82 GS1100GK comes home...

[Guest]

After the unexpected ebay purchase of a GS1100gk with 26K miles on it, through the influence of certain people on this forum, it has come home.

Destination, Mansfield PA, roughly 3.5 hours away. basically smack in the middle of PA, but near the NY border. I learned that time was limited to pick it up since the owner would be leaving for FL very soon for quite a while. My original pick up plans fell through, money is extremely tight, but I realized a friend/customer of mine has a flatbed truck and since dpep sent me a check for the luggage right away, I was able to scrounge and offer free tattoos to my client/now very good buddy. I called my pal this morning and said I have a huge favor to ask... 3.5 hours each way... time is limited..." and he immediately said "Let's do it today - I don't work until Friday!" I don't like asking people for favors, and especially some one I don't know well, but... after 2 days and nights of trying to figure out what to do, who I could ask, it just popped into my mind as soon as I woke and and his attitude was "Cool - ROAD TRIP!!!"

So a little after 5pm, we started our adventure in his somewhat rickety 87 Sierra flatbed. Since we had some sunshine left and were heading out towards the Allegeny Mts, we saw some beautiful foliage and great views. We chatted and laughed and got to know each other better - we have some close mutual friends and they were going thru a huge ordeal of their own (baby daddy kept the baby after visitation, ie: kidnapping, court, and they took a trip to another town in the opposite direction to reclaim baby) so there were lots of phone calls and us being concerned, etc. Baby made it back to them with scratches and dehydrated after only being gone just over a day...

Anyhoo... lots of CB talk going on "driver, can you give me a bear report" and so on... weather was mostly clear with a sprinkle or two and a flurry or two here and there, but no problems and very little traffic, just some annoying construction spots with some long narrow lanes... we arrive probably around 9pm or so and I called the owner to let them know we were there. Now I knew this was a custom motorcycle place, but we had absolutely no idea what sort of magical bikes these two large buildings held, or that the owner and son would give a tour, tell us stories about the bikes and let us take mobs of pictures of them. They will be posted soon in another thread, likely a very massive non-dial-up friendly one at that. I almost didn't bring my camera and I would have shot myself if I hadn't. Speaking of shooting, he showed us the frame to an old 1920s police bike he was restoring from MA, and then the tank... IT HAD A BULLET HOLE IN IT!!!! It was so cool of them to show us around and share all the stories. They make custom leather saddle bags, too, that were super high quality and obviously crafted to fit specific bikes. Total Pros who are totally empassioned by what they do, and do it very, very well.

So we spend a good hour looking around and drooling over their goodies after they fired up the GK for me. The battery is shot and there was little gas in the tank (I haven't shined a light in it yet), but it sounded very good, said they took it out for a bit a few days before, ran great, fast, etc... they showed me some of the things it needs and no doubt there are several threads, perhaps dozens, in my future where that is concerned. I'll take close up pics later on today. It's pretty much sat garaged for 2 years, so I have work ahead of me...

So they had a loading dock and it wheeled easily onto the very tall flatbed... my buddy and I were already joking about how we were going to get it off the truck with it's 40 foot drop, but that concern was for later...



So off we go... a little before 11pm and we're back on the road...

(continued)

[MissFabulous]

We're on the road for a while and my buddy is feeling tired, so I offered to drive. I've driven bulky trucks before... no big deal. WRONG. The steering on that truck is EXTREMELY loose and the thing is really squirrely on the road. The steering wheel also isn't centered and I never realized how much that visual aspect of the centered wheel affects my driving... I usually adapt to a strange vehicle very quickly, but not this time... I managed to keep it in the lines, but with a lot of effort. My buddy slept a bit, while I drove through a fairly heavy snowstorm for about 15 minutes (nothing stuck to the road but visibility was defintitely impaired) and in a clear area, I saw a deer (mid sized doe) about 50 feet in front of me in the center of my lane... I stayed calm and she looked at me coming and turned around and ran away... keep on rolling...

Next comes extremely HORRIBLE bumpy roads, followed by construction... narrow, single lane with a concrete wall to my left while I'm driving a weird, giant vehicle that sways all over and is way too easy to overcorrect to the right... with a semi on my tail. I basically pretended he wasn't there and rode my own pace while stradling the single white line so I'm on semi-smooth (but wide) shoulder and semi-smooth crap pavement to keep distance from that wall. I've been stuck in 45mph construction hallways behind semis doing 35, so I figure deal with it, buddy.... my bike is strapped to this thing MFer... we had the top yellow flashers going, so there shouldn't have been any question about what we were doing and why... all was well... until I hit a really bad pothole and we heard a pop and a thunk - the front tire hitting the back of the cab. Fortunately, it was just as an on-ramp lane opened up and I could pull over and the semi blasts past honking over and over at us while trying to run us off the road. Well, that woke my buddy up, got his adrenalin going... we got the bike strpped back down tight, he he took over the wheel, but not before picking up the CB with "driver, you got a problem?" and we oddly got no response. Took the next exit for gas and checked on the straps...



