Nothing was going to stop me

[Guest]

I've had a project 550L going on now for about 1 year, first it was a twisted crank, then ignitor problems, then a bent swing arm. This bike had been beat to crap! I have spent the last year fixing all the previous owners problems, today I decided I was going to ride this thing no matter what may come of it, so I got a battery, filled the tank and fired her up. It started without any hesitation like all the trial starts I've done, I got on it and tried the brakes and realized I had forgotten an important part and that was stopping, I had been so fixated on going, that I had forgot about stoping the beast, so needless to say I filled all the resivours with fluid and found out the hydralic systems were junk, but they would hold fluid for a short time, so again I was offf on my adventure, I fired her up and the cats ran as if thier lives depended on it. It was actually quite fun, the six speed trans provided a smooth transition to the top speed, it handled very well, it dosen't have the guts the 1100 has but the torque and horsepower seem adiquate for a bike this size. It seems a bit small to me but I have been riding a 1100 for years. I just had to tell someone about it, I got back from my triumphant ride and all I got from my wife was a " thats nice dear" looking over her paper and over her glasses. I hope all your projects turn out as great as the 550 no matter what they are after all it's not the destination of our journeys but the ride itself.

[earlfor]

Re: Nothing was going to stop me

Congratulations, grand isnt it? :-) Your wife sounds like mine though. After many months of bringing a bike from junkyard derelict to new condition and going for that first ride, her comment is, "thats nice". :-)
You're right, its not the destination, its the journey and it starts when you see an old bike and it puts a spark in your eye. The journey doesnt end, until you decide its over. Happy trails :-) Cheers

Earl

I've had a project 550L going on now for about 1 year, first it was a twisted crank, then ignitor problems, then a bent swing arm. This bike had been beat to crap! I have spent the last year fixing all the previous owners problems, today I decided I was going to ride this thing no matter what may come of it, so I got a battery, filled the tank and fired her up. It started without any hesitation like all the trial starts I've done, I got on it and tried the brakes and realized I had forgotten an important part and that was stopping, I had been so fixated on going, that I had forgot about stoping the beast, so needless to say I filled all the resivours with fluid and found out the hydralic systems were junk, but they would hold fluid for a short time, so again I was offf on my adventure, I fired her up and the cats ran as if thier lives depended on it. It was actually quite fun, the six speed trans provided a smooth transition to the top speed, it handled very well, it dosen't have the guts the 1100 has but the torque and horsepower seem adiquate for a bike this size. It seems a bit small to me but I have been riding a 1100 for years. I just had to tell someone about it, I got back from my triumphant ride and all I got from my wife was a " thats nice dear" looking over her paper and over her glasses. I hope all your projects turn out as great as the 550 no matter what they are after all it's not the destination of our journeys but the ride itself.

[mdole]

Congratulations on your first ride. Just keep it going and enjoy.

[RobGS850L]

See what happens when I'm not around to bug you, things actually get done.
Now with all those extra parts we can build me a bike too. 8O :P :P

[kent]

Yea, I still am keeping an eye out for a good restorable E model, I have had several leads but nothing has panned out, it appears that in the time I learn about a good one, the condition changes from clean to mean by the time I see it, any way the 550 has been a good reverse engeering tool to do the work I need to do on the 1100, I did ride the 550 again tonight without the cloak of darkness, it seems the headlight gives you a good view of the front tire, and the steering stem has the old clunk I remember from my enduro days, but knowing the mechanics are sound, I can now concentrate on the cosmetics (it's ugly) so with GS Resources in my back pocket and my thinning wallet in the other my adventure continues!

[earlfor]

All GS's were designed with automatic headlight arc compensation. Whenever the headlight was found to be pointing too high or too low, the rider learned to automatically reach over the handlebars with their left hand and either push down or pull up on the headlight shell. :-) :-)

Earl

[quote="kent"]
I did ride the 550 again tonight without the cloak of darkness, it seems the headlight gives you a good view of the front tire,

[kent]

Like I said the mechanics of the bike are sound, but the mechanic riding the bike is a different story

[marvinsc]

This Story reminds me of a similar car story. When I was a Teenager one of my Friends (who was a pretty good Mechanic even then) and Myself who was a pretty good Gofer (Go get me this, Go get me that) Pulled the motor and Transmission out of my 70 Challenger (front suspension was damaged beyond repair) and Dropped it into a 68 Charger RT that I found with a Dead Motor. When we got it to Fire up after a Week we were so excited that we took it for a drive around the block using Milk Crates for Seats! Maybe not Wise but It felt Great! Congrats on Reviving the Bike!