So it started with a thread about how I should pick up my new 96 Candy Antares Red GS.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=25752.0

After a bit of discussion and research I decided a pick up rented from Enterprise would be the best way. Here is how my Friday April 21st unfolded....

I left campus, skipping one class, bright and early. I had a long day ahead. (I would have left earlier but I had PT that morning)



The drive from U of I took me approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes to get home. 2 really... plus 30 to hit the bank to withdrawl some money.

I took advantage of my fast trip from school to grab some lunch. After this I went with my father to Enterprise to pick up the truck that I had reserved two days earlier. I got a sweet new Ford F150. Four doors and just a little bit bigger than I may have needed.


A short trip to the local Home Depot sourced a nice piece of wood that would be used as a ramp for loading and unloading the bike. I secured it down with one of the many tie downs that I would be using that day.


The drive from Broadview, IL to Kalamazoo, Michigan would take 3 hours and 159ish miles.


A good amount of time was wasted getting through the construction on 90/94 getting into Indiana but it was actually a lot less than expected. I think I just missed the lunchtime crowd. Before I knew it I was taking a bathroom break in Michigan.


The drive was pretty bareable... Driving through MI was a bit mroe fun that driving through central IL. NOT a cob of corn in sight... thank god.


The seller lived right on the Western MI University campus and he was a pretty cool guy. Him and his roommate helped me push the bike onto the bed. I took care of the rest of the rigging and securing of the load... It was my bike at this point after all.


The bike was nice and secure and I checked the load a few times on the way back. Woot self portrait time. (Don't I look happy to have a new bike.. the sun was in my eyes...  I was wearing sunglasses for the most part the entire way.)


What was staring at me in the rear view.


Drive home was a lil faster. 2 hours 45ish.

In front of the house.



Me and Fat Tony (neighbor) getting ready to unload the bike. He is always around whenever I'm up to some kind of automotive antics.  As I was up top, my dad and him were at the bottom.... as we were rolling it down the ramp I said something like... "Be careful now... this thing is more than 300 pounds" He quickly retorted, "Don't worry mang, I'm more than 300 pounds. Gotta love that guy.


Hmm... It seems all the pictures of the bike by itself or next to my car are not on my camera. They must be on the parent's... oh well... most of you know what a GS500 looks like.

(Here is the pic he took of the bike.)


All in all the bike had a ding and a scratch on the tank, and the rear farings have 1 crack on em and 1 of the mounting nipples was broken. It also has a bit of an idle/mixture problem that needs some attention. In the time I've got to tinker though I fixed the fairing fitment issue, got the bike running (even if it has a slightly sloppy idle), removed and cleaned carbs, removed old/bad gas,  removed and cleaned air filter, replaced some phillips head bolts on the carbs with new grade 8 allen hardware, changed a few fuel hoses that were replaced before and definitely not fuel safe (I think they were regular vinyl hose), and I replaced the battery.

Thats all for now folks...

Nice little trip, man. Good stuff. The bike looks good. Have fun with it!

Nicely done story, CRXDREW.  Going to get a "new" bike has got to be one of life's greatest pleasures.

Now THAT was an awesome story.  Very entertaining!  Lately, I have been lusting after that color GS500.  I've always had a thing for a deep metallic red, but that charcoal frame actually gets me aroused.  I didn't even know that color combo existed until I saw one on my college campus (Kansas State University) and did a double take.

Are you from the Chicagoland area?  I grew up in Naperville.

Anyways, awesome story and killer bike!  Hope you hang around this site with us.

-Turd.

Nice bike man! Excellent color choice...looks just like mine.    i've personally never been a big fan of dark red vehicles...but the dark red and the dark frame changed my mind. i love mine. It looks like yours is in pretty good shape too...and it sounds like you won't have a problem with any problems it may have.

Great story. Great bike.

