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1977 GL1000 Restoration that started in 2009! "C O M P L E T E D"

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2018 7:38 pm
by OldRider2
Hi all, I’m guess I’m a little late starting my restoration postings but I wasn’t sure where this would all end up, life happens and sometimes gets in the way of our plans. This might be one of the longest restorations reported here, not sure. I didn’t want to start this and never finish it so decided not to post at the time. I think I was also very intimidated with the amount of knowledge on this site and what some of you guys have done to these bikes. This bike was also one of the best training aides I have could have asked for giving me much knowledge into the GL line of bikes for a 1982 GL1100 and a GL1500 I have also owned.

This all started back in February 2009 when I heard a guy was selling a Honda motorcycle he couldn’t get running. I needed some therapy and thought, “It’s a Honda, if he can’t get it running I’ll try it.” At the time I hadn’t been riding motorcycles for 30 years or so and wasn’t even sure what model a Goldwing was and new very little about them!

The bike had 20,400 miles on the odometer and was in an old garage with a snow bank in front of the doors but it looked like a good project. I listened to the previous owners story how he used to ride HDs and didn’t know much about Hondas but he said he couldn’t get it started and was kind of vague on what he knew about the bike. Later as I worked on the bike I realized the PO probably wasn't a real mechanical guy.

The brakes were all seized up so it was difficult to move and roll around. The inspection sticker on the fork indicated it had last been inspected in New Hampshire in 2002. I bought the bike and brought it home imagining what it would look like after working on it for awhile. When I got it home I let it sit for awhile, joined the NGW site and another GL forum trying to read everything I could about the bikes, what to do for repairs, etc. I couldn’t believe how much knowledge there was on this site from all of the people here and how invaluable it would be over the next 9 years. I was a bit naïve about the amount of time and money I would have to spend on it to get it back on the road in the condition I wanted.

Re: 1977 GL1000 Restoration that started in 2009!

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2018 8:08 pm
by 5speed
welcome to the site..looking forward to the progress.

Re: 1977 GL1000 Restoration that started in 2009!

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2018 9:18 pm
by Easter
Don't leave us hanging--what came next?

Re: 1977 GL1000 Restoration that started in 2009!

Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2018 4:06 am
by chewy999
Going to follow this story!

anim-cheers1

Re: 1977 GL1000 Restoration that started in 2009!

Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2018 2:16 pm
by OldRider2
I read the posts on the Shop Talk under Buying/New Owner and found Randakk’s information on “Starting a GL1000 after a long layup” invaluable along with the other information. I also read about what others did to get their bikes going when they first got them. My first actions at that point were to see if I could get the bike running and if I couldn’t I may have stopped right there.

I picked up cheap oil at Walmart, Transmission Fluid, oil and gas filters, Yamaha Carb Cleaner, and lots of cans of brake cleaner. I found when I drained the crankcase that it was black and very full with 1- 1 ½ (?) gallons or so of a gas/oil mixture. The excessive amount of oil and gas in the crankcase is what I assumed the PO said caused oil to leak out of the back of the engine. I never did find any oil leak out of the engine so I started to question that and other things the PO had told me. After putting in new oil, oil filter, gas filter, and letting the carbs sit with Yamaha Carb Cleaner in them I was able to get the bike going with a little help from some Starting Fluid. ;) It ran poorly and wouldn’t really idle but the fact that it would run really encouraged me at the time. As I gained more knowledge I later realized that the inside of the gas tank was in terrible condition with a coating that was flaking off and when I rebuilt the carbs was amazed the bike would even run with the conditions I found inside the carbs.

Suffering from "GAS" (Goldwing Attachment Syndrome) :-D I started to visualize the bike as it rolled off the showroom floor and wanted shiny chrome, nice paint, polished aluminum, and obviously a smooth running bike. I prepared a spreadsheet of the things the bike needed based on what I initially saw and a guess at what the items would cost for the restoration. I then rapidly realized that $$$ would be an issue. At the time I had two daughters in college, a busy work and family schedule, my Mother was in a nursing home, and I didn’t have a lot of disposable income or “me time”, to work on the bike. I started surfing eBay, Craigs List, and this site looking for some of the first obvious parts I wanted. Picking up GL1000 manuals was one of the first things I did, along with a couple of fenders (one of which I later sold because of some dents), the instrument light cluster, and foot pegs. I decided I wanted to keep it as stock as possible and I’ve pretty much kept to that except for the Triumph T-100 mufflers, the circuit breaker in place of the 30 amp dog bone fuse, and a new 7V regulator.

