Tips for buying a GL1000

[nickelluck]

Hello NGW club.

I apologize for asking this as I guarantee it's been asked before.

This Saturday I'm going to look at a 76 GL1000 that's apparently been covered and parked in a quonset for over a decade. The story I'm told is that the bike ran well and regularly when it was parked but the owner is too old and decided to retire from riding.

I've been offered a pretty good price on the bike, but what are some deal breakers to keep an eye out for when buying these things besides the obvious like excessive mileage or a rusty frame? Thanks in Advance!!

[MattMcCoy]

Here you go:

https://www.randakksblog.com/tips-on-bu ... /#more-682

[Pony Ruiz]

You might already know some of this but here goes.......
Even if it starts right up, it is going to have to be gone over. Takes time and $. "Ran when parked" is a common affliction. If its cosmetically good it might be slightly more than a parts bike to me. If not - I think of it as a parts bike - cause I might want to part it out after I see how much work it is going to need. I have brought home about 10 or so of these and only two I actually rode home. They both had issues that I had to fix post haste.

There is a lot to look at. I'm no mechanic but I have brought one back to rideable / respectable condition and it was a lot of work. Thanks tbranth and NGW. Motor was good, carbs needed some TLC, elec. sucked. etc.etc. I gave up on a few too.

I know some folks have bought bikes with stuck motors and brought them back to life but seems like a crap shoot. Especially when it is cheaper just to buy a bike with a good motor-and maybe one you could ride home. I got some good deals buying non-running bikes then again I got stuck holding some bags.

I wouldn't want to have to look for parts again for one of these. Bad exhaust might be a deal breaker. Speedo/tach that didn't work. etc. etc. It's all fixable, but can get spendy quick. I'd make a list while you are going over it. It is Money you are going to have to spend. Then after you bring it home you might be tempted to get another just so you have spares.

Other things:
Stuck brakes. Might have to rebuild those. 45 y.o. brake lines.
Rusty fork tubes.
Carbs. You might be rebuilding those too.
Tires You will need new ones.
Wacky previous owner shite you are going to have to undo. If it is stock and looks good and you want a project - get it.
Cracked plastic, tabs on side covers broken off. Missing battery side cover. Good luck finding one and if you do you are going to be shocked how much.

The only deal breaker for me would be a motor that doesn't turn over. Either by battery or by hand.

what's a "good price"?

[low-side]

Nickelluck, I don't know your experience level but I would offer a couple cautions. First is that 10 years is not kind to any bike. Between battery, tires, carb rebuild, brake rebuilds, etc. you can plan on spending at least a grand and 50 hours getting it right. The second is that you will never get your money back, let alone compensation for your time if you sell it later. I think that these bikes are great, but they are big, heavy, and complex compared to other 70s vintage bikes (simple by today's standards). I'm not trying to dissuade you from buying it, I just think that if the price is the main attraction you could regret it later.
Beware rust bubbles around the center stand pivot - fixing that is major surgery. A bad stator is an engine out repair. Once one of these fuel tanks gets rusty inside, they're a b to make right again. If the driveshaft ujoint is bad, you need a new shaft. If it doesn't have the left side cover, that is $100+ to replace. If it doesn't have the grab rail, learn to live without it. That's what I can think of right now. The Randakk link is gold. Good luck with it.

[Chainman]

All that is true.
You should totally buy it.
I love mine.

[5speed]

my 76 sat inside for 10 years. cosmetically it was in great shape. I rebuilt the carbs, replaced the water pump, timing belts,rad, rebuilt the entire brake system, replaced the wheel bearings, tires, battery, cleaned the gas tank of the rust..and I'm still not done.