My GS Story

[Pete Wrigley]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum. Back in college I had a 1980 GS750L. V&H 4-1 exhaust K&N air filter pods with the carbs jetted out. It was a quick bike. I had no idea what I was doing . I sold the bike off in early 90's. Fast Forward to today. I found some old pictures of that bike and it triggered me to try to track it down. Long story short... No luck. So having too much free time on my hands I was surfing the ol' internet and came across a nice 1980 GS750L for sale not far from where I live. It's now sitting in my garage. The previous owner was very proud of it and I'd like to keep the bike mostly as is as a nod to him.

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Welcome, again.

The swept back bars and the big step seat of the "L" are a love-it or hate-it thing. Bike looks like an excellent survivor or very nice restoration. You do you. Lots of "L" owners will put on straighter bars (will need shorter brake/clutch cables, shorter front brake lines.) But if you like it the way it is, keep it that way.

[xkaes]

Welcome to the Forum!

What a beauty! You sure lucked out! Looks like a souped up version of my GS550 -- but in better shape.

I never got rid of my mine. It was love at first sight.

What are your plans for it?

[Pete Wrigley]

The bike is a survivor Technically I'm the 3rd owner but the gentleman I bought it from had it since '81 and he bought it from his buddy. My plans for now are to keep it mostly as is. I'd like to remove the windscreen though as the blacked out one I feel limits my line of sight. I found a grab bar for the "pillion" but the wife likes the back rest so we'll see what happens, we all know what will happen LOL. Mechanically the carbs were just rebuilt and I sort of like the symmetry of the 4-2 exhaust. First things first though. I have not ridden in almost 30 years! I took it around my block and I am very rusty. I'm going to take a rider safety course in the spring, they are all booked up until then.

I attached a picture of my old bike circa 1988. The picture that started this all. This is b4 I had the air filter pods put on. It was maroon. Old_Bike20211015.jpg

[Rich82GS750TZ]

I'm going to take a rider safety course in the spring.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\
This is the best thing you can do! I wish everyone would realize this.

[Baatfam]

[Pete Wrigley]

Welcome, again.

The swept back bars and the big step seat of the "L" are a love-it or hate-it thing. Bike looks like an excellent survivor or very nice restoration. You do you. Lots of "L" owners will but on straighter bars (will need shorter brake/clutch cables, shorter front brake lines.) But if you like it the way it is, keep it that way.

I just received a new set of bars, Emgo part # 23-12565. I think they will look better and give better control of the bike. Not sure if the cables need much shortening but I know where to get them if need be.

The seat really is a love hate thing. Some days I love the look of the seat and other days not so much. The overall look though of this generation of bikes is just 2 thumbs up IMO.

[Guest]

That is such a beautiful ride, you're lucky to have it.

[Pete Wrigley]

That is such a beautiful ride, you're lucky to have it.

Thank you. There are still nice bikes out there to be rescued. I checked the various websites (craigslist, FB market, etc..) everyday looking for this particular model. You have to go looking for them and be patient not to jump at a bike that needs a lot of work,,, unless that's what you want to do.

[Guest]

Good looking bike and a great find. Appears to be in very good shape. Enjoy.
++ on the rider course

[argonsagas]

Originally Posted by Pete Wrigley
I'm going to take a rider safety course in the spring.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\
This is the best thing you can do! I wish everyone would realize this.

It really is the best thing you can do.

It is not just learning new techniques and/or road rules, but you will almost certainly be amazed at how much you have changed over this many years


Oh, yes....a critically important tip: check the age of your tires and replace if more than five years old. Nothing is more important.

This is from Chapparal Motor Sports

You may be asking yourself how to tell when a tire was made, or how old are my tires? You don't have to play guessing games to figure it out - the information is all right in front of you, on the sidewall of each tire. Look on the outer sidewall for the acronym "DOT," which should be followed by a series of numbers. The last four digits are what you need to determine when the tire was manufactured. The first two numbers represent the week, and the second pair indicates the year.

[Pete Wrigley]

You may be asking yourself how to tell when a tire was made, or how old are my tires? You don't have to play guessing games to figure it out - the information is all right in front of you, on the sidewall of each tire. Look on the outer sidewall for the acronym "DOT," which should be followed by a series of numbers. The last four digits are what you need to determine when the tire was manufactured. The first two numbers represent the week, and the second pair indicates the year.

This is really great information. Thanks!

I just checked. 11 year old tires!

Tire.jpg

[ddaniels]

Looks great. I love the looks of the L model but they are generally not built for long rides. At least not for me. When I first got into this addiction, I had a 550L and I hated the looks of a G model with that flat slab seat. After having both models, I'll take the G all day long. And, you can almost sit on them that long. Nice find and good luck with it.

[Pete Wrigley]

they are generally not built for long rides.

When I was 19 I rode my old L model 300 miles in one day to visit my buddy in college. Turned around 2 days later and made the return trip. Key there was... I was 19!