TEWKS Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 I'm a sucker for nostalgic things especially in regards to my old motorcycles. Guess I'd like to believe that they could transport me back to my if I ever acquired one. Well, I almost fell off my chair when I came upon this picture over on ADVR. A 1980 GS 750 in silver and an 81 GS 1100 in black. I owned both of these bikes back to back in these colors, no less! That's all, just thought I'd share. Pat Link to comment
The Rocketman Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 (edited) Here's some nostalgia.... My wedding picture from 1983. Brand new wife, brand new 1982 Suzuki GS850L, much more hair, many miles & moons ago. Edited April 5, 2017 by The Rocketman Link to comment
The Rocketman Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 Just sold it a couple of months ago after almost 35 years to a great guy from Harrisonburg, VA. His first bike. Link to comment
TEWKS Posted April 5, 2017 Author Share Posted April 5, 2017 I remember the post, and wow you kept it in beautiful shape. That'd be a tough one for me after keeping it so many years. Pat Link to comment
temesvar Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 Here's some nostalgia.... My wedding picture from 1983. Brand new wife, brand new 1982 Suzuki GS850L, much more hair, many miles & moons ago. Nice pick! You took good care of the bike, for 35 years. I hope did the same with the pretty bride!! Link to comment
The Rocketman Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 That'd be a tough one for me after keeping it so many years. Never thought it would be so difficult, but perhaps one of the most gut-wrenching decisions I ever made. Lost many nights sleep before finally deciding to let her go (the bike, I mean). We had some great times & adventures together. But with 5 bikes taking up lots of room in the garage, and feeling real guilty about riding some and not others, a decision had to be made. With these bikes, not riding them is the worst thing for them; carb float bowls, seals, etc. I tell you, for an in-line 4, five speed with shaft drive, and only being an 850, this bike kicked my BMW 1200's butt all day long. Not so much in the top end, but off the line and regular riding couldn't be beat. Not a single major repair in 35 years. Brake pads, oil & gas. This thing will run forever. Also sold my 2004 Montauk. So now I have the 2002 R1200C, 2009 R1200RT and my new-to-me 2005 Montauk shown below. Keep your eyes open for either the June or July issue of BMW Owner's News Magazine for an article about this very special bike. Needed some room for this beauty: Link to comment
Redman Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 ...... .., I almost fell off my chair when I came upon this picture over on ADVR. .... Pat Hey ! I recognize that garage, and those Suzukis .... From a guy on Vancover Island BC... on Suzuki GSResources .... . Link to comment
Redman Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 79 KZ400 (son is now 36) 82 GS650G (daughter is now 33) Link to comment
TEWKS Posted April 6, 2017 Author Share Posted April 6, 2017 Hey ! I recognize that garage, and those Suzukis .... From a guy on Vancover Island BC... on Suzuki GSResources .... I was half hoping somebody was going to say, hey that's my neighbor's garage in Connecticut and he's ready to sell. BC is probably better. Pat Link to comment
TEWKS Posted April 6, 2017 Author Share Posted April 6, 2017 Redman, if you ever get to speak with those guys tell them I appreciate the picture and it's going to become the centerpiece of my garage art! Pat Link to comment
Dennis Andress Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 (edited) Sorry for the crummy images. Scanning old picture is something I don't want to do again. This is more about life then motorcycles. It starts around 1978. Leaving home for my first duty assignment at Dover AFB, De. on my Honda 550. My sister is really happy because I gave her the Firebird. I kept the Honda for maybe a year before buying a brand new XS-750. Even then I wanted a BMW. I bought the Yamaha because it had shaft drive and since it was a triple it didn't buzz like the Honda. That was as close to a BMW as I could get. I was at Dover for only 15 months before being sent to Eielson AFB, Ak (30 miles south of Fairbanks). The Yamaha got left at Mom and Dad's. There was lots of cool stuff to see and do in Alaska! After Eielson I was sent to Castle AFB, Ca. Darn near in the geographical center of California. Some of best riding roads imaginable. Shortly after arriving at Castle I met Eric, who had a near identical Yamaha. We are good friends to this day Eric and I rode a lot. So much that riding through Yosemite became a drag. The Yamaha's transmission was kind of weak, and I grew tired of fixing it. So, I bought a rat R90S. This is Eric and my rat. He was riding on the back of my Yamaha when I passed a truck and hit the left turning car in front of it. I restored the rat. The XS-750 at 73K miles. Being aircraft mechanics we cannibalized it so Eric could take leave and ride his Yamaha to Kansas. I did put it back together before selling it. Eric got out of the Air Force and I went to Frankfurt, Ge. While there I met a used parts dealer and restored the BMW yet again. Only this time I went all out. The only original parts in this picture are the air box and license plate bracket. My youngest nephew sometime around 1987. I'm out of the A.F. and living in Tucson. Shortly after this I bought an `85 K100 RS and continued on... Edited April 6, 2017 by Dennis Andress Link to comment
