GS400 - good or bad?

I

ianryeng

Member
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Hi,

I have been a forum member for a little while and am now considering getting my first bike.
Will be going to see an '82 GS400E tomorrow which would be used for my daily commute.
The appeal is it will be fairly cheap to insure (had my M2 for less than 1year) and reasonable fuel economy.
Does anyone have one and if so would they recommend it or is it something to avoid?

From what I can tell the bike is in good condition but I can't find much about them online aside from specs.
Guess I'm just looking for a second opinion and would appreciate some feedback.

Thank you very much,
-Ian
 
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I own a 1983 GS400E, exactly the same as the '82 but the engine's painted black from the factory.

I'm assuming you're talking about the bike of this style: http://www.dakotaspeed.com/Motorcycle/Suzuki/Images/1982_GSX400E_8Valve.jpg, and not like this: http://www.suzukicycles.org/photos/GSX/GSX400/1981_GSX400_blue_450.jpg

Fuel economy is decent; I just filled up with premium for 17 bucks and that should get about 250km till reserve. Because of where it likes to rev at highway speed, it's possible you'll get equal or better city mileage than hwy.

Parts are tough to find; make sure you don't need to replace any plastics, and if you do, expect something along the lines of $150 for a side panel. I only know of 2 dealers that I can deal with regarding this bike, 2 wheel in Guelph has the michrofiche, and Sturgess in Hamilton has assured me they can look to cmsnl.com to get part numbers, and then presumably order from Suzuki.

Insurance is indeed "cheap". As soon as I popped over 400 in my quotes, they went up a solid $1000-$1500/year. I also have had my M2 for less than a year (actually, I had my M1 when I insured it.)

You should note that in Europe the bike is called a GSX 400 E, and sometimes you'll see a Z after it, denoting the model year. Z is '82, D is '83, parts are pretty much interchangeable.

All in all, just make sure you get a fair price for the work you're willing to put into it. I had to do clutch pack (well, really just the springs), fork seals, and replace the headlight bulb. I picked the bike up for $870, and that was about fair. Do all the standard used bike checks.

PM me for a copy of the service manual. You'll probably want a hard copy anyway, and you can get it here: http://www.bitzforbikes.co.uk/Haynes_Manual_(new)-ref-9747-8615-303-.html
 
Pretty simple to work on, has a locknut valve adjuster system IIRC and is fun to ride, it would make a fantastic commuter bike. The gear indicator is a neat feature that is pretty rare on bikes old and new. I would recommend it, but make sure you know exactly what you're buying - any 30 year-old bike of any kind can have problems, and even if it looks perfect it probably isn't.
 
drumstyx said:
Also this. It certainly is easier to find parts for the 450 and 500. Insurance isn't quite as good though.
Click to expand...

Parts arnt to bad.. TBH. Some i had to get from europe such as the carb boots and O-rings. But the majority have been directly ordered from dealer (CMNSL for parts number). I have bought over 600 in parts so far and most were direct from dealer.
 
ianryeng said:
Hi,
Its a good bike, just make sure the Rectifier is in good state. These bikes had issue with them because they were subjected to quite a bit of engine heat.


I have been a forum member for a little while and am now considering getting my first bike.
Will be going to see an '82 GS400E tomorrow which would be used for my daily commute.
The appeal is it will be fairly cheap to insure (had my M2 for less than 1year) and reasonable fuel economy.
Does anyone have one and if so would they recommend it or is it something to avoid?

From what I can tell the bike is in good condition but I can't find much about them online aside from specs.
Guess I'm just looking for a second opinion and would appreciate some feedback.

Thank you very much,
-Ian
Click to expand...
Its a good bike, just make sure the Rectifier is in good state. These bikes had issue with them because they were subjected to quite a bit of engine heat.
 
Hi Everyone,

Thank you so much for all the feedback and responses.
Your opinions and information are greatly appreciated.
So glad I found this forum with such friendly and knowledgeable members :)

I took a look at it today and overall it looks like it is in great shape.
The owner appears to have taken good care of it and is including lots of extra parts.
The only issue is looking like the carb needs to be cleaned after being stored for the winter.
Planning to pick it up tomorrow and hope that a quick cleaning will have me up and running.

Thank you all again.
-Ian
 
ianryeng said:
Hi Everyone,

Thank you so much for all the feedback and responses.
Your opinions and information are greatly appreciated.
So glad I found this forum with such friendly and knowledgeable members :)

I took a look at it today and overall it looks like it is in great shape.
The owner appears to have taken good care of it and is including lots of extra parts.
The only issue is looking like the carb needs to be cleaned after being stored for the winter.
Planning to pick it up tomorrow and hope that a quick cleaning will have me up and running.

Thank you all again.
-Ian
Click to expand...


Is this a red one from Markham? Come with a parts bike?
 
drumstyx said:
Aw man! That's probably the next part I'm looking for on mine! How much did you snag it for? Any idea if the 450 exhaust headers would fit on the 400?
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100 bucks. I grabbed a whole bunch of parts. Yea the 450 will fit. You can grab the MAC exhaust for the 450 since a good condition stock pipe is hard to find
 
So I pulled the trigger and now have a GS400 sitting in my garage.
Thank you all for the feedback, advise, and support.

Looking forward to seeing some warmer weather to get it out :)
 
ianryeng said:
So I pulled the trigger and now have a GS400 sitting in my garage.
Thank you all for the feedback, advise, and support.

Looking forward to seeing some warmer weather to get it out :)
Click to expand...


First thing u should do is run throught the "Stator papers" on the GS resources website.

The only thing commenly having issues on these is the recitifier and that cooks the stator. If both are bad replace both be worry free. If both are good repace the R/R with fire wire honda one from a cbr1000 or somthing else. There is a full list of ones that a basicly direct wirein swaps on the site.
 
Thanks for the advice.
Will look into replacing the regulator before it cooks my stator.

Maybe a silly question but what is R/R?
*Nevermind :rolleyes: (reg/rect lol)
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