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/126410
GS850G 26 . (Continuedfrom page 23) test riders , unlike the magazines' road ra cer -t ypes, don 't usually drag footpegs , bottom frames or scuff side and centerstands, The centersrand on the GS850, however, got worn down even at our sedate pa ce . If it's too low for us, it could hurt braver souls. One final "we wish we it had . . ." We wish it had a quartz (ha logen or iodide) headlight. The sta nd a rd on e is . .. well , sta nd a rd . Nothing really wrong with tha t. Just wish it were brighter. The Suzuki four -strok e four cylinder motor provides more than a de q u a te power for comfort abl e touring and excit ing playriding . It a cc elerates briskly at a rat e approaching that of its sporty 750cc brother. Likew ise , stopping is an im pressive feat when firm pressure is applied , and th e three sets of brake pucks sq uee ze th e three discs . We " d id n't hav e th e opportunity to test th em in wet" wea ther, though , and cannot offer a first hand impression of how (if) th ey work when wet. Dry, th ey're great. Suspens ion on the GS850G is highly specialized by street bik e sta nd ards. The forks a re ai r/spri ng units. We didn 't ex pe r ime nt with d ifferent pressures but understand that th e cha nges a re subtle. It 's th e overa ll " feel" of th e a ir suspension that we enjoyed ; it gives a nimble, light-on you r-feet feeling a nd makes you yearn for a set of slalom flags to flop b ack and forth through . The rear shocks ha ve five-way adju stabl e spr ing preload and adjustable damping control. Both a re easily accomplished with the goodies found in the Suzuki's toolkit. The damping is easily set using the ignition key to. flip the numbered dial found' atop the shock units under a neoprenelooking seal. The spring and damping rates seem to have been designed to accommodate lightweight single sprint" touring or doubled up friendly touring with luggage. Just dial -in yo u r pleasure. Nothing but kind words came from th e pass enger's seat. The stepped Suzuki sa d d le is contoured thoughtfully for both rider and passenger comfort , neither too squa re and sharp-edged nor overl y rounded and humped in the middle. Just right. Handlebar and footpeg placement" contributed to a comfortable ride for a five-foot, lO-inch tester. One of our shorter testers complained about the overall height of the Suzuki and wondered what size the designers had in mind when they chose their dimensions . Details? We liked the red-colored instrument lights, easy on the eyes and easy to read . We appreciated the gas gauge; you know how you always seem to hit reserve immediately after you change lanes in front of a semi. We offered i heartfelt thank-you to Mr . Suzuki for not putting a beeper on is tum signals; they're self-cancelling and the instrument lights are" bright enough to remind you anyway. We admired the combination key switch/ fork lock that's located up on the fork crown where it belongs. We enjoyed the vibration-free (well , almost) mirrors that actually reflected crisp im ages at touring speeds . . . and above. In fact, we liked a lot of things about the GS850G Suzuki . And by today's standards, . the _ S~,059 price tag isn 't even too outrageous. Especially when you take into consideration that since they put the bik e just barely into the under900cc insurance category, you get a full -size touring machine with a built in price break. • . ' . .... .