Rider: Brad Babcock, Lemont, Pennsylvania
Age: 67
Occupation: Retired videographer
Rides: 1953 Royal Enfield 350 Bullet, 1965 Royal Enfield 750 Interceptor, 1975 Honda CB125S, 1977 Honda Z50, 1983 Suzuki GS450, 1984 Moto Guzzi V65SP, 1987 Yamaha SRX 250, 2002 Suzuki 1200 Bullet
Brad’s story: “I was particularly pleased to see the 1980-1983 Suzuki GS450 as a Future Classic (March/April 2014), as I’m the proud owner of a 1983 GS450E, which I bought new in 1985 and have kept in the stable ever since. For six years it was my only bike. I commuted on it, took it on sporting rides and toured on it, including several 600-900 mile round trips to Ontario. Now it’s my favorite back roads bike, powerful enough, yet nimble. It now has more than 48,000 miles on it. The sum total of repairs have been a new clutch cable, a new tachometer drive cable and a regulator/rectifier, which was a known weak point in Suzukis of that era. With eight motorcycles in the garage, the GS450 is still one of my favorites. It’s all stock and original, except for the added flyscreen and the seat, which I had redone by Sargents when the original cover split. I still think it’s a very handsome bike.” MC
