My other rides

[gammer]

This was my 78 GS550E until recently. It died and I parted it out on flea~bay. I did some work to it...like 4-1 exhaust, Boyer Bransden Electronic ignition, chopped front fender, rebuilt seat, Maier fairing, aftermarket signals and mirrors. It was a chain drive model (6 speed trans) and I always stayed away from o-ring chains on anything smaller then a 600cc as o-ring chains are power robbing. It only had single disk front brakes and drum rear brakes. I was never happy with its stopping power. Oh, and this had manual carbs.
As you can tell from the pic, the paint job was done by a non-professional painter...me 


This is currently my second bike. 82 GS650G. Quite a bit better then the 550. Noticeably more power. Shaft drive, dual disk brakes front and single disk rear. vacum carbs. So far all I've done was changed the signals, bars and mirrors. I need to recover the seat as the guy I bought it from had it sitting for a while and it dried out. I like the mag wheels better (easier to clean) and now I have a gas gauge 
Suzuki should have made this a 6 speed, but alas, its only a 5 speed.

[detdrbuzzard]

how does the suzuki 650 compare with your nighthawk? i was looking at a gs1000 either an '80 or '81 when i found that 750f

[happycommuter]

Ooh, somebody appreciates the decency of no-nonsense standard bikes!  I love the timeless classic good looks of both of them, and your mods are pretty harmonious with the original styling.

[gammer]

how does the suzuki 650 compare with your nighthawk? i was looking at a gs1000 either an '80 or '81 when i found that 750f

I'll let you know as soon as I get my engine back together on the Nighthawk and get it out for a spin. My guess is the Nighthawk will be much better. I'll post details when the time comes 

The GS's were a great family of bikes. The engines were die hard and there are still lots of them on the road. I'm also a member on the GS Resources forum too. Lots of folks on that forum.

Yeah I really like the early - mid 80's bikes allot.

[gammer]

how does the suzuki 650 compare with your nighthawk? i was looking at a gs1000 either an '80 or '81 when i found that 750f

Now that I've put a few Km's on my Nighthawk, I feel I can compare it to the GS650.
First off, I've sold the GS650. When I picked up the two black/blue 85 Nighthawks for parts, my better half said one them has got to go...and yes, it was the Suzuki.

So right away, I notice the Nighthawk is taller and longer. It feels lighter when I push it though and it rolls smoother. The length in the Nighthawk is noticeable in the corners. While the GS650 is shorter in length and height, it felt more nimble and you could 'flick' it around corners quicker. The Nighthawk feels like you have to work a bit harder in the corners.
The nighthawk definitely has more power and is faster. As I mentioned the GS was only a 5 speed and the O/D gear in the Nighthawk makes all the difference. While it felt like the GS engine was straining at 120 Km/H, the Nighthawk doesn't even think twice at this speed.
So if I had to say the Nighthawk had a 'con', it would be that it doesn't corner as well as a smaller bike, but I think its a small price to pay for all the other pluses.