Well, after 4 odd years of blood, sweat and quite a few tears, the day came to take my old GPz 550 out for a test ride. It's been 27 years since it last turned a wheel and to say I was nervous would be an understatement ! Apart from the obvious "how will it run/will anything fall off" thoughts, there is always the worry that the memory plays tricks on you and you only remember the good days. Would it live up to my memories & expectations ? I had already run the engine up a couple of times in the garage, but riding it on the road is another matter entirely !
So, the plan was to do a quick 15 min ride around the block, come home and give it a once over to check all is well, but that plan went out of the window and I spent 2 hours happily trundling around the back roads
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
It's not perfect by any means, but It put a big grin on my face and did bring back some great memories (although the brakes will take some getting used to
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
)
The main issue is carburation - not entirely unexpected as the carbs & filters are not standard, but as long as its close enough, I'll get some miles on the engine and then get it setup on a dyno.
This isn't the end of the story though - there's lots of fettling still to do, but that's why we ride these old bikes
I'll leave you with a couple of photos of my GPz550 in the sun - Let the good times roll !
Mark.
"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" - Steve McQueen