My first bike was a Harley Davidson. It was a 2-stroke, 175 cc model circa 1960. It was in bad shape when I got it and only ran for a couple of hundred miles. I don't recall what ever happened to it.

My next bike - my first new bike - was a Yamaha 60. The year was 1966 and I rode it everywhere with my buddy who had a Honda 50. That lasted until I wore it out, sold it to a neighborhood kid and bought an old Chevy.

In 1971, while I was in the Navy, I picked up a very used Triumph 250 one-lunger from a guy on base. I rode that bike around southern California for a few months but eventually sold it and bought a car.

Shortly after that I purchased a clean 1983 Yamaha Venture.  There was no way I could pay $16K for a new Wing but the Venture - 1200 cc V-four - was an excellent substitute. I had some great rides on that bike.

Then disaster. No, I didn't crash. My wife - now my ex-wife - injured her back while gardening. Long story short, she was out of work for a year and we lost half of our income. As many a biker has learned, when financial setback happens, the bike eventually has to go.

So, after watching a guy on some cable show rebuild a basket case Triumph 650 from the ground up. I decided that I would start looking for a basket case of some kind that I could get cheap, rebuild over the winter and ride next year.  First guy I asked said that he didn't know of any basket cases, but he knew a guy selling an old Wing.

The picture above is what I found: a 1983 GL1100 Interstate with 13,000 miles. It has been outside uncovered and neglected, probably for several years, and was pretty dirty. But, with a fresh charge on the battery, it started immediately and ran great.  I did nothing but hose it off, change the oil and polish the chrome. Got it for $2000.

1966 Yamaha 60