GL1100 Sport Tour improvements

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DUGG
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Re: GL1100 Sport Tour improvements

#16

Post by DUGG »

I took the GL1100 to the exhaust shop to get the pipes made to hook up the headers to the mufflers.
Even though I provide them with a jig to properly locate the mufflers the guy screwed it up. The pipe on the left looks great. The pipe on the right not so much.
It’s going back to get it right.
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Seeing how the left side was good I went ahead and wire wheeled the header and paint them with Vht ceramic hi heat paint. Cleaned the heat shield and tack welded them back on.
Waiting on chrome heat shields to cover the new piece of pipe
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NotSoLilCrippseys
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Re: GL1100 Sport Tour improvements

#17

Post by NotSoLilCrippseys »

Not sure how it happened, but I haven't seen this build before now. It looks great.

The mufflers are looking good, and I like your little rubber "bumpers" where the u-joint connects L and R bag mounts. I put little chair/stool rubber stoppers on ours, but I'm not sure how much structure will be lost without the bracket. I figured I'd mount up the bags when the time comes and see how shaky things are. If you're mounting pipes, and then bags, and gear - and have been riding without that bracket, I'm thinking we'll be just fine.
Avatar is a summer '21 photo of the Blue Phoenix, our 1983 GL1100I rescue gone naked.

In the Stable and Ridable
1992 ST1100 - my longer haul tourer
1992 XJ600S - son's streetfighter
1987 VFR700 - son's latest, in blue/silver
1983 - GL1100I - naked Blue Phoenix (son's, really)
1982 GL1100I - naked bagger Cabernet
1979 GL1000 - Ginger Lynn, but not that Ginger Lynn (Wing and a Prayer)
1978 CB550K - son's cafe (carb issues still vex)

Active Project(s)
1979 GL1000 - Confirmed one owner, with original paperwork. Vetter fairing and bags, off the road in dry, heated storage for 35 years.

Sold
Not lookin' back to avoid regrets
DUGG
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Re: GL1100 Sport Tour improvements

#18

Post by DUGG »

NotSoLilCrippseys wrote: Mon Jun 07, 2021 9:33 pm Not sure how it happened, but I haven't seen this build before now. It looks great.

The mufflers are looking good, and I like your little rubber "bumpers" where the u-joint connects L and R bag mounts. I put little chair/stool rubber stoppers on ours, but I'm not sure how much structure will be lost without the bracket. I figured I'd mount up the bags when the time comes and see how shaky things are. If you're mounting pipes, and then bags, and gear - and have been riding without that bracket, I'm thinking we'll be just fine.
This has been one of those on going builds so to speak. I never posted a true build thread on the bike but have done updates here and there as I’ve done them.

That’s twice now that somebody brought up that loop piece that ties the saddle bag frame together behind the tire. I thought that was just part of the trailer hitch. I didn’t need a trailer hitch so I removed it. Plus I think it would look really goofy with the shorter standard fender on the motorcycle.
So far no problems with not having it.
DUGG
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Re: GL1100 Sport Tour improvements

#19

Post by DUGG »

The chrome heat shields finally arrive from China today. It’s not a perfect solution but I think it’s a very good solution to hiding the fabricated pipe. I might tweak it a little bit yet but I think it looks pretty darn good.
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It goes back to the exhaust shop tomorrow and hopefully they can get the right pipe done right this time.
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Jonesz
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Re: GL1100 Sport Tour improvements

#20

Post by Jonesz »

Nice, hope the right side is just as good after refab
Jonesz

1983 GL1100 Aspencade named "Freki" currently undergoing change to a standard. Sold
1999 Valkyrie CT 1500 goes by the moniker "Valerie"
1978 Gl1000 "Loki" new project going to be a Cafe Convertible
1979 Suzuki GS850. Sold
DUGG
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Re: GL1100 Sport Tour improvements

#21

Post by DUGG »

I took the GL back to get the right pipe redone. The guy calls for me to come over and see what he’s got before committing to it. I get there and nope. He tells me he’s tried a 40 and 35 degree angle. I compare it to the heat shield I sent with the bike. Tell the guy to bend a 30 degree. That matches the shield perfectly. I then show him how much to cut off for the muffler end. Then the header end. Close enough tack it!

I get the GL back to the shop and up on the table. Pull the right side off the bike and clean and paint the header with the VHT ceramic paint. Weld the header shields back on and but the whole thing back on and installed the shield between the header and muffler.
Install the saddle bags etc.
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Jonesz
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Re: GL1100 Sport Tour improvements

#22

Post by Jonesz »

Nice! Hope it sounds as good as it looks
Jonesz

1983 GL1100 Aspencade named "Freki" currently undergoing change to a standard. Sold
1999 Valkyrie CT 1500 goes by the moniker "Valerie"
1978 Gl1000 "Loki" new project going to be a Cafe Convertible
1979 Suzuki GS850. Sold
DUGG
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Re: GL1100 Sport Tour improvements

#23

Post by DUGG »

Jonesz wrote: Sat Jun 12, 2021 1:25 pm Nice! Hope it sounds as good as it looks
So far just running in the shop it doesn’t seem any louder than stock.
Not that I’m going for Louder.
Not sure if I get it out for a road test this weekend or not. The weather is calling for an atmospheric river this weekend. I do like the way it looks the pipes are tucked up most closer to the saddlebags. And by adding the Chinese chrome heat shield I think it looks pretty darn factory
heraldhamster
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Re: GL1100 Sport Tour improvements