TEWKS Posted April 6, 2017 Author Share Posted April 6, 2017 Cool pics and history Dennis! What's the story with the B-29? I assume it wasn't parked there intentionally. Pat Link to comment
Dennis Andress Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 Cool pics and history Dennis! What's the story with the B-29? I assume it wasn't parked there intentionally. Pat KB-50. Sometime in the 60's it landed about a 1/2 a mile short of Eielson's runway. Link to comment
TEWKS Posted April 6, 2017 Author Share Posted April 6, 2017 KB-50, well I guess I'm not as much of an aviation buff as I thought. Didn't know they existed. Pat Link to comment
Glenn Reed Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 For those, like Pat and myself, who were unaware of the KB-50, here's a Wikipedia article. Specifically, the KB-50 was the tanker derivation. Link to comment
Dennis Andress Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 For those, like Pat and myself, who were unaware of the KB-50, here's a Wikipedia article. Specifically, the KB-50 was the tanker derivation. Yeah. When you walked out onto the fuselage you could see where the turrets had been removed and patched. Link to comment
Jake Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 (edited) Cool pics and history Dennis! What's the story with the B-29? I assume it wasn't parked there intentionally. Pat KB-50. Sometime in the 60's it landed about a 1/2 a mile short of Eielson's runway. TEWKS might be right. Definitely cool pics! I TDY'd over to Eielson from RAF Mildenhall back in '89. It was only for a week but it produced a lifetime of memories. Edit: More story pics here Edited April 6, 2017 by Jake Link to comment
Dennis Andress Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 Working outdoors in winter at Eielson was a good way to grow up fast. TDYs to Shemya in support of the Cobra Ball was mind boggling! Link to comment
Jake Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 "The Rock" and stories of that fateful flight (from people who knew them) still puts chills in me. I sat in the back of the RC135's staring at that escape grate in the floor thinking "Man, I hope I never have to open that thing". Link to comment
tallman Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 Gentlemen, thank you for what you have done in the service of our country. Boatload of cool pictures, and stories. Link to comment
Jake Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 Bah! (but thanks) Most got a heck of a lot more out of it than we put in. Back to moto-nostalgia.. I remember thinking that the Yamaha 650 Seca Turbo was about the coolest thing on 2-wheels when it came out. Turbo anything was hot. Anyone remember the ad involving the Porsche 930? Link to comment
Dennis Andress Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 "The Rock" and stories of that fateful flight (from people who knew them) still puts chills in me. I sat in the back of the RC135's staring at that escape grate in the floor thinking "Man, I hope I never have to open that thing". That was after my time. But I do remember the Ball coming home with a shelled engine because the pilot needed to put all four throttles against the stops for a long time. Link to comment
TEWKS Posted April 6, 2017 Author Share Posted April 6, 2017 Cool ad Jake, obviously Bill wasn't driving the Porsche. Now back in the summer of 1980 I thought that the silver GS 750 pictured above was the fastest thing on the planet. My brother had a Z28 and similar to the ad, We challenged each other to a race on a closed course interstate. I lost big time, hence the 1100 in 81. Likeness of his car. Pat Link to comment
roadscholar Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 I remember thinking that the Yamaha 650 Seca Turbo was about the coolest thing on 2-wheels when it came out. Turbo anything was hot. Anyone remember the ad involving the Porsche 930? Never saw that ad but had one then later a Honda 500 Turbo, spent a lot of time riding them in WNC in the early, mid-90's. Both great sport-touring bikes the Yamaha was maybe more fun because of the power delivery, weight of a 650 with the power of a 900. Was a Yammie dealer when they came out and cresting a small rise on boost once in 3rd it did a nice little unintended wheelie. I've had a few 930's too, dynamic driving experiences for sure but somewhat tame compared to the bikes. Link to comment
roadscholar Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 Pat here's my only GS 1000 story (actually there is another one involving a GS1100 and a 930 on I-95 once).. One year at Riding Into History Japanese bikes were featured and we had a member that had a 78 GS1000 from new, it had just turned 100,000 miles and he'd kept it in perfect condition. Kevin Schwantz was the MC that year and he rode that bike behind me on the vintage ride I was leading on a mid 90's naked Airhead. It was a pretty low key affair (Kevin wearing his signature #34 Arai, but just jeans, a t-shirt and no gloves : )) until we got to a long straightaway going down the river. I wicked it up to a little over a hun and got down in a tuck. Looked in the mirror to see Mr. Schwantz drafting me in a full tuck too. Of course he was playing but one of those moments you never forget. Link to comment
TEWKS Posted April 6, 2017 Author Share Posted April 6, 2017 Wow, that's an awesome piece of moto memory to have, Bill! Pat Link to comment
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