F
fastfrank
Guest
Greetings - new member here, but a long time, rapidly aging motorcyclist.
After 13 years of letting my GS1100ES sit in the garage, after a move from San Diego, and after the electrical system went south there, I’m finally giving it some love. It is finally looking like Spring here
(how do you know it is Spring in Upstate NY? It’s when you run a robin through the snowblower!)
My GS was custom built, I’m told, for a Navy SEAL customer, in the East San Diego area, then I bought it third hand from a work associate (more of a trade; we kept selling each other bikes for $500).
The bike worked great (aside from no shock travel) and pulled very hard (seemed like more than the Hayabusa I had at the time), until the stator fried. I bought a new stator and R/R for it around 2008-ish, then I proceeded to have medical issues, coupled with laziness and cold weather, that have kept me from wrenching and riding much since. I’m retired now (was an engr) and am largely better health-wise, so I have no more excuses.
The bike is gloss black, lowered with an extended swingarm, has PM brakes, smoothbore carbs, etc, and turned heads everywhere it went. I also got a couple boxes of original parts, including the blue and white plastic, and the original swingarm.
I’ve purchased new Progressive shocks and fork springs to raise her back up, and save my back.
I’ll be embarking on swapping the stator (two coils at 0.4 ohms, one at 5.5 ohms), bypassing the long wire run to the front, and replacing the R/R (which amazingly tests as good). Yes, I have a shunt-type R/R. Wires at the connector between them are charred and melted.
I’m wondering whether the motogadget wiring hubs are worth it (opinions?) - they seem to be standard on new custom builds these days. First thing I’ll do, though, is get a proper star ground with largish wire going, and probably a cheaper fuse block.
Other hobbies? I play guitar and a few other stringed instruments, and have assembled a much-too-expensive recording studio - if anyone wants to make a record, let me know. I also just ended a 9 year stint coaching a kids’ robotics team.
Enough for now - I’m humbled to be among such GS experts, and look forward to some discussion.
Disclaimer: I see that our esteemed honcho here is Frank (hi), so I’d like to point out that my (longtime) moniker in no way is meant to impugn his riding reputation, or to make any comparison in any sense... it really was what a number of old friends called me. I can also attest that I am currently far from fast.
After 13 years of letting my GS1100ES sit in the garage, after a move from San Diego, and after the electrical system went south there, I’m finally giving it some love. It is finally looking like Spring here
(how do you know it is Spring in Upstate NY? It’s when you run a robin through the snowblower!)
My GS was custom built, I’m told, for a Navy SEAL customer, in the East San Diego area, then I bought it third hand from a work associate (more of a trade; we kept selling each other bikes for $500).
The bike worked great (aside from no shock travel) and pulled very hard (seemed like more than the Hayabusa I had at the time), until the stator fried. I bought a new stator and R/R for it around 2008-ish, then I proceeded to have medical issues, coupled with laziness and cold weather, that have kept me from wrenching and riding much since. I’m retired now (was an engr) and am largely better health-wise, so I have no more excuses.
The bike is gloss black, lowered with an extended swingarm, has PM brakes, smoothbore carbs, etc, and turned heads everywhere it went. I also got a couple boxes of original parts, including the blue and white plastic, and the original swingarm.
I’ve purchased new Progressive shocks and fork springs to raise her back up, and save my back.
I’ll be embarking on swapping the stator (two coils at 0.4 ohms, one at 5.5 ohms), bypassing the long wire run to the front, and replacing the R/R (which amazingly tests as good). Yes, I have a shunt-type R/R. Wires at the connector between them are charred and melted.
I’m wondering whether the motogadget wiring hubs are worth it (opinions?) - they seem to be standard on new custom builds these days. First thing I’ll do, though, is get a proper star ground with largish wire going, and probably a cheaper fuse block.
Other hobbies? I play guitar and a few other stringed instruments, and have assembled a much-too-expensive recording studio - if anyone wants to make a record, let me know. I also just ended a 9 year stint coaching a kids’ robotics team.
Enough for now - I’m humbled to be among such GS experts, and look forward to some discussion.
Disclaimer: I see that our esteemed honcho here is Frank (hi), so I’d like to point out that my (longtime) moniker in no way is meant to impugn his riding reputation, or to make any comparison in any sense... it really was what a number of old friends called me. I can also attest that I am currently far from fast.
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