Another GL1100 Coming Out of a 18 Year Hibernation

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rkmason

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Jun 22, 2014
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Location
Austin
Hi all, I am in the early stages of recommissioning a '81 GL1100 Interstate w/63K mi to put it back on the road after setting covered in a closed building unused for the last 18 years. This GL1100 belongs to a friend of mine who parked his '81 GW when he got a '94 model that he is still riding. As a newly retired guy w/no motorcycle since the 90's I mentioned to him wanting to take some road trips with him to relive my motorcycling experiences from the 70's on my '73 CB750. He offered to let me use his '81 GW if I would recommission it (he is helping me).

The bike was complete and in decent shape after setting 18 years. Right now we have the gas tank removed, and I have recently removed the carb asm. Tank will need interior rust mitigation, and the carb bowls all have a molasses-like gas residue in them so they will need cleaning. The engine is not seized

I have focused on disassembling the front and rear brake system since the rear master cyl was unmovable. Both front and rear brake systems had basically no fluid left in them. We have both master cylinders and all three calipers broken down now and ready for rebuild.

I'm interested in hearing from others who have completed something similar. Interested in advice as to what areas to focus on. Since I already have the rear wheel removed for gas tank removal I am considering removing the swingarm to get access to the ignition system for checkout. Think that is a good idea or not? Other areas we should be looking at? Thx
 
welcome to classic....pull the hose off the carb rack that goes to the rear ignition and suck on it to aee if you feel the ignition plate move ....if it does id say your good there ... swing arm can be a bitch to get loose ... so if you feel no movement as in slop id say thats good ....
 
Good idea to check out the ignition. It has both vacuum advance (which can leak) and the mechanical advance ( which could be rusted in position) The swingarm doesn't have to come out for this but it does make it easier.
 
[url=https://www.classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=122568#p122568:20g9f1a9 said:
mcgovern61 » Tue Jun 24, 2014 12:52 pm[/url]":20g9f1a9]
Welcome to the site from New Jersey! :clapping:

Tires, radiator hoses and timing belts for sure! Mostly because of age of the rubber.
Click to expand...


Yeah, I don't trust any of those rubber items after they have possibly run for 63K miles and then sat for 18 years. I am surprised how good the tires actually look, but they will definitely get replaced before any road trip happens. Should I also replace the brake system hoses due to age? They look serviceable, but having brakes I can trust is very important. I have noticed a lot of people are using braided stainless brake lines and was thinking of going that same way.
 
It sounds very familiar..I too brought my GL1100 Interstate to life after sitting 23 years in a garage, the guy drove it to 9,856 miles then parked it, left it with the gas valve on and over time it pushed gas into the carbs and into the cylinders, it eventually stopped leaking because the fuel turned hard and clogged all the passageways in the carbs but still filled the manifolds of the closed valves and pretty much gummed up everything.
I eventually gave up on the carbs, bought the better 82-83 set with easily removable idle circuit jets and rebuilt those.
Tank needed cleaned out, with fresh oil I spun the motor over by hand many many times to help prime the oil system and un-stick the sticking valves, hoses showed no deterioration on the inside so I am still on them but they are cheap enough probably you should do yours.
All brakes just like yours were shot, New seals on all and cleaned out the lines with denatured alcohol and air, had to buy another Master cylinder for the rear and one from China up front, tires were shot..still are but new ones waiting to install.
It is still a work in progress but is working and seems like it is good to go anywhere I want other then the tires.
Still on the fence about the head gaskets, I hear they don't like to sit with coolant for long periods, I was told if they go bad after a sit they usually fail in a 1,000 miles or less..I have put around 2500 on mine , soon as I get the tires on I`ll take it out on the freeway for some more distant rides and see.
Welcome to the forum and god luck with your new project.
 
