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15 years of owning my GS

Well its been a bit....
Last year was my worst ever for time spent riding and to make things worse my insurance ran out last August. The first tine since I started riding streetbikes in '92.... With much going on, I never got my S together and the GS just sat. By the time late fall rolled around I figured it'd be smart to drain the carbs. Good thing, because the fuel was pretty funky. Hopefully l got it out in time....
As Winter dragged on the bike just sat some more, and I had no interest in touching it. We spent some long overdue time cleaning out the basement and whenever old bedding was discarded, it was tossed over the bike for covering to the point that by spring, a garage collapse probably wouldn't have damaged it.

A few weeks ago, I uncovered it. It was nice to see my old friend.

Last Saturday with f**k all to do, I began cleaning the garage and I came across the old Team Dinosaur mid panel that was tucked away which sent me into a fit of nostalgia mixed with low grade frustration.
The fairing, gauge cluster, and all of its trim have never fit just so due to its harsh past. Its always bothered me.

With no real plan in mind I pulled the parts bike fairing stay down. Despite the parts bike's outdoor storage, the stay was quite nice and not rusty. I gave it a wipe down and it actually shined. I spent a good chunk of last Sunday tinkering. Off came the fairing and related trim.
Off came the gauge cluster. It seems that its mounting bracket was bent possibly the cause of it sitting off center. I opened the cluster to remove the bent bracket and found a JB Weld repair that I have little recollection of. While that was open I removed a relic of the past - the low battery electrolyte warning bulb. I cleaned it up and reassembled it with the best of three brackets.

The spare stay seems to fit better and lined up nicely with its mounting holes. The bracket that supports the upper half was definitely bent and probably why the windscreen always listed to one side. Swapped that as well.
Before installing the fairing, I sprayed the inside black to cover the factory overspray, reason being that I may leave off or trim down the big ugly cover. Not quite sure yet though.

I've spent a bit of time each evening this week tinkering and fighting with damaged mid panel brackets trying to get them to allow proper mounting of the mid panels. When one of my good and matching candy alpine blue panels broke off a post a few years ago, I threw in the towel and just removed them and the brackets.
http://GS parts by Glen Brenner, on Flickr

http://GS parts by Glen Brenner, on Flickr
 
Sandy said:
The chain is lighter but on a 500lb motorcycle does that really matter. There are a few other benefits though.
Click to expand...

Isn't it that the engine torque is pulling a lighter load as much as the dead weight?
 
Yes, it's a nice escape especially since there's some room in the garage now.

The lower bracket fitment is frustrating as I expected it would be, but the minsetat the moment is just put things down when they start to annoy me. Unfortunately the parts bike didn't have the lower brackets so I'm forced to deal with what I have.
 
After some consideration, I've decided to ditch the cover panel. It does cover up some ugly stuff, but at the same time I like seeing the mechanical parts. It also makes access to the wiring, etc easier. I also discovered that the main wiring bundle to the cluster was rubbing on the brake line splitter and the cooling fins on the splitter wore the harness wrap off of the bundle. Recovered it and secured the wiring. I still have to get back to sorting the mid panel brackets.

I pulled the fairing off again yesterday to respray the inside. There were a few ugly runs.
http://GS by Glen Brenner, on Flickr
 
After much manipulating of the brackets with sometines large presuaders and questoning why bother, I got the answer.
For the first time in a awhile I peeked into to garage before bed to have a look and smiled.
http://Untitled by Glen Brenner, on Flickr
 
Minor elective surgery.
As noted, I've never been a big fan of the inside fairing cover. Out of the three sun faded tatty ones I have, I took the worst of three and began trimming away, following the line of the trim piece on the mid panel. The original follows the contour of the tank, hiding part of it and the rider's view of the top of the engine. I like seeing that stuff. It also surrounds the gauge cluster.
The screen still lists to one side, but that may be changing too.

I read on Iconic Motorbikes site (a good site to ogle and dream) that faded plastic can sometimes be restored by slathering it with petroleum jelly and letting it stand for a few days. The fairing trim is gray and chalky so I goobered it up. It seems to have worked well on a couple of other less faded parts I tried it on last week, but I suppose the real test will be sunlight and weather exposure.

