1983 Suzuki GS650G (Shaft-drive Katana, Australian model)
An ancient write up of my 3rd motorbike that I found in an archive of an old personal website and transferred here on
This was my third bike (and was still my current one when I wrote this , just having spent all available funds on other new toys of an electronic nature). First was a 1980 Z250A (to learn on and survive 12 months). Second was a 198{3}? RG250 (lotsa fun, lotsa noise, NOT the ideal machine to travel 100km a day to/from work over country roads)
When I was looking for the GS they were priced around $1000-$1600 depending on condition, from ratty to mint. Mine cost $1300 and is now in the ratty department after several years of “outdoor garaging” and being used 365 days a year. I have been offered $1200 for it by someone in a car-park the other week, and was offered $1000 as a trade in on a new model.
Instruments and controls are almost identical with any other 1980s GS model Suzuki, I find the horn/passing button to be a bit hard to get at, which is annoying when I need the horn in a hurry.
Surprise, surprise, I had alternator/rectifier problems. Seems that the guy that sold it to me neglected to say that the alternator coil was burnt out, when I took it for a test ride he must have charged the battery off the bike then connected it up. Then when I went to pick it up I got most of the way home before the battery died. One new alternator coil and rectifier soaked up most of my remaining funds!
The styling is a bit of a love/hate thing, nowhere near as radical as the Katana 750/1100s but sort of similar.
The bike is HEAVY, I believe 245kg dry, and not real powerful. It’ll cruse at around 130-140km but anything over that is not feasible (at least for one in the state of tune that mine is) I dropped it several times in the first 6 months, actually tipped over when stationary, every time due to the weight or stopping off-balance. Because of the weight I wouldn’t recomend it as a learner bike, because of the performance it ain’t no sports bike. It performs brilliantly as everyday round town commuting, touring everything bike, and being shaft-drive, requires very little maintainance.
This sounds very similar to the review of the GS650L by David Gibbs dagibbs@quantum.qnx.com, primarily since they are just variations of the same bike. The Australian models have larger fuel tanks, different styling, and a more “sporty” seating position, with flatter bars and steeper forks. (from what I can tell comparing the 650s I have seen with the pictures in the Clymer’s manual)
Date: Fri Oct 2 13:32:29 EST 1992
From: ajft@ajftsun.cs.adfa.edu.au (Adrian Tritschler)
Last update – .
