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/126296
Suzuki was asked why they didn't go for an 1100 or 1200cc monsterbike . Their answer was consistent ; the design goal was to build a bike th at weighed under 500 lbs . Suzuki felt that weight decrea se rath er than d ispl acement incre ase would produce th e lightest . bes t handling . and qu ickest bike. Their approach strikes the right cho rd of achieving more with less. Em issions co n t ro ls are h andl ed through ca r b u re tor size restricti on (26 m m r ath er th a n 28mm ), adj ustmen ts in jetting . a nd crankcase va po r reci rculation th ro ugh th e air cleaner ' - th e st a ndard rebreather meth od . Suzuk i ma nagement ca ndid ly admits that the current 1000cc engi ne will not meet U.S . EPA 1980 em issions sta nda rds th ough it's obviously passed for 1977 ·79 . That could mean th at later m od el s will feature e it h er a perform an ce decr ease or di splacem ent increase or both. The o ther EPA standa rd. nois e . is met easily at an 81 dbA level. No ise reduction was a chi eved by air int a ke and muffler mods as well as a ll the trick cha in noise deaden ers mentioned before. The sou nd of the machine is auth ori t at ive and ve ry purposeful without being annoying. Th e fr ont a n d re a r singl e di sc brakes a re a- match for th e GS I 000 und er an y circ u ms t a n ce s we enco u ntered incl ud ing 130 mph track testi ng . The d ua l front d isc of th e "E" mo del is supe rfl uo us but th e look sells. Ther e was no gr ab . a nd no fa de was noticeabl e . Very light pressure was a dequa te . ye t th e re was good progression to th e squeeze bo th front and rear. T he front calipe r is rea r mounted on th e fork leg while t he rear caliper is mounted a bove the disc in a very hea vy-duty arra nge ment . Suzuk i cou ld ha ve save d some weight without hurt in g b r a ki ng p e rfo rm ance b y featuring a drum b rake at th e rea r. But th e m a rk e t d em ands discs on Superbikes. W e'd venture that th e good braking is augmented by th e excellent "V" series tires which a re ra ted for over 120 mph sus tai ne d speeds . th e m ain structural difference being a doubled . firm er sid ewa ll. The rubb er co mpound seems to work well wit h dry surfaces at all sp eed s. Hi gh speed performance is tot a ll y uncompro · mised . With th e forks at th e proper a ir pressure and the rider in a reas onable position . th ere is relat ively little geometry cha nge in hard braking; in fa ct . little furor of any kind ensues whe n you grab th e binders . It is very nice whe n trying to mak e a good turn of speed to wa it past you r "norm a l" braki ng point. ge t on th e twin disc s fir m ly but bri efly a nd have everything fall into order for th e tu rn. The sa fety im p lica tio ns for unplanned braking sho u ld a lso be ob viou s. In strumentation includes tach with an 8500 rpm red line . a speedomet er with 140 mph max speed etc hed on it . a resettable odomete r and idiot ligh ts inlcuding neutral. It is refreshing that th e speed o co n tai ns barely enough numbers to a ccurately indicate the potential of the machine. Maximum cla imed speed is 136.4 mph (220 kph) . We saw 135. The front headlamp is acceptab le for slightly supra -legal speeds but not adeq u a te for fast dashes into d ark corne rs . While we feel styli ng to be a very persona l matter a nd no t u su ally subject to judgmental p ronounce· ments , the Suzuki GS IOOO has been styled sim p ly and cleanly in keeping with the d esign philosophy of the machine. Available colors are dark (Continued to page 35) Hanna' bust berms like a~l SicJn up for the OfflCialSUiuId SChool of ross. We hate to boast. but this school may be th e best of its kind Why? Well, for one thing, it was designed by five-time World Cha mpion Roge r DeCoster. So you know it's good and tough. You11get professional instruction from a team of pros headed by Mark Bla ckwell.They will teach you al l the skills of mot ocrossing from berm-bustin g to sand-blasting. And you11leam on a n RM Suzuki ~ of your choice (100, 125, 250 or 400). ,.ef--::~ 3-day course includes individual instruction at the famed ~ Ca rlsbad International Raceway. Plus classroom study and physical fitness training. Sessions run year- around, but enrollment is limited. So sign up right away. Also, for youngsters nine years and up, a special Minicycle course is being offered this year. Students will be provided with RM-80 MXbikes. - SEEOfficial Suzuki SchoolDEALER FOR IHFORWRIlOtI MD RPPlICRTlOtlS IJUR SUZUNI of Motocross, 13767 Freeway Drive, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670 ere "'~R "IE ,\\1<'.;, LONG TRAVEL FORK KITS FOR ALL MADEDF6060 1T6ALLDY FORKS AVAilABlE IN 9 -10 - 11 - 12" Call 513-3n-760 7 mRRZOCCHI COMPETITION '~~:aD':.~TH ACCESSORIES INC. .~ lillJaJ.I.~1!(J ~ 270 N. 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