102,586.6 miles

[TheCafeKid]

Aye, Nick she's still running. New to her secondary gears, and she's as good as gold. Methinks Cole needs to get some new springs in the forks, and he might need new rear shocks (think one has a bleeding air bladder) but she's running nonetheless. I took Rose out on it a couple times, she likes it because its damn comfy for her on the back...LOL

[Grandpa]

Yes, Josh, I can see how a new suspension, front and rear, may be in order.

I expect to see you in a couple of weeks in the depths of West Virginia.

Nick Diaz
Middletown, MD

[Jethro]

Haven't you heard? Jap bikes are useless anywhere past 20k miles! Apparently your bike has not been told.

[bwringer]

What's the secret of longevity for a GS shafty? Simple. You gotta run the hell out of it! You can't baby it. You must run it hard, and you must run it often.

You must change the oil and filter quite often, say 2000 miles. Brand of oil and filter is not important if your changing interval is short. The motorcycle must be in state of tune. This is a binary issue -- it either is in tune, or it is not. There's nothing in between.

Carbs must be clean and synchronized. Valves must be correctly set. Fresh fuel through the carbs all the time, as is fork oil and brake fluid.

Speaking of fuel, your 850G should take 87 fuel with no problems. If it doesn't run on regular, there's something wrong with the bike.

Words of trvth here. Sitting in the garage is what kills bikes, not riding them.

Also, the point about being in a correct state of tune is important. A lot of older bikes, including shafties, simply aren't running right. That doesn't mean hot-rodded -- it means functioning as designed.

My bike is bone-stock as far as performance, and a GS850 is certainly not a power monster by any means, but several times people have asked me what I've done to the engine to get it to run like that. The answer is "nothing", other than maintenance and what has been needed to reverse the effects of time.

Plus, I'm willing to spin the engine and use the entire powerband. That's how it was designed to work best.

Mr. Throttle is your friend. Grip it and rip it!

[propflux01]

Good to hear my old GK forks are still in use. That was 2002 I sold them to you, after my "bambicide."

Interestingly, when I hit the deer it wasn't the forks that were bent -- it was the triple tree. That's why I sold you the forks -- I had no more use for them.

I replaced the GK triple tree with one for an 850G, then found forks for it.

Anyway, I'm glad your GK is still running well.

Nick Diaz
Middletown, MD

Yes, although the left one is starting a slight fork-seal weep, but nothing too serious yet. Yes, I remember The "bambicide" quite well!! I replaced the springs with some progressives awhile back and that really woke them up.

Tim

[physics-teacher]

Gosh I love to read these longevity stories! My 81 650G has 61000 miles on it now and I hope for this to be the first bike I've ever kept to 100K, and I've had a lot of bikes................

[Macmatic]

You should submit your stator to Ripleys believe it or not or maybe Guinness.

You should buy your stator a Guinness!

[propflux01]

Mine has went through several stators until I replaced the Suzuki regulator with a Honda regulator. Havent had an issue since.

[propflux01]

.....Until Sunday.....Lost a stator leg. Go figure.