The Hayabusa of the late 1970s and early 1980s was the mighty GS1000S, still a good bike these days as Jeff found out on a test of this mint unrestored unofficial Wes Cooley edition…

We will call this one an “unofficial” Wes Cooley edition because Suzuki never actually marketed the bike a Wes Cooley GS1000S. It was simply a blue and white S version that happened to resemble the same colours as the AMA winning Yoshimura machine.

Tall fairing, bucket loads of power and an awesome colourscheme! Far-out, what an awesome looking machine.

Tall fairing, bucket loads of power and an awesome colourscheme! Far-out, what an awesome looking machine.

In fact, crazily, the bike was originally only released for the European market but as soon as US dealers saw the bike there was demand, as you could imagine. Apparently just over 1000 went to the USA in 1979 and 1980, roughly one for each Suzuki dealer, the rest staying in Europe.

Check out our other classic bike tests here…

The 1979 GS1000S quickly became the sought after GS for the sportier rider, with some updates over the GS1000 and GS1000E including more ground clearance, an 18in rear wheel, 28mm Mikuni’s over the 26mm ones on the other models, stiffer suspension, a bikini fairing, lower handlebars and a clock in the S version dash. The main standout, however, was the awesome blue and white paint scheme, which was quickly tagged the ‘Wes Cooley’ replica.

In 1980, the S copped an electronic ignition, getting rid of the points, as well as bigger carburettors, a racier shaped seat, revised airbox, slotted brake rotors, a new master-cylinder and different shaped larger megaphone mufflers. Both models are hard to come by now but are still, to this day, a bloody awesome motorbike, as I recently discovered… 

This unrestored showroom condition 1979 GS1000S belongs to Luis Gallur, a local collector here in Sydney who has over 100 bikes. He purchased this one from the USA off the original owner. It is cared for, along with all of his collection, by Dudley Lister at Dudley’s Motorcycles, Wyong, NSW. Incidentally, I did part of my apprenticeship as a bike mechanic with Dudley as head mechanic back in the early 1990s… The bike has under 16,000 miles on the dial and is absolutely mint original aside from the tyres, fitted for safety sake more than anything.

This unrestored showroom condition 1979 GS1000S belongs to Luis Gallur, a local collector here in Sydney who has over 100 bikes.

This unrestored showroom condition 1979 GS1000S belongs to Luis Gallur, a local collector here in Sydney who has over 100 bikes.

The bike was in storage for decades and obviously well looked after and preserved, as it is rust, corrosion and fade free. Looking over it, it is like stepping back in time to when I was a kid wide-eyed and wandering through the Suzuki dealership not far from home. I was more interested in the free stickers and RM80s I supposed but I do remember big road bikes with lots of shiny chrome… 

Imagine winning at Daytona on this machine! The size and weight would have us out of breath by lap one...

Imagine winning at Daytona on this machine! The size and weight would have us out of breath by lap one…

You know what? The first big road bike I ever rode and the very first four-stroke was a 1980 GSX1100. It was massive compared to my TZR250. I was 17, on my restricted licence and I convinced my boss to let me take it home from the shop one arvo. My boss was Len Willing, Warren Willing’s brother and a legend 500 racer here.

He was pretty loose and he let me take it. I will never forget the feeling of opening the throttle and the rear wheel spinning in the rain on the slick wet road, spinning up through the gears past the shop. I still smile when I think about it… my first experience of torque and wheelspin on a road bike. Oh and I haven’t forgotten the bollocking I got from Len when I arrived at work the following morning (he heard me spinning up the road, Tuggerah Straight). I spent the day sweeping up and taking morning tea and bloody lunch orders and the rest of the week changing tyres…

The GSX was a monster to me but a few years later my friend Kris Smith (RIP mate) bought a mint, and I mean mint, 1979 GS850G. I loved that bike and spent many a weekend chasing him around on my FZ750, often with Helmut (RIP) on what is now my RG500 as well.

The bike was in storage for decades and obviously well looked after and preserved, as it is rust, corrosion and fade free.

The bike was in storage for decades and obviously well looked after and preserved, as it is rust, corrosion and fade free.

The GS850 was still a cool bike and was a kind of sports tourer or touring version of the GS1000, although I never understood why it wasn’t a 1000. Instead, the bike was a mix of GS1000 chassis and running gear, softened up for touring, with a big-bore GS750 engine and was only available in shaft drive. Still, an awesome bike and at the time I was really keen to ride a proper GS1000S, particularly a Wes Cooley one, although I had never seen one in the flesh… Kris traded his GS in for a purple GSX-R750N, and I reckon by 1995 none of my riding mates had UJM’s anymore; it was a new era of water-cooling and Fluro graphics.

Fast forward to now and I’m the same teenager inside trapped in an ageing body, (only reminded of my age recently when it was announced that 1989 model bikes are eligible for classic road rego here in OZ), still with a thing for big Suzuki motorcycles and in particular, those of the blue and white colours. My dream collection would be a blue and white RGV250M, RG500, GSX-R750F, GSX-R750M, GSX-R750T, GSX-R1100G, and GS1000S. Imagine those lined up near the beer fridge? Of course, I can only dream. At least I have ridden all but the GSX-R1100 and I own an RG500. 

