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In 1981, Suann and I rode a 1979 Suzuki GS850G from Regina, Sask. CANADA to Niagara Falls, Ontario on our honeymoon. In May 2011, for our 30th anniversary, we repeated the ride on the same year and model of Suzuki.
We found our current GS850 in Lethbridge, Alberta, thanks to a tip from a friend. After a brief test ride, I sealed the deal for $1,500 and loaded my prize in the truck to haul back to Regina. It had 29,400kms on it. When I had traded in my first 1979 machine in 1981 it had 38,000kms on it. This bike had brand new Metzler tires, a new battery and a new air filter. Over the winter we installed Progressive Suspension fork springs and shocks, braided steel brake lines, Dyna ignition and Dyna coils. I had the windshield trimmed by 4 inches to reduce buffetting and installed a Saddleman seat cover and a throttle lock. After a complete tuneup and fresh oil, I figured it was ready for the big trip.
My wife was concerned about where we would store all of our gear. We tend to travel with more stuff than we did 30 years ago. I borrowed a set of expandable soft saddlebags from a friend and we used a tank bag and a small tail pack on the rear rack. This gave us enough room, just enough room.
We set out on our journey on May 23rd. About an hour into the trip my wife signalled me to pull over. She added wind pants over her jeans. This was a sign of things to come. While she was gearing up I took a quick look at the bike and noticed a couple of drips of oil. Suzuki GS850's don't drip oil. It seemed like the oil was coming from the front gearcase for the shaft drive. Well, it didn't look too serious so we carried on. By the time we got to Brandon there was oil showing up on the rear wheel also. This was starting to concern us. That night in Winnipeg we decided to investigate further. We stopped by a Suzuki dealer in the morning and I reviewed the parts diagram with the service manager. They didn't have any of the parts which might be required but he asked me if there was any chance the gearcase might have been overfilled. I assured him the technician who changed the oil would likely have done so correctly. Nothing else to be done at the shop so we went to Canadian Tire and picked up a bottle of synthetic gearcase lube so I could top it up. When I pulled the level set plug, a gusher of lube formed a huge puddle under the bike. It was overfilled!! I took the bottle back inside for a refund and away we went. We had booked a room in Thunder Bay but with the delays in Winnnipeg there was no chance we could make it that far so we phoned ahead and cancelled the room there and in Sault Ste. Marie. This was unfortunate as we had booked rooms at the same motels we stayed at in 1981. Later in the day we stopped at the touriest info booth in Ontario and due to the cool weather we decided to head as far as Dryden, Ont. that evening. We arrived at about 6:00pm.
The next morning it was sunny but only zero degrees at 7:00am. We bundled up in all our gear including rainsuits for warmth and hit the road about 8:00am. The bad news was that the gearcase was continuing to drip. We assumed maybe the seals were damaged due to running it so far with the case overfilled. We picked up a bottle of oil and topped up the level when we got to Marathon, Ont. The next morning in Marathon it was once again zero degress at 7:00am, minus 4 with the windchill. We layered up and headed out. We stopped at Pancake Lake for a break and when we went to leave the Suzuki wouldn't start. It wouldn't even crank over. We tried to push start it. Nope. It was dead. I looked at the kill switch. It appeared to be in the "run" position but I pressed it anyways and the switch moved deeper into the "run" position. I pressed the starter button and it roared to life. Problem solved. With the weather warming up a bit we were able to press on into the evening and we made it to Parry Sound by about 9:30pm. So far we had not experienced any rain but the last 10km into Parry Sound the road was damp as if it had rained quite a bit earlier.
The next morning was day 5 of the trip, Friday, May 27th. We stopped at Tim Horton's for breakfast and had a great visit with two fellow motorcyclists who were quite interested in the old Suzuki and our "Nostalgia Tour". We boomed down Hwy 400 through Barrie and swung west on Hwy#9 arriving at our friends houseat about 11:30am. We spent the rest of the day visiting with our old friends. The next morning we had intened to go to Niagara Falls but the weather wasn't cooperating. So we did an oil change on the Suzuki and checked out a flea market. Later in the day, our friends saddled up on their 1994 BMW Paris Dakar replica and led us on a ride around the Palgrave area. The roads were great. Lots of interesting scenery including million dollar designer homes and horse ranches.
