One of the coolest part of my new old GS

[Guest]

Went out yesterday to run some errands, evaluate a new helmet and thrash my bike on some twisties and

This bike never ceases to be a conversation starter. Pull up at the store and some older guy .. well a bit older than me .. gets out of an expensive car and just starts talking me up about my bike and his memories. Pretty cool. Happens almost every time I go out. So much fun to see what memories it conjures in people about their heyday!

Only bike that generated almost as much attention of all the bikes i have owned was my T100.

[LAB3]

I'm also surprised at the number of people that comment on my bike as well. It was rather comical last summer when a nice young lady started to ask about mine and didn't realize my bike was older than she is, she thought it was something new that she hadn't seen before!

[limeex2]

The track day youngsters couldnt even figure out what it was. Its why I bought my 900 Sprint. Most of the Harley guys owned Triumph's back in the day. Almost every time I was gassing it up sparked a conversation.

[Steve]

Back in 2011, I was on a work assignment just down the road from Lake George, NY, and it happened to be during the Americade Rally. My Wing would have been "just another Wing" in that group, so I decided to take something a bit more unusual and took my 850.

Unfortunately, I had to work during the day, but rode up there for the evenings. Whenever I came back to the bike, there was always a small group around it, and I was happy to answer questions.

.

[bwringer]

Yep, "usedtahaves" are both a benefit and a hazard of riding a GS.


I was once exiting a local Scottish bistro after breakfast, and a passing garbage truck driver made a u-turn and pulled up in the parking lot, with his reeking machine blocking in several cars. He jumped out gabbling a mile a minute. I gathered that he was in the midst of restoring a GS of his own, he admired mine for a bit, then was on his way.

I've also noticed that sometimes I get guys who take a close look, then ask "how much you want for that"? It took me a while to understand that they didn't really want a number, they want to express admiration and talk about old motorcycles for a few minutes.

[chuck hahn]

Yup...one of those gas pump approaches ledme to a $125.00 skunk for Rustybronco.........

[Buffalo Bill]

That sortta thing used to happen all the time, when I drove my 1970 Vette.
Never happens on my GS. I get a lot of backs turned on me, one guess what they ride.

[nvr2old]

That sortta thing used to happen all the time, when I drove my 1970 Vette.
Never happens on my GS. I get a lot of backs turned on me, one guess what they ride.

Same with me. I can't stop anywhere in my '68 Corvette without someone coming up and complimenting it or talking about the one they, or a person they know had back in the day. The GS1000S..not so much..which surprises me..'cause to me, it's way more rare and cool looking.

[wymple]

My son used to borrow my 59 Olds just to go cruise and talk to the endless gawkers asking him about it. I get that some on my GS, but the old Moto Guzzi Cal II really gets them looking.

[93Bandit]

I've had a handful of compliments and waives in the last year and a half of owning my 83 GS850L. It's always been "old guys." When I bought the bike, I had no idea about the following they have. It was just a bike sitting in front of a house with a forsale sign that had been sitting there for 6 months. Finally stopped to check it out and it was within my price range so I rode it home. I didn't know what I had, but a guy at work told me they're good bikes and referred me to GS Resources. And here I am!

[wacky941]

My bike gets a lot of attention. It seems that whenever I pull up to the gas station I get into a conversation with someone about my bike, most of the time it's great but every now and then it gets annoying if I'm in a rush. Sometimes when I would go to a weekly car gathering, my bike would get more attention than the cars, pretty cool!

[KEITH KRAUSE]

People always like to see things that remind them of when they were younger, especially if that thing is in great condition.
I get compliments on my GS now and then, but I actually get more on my ZX14. Recently, I've had 2 compliments on my 14 while waiting at a red light. I couldn't hear well in my helmet but I knew they liked the bike.

[GS1150Pilot]

I used to get that when I rode my brother's (now mine) Honda CB900f. Not so much the 1150, and certainly not the Bandit.

[dorkburger]

Same here. Excepting the rare occasion of running into someone who knows what it is, my ES is nearly invisible to classic bike guys.

My old black / red 1150e did draw attention when I owned it. That was back in the late 90s when naked bikes were making a comeback and several times I was asked if it was a new model. It really was a good looking bike and in great condition.

[maicojoe]

Funny, but I think it has about 50% to do with color, 40% condition, and about 10% make and model? All I know is that I get constant thumbs ups, and guys stopping to chat and compliment me on my bright red 1983 GS1100e. Not so much on my black 1983 GS1100e or maroon/dark red 1982 GS1100e. All three are equally nice in my eyes, same exact models, same low miles..... but the other two are mostly invisible. Now the red 1983, that one saved my butt from getting a nasty ticket that I actually deserved, as I was basically going double the posted speed limit on an empty country road. The cop that pulled me over, he was about my age, mid fifties, driving an unmarked Ford SUV, a King County deputy. When I saw his lights, pulled right over, took my helmet off, and as he is walking up to the bike, he just kinda smiled, looked at me with my gray beard, looked at the bike, walked around the bike once, and said "man, that's a nice bike, what year is it?" Told him 1983, he was a bit shocked, said the bike looked brand new. Right then I knew he was a motorcyclist, so said thanks, you must ride too, what do you ride? Said he had a newer Honda VTX1300 cruiser, then we chatted for about 5 minutes or so about old bikes and his plans for an upcoming ride he had planned to do, up to Banff Alberta..... just a nice guy. Told him, yes, was speeding a bit, but didn't really know by how much. Asked him what he had me clocked at, he said he had me at 70 mph in a 35 mph..... I'm thinking Ouch!, crud, haven't had a ticket on a motorcycle since 1983 on my CB750F....
Asked him where he started tailing me, because I hadn't seen him at all, he said about 5 miles back, that the only reason he caught up to me was a traffic light, told him I was sorry, but was just really enjoying the first nice spring day ride of the year, he said, well, you have fun, but your too old to be going that fast, slow it down, told me to enjoy the rest of my ride. He never even did ask for license and registration and insurance papers..... as they they say, you meet the nicest people on a Honda? So if any of you know an officer/deputy Dorffman with the King County Sheriffs department, he belongs to a Honda riders club, tell him hi, and thanks much.