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Talk about a gift !
Twelve years ago, my brother-in-law bought a used Suzuki with about 15,000 miles to learn how to ride.
He put about 100 miles on it, and one day after adding oil, he rode it up the street, but brought it back to his garage when it started smoking out the exhaust pipes. He took the gas tank and seat off to work on it. Nine years later, my wife's sister told him to "get it out of the garage", and he asked me if I wanted it- for free, just "get it out of the garage". I made sure the engine would turn when I pushed down on the kickstarter, gathered up as many pieces as I could find, including the backrest, and brought it to my house in a Chevy S-10. I packed the airbox with a rag and hosed it off with dishsoap. It looked interesting. That week I removed the stock handlebars and replaced them with "ACE" or "CLUBMAN" bars from CYCLE SPECIALTIES on Harrison Rd. I replaced the front dics pads, rear brake shoes, plugs, air filter element, and flushed and replaced the brake fluid, fork oil, and engine oil. I disassembled and cleaned the four carburetors and made sure the floats were set to allow plenty of flow. I ordered a Universal BMW R90S type fairing through Chapparal catalog and mirrors. I had Cycle Specialties mount and balance Bridgestone S11 Sport-Touring tyres, and I modified the brake pedal and shifter so I could sit closer to the tank. For a trip to No. Carolina, I replaced the chain with a 530 Tsabuka (sp?) O-ring chain with a fresh rear sprocket and a 16 tooth vs 15 tooth front sprocket. I ended up with a 1978 Suzuki GS550 stock bike, except for the modifications I mentioned. After riding the Tail of the Dragon this summer, I replaced the points/condensers with a DynaTek magnetic trigger and kept the stock coils. The bike is FUN, FAST, and dependable. It pulls in 6th gear from 25mph and will go 100. It has a helmet hook under the locking hinged seat with a complete tool kit and small storage compartment behind the seat. The same ignition key fits the front steering lock and locking gas cap. The stock exhaust headers and "Dunstall type" pipes look new, even though the baffles are completely rusted out ( the stock heat range plugs are black and sooty-so I know it's not running too lean and in danger of 'holing" a piston or burning a valve due to low exhaust back pressure ). It sounds great to me, like two throaty trombones, and the pitch varies with the engine rpm. I can't keep up with every newer bike on the Sunday 10/22 rides, but I do enjoy feeling the road surface through the outside sole of my boots going through the twisties. And it's relaxing to lay on the tank bag behind the small cafe fairing going 75mph on the interstate.
( Proof that riders are irrational:
I was caught doing 72mph in a 40 mph zone on Cook Rd. in Milford in Dec. 2001. And I developed an anxiety about going down before our Son's upcoming marriage that July. So I returned the bike to its stock condition, hung the fairing, bars, and shifter in the garage, and sold the bike in July 2002 to a 40 year old who wanted to learn to ride. Then our daughter's graduation from college was coming up in May of 2003. I wanted to attend that. Finally this past July after buying weekly "CYCLE TRADERS" and countless hours on the internet at www.cycletrader.com looking at pictures, I couldn't stand it any longer and I called the guy that bought my bike. He had lost his job and had been thinking of calling me! I sped over and gave him his money back. He had ridden fewer than 50 miles in the year he had it. It took me 4 hours to convert it back to Cafe Trim.
And, as the story goes, "we're living happily ever after...").
Twelve years ago, my brother-in-law bought a used Suzuki with about 15,000 miles to learn how to ride.
He put about 100 miles on it, and one day after adding oil, he rode it up the street, but brought it back to his garage when it started smoking out the exhaust pipes. He took the gas tank and seat off to work on it. Nine years later, my wife's sister told him to "get it out of the garage", and he asked me if I wanted it- for free, just "get it out of the garage". I made sure the engine would turn when I pushed down on the kickstarter, gathered up as many pieces as I could find, including the backrest, and brought it to my house in a Chevy S-10. I packed the airbox with a rag and hosed it off with dishsoap. It looked interesting. That week I removed the stock handlebars and replaced them with "ACE" or "CLUBMAN" bars from CYCLE SPECIALTIES on Harrison Rd. I replaced the front dics pads, rear brake shoes, plugs, air filter element, and flushed and replaced the brake fluid, fork oil, and engine oil. I disassembled and cleaned the four carburetors and made sure the floats were set to allow plenty of flow. I ordered a Universal BMW R90S type fairing through Chapparal catalog and mirrors. I had Cycle Specialties mount and balance Bridgestone S11 Sport-Touring tyres, and I modified the brake pedal and shifter so I could sit closer to the tank. For a trip to No. Carolina, I replaced the chain with a 530 Tsabuka (sp?) O-ring chain with a fresh rear sprocket and a 16 tooth vs 15 tooth front sprocket. I ended up with a 1978 Suzuki GS550 stock bike, except for the modifications I mentioned. After riding the Tail of the Dragon this summer, I replaced the points/condensers with a DynaTek magnetic trigger and kept the stock coils. The bike is FUN, FAST, and dependable. It pulls in 6th gear from 25mph and will go 100. It has a helmet hook under the locking hinged seat with a complete tool kit and small storage compartment behind the seat. The same ignition key fits the front steering lock and locking gas cap. The stock exhaust headers and "Dunstall type" pipes look new, even though the baffles are completely rusted out ( the stock heat range plugs are black and sooty-so I know it's not running too lean and in danger of 'holing" a piston or burning a valve due to low exhaust back pressure ). It sounds great to me, like two throaty trombones, and the pitch varies with the engine rpm. I can't keep up with every newer bike on the Sunday 10/22 rides, but I do enjoy feeling the road surface through the outside sole of my boots going through the twisties. And it's relaxing to lay on the tank bag behind the small cafe fairing going 75mph on the interstate.
( Proof that riders are irrational:
I was caught doing 72mph in a 40 mph zone on Cook Rd. in Milford in Dec. 2001. And I developed an anxiety about going down before our Son's upcoming marriage that July. So I returned the bike to its stock condition, hung the fairing, bars, and shifter in the garage, and sold the bike in July 2002 to a 40 year old who wanted to learn to ride. Then our daughter's graduation from college was coming up in May of 2003. I wanted to attend that. Finally this past July after buying weekly "CYCLE TRADERS" and countless hours on the internet at www.cycletrader.com looking at pictures, I couldn't stand it any longer and I called the guy that bought my bike. He had lost his job and had been thinking of calling me! I sped over and gave him his money back. He had ridden fewer than 50 miles in the year he had it. It took me 4 hours to convert it back to Cafe Trim.
And, as the story goes, "we're living happily ever after...").