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Restore, daily driver, or sell?

  • Thread starter Thread starter markusarealuis
  • Start date Start date
M

markusarealuis

Guest
Okay,

I am a noobie here and thought I might post up some questions here. Here is my situation: I recently bought a GS750L 1981. It runs pretty good and I am in the process of doing all the necessary maintenance to bring it to a dependable daily rider. I am changing all the "ghetto fixes" the PO did to this little gem. I never looked at buying a Suzuki; but just happened on this one (noobie mistake #10).

I am at a cross roads. After the maintenance and some minor aesthetics she will be very road worthy. She will never be the modern day sport bike nor will she be a perfectly restored GS750L, because I do not care for the handlebars and seat configuration. I got her for a decent price but with all the maintenance and parts thus far I am about to go beyond her retail value if I sold her on CL.

Here is my question: Should i sell it now while there is still some profit to be made? Or should I keep it and use it as my daily rider? I love the classic standard 80's looking bikes but really prefer Hondas - No offense to the GS's which are great looking too. The Hondas have more sentimental value since I grew up on one.

Also, could someone give me a ball park figure on an 8/10 rebuild cost? In other words, how much have you guys invested in restoring your GSs? I know these costs will be highly variable and subject to individual circumstances, but a rough estimate might help with my decision. I am on a pretty tight budget if I decide to completely restore her - If? As a wise man pointed out - It is not always about the money but I do not have unlimited resources :lol:

Markus
 
seeing as you are more into hondas and would probably be happier in the end with a restored/custom honda to your liking I would say either get it just to the point of being roadworthy (unless it is going to be too expensive) or sell it now, but I would be prepared to get even less than what you are expecting and for it to take some time. Theres also the possibility that you could trade your suzuki project for a honda project. Check the barter section on craigslist or go into motorcycles and type in "trade honda" or "trade suzuki" and make sure you are searching the whole ad and not just the title. Hope this helps!
 
The way to wind up with a small fortune from fixing up old bikes is to start with a large fortune. Unless you buy new, there will be issues to fix. The cheapest bike usually isn't a good value, and neither is the most expensive.

Botom line, if you want something else, get something else.
 
I have to agree if it's not your passion, sell it and get something that will make you happy.
 
Tamara said:
I have to agree if it's not your passion, sell it and get something that will make you happy.
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All great comments - I guess I will drive it for a little while then sell it at a little profit. She just runs so smooth :lol:. I hope i didn't offend any of you wonderful guys/girls on here. You have been stellar and such a valuable resource. Wealth of knowledge for sure.
 
markusarealuis said:
All great comments - I guess I will drive it for a little while then sell it at a little profit. She just runs so smooth :lol:. I hope i didn't offend any of you wonderful guys/girls on here. You have been stellar and such a valuable resource. Wealth of knowledge for sure.
Click to expand...

I'm not offended. I like the L's and a lot of people here do everything they can to turn an L into a not-L.
 
Tamara said:
I'm not offended. I like the L's and a lot of people here do everything they can to turn an L into a not-L.
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Want to buy an "L"? ....jk i will keep her for a little bit to enjoy the upcoming cool evening rides ....
 
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Not offended either. I have two Suzuki's and a Honda. Many of us own different make's of bikes.

At some point in time I'll sell my 1980 GS850G and buy a vintage BMW to go with my 1978 GS1000E.

Z'all good in my mind.
 
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Tamara said:
The 750 is too big for me. My feet don't reach the ground :).
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Dang, you are a tiny thing then. No worries get you some platform shoes with a goldfish in the bottom -- might I suggest the following:lol:


Platformshoe.jpg
 
I grew up with Hondas too-who didn't? but I've seen the light.
It is getting late to sell a bike now. I can't see where you are, but if it's a seasonal market hang on 'til May and June next year to sell. Meantime, just do what you can without $$, or at least, $$ that doesn't return a plain profit....stop the leaks, get the brakes working etc. a bit of polish here and there, but don't replace chain +sprockets and tires...things you won't get a return on.
...Because whoever you sell her to will likely rip it all off and make a bobber anyways.
 
Ride it for a while and you may find it becomes sentimental.
 
