GL1100 project

I have the holes and they likely need a cleaning again. I ride, I don't wash the bike until I put it away in the winter and I don't stop riding in the rain. I got caught in torrential stuff coming home from Mid-Ohio and she acted up bad. I will fix it this winter. Oh yes and the dual webers are sick, love to afford them but likely never will.

Cheers, Looking forward to seeing how you declutter the big girl as I want to do the same. I may re-wire the whole bike and reduce the redundancies with one of the cool moto gadgets swagger posted up. Power in, one wire out to each item etc and massive reduction in how much wire is on the bike.

Yep, very pricey and I'm really not in a position to do it, but I like to dream anyways. I was looking at the m-thingy, too. I really like the idea, but it's also pretty pricey. I'll probably do the bike in phases. Maybe next winter I'll look into rewiring everything.

Here is a video of it running. Shitty cell phone audio, but it's all I have. My chord for my real camera is missing so no good pictures. The right side headers need a little tweaking, still have to figure out how to do that, but the left side lined up pretty good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKRu5ITgG1Q&feature=plcp

It's running rough, the primary chain is slapping a bit, too, but I read that the GLs are especially prone to that if the carbs are out of sync, so that's high on the list.

It is hard to tell for here, but really doesn't sound bad to me. It looks for a split second like the airbox lid is off. It might help to put it on.
Are all four exhaust pipes getting warm close to the heads? These are typically cold blooded bikes and run much better warmed up. If all four pipes are close in temp, either by touch when first started... or spray water on them with a squirt bottle after its ran a bit. Verify you don't have a vacuum leak where the boots clamp to the carbs, I'd say your are ready for a sync to try and get rid of the primary chain slap noise. I've only bench synced mine and it does pretty good so I never messed with them any further than adjusting the idle mixture screws.
Oh, and for the record Randakks kit is worth every penny. Our 1100 kits come with a book, rather than a CD like Maritimes 1000. Easy to have out at the bench and flip back... and it explains it step by step VERY well with lots of pics.
But for an idea of what you are getting into, have you seen this? http://www.ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12168

When I built mine I had never heard another 4 cyl 'wing run and I had no idea what to expect. So for referance, here is my first start video. Was a shitty video myself, actually two takes so watch the whole thing. The second half is better after adjusting the idle speed... not stealing your thunder, just trying to help.
http://youtu.be/Rq7quTIF8Ko

I was having a hell of a time getting it running again. I finally got it started, then it died and lost all electrical power. found the main fuse had deteriorated. I replaced the fusible link with a blade fuse and it fired right up and idles much better now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-WmsWivHpg&sns=em

TommyRocker said:

I was having a hell of a time getting it running again. I finally got it started, then it died and lost all electrical power. found the main fuse had deteriorated. I replaced the fusible link with a blade fuse and it fired right up and idles much better now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-WmsWivHpg&sns=em

Click to expand...

HA this has happened to every wing owner out there I bet. The fuses don't blow, they corrode away at the pos terminal. I did the same and usually tell new wing owners to check that right away. Mine left me dead on the side of the road until I got home and found the fuse in the manual, then went and checked it out. I was able to cut the wire, twist it together to get home, then put the blade fuse in the circuit.

+ 1 to Hoosier's comment on cold blooded. Don't bother trying to tune until the temp guage is showing the engine at full temp because they will run like shit until warm, then if tuned, run very well, and if out of tune, will not improve at full temp. When I fire mine up on anything but the hottest day it needs choke and takes at least 5 mins to run correctly, then it is smooth and powerful. On cold mornings it can take half way to work before the temp guage gets to warm and I can take the choke off.

Cheers

Yeah, it was frustrating, but I sure am glad it happened in the garage instead of on the road. Plus, it was a nice and easy fix and it works great. As for cold blooded... I do remember that. This was my daily transport for a season before I got hit and tore into it. Sometimes I was surprised at how cold blooded it was, but I don't mind.

A quick question for you guys. I'm looking to order new gauges from DCC and I'm not sure which ones are right. The Google hasn't answered. For the speedo, is it 2240@60mph? And is the tach 1:4?

thanks!

I got that info here somewhere. At least for the speedo ratio. Let me dig it up if someone doesn't chime in soon.

That would be great. I'm having second thoughts about the DCC Speedo and Tach because they don't light up the same color and apparently they aren't easy to change, but I'll find something.

Found this build in gl1100 seat search, where is the project at Tommy?

