So what do you pay? £1000 is theusua lstarting
pointint hese matters,which is reserved forthe barn
find looking forafull nutand bolt resto.£2500 is
the callon thegood runner,all there although
probably not entirely standard (ie, four-into-one,
replacementindicators, mudguards,etc.).‘Minters’
startataround £4000,and judging byourexample
here can reach as highas£ 6500 if buying a
well-sorted machine fromaclassic bike specialist.
For NOS parts, including gaskets, points sets and
the like,these days weare quite spoilt given the
onlinemarketplace. In the UK, Suzuki specialists
RobinsonsFoundry and CrooksSuzuki areagood
starting point–they also usefully haveoriginal
schematicdrawings and full parts listings on their
websites–and if they don’t have the parts they have
the knowledge to help you findthem. With decades
of experience withSuzuki, these guys offer a
top-drawer point of service. Suzuki Performance
Spares in Cambridge–who sellamix of modern
andclassi cparts –are also afair call. Afterthem,
that giant parts warehouse in Holland thatis cmsnl.
comisalsovery useful; they ’vegot an extensivelist
of parts, probablyon accountofhaving trawled
Europefor NOSparts overtheyears .Asthe GS750
wasalso rather popular in the US youcanfind parts,
newand us ed, Stateside, too–justber eady for
those blatantracketeerscalled Customs&Excise to
want acut of theaction before any piece of metal
reaches your shed.
For exhausts, our perennial friends Marving make
areplica set (andactuall yCMSNL do list NOS
headerpipes and clamps), plusatidy 4-into-1
option. Then Delkevic also lista4-into-1 option.
Alternatively,thereare the period sports options like
Vance&Hines who still make their systems forthe
GS750, which willsetyou back about£565
according tothelates tlistings.
Knowthat theGS750pre-dates electronic
ignition, soapointsset up is standard, andyou need
to keepon top of these tomaintain optimal
performance. Chances are an owner somewhere
between 1977 and now may well have fitted an
aftermarketelec tronic ignition system, such as the
Boyer Bransden thatwas verypopularback then.
These days aDynatek (Dyna S) ignition kit is
an ideal replacement at around £160,often
fitted together with their coil andleadsset for
another£180. Otherwisethe GS750is abikewith
no known faults.The engine wasthat well
engineered that it’slasted thetestoftime ingood
order.Atworst you’ll findthat maybe excessmileage
hasworndown therings, orthebores, or valve
guides,but these can be replaced or re-bored and
the parts (mayberequirin greplacements such as
Wisecofor thepistons) are readilyavailable. When it
comes to consumableswe cannever fail tobring in
Wemoto, who doan excellent service forJapanese
classics(often with next-day delivery).
Increasingly,classic- andmarque-enthusiast
forums–now often replaced by Facebook groups –
are agoodplace to find fellow ownerswho’ll have
experience andadvice, and possibly eventheirown
stash ofparts from which they might let the odd
piece goto agood cause. TheVJMCFacebookgroup
is agoodstarthere, but there isaGS750-specific
FB group ,with2500members, which reallyboils it
down to the purest essence!Oh, and some good
news on runningcosts. Beinga1977 model, the
GS750 now slips into the 40-year-old MoT/Tax
exempt bracket.CONCLUSION
It’sanodd thing. Speak ofaHondaCB750K or a
Kawasaki Z1 and we’re talking much reverence,
talking icons of theSeventies, and allthat.And,
today ,we’re also talking stratosphericprices. Yetthe
GS750–Suzuki’ssaviour and altogetherabrilliant
bike, areal historical item, and thefirstGSafter all
–simplydoesn’tregister.It’salmost lumped into the
UJM category. It does n’tdeserve tobe. Only maybe
that’ snobad thing, for thismakes theGS750
affordable toAverage Man. And in the real world,
where we ride ourclassics, it means we can ride for
less andwithout the hang-ups that comewithriding
truly valuable machines. And therideisg ood,better
thansaid icons in manyways, and essentially fun–
after all, itwasaracer as well asaroadbike backin
its day.Somaybeweshouldkeep it that way:yeah,
the GS750–no, yo uwouldn’tlike one.SPECIFICATION
ENGINE TYPE
Air-cooled, four-cylinder,
8valve,DOHC,four-stroke
CAPACITY
748cc
BORE&STROKE
65 x58.4mm
COMPRESSION RATIO
8.7:1
CARBURETION
VM26SS Mikuni x4
MAX POWER
68hp@8500rpm
TORQUE
44ft-lb@7000 rpm
IGNITION
Battery/coil, contact
breakers
TRANSMISSION
Five-speed gearbox, wet
multi-plate clutch, chain
final drive
FRAME
Steel, braced duplex
SUSPENSION
Forks: 35mm Kayaba
telescopic forks.Rear:Twin
shocks adjustable for
damping and preload
WHEELS
Steel, wire spoked, 3.25
x19, 4.00x18
BRAKES
Front: Single disc 292mm,
single-piston caliper.Rear:
292mm disc single-piston
caliper
WHEELBASE
1490mm
RAKE&TRAIL
63º, 107mm
WEIGHT
223kg
FUEL CAPACITY
18 litres
FUEL CONSUMPTION
44mpg
TOP SPEED
123mph
PRICE IN 1979
£1260■Thanks to Marc Earl at EarlsClassi cs in Kent
(01959 444441)for thenicely fettledtestbike
(whichisfor sale!).Every four-stroke Suzuki since
owesadebttothe daddy here...Mikunis handled fuelling.Shocks can feel shoddy: not so on
this example.http://www.classicmechanics.com /53