Yea I am very happy with the color. I intended on buying one that needed cosmetic help and just repainting to match my car (Black with Bronze wheels). This color has really gotten me though. My CRX used to be red and sometimes I miss it. I might end up buying factory paint and respraying it.

After owning the bike for one day I already managed to do so much. I imagine I could completely strip the bike to nothing in a matter of hours. Its just a question of how much time I have and how crazy I wanna get.

Turd:
I should be on this board for many months to come. And yea... I live maybe 30 minutes from naperville. My brother in law is from Naperville.

Man, now I wish I had documented my purchase.  It was a great trip through the Texas hill country and the seller was this strange, retired Army intelligence officer who built an Alpaca stable behind the house.  It was kind of surreal...

-M

LOL....the photo of a bike "looking" at you from the truck bed reminds me of a funny story:

My late friend Jerry (passed away from a brain tumor) used to buy these cheap ass tie downs from Wal-Mart. He was trailering his dirt bike on a trailer and was always looking at the bike's headlight in the rearview mirror (as many of us do when transporting bikes).

While on the freeway he looked back and there was no headlight! Turns out one of the straps broke (he would only ever use two) and the bike was hanging on the back of the trailer by one strap almost off the trailer.

I miss Jerry but that's still a funny memory for me.

Nice write up mate!

More GS's in safe hands 

Nice bike glad to have you here.

I'd like to see more of the boosted CRX. D16a6?

Quote from: CRXDrew on April 23, 2006, 08:49:25 PM
I would have left earlier but I had PT that morning)

Cool. Must be Army ROTC, we all know airforce doesn't get up eariler than 8am.  I'm Army ROTC too. 

Quote from: tussey on April 24, 2006, 08:19:49 AM

Quote from: CRXDrew on April 23, 2006, 08:49:25 PM
I would have left earlier but I had PT that morning)

Cool. Must be Army ROTC, we all know airforce doesn't get up eariler than 8am.  I'm Army ROTC too. 

Fighting Illini Battalion. A co. 1st plt. 1st sqd

Quote from: buzz on April 24, 2006, 08:11:34 AM
Nice bike glad to have you here.

I'd like to see more of the boosted CRX. D16a6?

A6 block Z6 head- the infamous "mini-me". I'll post up pics in Odds and Ends after class.

Here's a lame story compared to yours... My GSXR is having some work done and it's going to take a couple weeks. I was driving my van on an amazing Wednesday when I should have been riding. Well I got on ebay and had a total impulse buy.. I bought a Harley... Yeah I couldn't believe it myself... I still laugh every time I go out to the garage hear the dragpipes shake the walls. Anyway, the seller was about a 100 miles away so I started planning the trip. I talked to the seller about when he would be available and he said... I'll deliver it for 80 cents a mile"     Yeah... 80 bucks and save me five hours of messing around finding a ride or renting a truck... hell yes... I was riding by Friday morning..

great writeup 

shes a beauty. sounds like you've done right by her. keep it up and she'll never let you down. 

Congradulations!

very cool! congratulations. Nice initiation for you and the new bike!
p-

Nice story, dude!  I'm glad you finally figured out a way  of transporting back to Chicago. You riding it back would have been insane

I was gonna say, if you couldn't have found a way to bring it back, I would've flown out to AZO and ridden it back to Naperville for you.  I can't believe that drive is almost 3 hours.  It only takes me like 20 minutes from O'hare when I fly there for work.  Congrats on the bike, dude!



Randy

How much did you end up spending on it? From looking at Chicago area GS prices it looks like the late 90s models will run around 2000 if theyre in good shape, the early 90s around 1600 in decent shape.

hey, I'm confused are u from UIC or UIUC or what?
I'm at UIUC myself.

Nice bike! Renting a truck sounds like a good idea, I'll prolly end up doing that myself. how much did it cost u?

Its nice to see another Chicago person, we should arrange a ride later after I get a bike and learn how to 

I'm from Oak Park, Hes from Broadview. I go to school out of state, hes at UIUC.