Fan light and High Temp light

[cfairweather]

I finally got around to installing the engine that I bored out .5mm over and installed new oversized pistons using minimum clearances. As you might recall, I was successful at fixing the GL1000 smoking problem that is associated with all GL1000s. I installed this engine in the red 1975 Bike of the Year and while I was doing this task, I decided to add two indicator lights that I have always wanted on the GL1000. The first light is the fan light which is a blue indicator that goes on/off as the fan cycles. The next light is a red light that will come on if the temp gets to 250 degrees. Here is the result:

DSCN5702.JPG

I used a fan switch to turn the warning light on:

DSCN5704.JPG

[Fred Camper]

Looks nicely integrated.

[cfairweather]

There is barely enough room to install a pipe joint for the fan switch. This was the only mounting position that worked for me. I just went out for an evening ride on this motorcycle and I have to say, this may be the best running GL1000 I have ever ridden. It is smooth as glass and has lots of power. I am so glad I had the machine work done on the engine and highly recommend installing .5 mm oversized pistons. It is nice to have one that doesn't smoke. At least so far, no smoke and I have been parking it on the side stand.

[redglbx]

Good job as usual Cedric

[Fred Camper]

Nice ride report. Sounds like a small win to me! Not like the lottery but...

[cfairweather]

Fred- Thanks for your comments and you are right, it is not the lottery. For me, this bike represents all of the things that I wanted the GL1000 to be from the factory. For example, it has my best designed electric fuel pump installation, the 4in1 gauge, a clock, a temperature warning light, a fan light, an electronic ignition with better coils that don't require a ballast resistor, tapered steering head bearings, a prime button to fill the carbs and finally an engine that doesn't smoke. For most people, these mods are not worth the trouble, but I am glad I took the time to do each one of these improvements. For someone that is doing a complete restoration, it would be a good idea to consider some or all of these changes. Here are some more pictures:

[gltriker]

Very Well Done, Cedric!

Nothing better than a great running engine

[leonardhcross]

Nice upgrades. Well done. Something to aspire to.

[redglbx]

The whole point of this hobby is for the bike to make the owner smile ! Job well done my friend !

[Sidecar Bob]

Looks good.

Did you use LEDs? If so you may be surprised the first time you ride it on a highway at night. I prefer to have a "parade" switch so that I can turn the fan on manually in stop & go traffic and of course I want an indicator to tell me when it is on. The first time I did that (in the '90s 0n my '79) I thought something was wrong when the fan light came on every time I went faster than about 65 or 70 Km/h. It turned out the wind was blowing the fan fast enough for its motor to generate a couple of volts

[cfairweather]

Yes, I used LEDs so let's hope I don't have the same issue that you described.

[Sidecar Bob]

It's not really an issue if you know it is going to happen. It doesn't glow as brightly as if it was on so it is easy to tell the difference.

[CYBORG]

A diode will solve that problem

[Sidecar Bob]

It would have to be in series with the fan. I can't remember how many amps that is off hand.
But like I said it is easy to tell the difference so it isn't a big deal if you are expecting it.

[CYBORG]

I found it annoying. I have electric after market fans. A diode solved the problem