I was around 22 years old at the time when I got my hands on a GS1000S.
It wasn’t like I was specifically looking for this bike.
Should I buy it?
Yeah, I’ll buy it.
That’s the kind of vibe it was. The shock I felt when it arrived and I rode it for the first time—I’ll never forget it.
I’d never owned a vintage bike before.
Well, of course not—I was 22.
I’d never even remotely wanted a vintage bike; I was convinced that current models were obviously better. That’s what I thought back then.
But the XJR1200 I was riding at the time had a bad starter clutch, and in winter I had to resort to the rough tactic of bump-starting it every day.
I was honestly fed up with it.
Then that XJR1200 got hit by a right-turning vehicle and was totaled (*´з`)
At the intersection of Route 246 downhill and the Kan-Nana expressway.
I had the green light going straight, and I’ve had right-turn collisions about twice.
You might think it’s because I’m usually speeding.
But from my experience, I have these strange accidents.
Big intersections like that are super dangerous spots.
I can obviously see the right-turning vehicles, so when I enter the intersection, I slow down a bit below the speed limit.
But then I release the throttle and the right-turning vehicle also releases theirs!
Mysteriously, we sync up perfectly.
Right at that exact moment, we’re both opening the throttle, so there’s no way to avoid it anymore.
Boom! I go rolling (*´з`)
The front forks bent into a V-shape, so of course it was a total loss.
*I’ve never broken a bone in my life. Apparently I’m pretty good at falling and have managed to stay alive.
Property damage and passenger injury insurance paid out nicely (*´з`)
So what should I buy next?
I’d get that clunker XJR fixed up just enough to run by replacing the fork…
And then someone told me about a GS1000S in pretty good condition!
I thought, what the heck is a GS1000S? and flipped through some magazines.
Oh, that’s the one with the bullet train-like color scheme…
Once I decided to buy it, I got all excited (*´ω｀*)
I’d never ridden a 19/18-inch bike before either… this was going to be fun!
With 1000cc, even if it’s old, 1000cc should be pretty quick, right?
My expectations were sky-high at 20 years old… so young.
Probably to be continued (´ρ`)