The weather forecast for the next day was much better so we loaded up and rode to Niagara Falls. Spent the day looking around at all the sights and scenes then took the Niagara Parkway to Niagara-on-the-Lake. We stopped at the visitor centre but didn't have much luck finding accommodation. We found a motel on our own, the Hilton Garden Inn, which was adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth Way and only about 10kms from Niagara. That evening we watched a ship through the locks on the Welland Canal then ate outdoors at a nice Italian restaurant adjacent to the canal.
We spent another day in Niagara Falls and packed our bags that night for the journey home. There were some nasty thunderstorms throught the night but the morning was mostly sunny and getting hot. We crossed the border at Sarnia into the U.S.A. The border crossing took some time as there was a lot of traffic. We suffered in the heat and humidity. We finally got moving again and made it to Grayling, Michigan. There were thunderstorms to the north so we took a room at a Super 8. The next morning our old friend, the wind, was back at full strength. We continued north to the Macinaw Bridge where we were escorted across due to the high winds. We spent the night in Ironwood, Michigan.
The next day we started off with a tailwind for once. Things went pretty well until we got to Grand Forks. We stopped for gas and had to decide if we would continue west on Hwy#2 to Minot or turn north to Winnipeg and go home on the TransCanada. We decide to go west. Of course the wind decided to swing around to the south so we had a brutal crosswind going by the time we arrived at Devil's Lake. I topped up the gearcase once again and it only took 100ml to fill it so the leakage wasn't bad at all. Once again there were storms overnight but the sky was clear in the morning and our old friend, the wind, was back. The weather forecast confirmed wind warnings in the Devil's Lake area.
We continued west on Hwy #2 but had to detour for about 60kms because of flooding. Even on the detour we had to drive through two locations where water was flowing across the road, but only a couple of inches deep. We finally got our rainsuits wet at Milestone, which is only about a half hour from home. We rode through about 3kms of a shower, then another 10km of wet road. Lucky or what? That was all the rain we had in 6000kms of travel.
So we completed our Nostalgia Tour without any major problems. Yes, the weather was challenging almost every day but my partner and I always managed to deal with it. The old Suzuki ran very well and is ready to go again once the rear tire is changed. The gearcase seems to be doing fine now. The leakage has stopped and the oil level is fine!
Will we do the trip again for our 40th anniversary? Maybe. I'll be 65 years old and the Suzuki will be 42. Stay tuned!
Barry Wolf
Regina, Saskatchewan
CANADA
We found our current GS850 in Lethbridge, Alberta, thanks to a tip from a friend. After a brief test ride, I sealed the deal for $1,500 and loaded my prize in the truck to haul back to Regina. It had 29,400kms on it. When I had traded in my first 1979 machine in 1981 it had 38,000kms on it. This bike had brand new Metzler tires, a new battery and a new air filter. Over the winter we installed Progressive Suspension fork springs and shocks, braided steel brake lines, Dyna ignition and Dyna coils. I had the windshield trimmed by 4 inches to reduce buffetting and installed a Saddleman seat cover and a throttle lock. After a complete tuneup and fresh oil, I figured it was ready for the big trip.
My wife was concerned about where we would store all of our gear. We tend to travel with more stuff than we did 30 years ago. I borrowed a set of expandable soft saddlebags from a friend and we used a tank bag and a small tail pack on the rear rack. This gave us enough room, just enough room.
We set out on our journey on May 23rd. About an hour into the trip my wife signalled me to pull over. She added wind pants over her jeans. This was a sign of things to come. While she was gearing up I took a quick look at the bike and noticed a couple of drips of oil. Suzuki GS850's don't drip oil. It seemed like the oil was coming from the front gearcase for the shaft drive. Well, it didn't look too serious so we carried on. By the time we got to Brandon there was oil showing up on the rear wheel also. This was starting to concern us. That night in Winnipeg we decided to investigate further. We stopped by a Suzuki dealer in the morning and I reviewed the parts diagram with the service manager. They didn't have any of the parts which might be required but he asked me if there was any chance the gearcase might have been overfilled. I assured him the technician who changed the oil would likely have done so correctly. Nothing else to be done at the shop so we went to Canadian Tire and picked up a bottle of synthetic gearcase lube so I could top it up. When I pulled the level set plug, a gusher of lube formed a huge puddle under the bike. It was overfilled!! I took the bottle back inside for a refund and away we went. We had booked a room in Thunder Bay but with the delays in Winnnipeg there was no chance we could make it that far so we phoned ahead and cancelled the room there and in Sault Ste. Marie. This was unfortunate as we had booked rooms at the same motels we stayed at in 1981. Later in the day we stopped at the touriest info booth in Ontario and due to the cool weather we decided to head as far as Dryden, Ont. that evening. We arrived at about 6:00pm.
