Hi everyone,

I received a call today from the owner of a very nice blue '78 GL1000 with 24k miles. I gave him my card last summer and told him if he ever wanted to sell the bike to call me. That was last summer. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures of the bike, but it is as close to factory perfect (including paint) as you're likely to find. The guy selling the bike is the 2nd owner and 1st owner was his father. As I understand it, the bike has been in continuous use since it was new, at least during the warmer months. Only modification is a Windjammer-style fairing, otherwise completely stock. I have a couple of questions for the experts here: 1.) What is the ballpark value of this bike? (non-Ebay value I mean) 2.) Is it difficult to make it 'naked' again? Are there any parts I should ask seller if he still has? I would probably put a small, removable windscreen on it, but mostly likely would want to jettison the fairing; just an aesthetic thing, really, as I love the looks of the early Wings without fairings. 3.) If the bike has been well maintained, would this still be a bike I could reliably use for some interstate touring, so long as I understand it's going to need regular maintenance in deference to its age? I mostly own modern bikes now, but have a soft spot for the older bikes and probably always will. I'm 46 years old and have been riding since my early 20s. Thanks in advance for any advice/tips you can offer.

Hello Scoobynut. Hope you stick around a play here for a while. To answer your questions, here are my thoughts. Others will chime in as well.

1. I just spoke with a previous owner of a very nice near mint 78. He sold the bike for $2400 in the state of Washington a few months back.
2. Very easy to return to stock. That is if you are handy with a wrench. Headlight, turn sigs mostly.
3. It will likely run strong well into 120-160K miles.
4. you will totally enjoy it.

The price will depend on where you live, somewhat, but SunnBobb's info is pretty good. For $2400, you should be getting a bike that is virtually 100% rideable, with pretty well documented maintanance, and an 8 or 9 on the cosmetics.

Good wrenchin'
Todd

for a 78 with that pedigree.... worth 2400, but then again they might not be able to actually sell it for that. depends on the local economy, and how willing they are to wait for the right buyer

Thanks everybody for your thoughts, they are very helpful. I live in North Dakota so most people around here probably wouldn't be very willing to cough up even $2k for the bike. Apparently the seller found another bike he wants but needs to sell the Wing to buy it so he may need to move it fast which could work to my advantage. If not for the fact that I recently had to buy my way out of the house I owned in Colorado, price wouldn't be too much of a concern. I will keep you informed. Also, if I don't end up buying it, I will try to steer the seller in the NGW club's direction, as it is always a good thing to keep these vintage bikes in the hands of someone who will appreciate them.

UPDATE: I just spoke with the seller and he said he'd take $2000 for the bike. As far as needs, he said the only immediate need it has is one fork seal is weeping a little oil. He also said the tires were new last summer/have about 1k miles on them. I will have to quiz him about coolant and other fluid changes/maintenance next time I talk to him as we were both on the way to work and didn't have much time to talk. Thanks again everyone!

2k sounds like a good deal,if the maintainence is upkept. Keep in mind about timing belts as well,you may want to deduct for the fork seals whatever it costs a shop to do them,then do them yourself,w/a little help from us on the forum!!

Pat yourself on the back if you can get it for $1500.

Welcome to a super site. $2000.00 sounds like a pretty fair price. The closer we get to spring the higher the price may go.

Damn, you've got a lot of bikes!

I meant to ask about the timing belt earlier. If it's never been changed, even with only 24k on the bike, should it be done preventatively? I'm sure age is a factor as much as mileage with the belts, right? Is that a motor-out job? I guess I have another question for the seller. I don't have the facilities or the skills to do something like that myself, so if it's expensive and he's firm on the price, it might turn out to be a deal-breaker. I'm supposed to contact him again tomorrow, so I'll keep you all informed.

BTW, great forum you have here, lots of helpful folks.

CHANGE

yes age is THE factor

it is not a hard job and we can walk you through it

at 24K & original belts they're overdue now. for mileage, sure, but especially for age.
it's a relatively easy job, on a 1 to 5 scale, 1 being easy like changing the oil and five rebuilding the engine, I'd give it a 2. no special facilities needed & you don't need to pull the engine. driveway space on a warm day will work fine. first time, I'd allocate maybe 4-5 hours with belts in hand. some peeps prefer pulling the radiator, makes it easier, but it's not absolutely necessary. a few simple tools and belts from RockAuto.com being in the < $20 range each plus a bit for shipping. you'll need two belts.
some can find them at their local auto parts place like O'Reilly, Autozone, NAPA, et al. for about the same price. I think everyone on here would agree to steer clear of the Honda Dealer for these.

there are great tutorials on here for this job and everything else you could possibly want or need to do.
we'll help with anything you need to get 'er running right and ridable.

Change the belts as heraldhamster and rcmatt stated if you do not have documented proof they were done!!! Another barganing chip in your favor if they have not been done! New belts fron Mother Honda are about $150.00 for the pair! Plus labor! Just don't tell him we have ways around this

Depending where you are,I'm sure there is a member of this forum close by that could give you a hand!

Thanks for the timing belt advice, guys. I guess it would still pay to 'interrogate' the guy about any past service performed on the bike, who knows, maybe he'll surprise me and tell me the belt has been changed recently. It turns out he's selling the 1000 to get a '87 1200 'Wing (Interstate? Not sure exactly what he told me) so it seems like he's a Wing enthusiast and so hopefully it means it's received some better than average care over the years.

ANOTHER UPDATE: I just spoke with a riding buddy who knows the owner of the bike. He told me the guy teaches small-engine repair classes, so you'd think that would bode well for the care it's received. Still no guarantee the belt's been done, but I guess if he can produce a receipt for at least purchasing the belt, that would probably suffice with a guy who's obviously pretty mechanical. I will keep you all informed.

Buying from a mechanic is often nice as long as he is not one of the don't fix it until it breaks types.