Suzuki GSX series
The first GSX models were introduced in 1980 and represented the next step in Suzuki's four-stroke road bike range after the two-valve GS Series.
The 63 bhp air-cooled, twin-cam, in-line four cylinder, GS750 road bike set the pattern for the GS/GSX range until the birth of the first of the race-replicas, the 1985 air/oil-cooled Suzuki GSX-R750.
This was to encourage controlled swirl of the incoming fuel-air charge in order to increase the fuel burn speed through better flame front propagation.
The higher burn speed, coupled with lowered heat loss from the shallower combustion chambers created by comparatively narrow included valve angles and the flat topped piston meant that the GSX engines produced more power and torque than the same sized GS mills.
The current range of bikes by that name are completely different designs that use derivatives of former super sports engines from the early-to-middle GSX-R series.
Although this bike received solid reviews from testing magazines (and came to be the testers' preferred 750 sport machine for the year), its release was an ill-timed duel against Honda's all-new V4 engine in the form of the VF750 Interceptor.
The 1983 GSX 750ES had air-adjustable anti-dive forks, preload and compression-adjustable rear mono-shock ("Full-Floater"), disc brakes at both ends, a fuel gauge and digital gear indicator.
In 1984 the U.S. market received the GS 700 - a bike with a de-stroked engine and minor cosmetic differences due to the imposition by the U.S. Government of a 50% tariff on all imported motorcycles displacing more than 700cc (repealed in 1988).
This plus a change in factory gear ratios enabled Suzuki to produce a US-only motorcycle with near-identical performance specifications to the GSX 750ES, even though engine displacement was 15 per cent smaller.
1984 also saw an update in color schemes for the GSX 750ES in the rest of the world, with the naked "E" being dropped in favor of the half-faired "ES" and a new "EF" model with full upper and lower sport fairings (never available as a factory option in the US).
The larger bikes, although still sought-after as classic superbikes, were also replaced by the GSX-F (Katana in North America only) lineups, based on detuned GSX-R engines with significant body styling changes such as an electrically operated screen in the 1100F, upgraded suspension and braking components, and frame revisions.
The earlier GSX750 and GSX1200 Inazuma (GSX750W and GSX1200W) were offered in Japan and Europe for a short time besides the GSF1200 Bandit to cater for a clientele that went for a more traditional styling and a somewhat higher build quality.
