GS in a sea of V twins at Sturgis this year

[Guest]

I live about 20 miles from Sturgis SD so always try to go down and check it (the rally) out. Took this pic on Main Street. Did not see another Japanese 4 cylinder other than quite a few gold wings. On the way I was following a group down the highway near Bear Butte and something fell off one of the bikes and the other guy ran over it and it kind of flipped him off his Harley! I stopped and he had a broken wrist – turns out they were from Germany. Ride safe!
Brian

[Charlie G]

Looks like you have a fine 850 or 1000g, can't tell which. I came through Rapid City on my way back from Ontario Canada in August of this. That is about as close as I came to Sturgis. I saw many, many HD's heading there on my way east and on the return home. How were you received? Welcome to the site!

[Steve]

Looks like you have a fine 850 or 1000g, can't tell which.

With the chrome front fender and solid disks, I'm pegging it as a '79 850.

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[Redman]

Brian S.
Welcome to GSR.

With the chrome front fender and solid disks, I'm pegging it as a '79 850.

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That, and the VM carbs, and the GS850 (not GS850G) sidepanel emblem.

... and that might be one of the dealer installed fairings that could get for 79.

[BrianS]

Thanks! Yes - it is a 79 GS850 in fact and does have the fairing with a Suzuki emblem. I was told that and the bags may have been dealer installed options? Would like to locate the matching (Calafia?) trunk sometime. Have to say I was quite proud to be the only GS cruising down main street Was talking with some friends just yesterday about how the harley dealer in Rapid City was a small building, barely functioning and Japanese bikes were everywhere and not the world has turned the other way! Anyway - I like cool old things....

[suzuki_dog]

Welcome to GSR. That's a great sight seeing a nice GS in all those V-Twins... It looked like a good time.

[Redman]

Thanks! Yes - it is a 79 GS850 in fact and does have the fairing with a Suzuki emblem. I was told that and the bags may have been dealer installed options? Would like to locate the matching (Calafia?) trunk sometime. .........

Yes, 79, was a dealer add item, the fairing any way, I dont know about bags and/or trunk, but would seem likely.
Only reason I know is this old magazine artical in a magazine of the day that I got (but dont have anymore).




Hum.... bike in picture in artical has fairing, but no any bags nor trunk .....

.

[Steve]

Yep, Suzuki had a deal with Calafia to provide the touring accoutrements. A friend had a Goldwing with a Calafia fairing. I never rode behind it, but he seemed to like it. I had Calafia "Fats" saddlebags on my KZ1300. Yours are likely the standard ones with a cutout for the muffler? Mine were about 50% wider and had a tail light on them. The trunk is nice, but looked a bit too small for our huge bike, so we got a Ra-Cad. Another friend was part-owner of a company that pioneered the concept of a radio in the Harley bat-wing fairing. Called it the "Radio Caddy", later shortened to Ra-Cad. Then they made a couple of trunks, loosely patterened after the Harley Tour-Pak. We had the smaller one. It could only hold FOUR full-face helmets (and a couple of light jackets).

Not the best picture, but it's the only one I have uploaded that shows the bags:


This one has a small glimpse of the trunk:


Yes, I have been riding HUGE, shiny bikes for a LONG time.
You can click the links in my sig to see my current bikes.

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[argonsagas]

Perhaps you can satisfy my curiousity.

For a long time I have seen photos of the bikes, and they obviously take up a lot of space on their own, but I have seen and met a lot of people who said they were going to Sturgis, and they most definitely were not riding that far, so I am wondering: where do the owners park the trailers?

[bobgroger]

Where no one will see them and laugh....
Honestly, Sturgis is the biggest event of the year for haulbikes.com. I assume others find the cost of shipping close to the cost of trailering. Fly and ride....

[BrianS]

Steve - yep that is what mine look like!
Brian

Yep, Suzuki had a deal with Calafia to provide the touring accoutrements. A friend had a Goldwing with a Calafia fairing. I never rode behind it, but he seemed to like it. I had Calafia "Fats" saddlebags on my KZ1300. Yours are likely the standard ones with a cutout for the muffler? Mine were about 50% wider and had a tail light on them. The trunk is nice, but looked a bit too small for our huge bike, so we got a Ra-Cad. Another friend was part-owner of a company that pioneered the concept of a radio in the Harley bat-wing fairing. Called it the "Radio Caddy", later shortened to Ra-Cad. Then they made a couple of trunks, loosely patterened after the Harley Tour-Pak. We had the smaller one. It could only hold FOUR full-face helmets (and a couple of light jackets).

Not the best picture, but it's the only one I have uploaded that shows the bags:


This one has a small glimpse of the trunk:


Yes, I have been riding HUGE, shiny bikes for a LONG time.
You can click the links in my sig to see my current bikes.

.

[BrianS]

Right - there are quite a few that ride but many tow trailers. There are a lot of campgrounds in the area - some huge like the Broken Spoke and Buffalo Chip - with acres of trailers, RVs, bikes. And as Bob mentioned, lots of semi trucks hauling or renting bikes. The Rapid City airport has a lot of semi trucks parked there during that week. My favorite long distance riding story is that a buddy was working in Aberdeen Scotland. He and several (a dozen or so) buddies crated up their bikes, shipped them to Florida, then rode via Texas, Colorado, Sturgis and on to Minnesota where they crated them up and shipped them back to Scotland. They had their picture taken in their kilts on Main Street in Sturgis during the rally.
Brian

[Joegs1100gk]

Awesome! Like the big tourers.