[url=https://www.classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=122576#p122576:3vnzki1l said:
zman » Tue Jun 24, 2014 2:36 pm[/url]":3vnzki1l]
It sounds very familiar..I too brought my GL1100 Interstate to life after sitting 23 years in a garage, the guy drove it to 9,856 miles then parked it, left it with the gas valve on and over time it pushed gas into the carbs and into the cylinders, it eventually stopped leaking because the fuel turned hard and clogged all the passageways in the carbs but still filled the manifolds of the closed valves and pretty much gummed up everything.
I eventually gave up on the carbs, bought the better 82-83 set with easily removable idle circuit jets and rebuilt those.
Tank needed cleaned out, with fresh oil I spun the motor over by hand many many times to help prime the oil system and un-stick the sticking valves, hoses showed no deterioration on the inside so I am still on them but they are cheap enough probably you should do yours.
All brakes just like yours were shot, New seals on all and cleaned out the lines with denatured alcohol and air, had to buy another Master cylinder for the rear and one from China up front, tires were shot..still are but new ones waiting to install.
It is still a work in progress but is working and seems like it is good to go anywhere I want other then the tires.
Still on the fence about the head gaskets, I hear they don't like to sit with coolant for long periods, I was told if they go bad after a sit they usually fail in a 1,000 miles or less..I have put around 2500 on mine , soon as I get the tires on I`ll take it out on the freeway for some more distant rides and see.
Welcome to the forum and god luck with your new project.
Click to expand...

Interesting info, Thx. I was hoping to salvage the carbs without a 100% total rebuild, but that may be wishful thinking. What issue ended up driving you to replace your carbs?

I had not heard about the potential for a head gasket issue; has anyone actually had this happen to a bike that sat unused for an extended period?
 
Yes some of GL`s have had this happen(head gasket) ..The carbs were pretty plugged, If they were plugged with molasses that would have been fine but this stuff hardened like an epoxy almost. I still have them for spare parts and maybe could be cleaned but for the sake of my sanity I opted for a set that was opened up and was able to see they were fairly clean, just needed a good cleaning.
The passageways in these Kehins are tiny, I guess most MC carbs are but these seemed impossible with the kind of goo I was dealing with.
Pay special attention to the Idle circuit, and the accelerators valve circuit. as well be sure all your screens under your float needles are in good condition and not torn.
 
After that long, I would go over every moving part on the bike and disassemble, clean and lube.
Brake hoses deteriorate from the inside so I'd replace them.
Stainless braided best choice.

Stored inside is a very big plus here.
 
Welcome from Southern California! The only things I can think of not mentioned yet are wheel and steering stem bearings, final drive hub splines, and check the water pump for any play, or a wet weep hole. You might want to check the thermostat while you're doing the timing belts. Oh, the 3 yellow stator wires near the battery can overheat and melt the connector.
 
Where do you all get your GW service parts? I suppose it's mostly aftermarket parts for a bike this old.

Anyone using these newer gell cell or lithium ($$$$) batteries?

Is the alternator going to be a concern if I'm not running any add-on electrical load?
 
Welcome to CGW from near the Dragon in east Tennessee!
I had a problem with my yellow wires at the connector started to discolor and get saggy plastic from the heat. I had read of this problem here and removed the yellow wires from the connector and hooked them up together by themselves with newer connectors and haven't had a problem with mine. I think this is mostly due to corrosion/bad connection which causes them to overheat. Any ways welcome and any problems you have can be found already fixed here before by another member and lists their ideas for a remedy.
Good luck on your new project.
 
[url=https://www.classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=123242#p123242:26a7nmjc said:
rkmason » Sun Jun 29, 2014 3:00 am[/url]":26a7nmjc]
Where do you all get your GW service parts? I suppose it's mostly aftermarket parts for a bike this old.

Anyone using these newer gell cell or lithium ($$$$) batteries?

Is the alternator going to be a concern if I'm not running any add-on electrical load?
Click to expand...
Most guys just use the AMG battery, same as the old lead acid I suppose only better quality, cheaper to buy them dry and go to thee parts store and buy acid but then you have extra acid to look after so maybe better to spend more and get the pre measured.
Far as lithium goes Personally they are expensive and kinda worry me here with all the explosions I hear of, probably just paranoid I know.
You don't have much reserve power with all the factory stuff, maybe a few extra running lights but not for heated grips or halogen running lights, or a Christmas tree of lighting.
There exists a formula someplace that added up all the factory loads and there really wasn't many watts left.
 
Welcome to the site.
FYI if you were thinking of changing the timing belts, make sure you set the timing properly. Don't ask me how I know.
Valve stuck in head.JPG
 
There are many sources for parts. Used - this forum (For Sale Or Wanted section), Ebay, Craigslist, local salvage. New - I look at the parts manual (in the Gallery), get the part number, and do a Google search on it with the word "Honda" in front of it. They might not have what you're looking for, but you'll find it eventually.
 

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