Neglected 1978 Suzuki GS750, Will it run?

In this video we'll be attempting to get my barn find Suzuki GS750 started for the first time. This bike has been sitting in a shed for an unknown number of years before I picked it up off of facebook marketplace. This is the first video in a series of me attempting to resurrect this motorcycle and put it back on the road.

[@suffern63]

How I admire the people that bring these old bikes back to life.Great work.

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

Thank you!

[@zorroblings6886]

Same. There’s something very fascinating about the longevity and durability of these machines. They can be left out in the rain for decades, all it takes is a skilled individual and they’re out itching to roar like they did when they were new.

[@tardfighter]

Nothing better than bringing old iron back to life 🙌

[@steverandall5814]

I had a 1978 GS750E that I bought new in 1978! Great bike, kept it for 10 years.

[@HorseMalone]

These were a revelation when introduced. I so wish I could go back to then.

[@chollythecrazycorgihesinsa6505]

Always love to see an old bike get back on the road!!! Great job!🏍️

[@bigred8438]

The reason these bikes were so revolutionary was because of their frame and handling. The handling on the 750 and later models made them much better than any other Japanese offering at the time. I had one. I loved it. The four into two exhaust system gave it a very unique sound.

[@pierrewilliams1533]

I was thinking that. Compared to my GPz550, my friend's GS750 was a lot more stable and planted.

[@MarceloPaciorek]

Same here. The ride was much more smooth than the Honda. I had one in my 20s.

[@Rman1100]

Which is crazy to think cause they are so dangerous and unstable compared to anything built 20 years later

[@RayCis1]

I bought one a year ago, from '79 with only 33K on the clock, renewed airfilter/tires/chain & sprockets/Dynatec elec. ignition/coils/ better & more powerful Tokico 2-pistons brake calipers/front wheel bearings/crash bars/modified a Honda luggage rack to fit the GS. Must have the rear wheel spokes adjusted, some wobble in it. The looks I get from passers by, even house wives, is crazy, every single stop in the city, I must at once tell the story of this machine...The blue color, the chrome fender, nowadays it's all plastic...Had such a GS from '77 till '81, after that interest in riding dwindled away..but the memory of the GS became too strong to ignore....prices of these classics are rising, already seen ads of them with selling prices in the $4000-6500 range....

[@striker1553]

Couple suggestions. Take 'em or leave 'em. 1. Get yourself a set of Vessel JIS screwdrivers. Every single screw on these bikes is a JIS screw, unless someone else was 'screwing around' and replaced some with Philips. You'll be happy when less screws end up stripped. I bought the combination set with the Impacta screwdrivers. 2. Carb cleaning. Go to the auto parts store and get a can of Chem Dip. They come with a plastic dip tray. Once disassembled, the carb and all parts get dunked in the chem dip for a half hour or so. Cleans all the varnish off the carbs and allows the cleaner to get into the passages much better than spray. Use the spray only as a follow-up. Rinse the carbs off with water after the dip and THEN go ham with the air hose. 3. Keyster kits. Do yourself a favor, use the gaskets, and possibly the needle valves. Everything else, stick to genuine mikuni.

[@spaceflight1019]

One addition: lacquer thinner. Gumout is lacquer thinner. You can buy a gallon at the hardware store for the price of one spray can.

[@223Sako]

Also pick up an ultrasonic cleaner, they are pretty cheap and will work miracles on old carbs,

[@mariocooldude9092]

​@@spaceflight1019hahaha lacquer thinner ain't cheap anymore 😂 $20 or damn near

[@spaceflight1019]

@@mariocooldude9092 Yeah, the last time I bought it $4.99 was the price. It's still the only way to go to degunk anything.

[@Jeremy-kg1zr]

@@223Sako Didn't think of that. Thanks for the tip! Harbor Freight has an affordable one.

[@coptotermes]

Wonderful bikes! I had a 1979 GS850 back in the day which I rode on many long touring rides. Perth Australia to Cairns, to Tasmania, and many rides to the south-west of WA. Wish I still had it!

