New member from Michigan

[MetricTon]

Hello.

So my situation is as follows. Last summer I traded an old F150 project truck to a kid for a salvage titled 86 GL1200. The bike was complete minus the trunk, but terribly neglected. It fired right up when I first went to check it out, but the owner admitted that it lost power quickly under load. He tried convincing me the coils were probably bad. I'm no old pro when it comes to motorcycles, but I've been working in the automotive industry for the past 20 years and knew 2 things for sure. The coils on this bike were not the issue and this guy was either lying to me to cover up a rusty tank situation or he was just plain ignorant.

This GL is only my 2nd bike, but the first time I've really gotten my fingers dirty with one. I had a CB500 a few years back that I sold off after a few weeks of riding locally. I've been surrounded by gear heads of one fascination or another my whole life, most of which are Chevy 350 guys and gals or Harley fans. Thankfully most everyone I surround my self with is more about the experience than defending their favorite brands, so I've had hands on help with confusing problems at anytime I've needed.

For as long as I can remember I've always lusted after Honda motorcycles and always wanted a Goldwing without all the decoration. There is just something about the look and feel of that big bike stripped down as tastefully as possible, and finally I have my opportunity to do one up my self. This one I have now has 26k miles on the clock but I can't be sure thats accurate. The all the plastic has had attempted repairs and repaint at one point and was apparently left outside for extended amounts of time. I made a deal with the fella who wanted to trade that he needed to bring the bike to my house and pick up the non running truck him self to satisfy my end of the trade. He failed to tell me that he was always bringing the mouse family living inside the fairing. He lives in a pretty rural area so it honestly didn't surprise me too much. The biggest mistake I made was not seeing that the rear wheel sits at an angle, which leads me to believe the swingarm or frame is bent. I made the rookie mistake of not putting my eyes all over this thing before I actually got to riding down the street, and to be fair, the angle the wheel sits at is minor enough that I have to point it out to people.

Henyway, I confirmed that the power issue was in the fuel system when I found the carbs caked in rust. I did an initial carb cleaning and gasket replacement and synched the carbs and the thing ran a million times better. It was enough to convince me to proceed with my own brand of aesthetic customization. First of which included removing the bags and unnecessary plastic and doing something about that stock exhaust. At this point I still hadn't realized the angle of the rear wheel, even though I was fully aware the rear tire was the original Dunlop that came on the bike, the one they don't make anymore. I put roughly 150 miles on it from August to November of last year. By the end my performance was slipping away again, and I found out the hard way that the bike was being starved for fuel at the top end.
*I take stupid risks and don't recommend this to anyone*
I gave the old girl a top speed run on the highway because I was itching to know what she'd do, I noticed that it started running funny and as I slowed down noticed it seemed to be missing. As I exited the freeway I started loosing power and it was acting like it wanted to quit on me, which it did once I came to stop. It didn't want to fire back up either. Frustrated I pushed it into a parking lot and arranged for someone to bring a trailer and save me. After about 20 minutes of sitting I decided to try it again and she fired back up and seemed to be running ok. I limped it home and after some inspection, I saw that the fuel filter I put on just two months ago was nearly completely full of rust. Yes, yes this means I never fully inspected the inside of my fuel tank until now. These are all the lessons that forums like these teach you, so you don't have to learn the hard and possibly expensive way, but like most things, I tend to go the hardest route to get my lessons (eg first real bike has 4 carburetors)

Anyway after a wall of text, tldr, I let excitement win over better judgement, but also have been blessed with the luck of not destroying my bike or my self while learning the lessons. As of today, I have my new tank installed and am in the process of replacing my fuel lines and filter again. Coolant flush and timing belt is next and new tires, bearings and brakes are following directly after. Here are my pics, I look forward to participating with all of you.

http://imgur.com/a/7zBOR

[Track T 2411]

Welcome from Wisconsin! When I bought my first Wing, I had no clue what to look for, and it became an expensive parts bike, lol, so you're not the first to get 'more' than you bargained for. Looks like you're making good progress. I'm liking the color, too. Feel free to start a build thread so we can follow your progress!

[Sugs]

Welcome to the site!

[Moto nut]

Welcome from Colorado

[CYBORG]

Welcome from another Michigan Goldwing rider. Where you located?

[MetricTon]

Welcome from another Michigan Goldwing rider. Where you located?

Boarder of Grandville/Jenison, Just west of Grand Rapids

[CYBORG]

good to know. Your in my neck of the woods. anything I can do to help let me know. And if you would like to get together for coffee one day, let me know.

[Rat]

Welcome to the 'Wingdom.

If you really want to learn about these old gals .... take CYBORG up on his offer ....

Gord

[MetricTon]

good to know. Your in my neck of the woods. anything I can do to help let me know. And if you would like to get together for coffee one day, let me know.

Very cool, I appreciate the offer.

[Gowing]

Welcome metric ton, funny stuff.

[77Gowing]

Welcome to wingdom. Enjoy your project. I'm also in Michigan north of Detroit.