'83 GL1100 Aspencade getting back on the road

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I didn't get to play with the wing today because of the rain. Here's the promised pictures:

Sorry for the poor quality, things to note in this is my awesome folgers parts box and my neighbors trash can in the alley (it's been there since May)


Proof that the headlight works


Please don't judge me for not taking care of my air controller, I haven't figured out exactly what to do with it yet. Also take note of my dog beg/ cushy parts holder off to the right.
 
Road trials day two: there's trouble near the water

This morning was a wonderful morning to go for a short jaunt south to see what I can see and make sure that the Wing is doing everything that it is supposed to be. I planned on heading south for about 26 miles to the ferry landing, hanging out a bit, and turning back without incident.
The trip started out just dandy. Old-gold started up without incident, warmed up nicely while I put on my riding gear and we exited the neighborhood without crashing and dying, always a good thing.
For those who are unaware, I live on Whidbey Island; which just so happens to be an island. Islands being surrounded on four sides by water have strange weather patterns. While navigating through one of these weather occurrences, a thin strip of land that is known to have a strong crosswind, I noticed the wing began to act "odd". She was low on power, wouldn't accelerate past 3000 rpm, and would have brief power surges. I figured it was due to the high velocity cross wind hitting me, but as soon as I turned away from it, the low power/ surges continued!

Step 1 was to take a deep breath and swallow the impending doom that had crept up in my throat, since this is the test phase of a completely untested bike; I was prepared for the worst.
Step 2 was to analyze the situation and thing of probable causes.
Step 3 was to reach down and turn the petcock to reserve since I was running out of gas. Problem solved!
Step 4 pull my head out of my hindquarters.

Switched over to reserve, and about 10 miles from home I opted to play it safe and fuel up at the next gas stop and turn around. Test was 50% complete for today.

Stopped at the petrol station to relinquish my hard earned dollar and a new tragedy presents itself. Just as I finish topping the tank off I notice fuel spilling all over the concrete (I could actually see the dollar signs floating up into the heavens). Step 1 was to stare in disbelief that something actually went wrong; step 2 was to look for the leak. Step 2 never got complete since my money stopped pouring itself on the ground a few seconds after I stopped pumping. All I could really do was verify that it had in fact leaked precious fuel on the ground and make sure it wasn't coming from anything important.
The leak itself originated at the rear of the tank, up high, so I knew it wasn't from the petcock or the fuel pump. Safe in the knowledge that I probably wasn't going to die and that I "should" be able to make it home, I made a bee-line for my garage and the safety that it brought.
The return trip was quite uneventful, aside from the smell of petrol emanating from my beast. Upon inspection at home after removal of the seat, the fuel sending unit gasket was where the leak originated from. I hadn't found this problem prior since I had only filled the gas tank about 1/2 way in the past. I sealed the tanking using some permatex high temp and made sure the hold-down ring was on tightly (which it wasn't when I took the seat off).

So far this is working well. I'll be taking it out again soon and will make sure to check this as a "weak area". This is the whole point of my road trials, to work all the bugs out. I'm glad that stupid stuff like this is turning up now and somewhere more than 10 miles from my tools.
The engine is running like a champ, still lugging a little below 3500 rpm, but getting better. I'd say now it only lugs at about 3000 rpm. I'm hoping that it massages itself out over the course of the next 100 miles or so.

Side note, the speedo cable that I ordered arrived today, so as soon as I install it I won't have to approximate speed or distance. This will add to the perceived legality of the wing.

proof that I will know if I am speeding:

second side note (especially interesting to anyone with a '83 GL1100A interesting in converting the LED dash to analog): this is a speedo cable from a GL1200 which will fit in the '83 GL1100A speed sensor hole. Saves money by not having to replace the gear on the hub.
 
New update, I'm all impatient and what-not, so I installed the GL1200 speedo cable and it fits great. Probably the easiest thing ice done to this beast. Weather permitting I'll be going for round 3 of road trials tomorrow.
 
