MIRROR, MIRROR
Naishy finds that tracking down original parts for his GS isn’t always easy – and if you can track them down , some will cost you a king’s ransom
An original GS1000S fairing-mounted mirror is a simple thing: a couple of injection-moulded sections of black plastic, a square of silvered glass and a few bolts. But nowadays they mirrors might as well be constructed from hens’ dental enamel. What’s more, my fellow GS1000S restorers all seem super-keen on getting them. A few months back, a boxed original pair appeared on ebay. They had scratches that ‘should polish out’, claimed the seller. The winning bid was £512. The following week, another NOS boxed pair appeared on ebay. From the same seller. These were unscratched. With a buy-it-now price of £550. Clever. They sold straightaway. Madness? A couple of weeks back, another boxed pair appeared on US ebay. The winning bid: £700. Clearly, if you could re-manufacture original Suzi GS1000S mirrors at a reasonable price, you’d sell a whole bunch easy.
But Suzuki isn’t doing that, despite having proudly launched its own Vintage Parts Programme. Ho hum, I can probably do without the fairing-mounted mirrors. Standard handlebars, however, have topped my must-have list. A previous owner (who I now imagine as having giant thumbs and a tiny cranium) had replaced them with Vincent flats.
Not only do straight bars make the riding position an awkward stoop, they also block you from getting an air-line to the air valves atop the front forks. Devoid of pressure, the front end is flaccid. The handlebars have a plastic cover fastened by four screws. Undoing them requires the dexterity of a double-jointed obstetrician.
I need bars with a bit of raise in them – but only the exact amount required to clear the air valves. Any higher and the front brake reservoir will foul the fairing. They also need to be the exact right width.
I need original Suzuki GS1000S ’bars. But guess what? Suzuki doesn’t make them for its Vintage Parts Programme.
Last week, a pair finally popped up on UK ebay. New. For £30. I think the fair price and seller’s lack of blarney deterred people. Lots of folk were watching, but I was the only one to press ‘buy it now’.
Oh joy, they fit perfectly. The forks now have air. The GS no longer feels a slog to ride. And the wider, higher ’bars give that vital bit of leverage required for manoeuvring this barge of a superbike.