Topic: 78 GL1000 20 year sleeper! Old Blue.

[grcamna2]

I love that blue! is that a factory color? That's the 1st time I've seen a blue GL1000 

[Don R]

  It is a factory color with the matching Vetter parts. It has the bags and trunk to match. I'd think they would have sold more Blue ones as pretty as it is. The PO got a little sad when I sent the last post with a pic of it finished and running.

  I've sent a PM Terry.

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks mate.

[Don R]

 I met the PO of the 78 Wing shortly before he moved away, too bad. We really hit it off, probably would have had some epic bike rides or at least gotten one or two of his bikes running for him.
 Sometimes you meet the nicest people buying their Hondas.

 Same with the guy that sold me the K1, he has a brit bike being ridden by a skeleton in his shop.

[seanbarney41]

 Same with the guy that sold me the K1, he has a brit bike being ridden by a skeleton in his shop.

yeah?, but can it fly?  this amer-italiano does...
DSCN0933 by Sean Barney, on Flickr
DSCN0939 by Sean Barney, on Flickr

[Don R]

 That's cool, there's a guzzi rally in this guy's town every year and he rolls a bsa or Norton out with the skeleton on it to lure in bike guys.

[Don R]

 We rode it about 70 miles 2 up. I'm not crazy about the radio, it needs to be removed but love everything else. I had the lowers on it and got a little engine heat toward evening when it got cooler out. I still don't have bags, rack or trunk and might not put them back on permanently.

[Don R]

 I'm missing the luggage rack, I wanted to ride it to the machine shop but strapping the box to the seat didn't work. Buuuut, it requires the removal of the grab bar, I'm not wild about that. I still haven't got the new uncracked Vetter bags although my brother saw them recently because he said they are also blue.

 I have a 78K with one step lower handlebars, when they come off that bike (going to K1's) I'm going to try them on this one, it's just a little too high and seems to stretch the wiring to the max. I could go lower because I have a set of setback brackets to keep them away from the windjammer.

[Don R]

 I sold the 79 I bought for $250 and named El Cheapo Goldwingo, this one cost me $100 to buy so it must be the cheaper goldwinger aka Old Blue.
 She went 180 miles today no smoke and the starter clutch has worked every time since this spring. I think it's time to change the oil again leave out the Marvell M.O.  and settle into regular maintainance. I'll do new condensers and remove the dog bone fuse too.

[Terry in Australia]

I wish I knew where to buy Marvel Mystery Oil here Don, I'd like to try some in my K0 engine when I put it back on the road. Cheers, Terry.

[Don R]

My brother had a 50 ford with a flathead V8, it had a sticky valve and he put some mmo in it. It recovered in short order. Later, I was 16 in a gas station and an older guy working there asked me if I knew how to fix his flathead with a sticky valve. I did! That was the first time I was able to tell someone else how to fix his car. We're still friends all these years later.
 It seems to remove the varnish, Seafoam works similarly if that's available. My mechanic friend told a guy to put 2 or 3 capfuls in his Buick's oil. The guy was hard of hearing and put 2 or 3 canfulls in it. Yep, killed the motor. But it died clean on the inside.

[Don R]

well she picked up a miss after I accidentally dumped in some of the gas I drained out before. Bad Don. Anyway I pulled the carbs after checking all of the usual things. I found all 4 carb rubber clamps were loose to one degree or another, they appeared clean but one carb had no plastic gasket under the carb top and one had two. I rectified that, cleaned everything that was still clean from before and put them back in the bike. I got the cables all back on, fuel line and 8 acorn bolts. The vac hose to the air cutoff doesn't reach now, Hmmmm, could it be because I put the #1 float bowl back on the rear carb instead of the front one? ding ding ding. I need to drink more coffee in the shop, less beer? NAH!

 And I changed her name to the Bonus Bike since I got her almost free after buying 6 cb750's from the same guy.

[Don R]

 Well tonight I got it back together and still am not satisfied with the performance. Good under a load and at rpm but ragged at low speeds. I need to recheck the points and timing. I haven't set the valves either. Too many bikes and it's  hard to remember what parts I replaced on what bike. Should have kept a log book. The 79 had new plug caps, not this one. I may just get new ones anyway.
 I did squirt some seafoam directly on the intake valves while it was apart to loosen the carbon. She smoked a bit on startup which I expected.

 I'm considering an electronic ign.

[Don R]

 I checked the caps 4.8K ohms, coils 14.8K ohms, leakdown under 4%, carbs, new plugs again, timing, points, valve lash, fresh gas again, fuel filter, fuel flow, yada yada, yada,

 hint, choke makes it better.

[Terry in Australia]

CV carbs Don, very sensitive to fuel/air mixture, is the air filter OEM? No cracks in the diaphragms? Air screws set right? My Suzy GS1000 would run like #$%* if I even just left the lid offa the airbox. Cheers, Terry.

