Crusty '76 Wing Cafe Project

[BLIGHT]

Hi guys,

Newbie poster here with a new project as well. Picked up a crusty & rusty '76 GL1000 several weeks ago with the intention of building a cafe style bike with the Randakk RC-003 as inspiration.

I have the technical part pretty much under control as I mentioned in my newcomer introduction, and have now moved on to the cleaning & customizing of parts.

Here's a pic of the old bird that I picked up for $700... (nice Vetter)







Here's what she looks like as of a few days ago:



If the pics don't come through, I'll figure it out and get back to y'all.

Cheers,
BLIGHT

[Dog Boy]

BLIGHT, they came through as links to the pics. Someone with more "puter savvy" will come along and either fix it or tell you how to. BTW your project is lookin good!!

AL

[bonneblktrk]

Looks good. Are those shorty mufflers? How do the sound?

[Roady]

That looks pretty good so far. Looks like the original headlight bucket was hidden under the fairing, good deal.

On the pics ... I just changed your [url] codes to [img]

[BLIGHT]

Looks good. Are those shorty mufflers? How do the sound?

Thanks, those are MAC chrome double-wall headers... no mufflers. I'll be installing Norton Commando reverse-cone mufflers... if they ever show up.

I've been sticking little pieces of tape all over the bike with notes to do things, and yesterday I was able to remove a couple. Still a long way to go, but I keep chippin' away at it!

Cheers,
BLIGHT

[BLIGHT]

That looks pretty good so far. Looks like the original headlight bucket was hidden under the fairing, good deal.
On the pics ... I just changed your [url] codes to [img]

Thank you! I wasn't sure about the pics, so it's just the [img] before and after the pic link.... that's easy!

That old chrome headlight bucket was in pretty sad shape... blistering rust. I found a black plastic headlight in my garage inventory that fit's nicely, and you can't really see much of it behind the '77 XLCR front fairing (another garage inventory piece)

This is a long project (for me anyway) but I'm sure it will be worth it in the long run. I've been reading some scary stuff here about the '76 clutch... the dreaded "B plate". I had no idea Honda would do something like that! I've owned dozens of Honda's over the years, and the engineering and reliability is legendary.

Just surprised anyway... I'm going to do the hydraulic GL1200 conversion next and will inspect the clutch stack and the 'B' plate while it's open.

Thanks again for the info on pic posting!
Cheers,
BLIGHT

[OhioBill]

The picture of the Goldwing being carried on a bumper is a first for me. I'm sure it is not a bumper mount and I'm also sure there has been reinforcement but still 650 pounds is still a lot of weight.

[BLIGHT]

The picture of the Goldwing being carried on a bumper is a first for me. I'm sure it is not a bumper mount and I'm also sure there has been reinforcement but still 650 pounds is still a lot of weight.

Yeah, it's a porker for sure. The rack is a receiver-type unit (no bumper involved) and built in the USA by RAGE, Inc. It's rated for 600 lbs, and from everything I read, the dry weight of the 1976 Goldwing is 585 lbs. I asked the owner to drain the fuel tank, and he said the coolant was out of the radiator anyway because of a leaking lower hose. The battery and a few parts were in boxes as well, so the net bike weight was probably under 600 lbs.... but the gigantic Vetter fairing added quite a bit back... You're prolly right, about 650 lbs.

Because it is so heavy, I also ran four nylon ties up from the carrier channel up and and over the tailgate and hooked them the pickup bed tie-down links to distribute the load better. These racks are awesome... the heaviest bike I ever carried on it was my 1986 VF1000R, which fully wet is somewhat over 600 lbs. I carried it 350 miles from Redding CA to Monterey, without a 'hitch'.... hey that's a joke!!

Sure beats renting or buying and storing a trailer for single bike pickup and delivery. It hardly even feels like it's on there, and the ride is actually smoother! (2006 Ford F-150) I can actually load and unload a heavy bike like these all by myself, and that's important! The included front wheel 'chock' is really secure, and keeps the bikes from moving around. You can always put bikes in the bed of a pickup, but my truck sits so high, it's tough to get the bikes (heavy ones anyway) up and down a steep 6' ramp. The RAGE carrier channel sits considerably lower than the truck bed height.

I often carry a Yamaha TTR250 on there and it not even noticeable!! It's only 260 lbs, but still!

Here's the '86 VF1000R on the rack:



Here's the TTR-250:

[ole496]

That is a slick set-up! I like that cafe tail you put on there too.

[bidule]

Your project is awesome !!!!
Could you put more pic's please?? To see the front XLCR fairing
What is the origin of your seat?