[@scottfarraway34]

Bringing back memories of my 1979 GS850 that I restored about 8 years ago. It was in very similar condition.

[@_J.F_]

One of my first motorbikes was a Suzuki GSX750 from 1982. It was a lovely bike and quite a beast for its time.

[@stewcrane3441]

Great project and very explanatory for anyone wondering, contemplating, how hard this would be. You walked right through it. This should be a tutorial on the GS750 Forum! Great job.

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

Thanks, I'm trying to find that sweet spot of providing enough detail so that it could help people while keeping the video engaging.

[@C10Scottsdale]

I had this exact bike except with spoke wheels and a flat seat. I had it for 18 years and when I finally sold it I had a GS1000 motor punched to 1055 CC and installed a turbo (Rajay 301). Went 152mph in the quarter (9's). I wish I had it still yet today. It was fun having GS550 emblems on it and others thinking t was a small motor.

[@wisecampmotorcycles8258]

I have a soft spot for the Kawasaki's of that era. The Z650 in particular. I have a 1978 model in beautiful condition. I love working on these old classics!

[@MirchiBoy]

The duck tail on the 650s looks the best. Better than the 900s and 1000s

[@2vintage68]

I bought a new one in 1977. Blue. Absolutely fantastic bike. At the right price I would buy one in excellent condition in a heartbeat.

[@Kerry70]

Pretty impressive! I have a very similar bike - a 1978 Suzuki GS550 that sat in my father's garage for 20 years after he quit riding. It too was in pretty rough shape cosmetically - lots of surface rust but mechanically, all it took to get it running again was fresh gas, new plugs, a new battery and a couple cans of carb cleaner. It turned over but wouldn't start until finally I tracked down the issue (Haynes Manual to the rescue!) new points and condensers. Maybe I could have simply cleaned them and reset the gap but given the age of the bike at the time (32) and the low cost, it was just as easy to replace them. New tires, new chain and a few new lights and it was back on the road! I've since done a lot of work on it to make it look nicer and completely rewired it with a couple upgrades but it's still running great!

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

These bikes really are simple and very easy to work on. Have done a similar restoration on a GS650L and it was very smooth on the rode. Sold it and just had to get another Suzuki.

[@soulman1419]

I had a gs550 and also a gs1000e back in the day. Both bike absolutely lovely 👌and looked after the engines are bulletproof ✊🏻

[@sirpatrickbikes]

Love those old GS Suzuki's! Great job getting it going. Unlike today's bikes, they came with a centre stand and a kick starter!

[@williamadler3003]

Just a few tool tips. Don’t use scissors to cut old lines. Use proper HD clippers, (*scissors are for paper.) Use a heavy duty hammer when using an impact driver, (a claw hammer is for nails and delivers a significant less blow.) Use "JIS” screw drivers on Japanese bikes. The Husky screwdriver you use is for American phillips screws and will strip or cam out on the Japanese fasteners.

[@N0Fumar]

Awesome finding a similar sized channel restoring old bikes. Looking forward to the next video!

[@scottiverson7433]

I owned the same bike, GS750L loved that bike, explored New Mexico with it in the 80's same color as well

[@bobbyverne9714]

Yes!! I had a 1981 GS750E, that thing was a friggin' ROCKET!! Not only was it fast but there wasn't a guy around who could keep up with me as I would sling it around the corners on its footpegs! These Suzukis were far superior to any 750 in those days! Sweet bike, brother!

[@eddale5557]

I had one of those in 1978 a brand new one i buy it right after finished the high school i remember i loved that bike!! 💕

[@HorseMalone]

I hate the word awesome and how it is used for everything today but when this bike was released it was actually awesome. I had the first model with cast wheels and double discs in the UK. Man, me and my girl lived on this motorcycle.

[@Robert-ts5ze]

Had a '78 GS 750 L . Bought it new from the dealership . Best bike I ever owned ,and believe me , I've had more than a few motorcycles .

[@T0tenkampf]

nice to hear, cant wait to ride mine.

[@garyseaton4619]

Those were great bikes, back in the day... Restored, they make a great Sunday cruiser and a conversation piece...

