Suzuki GS 650 GZ Katana Seat - Same as GX Model?

[craik]

Hi,
I have a 1986 Suzuki GS 650 GZ Katana imported in the mid 1990s to the UK from Japan. The GZ is the model with the anti-dive forks. The seat is beginning to rust through and I'm looking for a replacement. Is the seat from the GS 650 GX Katana the same as the GZ's? Looking online at pictures of the GX seat, firstly the colour is different, since it has some red on it, while my GZ seat is all black. But more importantly, the shape of the GZ seat looks slightly different where it meets the tank - it comes out wider in a kind of 1/2 circle shape. The GX model lacks this protuberance.
So in summary, are the GX and GZ seats interchangeable?
Thanks in advance for any info.

[bobster]

Hi Craik............if your bike is an import it will have a a slightly shorter seat than the UK spec Kat650s..........they look the same but when you try and fit a UK spec 650 seat to an import they wont fit.............and they didnt make the GS650GZ in 1986, it was a 1983 model.

Does your bike have an oil cooler? If not its an import!

So You'll need a GS550M seat.................because thats the seat you'll need. Good luck in finding one of those.

Though I may just know where one is, but its orange and black!

[fossie]

the GX and GZ seats are the same but as Bobster says if it is a Jap import , that is a Jap import with the 80 km warning light on dash and NO Oilcooler you will need a 550 seat .
suzuki did an alternative seat in black , but the issued colour was black and orange.

[craik]

Thanks for the replies.
The registration document definitely says 1986, maybe it sat in a showroom for a while before being sold (and registered)?
Anyhow, the bike is a Jap import with no oil cooler and and 80km speed limit warning light, as mentioned (see pic below).
Don't know why Suzuki don't still make the seats for the 550/650 Kats since they seem in demand and would sell but I guess they have their reasons. They still make other parts new for the bike.
Seems a pity to dump the bike due to lack of a seat because the rest of it still runs ok, although can't say I didn't get my money's worth out of it over the years.
The current seat still has some life in it. I may contact you later about the seat bobster.
Update: Have since discovered I may be able to get hold of a 'GS 550 MZ Katana 1982 Seat'. Will this fit?
Thanks all.

[lomsavage]

Hi mate,

I may not make myself popular with the purists here but here's my solution to the seat problem

If it's not totally lnackered, simply grind back the worst bits, patch, then wrap in a thin layer of fibre glass and resin. Should still fit ok and the "layer" will prevent any further deterioration

Problem solved

H

[bobster]

Thanks for the replies.
The registration document definitely says 1986, maybe it sat in a showroom for a while before being sold (and registered)?
Anyhow, the bike is a Jap import with no oil cooler and and 80km speed limit warning light, as mentioned (see pic below).
Don't know why Suzuki don't still make the seats for the 550/650 Kats since they seem in demand and would sell but I guess they have their reasons. They still make other parts new for the bike.
Seems a pity to dump the bike due to lack of a seat because the rest of it still runs ok, although can't say I didn't get my money's worth out of it over the years.
The current seat still has some life in it. I may contact you later about the seat bobster.
Update: Have since discovered I may be able to get hold of a 'GS 550 MZ Katana 1982 Seat'. Will this fit?
Thanks all.

I think it should fit............if it is a GS550mx seat.

Can you "TRY before YOU BUY?"

[fossie]

Yes it will fit, there will be a small gap at the front but hardly noticeable ,the seat locks and hooks are in the right place.
The club does do seats for the 650 but for the rest of the world model, not the 550 as these seats are easy to come by.
As for log book saying 1986 this could be anything from someone misreading the Jap log book to someone just writing anything in DVLA paperwork.
The only way to know for sure if it is a 1986 is has it got a fuel gauge.
In Suzuki 's defence the bike is 30 years old or very near.

[craik]

Well,
Today I tried a Katana GS550M seat from the USA, as suggested. Unfortunately, it does not fit, the hooks etc appear to be a cm or so out. So don't anyone else make the same mistake!
Is it possible that the GX650 seat that the club sells, mentioned earlier in this thread, does actually fit my GZ 650 Jap import? Where can I get hold of one to try before I buy? How much do they go for?
Thanks in advance for any info.

[fossie]

I did say that the 550 seat fits but there will be a gap , all it takes is to either adjust the lock plate back or bend the front hooks on the bike. Suzuki no longer do a seat as it is 30 years old, parts that are available are for the 650 gt as well. Which sold for much longer in the much larger US market.
The year of manufacture on the log book with an import should NEVER be used as a guide as DVLA only print what was on the form when presented to them. We have Pop ups built in 1996' 10years AFTER the last one actually was.
The 2nd release of the GX had anti dive in the JAP home market, making it somewhere between a GX and. A GZ , the X and Z only relate to year of release. All 650 Kats are the same other than cosmetic. Though the Jap ones are shorter as mentioned.
Our replacement seats will NOT fit your Jap Market GZ.
In my garage I have a Jap market 650 with a 550 seat on fitted as mentioned I also have a Euro 650 the seats are not interchangeable. In the last 20 years I have dispatched 7 650,s and
I have in the past repaired the seats and fibreglassed over the damage, as suggested.
If you feel I have given you naff advice welcome to the club, just ignore me.

[callyboy]

any good? Cheap.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SUZUKI-GS-650 ... 3f2280929f" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;