"Of course, when the opportunity came to ride this GS1000S, an original 1979 at that, the first one, I was totally stoked. It was definitely one I had been waiting for…"

“Of course, when the opportunity came to ride this GS1000S, an original 1979 at that, the first one, I was totally stoked. It was definitely one I had been waiting for…”

THE RIDE
Of course, when the opportunity came to ride this GS1000S, an original 1979 at that, the first one, I was totally stoked. It was definitely one I had been waiting for… The bike is stunning in the flesh. It is the grandpa of the GSX1100, GSX1400, GSX-R1100 and Hayabusa and the most handsome of the lot. It is also the nicest to ride, to my surprise…

“First of all, the GS is not for the faint of heart or inexperienced as at over 220kg dry, it is a heavy beast. However, once on the go the weight falls away…’

First of all, the GS is not for the faint of heart or inexperienced as at over 220kg dry, it is a heavy beast. However, once on the go the weight falls away. The seat is low, wide, and soft by today’s standards but was sporty in 1979. The tank is long but narrower between the knees than it looks, while the ‘bars feel slightly lower and are a sportier almost flat bend.

"The seat is low, wide, and soft by today’s standards but was sporty in 1979. The tank is long but narrower between the knees than it looks, while the ‘bars feel slightly lower and are a sportier almost flat bend."

“The seat is low, wide, and soft by today’s standards but was sporty in 1979. The tank is long but narrower between the knees than it looks, while the ‘bars feel slightly lower and are a sportier almost flat bend.”

The rubber ‘pegs to seat distance is sportier than other GS models to give more ground clearance, however, the bike is still mega comfy. Perched high and wide on the massive bikini fairing are humungous mirrors and the dash is trick for the day but also big. Overall though, it is a proper muscle bike/superbike riding position…

Firing the old girl up was no problem, some fresh fuel, drain the carb’s, charge battery and a few cranks on the starter and the big four-cylinder eight-valve beast fired up and amazingly, quickly settled into a smooth idle off the choke. It could have been pre-delivered yesterday. Being the first ride in years, the clutch was a tad stuck and grabby but after a few miles it freed up and gear selection became smooth and notch free. Really amazing.

"The engine is silky smooth, with near spot on carburetion and the throttle is lovely, no snatch at all."

“The engine is silky smooth, with near spot on carburetion and the throttle is lovely, no snatch at all.”

Being that my real job is testing the latest modern bikes and has been for almost two decades, it doesn’t take me long to judge a bike and I’m instantly impressed with the GS. The engine is silky smooth, with near spot on carburetion and the throttle is lovely, no snatch at all.

The gearbox action is like a knife through butter, the exhaust note from the twin megaphones nice despite being the asthmatic USA version, there is a slight intake note and everything feels great. It pulls like a train straight off the bottom and although it not surprisingly flattens out up top I can see that by 1979 standards this would have been awesome. Maybe not the top-end of a Kwaka or even the Honda but definitely a more refined ride and much more useable, there when you need it power.

Riding brand-new bikes everyday then jumping on a classic like the GS1000 will make you really appreciate how far bikes have come in the past few decades...

Riding brand-new bikes everyday then jumping on a classic like the GS1000 will make you really appreciate how far bikes have come in the past few decades…

Handling-wise, the GS1000S does nothing extraordinary but, then again, I reckon it does everything well, like the engine, the chassis offers a broad performance platform. Nothing stands out as exceptional but also there are no surprises. The ‘bars, footpeg position, firmer (for the day) suspension, addition of modern rubber and definitely the bikini fairing give the bike a sporty feel and as I started to get a bit more confident and upped the pace on the GS I was blown away by how hard this thing can actually be punted.

“Yep, it wallowed, it weaved, it kicked back, and it bottomed out but man, it made me feel alive and it let me know where it was at, with no hint of spitting me into the bushes without warning.”

Yep, it wallowed, it weaved, it kicked back, and it bottomed out but man, it made me feel alive and it let me know where it was at, with no hint of spitting me into the bushes without warning. Not like a modern, rigid, superbike… The brakes, however, take a lot to get used to, they are of course below par even by 1979 standards and need a mega squeeze! They work if all three are used and a heap of engine braking, but it is all part of the fun.

"Cruising on the bike is equally as satisfying, it is so plush and comfy I reckon I could ride it all day."

“Cruising on the bike is equally as satisfying, it is so plush and comfy I reckon I could ride it all day.”

Cruising on the bike is equally as satisfying, it is so plush and comfy I reckon I could ride it all day. Pillions would be in heaven and to be totally blunt, there are bugger all bikes that could give the overall use and reliability of a GS these days, no wonder they are all high mile of still owned bikes. They beg to be ridden and have loads of character, particularly with the blue and white…

I really enjoyed my ride on the GS1000S and if I could I would definitely have one in the garage for a daily rider. With the reliability of air-cooling, roller-bearing mains and big-ends, shim over bucket valve actuation, fabulous oil distribution, beefy clutch and gearbox and over-engineered chassis mean the GS1000 will virtually go forever so a low mile unit may still be in the 100,000 these days but that is nothing to be concerned about really…

The only issue is a well-known one, the first model S had the non-grooved brake rotors and they didn’t work in the wet!  You would be nuts to ride a Wes Cooley S in the rain anyway, so who cares? What a bike. What a legend. What a ride! 

Wes Cooley Suzuki GS1000S Specifications

Engine: 997cc, air-cooled, DOHC 2-valves per cylinder four-cylinder four-stroke, five-speed gearbox, wet clutch with cable actuation, 28mm Mikuni VM carburettors, 70 x 64.8mm bore x stroke, 38mm IN, 32mm EX valves, points and twin coil ignition, 90hp@8000rpm.

Chassis: Single backbone thin wall mild steel frame, twin shocks and conventional forks, dual front rotors with twin-piston calipers (f), single rotor with twin-piston caliper (r), 19in and 18in mag wheels, 232kg dry. 

Performance: 217km/h-plus 

Wes Cooley Suzuki GS1000S Gallery

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