ANTHONY’S SUZUKI GSX1400

It’s always good to hear of people buying a new bike, that they love, and finding renewed enjoyment in their riding. This was what Anthony did, when he bought a Suzuki GSX1400. It’s just a shame that it took a very nasty accident to get him to that point!

Anthony tells us about his bike and what led to its purchase.

I've just read about Tim and his GSX1400 and thought I'd share how I came about owning one of these myself.

It was just last month (7.6.2013) while returning home on my trusty Honda CB1000T2 (the only one in oz as far as I know) and I turned left in to a street near home and saw two cars parked on the left hand side of the road just down a bit from the intersection.

One or both (I can't remember which) had their right hand indicators on and I thought yeah they have seen me and are waiting. Well did I get a shock!

I made it past the first car upon which the second has decided to do an illegal u-turn right in front of me.

All I could think of, as I jinked the bike to the right so I didn't go through her door, was “Shit this is going to hurt!” And hurt it did!

I ended up with no broken bones a bit of gravel rash and a big chunk of muscle and fat missing out of my left leg just above my knee running down the left side. I sat up and could see the bone! Well I laid back down quite quickly and awaited the ambos, shaking.

I spent just four days in hospital before being booted out to fend for myself with just crutches and a promise of help and a stern warning to show myself at the fracture clinic weekly to have dressings changed.

(The photos below are of the damage  - to both bike and rider. Needless to say, the bike was written-off. Elwyn).

While convalescing I researched what to replace my bike with, but my mother was telling me I wasn't getting another bike! (I'm 46 and, needless to say, can make my own decisions, but mothers will always be mums and want to protect their young, even when their not so young!). Well my sister and mother went off to Europe for a few months so I thought that was the perfect time to get another bike.

After a lot of searching and reading reviews and road tests on various bikes I came across the Suzuki GSX1400. To say it sounded like the perfect bike for me left me with some small doubts but now having found one and buying it and riding it I know those doubt's were unfounded. I found my bike on E bay and the starting bid was just $5,000 with 5 day's to go so I thought I'd wait a couple of day's and see where it went. I checked back and the starting bid had been raised to $6,000 so I thought what the heck and bid my first bid of $6,100; which started the bidding at $6,000. I kept on checking the auction and, after a nervous wait, on the 16.7.2013 I found I had won it for $6,000. The bike had only 33,480klm on it and had a full Yoshimura system with a beautiful exhaust note.

And so three days later I hobbled to my car and hired a trailer and threw in my tie downs and headed to Cessnock from Port Macquarie to pay and pick up my new bike. The trip was uneventful except that it was raining there and I was nervous about loading the bike myself, what with a dicky leg, but it all went well and I got the bike home and off the trailer safely and into the carport.

After a few day's staring at it fondly I got the ok from my doctor to start riding again as my scar had healed and the Dr said that it would do me good the exercise it. So that afternoon I went for my first ride on it.

I've now been riding it for a week and to say it suits me perfectly isn't doing it justice – it's just simply beautiful and will be more than adequate for my long touring and brief forays up the Whalca mountain.

I saw it described on some other web site thusly: “Like a magic carpet ride with a rocket up it's arse.” And I think that that sums it right up

Last Sunday, 28.7.2013, I returned from a Sunday ride on the big Suzi and I'm finding I'm falling in love with riding all over again because of this bike! To think it took an accident to get me to this stage – I just hope that it's not going to be a regular occurrence!

I hope so too, Anthony! Thanks for the story, and enjoy your ride!

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