Found My Winter Project - 79 One Owner, Vetter Kit

[NotSoLilCrippseys]

I locked down my winter project this afternoon, a one-owner 1979 GL1000 with the full Vetter fairing with lowers, bags, and - yup - first generation Hippo Hands. It took a ride out to New Hampshire, seemingly New England's land of endless early Wings. This is my first Wing that didn't have mice living in it for years, so I'm pretty pleased.

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The owner's son was selling the bike as part of his effort to clean out Dad's house after he passed a while ago. He's a Ducati rider with no interest in an old, fat touring bike. Nice guy, and his son was also nice. Provenance is impeccable, as I'll soon have in hand the original title and invoice, with a list of the Vetter add-ons. It has about 28k on it, and I'm told that Dad rode it all year round, commuting an hour to work with the Hippo Hands and a snowmobile suit in winter.

Stored in a heated workshop and last on the road in '88, this early Wing is very well preserved. I could whine about the gas left in the tank, the battery sitting in the tray, and the like. But that would just make me a whiner.

The brakes aren't seized, but I really didn't want to grab them out of fear they wouldn't release. I rocked the bike a bit in gear; motor moved; tank has some rust, but it's way better than most barn finds I've put on the road. Heck, the spare dogbone fuse is still sitting in the battery strap!

The bike will need a complete going over, as it's not been run in more than three decades. Belts, post-long layup procedure, brakes and lines, cables, lube, electrical connection cleaning - the works, basically. I'm not really a restoration guy, as I don't quite have the fastidiousness and obsession with perfect detail. But maybe I need to get that way for this bike.

The Vetter package sure adds a bit of girth out the back end! You can't see it in the photo, but the rear blinker brackets coming out of the tail light are not cut. (It could go naked pretty easily - if I sourced fork ears, headlight bucket, and '79 front blinkers.) The keys with the bike open all the locks!

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Mufflers are really in wonderful condition. Little or no pitting or rust. Only rust I've seen on the chrome is on the rear fender, under the seat. I think I could eat off the crossover if I wiped it with a damp cloth.

The seat is beautiful and untorn. I'm hoping that a little time and mild heat will help the dimples fade - they're from a false tank side sitting on the seat for decades, I think. And it has the original grab bar that holds the Vetter bracket on.

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Spare dogbone fuse.

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The Vetter fairing lowers came with the bike. The "problem" with the bike was that it seemed to stumble a little back in '88. Dad decided to pull the carbs to clean them. He opened two bowls, pulled those floats, and left it all packed up like that decades ago. Son reports that Dad often started a project and left it, but he was also meticulous in keeping the bits together. That's how the carb rack came - partly apart, with the bits together. (It does look complete and correct - 771A.)

I looked up the Hippo Hands that came with and learned that they're the first generation of Vetter's muffs. They were made until 1978. The next generation had a slightly different design and ran until 1981, when the operation went belly up - according to the Vetter website.

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The tank sides look rough. It's just grime. They actually look beautiful - and well preserved by dust. All the paint looks great, as the bike was kept out of the sun. (The red plastic on the kill switch looks new; it's all seemingly unfaded.)

I had thought from the posting that the Vetter paint was color matched to the Honda Candy Burgundy. Alas, the Vetter bits are more black.

The bike came with the original Honda 75-79 GL1000 Service Manual, as well as the tool bag and tray - and the original owner's manual.

I have my work cut out here, but it's more than a great foundation.

[Rat]

Awesome find … have fun and keep us posted …

Gord

[Fred Camper]

Looks like a great project bike to me too.

[pidjones]

There were some subtle but important changes made for the '79. These made it a very nice machine. I used one as my around-town ride one year, and wish that I had room to keep it. The Vetters, not so much.

[NotSoLilCrippseys]

I'll post up photos and a log recording progress over winter. First, I need to make room in the shed before this old GirL gets too much rain on her. She's been dry since the late '80s. Who knows what happens in the rain!

Pidjones - I hear you on the Vetter stuff. I picked up a 78 basket/bag case project in late winter that I resuscitated and sold this summer. I removed the Vetter fairing and the old Calafia bags, thinking I was presenting a beautiful original GL1000 standard. The bags were pretty far gone, so I put them in the trash heap. The fairing I kept on the side as an optional accessory for the bike. Buyer was mostly interested because it came with the fairing - to reduce wind buffeting at highway speeds. One never knows. First person to look at the bike offered me cash on the spot, loaded her up, and trailered her off. I guess I priced her right - for the right person.

I don't know yet if I'll keep the bike once I'm done bringing it back. If I do, I absolutely MUST sell at least one GL1100 and possibly another bike.