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

Thanks a lot

[@talltom1129]

By all means, get a carb synchronizer and tune those carbs right. It sounds really good already, and with a little TLC on those carbs you'll be riding in no time.

[@edwardmohr5798]

Yeah, that's what I did and set the timing so hot, it would blow the caps off the point. One hundred fifty mile bullet. Never got passed up by a kawy, yamy or Hondo. Put 90k on the motor, rode it from Daytona to New York 4 times. And after 10 years, it finally blew up. Loved that bike.

[@jeffo3253]

I had a 78 GS 750 too! Black, smooth bore carbs, 4 into 1 kerker exhaust, shoie qtr Fairing and highway pegs. fond memories....

[@bobgrob4]

I was dying to see this get a good power wash. :) Sound like there may be less than 4 cylinders hitting. My roomie in college had a brand new GS750 E in blue. I think it was around this year. These are great bikes. I had a red 76 Honda 750 F. Good times.

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

People pay extra for the original barn dust lol. I burnt my had on all 4 pipes, so I think they're all working. However they're definitely not all working evenly.

[@bobstupaksvegasworld4098]

One of my favorite bikes was an '81 GS1100e I had. The GS series were great bikes.

[@markchase7419]

looks exactly like my ol' GS 750 I had in 2012! they were fast and dependable. 🏍

[@markr.1984]

I had a 1978 GS1000, in black and white. Incredible bike! Even compared to the 1981 GS1100 I got a few years after. The GS1000 had slide throttle carbs, so the roll on performance from 55 to 100 would practically stretch your arms!! The GS1100 was overall a faster and more powerful bike but it had butterfly carbs, not as good.

[@bartmason1536]

Commonly known as a skunk

[@oldguy59]

gotta give a like, i owned one back in the day. all these years later its still my favorite bike

[@rickconstant6106]

I bought a GS550 18 months ago, the slightly scaled down little brother to that one. Someone had put it together and got it running, but there was a lot that still needed doing properly. When I cleaned my carbs, I kept them all together, as I didn't want to risk a leak on the inter-connecting fuel pipes (very hard to find replacements). Those pilot fuel screws underneath are a real pain to adjust on the bike - I had to make a special screwdriver to do it. It took a while to get them right, by checking plugs after a run and making adjustments, but I got there in the end, and it runs beautifully now. One thing I did invest in was a Boyer Bransden Micro Digital electronic ignition system. Once it's set up, you can just forget about it. Good luck with the rest of the project.

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

Thanks, fortunately my fuel tees didn't leak (yet). I'll have to take a look at that ignition system.

[@christianmorrow8014]

I have this exact bike (black paint with blue stripe) and it's still one of the best riding bikes to this day. Hold on to this thing if you can!!!

[@EnchanterOfRanks]

Fantastic! Love your videography.

[@jasonz7788]

Cool great work Sir thank you

[@Jagshemasher]

The GS750 and GS1000 were pretty much the best bikes in their classes back in the day (late 70's early 80's).

[@johnlomasney]

I love these old bikes ❤

[@benspeedschannel888]

You’ve got the basics of a nice bike there, can’t wait to see what you do with it next. New subscriber from South Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 UK

[@deansmith9232]

What a fantastic job you did very well done!

[@suomenpresidentti]

Of course it will. I Had 750 GSX inazuma that had over 150k miles and worked like new when I sold it. Engine/clutch was never opened. I rode over half of those miles personally. Only replacement was the cracked fuel line from tank.

[@boots2926]

Yes, because these bikes are bullet proof. Ive had three of them. Terrific bikes.

[@kennethmoore9475]

What a great video! Very nice to see a presentation from somebody that doesn't wear his hat on backwards and doesn't talk like a redneck hillbilly. Your common sense was refreshing.

[@AceCafeBikes]

This was great. Its always a good feeling when you find something left behind and bring it back to life. Makes a good noise and it'll be fun to ride....in the future!! Subscribed for sure. I want to see what's next!!

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

Thanks! These old air cooled 4 cylinders sound pretty good with the stock pipes, and it's going to sound even better when the carbs are all dialed in next video.

