An imported GL1000  

    As I have mentioned many times within these pages, we have a very good motorcycle dealers here in Southport, trading as West Coast Motorcycles.  I was riding past one day in about 1994, when I saw a maroon GL1000 Wing with a Vetter fairing, standing forlornly on the edge of the pavement with a group of other machines, having just been emptied from yet another imported container.  I stopped to have a quick look as it seemed quite a while since I had seen Nick, the proprietor.  This bike appeared to be quite reasonable - having come from a fairly dry state of the U.S.  'If you think that's tidy, come and have a look at his other one' said Nick, and led me into the storage area and a sea of other bikes.  There, resplendent in faded turquoise paintwork, was one of the very first GL's - no headlight rim or glass, front indicators and a King and Queen seat.  The frame tag showed May 1975 as the build date - this really was an early one!  The indicated mileage was low and the general overall condition was certainly worth me buying it to restore it.  He threw in a set of indicators and one or two other bits from some of the other bikes he already had, but I bought a new seat, headlamp unit and other minor bits from David Silver.