Engine dying

[redglbx]

Take a flare gun so you can let us know where you’re at ! Don’t want the coyotes to get you ya know

[maury]

Reporting back from 100 mile ride............
YES !!! Ran like a top!!
I totally rebuilt/restored this bike 4 years ago. Idle was a problem. On idling down it would hang at about 2000 rpm and then over 15 - 20 seconds slowly go down to 1000. I tried literally everything and many on this site gave me ideas to try. NOTHING worked and I just lived with it.
TODAY !! Idle is perfect.
To quote directly from Randakk's article - "Changing to this lower resistance ballast will slightly improve the idling ability of your GL1000. I’ve used this part on several of my GL1000s over the years with good results. With this NAPA ballast, I get a smooth idle all the way down to about 950 RPMs. I like this because I get more engine braking and crisper return to idle when I close the throttle."
And.............I totally agree

[redglbx]

Well hallelujah! Amen ! Enjoy your new bike ! I will add that if you like it now, at some point I would suggest a full “Dyna” ignition & coil setup and just eliminate the Ballast resistor altogether. Set it up dynamically with a degree wheel & timing light. My red 76 will idle comfortably down to under 500rpm.

These can be truly magical beasts at times, when they run right ! Congratulations & enjoy , you’ve made my day, one more on the good side !

[Sidecar Bob]

Glad to hear it is fixed.

My Mom used to have a Volare (first car she ever bought new) that went through ballast resistors often enough that she learned how to replace it herself and always carried a spare. The ones Honda used on GoldWings are a lot more reliable.

I've read where some have replaced the coils to eliminate the ballast resistor. Is this a GREAT idea or merely a GOOD idea?
What specific coils are used?

Replacing the coils specifically to eliminate the ballast resistor, meh.
Replacing the the coils so that you can also replace the 45+ year old spark plug wires is an excellent idea (I still remember limping home in the rain with only 1 of my '77's cylinders firing and those wires were only 15 or 16 years old at the time - imagine how bad yours could be now?) and choosing ones that don't require a ballast resistor while you are at it is a bonus.

There are aftermarket coils that will work but some of us are using GL1500 coils. Here's a link to how I did it, which includes links to how others with more stock bikes did theirs
https://www.ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=60509