Suzuki GS (1976 to 2027)

The Suzuki GS family, Suzuki’s first full-range 4-stroke road lineup arrived as the company pivoted away from its dominant two-stroke GT era (with the GT750 often cited as the high-water mark of that approach). It began with the GS750 inline-four and GS400 twin released in November 1976, then evolved through the late-1970s before the more advanced GSX 16-valve branch debuted in January 1980, while GS badging continued in some markets and later offshoots. Visually, the core GS identity was the clean, upright naked standard, round headlamp, long tank, flat tail spawning everything from minimalist standards to shaft-drive tourers and Katana styled specials. Underneath, most GS models used a steel cradle frame with telescopic forks and twin rear shocks, later adding features like anti-dive and touring-oriented hardware on “G/GL” variants. Engines ranged broadly from 125 to 1150 cc, with icons like the later GS1200SS delivering about 100 hp from its 1,156 cc four. Drivetrains were effectively RWD, typically via chain (or shaft on G models), with 5 and 6-speed manuals and only rare automatic experiments.