1995 Suzuki GS

JS1GM51A6S2100953

Salvage

Well, here it is, my first motorcycle. I bought this a little more then a year ago. It had been sitting, properly stored, for the last 12 years. I replaced most of the rubber parts, and rode it for the better part of a year before getting in my accident. It has about 7,000 miles on it, all original. The title is SALVAGE because the original owner had dropped it (see side damage), however there is no damage to the frame. Honestly, the only difference is that the pink slip says "salvage" in the corner. My "restoration" when I got it: I took apart the carbs, and they were spotless. I replaced the fuel petcock with one from a Honda that doesn't use a vacuum line to keep the line open (GS500's are notorious for going bad). I acid washed and coated the inside of the tank with a kit... I wouldn't say it was the best job but if you don't like it you could acid wash it and do it again. The tank itself is fine except for the small dent I put into it when I crashed (see pic). I'd recommend redoing the fuel lines as I used generic vinyl plastic tubing that seems to stiffen up over time. I'd recommend going with stuff that's rated for gasoline. I bought a new chain and new front and back sprockets, however I never got a chance to put them on, and the chain and sprockets that were on there originally were fine. I rebuilt the front caliper and master cylinder, but the line needs to be replaced before I'd take it out again as the handle is a little too squishy for my taste. I never touched the back brake since it's already pretty strong. The left front fork seal blew out a month or two ago, so I got new progressive springs and seals to do the job, but I crashed before I could set aside the time. I replaced the right side engine cover and inspected the clutch plates, which are in pretty good condition. I had to soak them for a bit when I got the bike because the clutch was quite sticky, but a change of oil and some riding and the clutch feels fine. I replaced the choke cable too since it was binding, and with out a choke cable its pretty much impossible to start a GS500. I replaced the battery with one from Walmart and still have the warranty for that (woo!). What it needs to run/look *better* The engine is due for a valve job, and it was loosing a bit of power in the top end because of this. It leaks oil because I was pretty unwise to use simi-synthetic which alterts you to pretty much any leaks, and the GS500 overall is known for leaking oil. The oil pan and the left engine covers are the major offenders. I'm including a left side cover gasket. I'd say the carbs could be jetted a tad richer since like any stock gs500 they're jetted pretty lean from the factory. There's also a missing cover over the high beam indicator, but this is a minor annoyance more then anything. The cluster housing is a bit rusted, I'd recommend yanking it and repainting it silver and it would look great. The trip odometer reset knob is also missing. I replaced it when I first got the bike, but it fell off sometime in the summer. One of the rubber seals for the tack or spedo is cracking and needs to be replaced. I replaced one, but never got around to replacing the other. I'd also recomend redoing the brake lines with ether new rubber ones or stainless steel. My accident: On March 24th of this year, I was heading up the 405 northbound in the carpool lane just past the 605 freeway. A car cut off the truck two cars ahead of me. The truck that got cut off slammed on his brakes to avoid an accident, but the suburban that was in front of me couldn't stop in time. I couldn't see ahead of the suburban so I didn't know this was happening. To me, the suburban stopped without warning (only a flash of their brake lights before they hit). I slammed on the brakes and almost stopped completely, however I still hit going about 10mph. If I had maybe 5 more feet I would have missed him. I slammed into the suburban's trailer hitch receiver, and bounced back. I was able to catch the bike and not lay it down, but the damage was done. The front forks were bent back, the front tire and wheel were punctured by the hitch. There wasn't any other damage to the bike since this was a slow speed collision. While I was unharmed, there were so many different ways this accident could have played out i.e., that I could have been more seriously injured or killed, that decided to take a break from motorcycle riding. I decided to only get back into it if I was in an area with less traffic. Southern California has a some of the most congested freeways in the world, and while it makes you an excellent rider over time, accidents are pretty much unavoidable. As many who have said before me, its not a question of if, its a question of when. I've decided to go back to driving a car (I was motorcycle only for most of the time that I owned this bike), and I'm selling the bike here to help pay for that. I have to say that I will truly miss riding, and to whoever wins this auction I wish you the best of luck. Fix this bike and treat it with respect. What this bike comes with: All of the parts that I mentioned that I "never had a chance to put on" are included: left engine cover, new fork, new sprokets, progressive springs, fork seals, and any miscellaneous parts that I have left over (I think I have an oil filter or two, and two quarts of semi-synthetic oil that I was running at the time) I was going to try to fix it myself, but since I don't have a garage where I live now, I scrapped the idea. However I bought all of the parts to make the bike ride again. These are included: Used forks, progressive springs, new fork seals, and new wheel. I had insurance on the tires at Cycle Gear. I've talked to the manager at the place I got them at and they will replace the tire for a reduced rate of a new one, however I have no transportation to bring them the wheel. You have to bring in the old and new wheels to Cycle Gear in lake forest, and they'll put the new tire on the new wheel. They need to see the old tire and wheel to verify the wear on the old one. We can discuss this after the auction ends on how we can let them replace the tire and transfer the insurance. They charge $15 to mount the new tire and I believe the front tire was around $100 new, and I only put about 3k on the tires so I'd assume that the tire wouldn't be too much. If you want to see the bike before bidding, send me an email or PM me here on ebay. The bike is located in Irvine, California. To make this clear: This bike is RUNNING but not RIDEABLE. You will have to come tow it or have a truck with a big enough bed to take it home.