[@AceCafeBikes]

@@Dan_And_Daves_Garage Awesome, looking forward to it.

[@mjc2ride336]

Nice to see someone using the proper driver to remove the intake boot screws!

[@grayfool]

Nice. The GS was a great bike, handled well too. Good luck with it.

[@thermos750]

Someone has probably already said, remove the air box first then pull the carbs! Much easier!! Use side cutters or diagonal cutter when cutting fuel lines. Will save your scissors! Nice work!

[@tinmanspartan7551]

I'm picking up a 1980 GS750 next weekend that needs a little TLC and this video was and outstanding example of what I may need to do!

[@123shaunstodd]

Well done I like the way tour approaching the restoration, looking forward to the next steps.. 👍

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed

[@BrickHouseBuilds]

Great video! Love the tunes and edit! That GS will be a fantastic bike! Well done!

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

Thanks! It'll be a lot of work, but I'm determined to get this bike back on the road.

[@MHLivestreams]

I had the 550 version, great bikes. These bikes were the first 4 stroke bikes Suzuki made.

[@daveharveys]

Great,following your journey with this.

[@MrNaKillshots]

Lovely old classic.

[@rickhalabrin7783]

I had one of these back in 78 Road it all summer till the end of September when I crashed and broke BOTH of my legs Yes I was riding about 9 months later and I'm still riding this day

[@RR98guy]

I owned a 77GS750 that had a RC Engineering Big Bore kit. The original owner had it installed when he owned it. It was a monster. Good luck with your bike restoration.

[@The9meister]

When restoring old motorcycles, two of the best tools to have, is a ultrasonic cleaner, and a heat gun, have fun.

[@59jaguar]

Good job. Restoring an old bike takes a lot of time and money, been there , but the rewards can be great if you can do the work like your doing . Don’t want to overlook the steering head bearings or wheel bearings if a bike has been sitting for a long time.

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

Thanks, those parts are actually on their way to me right now, and I plan on filming the brake/suspension overhaul.

[@calvinchevalier9415]

I have a 78’ GS550 that I’m doing a full café build on I love seeing other people enjoying these bikes, awesome video 👍

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

Nice, we always enjoy the stories that others have with these bikes.

[@paulbudford]

It's off to a great start. 👍

[@porkscratchings5428]

Blimey, I just offloaded my deceased uncles GSX750 1979 with 1700 genuine miles on the clock. Had a black vinyl tank cover and fairing. Only sold it for 500 bucks. All the chrome was fine, it started up fine, no rust, well looked after from new, his Sunday only,dry sunny day bike for him. He’d only take it around the block about 1/2 mile max each time lol.

[@tonyjones9460]

My Dad had one of these, red one, think it could be a 1978 too but can't swear by it. I remember being very young and washing it. The engine seized as I remember and he then got a half fairing GSX 750 ES. Power wise was like night and day compared to the GS. Well done and I look forward to seeing more on this.

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

Thanks! I'm actively working on part two

[@haxan6663]

Love the old GS range. Owned a customised 550L and an 850.

[@waterbourne9282]

I had an '84 GSX750ESE. Never knew any of those 750's had kick starters. Handsome old bikes those GS's.

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

Yes, this era of Suzuki UJMs had both electric and kick start. The starter motors on these are pretty weak after all these years so the kickstarter really comes in handy.

[@don19655]

Very good young man, you know your stuff for being so young.

[@X3bands]

Beautiful bike, love the GT 550 and GT 750 two strokers too.

[@Cys62]

I enjoyed your video thoroughly... I always watched other channels too... on yards find... Would defintely watch your future upload on such topics...

[@lonnyfuller7830]

Back in the day I owned one just like that color and all but the rust and that. Best most reliable running bike ive ever owned.

[@spaceflight1019]

In the 70s and 80s it was common to find bikes like this in many backyards. They sold for a buck a CC. I bought a backyard 1978 KZ650 like that. A few parts, oil change, and elbow grease, and you were riding with style.

[@nickwillobey2205]

Lovely bikes ....GS 1000s was my favorite!