I like the opened up look.
http://GS fairing trim by Glen Brenner, on Flickr
 
The ole GS hit 30k miles tonight. Certainly no mean feat considering that I’ve owned it for nearly 23 years now, but I typically haven’t had a lot of free time to ride. There have been seasons where I’ve ridden a few to several thousand miles and lean years where I’ve ridden a few to several hundreds of miles. Regardless, I’m thankful for any time spent riding and the opportunity to escape from life for a couple of fleeting hours, time to contemplate and reflect, or the chance to leave some frustration in my helmet or on the road behind. The pool of memories collected riding this old cycle runs deep these days. Memories of those gone before me, time shared with friends, rides spent in solitary contemplation, and time spent simply living in the moment.




In the ensuing years since buying it in 1999 the cycle has gone from simply an old bike to a classic, but it’s currently state is heavily dependent on one’s opinion. Cosmetically it’s a 37 year old bike and it wears many signs of typical use, a few instances of it going horizontal, and all signs point to it never being a show bike. On the other hand, it was rescued from a dark garage where it sat for 12 years after being heavily abused and crashed in its formative years. After being put back into service it has been ridden every season since. That, in my opinion, is the real story and the prize. That old machine has become a library of memories and stories, which will hopefully grow as time rolls on.
 
dorkburger said:
The ole GS hit 30k miles tonight. Certainly no mean feat considering that I’ve owned it for nearly 23 years now, but I typically haven’t had a lot of free time to ride. There have been seasons where I’ve ridden a few to several thousand miles and lean years where I’ve ridden a few to several hundreds of miles. Regardless, I’m thankful for any time spent riding and the opportunity to escape from life for a couple of fleeting hours, time to contemplate and reflect, or the chance to leave some frustration in my helmet or on the road behind. The pool of memories collected riding this old cycle runs deep these days. Memories of those gone before me, time shared with friends, rides spent in solitary contemplation, and time spent simply living in the moment.




In the ensuing years since buying it in 1999 the cycle has gone from simply an old bike to a classic, but it’s currently state is heavily dependent on one’s opinion. Cosmetically it’s a 37 year old bike and it wears many signs of typical use, a few instances of it going horizontal, and all signs point to it never being a show bike. On the other hand, it was rescued from a dark garage where it sat for 12 years after being heavily abused and crashed in its formative years. After being put back into service it has been ridden every season since. That, in my opinion, is the real story and the prize. That old machine has become a library of memories and stories, which will hopefully grow as time rolls on.
Click to expand...

Very insightful, historical perspective, Glen.

Lately, I've been having thoughts such as yours...it's taken me a bit longer to come face-to-face with summarizing my life. My "T" had a small section of life as I went out west to NM in Oct of 2013. Six months later, it was JAX, FL but without my "T".

Sounds like we're both working though some things in life and I wish you well in all that you do.

Ed

****
 
GSXR7ED said:
Very insightful, historical perspective, Glen.

Lately, I've been having thoughts such as yours...it's taken me a bit longer to come face-to-face with summarizing my life. My "T" had a small section of life as I went out west to NM in Oct of 2013. Six months later, it was JAX, FL but without my "T".

Sounds like we're both working though some things in life and I wish you well in all that you do.

Ed

****
Click to expand...

Hey Ed, thanks.
I’m certainly not ready to summarize my life yet... But... reflection is good at times. That motley old GS has been a common thread running thru my life from just before marriage to present day... days before my sons were here, my father was here, then passed, to now, where our older son is more and more on his own. The passage of time has been bewilderingly quick...
 
Glen,
Thank you for an enjoyable read. You've certainly been through a lot with your beloved ES​. I bought my 82 Kat in 1984 (from the original owner with 2k miles) and I still have her. For a few years it was my only mode of transportation, and for roughly 26 years it was my only bike. Similar story as yours - had it before marriage - long before kids came along, and they're grown and out of the house for a while now, but the Kat is still here in the stable. She's still in pretty good shape, pretty much original except for a 530 changeover, just 27k on the clocks. There were many years when the kids were young and growing up, the Kat would barely get 100 miles a season but she was always registered and insured so a quick (legal) ride was always possible.

