Suzuki shocked a lot of people with the GS series, particularly with their 997cc-engined entrance into the liter bike market. It was fast, it had great handling and brakes, and over time it’s proven itself to be one of the most reliable engines in history. In 1978, Yoshimura was running a KZ1000 with Wes Cooley, but they weren’t winning races. They switched to the GS1000 and then started dominating – Cooley won the ’79 and ’80 AMA Superbike Championships. While this was happening, Suzuki decided to release a Euro-only sport version of the GS1000. Once American dealers got a peek, they started clamoring for them, too.
Enter the Suzuki GS1000S, of which only 500 were imported to the states in ’79. Another small batch was imported in ’80 of about 700 – supposedly one for every US Suzuki dealership. The 997cc inline four cylinder produced 90 horsepower, which was good enough to propel the 524 pound bike up to about 130 miles per hour. It was never officially marketed with a Wes Cooley tie-in, but consumers affectionately considered it a bit of a replica.
This example (VIN: GS1000524726) has 20,129 miles and it stands out for a couple of reasons that purists may not care for – the seller says it has a Yoshimura Stage 3 kit (1,100cc big bore with short skirt/slipper pistons + camshaft), a Yoshimura exhaust, PM billet wheels, PM master cylinder, PM calipers, and PM rotors. He says, “I opened her up in excess of 120mph just to shake off the cobwebs and she had plenty more. With the performance upgrades you get a much broader power band you’ll appreciate.” Thankfully, he also includes a quick video with a taste of what this sounds like:
Find this GS for sale in Zieglerville, Pennsyvlania with a BIN of $19,995 here on eBay.