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Hi all. Norm from Lafayette, Indiana here.
I used to ride a lot in my youth, bought a slightly used 1982 GS650E in 1984 as a graduation gift to myself. Rode that bike all through my 8 years in the US Navy (1984-1992). Once out of the Navy, I traded it in on a new 1990 ZX750 Ninja that was still sitting on the showroom floor. I rode that for five or so years before selling it and retiring from riding. Been retired from riding for about twenty years or so. My kids are now out of the house, so thought it was high time to get back into motorcycling before age prevents me from doing so.
I recently picked up a mostly complete 1978 GS1000E. Yes, it is the black one with the white stripe that people here really seem to value. It had been sitting for about 25 years, being last registered in 1991. It had a Vetter fairing and bags on it, which I pulled off and sold on Craigslist. The guy I sold the Vetter things to told me about this website. He is a member here but doesn't post. I've been checking GS Resources out for a while and decided to join. Lots of good info here and I'm sure it will help me with this restoration. I've read Basscliff's welcome and the Newbie Mistakes posts, so am aware of how much work is entailed in making such an old bike road ready again.
I'm lucky in that the bike was stored in a heated basement, not a shed, so rust is minimal. Luckily, the gas tank and exhaust pipes look to be solid. It seems that these items are very difficult to find, and very expensive if you do find them in decent shape. The bike only has 17,600 miles on it. As far as I can tell, all that it needs parts wise to be complete is the headlight and the front and rear turn signals. I'll probably upgrade the ignition from points to a Dyna S, and maybe do a 630 to 530 drive chain conversion. Stainless brake lines and suspension components will be upgraded, and it goes without saying new tires are in the works.
Thanks in advance for the help I'm sure I'll need over the winter. The goal is to have a dependable, but not necessarily perfect looking rider next spring.
Regards,
Norm
I used to ride a lot in my youth, bought a slightly used 1982 GS650E in 1984 as a graduation gift to myself. Rode that bike all through my 8 years in the US Navy (1984-1992). Once out of the Navy, I traded it in on a new 1990 ZX750 Ninja that was still sitting on the showroom floor. I rode that for five or so years before selling it and retiring from riding. Been retired from riding for about twenty years or so. My kids are now out of the house, so thought it was high time to get back into motorcycling before age prevents me from doing so.
I recently picked up a mostly complete 1978 GS1000E. Yes, it is the black one with the white stripe that people here really seem to value. It had been sitting for about 25 years, being last registered in 1991. It had a Vetter fairing and bags on it, which I pulled off and sold on Craigslist. The guy I sold the Vetter things to told me about this website. He is a member here but doesn't post. I've been checking GS Resources out for a while and decided to join. Lots of good info here and I'm sure it will help me with this restoration. I've read Basscliff's welcome and the Newbie Mistakes posts, so am aware of how much work is entailed in making such an old bike road ready again.
I'm lucky in that the bike was stored in a heated basement, not a shed, so rust is minimal. Luckily, the gas tank and exhaust pipes look to be solid. It seems that these items are very difficult to find, and very expensive if you do find them in decent shape. The bike only has 17,600 miles on it. As far as I can tell, all that it needs parts wise to be complete is the headlight and the front and rear turn signals. I'll probably upgrade the ignition from points to a Dyna S, and maybe do a 630 to 530 drive chain conversion. Stainless brake lines and suspension components will be upgraded, and it goes without saying new tires are in the works.
Thanks in advance for the help I'm sure I'll need over the winter. The goal is to have a dependable, but not necessarily perfect looking rider next spring.
Regards,
Norm
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