[@irate08]

Bruh!!! She sounds good😮 loved it❤️😀

[@mazlanbinzainudin2811]

Nice bike, legend n very famous in year early 80.

[@markepperson8482]

i had a blue one back in 1990l great bike!

[@arcanewyrm6295]

This is the GSXR-750's grandfather right here. I used to have one of this exact model and year. It was nothing special by modern standards, but it was a lot of fun. And I got it for $350 after having sat for about 10 years. My only regret is that it wasn't the GS850G shaft-drive version.

[@firestorm755]

Amazing that with a little work it can sit there idling happily. It did sound though as if it wasn't running on all 4 cylinders

[@MirchiBoy]

On my gs1000, that side electrical panel was getting a bad ground for the regulator, rectifier and starter solenoid. I think a lot of that panel is grounded through the body of the bike and my mounting screws were rusted. Possibly something to look out for as you work on electrical. Having a Kickstarter is a big plus. I had to figure out the electrical first because the 1000 didn't have kickstart to bypass the starting system, points do the rest.

[@donaldcameron8909]

Great find and has the signs of a good in capsule like under a tarp wrap

[@toyetoyetoye]

Great find! Caught my attention with the VM26 carbs which I believe are what I have on my 76 Kawasaki KZ900 and which I have become quite familiar with. DIdn't realize they were on Suzukis also. Actually never saw a GS750 back in the day but was a big fan of the GT750s.

[@SnowmanN49]

Many Jap bikes used Mikuni carbs. The engine is basically a copy of the Kawasaki 900. The GT750 was a totally different bike, 3 cyl., liquid cooled, 2 stroke, maybe the best 2 stroke of it's day. I had a 74 Kawasaki Z1A. I think the carbs were 28mm, not sure, it was a long time ago. All the 900's were basically the same but Kawasaki made minor changes every year. What a great bike! Rode it from Montreal to Vancouver to Los Angeles and back. Wore out the rear tire, chain and sprocket. Replaced the rear tire with a Yokohama. Added a Windjammer ll fairing. If I had kept it I would have done some suspension upgrades to improve the handling. The one time I decided to see how fast it would go the speedo was reading between 125 and 130 MPH and it was still accelerating. The front end was getting pretty light and I chickened out. I think if I had more courage it would have topped 130. Loved that bike, best one I ever had, wish I had kept it.

[@johnlomasney]

Good luck with the project ❤❤❤

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

Thanks! Make sure to check out part 2! There's been progress made!

[@alexboyde8129]

Bike looks original plus not restored = value and a win for you

[@strangeuniverse1199]

I had a 1979 Suzuki GS1000 that I bought new. I put about 75K on the bike before the piston rings went bad. That bike was like a pet rock. Never had a flat tire and it only broke down one time the entire time I had it. Best bike I ever owned by far.

[@alivdee9946]

Had one for more than 15 years, as can be seen in my avatar. Bought it when it was 5y old and rebuild it and it didn't missed a single stroke after that. It ended up in someone's personal museum because it was due a next revision and some repairs after an accident.

[@Gerry-K]

My 1st street bike was a 78 GS 550 E. Beautiful little 550. Had no trouble crossing Canada 4 times before I sold it.

[@SnowmanN49]

In 1974 when I rode my Kawasaki 900 across Canada I was accompanied by a friend on a Honda CB 550. Neither of us ever had any trouble. Being smaller and lighter the 550 could easily out handle the 900. Never rode one, but from what I have heard and read, the Suzuki was every bit as good as the Honda, if not better.

[@anthonyangeli256]

Nice job on those carbs.I never could've done that on my '80 cb 750.

[@bmp72]

I had one as my first bike. Great machine ! Mine had dual front disk though ? Mine was a 1979 GS750E. When youre doing electrical upgrades… mine once left me stranded when the electrical system shorted out at the steering headstock. The cables were chafing there, the isolation wore through creating a short. The time with my GS ended when at an intersection I T-boned it into a car.

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

I believe 79 was the first year they offered dual front calipers for the GS750. My other GS750 is a 79 and also has dual front calipers.

