More Updates on the GS-1000...

So I found out that I don't need to spend quite as much money as I thought I did to get the parts to rebuild the carbs on the GS. I was planning on spending about $50 for the rebuild kit, but after getting some advice over on the GSResources site, I found out that I only need several o-rings. Nice thing is, one of the guys on that site sells the o-ring kits...for $14. So instead of spending around $50 (or more if I went with the "nicer" kit) I'll be spending $14. I will add to that some nice stainless steel allen head bolts to replace the stock ugly screws. That's $4. I will also be getting the o-rings for the intake boots from him. For another $4.00.

So I will be paying $22 for a group of products that I had been planning on spending about $70 total for. So this will allow me to get another part that I will need. Not only do I need the o-rings for the intake boots, I should probably replace the boots themselves, just to be on the safe side. So I'll be getting those as well. I am also still looking for a new petcock.

So the stuff that I was originally planning on spending about $100 total on will end up only costing a total of $50. That means that the extra $50 can be put towards those intake boots.

It's always nice when you find a good deal on something...and get to avoid spending money that you didn't need to spend in the first place. It's a good thing I asked about what kit I needed, because I found out that the rebuild kit came with jets that weren't for my bike...so I'd have spent the extra money on that kit on jets that didn't end up getting used anyways.

On another note, not necessarily "repair" related on the GS, I have decided on some luggage for it. It's going to be a bit different, but it's going to work really well, I think. I'll have to get a luggage rack for the back of the bike. Then I'm going to go with an Emgo hard sided tail bag. Costs $60 from a GREAT distributor....www.newenough.com. Let me take a second to mention that if anyone that reads this EVER gets a motorcycle, the guys and gals at newnough are nearly indispensible. They are literally the best customer service people that I have EVER dealt with. Anyways, the Emgo bag looks like this, only in black instead of gray:

I also will be taken a really utilitarian approach to the sidebags on the bike. I had originally been planning on getting some leather softbags, but Cathy doesn't really like the way that they look. So instead I am going to mount something REALLY interesting up to the bike. I am going to mount up some 20mm ammo boxes. They are sturdy, large, and most importantly they are WATERPROOF!!! So basically, they are nearly perfect as motorcycle luggage. I believe that I'll be able to mount them to the mounting racks that are already in place on the bike. They should work out really well, though, and be pretty original. The boxes look like this...but this is mounted on a Bimmer motorcycle...
They look very "Mad Max." Which is fine. I want this bike to be as USEFUL as possible for us. I plan on using it to take some longer trips...like to the cottage or maybe even further...so useful and convenient and comfortable are the most important aspects of this bike. If it doesn't look the greatest, that's completetly okay.