New Bike - 1977 GL1000 K2

[mmrabit]

I’m glad to learn about the drive line clunk explanation.
Been wondering about that for a while.
Thanks to the group!

[heli_madken]

Thanks so much everyone for your help and reassurance about the clunk.

The timber under the rear wheel sounds like a good idea I will give that a try. In the meantime are there any negatives to leaving the bike on the side stand for several days at a time being a flat four?

flyin900 - The replacement switch is interesting as it doesn't have the headlight control mine has, where are the lights controlled from on your bike?

Bike is in the garage and I just cant stop staring at it, wife thinks I have lost my marbles

[Lucien Harpress]

Leaving it on the sidestand for a while won't hurt anything. Might fog for mosquitoes quite a bit when you first fire it up, but I see that as a feature as well.

[Liam]

I never have a problem with getting a bike up on the centre stand.
Being 6'4" and 270 pounds helps.

[Liam]

Beautiful bike, by the way.

[flyin900]

So the NA switches are different as the lighting is handled by the left hand switch along with the turn signals. It seems the OEM one from Honda in the style you have may no longer be available, yet there are aftermarket units available with the light switch incorporated into the right hand starter switch assembly for CB500 and CB750 models. The switches should be interchangeable to a GL1000, as the handlebars are the same diameter. Wiring should also be workable, yet you should check the wire count if you are going to change the switch.
These aftermarket ones are Chinese, yet they get good reviews from purchasers and frankly the new OEM Honda one I purchased from Honda was made in China too. So if its good enough for " Big Red" then the quality will be acceptable.

The part you are looking for is 35300-323-671 and many sellers offer this part. I have used 4 into 1 out of San Francisco USA for aftermarket parts, yet there should be a British or European supplier available for the same unit.

Here is what the left hand switch looks like on a NA model of bike.

P1040375.JPG (75.31 KiB) Viewed 258 times

Here's a picture of the aftermarket switch that should do the trick.

51r6QnLmyJL.jpg (44.06 KiB) Viewed 259 times

[82_GL1100]

I've also used 4into1.com, and was happy with their service/products. Not affiliated, no commission, etc.

[Lucien Harpress]

Just to chime in, I HAVE actually purchased the aftermarket right switch for my CB750, and I can confirm it seems to work just fine. My ONLY complaint is that the kill switch is not quite as "snappy" when pushed one direction vs. the other (or an OEM), but that's a very minor thing. Build quality, etc., seems just fine to me.

[heli_madken]

Thanks again for your help, I think I will invest in the switch unit for daily use and keep the original in case any future owners wish to revert back.

[pidjones]

The case on these units is cast aluminum - it should not degrade. The plastic switch parts may be swapable with others, but most of the time reliability is just a matter of cleaning contacts and lubing moving parts. Also, a lesson that I learned is to check that no PO has left solder blobs or stray wire strands that short to the bars or case.

[Sandy]

Whilst I wouldn't admit to being a 14st weakling I havent got a hope of getting the bike on the centre stand. I recall the technique was to put all your weight on the centre stand extension whilst pulling up via the grab rail. Although this bike hasnt been lowered its almost as if the centre stand is too long. Any advice, are there any paddock alternatives?

If the bike has been lowered, its the same as using the 16" rear wheel.
Makes it near impossible to lift onto the center stand.
I carry a piece of 2x4 with me for running the rear wheel onto in order to lift onto the center stand.
The 2x4 seems to be just enough to get it over the initial hump.

[heli_madken]

First really long ride today in some lovely weather, few things I want to sort out -

7V Regulator - Temperature and fuel gauges suddenly stopped working, had a look and did some research and it looks like the regulator has gone, I get 12v and a good earth but nothing coming out on the 7V line. I have ordered a replacement from Wingovations

Front Fork Damping - incredibly harsh, rear suspension is fine but front is bone jarring. Not sure what is wrong but it isnt right and I feel every bump in the road, any ideas?

Riding Position - My bike has euro bars, I liked the position as a youngster but it feels that I am leaning too far forward and my neck is aching. I want to try some bar raisers what are the best to use and how tall?

Thankfully the starter Button seams a lot better since I sprayed some contact cleaner into the switch, also I noticed the main ignition fuse when touched even slightly cut power so I cleaned the fuse holder up and its much better.

In all though the bike works really well and feels stronger all the time for being used

[scootsx2]

First really long ride today in some lovely weather, few things I want to sort out -

7V Regulator - Temperature and fuel gauges suddenly stopped working, had a look and did some research and it looks like the regulator has gone, I get 12v and a good earth but nothing coming out on the 7V line. I have ordered a replacement from Wingovations

Front Fork Damping - incredibly harsh, rear suspension is fine but front is bone jarring. Not sure what is wrong but it isnt right and I feel every bump in the road, any ideas?

Try changing the fork oil.

Riding Position - My bike has euro bars, I liked the position as a youngster but it feels that I am leaning too far forward and my neck is aching. I want to try some bar raisers what are the best to use and how tall?

Checkout Rox Risers https://roxspeedfx.com/collections/harley-vtwin . They have a good selection for 7/8" bars. I'm using them on my CX500 police trike.

Thankfully the starter Button seams a lot better since I sprayed some contact cleaner into the switch, also I noticed the main ignition fuse when touched even slightly cut power so I cleaned the fuse holder up and its much better.

In all though the bike works really well and feels stronger all the time for being used

[calif wingnut]

Back in the day, the aftermarket could improve the stock rear suspension with no cure for the front forks with high seal stiction/poor dampening for a jackhammer ride.

The bolts on the bottom end of the rear fender must be for the #6 plastic mudguard.

[flyin900]

Check the front forks for proper alignment as noted above since the forks maybe suffering from high stiction if not aligned correctly. There is a procedure for doing this covered by Randakk in his tech section who is a NGW site sponsor. Someone better on the computer should be able to offer you a link to the site or procedure.
Also as noted if the fork oil is too heavy say 15W + it could also be a source of the harsh ride if you are a lighter weight rider. Honda usually suggested ATF fluid, as it was more readily available back in the day. It is about 8W from what I recall, so any ATF or a 10W dedicated fork oil should be sufficient.