Hello from the UK and have a request for help

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mossquire

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Hi from the UK, I’ve just acquired a GL1100 to get used to riding a Goldwing. This is primarily because I have wanted a naked Goldwing for some years but could never justify it....to the wife! yahoo: However next year (August 2022) I am going on a road trip with my brother who I haven’t seen for many years. He lives in Boston and we are doing Route 66 then the Pacific Coast Highway to Portland then back to Boston. Yes, its further than one would normally go but I guess, being practical It may be the last time we see each other due to circumstances. So it’s going to be a memorable trip. I have decided that I want to do the trip on a GL1000 which I intend to buy in the States over the next couple of months. I would ideally like a concourse 1975 1976 wire wheel low milage Antares Red one but obviously they are fairly rare so I am still thinking of getting a one and having it fully restored over there. Either way it’s going to have to be reliable for 7500 miles and them its coming home with me and will be one of those memory bikes. If anyone reading this knows of such a bike or knows a top-class restorer of Goldwing’s, I would be grateful to hear from you. If you have such a bike and are thinking about selling it be assured it will with me for the rest of my life as it will be part of my life.
 
Hmmm...

Looks like you've got a nice collection of bikes listed...

You could probably find one in that year... and you could restore it... but that particular trip will be pretty demanding of it, and you.

I'm not one to suggest a man change his desires, but for that particular trek, it would be more practical to find a more recent (1500 or 1800, even a 1200) with modest mileage for the trek, and SEEK out the one you'd like to restore, and have it (and a parts donor or two) shipped back so you can do it up proper for the UK environment.

The primary reason I suggest this... is because the '70's era machine is rapidly approaching 50 years old, and as such, immediate parts for a mid-trip repair will NOT be an 'immediate' find. If you were to have a breakdown in Vinita, Oklahoma, and needed a brake master cylinder, it might stall your trip for anywhere from a day to a week... but even a mid 90's 1500 would be pretty easy to get in shorter time.

And when you pass through Oklahoma City onto I-40, you'll be much more able to enjoy the trek amidst the 125kp/h traffic. There's lots of open space out there, and most of the vehicles you'll be sharing space with, will NOT be patiently smelling the flowers.

There's a whole lot to see on that drive, and you'll probably only see a small fraction of it, but you should be comfortable doing it, and not put a 50-year old restoration gem through that sort of a torture test and risk spending half your trip or more trying to work out the bugs. You could get off an airplane with your riding gear in a bag, and your evening clothes in another, find a good used 1500 or 1800 for under $5000, Ride it to a dealer for a full set of fluids, new tires, new battery, pick it up next morning, pack everything on, and head west, and each night, search Craigslist for the next two days' path to look for the 75/76 that you want... and look at them along the way... and when you FIND one, buy it where it sits, have it picked up and transported to someplace for short-term storage (say... a Honda shop in Boston), and have them prepare it, and whatever else you might find, for shipment... and when you get done with your trip, back in Boston, sell the 1500 for probably the same amount you gave for it... They don't lose any significant value when you add 10,000 miles to a bike that already has 50 to 100,000 already on the odometer...
 
Here is a '77 1000 on EBay might be worth looking at:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1977-Honda-Gol ... 1438.l2649

s-l1600.jpg
 
Hi, yes I know it will be old and I will have to plans in place should the bike give up. I need to do it on this bike just for personal reasons and if it breaks then I will have to deal with it and have a 'plan B'. The bike itself being nearly 50 years old would certainly not be as reliable as say a newer one however I have to say that in my experience the problems you have with a bike of this age are more likely fixable than problems with newer bikes. Electrics, ECU's sensors and the like are usually untraceable at the roadside. I can quite happily ride for a couple of days without a back brake master cylinder but not without a fuek injection unit. I will make sure that it has a SS rectifier, Dyna and Randaks carb overhaul and I guess leave the rest to GOD, prayer and kind Goldwing owners on here, thats after I get a 1000 told you so's :shock:
 
[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=221517#p221517:z2x306ru said:
mcgovern61 » Today- 2:04[/url]":z2x306ru]
Here is a '77 1000 on EBay might be worth looking at:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1977-Honda-Gol ... 1438.l2649


file.php

Thanks, yes Ive seen this and another which are suitable starters, this one is the colour I want however the other has had all the work done already, new tyres, Pistol Pete's carb overhaul, belts, service, Randaks fuel filter ect so the both will be fine and I can always have the other one wrapped in Antares Red I guess
 
You might think about joining GWRRA. Their membership includes road side assistance on a bike. https://gwrra.org/benefits.html

It is not that expensive and if you join makes sure to get the gold book sent to you when signing up. it's included.
It is a book containing members across the world and if you have a problem you can call a member. They are more than happy to make a bikers trip to continue.

That will be a very nice ride for you.
 
Running the entire Route 66 is a dream I have whether its on a bike or in a car.
I would make plenty of time to visit all the nostalgic sites. Would be an incredible journey. There are still many sites to explore.

Much of the road is on maintained 2 and 4 lane highway, but plenty of stretches (here in California that I've seen) are side-road forgotten sun beaten pot-holed asphalt. These might be the best parts with all the abandoned buildings and a few ghost towns.

This pic I took in '09 near Barstow California. I think we were going to Laughlin Nevada for a couple days with the kids.

Choose the timing carefully, it has gotten to 115+ degrees in some parts. It also gets below freezing in the winter. Very windy some months also. These winds are brutal in the hot dry 0-1% humidity summers with high gusts.
I have seen a web site that shows average temps. There is probably one for winds too.
A medium tall windscreen would be a priority for me, as well as tinted face shield.

Your route to PCH is not far from me to meet up. I'll buy the beer.
 
[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=221545#p221545:2irorrsm said:
desertrefugee » March 18th, 2021, 8:24 pm[/url]":2irorrsm]
The piece running through Grants, NM is really sobering. One abandoned motel after another still standing. Eerie.

There's a small mining museum about a half-block north of old Rt 66 in Grants... has some very interesting stuff on mining in the southwest. The geology of that area is fascinating to those of us heavily afflicted by interest in the physical circumstance of earth.

Another great thing to see, is Meteor Crater, just east of Flagstaff, and south about a mile. Don't let the 'cow path' road fool you, when you get there, watch the documentary, and realize that when it hit, it appeared in the sky, and within four seconds, it impacted with energy that made our atomic bombs look like toy cap-guns. As you drive away, notice the rifts of unusual colored rock formations- they were caused by the impact that created the crater. THEN... go look up the other known impact craters on Earth. As you drive through the southwest, you'll see fossils of huge fish, dinosaurs, and petrified treese... it's because it had a totally different look before that meteor showed up.

Once you get to LA, and prepare to head north, try to add a detour up to Tehachapi, head down 58 and hop off at Broome Rd to watch a train come through the Tehachapi Loop.
 
Oh,and before you go, if you haven't already seen the animated movie CARS... watch it.;-D
 
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