[@adammedyna2365]

A fan of old GS Suzukis as well. Used to have an 81 butt ugly GSX750 and 84 GS 1150EFE rebuilt from a working wreck and later customized a little. Your bike doesn't work properly because after a long time in storage not all valves are closing properly. To get them working properly together is a base to your later carb and ignition tuning. Sometimes it's enough to ride the bike for 20 - 30 km, high revs on lower gears, but sometimes you have to take cylinder head down and put some work into it. Don't remember if tis model had valve guide seals, if yes they are certainly toast and need changing. Another thing to check is your points ignition - automatic advance used to wear out, but even when still in good condition it needs oil. These bikes have very good frame and decent handling, but most owners neglected not only steering bearings, but also swingarm bearings which tend to wear out and make a bike really unpleasant in turns. With good swingarm bearings bike feels very solid in turns. It looks like charging system works OK, but it's weird system with one phase of alternator delivering current to lights through a light switch, when the rest of it charges battery. The proper solution is to change it to a later system with alternator charging battery and power delivered from battery to lights. Don't remember this exactly, but battery used to be grounded by battery box - it needs to be change to proper ground. Brakes, specially with a single disk up front are pathetic and need all the help available.

[@vladimirlojka3740]

Nice video and great motobike Suzuki. Greetings from Czech republic.

[@garyseaton4619]

Mikuni carbs are excellent. A cleaning bath would be best. New O rings, gaskets, and jets will have your bike running at peak performance... Good on ya...

[@cskalle1213]

also there are also little brothers with 550cc and 500cc with kickstart i just love the sound of these old bikes

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

We used to have a 1981 GS650L that we restored and unfortunately sold. Loved it so much just had to get another of that era.

[@meatcreap]

Wonderfully succinct and engaging! Thanks!! Can't wait to see her scream down the road

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed

[@iFunktion]

Great vid, also super helpful, I've just bought one of these, in very nice condition, but I have always looked after my own bikes. It was nice to see the carb strip down, as I've only ever dealt with CV carbs ironically, will be following this series

[@gorn9161]

My dad and I got one from Japan, for a friend. We fixed it up. My Dad rode it. We didn't want t to give it to the guy. It was too dangerous. It halls balls.

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

These may not be as fast some of the new bikes today, but they still pack a punch

[@gorn9161]

@@Dan_And_Daves_Garage I bought a ZX10 when they came out in '04. Holy Crap! It would take-off and instantly do 140 while never even setting the front wheel down. It did over a hundred in first gear! Loved that bike. I had to sell the thing because I couldn't be trusted with it. Haha! One day I raced some guy on a CBR 1000 on the 14 Fwy in CA. I was sideways passing some car at an indicated 180. Half an hour later I was shaking like a leaf, up at my cabin. We weren't even really racing...

[@james2tallG]

I wish people could grasp the fact, it didn't take him 18 min and 30 seconds to get it running. Lot of timw and patience goes into a resto like this and that's why those of us that love old bikes say things like "its got character" or "new bikes don't have any soul"

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

Haha, thanks for this comment. Most don't realize how much longer everything takes when you film it. Editing and condensing down all that footage takes a lot of time as well. Believe it or not, having one video do well is not enough to retire off of and quit my daytime job to pivot to working full time making content.

[@rubengerardo2658]

Beautiful bike !! 🏁🇯🇵🇺🇾❤

[@danweyant4909]

Great old air cooled 4. They have some funny tire sizes though!

[@GhostRider-ms1ep]

I HAD ONE. IT WAS A ❤LOVE OF MY LIFE.

[@terrywbreedlove]

I million years ago I had the 1982 GS 750. Sure wish I had it today to build a Cafe racer.

[@user-oo2xg4fd5c]

Waiting for the 2nd part 〽️

[@burt1758]

Brick house builds would have this lookin new. He's awesome the stuff he does. 💪🙂

[@Dan_And_Daves_Garage]

I'm a big fan of his work and watch his videos. I'm a fan of the down and dirty look just as much as the full restoration.

[@robertomessina1254]

Good job and beautiful bike!