When I got out of the Navy (22 years in) and made my way back to my old stomping grounds, the kids were grown, life was becoming stable and warm summer days - and the Kat - were calling. All of my old riding buddies had Harleys, and of course they just love to putt along... Well, 35-45 mph on a Kat is just painful - on both of us! So I was lucky enough to find a long desired 83 1100 ES for a very reasonable cost which became the new go-to bike for rides with the old gang. And she's been a faithful ride too. Shortly after getting the ES, I found the GSR and folks that are comfortable going a bit quicker than 45, which as you know, the ES does with grace.

I don't get the Kat out as often as I'd like, but when I do, she just loves to stretch her legs! So I suppose that's 39 years together (15 for the ES) and still counting.
 
I purchased my 1983 GS750ES new. I knew the owner of the dealership, he gave it to me at cost. I put it together out of the crate. I've pulled a side car with that rig for 6 years. It's been giving and giving, and has requested very little. This year makes 40 years in my possession. I still have my 1975 Honda CB400F that I purchased under the same conditions, that makes 48 years! I guess I'm kind of a hoarder when it comes to certain things. My ZZR1200 and all of my stuff will go to my son, that's written in stone, so he now wants to put money into them to future proof them while I'm around and can do the upgrades properly.

The '83 GS750ES is getting a GS1150EFE front end, with Katana 750 front and rear rims (3 spoke) so I can pout a 17" rim on the front, as 16" tires are getting limited, and a set of TOKICO calipers, new discs and Galfner steel braided lines, and a set of progressive front fork springs. :)
 
gs scott said:
Glen,
Thank you for an enjoyable read. You've certainly been through a lot with your beloved ES​. I bought my 82 Kat in 1984 (from the original owner with 2k miles) and I still have her. For a few years it was my only mode of transportation, and for roughly 26 years it was my only bike. Similar story as yours - had it before marriage - long before kids came along, and they're grown and out of the house for a while now, but the Kat is still here in the stable. She's still in pretty good shape, pretty much original except for a 530 changeover, just 27k on the clocks. There were many years when the kids were young and growing up, the Kat would barely get 100 miles a season but she was always registered and insured so a quick (legal) ride was always possible.

When I got out of the Navy (22 years in) and made my way back to my old stomping grounds, the kids were grown, life was becoming stable and warm summer days - and the Kat - were calling. All of my old riding buddies had Harleys, and of course they just love to putt along... Well, 35-45 mph on a Kat is just painful - on both of us! So I was lucky enough to find a long desired 83 1100 ES for a very reasonable cost which became the new go-to bike for rides with the old gang. And she's been a faithful ride too. Shortly after getting the ES, I found the GSR and folks that are comfortable going a bit quicker than 45, which as you know, the ES does with grace.

I don't get the Kat out as often as I'd like, but when I do, she just loves to stretch her legs! So I suppose that's 39 years together (15 for the ES) and still counting.
Click to expand...

Hey Scott, thanks for the story, and I'm glad you enjoyed mine. Your ES with the matching hard bags was quickly one of my favorite bikes when I joined this site a decade ago. It's fun to be the odd man out on an old UJM among Harleys... I've done that as well. Now in my 51st year I'm feeling a bit lazy. It's about time that I clear a path in the garage and roll the old girl out for Spring rites.
 
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Love reading this kind of stuff, thanks for sharing... A bike for 40 yrs is a lot, My 37th anniversary was last wk., 4/17, I still can't believe I've put up with her for that long... Sure wish I'd kept that old "79" GS1000S I's riding back then... Well If I'd only kept one, I guess it's OK the old bike is the one that left.
 
I just reread this thread, and ashamed I have not taken more pictures of my bike. That's going to change, today! Thanks! :)
 
The oldest picture I have. My son, around 8 years old (he's 23 now) asked me why I don't ride my bike. I fixed it up, and we started riding together. This is the only picture I have of him with me on the bike, before I put of the Half fairing. ;)

Johnny at 8 on Suzuki.jpg
 
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