Editing Suzuki GSX550ES

{{Infobox Motorcycle
|name             = [[Suzuki]] GSX550
|image            = [[File:Suzuki-GSX-550ES-83.jpg|frameless|Suzuki GSX550]]
|aka              = GSX550EU, GSX 550 EU, GSX550ES, GSX550EF, GSX 550 ES, GSX 550 EF, GSX 550
|manufacturer     = Suzuki
|parent_company   =
|production       = 1983
|model_year       =
|predecessor      =
|successor        =
|class            =
|engine           = Four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder.
|bore_stroke      =
|compression      = 9.8:1
|top_speed        = 196 km/h / 122 mph
|power            =
|torque           =
|fuel_system      =
|ignition         = Transistorized
|spark_plug       =
|battery          =
|transmission     = 6 Speed
|frame            = Tubular steel, double cradle
|suspension       =Front: Telescopic forks with [[hydraulic]] anti-dive. <br>
Rear: Rising rate full floater [[linkage]] with adjustable preload
|brakes           =Front: 2 x 260 mm discs, 2 [[piston]] [[caliper]] <br>Rear: Single 250 mm disc, 2 piston caliper
|front_tire       = {{tire|100/90-16}} 
|rear_tire   	  = {{tire|110/90-18}} 
|rake_trail       =
|wheelbase        = 1430 mm / 56.3 in
|length           =
|width            =
|height           =
|seat_height      = 780 mm / 30.7 in
|dry_weight       = 216 kg / 476 lbs
|wet_weight       =
|fuel_capacity    = 18 Litres / 4.8 US gal / 4.0 Imp gal
|oil_capacity     =
|fuel_consumption =
|turning_radius   =
|related          =
|competition      =
}}

It could reach a top speed of 196 km/h / 122 mph.  

==Engine==
The engine was a Air/oil cooled cooled Four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder.. The engine featured a 9.8:1 [[compression ratio]].  

==Chassis==
It came with a 100/90-16 front [[tire]] and a 110/90-18 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via 2 x 260 mm discs, 2 piston caliper in the front and a Single 250 mm disc, 2 piston caliper in the rear. The front suspension was a  Telescopic forks with hydraulic anti-dive. while the rear was equipped with a Rising rate full floater linkage with adjustable preload. The GSX550ES was fitted with a 18 Litres / 4.8 US gal / 4.0 Imp gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 216 kg / 476 lbs. The wheelbase was 1430 mm / 56.3 in long.  
== Photos ==
[[File:Suzuki-GSX-550ES-83.jpg|600px|Suzuki GSX550]]
[[File:Suzuki-GSX-550ES-83--2.jpg|600px|Suzuki GSX550]]

