The last of the heavy – bombers, Suzukis EFE was a big hitter in its day, running riot on drag strips around the world. But in a fast changing world – and a real weakness in handling terms – its reign was very short – lived…
The words battle tank come to mind. Suzukis mid – Eighties top of the range superbike was not a bike you could ever call subtle. Big and blocky, the 1984 EFE punched its way through the atmosphere with brute force over any sense of engineering or aerodynamic efficiency. We use the word sense, though, because underneath the muscle – bike persona were some very significant technological advances. Full Floater linkage rear suspension, a 16 – valve head with twin swirl design combustion champers and a 16 – inch front wheel combined with anti – dive front forks. So it wasnt a dinosaur, per se, it could throw a few hip moves, and no one argued the fact that it kicked out sufficient grunt to be the most powerful bike of its day and was the quickest – over the quarter – mile at least.
Only with Honda experimenting with V4s, with Kawasakis GPz900R too, offering a new future of slippery, slim, agile – and rapid – superbiking the EFE, with its big air – cooled motor, with the generator and ignition still hanging off the end of the crank – so big and so wide – was generationally challenged almost before it turned a wheel.
It did though, hustle down drag strips with uncommon haste. On its launch in America, Suzuki made much of this ability by putting drag strip legend Jay Peewee Gleason in the saddle of a stocker to unleash a startling 10.61 – sec standing quarter. This was a half second, and more, faster than any rival – it could clearly lay one heavy punch over the quick sprint. But its Ыоск – of – flats stature meant, for all the grunt in the world, its shocking aerodynamic drag – factor precluded a headline top speed, even Yamahas FJ1100 was faster.
And we have to say that at this point in history Japan Inc hadnt quite yet exorcised their handling demons. The EFE shows Suzuki was going to quite considerable technological lengths to make its superbikes more stable at speed, better at bend swinging, but it was still at the early stages of the learning curve. The 16in front wheel sure sped up turn – in, making this big bike quite the easy bend swinger, but to the point where it was perhaps too quick. And this, combined with the crude damping qualities of the suspension and the high and wide riding position meant the EFE could do a fair rendition of highspeed instability. Hold on too tight and it would seriously scare a rider.
So the EFE elicited a lot of negatives, not least a certain level of confusion over its identity. In its basic form it was called a GSX1100E, but the same bike in America was called the GSX1150E – to help differentiate it from the smaller previous model. As well, Suzuki offered it in three guises – naked, with half fairing and full fairing, which meant further suffixes – EE for naked, ES for half – fairing and EF for full – fairing. And somewhere in there you can find Suzukis model year codes: E, F and G. Seriously confusing, and probably why most now simply call them collectively EFEs.
But all those negatives could be cast aside by one ride on an EFE. One thing that was for certain was that this was one very good engine. It may have been big, but it didnt want for refinement, this was as good as air – cooled 1000s and 1100s got. Sweet carburating, brilliantly torquey and smooth running – and as always with that Suzuki oh – so – sweet transmission. It was engineered to be refined, yet also resistant to abuse of thermo – nuclear dimensions. While the same factory produced RG250s that would grenade if you so much as showed them a riffler file, the GSX motor could allegedly be turbod and nitrousd to something like 400bhp and still nothing would let go. It became a drag racing motor of legend.
It also, much like the Katana, became a street fighter of choice. As the years rolled by, so EFEs changed owners and the bikes found themselves stretched, slammed and surgically enhanced. The blocky styling lent itself well to the street fighter look and the ease with which GSX – R wheels, forks and swingarms could be dropped in made it a great project bike.
Of course the combination of drag racing and street fighter enthusiasts having fought over these bikes for the best part of two decades means for todays erstwhile 1980s restorer theres going to be a right royal mission to find an unmolested original example. But, as riding John Martins particularly well – fettled example demonstrates, theres good reason to take up the challenge.
the ride John Martin thumbed the starter and the EFE sprung into immediate and urgent life. Even from cold it revved sweetly and with no audible engine noise you could fully appreciate the crisp exhaust note from the Harris four – into – one.
“Youre going to like this,” he predicted. “I think Id much sooner ride the European trips I do with the Kat owners on this, it would be easier on the knees and back!”
John explained hed looked long and hard to find a good EFE, and hed certainly found one here. With just 17,000 miles on the odometer this original, unrestored example was a picture of rude health. Its not the easiest bike to appreciate visually, it looks tall and blocky, the oversize instrument cluster dominates the front, the tail end stops abruptly, fat and square – but aurally it was telling a whole different story. Two blips of the throttle and you wanted to ride it.
