Buying a non-running GL1100?

Just blocks away from me, someone was selling a 1982 GL1100 for $1000. They just dropped the price to $500. Same old story - it was running when it was parked, can't get it started now. 50k on the odometer.

For $500, I'm going to go over and take a look. Any advice? The listed problems are rear shock leaking, and the rear tire needs replacement. If it isn't starting, I suspect the carbs need rebuilding.

The tires doesn't bother me, because it seems like the majority of old bikes being sold have tires that need replacing, even if it is just because of age (I won't ride on old tires). The rear shock appears to be rebuildable on the GL1100.

I plan to bring along a flashlight and take a look at everything for any signs of damage, abuse, crash damage, leaks, etc. I'll check the fluids, the brakes, the clutch, and run it through the shift pattern. And check for any signs of idiot mechanics in the past (stripped bolts, missing fasteners, etc).

But what else should I be checking? Any flaws the GL1100s are known for that can be checked on a non-running bike?

Also, it has the fairing, but no cases in the back are pictured.

Opinions wanted!

Check the gas tank and see if it is rusty or not. Put the bike in neutral and push it to see if the brakes are locked up.
Use an ohm meter to see how charged the battery is. You will probably spend $400- $500 on parts to get it up and running. rubber boots , brake rebuild etc...
Let us know what you find.

I would take a fresh battery and some WD-40 to spray into the plenum/ carb inlets just to see if I could get it to pop off. At the very least you want to spin the motor over to see if it's free.

I've gone to look at non running machines equipped with the above and fired them up in front of the astonished owner ... only to ride away with the fire sale price intact.

The first one I bought only showed 20k on the odometer, I later determined it was 120k! Look for signs of wear that would only come from use. ( besides tires) after $500 in parts and priceless learning experiences it ran fine...except for the knock in the engine, after a $400 driveline swap, I took it on tour. Go for it!!, its only time and money...and skinned knuckles, and spilled fluids, and greasy clothes, and new curse words, ...it's fun.

Well, I shouldn't be allowed out of the house alone.

Met some nice neighbors. The seller was an older woman, put only 250 miles on the GL1100, decided it was too big for her.

No signs of damage that I could find. Looked at the following:

Brakes worked to stop the bike from being pushed (tested both), all electrical works. Rotors looked good, but there may be a leak from the front left caliper. Rims look good, and the tires are 2012 and 2013 - good enough for now. Has the hard cases, but I'm not sure if they are stock - one of the side cases is missing the cover, the other is broken. Top case looks fine. Sissy bar (it has one) looks okay. Seat looks good. Oil level looks good. Brake fluid levels look good. Radiator fluid is very low - little worried about that, but it may be that she forgot about it, or I may have bought a heck of a learning experience. I think the former - she did none of the work on the motorcycle, and she seemed honest enough (maybe she's the sort of late 50s-something woman that would screw over someone who lived a few blocks away, but I didn't get that impression). Fasteners didn't seem stripped or missing. I got a trailer hitch with it. No aftermarket mods that I see - not necessarily a bad thing, but it can be a warning sign. Timing belts were replaced a few years ago. All the locks work.

Cosmetically, the side covers are pretty good, fairing is good, the chrome on the valve covers and timing belt cover(?) is very flaky. (This is the first flat four I have ever owned). The bike seems to be better maintained than my '81 CM400.

So now on to the problems.

Battery may be toast - I have a tender on it now, we'll see how it looks tomorrow. No biggie.

Rear suspension has a problem - I'll figure that out later, but it is sagging badly. Makes getting it on the center stand quite interesting.

Rear turn signals seem loose. I'll take a more in-depth look later. All the hardware seems to be there, and there's no crash damage. Fasteners seem okay.

And the big problem - it isn't running. It will run, and sounds good, with starter fluid, and it sounds like it is firing on all cylinders. But once that burns off, it sounds like it is trying to run on one cylinder. I have some new gas in it and I'll see if it fires up tomorrow, but I suspect all four carbs are coming off.