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Well, if you want a Honda, then that's the way you should go. Most of us here think GS Suzukis are wonderful bikes and that each one is better than its Honda equivalent. The GS750 is still the best 750 by any manufacturer of that era, and I used to ride a CB750F. It was great but the GS750 is better. What does it cost to restore these bikes? Oh, too much. You need tires, a battery, and brake pads just to start. You should add steel braided brakelines too when the originals are so old and flabby. The reg/rect needs to be replaced or your stator will fry, and we're not even to the cosmetics yet. So why restore a 35 year old motorcycle? Because it was and still is a heckuva bike. Because most modern bikes don't look that great or special, or are too intense and narrow in their focus, which is the situation with sportbikes, or they cost more than you want to spend or can afford. Most people don't find bikes of the GS era in good shape, and if they are, they cost a lot. But when you restore it, you have the satisfaction that comes from doing it yourself, and the self-confidence that comes from buying yourself an education.
 
GelandeStrasse said:
Ride it for a while and you may find out becomes sentimental.
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It is already getting some street cred by some of my neighbors. Also, since I am giving her some love here and there I am growing fond of her. Maybe I will just remove the Suzuki emblems and paste some CB750 emblems on her JK. I must confess I do love the gas gauge and shift indicator. Oh; crap! Am I starting to want to keep her?
 
markusarealuis said:
how much have you guys invested in restoring your GSs?
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I have spend $1,489.75 on restoration, $143.25 on registration, and $141 on fuel.

Anything above and beyond making it run in some fashion will be hard to sell. Just because you replaced all the wear parts to make it reliable typically won't mean squat to a potential buyer. If someone wanted my bike bad enough with a blank check approach I would take no less than $3,000. I figure that is the number I would need to buy a similar bike in similar condition. However realistically I would likely struggle to get half that.

I can't tell you what to do. But if you want my advice here it is. It seems to me that you love your Hondas. If you are are torn and can't afford to buy your Honda right now then keep what you have. What usually happens is you sell your bike then things come up. Suddenly you have no bike and no money. Ask me how I know this.
 
Alright - I have searched and searched both this website and BassCliff's site to try and get the stock tire numbers. I went to BassCliff's owners manual and then used the tire web link his site provides and made the conversion. However here is what I have and I know this cannot be correct; since my rims appear to the same size circumference.

The manual BassCliff provided for GS750T says the tire sizes are:
Front 3.50 H 19 4PR
Rear 4.50 H 17 4PR

Conversion per the Tire web link on BassCliff's site yields:
Front 100/90 19
Rear 120/90 17
http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/images/tire_info.html#A05

All I want to do is replace the dang tires with the factory specified sizes. I have no idea what the previous owner might have thrown on there - his handy work is still causing me grief. I do not want to add a bigger rear tire; I do not want to change the handling, etc. Each time I search on here I have dozens of threads referencing the above but i can't seem to locate one person saying what the factory tires are -- Please help.

Thanks,
Markus
 
If that's what you're looking for I guess you'll need to find someone who still makes tires in inch sizes.

Just for grins, I have 100/90-19 and 120/90-18's on my 1978 CB750F. That's the closest 'metric' equivalent I found to what came on it from the factory.
 
rustybronco said:
If that's what you're looking for I guess you'll need to find someone who still makes tires in inch sizes.

Just for grins, I have 100/90-19 and 120/90-18's on my 1978 CB750F. That's the closest 'metric' equivalent I found to what came on it from the factory.
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I don't need them in inch sizes merely want close to what was stock - jeesh....:lol:. BTW - trade me your 78 CB750F for the GS750L....does yours have the black motor? I like those with the beeping turn signals ...
 
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rustybronco said:
Yes it has the black motor.

No thank's. I'm with Tkent02. L models are for Ladies...
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Dang I just go called a "lady". How are your valve guides holding up. I had the exact model and had an issue with mine. I loved that bike and shouldn't have sold it - oh well I have a great "ladies" bike here to tinker with currently. Anyways, back to tire size, will the below sizes get me pretty close to the stock sizes?
FRT - 100/90 19
Rear - 120/90 17
 
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