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Update, 1 July 2008

I bought this bike on 7 July 2007 (7-7-7) with the intention of cleaning it up some and making a quick buck. The original title of this thread was Flip This Bike! (Craigslist 2 eBay). Then I was going to find the bike I "really wanted" and fix it up with the enormous profits. Of course, things don't always go as planned. Over the course of a year I developed an affinity for this ole gal and found that this is the bike I want. I will probably get others, and may just keep them all, but for now I want to ride and enjoy this one.

Things change. And sometimes, things change us.
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As advertised
I have been scouring auction sites, classified ads and Craigslist for about 6 weeks. Last Thursday I came across this '81 GL1100, 38,000 miles, maroon, with a white Windjammer fairing and a KB trunk box. The bike's located 3 hours north of me and Bob, the owner, called me back Friday afternoon. I learned that it has not been ridden since some time in '00 and has been sitting on it's centerstand as his untouched project since then. Plus, he really needs to get it out of the garage and wants to put $400 in his pocket. The son-in-law and I jumped in the Pioneer this morning and the bike is now sitting on my back porch. It came with an attached Windjammer fairing, Haynes manual, 7 Honda oil filters, new brake pads, new replacement windshield and 4 carburetor needle/jet kit thingies (ad said carb kits).

Also has tons of dirt, some rust and a little gas in the tank, varnish stains from gas that used to be in the tank, leaky front brakes, bad fork seals ... you know, the usual. The good thing about it is that nobody has taken things apart or rounded off any bolts. The chrome, plastic, seat and paint finishes are in very nice shape. And the pipes are original and not rusted through. The seat has one hole that I will patch and then I'll refresh the padding. A spreadsheet is growing with a project that includes links to articles on NGW, Randakk and some other links I've found. That same sheet is also growing with a parts list and costs. What the hell have I gotten myself into? To help, I've posted this on 7/7/7 at 7:07 pm. Gonna need all the help I can get.

The to-do list is: timing belts, Randakk's master carb kit, front and rear brakes, clean gas tank, front and rear tires, wiring touch up, hoses and cosmetics. The white fairing will remain but will become maroon or black. The tail box and luggage rack will go away cuz it's ugly.

My Plan on this was to buy cheap and sell dear. The first part is done and if I can pull off the second part I can make enough money fixing this one up to buy another that will be done to my taste. Being a long-time gearhead and wrench driver, I've worked on a lot of different motors but never a Goldwing. Since I want a naked wing that will have my touches it makes sense to me to flip a bike or two so I can create what I want. This also allows me to learn how to work on these bikes and develop my "final".

At least, that's the plan.

Roady: I don't know if it was a typo or what,but I'm almost certain you have an 1100,80 or 81 (single piston calipers) Nice looking Bike! God Bless!
Ron

Ya know, hmratban, no matter how many times I read that it just slid right by. Thx for the catch.

Nice catch Roady. Now lets get her running and do some riding and exploring.

Al

Here are some shots of the bike when I got it home.

It sure filled up the Nissan!
There may be a bit of varnish hiding somewhere.
That white Windjammer sure are ugly.
Gotta like the freebie collection, too.
I haven't figured out gender yet ... she ... he ... it? We'll have a bath tomorrow and should know by then.

And one more to keep the sisterhood happy:

The wife's favorite ride.

WOW !!

What a find ! Sure wish my find was as good but no crying over spilled milk . I would have went by the car wash before i brought it home , so the wife doesn`t say WHY Keep us updated on the project PICS !!

Sweet find.

I'm still not sure on the gender of this bike but we had a great time taking a bath together.
It's amazing what a little soap and water can do.
Plus Simple Green, brake part cleaner, WD-40, bathroom cleaner and ample elbow grease of course.

Nice find! Take your time. Don't forget the belts, & check the water pump!

Looks sweet, congrats! Beautiful Horse as well.

It's a Girl!

I couldn't really tell until I got her naked. Then it was pretty obvious.
The name is Winnie.

Now it's time to move to the shop and do Randakk's Starting a GL1000 after a Long Lay-up routine.

The gas tank is OUT!
It took 1-1/2 hours, but the tank is out. Now that I get a good look at what came out and what's inside, I don't think it's rusty. Maybe just crusty.

What do you guys think?

Ok I gotta ask!!! Is that carpet on your garage floor?? Octane has hardwood floors and you have Carpet!! I guess I am just falling back into the dark ages with my plain old cement

And I Have A Faux Persian Rug.... Hey That Looks Worse Than My Tank.... I Think Thats Called Varnished Rust....

Varnished Rust. Doesn't Krylon stock that color?

Carpet in the garage, you bet. It even has foam backing! I ripped it out of one of the bedrooms a while back to reveal the hardwood. Just doing my bit for recycling and things don't bounce as far. Cuz I drop a lot of crap when I wrench.