Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126251
Like the GS75O. the Suzuki GS550 likes to corner. Handling is superb. GS550: Another fast, -tractable four-Stroke from Suzuki When the Suzuki GS750 made its appearance in the United States, it made everything else in the 750cc street bike class look bad. The GS~50 is faster , smoother, and better handling than any other 750 currently ' produced. Raced both with stock displacement and in punched-out versions . the GS750 has established itself on the road racing circuit as well . In Southern California . GS750s have a lready racked up 750 Production. Open Production. and Open Su perstreet (Cafe) wins at Willow Springs and Onta rio . . The. GS550 promises to do to the 500-550 class what the GS750 did to 't he 750 class - dominate . The GS550 is fast (about 13.5 seconds elapsed time in t he sta nding start Y4 -rnile ( - a Ho nda 550 recen tly turned 14 .4 5 seconds elapsed time in a Cycle Guide test). Before the GS550 ever appeared on these sho res . Suzuki sa id it wou ld be t he fastest t hi ng in its class . It is. 'T he bike feels la rger than a 550 when ridden . The seat is wide and comforta ble . and the 4 .5 ·gallon ta n k seems wide. It's natural that the gas tank seems large - it is for a 550, about the size of the gas tanks often fo und on competitive 750s . Ha nd ling is superb. Like the GS750 . the GS550 flicks from side to side with little effort. It likes to corner. and likes to follow .a selected line without hesitation or argument. It handles. The bike we rode came with IRC "Grand High Speed GS-I I AWoo ti res. 3. 75X IS " rea r . 3.25X 19" front . After the excellent handling. the most impressive thing about the little road burner is the do uble-overheadcam engine. It seems as tho ugh the bike has two disti nct powerbands. It pulls from 2.000 rpn:' without hes ita tion . Shifting at 5,000 rp m. the bike feels good and runs strong without any p roblem . 5,000 rpm in sixth gea r eq uals about 60 mil es per hou r. r Above 6 .000 rp m. th e engine cha nges pe rson a lity , revving quickly to th e 9.500 rpm redline with remarkable pu nch for a stock 550 . T he brakes are better th a n t hose on the GS750 , beca use the GS550 ha s a drum bra ke. not the overly-se nsitive d isc on th e GS750 . Thus . th e rea r whe el hop u nder braking com m on with GS750s isn't a problem with this GS550. What was a problem was difficulty finding neu tral and a general stickiness in shifting. The bike we rode was a pre-production model . and the transmission shift drum design has been changed in production line models, according to Suzuki. During the time we rode the GS550 • the b ike averaged about 40 miles per gallon of unleaded fuel sucked through t.he four 22mm Mikun i carburetors. Above 6.000 rpm . the gas tank rumb les in harmony with the engine to produce a rattling . sound that is disconcerting. but not significant of any trouble. A glove compartment is provided in the seat back. Electrics work flawlessly . as usual with bikes from Japan . The GS550 is the finest 550 ever. We can hardly wait to ride one after some of the after -market horsepower brokers get done wit h it. • Specifications Engine Type : Four-stroke. DOHC. Air-cooled. four cylinder Displacement.. .. . ...••... . 549cc Carburetor.. Four. Mikuni VM22SS Compression Ratio . .. ..•• . . . 8.5:1 Bore and Stroke 56.0 x 55.8mm Starter System Electric and kick Transmission 6-speed. constant mesh Suspension: Front Fork Telescopic. oil. damped Rear Swingarm ..... Oil-damped. 5-way adjustable Ground Clearance 6.3 in. Brakes: Front . ... Hydraulic'caliper disc Rear . .. Internal expanding Tires: Front. .. . . .. • .. 3.25H19-4PR Rear ..... .. • .. . 3.75H18-4PR Lubrication System.. .. • Wet sump Fuel Tank Capacity 4.5 gals. Length 84.4 in . Width 33.7 in: Height .. .. . .. . .. . • .. • . • .• 44.9 in. Wheelbase 55.7 in. Dry Weight..... . • .... .. •. 430 Ibs. (Above) Instruments glow red at night. are easy to read. Fork lock is incorporated into ignition switch. (Below) The engine seems as if it has two distinct powerbands, one for putting. one for screaming. The border between the two is at 6.000 rpm. 17