Suzuki motor identification

[Robert Raver]

I bought a 1982 Suzuki GS850L with what looks like an 1100cc motor on it.
How can I tell for sure if it is an 1100 and not an 850 motor? I can't find
oil capacity specs for the 850 anywhere on the web. But I do know that the
1100 held 3000ml (3.2 quarts). The engine serial number is listed below
also if anyone knows how to research it.
Thanks!

U701-100628 (engine serial no.)
3000 ml (oil capacity)

[Doug Payne]

Post by Robert Raver
I bought a 1982 Suzuki GS850L with what looks like an 1100cc motor on it.
How can I tell for sure if it is an 1100 and not an 850 motor? I can't find
oil capacity specs for the 850 anywhere on the web. But I do know that the
1100 held 3000ml (3.2 quarts). The engine serial number is listed below
also if anyone knows how to research it.
Thanks!
U701-100628 (engine serial no.)
3000 ml (oil capacity)

The U7 does seem to indicate a 1000-1100 4-cyl...

http://www.suzukicycles.org/_misc/identification.shtml

[Mark Olson]

Post by Robert Raver
I bought a 1982 Suzuki GS850L with what looks like an 1100cc motor on it.
How can I tell for sure if it is an 1100 and not an 850 motor? I can't find
oil capacity specs for the 850 anywhere on the web. But I do know that the
1100 held 3000ml (3.2 quarts). The engine serial number is listed below
also if anyone knows how to research it.
Thanks!
U701-100628 (engine serial no.)
3000 ml (oil capacity)

I'd say there is a good chance you have an 1100 engine in there:

http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Suzuki_GS1100G

says U701- is an 1100 prefix, whereas this page:

http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Suzuki_GS850

says an 850 has a GS850- prefix...

[mayner]

Post by Mark Olson

Post by Robert Raver
I bought a 1982 Suzuki GS850L with what looks like an 1100cc motor
on it. How can I tell for sure if it is an 1100 and not an 850
motor? I can't find oil capacity specs for the 850 anywhere on the
web. But I do know that the 1100 held 3000ml (3.2 quarts). The
engine serial number is listed below also if anyone knows how to
research it. Thanks!
U701-100628 (engine serial no.)
3000 ml (oil capacity)

http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Suzuki_GS1100G
http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Suzuki_GS850
says an 850 has a GS850- prefix...

My memory is not what it once was but I seem to recall that either Kawi or
Suzuki sleeved down an engine in the past? Could it be that 1100 to an 850?

I could all be just a dream, I know. :-)

[Mark Olson]

Post by mayner
My memory is not what it once was but I seem to recall that either Kawi
or Suzuki sleeved down an engine in the past? Could it be that 1100 to
an 850?

It certainly could be true, but I am not a GS anorak, the only
GS I ever owned was a GS450.

Post by mayner
I could all be just a dream, I know. :-)

No, that was a Honda.

[The Older Gentleman]

Post by mayner
My memory is not what it once was but I seem to recall that either Kawi or
Suzuki sleeved down an engine in the past? Could it be that 1100 to an 850?
I could all be just a dream, I know. :-)

The 850 was launched before the 1100, so I doubt it. OTOH, a lot of
those old GS engines were generic and firly modular. The GS850was simply
a bored out 750 lump, for example.

850 cams fitted in the 1000, as well, so I wouldn't be surprised to find
that a change of barrels is all that's necessary for a capacity hike.

Googling for bore & stroke on both engines would do it.

GS750 - 65.0 x 56.4mm

GS850 - 69.0 x 56.4mm

GS1100 - 72.0 x 66.0mm

Oh well.

[Jujitsu Lizard]

Post by Robert Raver
I bought a 1982 Suzuki GS850L with what looks like an 1100cc motor on it.
How can I tell for sure if it is an 1100 and not an 850 motor? I can't find
oil capacity specs for the 850 anywhere on the web. But I do know that the
1100 held 3000ml (3.2 quarts). The engine serial number is listed below
also if anyone knows how to research it.
Thanks!
U701-100628 (engine serial no.)
3000 ml (oil capacity)

850 vs. 1100 is a fairly substantial difference. If you're really
desperate, you could either:

a)Measure the travel of a piston by removing a spark plug, rotating the
crank, and doing distances. If you're careful, you could use a bit of trig
and a probe to figure out the cylinder diameter as well. Then do the
arithmetic. You might not get an exact match, but I think you'd be much
closer to one number than the other ... enough to be confident.

b)Plumb up a spark plug with the core removed, a little tubing, and an
inverted flask filled with water in a water bath. Rotate the manually to
eject the air for one full exhaust stroke. See how much air is ejected.
(Needs a room-temperature engine, and you have to be careful not to heat,
cool, or compress the air.)

(a) seems the most viable. If you get the distances to the piston/cylinder
boundaries and the angle as you move the probe from side to side ... that is
enough information.

If you don't want to do the trig, just get out a piece of paper, draw an
angle on the paper at what you measured, tick off the distances from the
vertex, and measure the distance between the ticks to get the cylinder
diameter. No math required.