Beautiful Survivor: 1985 Suzuki GS1150 ES

For Sale: 1985 Suzuki GS1150 ES

I know what you’re thinking: doesn’t this era of motorcycle really belong over on CSBFS? And truth be told, it does. However this bike is so exceptionally clean, so original, so NEW that I thought it deserved top billing right here on RSBFS. Send me your comments if you disagree, but make sure you check out all the pictures first. You would have been hard pressed to find a used 1150 ES in this condition back in 1986, much less 25 years later.

The 1150 is not your average motor scooter. Back in ’84, Suzuki bored out the GS1100 mill, upped the compression, played with cam timing, and launched the 1150E. Motorcycle magazines of the day promptly ripped off quarter mile times in the 10 second range, and proclaimed it the fastest bike of the year. With nearly 120 hp on tap, the 1150E was stout – to say the least. The ES model added the sport touring fairing, providing the rider with some protection considering the velocities the bike was capable of producing. This gorgeous example of the breed shows less than 4,000 miles on the odometer.

From the seller:
Up for bid is a MINT condition (other than a spot on the right side of the faring. You can see it in the picture)1985 Suzuki GS1150ES. It has 3598 original miles. It is completely stock and all original. It runs perfect. New tires (do to age not abuse).

With a double-downtube steel frame, GP-inspired 16-inch front wheel, anti-dive fork, and a Full Floater single shock rear complete with box aluminum swingarm, the rest of the 1150 was up to the power put out by the motor. The handling was reported to be stable, but with a gross weight of well over 500 lbs, directional changes were slower than that of contemporary “pure” sportbikes such the company’s own GSX-R.

This well-preserved rocket ship from the 1980s is available now on eBay. The auction opening ask is $4k. At the time of this writing, there were no takers on that number. Given, there are many machines from this era that are available for less – but a bike can only be completely stock and original once, and this is one such machine. As such, the opening ask is a relative bargain.

Kudos to the owner who kept this bike in this fabulous condition, and congratulations to the next lucky owner. If you want to check out the details or even get in on the action, . You won’t find many bikes in this condition, so enjoy!

MI