We settled on $440. I would have gone lower for a non-neighbor, or someone shady, but for $440, I shouldn't be too far in the hole if this motorcycle is shot. Parting it out would probably get me most of the money back. But that's plan Z - it's a shame to part out a bike.

Pushed the bike home. All up a gentle incline. Funny, never really noticed I live in one of the highest spots in the neighborhood before. It was only a quarter mile though.

Here's a picture:

Seems like it’s going to be a great bike

After doing a bit of reading up on this, I'm trying to figure out what I just bought.

(Also, I should go to bed, but, um using the excuse that I should make sure the new motorcycle isn't leaking gasoline all over my garage floor.)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but:

By 1982, Honda had the Standard, Interstate, and Aspencade.

My motorcycle has "1982" on the head tube info plate. It also has the Comstar wheels. So seems likely to be the 1982.

Every photo I see of the Interstate and Aspencade has "Honda" on the fairing.

My fairing is a Vetter Windjammer. Headlight is marked Honda though. Fork tube covers appear not to have the headlight mounting ears.

So did Honda still use Vetter on factory bikes in 1982? Or did I get some sort of conversion? Both side hard cases are not Honda either. Didn't look that closely at the top case.

Oddly, the headlight says "1100" on the top.

Very nice. Congratulations.

That sure looks like the Standard to me. I think you got a heck of a deal. I'd lose the fairing and go back "naked". I think after you get the carb situation straightened out, it'll all be downhill from there. This is going to be fun to follow, keep us updated.
P.S. we love photos.

The standard headlight ears were many times taken off to fit Vetter faring ...the bike is a standard it seems ..I’m sure they were cheaper than than the dresser when new ...many standards were vetterized by owners many by dealers I’d say also 82 bikes are great bikes

Good looking bike, exhaust is not my cup of tea. Check the plate on the steering stem (should be there), will tell you exactly what you have. Cheers

[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=209679#p209679:w996v9m0 said:

D-50Dave » Today, 5:35 am[/url]":w996v9m0]
That sure looks like the Standard to me. I think you got a heck of a deal. I'd lose the fairing and go back "naked".

Click to expand...

I think I'm going to do that. I have enough connectors that I can do a painless conversion where the fairing remains an option. From what I'm reading, fairing removal or installation can be done in about an hour.

But no major changes until after I get this thing running, and running well.

I think after you get the carb situation straightened out, it'll all be downhill from there. This is going to be fun to follow, keep us updated.

Click to expand...

Here's a few minor updates:

Yanked the battery, cleaned off the terminals, and reassembled. Put the battery tender connector back on the motorcycle and plugged it in. (I may try to find a better location later - on the CM400, I wired it to the battery side of the starter relay and a frame ground which works very well.)

Sprayed PB Blaster on the screws holding the covers over the spark plug wires last night. Backed most of them out pretty easily this morning, sprayed the one holdout again and waited an hour. Managed to get all of them out with no damage, and set the covers aside. Sprayed the intake manifold bolts once I could easily access them. I'll try loosening them in a bit. Better safe than sorry. I noticed that the intake manifolds are all marked with location, and the exterior of the carbs look pretty clean for a 40 year old motorcycle. I'm hoping that when my neighbor purchased it three years ago, it had the carbs rebuilt just before sale. I'm going to try to yank the carbs, pull off the bowls, and just clean the jets. I may end up rebuilding the carbs later, but if I can just get this running now, I can do further diagnostics. If the carb gaskets are only three years old, I may succeed in reassembling the bowls without any leaks.

With 12 hours on the battery tender, the bike turns over, but the battery seems weak. Too weak for a compression test. I'll give it some more time before writing the battery off.

Missing one fuse, and a 10A fuse had a 15A fuse inserted into it. Going to make a trip today to see if I can find some fuses of the proper amperage. Continuity on all fuses are good.

Now some questions:

Were the valve covers on these chromed by default? The pictures I'm finding online for a 1982 GL1100 engine aren't chromed, and the chrome is flaking horribly. That makes me think it was done later. Here's some pictures.