I will say that the bags and fairing on this 79 find are period correct - right down to being listed on the dealer invoice at the time of sale in '79. (I wish they were color matched!) No fork ears or headlight bucket behind the fairing - just the weird Vetter bag-o-wiring.

[NotSoLilCrippseys]

Not much progress that's especially notable.

Remove Vetter Bags and Fairing to Improve Access
I pulled the trunk and fairing today, making sure not to unduly disturb any wiring. I left the brackets on, as my plan is to keep the bike as it rolled off the lot in 1979. Depending on issues I encounter, I may need to pull those brackets down the road.

Left fairing compartment had a vintage 1979 New Hampshire road map AND an unused Mt. Washington bumper sticker.

Inside the little pocket in the left vinyl cover to the fairing, I found a couple vintage New Hampshire Public Works and Highways toll tokens that feature the Old Man on the Mountain.

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There seems to be a market for these among coin collectors, and from what I can tell they're in v. good condition. Fun.

I won't separate them from the bike, as they're part of a hyperlocal provenance that is uncommon, at least in my admittedly limited experience:

• Bought new in Manchester, NH with the Vetter kit, 1979. I have the bill of sale from a power sports shop that is still in business today. Not sure they still sell new, but maybe.

• Original '79 title lists PO's home, which is just miles from that dealership.

• Bike rolled out of the garage at that address and followed me home, October '23.

The Old Man fell maybe a decade ago, which is unfortunate. (I used to love to see him when heading into the White Mountains.)

Start after long (35 year) layup

I've not yet tried to fire the bike up. I'm getting closer, but I need to clean and reassemble the carbs. They came in a couple boxes. Two bowls were removed, as well as jets for those carbs. All 4 slides are off, as is the vacuum unit on top of the 771A carb rack. The story from the PO's son (executor of the estate) is that Dad pulled the carbs back around '87 because it didn't quite have the throttle response. He got started, kinda, and the bike sat in the corner of the heated basement workshop.

I drained the tank. I thought there was rust when I first looked in there, but it was really just varnish/grime. I spent an hour today cleaning it and pumping out the carb cleaner/gunk. It could be a bit better looking, but not by much.

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I drained the oil and filled with a conventional oil and transmission fluid mix to be ready to run her when the time comes. I have to say that the front cover is really very clean. The screws have little/no grime on them.

I did hook up another battery. Lights all work. There's no point in really cranking the bike until I have carbs mounted, but I hit the button and she turned over. That doesn't mean it'll start, but it confirms I won't likely need to chase some of the possible electrical gremlins.

I thought a shot of the battery box might be a nice indication of the bike's condition. (I've seen worse, but I've not seen better.)

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Basic cleaning/wiping
I took a little Simple Green/water and a cloth to the bike to start getting the dust off it. It's pretty amazing just how much dust accumulates under a seat, in frame corners, all over after 35 years in stasis. I good power washing is probably what's really needed, but I'm not going to do that.

Brakes
I'll need new lines. The existing ones are stamped with a date of 6/78. They look new, but... I spent time pulling the front calipers, quickly cleaning them out, and reassembling to see if I could get brake action. Mainly, I need a brake lever to control entry down the hill and up the ramp into my shed. A temp solution will be fine. I also pulled the MC and cleaned it out. I did not rebuild any of the bits. I thought the Master was building pressure on the bench. On the bike, it moved fluid but quickly seemed to peter out. Rebuild, for sure. No work yet on the rear, but it all looks pretty.

QUERY: Given the original condition of the bike, should I stick with period correct lines? I could go with braided for just a bit more than traditional rubber. I'd get a bit better braking in the process. I don't need to decide this month - or year. I don't yet know what I'll do with the bike, but I'm leaning toward selling it as a vintage survivor come spring or summer. If I decide to keep it, it could be a good show bike given the condition. I don't expect I'll be a complete stickler for exact restoration, but I also don't want to negatively impact possible value with braided lines. (I know a buyer could swap them out down the road, so perhaps it doesn't matter.)

The Seat
The saddle is gorgeous. The cover cleaned right up, the dimples in the vinyl lifted out, and the HONDA stencil is like new. There's one tiny divot that might actually be a manufacturing defect from when they pressed in the faux stitching and grid. It seems like a very small burn/melt in the vinyl. It's really not noticeable.

[dontwantapickle]

That looks like a great project bike.
I'd use stock rubber brake lines.

[Fred Camper]

My vote is for stainless as museums have lots of early wings and I would rather ride than shine but it is clearly a personal choice and stock lines are fine if new.

[dontwantapickle]

I could see going with braded stainless hoses, If... I was racing on a road course and I had money to burn.

For us mere mortals on the street, the stock rubber hoses provide more than enough performance.
Also, if you've ever used braded stainless, you know that it will cut into and destroy anything that it touches.