== Overview ==
Suzuki  GSX 550ES


























































































































































































































































































MCW predicted last year that Suzuki would have to look to their laurels to
retain their lead in the 550 classand, my god, they have. The new GSX550ES is
completely new in almost all departments and could easily put Suzuki back at the
top of the tree.
Heavy competition in the 550 class comes in the form of Honda's CBX550 and
Kawasaki's GPz, both outshone the old 550 last year, but the tables have now
been turned and Suzuki could once again have the best selling 550 as they did in
1981.
The 550 is every boy racer's dream. It fairly rocketed to its top speed of
123.44mph and recorded a mean two-way prone speed of 121.94mph. The mean top
speed was slightly higher than all the other 550s but its top one way speed was
down on both the Kawasaki and the Honda. This may seem disappointing but it blew
the opposition into the weeds on the quarter-mile strip, returning times that
were considered respectable for a mega bike of only a few years ago the Kawasaki
ZR1000, Suzy GS750 and Honda CB750 couldn't match the 550's 12.63sec/104.94mph
best quarter-mile dash.
The 550 powers its way to around 6000rpm where it hits a slight flat spot,
from there to about 7000rpm it picks up again zooming up to the red line at
10,000rpm. The flat spot isn't that bad, it just lacks quick acceleration at
around the 6000 mark.
Taking off from rest, the 550's power comes in with a bang, it takes a while
to get used to the clutch and it is possible to stall it before becoming really
accustomed. This is mainly due to the light flywheels.
Seventy miles an hour is reached while revving at just under 6000rpm with the
minimum of vibration, and 100mph comes in at 8000rpm  2000rpm under the red
line.
The small half fairing does a good job in deflecting the wind and prevents
your neck taking the full blast during high speed runs. The smoked screen only
just comes above the instruments, but the air flow is directed onto (in my case)
the upper part of my helmet, I'm 5ft 10in tall, so a slightly smaller person
would find the fairing even more effective.
The two easily removable pull off lower parts of the fairing reveal the upper
engine, this is the only way you can remove the spark plugs.
The 572cc engine is compact and completely new, being only 20in across. Over
the two-week, 1,500-mile period, it used one pint of oil, although it must be
said that most of those miles were completed at high speed.
Two twin choke Mikunis are used this year instead of the usual four, the
reason given is to save weight, and the space saved is used for the dial-a-ride
rear suspension knob. The Mikuni carbs have two barrels each which are oval
shaped but share one C-V chamber.
This is obviously going to make setting up the carbs easier for the home
mechanic.
One thing which must be commented on is the engine's poor warm-up
performance. Quite a few miles had to be covered before the engine reached
working temperatureand that during the hottest July on record. It makes you
wonder what the performance would be like in the winter if only short runs were
the norm.
The black chrome four-into-two exhaust was cut off short and gave a quiet,
muffled sound. The silencers twisted out and came underneath the footrests and
generated a fierce heat. Nice in the cold winter months but not so clever when
the air temperature is touching 90 degrees.
Box section tubing is new for this year, the only other road machine to use
this is the Honda VF750. Although square section is the strongest form of tubing
when applied to a motor cycle frame it is of doubtful advantage.
Underneath the seat, the top tubes are of the normal round variety making the
visible square ones just a point of fashion.
The tubes are made of steel, although they give the impression of aluminium,
being painted silver.
The gearbox ratios have been changed slightly from the old 550 but as before,
are spaced well. Initially I did have a slight problem changing from second into
first, it baulked when at a standstill, it didn't even fancy going into neutral.
After a few hundred miles, though, it settled down and was fine with just the
occasional clunk.
The outrageous styling of the Katana 1100 has been brought down to the 550 in
a softened version that should send the heads of every racer-at-heart spinning.
And although the styling is such, I was pleasantly surprised to find it could
cope easily with two-up touring. The near five-gallon petrol tank, comfortable
riding position and ton-plus cruising add up to a neat dual purpose machine.
Realistically, there's no reason why anyone would need anything larger than
one of the present crop of 550s, they combine power, handling, lightweight
manoeuvrability and with the Suzuki, lower insurance costs.
If a new GSX550 is bought, combined with Suzuki's low cost Crusader insurance
for, say a 25-year-old living out of London with two or more tears no claims,
the yearly third party premium could be around £45 or £125 fully comp.
Coupled to the 550's speed and acceleration is the best handling and
suspension I've come across on a middleweight. The 16in front wheel feels light
and is claimed to improve the speed at which you can flick through bends. This
is to some extent true, but I was apprehensive about how it would feel on
fast sweeping bends as it was so light and manageable in townI needn't have
worried, it was great.
The credit can't all go to the front wheel though, Suzuki have really got the
steering geometry spot on and this coupled with the 16 incher that Suzuki
claimed at the launch would make every other bike look out of date, adds up to
precise cornering at any speed.
At the rear end is Suzuki's proven Full Floater suspension. A single
monoshock as on other models (except last year's 550) but with the difference of
dial-a-ride adjustment. No more getting the C spanner out (or hammer and chisel
in some cases), just twist the knob which hydraulically adjusts the pre-load, it
couldn't be simpler.
I found the best position to be about 2i for myself out of the five positions
available, adjusting it up made the suspension firmer and down, softer.
The 550's bigger brother, the 750ES, also has dial-a-ride adjustment for
damping which the 550 does not have, a critical rider may feel the rear end
needs this but in my opinion it is unnecessary as the single shock damps
well-maybe for next year, though?
Biisteringly quick in acceleration and over 120mph on tap, you would be
forgiven for thinking that fuel consumption would drop as a result. But out of a
total of 13 fuel stops, 47.1 mpg emerged as an overall fuel consumption figure.
50.6mpg being the best and 45.0mpg the worst, except for when we were speed
testing, that brought it down to 32.5, low but one of the best MIRA figures we
have had for a fast machine.
The good fuel consumption figure at high speed is partly due to the TSCC or
Twin Swirl Combustion Chamber which provides more efficient combustion, coupled
to the light weight of the new, more compact, engine, new frame and overall
weight of 469lb.
The fuel tank range is very important and here the large 4.8gals comes into
its own without looking big and ugly. More than 160 miles can be ridden before
reserve is needed, with still another 40-odd miles left.
The fuel tap was small and stiff and was hidden behind a flap on the top of
the left-hand panel. Looks nice, but awkWard to open when you have run out of
petrol at 70mph while overtaking a coach down a country laneit was no problem
after it fell off though!
Bakes both front and back are very effective, the rear disc is Jin smaller
than the front two. All discs are slotted to repel water in the wet and aid heat
loss.
The front brake lever having had most of the slack taken up, came into
operation right from the first touch. And for the first time, Suzuki are using
opposed piston calipers which means a separate piston is working from each side
of the disc, effectively increasing the stopping ability.
The anti-dive is linked to the front brake, but is no better than last year's
which was near useless. Maybe it would be better if it had some kind of
adjustment.
When braking hard into corners, the front end tends to judder as if the
steering head bearings are loose, but it is really the road bumps transmitted up
to the handlebars. There is an override valve in the forks which cuts out the
anti-dive for large bumps, but not for small ones.
The riding position gives the impression of sitting in the bike rather than
on it, the front half of the seat is lower than the rear and your knees fit into
cut-outs in the tank and are shielded from the wind by the lower half of the
fairing.
Hands fit neatly on to the new shape bars which are non-adjustable and quite
high, much better than a lot of Suzuki bars which tend to be too wide. Feet
don't have to be stretched back on to the footrests but fit nicely and are
within easy reach of the alloy-finished brake and gear lever.
Overall the riding position was good with all instruments and levers easily
found. Pillion position is also good but the rear seat did slope down making the
pillion slide into the rider. The grab rail has been improved with two side
rails as well as the back one.
Both lights fitted flush, the back one into the rear tail fin and the front
into the fairing. The headlight's a capable 60/55W power beam, but in the case
of a blown bulb, removal is a long job because of the fairing.
The 11 -piece toolkit was of reasonable quality and was housed together with
a smallish padlock (opened by a magnetic key) in the tail fin behind a plastic
door. Two helmet locks are fitted, one to each side of the seat.
Overall the Suzuki is a good sports bike combining good looks, performance,
near perfect handling and suspension, frugal fuel consumption and the ability to
be used as a touring machine without any alteration.