[past in time tony]

Wow this going to be a beauty, can't wait to see more! I like that cafe seat also. Is it a custom unit or something available to anyone? Thanks, Tony

[BLIGHT]

Thanks guys! I restored a '77 XLCR 'basket' case a few years back, and in the parts boxes were an original XLCR front fairing & dash (which I used on the restoration) and an Airtech copy & dash. The Airtech is 1/2 the weight of the HD OEM one... pretty flimsy, but it looks good with a smoked Gustaffson bubble. No room for the 'dash' with the big GL gauges so it's not used. I used some small rubber trim between the fairing & bubble like the XLCR had, and also around the headlight opening to finish it off.

The seat is a 'Phat-Tail' that I bought online here: http://legendary-motorcycles.com/caferacerseats.html

It required some trimming in the front for the fuel-tank seam, and I'm going to make a transition piece from black hard foam to cover the area between 'tank' and seat.

I'll be painting the 'tins' Honda red, no other stripes or gimmicks. I was going to use the yellow wing & HONDA logo decals, but decided I'll use the old circular black & silver tank badges from the CA77 era. Should be a very classy touch. Small black HONDA die-cut stickers on the fairing just above the headlight, and on the very rear of the seat will be applied to the red, and under the clear-coat.

I'm using 1986 VF500F 37mm clip-ons, Granturismo grips, ebay mirrors, and will soon have the hydraulic clutch conversion finished. I went through the filthy carbs with cleanup and 4 rebuild kits from Randakk's. I also have a Randakk spin-on oil filter adapter (nice quality!!!) that I'll install later.

Front fender is fiberglass replica of an early Ducati 750SS (like Randakk's RC-003)

The valve covers are now wrinkle-paint red, (Testarossa?) and might seem odd until you see them with the finished red bodywork. I'm about a week or two away from painting. It's been too chilly to get a decent flash time between coats, and it's supposed to be in the 70's here in the upcoming weeks.

I wrinkle-blacked the timing belt covers and just yesterday the rear drive housing... it's looking pretty bitchin'! I'll be installing Norton Commando reverse-cone chrome megaphones to fit up to the MAC dual-wall chrome headers. Been waiting a couple of weeks for those!!!

Front forks now have new seals & wipers, new Bel-Ray 15W oil, I and buffed 'em up a bit. New rear shocks are now 1" longer, from some internet seller (limited choices with the clevis lowers) and I ordered the black bodies with chrome springs. They feel nice & firm but with good damping just jumping on the seat in the garage.

The wheels & hubs are crusty, spokes are rusty too... I may bite the bullet and order a couple of sets of S.S. spokes & nipples from Buchanan's.... buff up the rims, clean up the corroded hubs and re-lace the front & rear rims. Done it many times before and it's no fun... but sometimes things just need to be done! Here's a few more pics of the bike as of yesterday:













Have a good week!
BLIGHT

[OhioBill]

The bike details are great. All the parts work well together. Can't wait to see the finished product.

Looks light enough to be fit on your truck mount

[BLIGHT]

The bike details are great. All the parts work well together. Can't wait to see the finished product.
Looks light enough to be fit on your truck mount

It actually feels lighter now too! I have a great big 'ol pile of little parts I removed in a box.... I just weighed the full box and it's 35 lbs!!! (Steel fenders, racks, brackets, turn-signals, mirrors, etc.)

The OEM mufflers-collector and headers are an easy additional 20-25 lbs or so. The stock seat is about 20 lbs too... (sold it on eBay) it was from a Limited Edition model.

The few bits I still have left to mount are the little plastic rear turn signals (bright LED's like the fronts) and the rear LED brake light & plate mount, and they are just a few ounces.

So... it's about 35 + 25 + 20 = 80 lbs lighter than a stock '76 Wing! That brings it down closer to a reasonable 500 lbs dry. (My Honda shop manual says the '76 dry weight is 584 lbs)

Of course, that's with zero fluids, but I would expect the wet weight to be about 650 lbs - 80 lbs = 570 lbs ready to ride. That's the same as my 2010 XR1200, and it feels downright sporty!

It's true what they say... the GL's low center of gravity sure makes it feel lighter (just moving it around) than other bikes of similar weight. There is a truck scale nearby, I'll weigh the completed bike with gas in it and see what the wet weight is... should be interesting to see the final number. I had the rear wheel off yesterday, and it weighs a TON!!! Not sure what to do there and still stick with OEM spoked wheels (which I prefer).

See ya,
BLIGHT

[Bert]

The bike looks great...