Wow...great stories! I love watching a bike come back to life! (and all of the things we go through getting it there!) So you live out on the rock! I spent 4 days a month for the last 3 years out there building ferries at NBBB in Freeland!
 
mcgovern61":37pv3crk said:
Wow...great stories! I love watching a bike come back to life! (and all of the things we go through getting it there!) So you live out on the rock! I spent 4 days a month for the last 3 years out there building ferries at NBBB in Freeland!

I love watching these old bikes come back to life because it is keeping something alive that would normally be discarded in our throw away economy. I'm waiting to see if 30+ years from now there will be an R1 forum dedicated to folks reviving their beloved "barn find" Yamahas.

I love living on "the rock", the weather is crumby days like today when I can't get out because of the rain; but the scenery is second-to-none!

I'm a big fan of those ferries too. Makes the commute certain places alot more enjoyable; letting someone else do the navigating for a short time. Great job putting those together, they're built like TANKS! Not too many boats out there can carry 18 wheelers across the ocean a dozen times a day 7 days a week.

Grinnin' like a fool on the Mukilteo Ferry:

Gotta love the views:
 
joedrum":2bj9j2en said:
wow thats pretty sceanery mackie....

you're talking about the first picture right? I know I'm a good lookin' guy, but you don't gotta spread it all over the internet like that!

:smilie_happy:
 
well you look alright too mackie ......im so impressed with thread and the work youve done on the oldwing and your thoughts on things ....you look like a yamaha r1 guy ...but you taken on a love for these oldwings ....and your doing way above average job from scatch or knowing nothing about them ....your going to enjoy the effort you made im sure... :good: :mrgreen:
 
joedrum":20z0328y said:
im so impressed with thread and the work youve done on the oldwing and your thoughts on things

What can I say, I've got a thing for these old Honda's, they really do grow on you.

Road trials day 3: 33.333 miles

So, the weather was great, I didn't have to go into work until late tonight so the road tests began!

Here's the route around my neighbor that I took. For the one person familiar with the area: I started in Whidbey Island, took state route 20 south to Coupeville, did some sight seeing at Fort Casey State park and headed home via West Beach Rd. Great scenery right here in my home town!



Fort Casey is a neat little monument to a simpler time when Whidbey Island was fortified against everything imaginable. Behind the bike is a 7 inch gun!!!


There's also a nice little lighthouse on this part 'o the coast. Apparently ships and shore don't mix very well.


This was the planned turnaround point from the last trip which didn't go as well as this one. Here's a shot on the road proving that I did infact get the speedo and tach hooked up properly and I'm not just trailering from scenic spot to scenic spot. (again, I appologize for not doing anything with the air controller. Notice my masking tape chaffe guard keeping my paint pristine. Also, sorry for the glare)


If you ever find yourself on Whidbey I definetly recommend taking West Beach Road as it is a beautiful 8-9 mile section of road (maybe less). Near the intersection of West Beach and Swantown is Swan lake. Beautiful little spot where you've got the Ocean on one side and the lake on the other. (didn't see any swans thought. The thing to note in this pic is the Wing's position, it took me 10 minutes to get her lined up to look this good against this backdrop)


So, that's the end of my trip. Everything finished up without a hitch, 33 miles logged (according to Google maps). The speedo is about 10 mph off at all speeds, but I knew to expect that. Not one complaint from me, all the stress from the world went away over the hour I spent cruising. After I got home, I parked the bike and went to work...
 
Nice ride! Great job! Are you gonna ride in the rain like the other islanders? (It only rains 9 months around there)

Does this look familiar?
IMG_0250.JPG
WSF64_4-3-10_ 096.jpg
 
mcgovern61":2zh1ach9 said:
Couple more of the Mukilteo ferry on a nice breezy day:

I took some great pics from the helo yesterday. As soon as I extract them from my camera I'll post them up here...

Riding in the rain, maybe... It depends if it's raining where I'm going!
 
