Here is a picture from yesterdays ride. The bike doesn't look like much right now. As you can see I have all the covers and side compartments off for ease of working on it. 

I checked the forum and found out several things. 

The bike doesn't have a flywheel to engage. There are a series of 3 sprockets that can get fouled up with old oil if the bike has sat very long. They can also get damaged but writers on the forum say to try and clean them up first. They recommend using Sea Foam or Marvel Mystery Oil in the crank case. Both of these are cleaning products that will de-gum the old think oil deposits. They are also said to work well with the fuel system on carbs and injectors. I'm going to try the Sea Foam first in both the oil and the fuel. 

I also found a great step by step way to adjust the clutch. I'll tackle that project on the first free day I get. (That may be a while)

The weather is still pretty cold but maybe I'll take the bike across town today just to keep the oil moving.

First attempt to work the bugs out

After that first ride I felt like maybe the clutch was slipping a little bit. For what ever reason the it is really difficult to shift when the bike is not moving and it still feels like the clutch is partly engaged even after I let it out. I tried to make some adjustments on the handle side of the clutch cable but it is in as tight as it will go now. I might need to adjust the cable in the center.

I am almost convinced that the flywheel is missing teeth. The only other thing I can think of is that there is a clutch plate(or gearbox neutral selector) switch or sensor that isn't working properly. The starter will spin but won't engage the flywheel but very rarely. I plan to post a question of Steve Saunders Goldwing forum. They are my favorite source for answers.

As far as the helmet goes. Love It. It is pretty chilly today, high 40's, and I had no problems with fogging. The flip down sun visor is nice too. It looks brown in color however it actually has a blue tint to it. Good for anyone with seasonal depression.

One thing that has to change is the case guards. They hit me right in the shin. For a touring bike the foot pegs are right under the driver. I'll have to get some highway pegs or boards.

The Maiden Voyage (of sorts)

As you know the '79 is back together and running so it is only reasonable that I took it for a little ride. The first road test is just that. A test. This was my first chance to see all the quirky things this bike has to offer.

Here is a break down of my findings:

The first observation that I had is that it is equally hard to get the bike off the show stand as it was to put it on. Goldwings are very heavy bikes.

Being a heavy bike also means that it is difficult to back up, especially in snow. I had to stand off of the bike and push in down the driveway, one hand on the seat bar and the other on the handle bar. This is a very precarious action on snow and is not advisable.

For whatever reason the bike won't start in gear even with the clutch pulled in. It won't start in neutral sometimes either. It sounds like there is broken teeth in the flywheel. I also wonder if the clutch isn't engaging all the way. I'm going to have to play with the adjustment a little.

The neutral light stays on in all the gears. It is also very difficult to change gears while the bike is stationary. Down shifting is okay but it gets stuck in 1st when idling and it is very hard to get it back to neutral.

The clutch catches at the very end of the handle (almost all the way out) and feels like it slips just a little bit when the rpms are high.

The bike balances really well. When riding it doesn't feel much heavier then my 400cc Honda. The speedometer or tachometer cable (can't tell which one but probably both) whines while driving. They will need oiling before I break one of them too.

I would like to sync the carbs. The left side runs a little hotter then the right. As for accelerating it is smooth and responsive. Not zippy  like the little bike but equally as fast.

As for the coolant leak. I'm not so sure that it wasn't just a cold seal that was leaking. It steamed just a little when I first started the bike but after riding it around a few blocks and warming us the motor really good it stopped. I will surely keep an eye one it.

Next project, tune up and work out some of these little quirks.

Throttle Cable Replacement Part 2

So the throttle cable came yesterday. It is a Motion Pro brand. I've read posts on forums from some serious Wingers who will only use Honda OEM parts. I couldn't care less who makes them as long as they are good. This cable seems great. I oiled it with a small motor oil and got read to install it.

Before I removed the old cable I tied a length of parachute cord (complements of my Uncle Sam) to the throttle body end. I then pulled the cable through the frame leaving the cord in the same path. Everything I've read about replacing cables says the they need to be routed right to avoid problems. Next tied the cord to the new cable and fished it back through the bike. This was not as easy as getting the old cable out. By reaching up under the faring and pushing and pulling for several minutes the cable finally emerged in the space left by removing the air cleaner.