Of course, John wasnt wrong. First turn of the wheel was enough to tell this was an all new world compared to that of the Katana, just three years its senior. Gone were the skinny 19in/18in wheels, the long laid out riding position and sense of slow – speed ponderousness. The EFE comes from an era of experimentation, the front is a 16 – incher, the rear 17 – inch, but both are high profile tyres so the front probably has a rolling circumference not dissimilar to that of a modern 17 – inch. The forks are anti – dive assisted and at the rear theres Suzukis Full Floater linkage suspension. And the engine, notionally just 13bhp stronger than the Katana, feels quite modern; it responds readily to the throttle, giving clean, crisp acceleration.
And the moment you give it a few bends to navigate its again a whole different world. The highish, wideish bars offer plenty of easy input for the rider and the wee front wheel allows an easy, almost quick – actually we will say quick – turn – in. Johns EFE has a Hagon shock fitted to the Full Floater linkage rear set – up and he says the forks have been given the necessary upgrades as well, so it handles sweetly, much much more sweetly than appearances suggest, and probably a lot sweeter than it did back in the day. The EFE is still a big heavy motorcycle by any measure, yet it skips along quite lightly and if it wasnt someones beautifully kept and much adored personal property – not easy to replace – and riding along on road tyres over cold and muddied roads, then the inclination would be there to properly stuff this beasty into every corner.
Youd have to be mindful of the limited braking, though. John has clearly fettled the brakes to within an inch of their lives, with braided hoses and immaculately cleaned and maintained they were at their best, but twin – piston calipers of the 1980s are not powerful. It takes a big four – fingered squeeze on the lever to make them really work and even then the weight of the bike means youre far from standing the EFE on its nose, so youre toeing the rear brake lever in erstwhile support. But outside of mad – rush mode, theyre just fine, nice and progressive and, well, adequate.
The motor promises more than it offers. The spec sheet reads 124hp, and it does rev – up nicely, but were still a quantum leap away from the accelerative urge that will come with the likes of the GPz900R and say Suzukis own GSX – R1100, and theres only a modest sense of a second step to the power curve above the 6000rpm mark. The top end feels more assured, stronger, than the Katanas but in a modern context its far from blistering. The gearbox, as ever, is sweet and the clutch action – John has fitted stiffer springs – is really easy to modulate. By modern comparisons its missing a sixth gear and for such a chunky powerful bike it seems a shame its forced to rev as busily as 4500rpm at motorway speeds. So despite the excellent gear indicator – set in an agreeably clean instrument panel – your instinct is to search for that one additional ratio.
This is a great bike and we can understand why John searched so intently. The EFE is sporty, but comfortable. You want to thrash it but you could equally fit – up some panniers and, with that sizeable pillion saddle, take the missus for a relaxing two – week European tour. To ride it is to see it in quite a different light to its physical appearance. It puts you in mind of that daft Jack Black film Shallow Hal where he sees the clinically obese as virtual super – models – this EFE pulls off that trick, not by some cinematic slight, but in reality.
It was the end of the line, of course. The last of the dinosaurs. We said something like that about the Katana, but we should correct ourselves, for Suzuki this really was the end of the line. In the EFE we have to applaud Suzuki because it took the old formula of big motor, big motorcycle to a surprisingly effective culmination. This is a wonderful bike to ride, its chunky looks belie a surprisingly adept chassis, and a very real – world motor. But by 1984 the future looked very different, the EFEs supersize proportions were going out of fashion, the age of the super – light was being heralded.
buying/owning
Finding a good EFE is about being in the right place at the right time – or maybe simply watching the small ads diligently. What to pay depends on where the vendor is coming from. If he sees his bike as just another UJM from the mid – 1980s, no better no worse than say a Kawasaki GPz900R – and its been cluttering up his garage for too long, not used in 18 months – then youll have a price of around ?1500 to chew over. If he halfway knows his marque and model then hell be haggling around the ?2000 mark, cognisant that his example is missing the original pipes, maybe needs the suspension overhauling. If the vendors a dealer hell be telling you the EFE is the next big thing to hit rocket trajectory in classic values, so will be trying to talk you up to ?3000, maybe more, while probably happy to settle around the two – and – a – half mark. All that said, if you find a minter so fresh in every sense, then its a question of how much you want it – nobodys going to criticise you for paying ?4000 for an as – new bike with full documentation, photos of it with a famous past owner and all that guff.
When it comes to owning, whats to know? Its actually a bike of few mechanical vices. Electrically it can be a nightmare, though. Most owners of mid – 1980s Suzukis curse their poor quality in electrics. Theres no particular bad item, just poor quality wiring that readily corrodes. So be ready to go through the wiring loom, cleaning and replacing as you go, so youre not going to be left on the side of the A10 one dark and wet night with no lights.
