Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Meeting Wes Cooley

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 3
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous 1 2 3 template Next
    #16
    Originally posted by azr View Post
    Wow, what a story!! Thanks for sharing this and man alive, how the heck are you ever going to wash your bike again???
    I have an extra tank and I am going to carefully clear coat this one.
    1982 1100G - 1979 1000SN Cooley #703 - 1982 Kawasaki ELR#337 - 1982 Katana 1000SZ (X3) #769, #872, #1963 - 1983 1100E mid-night blue (X2) - Ducati 907ie - 1976 GT750 Bad Buffalo

    Comment

      #17
      Hmmm... What will the solvent in the fresh laid clear do to the marker ink? I imagine you'll do a test first. Let us know what happens.
      Dogma
      --
      O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you! - David

      Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep insights can be winnowed from deep nonsense. - Carl Sagan
      --
       '80 GS850 GLT
      '80 GS1000 GT
      '01 ZRX1200R

      How to get a "What's New" feed without the Vortex, and without permanently quitting the Vortex

      Comment

        #18
        Cooley always seemed a bit more ... human than so many of the other luminaries. Glad to see that he really is. Hell, if he grew his mustache back, he would still look largely the same. I'm super-thrilled he is still a capable rider and that he still enjoys getting out on the track.
        "Thought he, it is a wicked world in all meridians; I'll die a pagan."
        ~Herman Melville

        2016 1200 Superlow
        1982 CB900f

        Comment

          #19
          Originally posted by viperg View Post
          I was fortunate enough to get to meet my childhood hero at Mid-Ohio this year. Wes Cooley inspired and help to form my street bike interests when I was a kid. I was 11 years old when I started reading about Cooley in mags of the day. His racing efforts on that 79 blue & white (also red & white) 1000S Superbike gave me big dreams of going fast on Suzuki liter bikes.

          For the event, Dad came in from CA to ride my Cooley while I piloted my 82 Katana for the 450 mile weekend. My son trailered my Buffalo to roll around on so we had 3 generations there on Suzukis. We even passed the Suzuki Factory truck about 100 miles out from Mid-O. The driver nearly broke his neck double taking, giving huge thumbs up and grins.

          At 47 years old I was like a kid at Christmas. Wes is a super nice guy. He saw me the with my 1000SN in front of the AMA tent, walked right up from 30 feet away to talk to me about the bike. I asked him if he would sign my 1000SN that was actually at Laguna Seca watching him race in 1979 and he took me by the shoulder and said "well of course I will." We talked for a few minutes and then he said he had to get back on schedule. Wes said, "come down to the race bike display tent in a couple of hours and we can hang out." So we did several times throughout the weekend. What a guy!






          Here is a photo album of the meeting: https://www.flickr.com/photos/105623...h/28178931882/
          He's definitely recognizable from the old days. Too bad he didn't have his 1980s haircut. I'd love to get Wes, Wayne Rainey, and Eddie Lawson together for a photo shoot.
          https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4442/...678005be58.jpg

          1982 GS1100 G converted by Motorcyclist magazine in 1986 to be a tribute to the Wes Cooley replica. 1982 Honda 900F. 1997 Yamaha VMax.
          Also owned: 1973 Kawasaki Z1 900, 1972 Honda 750 K, 1976 Yamaha XS 650, 1980 Kawasaki KZ 1000 MKII, 1978 Kawasaki SR 650. Current cage is a 2001 Mustang Bullitt in Dark Highland Green. Bought new in Sept. 2001.

          Comment

            #20
            [QUOTE=viperg;2310947]lol! You should have seen Cooley cane the 1000S on the Saturday track exhibition laps... at 60 years old the man is still fast. Pretty big shoes for Trevor to fill, maybe he is up to it, ]

            Just kidding! Glad he's still got the spark. Great pictures.
            cg
            sigpic
            83 GS1100g
            2006 Triumph Sprint ST 1050

            Ohhhh!........Torque sweet Temptress.........always whispering.... a murmuring Siren

            Comment

              #21
              Originally posted by viperg View Post
              I have an extra tank and I am going to carefully clear coat this one.
              I bought some clear bra material for the rockers on my Bullitt on eBay. It was like 11.00 for a roll. It's got an adhesive backing, but it's not too strong. You could always get a piece of that cut to cover the signature. Mine's been on over a year and it still looks like new.
              https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4442/...678005be58.jpg

              1982 GS1100 G converted by Motorcyclist magazine in 1986 to be a tribute to the Wes Cooley replica. 1982 Honda 900F. 1997 Yamaha VMax.
              Also owned: 1973 Kawasaki Z1 900, 1972 Honda 750 K, 1976 Yamaha XS 650, 1980 Kawasaki KZ 1000 MKII, 1978 Kawasaki SR 650. Current cage is a 2001 Mustang Bullitt in Dark Highland Green. Bought new in Sept. 2001.

