Maggie

Update, Thursday March 12 2015: Maggie is no more :( I crashed her into a car on the M1, fortunately escaping with just a sore elbow (all the gear, all the time!). She was today judged a total loss by the insurance company. A sad day, as we (meaning Mototecnic, really) had ironed out all of her reliability issues and she’d been running really well for nearly two years.
Maggie is a 1982 Suzuki GS1100G; I purchased her in decidedly second-hand condition from eBay and had Mototecnic recondition her over a period of several months. She’s named Maggie in honour of the late, great Margaret Thatcher.
I’ve been using her as a commuter (my commute from Upwey to Richmond is around 40 minutes each way) and plan to do some touring & camping in the summer months.
There is a set of photos of Maggie on this site.
Work Done
- recoated four-into-one exhaust system with polished muffler
- new piston rings
- replaced flasher unit
- replaced switchgear
- Stebel Nautilus air horn (great mod, that)
- new rear suspension
- new clutch and throttle cables
- new brake fluid and pads
- indicator brackets to comply with Victorian road-worthiness standards
- carbs cleaned and balanced
- tank stripped and coated internally
- countless miscellaneous stuff like bearings, bolts, etc.
- replaced pillion footrests
- replaced centre stand
- reconditioned clutch actuator
- re-tapped rocker cover
- new instrument panel bulb
- rebuilt front suspension
- new HT leads and plugs
- new air filter
- new fuel filter
- professionally re-wound stator
- wiring loom tidied up
- new coils
- new aftermarket brake lever / master cylinder assembly
- braided brake lines
- rocker cover thread reconditioned
- sump plug thread reconditioned
- decent heated grips (Oxford)
- right hand mirror no longer folds in at speeds > 100km/h
- horn switchgear replaced
- indicator wiring fixed
- brake light switch fixed
Current Bugs / Glitches
- under 5000RPM rev counter oscillates around true value, +/- 1500RPM
- side stand warning light doesn’t work
- fuel gauge is
unreliable now reliably dead back to unreliable again completely dead
- rear LHS indicator is held in position with duct tape
- odd popping sound and burning smell when cold-starting … possibly electrical?
- fairings are cracked through in places
- pack rack has broken (probably due to vibration)
Future Enhancements
- pitted fork legs really should be re-chromed
- replace OEM indicator switch with something kinder to human beings
- clean engine cases
- powder coat frame & swing-arm
- repaint tank & bodywork
- comfy high-rise bars
- rebuild new seat on aftermarket fibreglass base
- remove old brackets from front suspension
- replace all bolts that are cosmetically ugly
- Dyna ignition with rev limiter
- Wiseco big-bore kit