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At age 63 now, I have two older brothers now 72 and 75. Way back in 1981, my oldest brother bought a new GS1000G and persuaded us to buy new bikes as well. I had a Honda CB550F which I traded for a GS850G, and my other brother had a BSA which he traded for a GS650G Katana. So now there were 3 new shaft-drive GS's in the family!
For a number of years after my 2 children were born and growing up (1984/1986 to mid-nineties), I did not ride my bike much. Thereafter I used the bike more regularly for weekend breakfast runs. My oldest brother had fitted a Vetter fairing and Krauser panniers to his 1000G, so he put on a fair distance with some touring during the 'eighties. However, from about 1992 both of them did not ride at all anymore for various reasons, so their bikes were kept in a corner in their garages!
Fast forward to 2017, when both of them moved to smaller homes and decided to sell their bikes. I bought the 1000G because my oldest brother had collected many OEM Suzuki tools, which I did not want to see going out of the family. My other brother asked me to do the necessary work to get his 650G running again after standing for 25 years, in order to be able to sell it in safe running condition. Amazingly, his bike had only done 9 918 km's since new!
So on-and-off during the past year I have brought the 650G back to life, having attended to tyres, forks, brakes, carbs and fuel tank. Although the fuel tank was not rusted inside (and I therefore did not want to coat it inside), its contents of 17 litres of fuel had reduced to a brown, flaky and brittle residue, which resisted many attempts to remove completely. Eventually I filled the tank with a 50/50 mixture of acetone and toluene, and let it sit for 2 weeks to dissolve all the gunk, which finally resulted in a nice clean tank again.
Today I took it on its first ride again in 25 years! It ran surprisingly well and just needs a final re-check of all bolts before it is ready to go to a new owner! Next on the list is the 1000G, and I have vowed that I will get it back on the road in just a few months instead of a year like the 650G!
I would really like to get a photograph of our 3 bikes with my brothers, before the 650G is sold. I have not decided yet if I will keep the 1000G and sell my 850G, or vice versa, as I unfortunately will not be able to keep both of them due to space constraints.
Here are some photos documenting the 650G's original km reading, and clocking over to 10 000 km, as well as a photo of the 1000G.
For a number of years after my 2 children were born and growing up (1984/1986 to mid-nineties), I did not ride my bike much. Thereafter I used the bike more regularly for weekend breakfast runs. My oldest brother had fitted a Vetter fairing and Krauser panniers to his 1000G, so he put on a fair distance with some touring during the 'eighties. However, from about 1992 both of them did not ride at all anymore for various reasons, so their bikes were kept in a corner in their garages!
Fast forward to 2017, when both of them moved to smaller homes and decided to sell their bikes. I bought the 1000G because my oldest brother had collected many OEM Suzuki tools, which I did not want to see going out of the family. My other brother asked me to do the necessary work to get his 650G running again after standing for 25 years, in order to be able to sell it in safe running condition. Amazingly, his bike had only done 9 918 km's since new!
So on-and-off during the past year I have brought the 650G back to life, having attended to tyres, forks, brakes, carbs and fuel tank. Although the fuel tank was not rusted inside (and I therefore did not want to coat it inside), its contents of 17 litres of fuel had reduced to a brown, flaky and brittle residue, which resisted many attempts to remove completely. Eventually I filled the tank with a 50/50 mixture of acetone and toluene, and let it sit for 2 weeks to dissolve all the gunk, which finally resulted in a nice clean tank again.
Today I took it on its first ride again in 25 years! It ran surprisingly well and just needs a final re-check of all bolts before it is ready to go to a new owner! Next on the list is the 1000G, and I have vowed that I will get it back on the road in just a few months instead of a year like the 650G!
I would really like to get a photograph of our 3 bikes with my brothers, before the 650G is sold. I have not decided yet if I will keep the 1000G and sell my 850G, or vice versa, as I unfortunately will not be able to keep both of them due to space constraints.
Here are some photos documenting the 650G's original km reading, and clocking over to 10 000 km, as well as a photo of the 1000G.
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