I've been lurking on the site for a while. This community is awesome and I've ready just about every post on here over the last few years.
In the late '90s I was given a CB750F wrecked basket case, and almost had it built and running before I had to move and couldn't bring it with me. I sold it for a song to a guy who left it in a parking lot until it was impounded and disposed of. Wish I had found a site like this back then, I might have finished it.
At my next opportunity I purchased a brand spanking new 2000 Suzuki SV650 that all the magazines were raving about. I had a lot of fun and my first real wreck on that bike. I put it back together and rode it all around the D.C. Metro area before moving to Colorado. This bike was stolen the month that I paid it off and dropped full coverage insurance. It was never recovered. I really miss this bike. Some lessons I had to learn the hard way.
A couple years later I was given a 1975 BMW R60/6 as a wedding present. it had been previously restored, but had been sitting for a while untouched so needed some help. I rode it infrequently because every time I did I had to fix or replace something and parts were so darned expensive. I sold this bike to help with a down payment of a piece of land in the country.
I borrowed a friends GSXR-600RR for a summer to keep myself sane, but once we move to the farm, with 10 miles of dirt road to the nearest pavement, I just decided I was going to have to learn to like driving a farm truck.
But that didn't last long. I love to tinker, and am always looking for a project. I found an almost running '81 GS450, the much maligned "L" model, on craigslist for a couple hundred dollars. And so I found this site!
When an '82 GS1100GK showed up on CL in pretty good condition, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to upgrade:
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I stripped her naked for the time being, found some nice 43mm fork ears and a 8" headlight. Dipped carbs and replaced buggered jets, replaced boots and o-rings, valve shims, throttle and clutch cables, mechanical speed sender (what ever you call it). Cut out old and melted wires and connectors, soldering everything I could find along the way. I rebuilt the front brake calipers and changed fluids all the way around. I just got a set of Katana coils and a mile of new plug wire. I just did the coil relay mod as the wiring is still pretty sketchy, but I'm planning on a whole new harness from scratch this winter while the she is sleeping peacefully in the garage, with full coverage insurance.
You guys are awesome!
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