Suzuki GS1200SS

[FROSTY:Me]

Ive just had a chance to have a bloody good look at the GS1200ss
From my point of view it is one fuck off sexy bike.
Sure I would throw away the muffler and fit a muffler like off the gsxr1100 slabsider.I'd also see if the tailight off a slabsider could be coaxed into the tail end-only because the factory tailight is so small.
Shit the bloody thing has it all . Fuck off big brakes,a 1200cc detuned motor so itll last forever,comfortable seat and a ball sck protecter. A decent sized fairing. The back shocks are basicly remote resevoir monoshocks -one on each side.
The frame is steel--as in if it bends it can be straightened.
The rear seat ergonomics look reasonable. the seat is well padded and it isnt a huuge reach to the bars.
To me it looks like what the bandit should be .
I'd haveto ride one in anger but I'd bet unless you were in a racetrack situation the power is heaps for the real world.
OHH yea baby

[Badcat]

Ive just had a chance to have a bloody good look at the GS1200ss
From my point of view it is one fuck off sexy bike.
Sure I would throw away the muffler and fit a muffler like ofr the gsxr1100 slabsider.
Shit the bloody thing has it all . Fuck off big brakes,a1200cc detuned motor so itll last forever,comfortable seat, A decent sized fairing.
OHH yea baby

it was great to meet you in person, tony.
Glad you like the old girl.
i'll bring the mighty VanVan next time - then you'll truly wig out.

ken

[FROSTY:Me]

Good to meet you too dude.
I gotta say my zxr doesn't give me the same woody that 1200 does.
I think the real apeal to me is that it is a grouse bike as it is but it screams "customise me" -Make me yours and yours alone.
I haven't had a bike that did that for many years.
HMMM--now ya wanna new car -and wifey has ...... Hmmm trade in
me with gs1200 ... I'm sure I could convince ya wifey .......

[petermonkeyguru]

Good feed back - I'm just thinking about buying one, they seem to be very good value for money and not too hard to handle

[craigs288]

I was in two minds before I bought mine, partly because of the looks, but any ugly factor I thought it had has slowly faded. Like someone else said, when you're riding it you can't see it. Just the clocks, the road in front and the howling noise from underneath.
I bought my 2004 GS in March 2006 from Rangiora, for $7500. The previous owner was the first and put 1100kms on it over summer '04 and '05. The Christchurch bike shop he got it from removed the speed limiter although the clock only ever reads to 180.
It has always been a sweet running bike. It always looked like an engine and fairings hanging off a butt-ugly big megaphone pipe. I put a friends ZX10R spare muffler on and it completely changed the sound and performance.(and looks)
I'm not convinced it is significantly gruntier but it goes much the same up to 4k then picks up to 5k and f*%ks off down the road. I used to hold it wide open in 3rd regularly with no real excitement but now I have to concentrate on the twitchy front end. I try to keep under 5k because once it gets there the sound makes me want to hold it wide open to 9k and row through the gears.
I get 20km per litre most of the time and the worst ever was 15km per litre over a 5 hour ride round the Coro loop. The back end tends to wallow a bit under load at speed but its fairly predictable and you can just keep the gas wide open and ride it out, mostly.
The seat can get a little uncomfortable after a cpl of hours of trying to behave, but as long as you can get off the side a little and move around it doesn't get too bad. I'm only 5'8" and 72kg so I'm a bit like a flea on it's back and tend to countersteer it everywhere, although it does respond pretty well to just shifting weight around on the pegs. It's a good size for me to have a comfortable lie down on the tank as well.

[Lil_Byte]

I had one and loved it. It looked a damn site uglier after skating down the road on one side at 100kph.

But I would not have parted with it but the insurance company wrote it off.

It had tones of low down grunt and smooth acceleration. I could get to ride as fast as I liked once the 180kph limit was off it.

It was a hell of a lot more comfortable than my GSXR1100 but not near as quick - but that was too quick for an old guy like me anyway. It would have been nice to be able to stretch out a bit more but the seating stops that

The rear suspension suited me and it handled as well as I needed. It was a great touring bike and has a bullet proof engine

So I guess it is horeses for courses.

[ynot slow]

i had a sit on one when i bought my bike,guy was selling gsx as he gad just bought gs1200ss,felt slightly uncomfortable to me but if it was mine i'd be happy,he said the gsx was better comfy wise on trips but then the style of ss meant differing ride position,his wife hated the pillion though.for a cheap bike with more than enough power for most it's ok.