Source Road test by Paul Carroll
1983



{|  class="wikitable"
|- 
!Make Model
|Suzuki GSX 550ES
|- 
!Year
|1983
|- 
!Engine Type
|Four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder.
|- 
!Displacement
|572 cc / 34.9 cu in
|- 
!Bore X Stroke
|60 x 50.6 mm
|- 
!Compression
|9.8:1
|- 
!Cooling System
|Air/oil cooled
|- 
!Induction
|2 x 32 mm Mikuni carburetors
|- 
!Ignition
|Transistorized
|- 
!Starting
|Electric
|- 
!Max Power
|46.7 kW / 64 hp @ 10000 rpm
|- 
!Max Torque
|50 Nm / 67.1 hp @ 8000 rpm
|- 
!Transmission
|6 Speed
|- 
!Final Drive
|Chain
|- 
!Frame
|Tubular steel, double cradle
|- 
!Front Suspension
|Telescopic forks with hydraulic anti-dive.
|- 
!Rear Suspension
|Rising rate full floater linkage with adjustable preload
|- 
!Front Brakes
|2 x 260 mm discs, 2 piston caliper
|- 
!Rear Brakes
|Single 250 mm disc, 2 piston caliper
|- 
!Front Tire
|100/90-16
|- 
!Rear Tire
|110/90-18
|- 
!Dimensions
|Length: 2125 mm / 83.7 in Width: 710 mm / 28.0 in Height: 1110 mm / 43.7 in
|- 
!Wheelbase
|1430 mm / 56.3 in
|- 
!Ground Clearance
|150 mm / 5.9 in
|- 
!Seat Height
|780 mm / 30.7 in
|- 
!Dry Weight
|216 kg / 476 lbs
|- 
!Fuel Capacity
|18 Litres / 4.8 US gal / 4.0 Imp gal
|- 
!Consumption Average
|5.3 L/100 km / 18.7 km/l / US 44 mpg / 52.8 Imp mpg
|- 
!Standing ¼ Mile
|12.3 sec / 172 km/h / 107 mph
|- 
!Top Speed
|196 km/h / 122 mph

|}

[[Category:Suzuki motorcycles]]