Topic: Johnie's 76 GL1000 Sulfur Yellow Build

[Johnie]

It does look really good without the bars...

[Lucien Harpress]

My experience with crash bars:

- The really small hoop style that just loop around the timing belt covers look the best (imo), but are Hondaline and hard to find.

- 1100 and 1200 Goldwing's started getting crash bars shock, and I'm 90% certain bolt right up.  A good compromise between form and function, but make valve adjustments harder than they need to be.

- The wraparound bars that have a leg that bolts to the top rear engine hangers?  Trash.  They're called "shin bangers" for a reason.  Unique look, but that's about it.

That said, I agree these early bikes look best without them entirely. 

[MauiK3]

Yes, they look better without them, until you need them.
It's a shame to ever need them!

[grcamna2]

Does Markland still make those ?

[newday777]

Does Markland still make those ?

Markland is long gone

[RAFster122s]

Put a saved search on eBay for the Markland and Hondaline crash bars for the GL1000, 1100, and 1200 and with time you may be able to find a reasonably priced set. Set your notification to immediate given the rarety. You might get lucky and find a reasonably priced set. Even if you have to refinish them, powder coated or other less expensive means of bringing them cosmetically acceptable...

[grcamna2]

My experience with crash bars:

- The really small hoop style that just loop around the timing belt covers look the best (imo), but are Hondaline and hard to find.

- 1100 and 1200 Goldwing's started getting crash bars shock, and I'm 90% certain bolt right up.  A good compromise between form and function, but make valve adjustments harder than they need to be.

- The wraparound bars that have a leg that bolts to the top rear engine hangers?  Trash.  They're called "shin bangers" for a reason.  Unique look, but that's about it.

That said, I agree these early bikes look best without them entirely.

Hondaline.. maybe in a brick and mortar collection/yard somewhere.

[Johnie]

Thanks for all the info on the bars. I'll keep my eyes open, but as you guys said the bike looks better without them. Same as my 750's...look better without them. This bike came with the hoop style, but the guy did not have them secured very good. He had some lighting connected to them. These pics were taken when I brought it home 1 1/2 years ago.

[newday777]

But the practicality standpoint of the guards, if the bike tips over in a parking lot or low sided, the damage will usually be absorbed by the bars, not the timing belts(valve damage at minimum, pistons and heads), valve covers and more.....

[grcamna2]

Thanks for all the info on the bars. I'll keep my eyes open, but as you guys said the bike looks better without them. Same as my 750's...look better without them. This bike came with the hoop style, but the guy did not have them secured very good. He had some lighting connected to them. These pics were taken when I brought it home 1 1/2 years ago.

You still have them Johnie?

[Johnie]

Yes I still have them Bill. The chrome is pretty good. Doesn’t look like the bike was dumped. Only marks are on the bottom. He had it held on by worm clamps…the strap clamps you screw to tighten like on the intake rubbers. Back in my early automotive career we called them worm clamps. Maybe I'll soak them in Evaporust to get some of the spot rust off. It's really not that bad. I didn't really plan to put them back on. We'll see how it turns out.

[BenelliSEI]

Johnie…. my current project had one of those on it. The bottom had a bracket similar to yours that bolted to the bottom engine through bolt. The top was held to the down tubes with a pair of threaded “U” bolts that actually had a bit of rubber hose padding where they wrapped around the frame. Fortunately they were not supper tight and didn’t damage the frame!

I’ll bet that’s what suppose to be bolted through those sets of holes on yours?

[Lucien Harpress]

Another thing to keep in mind- valve covers for these things are a dime a dozen.  20, 30 bucks maybe.  Plus, being aluminum, a crusty set for cheap will polish out nicely most of the time.

Heck, anything above the head gasket (valve train, heads, etc.) is pretty cheap and easy to get.  And the design of the engine means the pistons never push out farther than the edges of the frame.  It's a calculated risk, to be sure.  But to me, if you get into an accident that requires replacing more than the top ends, crash bars wouldn't help anyway.

Again, all personal preference.

[Johnie]

Rode another 100 miles yesterday with the GL and man she runs fine. You know when you first take out a project you're a little apprehensive as to if you will need a trailer to get home. We've all had projects that have that happen. So the first few rides we don't stray to far from home. I am feeling pretty confident on this ride. I have a friend who has the 75 GL. He has electronic ignition and apparently they are wired through the flasher. His flasher died and so did the bike. Appears mine is wired the same way. Is that how all these electronic ignitions are wired. Are they able to be wired a different way so something as silly as a bad flasher leaves you dead on the road? I have been taking a number of extra flashers with me in case that happens, but they are flashers from 750 projects. Going to see about getting a new one to carry with me. All the 750's I have done I kept OE ignition. I recall years ago 25 or so when guys would say these new electronic ignitions would just die and many went back to the OE. Thoughts guys???

[grcamna2]

Johnie,I would wire the hot + lead to another source rather than the + feed to the flasher unit;tap into the black or another switched + lead on the harness near the ignition switch plug.

Johnie,the solid black wires are +positive switched(from the main switch)power sources,all through the bike.

[BenelliSEI]

Many electronic ignition kits suggest tying in the power lead to the + feed to the brake light switch. Probably because it’s close to the points cover on a cb750! I usually run the line back to the power feed to the coils. Added benefit is the kill switch also powers off all the ignition components.

[Lucien Harpress]

Let me chase some wires.  I've got electronic ignition on mine, and I know who installed it, and he knows what he's doing.  I'll see where it got tied in to.  Wiring it through the flasher seems like a bad idea all around.

(Sidebar- electronic ignition on these bikes is the bee's knees.  I ran points for a while, and I don't know why, but points on these bikes are NOT fun.)

[Johnie]

Thanks for the inoput on the electronic ignition wiring. Lucien I will look forward to your reply on the "hot" wire feed. Send a pic if you think I need it.

[Lucien Harpress]

Oddly enough, it looks like mine was teed off of the blinker wiring as well.  All these being routed the same way got me thinking.

- One, it may be a conveniently fused power source easy to get to.  That fuse also handles the horn and brake light along with blinkers, so one more thing should be no problem.  It may be a lower amperage fuse too, but don't quote me in that.

- Two, a burned out blinker relay won't be a problem if you tap in "upstream" of the relay itself.  I'm about 80% positive the electronic ignition is grounded to the frame, so if you tie into the hot wire going into the relay, it won't matter if the relay functions or not.  You should be fine.

All that said, all you really need is to get 12v to the ignition unit somehow, and most any hot wire on the bike should do it.

[BenelliSEI]

…. Go to the coil (+)feed.

[Johnie]

Thanks so much guys! Great info. I'll have to take a look at the coil + feed. Without having any info on that + wire what gauge should I use? John you got a pic of it for me?

[BenelliSEI]

Thanks so much guys! Great info. I'll have to take a look at the coil + feed. Without having any info on that + wire what gauge should I use? John you got a pic of it for me?

No pics, sorry. I did it on the K7 I sold a few months ago. The new owner wanted rid of the points.  I bought a $75 “Tytronic”  on EBay and just extended the power wire that came on the board. It was only long enough to reach the brake light switch. I used the same gauge wire that was on it (maybe only 16, these things draw virtually nothing) and just soldered and shrink wrapped.

[Johnie]

Thanks John. I'll check to see how that works on this GL. Appreciate all the responses.

[grcamna2]

Johnie,I would wire the hot + lead to another source rather than the + feed to the flasher unit;tap into the black or another switched + lead on the harness near the ignition switch plug.

Johnie,the solid black wires are +positive switched(from the main switch)power sources,all through the bike.

 

[Johnie]

Excellent thx Bill.