[Don R]

 Everything stock I let the oiled filter go with the 79 when I sold it. i'm getting it better with the air screws just need to keep after it and not get sidetracked with ADD and too many projects. The yellow bearings are here for the dragbike motor so that's the shiney object I'm going to notice for a while.
 I did build a set of saddlebags from two sets. When I drilled the door hinges off of one set a butcher knife, bailer twine and a stained towel fell out. Everything except the bottle of chloroform for a murder kit. yuck stinky as heck, must be the old twine. I've got them all cleaned up now and ready to bolt on.

[RAFster122s]

Chloroform, ha!

You sure the carbs don't have any build up of crude in the passageways?  The CVs are really crappy when they have any blockage in the tiny passages.  Pressed in or screwed in jets get deposits of white hard build up just past the jets and emulsion tubes have their jet holes clog.  The emulsion tubes sound as if they are clean from running and full throttle work unaffected.

Glad you were able to build a good set of bags...

Keep at it...  a good ultrasonic bath for the carbs after stripping them down could rule out the issues with the passage ways after you are not seeing the purple simple green 50% concentration not go dark with dirt.  I was amazed how much dirt came outvof mine after a good spray down and scrubbing with a stiff brush.  Took 3-4 baths/changes in solution to get them clean.  Crazy how they were pulling dirt out of them....  amazed the bike ran as well as it did.  Unreal the change once they were clean and gone through.

Gotta see if I can get the yard mowed before more rain or if I have to wait.

[Don R]

 I have an ultrasonic cleaner but was hoping to not use it, they were so clean inside and the performance is so far, much improved. I know a guy with a few sets of carbs. I may check his out and buy another set to spend some time on. The 79 had 83 pumper carbs, it did help to crank the throttle a time or two after it sat a while.
 I rode through a short storm tonight, I swear the wind gust slowed me 5 mph every time it blew. I barely got wet until I got into town.

[Don R]

 The bags and rack are ready to go back on. Still undecided on the trunk for my trip in aug.  I got 155 miles out of the tank, I think it wanted reserve, I was in traffic and didn't want to be rear ended so I just switched it. I still haven't heard the fan run and the taillight fuse blew. I need fuses, it seems they are all in use and all I have here are 20's.
  It is running better since the carb adjustments. My clutch switch came in when I pick it up, I'll ask about having the carbs synched and tuned and the dynamic timing checked.

[RAFster122s]

Can you fit everything you need other than the camping equipment you need if you are going to be camping in your saddlebags. Everything needing to stay dry will need to be in dry bags or similar water repellent solutions.
The nice thing about a trunk is it expands your lockable storage on the bike when traveling or when the bike is not under a watchful eye.

Another thing you may wish to obtain/make is liners for the saddlebags and trunk so you can lift the contents out when you arrive where you are going to be staying.  Beats several plastic bags although they have their place, even with a liner bag that lifts out.

Packing tip, tightly folding and rolling clothing will yield less wrinkles and easier packing as well as normally able to fit everything or more things in the bag.  Arranging it in sections also helps. You can do that with like items or clothing for each day, etc. Consider needing to reach tools and how to do it if you need to make a roadside repair/adjustment.  Chain lube and oil and or fuel additives, etc. need to be accessible when stopping for fuel, etc.

Just some thoughts...
 

[Don R]

 Thanks, those are some good tips. I have an air mattress 12V pump it would also suck air out of a bag, I may be able to vacuum pack some things.

  She's a bagger again now. I'm considering structural improvements to the Vetter bags. The old ones cracked badly but could have been loaded heavy too. I put the stock yellow turn signals back on behind the bags, I think that helps visibility. Man, that trunk is heavy but still has a grid mounting frame that could be removed and the trunk then fastened to the luggage rack. The bags unlock and come off easily but will still need waterproof bags inside.

[Don R]

 I posted a pic of her on the naked Goldwing facebook. One of the regulars hoora'ed me in 3 posts about it being a tourer now and he didn't want to see it. After some discussion I removed the post. Point taken.
 Then, Richard put up the July bike of the month. It's a Goldwing with a fairing, bags, trunk and last but not least a sidecar. That dude is a riot. gl1100 I think.

[Terry in Australia]

Those Goldwing guys are a touchy bunch Don, I got thrown off one of their sites because one of their hall monitors, er, moderators, took offense to my sense of humor. Well Fcuk those brainless drones, if they couldn't recognise humor, that site was no place for a clown like me...........  

[Bankerdanny]

I was a pretty active member of NGW with my fully dressed GL1000 and there are a ton of other members with GL's with varying amounts of bags and fairings/windshields. Hell, one of the administrators uses a photo of his GL with a Hondaline fairing from a CBX as his avatar.

You should have told the whiner to pound sand.

[Don R]

 I plan to annoy him in the future.