Does this look like the default configuration for rear turn signals? The fasteners holding this together seem too long.



Here's the headlight that's in the fairing. Is this a relocated Honda standard headlight?



And here's the picture of the aftermarket fairing in all its glory.

[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=209683#p209683:fg6mxjo6 said:

Rednaxs60 » Today, 9:13 am[/url]":fg6mxjo6]
Good looking bike, exhaust is not my cup of tea. Check the plate on the steering stem (should be there), will tell you exactly what you have. Cheers

Click to expand...

Isn't that the default exhaust? Seems like a common exhaust in pictures of naked GL1100s that I see.

Chrome was not factory on valve or timing covers. Chrome plating on aluminum never holds up well. You can see that for yourself. Those exhaust turndowns were not factory-installed on the 1000, 1100, or 1200 gold wings. Besides, they’re just slip on’s. Probably a couple of set screws and they’ll slide right off.

Your running problem almost sounds like a fuel pump/pressure rather than carbs. I’m certainly not saying the carbs don’t need work and might not be the problem, but I would check to see if you’re getting fuel delivery from the pump before pulling that carb rack.

For 440 bucks, you got a whale of a deal. Congratulations and good luck with it!

[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=209692#p209692:6fep5frn said:

desertrefugee » Today, 3:37 pm[/url]":6fep5frn]
Chrome was not factory on valve or timing covers. Chrome plating on aluminum never holds up well. You can see that for yourself. Those exhaust turndowns were not factory-installed on the 1000, 1100, or 1200 gold wings. Besides, they’re just slip on’s. Probably a couple of set screws and they’ll slide right off.

Click to expand...

Down the road, I'll remove the chrome (at this point, I think a plastic scrub brush would remove most of it) and try one of the sanding / Harbor Freight polishing kit tutorials for motorcycle engines.

Weird, I've seen those exhausts on a few bikes around here. Maybe a local dealer installed them at one time? Or a popular option? I may need some clarification - are you thinking the mufflers are stock, and just the turndown extensions are slipons? Or that both the muffler and the turndown extensions are slipons?

Your running problem almost sounds like a fuel pump/pressure rather than carbs. I’m certainly not saying the carbs don’t need work and might not be the problem, but I would check to see if you’re getting fuel delivery from the pump before pulling that carb rack.

Click to expand...

Before I attempted to pull the carbs, I thought about that. Could be a clogged petcock, clogged filter in the tank, clogged fuel filter, or bad pump. Fuel line is ... one with the rest of the motorcycle. Tried prying it off, didn't work. Time to replace all of the gas lines and the filter, just to be safe.

Checked each of the carb bowls at the drain screws, and all had gasoline. Although one appeared dry at first - perhaps some varnish inside the bowl? I don't get as good of a flow from that carb. Anyways, I figured it is time to pull the carbs and see what I have.

Tried pulling the carbs by removing the air filter housing and pulling them out the left side, and everything is about a millimeter too tight. I ended up stuffing some rags in the exposed intakes to prevent any debris, and gave up to think about it. Looking online, people recommend removing the #1 and #3 vacuum piston covers to remove that, but I found the first two stripped screws on my motorcycle which prevents that. I think I'll try moving the gas tank back about half an inch and see if that works.

For 440 bucks, you got a whale of a deal. Congratulations and good luck with it!

Click to expand...

Thanks. Haven't even posted pictures of all the accessories that came with it, but I think the hard side cases are a lost cause. Trunk looks passable. Trailer hitch looks good and seems to include a locking quick release for the side cases. Sissy bar needs a closer inspection. At first glance, the chrome guards to protect the side cases look passable.

I checked the side cases today, and they were manufactured locally. I may need to keep an eye on Craigslist in case I want to keep those as an option.

What you have is a nice condition 1982 Standard with the following:

1. An aftermarket Windjammer fairing (the original turn signal ears will be found cutoff to install the fairing)
2. Aftermarket chrome valve covers, timing covers, fuel pump cover, instrument gauge cover, exhaust extension tips.
3. Aftermarket sissy bar/storage rack with changed rear turn signal extenders
4. Aftermarket grips
5. Aftermarket engine guard
6. Aftermarket front fender guard with lights added
7. Aftermarket fork brace (definitely keep!)