As promised here's the pics from the other day. I know this is completely off topic, but oh well...

Mukilteo pulling out of the Mukilteo side from about 1000' above the Puget Sound. These didn't come out as well as I was hoping, but I'm not a pro so take it easy on me.


Here's a bit closer, still at about 1000', but I used the telephoto lens. It's tough taking pics of things from a moving helicopter. Those things are a little rougher ride than your typical airline. You can see it was pretty overcast when I took these. As mentioned in above posts it rains about 9 months a year around here.


Not the ferry, but here's one of "work". A good bunch of guys, I trust them with my life pretty much everytime we fly.
 
Road trials day ?: Nowhere to go but south...

Work is hard, stressful. Relief is needed. Enter the Goldwing!

Abruptly pulled from my everyday life and into the wind-in-your-hair reckless lifestyle of the Goldwing-ed I barell down the highway like a greased monkey in a waterslide. Nothing can keep me from an unknown destination described only as "Adventure"

Most of my hard earned cash is traded for a small allotment of petrol in an effort to test my unorthodox fuel sending unit fix. Mission succesfull. This being done, I am free to stretch the wings road legs a bit and the only destination in sight is south, since the rain is coming from the north. I can see clear skys in the distance, and it's only a few miles to get there.

The Old-wing's longest journey since unattaching herself from a trailer was about 40 miles. Touring bikes need to go further than 40 miles! Today will be a good day for this bike. I set my crosshairs on a random point that only my odometer knows. I'm going to head 50 miles south, turnaround, and head straight back north without stopping. 100 miles of unencumbered freedom in the saddle of a Wing, testing the limits of this machine.

The rubber and the pavement are like old lovers, caressing each other gently and lovingly. I am not greeted by any problems on this ride. Stress has been relieved... More work tomorrow, maybe another 100 on the clock too...

Pics from the journey:

South toward Clinton:


Goats and the big black one (with it's head down) is a Llama:


Look close, these are wild deer. Near Possession bay:


I did do some calculating on this trip too, since I was in a scientific mood. I filled up before leaving and then filled back up at the 86 mile mark. All she drank was 2.38 gallons which tells me 36.13 MPG.
I was averaging around 55 - 60 MPH (3100 - 3200 RPM) but was shifting at 4500+ RPM and did about 20 minutes tooling around at 25 MPH in a neighborhood and there were quite a few uphill sections.
I've heard the reports of better gas mileage, but I take it all with a grain of salt. Like fishing stories. I absoulutely need to change the air filter, so that factors in as well. Fuel filter in new.

Here's the real question: I've got an oppertunity to go from Washington state to southern Arizona at the begining of next month, the minimum mileage is around 1,600.
Who would trust this bike to do it, given it's history?
It's really gnawing at me to do it, but truthfully, I don't trust this bike that far from home.
What else do I need to do/ test before this trip can actually be done?
 
i wouldnt give it a second thought ..its ready .....just keep cursing around your area do some hiway runs ..they do this the best ....and again mix ATF automatic trans oil in the gas 8oz per tank to keep cleaning the carbs .....use it on the trip to ...by the time your back your bike will be spotless in the fuel system ...the bigest concern is tires start with new rubber ....this is where these bikes realy perform and show there stuff ....weak links are fuel pump and water pump but that not a big concern tho there pretty reliable but if i have spares i always throw them in the trip package and hav never needed them ...have you fix the sator wires on your bike or checked for good connection ......i have made many long trips on my 79 mongrel over the yrs and have never broke down on a trip but i have bought many tires along the way ...i hate motorcycle tyres they just dont last at all ....wings are great touring machines period...its probably just what your bike needs for a final tuning and operating state .... :mrgreen:
 
I totally agree, do as much around town and freeway runs as you can before then to shake out any gremlins.
You seem mechanical enough to know what to look and listen for any problems also.

Like Joe says these bikes perform better as the miles tick along and the atf really does help.
 

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