Suzuki GS questions.

Highside

Highside

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I don't belong to any Suzuki boards, so I'll ask this here.

Are there high compression pistons available for the GS 850 engine?

Are there big gas tanks that will fit the GS 850?

Are there easy ways to take weight out of those bikes? (they are very heavy for their displacement)
 
There are tons of head/cylinder swaps for the GS series that make lots of options on the modification dept. You really need to join the GSresources board. Lots of great people and info.

I think most of the weight is that bulletproof motor. Drag racers used them for years for a reason. My gs550 engine must weight twice the xs motor. The cast iron wheels are heavy as well if you have those.
 
hi guys,, i,ve been a gs resources member for a few years ... i own and ride a 1980 gs1000e,,, some what modified ,,they ar a sweet machine ,,nice cruiser,,and great acceleration,,, fairly easy to get parts for ,,,,,,you should try yoshimura performance parts...,,, and you could replace the standard exhaust with a 4 into 1... and re-kit the carbys and air box with pods ... Z1 stocks mikuni jets ... ,,, if your coil is crap you could look at swapping it for a gsxr1000 coil .. between a certain year of course ... its well worth joining them ,,,plenty of knowledge there ...regards oldbiker
 
The stock tank on a GS850 is enormous. I built one a few years ago and really loved it, didn't feel so heavy as you'd expect it to given its weight. The shaft drive was very pleasurable for daily driving IMO. smooth acceleration/shifting. I may pick up another as they can be had much more cheaply than their chain drive cousins.
 
Highside said:
How many miles are you able to get out of a tank of gas??
Click to expand...

good question. I removed the stock gauges and never replaced them and I also had a dynojet stage III installed so mileage was a bit lower than stock. I'd say at least 300 for certain.

Not sure about changing gearing... Never heard of it being done, but I've never looked into it, either.

regards
 
hi if you join gs resources they are always willing to help there,s a couple of well know bike builders / racer ... motor builders ,,,that really know what they are doing with the gs engine/transmission set up ,,, but don,t forget ,,HP cost money,, even on a shoe string .. you may be able to put a 1000cc head and barrel on a 850cc ,,, i don,t know,, but its worth joining and talking to the guys on gs resources ,,, catch up with racer ray,,, regards oldbiker
 
yeah, I'll probably just have to join GS resources, I'm trying to keep my board memberships under control though, I already belong to 7 boards, not counting this one.
 
hi pete,,, that gs ignition is SWEET,,, i like it,,, could it also and as easy,,, be used to replace existing electronic ignition ,, on 1980 etc... years,, regards oldbiker
 
A GS850 is actually heavier than the GS1000G. It might be difficult to shed too much weight as most of it is in the frame and motor (as opposed to where else....duhhh). They are generally regarded as being the most durable of all the GS bikes, which is saying a lot. They were also in production the longest. The 850 is actually a bored 750 motor, so it likes to rev for an 8 valver. I don't think the 1000/1100G is a straight swap, but I could be wrong. I know you can put a 16V GS1100 into an 8 valve model without much hassle, so who knows? There is so much parts interchangeability amongst Suzukis that the options are pretty much endless. BassCliff and BWringer are the 850 guys on that site, although there are many others. They are a bit of a love/indifferent machine. I was never much into them, as I always preferred the 16V motors.

I should add that the steering stem length on most suzukis is the same, so that later GSXR front ends install without even changing the bearings. Suzuki didn't re-engineer anything if they could get away with it.
 
Last edited:
Highside said:
I don't belong to any Suzuki boards, so I'll ask this here.

Are there high compression pistons available for the GS 850 engine?

Are there big gas tanks that will fit the GS 850?

Are there easy ways to take weight out of those bikes? (they are very heavy for their displacement)
Click to expand...

Hello Highside.

As far as the engine almost everything is possible. There´s a huge pile of parts that you´´re able to put in these engines. Just search the net.
I don´t know how big the 850 tank is but I know the GS1100E - 81 tank i huge! (-82 is ugly) Should fit after some minor work:thumbsup:

The big GS bikes are sturdy from factory.......both for the good and the bad. If you´re into loose some major weight on that bike there is some work to do. Engine is heavy and there´s not much to do about that. Maveric spokes, modern fork and "small" eletric system would help. Of course all the "crap" needs to go too.

Good luck/BigBoreSwede
 
MacMcMacmac said:
A GS850 is actually heavier than the GS1000G. It might be difficult to shed too much weight as most of it is in the frame and motor (as opposed to where else....duhhh).
Click to expand...

If the frame is too heavy, then some weight could be shed there with a little fabrication skilz. Taking weight out of the engine is possible too, but generally more expensive.

They are generally regarded as being the most durable of all the GS bikes, which is saying a lot. They were also in production the longest. The 850 is actually a bored 750 motor, so it likes to rev for an 8 valver.
Click to expand...

That doesn't seem to reflect in the power figures, the 850 makes what? 70hp? There's no reason the 850 engine should'nt make 1 horse per 10cc's if it's reving higher than a 750.

I don't think the 1000/1100G is a straight swap, but I could be wrong. I know you can put a 16V GS1100 into an 8 valve model without much hassle, so who knows? There is so much parts interchangeability amongst Suzukis that the options are pretty much endless. BassCliff and BWringer are the 850 guys on that site, although there are many others. They are a bit of a love/indifferent machine. I was never much into them, as I always preferred the 16V motors.
Click to expand...

For most riding, 8v motors are fine. Hell, they run 8v engines in NHRA pro stock mc, an those are in the 350hp range.

I should add that the steering stem length on most suzukis is the same, so that later GSXR front ends install without even changing the bearings. Suzuki didn't re-engineer anything if they could get away with it.
Click to expand...

Well, that should help throw around the 850's massive bulk. I really need to spend some time test riding one to see how heavy it feels.
 
Probably easier to source and install an 1100G motor and carbs. I doubt the 850 has much in the way of upgrades available for it.
 
Could be, but the 1100G complete drivetrain swap would be more straightforward and would include any upgraded components needed to deal with the extra torque and horsepower. Some guys on the XS11 site got caught out when they swapped in XS750/850 final drives into their 11's to drop the revs and started shedding gear teeth. You have to keep the crankshaft in mind as well, I doubt the stroke is the same length.
 

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