All said and done, many of these items were available from the dealer and could very well have been dealer installed back in the day. Nothing wrong with any of these item except as you may have already found with the chrome peeling on the valve covers (common). The original valve covers and timing belt covers would have been clear-coated aluminum.

I would estimate the total cost of repairs to get road worthy again in the $900-$1200 for parts including tires, brake caliper rebuild kits (easy job on an '82), shock rebuild, fork seals, battery, clean the gas tank, intake o-rings, carb rebuild kit (if do it yourself), front turn signals (if you intend and timing belts.

We had a similar '81 Standard come our way a few years back. It cost us about $1200 to get her in top notch shape and resold for nearly $3000.



Here is our restoration thread to give you ideas:

viewtopic.php?p=185939#p185939

I also converted my '82 1100 from Vetter windshield back to Standard. Here is that thread:

viewtopic.php?p=85191#p85191

viewtopic.php?p=35320#p35320

Thanks for the info! I've read it, and I've even saved it for later.

My wife christened the motorcycle yesterday. Mayflower. Because we got it in the month of May, and she says its as big as a boat.

Finally got the carbs off. Had to take off the vacuum chamber covers on #1 and #3, just as the service manual states. As I said, the inside screws on the #1 and #3 vacuum chambers were stripped. #1 came out after a night of PB blaster and a fresh JIS bit. The #3 inside screw was not coming out with the bit, so I carefully laid a rag underneath to catch metal shavings and took a hacksaw blade and cut a slot in it. (I already had rags stuffed into the engine intakes.) That took patience. But it worked.



Engine looks pretty clean under the carbs. I think the pool is some left over PB blaster. Feels oily to the touch. Yes, one of the spark plug cables has damaged insulation. Pretty sure that wasn't me.




Carbs don't look too bad from the outside. I'll open the bowls up in the coming days, depending on my schedule, and take pictures.

After I removed the carb, I decided to drag the rest of the accessories out to the driveway and get some good pictures. Side cases are a complete loss save for the quick release mechanism. Everything else appears to be salvageable.

Here's all the stuff that came with the motorcycle. I think I scored.

The contents of one of the hard cases, I'm quite pleased. I finally own a Honda tool kit, and it looks mostly complete.


Contents of another side case. I didn't take the time to figure out what the short pieces are for.


Trailer hitch in detail, with the locking quick release mechanism for the hard side cases. Yes, it came with the key. I think part of the mounting system is still attached to the bike.

After taking pictures, I looked at the suspension. Added air to the front suspension - took it up to 18 PSI. We'll see what the pressure is tomorrow. Rear suspension went up to 50 PSI. Warning light for the rear suspension turns off now. But I hear the whine of a air leak somewhere on the left rear side, and the back loses pressure rapidly. Not sure where the problem is quite yet. At least I could easily get it on the center stand while the suspension was aired up.

Thanks for the info! I've read it, and I've even saved it for later.

Click to expand...

I went back myself to read the posts and realized the video links were bad. I fixed all of the video links so they can be watched in the threads.

BTW, you may already know this, but if you want to "save" threads, you can "BookMark" them right here on the site. At the bottom of any page of any post is the "Bookmark" button. Just click that and you will start saving threads that you will want to look through again. It is great using the site bookmarks because they become part of your account no matter which computer you log in on with your log in information.

The short pieces you're not sure of appear to be mounting brackets for a drivers backrest.

[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=209733#p209733:3r62frzm said:

kerryb » Yesterday, 6:40 am[/url]":3r62frzm]
The short pieces you're not sure of appear to be mounting brackets for a drivers backrest.

Click to expand...

I'll need to play with that then. My other motorcycle has no backrest, and my bicycles obviously don't, so I'm a little awkward on mounting any motorcycle with a backrest.