1981 Goldwing Going Naked
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 9:40 pm
Hello, I am new to NGW and I think I am in the right spot...
Two weeks ago I was looking for an old GW to work on. I came across one on craigslist that I had seen before. It was at a grand when it was first posted. Then a couple days later it was at $750.00 and then they came down to $500.00 so I had to go see it.
The wife and I went to take a look, and when they pulled this bike out into the light, I threw up a little bit in my mouth. It was the ugliest bike I have ever seen. It looks blue in the pics, but it is a bright purple with large flakes in it that glitter like a disco ball in the light.
That's me in my work cloths. I know, I'm sexy, but this is about the bike.
Wanting to take a look at it, I asked the salesman if he had a key. When the sales rep went off to get the key, I asked my wife what she thought and she told me that it was ugly. I let her know that I could paint the ugly off of it, but overall, what did she think? She told me that I could have it if I could get it for $450.00.
So when the guy came out with the key, I asked him if he would take $450 for it and he said, "Sold"! The look of surprise on my wifes face was priceless.
I took a look in the tank and it was clean.
They said that they didn't know if it ran. The guy who traded it in said that it needed a starter and stater. So we pushed it up a hill, dropped it in gear, then shoved it down the hill to see if the engine would turn over. It popped and sputtered, so I assumed it was good.
We brought it home the next day on my trailer and I started ripping into it like a monkey on a cupcake.
First, I took off the bags and pipe extensions.
After that, I bought a starter rebuild kit and broke into the starter, but the brush dug into the actuator, so it was toast. So I ordered a new starter online and fought it into the bike. Changed out the gas. Pushed the start button and she fired right up. I was thrilled beyond words.
After she ran for a bit, I turned her off and found an oil leak under the water pump. I then checked the oil and It may have had a quart of oil in it. OOPs! I got lucky. I know to check the oil before you start a old bike, but I didn't expect it to start and I had no idea how to check it. Come to find out, it has a dipstick in front of the radiator.
Right now I am in the process of replacing the water pump, painting, and bringing it to its naked beauty. Just so you know, this is my first bike (I'm 44 years old) and I will be taking the motorcycle class soon to learn how to ride it.
I hope to have fun with ya'll and to keep this rebuild/tear down updated, so stay tuned...
Two weeks ago I was looking for an old GW to work on. I came across one on craigslist that I had seen before. It was at a grand when it was first posted. Then a couple days later it was at $750.00 and then they came down to $500.00 so I had to go see it.
The wife and I went to take a look, and when they pulled this bike out into the light, I threw up a little bit in my mouth. It was the ugliest bike I have ever seen. It looks blue in the pics, but it is a bright purple with large flakes in it that glitter like a disco ball in the light.
That's me in my work cloths. I know, I'm sexy, but this is about the bike.
Wanting to take a look at it, I asked the salesman if he had a key. When the sales rep went off to get the key, I asked my wife what she thought and she told me that it was ugly. I let her know that I could paint the ugly off of it, but overall, what did she think? She told me that I could have it if I could get it for $450.00.
So when the guy came out with the key, I asked him if he would take $450 for it and he said, "Sold"! The look of surprise on my wifes face was priceless.
I took a look in the tank and it was clean.
They said that they didn't know if it ran. The guy who traded it in said that it needed a starter and stater. So we pushed it up a hill, dropped it in gear, then shoved it down the hill to see if the engine would turn over. It popped and sputtered, so I assumed it was good.
We brought it home the next day on my trailer and I started ripping into it like a monkey on a cupcake.
First, I took off the bags and pipe extensions.
After that, I bought a starter rebuild kit and broke into the starter, but the brush dug into the actuator, so it was toast. So I ordered a new starter online and fought it into the bike. Changed out the gas. Pushed the start button and she fired right up. I was thrilled beyond words.
After she ran for a bit, I turned her off and found an oil leak under the water pump. I then checked the oil and It may have had a quart of oil in it. OOPs! I got lucky. I know to check the oil before you start a old bike, but I didn't expect it to start and I had no idea how to check it. Come to find out, it has a dipstick in front of the radiator.
Right now I am in the process of replacing the water pump, painting, and bringing it to its naked beauty. Just so you know, this is my first bike (I'm 44 years old) and I will be taking the motorcycle class soon to learn how to ride it.
I hope to have fun with ya'll and to keep this rebuild/tear down updated, so stay tuned...