Help with bike ID and year

[Kryten]

I have just checked the numbers on mine and they are all 12 digits and all are 1982 year bikes. So I'm not sure where the VJMC are coming from.

From the 2 photos it is clear that it has the SD type frame,SD style emblem on the side panels, rider and passenger footpegs. But with the cast "Snowflake" wheels of the earlier SZ.

But according to Alexandre's website, the SAE has a black engine and black forks, but his art work shows it with a silver engine and forks

As for the French Connection I would suggest that although a major chew getting it registered there, it's not impossible.

Personally if it were mine I'd do as Fossie suggests, bung Suzuki GB the £90.00, get it registered MoT'd taxed insured and get out and start swatting flies with it!

[Uncle Bob]

I have checked both my Italian import SD's and the VIN is 12 digits like yours. but start a lot higher GS110X-5xxxxx. Engine numbers also are 12 digit. The Haynes manual does list the ranges of frame numbers in the front and it looks like the GSX1100 in various forms did start at GS110X-5xxxxx but it shows the GSX1100T (1979-80) as starting from GS110X-100001! Haynes manuals have known to be wrong though! Maybe for the Jap market ones they went back to GS110X-1xxxxx range.
The frame doesn't have the pass through bolts on the front engine mounts so is definitely later and not an early one.
The anti-dive looks to be the earlier type though or possibly even different from both SZ and SD (can't make out from the image).

If you can get a dating certificate earlier then I would as it'll then fall under the 40 year rule quicker and you can save on tax and mot (if you like) sooner.
Do Unit 5 not have the French registration doc to show a date of first registration? That would avoid the need to the dating certificate.

UB

[PaulD]

My bike has a black top yoke

.... and a red tank

Yes but mines a very rare one only edition

[fossie]

If you have the French log book , you don't need a dating letter, but you must have a NOVA statement , without that , you can't get to the next stage .
With Nova and form from DVLA along with French Carte Gris and and cheque for 6 month tax and £55 registration fee you will get a registration number of the date on the French log book records .

Trying to get any other year will result in either failure or a Q plate and you don't want either .

Remember the bike is over 30 years old has resided in many countries so imported by dealers with access to loads of its to make it sellable to that market .....hence we has SD's with SZ wheels etc.
You could get very perdantic and notice the different silencer ends ...

As you said they are extensively the same bike anyway .....ordering parts new will only get what they have anyway as many parts became superseded , meaning that even ordering the correct year part will bring in a later year part anyway.

[Badgerman]

Thanks for all the comments guys, have decided to bite the bullet and get a Suzuki factory dating certificate. After speaking with quite a few folks, it seems that the bike is a 1987 SAE model but has an older front end, so will see if the certificate verifies this

Thanks for the help

Jamie

[johnr]

i dont know why people fixate on colour details and trim. thee bikes entire identity is based on the frame, and as such everything bolted to it can and frequently is swapped round, altered repainted. so in terms of identifying th bike, all you can use with any level of certainty is the frame. trim and fittings can be a clue, but theyre not certaintys, its ALL about the frame.
nice looking complete bike tho, its deff a later model even though it looks like an sz.

[Bikeazoid]

I thought the 82 was the only year with the unpainted engine and fork lowers. Looks like the same CV's that USAers got too.

[fossie]

I thought the 82 was the only year with the unpainted engine and fork lowers. Looks like the same CV's that USAers got too.

That's the point 40 years on most bits are from something else and or repainted unpainted polished ....only the frame number can give the year ....but the colour way , trim depended on market it was for and or what part of the year it was registered ....at this time our registration years were from Aug to July But Japan was Jan to Jan ...so and 82 bike could be regerstered 83 possibly 84 ...so some SZ were reg'd as 83-4 but that should be SD ...

In the scheme of things if you are going to repaint something just do it in what YOUlike .

[PaulD]

In the scheme of things if you are going to repaint something just do it in what YOUlike .

Just like my very own only one ever made red tank SZ

[Smallkat]

[/quote]
In the scheme of things if you are going to repaint something just do it in what YOUlike .
[/quote]

Black applied with a brush? Seems to be popular on my two Kats.