One mechanical watch – out are the three Allen bolts that hold the starter clutch to the rotor. These would wear from new and once loose can unwind and drop into the engine case. You can imagine what happens next… so first job on taking ownership is to check these. Its probably best to replace them with new and correctly torque them together with a thread locking sealant, or even secure with a blob of weld as some belt – and – braces types do.
The clutch can be weak so an upgrade to heavier springs is a common upgrade.
The suspension, if stock, is likely to be rubbish by now. You can go for a full rebuild, or replace. Hagon shocks were chosen by both our sample owners – and having ridden the EFE with the Hagon, its a worthwhile upgrade. Together with an update to the forks this will hugely improve the roadholding.
For tyres, we were impressed by the Pirelli Sport Demons fitted to John Martins bike. These are a radial tyre, so an improvement on the cross – plies originally fitted – again adding to the quality and stability in the handling of our test bike. Sister – company Metzeler still makes a cross – ply for the EFE, the Lasertec which replaces the ME33/ME99 that would have been fitted back in the day. The 16 – inch front wheel size does limit choice, we struggled to find anyone else with a suitable tyre.
Suzuki GB did have OE parts available for EFEs up until comparatively recently but they are now firmly delisted. Robinsons Foundry keep a stock of OE parts and have an easy access website so you can readily check for your needs. And no, they dont have any stock exhausts left either, and dare we say some of the prices for stock parts will shock you – but that goes with the territory.
Our friends Wemoto can again go a long way to helping out with consumables and non – original replacement parts including Marving replica black chrome silencers. Straightline Racing are also good people to check in with, specialising in drag racing, through that these guys know EFEs inside and out and keep a good range of parts and accessories for them. Otherwise its eBay time again. Or if you can reattach your social interaction lodes, then the excellent Old Skool Suzuki website and forum will provide plenty of information and leads on parts.
conclusion
Its easy to get carried away and consider any bike older than 25 years to be a classic. And in the case of the EFE, heres a bike thats certainly betwixt and between. Its not the icon that the Katana has become. Its not the groundbreakerthat the GPz900R was. Its not a perfect bike, that 16 – inch front wheel and suspect high speed stability saw to that. It even sits on the fence as to type, its a naked roadster without the fairing and a sort of sport tourer – Suzuki certainly pitched it at enough markets in their bid to sell units.
So as a surefire bet for the future – you know, as a shot at classic show glory or as a pension – in – the – garage – were not so sure its going to make the cut. But as a genuinely great bike to ride: big, lovable, comfortable – but with an edge – it scores well. A very practical classic – sorry, old bike – for not too much money. And like LCs, if you suddenly feel the need to customise and upgrade, its spot on for modifying Gust leave the original parts nicely bubble – wrapped in a cardboard box, wont you?). In its truest essence, its proper muscle.
KEVIN gray
“Ive got two right now, but Ive had a load of them over the years, its been my main hobby, doing them up. I like them because they look the part, very 1980s, and the engine is phenomenal. But I always come back to the look, everything right down to the rear light I like. Not everyones cup of tea, Im sure, but if we all liked the same thing it would be a sad place – and thered be just one bike!
“Ive been the route of fitting GSX – R and then Bandit suspension and wheels; you put a GSX – R1100L or M swingarm in and you can have a 5.5in rear wheel in there. But lately I like the look you get with slotting a 4.5in wheel into the standard swingarm. And, of course, after years of modifying them Im now thinking of restoring one to original!
“Because of all the modding you have to look carefully at what youre buying, theres a lot of mixing of parts and quite a few American imports around. A while back I was making money finding EFEs and selling the motors to drag racers – they love them – but now Im always looking for parts for myself. It pays to be a good scavenger, like John Martin!
“The best place to go for parts and knowledge is Straightline Racing, then Old Skool Suzuki – theres no EFE club, so thats the best place to find other owners.
TIMELINE
1984 GSX1100EE
A big update on the 1980 1100E, increasing the bore by 2mm to make 1135cc, adding part box – section frame, anti – dive forks and Full Floater linkage rear. Wheel sizes changed from 19in/17in to 16in/17in, there was the new boxy styling, yet curiously the headlight swapped from rectangular to a 9in round one. Three variations: EE is the naked, ES sports a half fairing, the EF a full fairing. The faired models are less popular.
1985GSX1100EF
How confusing is this? Now the naked is known as EFE, the half faired, the EFS, the full fairing the EFF. We think. No changes, just colour variations
1986-87 GSX11OOEG
Colour variations only
1988
Model discontinued. Superceded by the fully – faired GSX1100F sports tourer which used a GSX – R1100 derivative motor and sported 16in wheels.