Hooking the cable back to the throttle body is another semi daunting challenge. The first conflict is that the cable comes down the left side of the bike but installs on the right. There is a small U shaped washer that rests on the top side of where the cable is tightened down and gravity insures that the washer falls down by the nut. Small hands would be very handy when doing this type of project I've decided. My hands aren't particularly large but the space that I have to work with is very small. In the end I only cut one knuckle, which I just noticed while typing this. At long last, I got the cable tightened down and adjusted the length to take out the slack in the throttle handle. I remounted the throttle grip and brake lever and set things mostly in place.

A mostly pleasant surprise came when as I started to replace the air cleaner housing. I will say that removing it was much more difficult then getting it back in. It took a little finesse to get the breather tubes back down the frame but with a long screwdriver and a pair of needle nose pliers I was able to get them back in place and clamped up. The housing didn't quite mount up straight the first time I placed it on the intake. On further inspection I find that the cable, that I just replaced, needed to be raised up about a half an inch to allow the housing to fit. Again with the help of the long screwdriver I was able to press it up from the underside.

With everything back together, I set to starting the bike so I could make any other adjustments. After a several minutes of cranking I gave it a little shot of ether and it started right up. I had to adjust the idle just a little but nothing otherwise.

Start to finish the project took just about 2 hours.

For my Motorcycle Stud!

Happy Valentine's Day Ryan!
(Hope I ordered the right 'starter wire'.) Here's the link so you can check out part of your Valentine's Day present. Can't wait to get this thing up and running so we can go for a ride!
click here to see your starter wire

New Helmets

 

This is Rachel and I sporting our new helmets. These were Rachel's Christmas present to me this year. As you can see from the picture they are Nolan N103's. They are really nice helmets that have the option to add the N-Com device that will allow us to talk to each other while riding. I am quite anxious to give them a test ride. I have installed the anti-fog visor and it works like champ. I honestly can't breathe hard enough to fog it. The flip down sun visor is really cool too.

Throttle Cable Replacement Part 1

I have had the 79's front tire remounted and it holds air like a champ. Sometime I'll post the rest of that story but for now the throttle cable. (or as my wife Rachel calls it, The Starter Wire.)

We had pretty descent weather last Saturday considering that it was still January and I decided that my goal for that day would be to take the 79 for a ride. Anyone who has worked on a Goldwing can attest that a task like changing a throttle cable is never as simple as it sounds. The first hurdle that I ran into was that one of the screw heads on the bottom of the throttle assembly had been stripped out from someone previously. I quickly found out that my EXTREMELY cheap drill bits were no match for the hardened screw. So I make a trip to my tool man, Dad. After getting some good bits I was easily able to back out the old screw with an easy out.

Throttle assemble now disassembled, I start to remove the cable. However I find that the air intake is clearly in the way. Removing the air filter couldn't be a simpler task but the entire intake housing was somewhat daunting. There is a small fuse box in between the frame and the intake that is placed just right to be perfectly in the way of removing the intake. The second challenge of removing it is the breather tubes that come out of it. It is virtually impossible to remove them from the housing while on the bike. So I disconnected them from the bike, one from the engine casing and the other from the condensation drain that I actually removed and drained.

 

Yes that is a Harley Davidson hat. So what?

Now I am almost positive that the bike frame was built around the intake because it is really a process to remove it from the bike. Especially with the fuse box where it is. But alas the intake is out and the cable can now be unbolted from the throttle body.

In the Begining

So a little introduction to this blog. I recently had a patient from our Physical Therapy clinic who rode motorcycles, specifically Honda Goldwings. To keep the story short he had a blow out on a front tire of one of the bikes and layed it down. Being almost 70 years old and wise enough to listen to his wife, he decided that he could give up riding. One day in the clinic he announces this to me and says that he is going to sell his Wings. Knowing that I had a motorcycle already and was an avid rider he then tells me that I can have them both with the trailer for $1500.00. After seeing the bikes it was hard to say no. They are both in fine shape cosmetically and would only need minor mechanical work (or so I thought).

So here are the stats:

1979 GL1000, Black, Full Dressed, 56,000 miles, Blown out front tire (actually just off the bead)

1978 GL1000, Black, Full Dressed, 53,000 miles, After market ignition coil needs to be replaced

1994 Clam Shell Trailer, Black, Baby Moon hubcap, Excellent condition

Both bikes start.

The '78 wont stay running because the coils seem to make the bike run really hot. The front rotors need to be turned badly and the rear suspension has a leak in the air line.

The '79 did run until the throttle cable (pull) broke, at least I wasn't riding at the time, and has recently developed a coolant leak somewhere on the left side of the bike.

To date that is all the problems that I have found. Seems simple enough. Right?