Inevitably, it will happen. You will find yourself out shopping or even just dreaming of that second or third bike and find yourself asking the required question: “What do you ride?” ; Answering “An OLD Suzuki GS”..
Its a question I’ve had asked about a dozen times. The responses i get usually fall into a few categories.
BEGIN THE BELITTLING
- Been There Done That. This when the sales rep says something a kin to “I used to have one of them” ;”Oh, those old bikes are great; i wish i still had mine”. This is the ultimate confidence boosting answer. You’ll find yourself thinking ” I’m never getting rid of this thing; Kick Ass! “. Know this, its intended to make you think you are just a new rider that needs a new machine..
- Good luck finding parts (aka “dumb ass , you should get something new”). With immediate and resounding negativity, the associate will basically attempt to let all the wind out of your sail. You will never be able to find parts for your bike. Not specifying the part, but telling you some vague and all inclusive statement. WHAT PARTS??!!? if you spend too much time thinking about it , you’ll be thinking that you’re driving a wooden spoke horse drawn wagon and Micheal J. Fox might have to show up and rescue you in his Delorean. So, for an hour following this response, you begin searching for parts. Not sure what parts you might need, you search for EVERY part minus the engine block and heads. Dime City, Dennis Kirk, Suzuki Parts House , and even Revzilla are all online portals to parts . EBAY and Amazon can be useful in finding parts to fix or upgrade your ride. If you need to repair, place, or fix something on your vintage bike, have the confidence that you WILL be able to find a part to get back on the road. Will you find the exact 1980 Suzuki stator, new in box? Maybe not, but you will find many options that will meet the need.
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Tearing it down. The GS550 shows its true form You’re staying off the highway then? Indicating that somehow the vintage /old bike is automatically thrust into the same category as a 50 cc moped that’s only purpose is to run to the local 7-Eleven to pick up some milk. Now, I know that the speed limits are a bit higher than they were 30-40 years ago, but i’m pretty sure that a 550 cc bike will hit 70+ MPH. No different than a 300 CC sport bike from 2017 will hit it . The issue is, do you WANT to do that and for how long. Everything is relative, but the speed is there if you want to use it.
The role of the motorcycle is this: Whatever you want it to be! 4 miles to get some coffee or 300 miles to see an old limestone school house. Either way, you’re out there riding. Don’t let anyone else’s definition of a motorcycle discourage you.