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As some of you may know, my '82 GS650L was recently diagnosed with transmission damage that would be more costly to repair than it is worth. I plan to part it out (details to be posted later in the appropriate forum 
).
So I've been scoping the ads for a good, solid, cheap bike, one that I can hop on and ride without doing the work on it that I sank into the other one. In the interest of getting on the road, I've been considering all affordable makes and models, including the GS, but far from limited to it. Having worked all winter on getting the GS650L going, my familiarity with the GS certainly worked in its favor, but I'd get anything that I could just hop on and ride for cheap.
What do I find in the classifieds but an '80 GS550E for sale right in my hometown. Says no rust, 5k miles, $675. So I called - still available, and I checked it out tonight. This bike is better than I thought possible. There's a small dent in the gas tank, but otherwise it's in beautiful condition, and no rust anywhere just like he said. And only 5k miles. Apparently, the second owner bought it from the first in '88 after a bike accident, and then never rode it for many, many years. The current owner bought it for his son as a basic first bike, and did all the work needed to put it into good running order for him - oil changes, fuel change, new air filter - all the same stuff I'd done to my GS650L. It's all ready to go for him, and then mom says "no bikes." So now he has to sell it. I took it for a quick ride - it's a little down on power, but nothing that just running it a bit with some fuel system cleaner in the gas won't fix. It's just what I was looking for. I plunked down a deposit, and will bring it home tomorrow.
).So I've been scoping the ads for a good, solid, cheap bike, one that I can hop on and ride without doing the work on it that I sank into the other one. In the interest of getting on the road, I've been considering all affordable makes and models, including the GS, but far from limited to it. Having worked all winter on getting the GS650L going, my familiarity with the GS certainly worked in its favor, but I'd get anything that I could just hop on and ride for cheap.
What do I find in the classifieds but an '80 GS550E for sale right in my hometown. Says no rust, 5k miles, $675. So I called - still available, and I checked it out tonight. This bike is better than I thought possible. There's a small dent in the gas tank, but otherwise it's in beautiful condition, and no rust anywhere just like he said. And only 5k miles. Apparently, the second owner bought it from the first in '88 after a bike accident, and then never rode it for many, many years. The current owner bought it for his son as a basic first bike, and did all the work needed to put it into good running order for him - oil changes, fuel change, new air filter - all the same stuff I'd done to my GS650L. It's all ready to go for him, and then mom says "no bikes." So now he has to sell it. I took it for a quick ride - it's a little down on power, but nothing that just running it a bit with some fuel system cleaner in the gas won't fix. It's just what I was looking for. I plunked down a deposit, and will bring it home tomorrow.
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