This was also the point where my friend realized that the top case came right off in his hands effortlessly... as luck would have it, this was discovered in a gas station, not on the road... it sat on my lap the rest of the way home instead of landing in some semi's windshield...

(continued)

[MissFabulous]

My buddy kept the wheel and we made up a lot of time for my granny-like driving earlier... I don't think I've ever driven as slow on a highway as I did in that thing, other than during blizzards, but my normal lead foot ways were hindered by craziness of the way The Blue Beast handles. Rest of the ride home was pretty uneventful so we chatted and discussed ideas on how me might get the bike off the 40 ft cliff to which it was attached.

We arrived sometime after 3am, maybe close to 4 at this point after several stops. I don't have any ramps, and we threw some ideas around... none of them seemed very feasible, and I was racking my brain about who might be up at that hour... we considered using my ladder with a plank as a ramp:



but couldn't figure out how we could possibly make the transition from us being on the bed to getting our feet on the ground while still keeping this bike upright. Many cigarettes were smoked, many ideas tossed around, discussions about how great the bike looked on his truck, like it just belonged there lol... repositioning the bike, who was going to attempt some of the more risky ideas we concocted... it's now after 5 am and I was getting lots of exercise going up front to see if there were any lights on at my neighbor's house... he's an early bird, very resourceful, and I figured he might even have a ramp...

We walked around the property a bit to try and find a place with a slope he could back up to thus reducing the drop potential. Finally we decided that there were a few places up front by the road where this could work... after trying and failing to get it back on the centerstand (the tires are soft and just slid around on the diamond grid) we strapped it down hard on the sidestand since it wasn't far to go...



Hey, ummm... the ground is kind of soft here I guess... what do you mean you can't back it closer to the road?



(continued)

[MissFabulous]

So now we have a stuck truck and a bike we still don't feel like we can safely remove... it's 5:38am now, and I figure my neighbor is probably close to getting up... sure enough, he answered right away (in his drawers) and he said he'd be right over to help. He had two 14" heavy duty ramps, put them side by side for the bike and used the ladder with the planks as our walkway. The bike actually came down really slowly, unlike my fears, most likely due to the soft mushy tires, which also made pushing or walking it really hard for any of us. We got it into the road, turned it around and it took all three of us to get it safely into the driveway.

Now what to do with the truck... I went down the the barn as grabbed some bricks



and more planks... many attempts and it's just digging deeper...



and gat far worse than that... the axle was just about touching the ground - less than an inch clearance after this pic was taken. It's 7am by now and my friend still has to drive about a half hour or more to get home. The guys at the auto repair place have a wrecker but they're not in yet, we hear someone on the CB and think maybe we can get help there, but instead it's guys discussing sausages for breakfast from their homes - was that you, Herb?

Many trucks pass us, slow down, look and move on... I wonder aloud if it's time for me to put on lipstick and go over to the steel plant across the street to see if someone can help... no one at the auto place yet but I figure I'll put a note on their door - word is the owner stops around 7am to feed the cats, goes and checks on his mom and returns around 9am. On the way there, I notice a big running flatbed truck in the local lumber/hardware shop... I flag the guy down and he tells me I have to ask the owner, who right away says he'll bring his pick up over and give it a shot. A few more cigarettes later, he comes and my neighbor and I watch for traffic. At 7:30 am, before the sun was out, I'm yelling WOOHOOO and all sorts of enthusiastic cheers in the middle of the street, loud enough for them to echo off the steel plant and surrounding buildings. I hugged my friend goodbye and told him we're friends for life. The cool part was that with both of us, the crazier things got, the more we laughed.

I knew the trip would be an adventure, but I never factored getting a week's worth of exercise into it - hauling ladders, lugging bricks, walking up and down the street in the dark and cold... but the GS is home and ready to start a new life. Partly as an organ donor to dpep's bike (maybe more like a skin graft) and it's new beginning as a naked custom bike.

Did I mention that before we left, I had a tooth pulled? That the molar cracked into several pieces upon extraction and required a suture? So much for that nice little aftercare sheet they gave me about using ice every hour and keeping it clean and getting rest...

And, no... I still haven't slept. I would but it's sunny out now and I want to go take pictures of the baby...

[Kabonkie]

Miss Fab. Congrats. Whatta trip.
Those are the kind that build friendships or make people hate each other. Glad to hear that with the laughing at adversity you've made a great friend.

Now go get some sleep, you're gonna need all your strength and plenty of rest to get the bikes together.


Roger

[Tom MLC]

Nice birthday present ya got there!

And a big adventure story to remember and share.

Sounds like the weather's getting foul and nasty. You gonna spend the winter on some bike projects?