#24

Post by heraldhamster »

NICE!
I'd never even considered a complete relocation of the mufflers, especially "aftermarket" HD takeoffs. hmm, I have two boxed sets in the attic of the shop. 🤔🤔
That's genius DUGG.
and looks good.
sorta bulldogged custom 1978 GL1000 - "geekster"
full Vetter dress 1979 GL1000 - "Barge" (currently down)
1986 1200 Aspencade - "Heart of Gold" - daily rider
1990 1500 Aspencade - It's ALIVE! but very, very naked. not in a good way.
1978 for $100 - project in worx
1978 from a previous member here - taking up space
my original '79 bought in '91 - replacing engine (eventually, maybe someday)

H2G2=42

A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic insecurity. ~ Robert A. Heinlein

The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson
DUGG
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Re: GL1100 Sport Tour improvements

#25

Post by DUGG »

heraldhamster wrote: Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:15 pm NICE!
I'd never even considered a complete relocation of the mufflers, especially "aftermarket" HD takeoffs. hmm, I have two boxed sets in the attic of the shop. 🤔🤔
That's genius DUGG.
and looks good.

Thanks. Nothing ground breaking here it’s been done by other, but I think I did it better lol.
I’ve never cared for the skinny tail pipe of the stock exhaust and this certainly changed that.
I got it out for a shake down run yesterday down Chuckanut to Edison.
The wife was on the back so didn’t get to push it much. Plus traffic heading down was too heavy to open it up.
Coming back after dinner traffic had lightened enough I could pass and ride.
The exhaust sounds a bit deeper but not any louder from the cockpit. I never got a chance to really try out the new calipers but the front brakes felt good.
However when I pulled into the driveway I heard odd noise and shut it down and the starter literally went up in smoke!
I just installed a new solenoid from E pray and it must of engaged the starter.
DUGG
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Re: GL1100 Sport Tour improvements

#26

Post by DUGG »

Fortunately I had a new starter already on hand and the install went well with no problems. I then picked up a more expensive and hopefully better starter solenoid from a local shop. So far no problems with the new one.
My impression of the Harley mufflers is that they have a slightly deeper tone but really not any louder than stock. I might drill some larger holes in the baffle plate and open it up a little bit more.
The upgraded dual piston calipers work very well. The calipers coupled with the braided steel lines and the 14 mm master cylinder bring the front brakes up to a very good level.
Because the brakes like the rest of the motorcycle have been an ongoing project I don’t get the huge improvement in the brakes and all one shot. So I can’t say day and night difference so to speak. But I do know they haul the bike down quickly from speed
DUGG
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Re: GL1100 Sport Tour improvements

#27

Post by DUGG »

Today’s project was to install these driving lights I got off ePay.
They are really great looking lights and seem very bright. I accidentally looked into one when I turned it on and I couldn’t see you for a few minutes after that lol. The problem with these lights as they come out of the box is they have a module attached to it. Pushing the switch in various different ways gets different lights. Sometimes they are amber sometimes they are bright. Sometimes they are alternating flashings and sometimes they are both flashing.I’m not really sure why anybody would want lights that sing and dance like this I certainly did not. I figured out by eliminating the module by cutting the wires off to just the lights I could power them up off my highbeam switch.
It may be quite sometime before I get around to writing at night again to see how well they work
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NotSoLilCrippseys
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Re: GL1100 Sport Tour improvements

#28

Post by NotSoLilCrippseys »

Looking really nice. I'll keep what you've done with the pipes rattling around in my head for awhile, I'm sure. I really like the whole look of the build.
Avatar is a summer '21 photo of the Blue Phoenix, our 1983 GL1100I rescue gone naked.

In the Stable and Ridable
1992 ST1100 - my longer haul tourer
1992 XJ600S - son's streetfighter
1987 VFR700 - son's latest, in blue/silver
1983 - GL1100I - naked Blue Phoenix (son's, really)
1982 GL1100I - naked bagger Cabernet
1979 GL1000 - Ginger Lynn, but not that Ginger Lynn (Wing and a Prayer)
1978 CB550K - son's cafe (carb issues still vex)

Active Project(s)
1979 GL1000 - Confirmed one owner, with original paperwork. Vetter fairing and bags, off the road in dry, heated storage for 35 years.

Sold
Not lookin' back to avoid regrets
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Rat
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Re: GL1100 Sport Tour improvements

#29

Post by Rat »

Serious shop envy ...

Gord :mrgreen:
"I'd rather Ride than Shine"
‘14 KLR650 ... not a rat ... yet
‘84 GL1200i ‘R2B6' (Rat to Be 6, the last, adopted by twowings)
My Original 'RAT' was a hybrid '82 CB900/1100F
DUGG
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Re: GL1100 Sport Tour improvements

#30

Post by DUGG »

Rat wrote: Fri Jul 02, 2021 7:42 pm Serious shop envy ...

Gord :mrgreen:
Thanks. I’m in the auto repair business and it my business shop. But I do most of my personal projects there too when time and space allow.
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