Topic: Suzuki GS750

[Rocking-M]

I'm checking out a Suzuki 750GS 78 tomorrow for the son.
At $450 it sounds like a real bargan and the only problem seems
to be the charging system may be weak. Runs great with a good
battery but goes to missing when it gets weak. At least according to
the owner.

I've never owned a Suzuki but been on a 1000 once. It would fly!

Any of you folks had one? What do you think?

Oh yea, I wish we could find a 750 or 550 or even a 650 Honda but
they seem to hiding.

[333]

I'd ask the age of the battery.  If it's more than 2-3 years, it's probably the culprit.  A buddy of mine had a GS850.  It had a noise in the valve train, but it was harmless.  Apparently it is a common noise, but never causes problems

[tsflstb]

The regulator/rectifier is a weak point of those bikes.  When those went, it damaged the "potting" in the stator and your charging system went out.  I had an '81 GS750 that had that problem.  It was bulletproof otherwise. 

Electrex was the company that made replacements back when I owned it.  There are probably others now.

[gar]

IMHO they are great bikes.  I would buy another if I could find one.   I owned an '80 GS750E - I think the main diff from a '78 is that the '80 had shim adjustable cams - and it was very fast, very reliable, and made an extremely satisfying sound at high rpms. I took it over 100mph just about every day I owned it.  On second thought, perhaps you shouldn't get one for your son.

I looked at a '78  GS750 last week in somebody's front yard.  Unfortunately it was rough, lacked the stock headlamp assembly (it had one of the old Vetter fairings on it), and wasn't worth the $650 asking price.