Hopeful GS1150ES owner

[Crazydean]

Greetings GS Resources forum! I do not yet own a GS, but I hope to soon. Last year I moved to a new state and needed to downsize as much as reasonably possible. My bike at the time was 2007 ZX-14 which I sold. After riding it for 6 years, I had lost the passion and decided to spend my time and money on a sports car. That was an expensive mistake, lol. Prior to owning the 14, I also had a 94 CBR900, 2000 ZX12R, 1996 ZX11, and 1997 CBR600. All are gone for different reasons. One was stolen and the others were sold off to "upgrade" to a bigger and better model. While I've never owned an older bike, I have ridden a few, including a GS1000 and GS1000G. I love the feel and sound of an old GT, GS, or KZ. They are all unique, and they are all cool! I've found that motorcycles don't have to be about speed. They can be fun to work on, improve, and admire.

This brings me to the GS1150ES. It's the last of an era for the Japanese motorcycle. The pinnacle of the air-cooled, comfortable street bike. Unfortunately, not many of these bikes are still being ridden around. They are either low-mileage, display pieces or all-out drag bikes. I'd like to find something in between that I can restore (over a period of time) into a nice, modified weekend bike.

Anyway, it was recommend that I join this site for all of its expert advise. I also hope that I can be of some use to you, as I journey into the world of classic motorcycles!

[dorkburger]

Welcome Dean,
ESs are out there, but you may need to travel or do shipping to get one. Comfort is subjective and I always found my old 1100e to be more comfortable then my 1150es.
They are awesome bikes.
Good luck with the search.

[steve murdoch]

Welcome to the site, Dean.
Heard many stories about "taking up boating" losing big coin but not as many about sports cars. What car was your money pit?

[Crazydean]

Welcome to the site, Dean.
Heard many stories about "taking up boating" losing big coin but not as many about sports cars. What car was your money pit?

Thank you guys for the warm welcome.

I had a Nissan 370Z for a year. The car was very reliable, and the only maintenance I preformed was preventative and relatively cheap. What got me was the tax, insurance, and dreaded depreciation. All in, I think it cost me about $3500. I bought my last car for less than this one depreciated, haha.

Ultimately, I've been riding motorcycles for 15 years, and a car just doesn't compare. I was feeling burnt out and needed something different. The experience was good for me at the time, but I'm ready to get back on a bike.

dorkburger: You definitely have a good point about comfort being subjective. There isn't much chance that I will be able to test ride an ES before purchasing, but I'm pretty confident that among handlebars, seats, shocks, etc I'll be able to find some configuration that is suitable. Compared to a ZX14, I think I'll manage.

[dorkburger]

Z car is a cool way to spend money though. One of the few modern cars I like.

My main complaint with the ES was the oddly angled clip ons.
A few taller people here have said that the location / position of footrests cause knee cramping. I’m about 5’8, and it hasn’t been much of a problem.

[Big T]

Dean,
If you do find an 1150, be sure to check for frame rot
Ask Glen about that

[blowerbike]

i didn't know rot was a common problem...i did look at an 85 1150E in the 90's for sale and when i layed down to look under it the right side bottom frame tube looked funny and i seen silver over spray on the engine...i picked around on the frame and pulled a chunk of bondo off the frame to reveal a hole.....the seller just looked away and i walked away.
the bike was really nice/near spotless...i was disappointed.

[dorkburger]

In my case it was a parts bike that was stored outdoors for a long time. The bottom tube near the sidestand was blown out and split due to water inside freezing over the course of years.