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well boys and girls, i bought an '83 GS450 for $250 from a wrecking yard about 3 weeks ago. it was a fixer, but i am more than pleased with this purchase!
1. The Purchase
this bike had all sorts of issues. the ignition switch was destroyed and could be easily turned with a screwdriver. the bike was knocked over a few times, as the mirrors and control levers were busted off, and several dents can e found all over it. the tachometer didn't work, nor the turn signals, head light, or brake lights. the shift lever was pushed in (so the seller supposed it wouldn't go into gear) and the clutch badly out of adjustment. all the cables were fried. the back brake was toasted and the front wasn't much better. but a GS for $250? why not! i bought it, and pushed it into the garage.
2. Breakdown
i took the entire bike apart as far as i could. one of the premisses for buying it was that it was rust free, essentially, and i didn't know anything about motorcycles. i wanted the project! having been an auto mechanic for years, i figured i could manage... thank you to MR Cycles and BikeBandit.com for parts, and i am in about $320 on the bike after cables, brake parts, electrical, nuts and bolts, etc.
3. Assembly
threw it together in a day. what a feeling! those four wheel contraptions i always work on are so much harder to get around than this fantastic machine. so easy to work on! i had to replace just about all the wiring as previous people had wired it with many odd colors and with stereo speaker wire. ugh... adjusted everything according to the manual; checked tolerances, clearances, deflections, torques, etc. everything needed some sort of adjustment. finally, it was still ugly, but now totally functional. off to DMV for a raping in fees and title negotiations (was a stolen bike).
4. Test it!
i took it around the block a few times and then back to the garage again and again to adjust things to preference. when i was happy with it, i took it a couple more blocks and then changed the oil and filter.
5. Take a trip!
i live in beautiful portland, oregon. we have this wonderful columbia river gorge that BEGS to be ridden on a motorcycle. i took my new(ish) GS450E out for a cruise on the washington side highway 14 for about 160 miles round trip. 65 degree sunny afternoon, gorgeous views of mt hood, the mighty columbia, a beautiful sunset... what a ride!
just wanted to share my GS story. i think i will keep my $350 motorcycle around a while, even if just to share it with friends. not as fast as other bikes i have ridden, but stable and enough power to pass cars as if they are stationary, even up a hill. she runs great, other than being a little bit of a jerk in the early AM. easy as hell to control, comfortable riding position (though a bit of a 'perched' feeling) and manageable power band, and stable up to about 90 mph (as far as the gauge reads), and shifts effortlessly. this was a good buy. though i, and everyone who saw it, was sceptical at first...
1. The Purchase
this bike had all sorts of issues. the ignition switch was destroyed and could be easily turned with a screwdriver. the bike was knocked over a few times, as the mirrors and control levers were busted off, and several dents can e found all over it. the tachometer didn't work, nor the turn signals, head light, or brake lights. the shift lever was pushed in (so the seller supposed it wouldn't go into gear) and the clutch badly out of adjustment. all the cables were fried. the back brake was toasted and the front wasn't much better. but a GS for $250? why not! i bought it, and pushed it into the garage.
2. Breakdown
i took the entire bike apart as far as i could. one of the premisses for buying it was that it was rust free, essentially, and i didn't know anything about motorcycles. i wanted the project! having been an auto mechanic for years, i figured i could manage... thank you to MR Cycles and BikeBandit.com for parts, and i am in about $320 on the bike after cables, brake parts, electrical, nuts and bolts, etc.
3. Assembly
threw it together in a day. what a feeling! those four wheel contraptions i always work on are so much harder to get around than this fantastic machine. so easy to work on! i had to replace just about all the wiring as previous people had wired it with many odd colors and with stereo speaker wire. ugh... adjusted everything according to the manual; checked tolerances, clearances, deflections, torques, etc. everything needed some sort of adjustment. finally, it was still ugly, but now totally functional. off to DMV for a raping in fees and title negotiations (was a stolen bike).
4. Test it!
i took it around the block a few times and then back to the garage again and again to adjust things to preference. when i was happy with it, i took it a couple more blocks and then changed the oil and filter.
5. Take a trip!
i live in beautiful portland, oregon. we have this wonderful columbia river gorge that BEGS to be ridden on a motorcycle. i took my new(ish) GS450E out for a cruise on the washington side highway 14 for about 160 miles round trip. 65 degree sunny afternoon, gorgeous views of mt hood, the mighty columbia, a beautiful sunset... what a ride!
just wanted to share my GS story. i think i will keep my $350 motorcycle around a while, even if just to share it with friends. not as fast as other bikes i have ridden, but stable and enough power to pass cars as if they are stationary, even up a hill. she runs great, other than being a little bit of a jerk in the early AM. easy as hell to control, comfortable riding position (though a bit of a 'perched' feeling) and manageable power band, and stable up to about 90 mph (as far as the gauge reads), and shifts effortlessly. this was a good buy. though i, and everyone who saw it, was sceptical at first...
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