Condition of bike:
All brakes were seized and moist from brake fluid
Timing belts needed replacement
Forks were leaking
Stem bearings were, ratchety, and very stiff
Carbs needed to be obviously rebuilt
Gas tank inside was unuseable
No lights worked on the bike, no headlight, taillight didn’t’ work, and no directional signals were on it or came with it
The wiring harness was butchered up and in poor shape
The stator wires were melted together
A fairing came with the bike but wasn’t mounted
Side covers, clamshell covers, and top cover in poor condition
Wheels, spokes, were corroded and tires were in bad shape
Fenders rusted and pitted
No Grab bar
Seat needed replacement
Coils were bad
It needed numerous nuts, bolts, and hardware
No drivers foot pegs or shifter
No directional light mounts/stays

(I tried to attach a copy of what I think is my original spreadsheet but I can't attach a pdf, txt, or xls file for some reason.)

Re: 1977 GL1000 Restoration that started in 2009!

Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2018 3:13 pm
by chewy999
OldRider2 wrote: Condition of bike:
All brakes were seized and moist from brake fluid
Timing belts needed replacement
Forks were leaking
Stem bearings were, ratchety, and very stiff
Carbs needed to be obviously rebuilt
Gas tank inside was unuseable
No lights worked on the bike, no headlight, taillight didn’t’ work, and no directional signals were on it or came with it
The wiring harness was butchered up and in poor shape
The stator wires were melted together
A fairing came with the bike but wasn’t mounted
Side covers, clamshell covers, and top cover in poor condition
Wheels, spokes, were corroded and tires were in bad shape
Fenders rusted and pitted
No Grab bar
Seat needed replacement
Coils were bad
It needed numerous nuts, bolts, and hardware
No drivers foot pegs or shifter
No directional light mounts/stays
Yes, but apart from that!!!!! :shock:

I understand what you mean when you mention the costs involved just to get it running after all the po's have been at it. Know I've spent far more than I probably should have, but there is so much satisfaction to be had when you finally get to ride it in the road. Don't regret a thing and despite the costs, tears and frustration I've experienced, I've enjoyed being a (small) part of what is a great GL community. So much help and support here and not just with the bike stuff, I am truly grateful, thankful and honoured to be a member on this wonderful site.

anim-cheers1 anim-cheers1 anim-cheers1

Re: 1977 GL1000 Restoration that started in 2009!

Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2018 7:20 pm
by Easter
Hobbies take time and money. Sometimes (often) that means delay or compromise if your hobby interferes with more pressing issues. But hobbies also keep us healthy and better able to cope with life's other issues. Some wise person on here said something to the effect that "restoring bikes is our hobby and when we are finished, the bike is free."

Re: 1977 GL1000 Restoration that started in 2009!

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 7:37 pm
by OldRider2
Things slowed down for me in the Spring and Summer of 2009 because about that time I started having some serious shoulder rotator cuff problems on my dominant arm and found out I needed surgery with the recovery forecast as long as 6 months. At that point I decided to pull the motor from the bike knowing that it would be almost impossible during recovery to work on it or anything else. So I pulled the motor and cleaned and scrubbed it up so I could paint it, replace the timing belts, and paint the frame and other small parts I could manage. During this time I also bought Randakk’s Carb Kits to rebuild the carbs. I also decided to try my hand at polishing the carb tops and intake manifolds after rebuilding the carbs.

