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1979 GS1000S Input needed

  • Thread starter Thread starter curt101
  • Start date Start date
C

curt101

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I have a 79 GS1000S that is not stock. I am looking for other GS'ers input on what I should do. Leave it alone, try and bring it back, or do more mods, or sell. Frame has been nickel plated, after market 4 into 1 exhaust with yoshi pipe, aluminum spoke wheels, 29mm smooth bore carbs with K and N filters, bump seat, oil cooler, fork brace, rear fender cut, ... I think that is it. I love the bike, but have actually been thinking of selling for a newer bike. Right now I have the fairing and gauges off with older Honda speedo and tach installed. Reason being is that I am missing both upper mounts for the fairing and it vibrates when installed because the upper part is loose. The pic I am attaching still shows the fairing on, but it looks more like a regular GS right now. Anyway just looking for input.
Curt
 
man that thing looks like hell. It far beyond any restoration or revival. I think the best thing for YOU to do, is allow me to fly out to Seattle and take that thing off your hands for you. I dispose of it propperly. And i wont even charge you for it either! My treat. How does that sound? :-D
 
If it were me I would keep it! spend the difference in money between it and a newer bike on more mods to compliment the ones it already has.
Just my NZ 2 cents though.
Cheers
 
Anyone can buy a new bike. :-s
You have something special, my friend. If you don't see that, by all means sell it to someone that does.
 
Curt, the fairing mounts are still available from Suzuki, i think.
The Wes Cooley is a special bike. If it is a legitimate "S" model I would lean towards restoring it to stock condition.
I have a hot rod "S" clone that started out as a '78 "E".
 
LOL turn it back to stock and sell me that pipe :)

Seriously I'd keep it as-is and fix the speedo/tach/fairing. It has nice period mods (nickel frame! cool!) and you can't duplicate that today without spending a lot of money.

Personally I'm a huge fan of "resto-mod" bikes cleaned up with contemporary mods like yours.
 
Keep it or sell it cheap to me. I'll take good care of her. :-D

I guess it really depends on what you expect from your ride, and what you use your bike for. I prefer the old school stuff over the new stuff, although I will have a Busa someday soon
 
Maaate.You've got the rarest of all the GS's.Take all the crap off it ,sell anything not standard and put that cash back into a full resto.I've recently restored one and have only seen one other.I'll bet my right nut that the good folk on this site will queue up for a chance to take it off your hands to take it back to original.My favorite bike on this site is the June '05 Bike of the month,so I like modded bikes as well,buuuut,that beauty you've got deserves respect,damn it!!!!! If you want something different,buy a pig and build what your little heart desires.Cheers,Simon.:shock:
 
If you do put it back to standard, can I have first refusal on the seat? I may have some top fairing brackets spare, do you have any other pictures of the bike, it looks spot on.

Cheers,
Mark...
 
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Another picture

Another picture

Here is another photo.
IMG_4214.jpg
[/IMG]
 
Ill give ya 800 for it right now :) You pay shipping of course...hehehe Gorgeous bike man you should keep it for real.
 
If you want braided brake lines for your project I 've just ordered some from Z1 enterprises for my 1980 gs850g. For $150 I get 3 lines for the front and 1 rear and 8 fittings. I went to my local bike shop which wanted $325 for them to make them up. It pays to shop around,Ted
 
I like it. I wouldn't change a thing on it. A customized S..... very cool! Shine it up and ride it with pride. I'd take a nice Wes Cooley S over a new bike all day.

That bike actually has some of the same mods I'm doing on my project GS1000... silver frame and black engine. It's nice to see a bike modded that way so I can get a better idea what mine will look like. I might hit you up for some more pics! :-D
 
It's your bike, do it up as you wish.

I have a 1980 S. Minor mods, V&H 4>1, Progressive suspension. I also diid a 530 chain conversion years ago. GS1100 swingarm.
Nothing "radical" Typical mods for the time.
I also have a "ZERO" brand superbike racing seat and the stock seat.

Now some people think these are the holy grail of GS'.
I do, but if a person wants to make the bike their own, well.......pick another model :)

I do love the spoked wheels. The only other S models with spokes I've seen are in Australia--see Sharpy's S. (Which is beautiful)
Are you keeping the spokes? Or want a set of mags? PM me if you do, we may be able to work something out

You've got a very strong base of a bike to work from.

This is a pic with the superbike seat

johnsbusapics019.jpg
 
I had thought from looking at the first picture that the seat was the same as the one fitted to KGB's bike but in the second its clearly not :-( but it is a sweet bike that appears to need very little. Keep it the way it is, sort the small problems out, ride & enjoy :-)

Mark...
 
I've already put in my 2 cents worth,so you know what I think.The fact is it's your ride,so do as you will.It's a very cool looking bike as it is.Ride and enjoy.Everywhere you stop you're going to get lots of attention and opinions so get ready for that.You might need to upgrade your GRINNER as well.I didn't,now I think it's broken.Haven't been able to remove the smile for a long time now.Cheers,Simon.:-D
 
Same thoughts myself, though my 'new' S is nowhere near as nice as yours. I'm stripping everything down - last nut and bolt job for ground up build. (I'm afraid i can't live with a bike that's not immaculate). Just about everything I've touched so far needs replacing / major work.

After a fair amount of research and costing up of options I've plumped for going mildly modified. Plans are:

Katana alu swingarm (already bought one).
Nice 4-1 (Probably a Marving to match the one on my CB1100F, once I've robbed the bank).
Shorter front mudguard (RG500 style probably).
Konis / Ikons (same thing).
Drilled discs (already found and fitted GSX750ES discs and calipers).
Giuliari or 2:4 seat.
I may change the carbs for something a bit 'juicier', though may stay stock.

I can't decide on whether to repaint to original scheme or not - I may go for a Cooley style.

And I need to sort out the mirrors - I found some NOS ones but all I can see behind is my elbows!

By my costings, these mods will be far cheaper and easier than trying to go concours stock. And your bike looks pretty smart to me - in my eyes worth every penny the same as a totally original one.
 
I myself like the restored style, however, your bike is quite a looker & with all that has been done to it, I would keep it as is, if you like it. To me, it would be a waste to sell it however that is just my opinion. Good luck to you & hope you are happy with your decision, as that is what is most important to me.
 
If it was mine I would restore it, I bought one last year out of Seattle and it is ALL original and every where I go with it, it attracts a crowd. They are getting very rare. But on the flip side yours is nice, parts that make it an "S" are hard to get though.:-D
 
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