Hi,
I know this is an old thread, but I can’t help but answering anyway.
I’ve had this bike since April 1988; I fell in love with it instantly when it hit the Danish market pretty late before it was discontinued.
Heck, I hadn’t even tried the bike when I picked it up at the dealer, but I was never in doubt I had to own this baby (the very last they had at the dealer, by the way).
Now 32 years have passed, so we know each other pretty well by now. It does have a few flaws as has been mentioned here, such as the generator/rectifier issues.
I haven’t had much trouble with my stators though; it’s mainly the rectifiers which, as with many other bikes, are prone to failure. It was replaced recently with a cheap Shindengen copy from China, and this one has proven quite stable - it seems durable and keeps my voltage at around 14.2-14.3V at all times, even at idle.
It’s also true it’s a relatively heavy bike, but I think it handles reasonably well. It’s ideal for sport touring, perhaps even with passenger, and the engine never fail to impress. During the last many years I’ve been as far away as Baku, Volgograd (Stalingrad), Tbilisi, Yerevan (Armenia), etc. (done some extensive touring in the former Soviet Union), so I decided to lower my engine rpm. for cruising. +1 tooth front and -2 teeth rear, and the engine behaves as if it really doesn’t care - the torque it delivers is such a delight, even with this gearing.
Except for the usual issues with wear - cables, starter engine failure a single time, a worn stator, etc, the bike and especially the engine handles everything it is asked for, year after year. As mentioned I’ve had it for 32 years and even today I’m still impressed with the quality and endurance Suzuki managed to put into this bike.
I believe you’ll never regret buying this model; I haven’t - I’m still in love with it! :-D