              Comment

                #22
                Here is the Katana 1000SZ race bike that Cooley raced. Pops did a heck of a job on the rear frame bracing on the big Kat. Cooley said the clip-ons were difficult to get use to compared to the Superbike bars of the 1000S, loosing leverage to muscle the bike around.








                The 1982 Red & White endurance race bike actually utilizes a 1978E tank with the side channels.





                1982 1100G - 1979 1000SN Cooley #703 - 1982 Kawasaki ELR#337 - 1982 Katana 1000SZ (X3) #769, #872, #1963 - 1983 1100E mid-night blue (X2) - Ducati 907ie - 1976 GT750 Bad Buffalo

                Comment

                  #23
                  The red bike is one of my favorite historic racebikes.
                  sigpic
                  When consulting the magic 8 ball for advice, one must first ask it "will your answers be accurate?"

                  Glen
                  -85 1150 es - Plus size supermodel.
                  -Rusty old scooter.
                  Other things I like to photograph.....instagram.com/gs_junkie
                  https://www.instagram.com/glen_brenner/
                  https://www.flickr.com/photos/152267...7713345317771/

                  Comment

                    #24
                    Great photos!
                    The endurance race bike raises a question. Looks like it runs on battery only, so how would that work for an 8 hour race?
                    1982 GS1100G- road bike
                    1990 GSX750F-(1127cc '92 GSXR engine)
                    1987 Honda CBR600F Hurricane

                    Comment

                      #25
                      Originally posted by Buffalo Bill View Post
                      Great photos!
                      The endurance race bike raises a question. Looks like it runs on battery only, so how would that work for an 8 hour race?
                      They just swap them out during pitstops. It only has to supply ignition voltage so they'll easily last as long as a tank of gas or probably much longer.
                      Great thread. Love these old superbikes and have a Cooley signed by the man himself is pretty special.
                      '84 GS750EF (Oct 2015 BOM) '79 GS1000N (June 2007 BOM) My Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/soates50/
                      https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4306/35860327946_08fdd555ac_z.jpg

                      Comment

                        #26
                        Had a buddy that had a Captain America reproduction that he rode to Sturgis. Ran into Peter Fonda and got the tank signed...sadly he never did anything to protect the signature and it eventually was just a memory in photographs

                        With the pictures and all the other proof, that tank is worth a good chunk now..LOL Ebay retirement account!!!
                        Last edited by chuck hahn; 07-15-2016, 06:03 PM.
                        MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
                        1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

                        NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


                        I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

                        Comment

                          #27
                          spamming jackass and other things that are not mention-able.
                          1983 GS 550 LD
                          2009 BMW K1300s

                          Comment

                            #28
                            What a great story/experience - life is good.
                            -Mal

                            "The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." - B. Banzai
                            ___________

                            78 GS750E

                            Comment

                              #29
                              Originally posted by allojohn View Post
                              What a great story/experience - life is good.
                              Thanks! It just got a little better. An AMA Rep. took a short interview with me before our track laps with Cooley leading on the Red/White 1000S race bike and said she would be doing a short write-up on me and my 1000SN. I had the only 1000S besides Cooley's that was rolling around the complex all weekend.

                              She just contacted me and said this was up on the AMA website:
                              Page not found - American Motorcyclist Association
                              http://americanmotorcyclist.com/Racing/Story/attendees-of-ama-vintage-motorcycle-days-take-lap-for-history


                              Last edited by viperg; 07-15-2016, 09:24 AM.
                              1982 1100G - 1979 1000SN Cooley #703 - 1982 Kawasaki ELR#337 - 1982 Katana 1000SZ (X3) #769, #872, #1963 - 1983 1100E mid-night blue (X2) - Ducati 907ie - 1976 GT750 Bad Buffalo

                              Comment

                                #30
                                Nice! Been a couple of good years for you. This, the Kat in the Suzuki corral last year...... Next year you need to wear a GSR shirt....
                                sigpic
                                When consulting the magic 8 ball for advice, one must first ask it "will your answers be accurate?"

                                Glen
                                -85 1150 es - Plus size supermodel.
                                -Rusty old scooter.
                                Other things I like to photograph.....instagram.com/gs_junkie
                                https://www.instagram.com/glen_brenner/
                                https://www.flickr.com/photos/152267...7713345317771/

                                Comment

                                Previous 1 2 3 template Next
                                Working...
                                X