By the way. Interesting part of your story...bartering free tatoos! Very clever!

Good luck with the 1100.

[kilroy]

Great story.Too bad things don't work out the way we want it to.It adds to our character.Glad you kept a level head thru your frustrations.Also good to hear that people still help each other..And again,congrats!

[MissFabulous]

Yeah - you know it was totally a story of the wrong things happening to the right people... we kept good attitudes, used our brains, asked for help, kept each other laughing and... and... I've been awake for over 24 hours now! I don't think I've done that since I was a teen!

AND yes - HELLA BIRTHDAY PRESENT!!!

And... a ton of people here played big roles in this - the education and encouragement, and I'm finally a GS owner!!!

[chiphead]

Sweet story!
I am in the process of massaging a rat 82 GS1100G myself. Ya got yourself a sweet ride there.
Good luck with it.

[Mobetter]

Great story Shirley,
I wish I didn't live so far away, I'd help your get your bikes in shape this winter.

God's Peace
Mo

[Peppermint Patti]

Shirley...
Hope you are sleeping as I write this.
Well, ya did it young lady, You got yourself a running low mileage 1100...
I started out the same way with the bike I own now. It was a rat when I got it, but garaged, and it ran...barely...You will recieve great satisfaction thru it's restoration...Don't be too anxious, take your time and make sure things are done RIGHT...Your life is in your own hands when you're riding that thing. Also, naked, it will seem much lighter and way slimmer. Fairings are OK for some people, who do lots of highway stuff, but without it, it's MUCH easier to balance. You'll see...
Welcome home. Eat and sleep well...the baby needs you.
!!! :-D !!!
pmint \\/

[Billyboy]

THAT'S GONNA BE A SWEET ASS RIDE SHIRL! yOU ARE ALREADY MAKING GREAT MEMORIES. I STILL REMEMBER GETTING MY BIKE. SIMILAR, BUT NOT SO MANY PROBS.

Sorry for the caps.

[MissFabulous]

Shirley...
Hope you are sleeping as I write this.
Well, ya did it young lady, You got yourself a running low mileage 1100...
I started out the same way with the bike I own now. It was a rat when I got it, but garaged, and it ran...barely...You will recieve great satisfaction thru it's restoration...Don't be too anxious, take your time and make sure things are done RIGHT...Your life is in your own hands when you're riding that thing. Also, naked, it will seem much lighter and way slimmer. Fairings are OK for some people, who do lots of highway stuff, but without it, it's MUCH easier to balance. You'll see...
Welcome home. Eat and sleep well...the baby needs you.
!!! :-D !!!
pmint \\/

Thank you so much everyone!!!

It's very close to nap (colapse) time... very, very close... I just want to go out there and sit on it one more time before I hit the sheets... or floor... whatever is handy! I just can't seem to shut my brain down...

I was really overwhelmed by it's size and weight at first... maybe even slightly discouraged, but when three of us had a hard time moving it along, I realized there are more factors making it seem that way than just the regular ones... the fairing and hards bags will likely be the first thing to come off... air in the tires, gas in the tank, battery, gasket leaking a little oil... after that I'll figure out what rusty nuts and bolts need to come out first. Fortunately (???) I'm forced to not rush things since it's already unseasonably cold here so I have time to tweak and fiddle and own every inch of this bike. Looks like I have all of Fall and Winter to make it feel right, run like a champ and fit me!

As ugly and crazed as that paint job is... it looks so sweet to me in my driveway! THERE IS A GS IN MY DRIVEWAY!!!!

Thanks again for the encouragement and help from everyone!!! Patti (and others) many of your words I'm sure will constantly resound with me, as much as when an old high school friend who has been riding for a few years told me "You already live the life now get on the bike and ride it like you own it" as well as her comment "I figured if Prince could do it, then I could do it"

Now I really am going to collapse in my bed until I feel like getting up... and fiddling with my bike. MY BIKE!!! I FINALLY HAVE A BIKE AT LONG LAST!!!

(holy crap, it's a huge beast, but it's mine!!!)

Billy, I can't believe how many memories of this bike I already have and I haven't even ridden it yet!!

[wharrah]

Ho Ho Ho....

Shirley,

I am sitting here grinning like a Cheshire cat...! I think it is so freaking COOL that you FINALLY have wheels of your own! Early Christmas! Great story, too! EXCELLENTLY TOLD.

Congratulations on the new 'addiction'... (if saying such a thing isn't in bad-taste...)

[Billyboy]

Shirley,

I am sitting here grinning like a Cheshire cat...! I think it is so freaking COOL that you FINALLY have wheels of your own! Early Christmas! Great story, too! EXCELLENTLY TOLD.

Congratulations on the new 'addiction'... (if saying such a thing isn't in bad-taste...)

I am totally addicted to riding. Good thing too. I have an addictive personality and it could be something much worse!