Replacing the timing belts was unknown territory for me and something that was initially a little confusing. Using the How To’s and reading the posts it became much clearer but I didn’t realize then that I wouldn’t know how good a job I did until about 7 years later (2016) when I would start the bike. I cleaned things up inside the timing belt area but looking at the pictures I had and some of the knowledge I’ve picked up over the past few years I could have cleaned up more surface rust, etc inside that area. I did replace the springs that hold the idlers. The idler bearings seemed to spin free so I didn’t replace them. The motor was down obviously low to the floor and I had a difficult time I thought lining up the pulleys. When I got down on the same eye level of the motor I used a carpenters square and it showed they were right on the mark. This wasn’t obvious when looking at the pulleys from above them. After the belts were on the engine I made sure the motor was as clean as I could and then repainted it with some silver engine paint. I also replaced some orings on the coolant pipes that had been leaking on top of the engine and replaced a dented coolant pipe as well.

Re: 1977 GL1000 Restoration that started in 2009!

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 10:13 pm
by sparkyrasmus
Good, another fella with a long term project or two!

Re: 1977 GL1000 Restoration that started in 2009!

Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2018 7:05 am
by OldRider2
Awhile after buying Randakk’s Carb Kit I started in cleaning and rebuilding the Carbs. I was thoroughly amazed that the bike would even run when I first got it after seeing the inside of the carburetors. Since then I’ve seen many of the Carburetor jobs done by NGW members and the outside appearance is much better than mine but I was more focused at the time in just getting them back together with no leftover parts! I polished the Carb Tops a little but "sunnbobb" won’t have to worry about me taking any business away from him any time soon. :lol: On doing the Carb tops I found a wooden dowel that fit very tight in the center hole of the cover. Initially the dowel was just to hold the tops onto a box but I realized I could put the dowel in my drill press and at a slow speed turn the top to shine it up. I also cleaned up the valve covers pretty good but some of my pictures aren't the best. I polished this stuff at the time in my basement in the cold months on one of my Craftsman power tool motors. The motor wasn't all that powerful and I think the polishing compounds weren't really warm enough and didn’t do their best in those conditions. When I rebuilt the forks, I also tried to clean up the fork tubes of the 40 year old bugs, abrasions, and surface corrosion as I got to the front end of the bike.

Re: 1977 GL1000 Restoration that started in 2009!

Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2018 8:39 am
by sparkyrasmus
Looking good. Buffing out the aluminum parts is quite relaxing, as long as one keeps a tight hold on the part so the buffer doesn't grab it from you! (Or maybe that's just me?)

Re: 1977 GL1000 Restoration that started in 2009!

Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2018 8:48 am
by Track T 2411
Oooo! Shiny! action1 action1 action1

Re: 1977 GL1000 Restoration that started in 2009!

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 11:59 am
by rcmatt007
nice shine.... and I thought it took me forever to finish a project anim-cheers1

Re: 1977 GL1000 Restoration that started in 2009!

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2019 4:38 pm
by OldRider2
This rebuild really languished for a few “years” trying to find the time, parts, or money to complete it. I also had other bikes and I preferred to ride rather than “wrench”. A couple of times I even listed it on CL but I didn’t have any luck. I retired in 2015 and did a few things to the project and in the Spring of 2016 decided it was time to see if the bike would start and run. My original gas tank was in poor shape so I picked up a used gas tank at a local bike junk yard. I cleaned and painted it up before putting it in but it still got scratched trying to get it in place! Next time I’ll use a shoehorn. You all know after 7 years of having the bike in pieces I relied on the parts manual as well as the maintenance manual to put the bike back together. Thank goodness the parts manual gives the diameter and length of screws and bolts. Any bolt or screw I put back together I cleaned up real well, chased the threads if necessary or in many cases just bought new hardware. I put the engine back in, installed the carbs, put the shelter frame back on along with all the components on it and proceeded to get the bike ready to start. I thought this would give me a decision point for me to either keep going on the refurb or stop it and sell the parts off in case it didn’t start or something else came up.

At this point I was invested in the project but I still had the expense of the brake system, new tires and tubes, battery, probably another muffler, fork rebuilds, paint job, etc. The bike did start, it still needed to have the carbs sync’d but this step encouraged me to go further. I was pumped at this point that after having it in pieces for over 7 years my carburetor rebuilding and cleaning, along with the timing belt replacements, it was running!

Re: 1977 GL1000 Restoration that started in 2009!

Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 12:03 pm
by Track T 2411
Looking great! I can relate to having a project languish seemingly forever. There's always something else that needs/wants attention, but hitting milestones like actually hearing it run are invigorating! Keep at it!