The next morning it was sunny but only zero degrees at 7:00am. We bundled up in all our gear including rainsuits for warmth and hit the road about 8:00am. The bad news was that the gearcase was continuing to drip. We assumed maybe the seals were damaged due to running it so far with the case overfilled. We picked up a bottle of oil and topped up the level when we got to Marathon, Ont. The next morning in Marathon it was once again zero degress at 7:00am, minus 4 with the windchill. We layered up and headed out. We stopped at Pancake Lake for a break and when we went to leave the Suzuki wouldn't start. It wouldn't even crank over. We tried to push start it. Nope. It was dead. I looked at the kill switch. It appeared to be in the "run" position but I pressed it anyways and the switch moved deeper into the "run" position. I pressed the starter button and it roared to life. Problem solved. With the weather warming up a bit we were able to press on into the evening and we made it to Parry Sound by about 9:30pm. So far we had not experienced any rain but the last 10km into Parry Sound the road was damp as if it had rained quite a bit earlier.
The next morning was day 5 of the trip, Friday, May 27th. We stopped at Tim Horton's for breakfast and had a great visit with two fellow motorcyclists who were quite interested in the old Suzuki and our "Nostalgia Tour". We boomed down Hwy 400 through Barrie and swung west on Hwy#9 arriving at our friends houseat about 11:30am. We spent the rest of the day visiting with our old friends. The next morning we had intened to go to Niagara Falls but the weather wasn't cooperating. So we did an oil change on the Suzuki and checked out a flea market. Later in the day, our friends saddled up on their 1994 BMW Paris Dakar replica and led us on a ride around the Palgrave area. The roads were great. Lots of interesting scenery including million dollar designer homes and horse ranches.
The weather forecast for the next day was much better so we loaded up and rode to Niagara Falls. Spent the day looking around at all the sights and scenes then took the Niagara Parkway to Niagara-on-the-Lake. We stopped at the visitor centre but didn't have much luck finding accommodation. We found a motel on our own, the Hilton Garden Inn, which was adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth Way and only about 10kms from Niagara. That evening we watched a ship through the locks on the Welland Canal then ate outdoors at a nice Italian restaurant adjacent to the canal.
We spent another day in Niagara Falls and packed our bags that night for the journey home. There were some nasty thunderstorms throught the night but the morning was mostly sunny and getting hot. We crossed the border at Sarnia into the U.S.A. The border crossing took some time as there was a lot of traffic. We suffered in the heat and humidity. We finally got moving again and made it to Grayling, Michigan. There were thunderstorms to the north so we took a room at a Super 8. The next morning our old friend, the wind, was back at full strength. We continued north to the Macinaw Bridge where we were escorted across due to the high winds. We spent the night in Ironwood, Michigan.
The next day we started off with a tailwind for once. Things went pretty well until we got to Grand Forks. We stopped for gas and had to decide if we would continue west on Hwy#2 to Minot or turn north to Winnipeg and go home on the TransCanada. We decide to go west. Of course the wind decided to swing around to the south so we had a brutal crosswind going by the time we arrived at Devil's Lake. I topped up the gearcase once again and it only took 100ml to fill it so the leakage wasn't bad at all. Once again there were storms overnight but the sky was clear in the morning and our old friend, the wind, was back. The weather forecast confirmed wind warnings in the Devil's Lake area.
We continued west on Hwy #2 but had to detour for about 60kms because of flooding. Even on the detour we had to drive through two locations where water was flowing across the road, but only a couple of inches deep. We finally got our rainsuits wet at Milestone, which is only about a half hour from home. We rode through about 3kms of a shower, then another 10km of wet road. Lucky or what? That was all the rain we had in 6000kms of travel.
So we completed our Nostalgia Tour without any major problems. Yes, the weather was challenging almost every day but my partner and I always managed to deal with it. The old Suzuki ran very well and is ready to go again once the rear tire is changed. The gearcase seems to be doing fine now. The leakage has stopped and the oil level is fine!
Will we do the trip again for our 40th anniversary? Maybe. I'll be 65 years old and the Suzuki will be 42. Stay tuned!
Barry Wolf
Regina, Saskatchewan
CANADA
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