in a bloody carpark --Priceless

Dr Bob
15th November 2004, 13:39
So is it easy to get replacement mirrors and sidecovers for?

riffer
15th November 2004, 14:28
I love the suzuki shaft drive. Most of the time you just dont know its there and its only when you want to change direction suddenly you remember.

What happens? I've never driven a shafty...

FROSTY
15th November 2004, 15:02
Ya get the dreaded wobble on -it aint much fun
and Bob yep theyre cheap lol

FROSTY
15th November 2004, 16:33
ohh yea and yep I think I would prefer summat a lil smaller

Paul in NZ
15th November 2004, 16:36
Like a Moto Guzzi?

Come to the dark side meesta frosty....

Hitcher
15th November 2004, 18:14
I have a mate in Nelson who has a set of standard zorsts for one of these -- carefully wrapped in greasy paper...

Paul in NZ
16th November 2004, 18:24
I have a mate in Nelson who has a set of standard zorsts for one of these -- carefully wrapped in greasy paper...

My bike is not very carefully wrapped in grease

Motu
16th November 2004, 21:37
What colour? I think you snuck down the inside of the Pajero today,took the left lane and went to the front of the Universal Drive lights....gone....

Devil
17th November 2004, 08:15
What colour? I think you snuck down the inside of the Pajero today,took the left lane and went to the front of the Universal Drive lights....gone....
Its a red-wine kinda colour. With pack rack.

Motu
17th November 2004, 09:19
Maybe not,this one was sorta brownish,didn't look like a Frosty helmet either.

FROSTY
17th November 2004, 14:22
Yep woulda been me --wearing my Hjc and a black leather jacket.
My bike is now Nekkid--I took the butt ugly fairing off I just couldn't stand it a moment longer

Devil
17th November 2004, 14:35
Yep woulda been me --wearing my Hjc and a black leather jacket.
My bike is now Nekkid--I took the butt ugly fairing off I just couldn't stand it a moment longer
Ahh so no problems with all the mounts there then?

FROSTY
17th November 2004, 14:38
Nahh It wasnt a major --I used a set of universal mounts. It all screwed together fine. Just giotta get a set of front indicators now.
it looks 100kg lighter now lol
-looks are deceptive

James Deuce
17th November 2004, 14:42
My bike is not very carefully wrapped in greaseBS! It's the cleanest regularly used bike I've EVER seen.

You big fat liar!

Paul in NZ
17th November 2004, 14:53
BS! It's the cleanest regularly used bike I've EVER seen.

You big fat liar!

You should have seen it when we came back from Raglan - erp!

zooter
8th January 2005, 20:16
I've done length of South Island three times and yet to encounter "Dreaded Shaft Drive Wobble". ( But I ride like a capable granny ) What the hell is it??

zooter
8th January 2005, 20:31
The gsx1100g delivers power like a wee V8!!!! 3 to 5 thousand rpm, nice : 2 thumbs up : ... 5 to 9 thousand, yee haar hold on to those bars, we're off....FYI Frosty, a turbine delivers power in an extremely narrow RPM range, no piston engine delivers power like a turbine, if it did it would be useless in a motorcycle. What you mean is turbine like SMOOTHness, courtesy of the balancer shaft added to the GSXR motor for the G version

moko
8th January 2005, 20:59
I had a GS850 years ago(so long ago I bought it new),shaft didnt cause any handling trouble,squiffy handling was down to the weight and soft suspension.Old Guzzis and MV`s dont handle too badly and if you ever want a real blast blag a go on one of the big GS BMs,you wouldn`t believe how something so big and ungainly-looking can handle so well.Always amazes me that there aren`t loads more bikes with shaft-drive these days,I get pissed off giving my bike a good clean then finding the back end covered in crap chucked off of the chain.

pete376403
10th January 2005, 13:45
The shaft wobble phenomenon (sounds like an old mans complaint) is nothing. The REAL problem with shafties is that (apparently) they can neither countersteer nor wheelie - something to do with the Coriolis Effect (look it up).
However I do know that with a pillion and a weight (an old turbocharger) in the topbox, my GS1100GK did a helluva wheelie away from the Korokoro lights and scared the shit out of me.

marty
10th January 2005, 15:16
it's not coriolis effect - that has to do with the earth rotation and how it effects the wind/pressure gradient. it's more likely to be centrifugal effect, which has to do with spinning discs, and is the basis of countersteer.

moko
12th January 2005, 14:21
The REAL problem with shafties is that (apparently) they can neither countersteer nor wheelie

http://home.t-online.de/home/anwibu/wheelie.htm

Looks quite impressive for a non-wheelie to me.There`s a bloke called John Paul Goy that does stunt shows in Europe featuring him wheelying all kinds of shaftie BMs,Ewan macgregor and John Boorman seemed to manage quite well on their trip as well.I wheelied my GS850 messing about one day,nearly shagged my clutch doing though so was a one-off.All time best wheelie I did was on my RD400,totally un-intentional and the passenger crapped himself,if I hadn`t had a carrier on the back he`d have been sitting in the road,not only did it rear right up it stayed up,luckily I was going in a straight line,not so luckily it was down the High Street on a Saturday afternoon and some people took offence.

pete376403
12th January 2005, 15:45
Yeah I know, it was supposed to be a tongue-in-cheek post but something musta got lost in translation. I recall some Euro guy used to do wheelie demos on 1300/6 Kawasaki shafties, which involved smashing rear guards and tail-lights, he got the bikes that far up.
But the non-countersteer/wheelie/shafty thing used to be a perennial on Rec.motorcycle usenet newsgroup in the pre-www days. Was trying to keep it alive.