If it is really all about making the bike perform at it's best... get new rubber hoses and use the savings to buy better tires.

IMHO - of course!

[pidjones]

Chinabay stainless hoses are another option. Seldom clocked exactly right, but hold up well.

[NotSoLilCrippseys]

There's no rush to decide. I have braided stainless (with an outer sheathing) on a GL and absolutely love the brake feel. And I have rubber hoses on another GL. They're fine, actually, and I never think I didn't stop quickly enough or had to squishy a feel for effective braking.

I was just thinking: Would a possible buyer prefer the rubber for the vintage look or the upgrade to stainless? Honestly, nobody who wants the bike is walking away over my brake line decision.

[Easter]

Great find. Good luck with the project.

[NotSoLilCrippseys]

Not a lot to report out.

I did pull the front MC, disassembled, cleaned, reassembled. I needed some brake to get the bike down the hill and up the ramp to my shed - and the strong back and legs of my youngest son as an assist.

This AM, we rolled the GL into the shed and parked her where most of the work will happen this winter.

I also opened up the other two carb float bowls - not pretty at all, as compared with the bodies of the two that the PO had opened up and partially disassembled.

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After a couple hours of effort to clean off the varnish enough to remove bits without breaking them, I'm getting there. Idle jets won't budge - what with my tiny screwdriver that fits in the hole, coupled with a strong desire NOT to snap something in there. Time, carb cleaner, maybe a bit of heat as well.

Having mostly cleaned up the varnish, I can now tell that the PO also had to deal with that varnish. There are remnants throughout. My guess: He parked the bike round about 1986, let it sit for maybe a year or two with gas in the bowls, then decided to get her running again. He spent half a day removing old varnish from two bowls, set things aside for a rainy day, and a metaphorical three-decade drought hit New Hampshire. That's ok. I can report that the varnish is NOT up in the screens.

Anyway... The bike is now in the shed and in position for the work needed.

I think I'm going to bolt on some GL1100 carbs I have for the start-after-long-layup and not sweat a rush to get those carbs rockin'. I'd like to flush out the gunk and get to disassembly.

[NotSoLilCrippseys]

It's alive!
I nabbed a few hours in the shed today, mainly to start getting into the carb cleaning. But I also really wanted to bolt on the GL1100 rack I have to see if I could get the 79 to fire and run.

Honestly, I wasn't certain the intakes were direct match-ups. But they are. Great for me.

It took a few rounds with the starter to get fuel into the bowls, but she came right to life after more than 35 years in hibernation. With a mix of oil and transmission fluid to get a good flushing going, she sure smoked up a storm. And clearly some mice had nested up in the exhaust at some point, as evidenced by the blown fiberglass insulation and crap (yes, mouse crap) that shot out the back.

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Today was a big day indeed for this old girl. After warming her up and getting off choke, I ran her for a good 20-30 minutes up around 3500rpm - give or take. All the gauges read as they should (more/less), and the fan came on somewhere around 3/4 up the gauge - drawing the temps back to the midrange.

I'm not concerned about the smoke. There's no coolant smell in it. Once I get her ready to actually run through some cycles, I'll worry a bit if it doesn't calm down. I see no reason to be nervous - at all.

Once she was running with the choke off, I got busy with the flashlight, looking around for possible leaks, strange behaviors, and the like. I have an exhaust leak down where the #2/4 headers mate up with the muffler. Not a big deal, methinks. I just had smoke coming from down there - after the burn off seemed to have mostly faded.

But then... Under the bike, I saw a bit of liquid. Oil? Coolant? I was hoping it was a not-quite-tight oil drain plug or maybe the filter cover o-ring. Alas, coolant. There was NO weeping until now.

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And I know these can come/go or fix themselves when a water pump swap happens. I'm going to watch this for a few months before committing to removing the front cover to do the water pump, but I'm probably going to have to dig a bit deeper and buy the pump and gasket kit. Those JIS screws are so much fun to extract - I can't wait.

It's not possible to embed an audio file here. I tried. For those inclined to listen to the bike running 5 minutes after it fired for the first time since about 1987, here's a short clip:

Sunday at 3-57 PM.m4a

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There's no airbox hooked up and the phone recorder app is right near the intake, so the carb intake sucking sound is pretty prominent.

Next steps on the motor:

• t-belts

• new oil/filter again

• new coolant after a good flush

• ...

Next steps overall:

• cleaning.

• tires - almost on order

• new grease throughout

• brakes, brakes

• ...

I'm feeling really good about this old GirL.

[Fred Camper]

Oh my that progress is a big deal. Nice to have her running while you work the carbs. Great progress. Agree to ignore the coolant drips for now and see how it progresses.