SUZUKI GSX 1100 E (GS 1150)
Having put 1,800 miles on the
Suzuki's 'E' version of the GSX1100, and after tipping just over 100 quids
worth of fuel into it's uniquely-shaped tank and wearing down the rear tread
to below the legal limit. I reckon I've got to know the bike reasonably
well. Not very pre-possessing; after all, we've seen the air-cooled 1100
engine around for some time and the instruments, warning lights and frying
pan size headlight are certainly beginning to look dated.
It's a bike which turns heads and in some quarters has a reputation
for turning corners, provided there aren't any bends in the road. In the
land of the golden gargle the full faired version of this machine, the EFE,
has earned itself a bit of a naughty reputation for alleged 'violent steering
instability problems', to such an extent that Western Australia's Consumer
Affairs Department placed an embargo on the sale or resale of the bikes.
We always knew they were a bunch of softies Down Under but - it turned out
to be a badly-handled TV programme which sparked it all off and the GSX
is back in circulation, not to say oscillation.
As with most big machines with 16in wheels, the steering can be quite light
and a nudge on the bars or a ripple in the road can sometimes encourage
it into a mini-tank slapper, but last year's road test bike always recovered
it's composure almost as quick as it had lost it. Anyway, we like to think
we've got an open mind here at PB so if any EFE owners have experienced
problems, let us know.
When I first began testing the unfaired 'E' model, I began to wonder if
there was a real problem in the design. With the machine slightly cranked
over at 70mph-plus speeds, the bike would bob and weave like a boxer. It
took quite a time to find out why.
Ride the bike with an oversuit on, hang on to the bars like your life depends
on it and it'll weave like there's no tomorrow. Relax your grip on the bars,
let your butt slide back against the hump contoured into the comfortable
bike seat and the bike's as stable as the proverbial rock.
What's an oversuit got to do with it, you may ask? Wind grabs at an oversuit
and makes you move everso slightly and the steering of the GSX with its
sixteen inch wheel is so very light that the slightest pressure on the bars
will cause a direction change. It wasn't just yours truly who came up with
this reason. PB's latest recruit, Ruben Paul, went for a blast on the GSX
without being warned about any handling quirks and to my great surprise
(he came back?--Ed) he confirmed my discovery. He found that when wearing
leathers, the bike is really stable. A few days later at the MIRA speed
test strip it showed no signs of faltering from a straight line when travelling
at 140mph.
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