A Note from
the Owner
Hi Mark,
I started motorcycling back in
1966 when I was 14 years old on the farm, so I didn’t need a
license. I used to round up the milk and beef cows with a 1966
Yamaha 250. Sometimes they would try to round me up!
I’m 52 now and in all these
years there were only two years that I didn’t have a bike. Those
two years were hell! Some of the bikes I’ve had are: 1957 BSA
650cc Goldstar, 1966 Yamaha 250cc Big Bear Scrambler, 1969 Honda
CB750K, 1971 Honda CB450, 1971 Honda CB750K, 1983 Yamaha Virago
XV750K, 1978 Honda GL1000 Gold Wing, and a 1982 Honda XL500R.
Besides the 1983 Suzuki
GS1100GLD, I currently have the ’78 Gold Wing, and a 1975 Honda
CB125S that I’m putting together for my wife Sylvia of 30 years.
It will be a good learner bike for her.
She and I have toured on the
Gold Wing most of the New England states, and we still take many
rides just for the fun of it. Fun is what motorcycling is all
about. I worked for a power company here in Connecticut as an
Overhead Electrical Line worker for 23 years, and the last 11
years there I would commute year round 38 miles one way to work
on the Gold Wing - and it gets pretty cold in Connecticut !
76 miles every day in all kinds of weather year round - but it
was great not being in a car.
The bike made the long commute
tolerable because it was fun to drive. That’s how I got the
nickname Mad Max from my co-workers. They figured I was just
plain nuts riding to work in 15 degree weather, or in the rain.
I’m semi-retired now so I have more time to ride. I ran an old
Velerex sidecar on the Gold Wing for a few years, but didn’t
like the handling after a while.
None of my bikes have ever
been in a shop except for when I bring the wheels in for new
tires. I do all maintenance and repairs myself and enjoy doing
it.
I bought the 1983 GS1100GL
about a year ago on Ebay for $1,500.00 with 26,000 miles on the
clock. I had heard for years about the different GS’s and how
reliable and fast they are and I had to have one, and the seller
was nearby in CT.
The motor sounded tight, no
major oil leaks, and it drove great except for those God awful
handlebars. The charging circuit was dead but with the help of
The GSResources Forum, it is now charging and running like a
bear.
The only modifications done to
it are a one size larger main jet size, a K&N air filter in the
stock air box, and a Barnett Clutch. Spark plugs are a nice tan
color like they should be. The bike can be scary fast or nice
and sedate around town; it does it all.
I just picked up a set of
Vetter saddlebags and a Vetter Windjammer fairing for it, both
with mounts for this bike. If I was younger, I would leave it
bare, but as I get older, I appreciate the wind protection and
storage more. Of all the bikes I’ve had or ridden, the GS is my
favorite and a keeper.
Bill
Hebb