I got it on the road just before winter. I've got a few thousand miles on it so far but this was a long, cold winter so I haven't gotten a whole lot of seat time. enough to know a few things I want to change. I think I want to change the whole front end to something a bit more modern. maybe Hayabusa USD's or something. I also want have a lot of hardware to change to stainless or something. I ride in rain and some stuff is already looking rough. I had gl1000 headers coated and have been running those, but they're already rusting. I think I want to make a custom 4-1 setup with unequal length tubes to bring out more of the boxer sound. The carbs need to be better tuned. It's a monster at WOT, the front end gets light and it'll break the tire loose, but at idle and part throttle it isn't perfect. It hesitates when you crack the throttle, then hits you like a freight train. I also realized that the "webers" I bought were knockoffs and they have some play in them that makes it impossible to get them synced. So eventually I'll buy real webers or maybe some Decades. I've read great things about Decade IDFs. I actually have this one on the back burner because I'm collecting parts for a sportster 1200 I just picked up. I'm just riding this one now. Here is pretty much how it stands.



So when I get done with the Sportster I'll change the carbs, front end, exhaust, some hardware, paint, and probably the bars. But for now I'm just riding it.

Nice job, are those open pipes I see?

Yes. They are completely open. It's a bit loud, but when riding reasonably they aren't too bad. When you open it up it screams pretty good. If I had a gopro I would record a quick run. It actually sounds like a beast at 7k rpm. I've heard everything from Satan's Porsche to "What the hell is that?!?!!"

Re: GL1100 project - with cool tubular fork brace!

BUMP - for no other reason, but for everybody to get a load of this TUBULAR FORK BRACE for GL1100 -

How awesome is THAT? Used to see a few of these things around on the 'F-orums & Four-ums & forums, maybe 2003-2005 - But LATELY? These are some pretty rare parts indeed. And I LOOOOVE the look of a tubular fork brace.

The "SuperBrace" was offered for the four-banger 'WINGS - but starting when, exactly? Gotta wonder whether these TUBULAR things were offered early on in the 'F-bike production, say '79-'80, but then superseded by the eminently popular "SuperBrace" type unit.

More to the point, they wouldn't interfere with a fork SHROUD, in the CB350K, CB350F. CB450K0, Guzzi Eldorado, Harley Fat Boy, Honda VT1100 Classic, etc etc.

There are some nice one-piece fork shrouds for 41mm & 43mm forks, typically CHROME (but that could still be be remedied) from late '90s - Y2K+ CRUISERS of the "Classic" variety. I'd like to get my hands on one & give it a coat of paint, colour-matched to the main bodywork colour scheme, much in the vein of the aforementioned '60s-'70s CB twins.

But the sticking point on my "CB900K0 Bol Bomber" project has always been the CLAMP type fork brace, an odd-ball 10-bolt affair with purported Tarozzi heritage. Only seen a few quite like it. It's an interesting piece, I don't wanna get RID of it, it'll probably stay with this 39mm fork through to it's final home on a 750 I'm building for the Kid, for when she outgrows the "KZ440LOL" - I've got some nice fat gaiters/boots etc, and UPPER shrouds aka "fork ears" cut down from GL1100 parts. But it ain't the look I'm shooting for here.....

My GOAL is to utilize a double-sided 43mm TRAC rendered from '96+ ST1100-ABS parts, with two RHS legs & a custom made off-side caliper hanger etc. With the back-up plan of a 41mm fork from GL1500 - EITHER of which use the standard "Super-Brace" clamp-type design. Well it's an OEM brace with integral mounting lugs on the GL1200 & GL1500 41mm forks, whereas in the case of the 43mm from the ST V4 it's actually an add-on brace from somebody called "Blackwings" or something like that. Same idea more or less but with a wrap-around loop extending to the outside faces of the legs - Which is even WORSE - It'll fit just like this 39mm version, where I'd at least be able to use the shrouds in some sliced-up half-wrap fashion, on the Gold-Wing forks....

If there's some way of modifying an existing tubular fork brace, to fit the ST1100 fork, I'd be all over that shit. Or more like I'd have to BUILD one. A tall order.

So perhaps I've just gotta get my fork shroud jollies out with this 750 project for my Daughter. For the 39mm fork, and using an original CB900F tubular type fork brace. Then I'd just use THIS brace on the 39mm fork that's on the "KZ440LOL"

So YEAH - I'd like to get my hands on one of THESE things, in the mean-time! An original GL1100 / CB900F / CBX1050 pro-link tubular type fork brace.

Isn't this one of the coolest aftermarket parts you've SEEN for the 'WING???


They're making 'em for BMW over at "Flat-Racer" - Perhaps they'd make 'em for the '81-ish HONDA forks, if there were enough interest. Gotta check around the 'Wing & 'F-bike sites, see whether anybody else shares my interest in these original period-correct pieces.


-Sigh.