My '81 Honda Gold Wing GL1100
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Work in progress... |
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The bike itself is quite nice. Shaft-driven, electronic distributor points, CD ignition, all stock 
No luggage/saddle-bags, trunk, nor huge fairing. Comfortable seating for me and my passenger and plenty of torque.
Originally it was a dull yellow paint (maybe primer) that the previous owner put on and did a very crappy job of it. So I stripped the trim off her -- fabbing a temporary rear mount for the taillight assembly so I could still legally ride her -- and gave it to a fellow Rose City Volkster, Robb Reed, to work his magic: A squirting of black paint then overlayed with carbon fiber and gold-tinted resin! A test panel revealed that painting the underside gold, then overlaying with the carbon fiber, looked like crap so we went with the traditional black paint underneath. A gold tint was added to the resin but it gave the carbon fiber a greenish coloration. I also added driver and passenger floorboards and heel/toe shifter...MUCH more comfortable! Crashbars were removed as part of the floorboard install and I like the look of it better without them, they don't clutter up the flow of the engine. I will admit that the bike looks better without the windscreen but it makes a BIG difference when riding. For around town I leave it off but for a longer trip it goes back on.
Stuff I've done:
- Carbon Fiber overlay instead of paint (was the less expensive option)
- 2007 update: The ugly green carbon fiber was too ugly so I took a crack at my first paint job. The results.
- 2009 update: Paint is still holding but a couple of cracks showed up in the battery cover. I want a pro to paint her when I get the cash.
- 2010
update: March. The paint looks fine from about 6 feet and beyond. It has faded but since it wasn't brilliant to begin with the fade isn't too bad. Up close the paint is checking and in a couple very tiny spots the primer is exposed.
- Driver and passenger floorboards
- Heel-toe shifter
- After-market tear-drop side view mirrors (wide angle)
- Eagle head front fender ornament with illuminated amber eyes
- Helmet lock extension
- Polished cap on front brake fluid reservoir
- Had the deteriorating stock seat recovered. Removed one inch from the driver seat back to give me more room to stretch. Picture-1 Picture-2
Additional valve adjusting pictures: Timing hole | Rotating the engine
Additional clutch adjusting pictures: Clutch cover | Use a 17mm wrench to remove the clutch cover | Looking forward at the clutch hole from the left side of the rear tire | Close up of lock nut and adjusting screw | Using a 1/4" ratchet with a 10mm socket to loosen the lock nut | Clutch cable at lower adjuster completely loosened | Clutch cable at clutch lever bracket completely loosened |
Note: In the Clymer shop manual, page 21, Clutch Adjustment procedure, Section 2, to loosen the lower adjustment you need to rotate the lower nut anti-clockwise as viewed from the top. Also, after loosening the two adjustments, fully pull the clutch a couple of times to slacken the cable.
Videos on putting a [1981] Goldwing on its center stand. Please note that I've slowed down a little and over-emphasized some actions to make the operation more clear for those who may be having difficulties. Once you get the hang of it you'll develope your own personal style. I can pop up my 650 pound bike in flip-flops (if I'm moving it around in the garage) in a jiffy! At the time of these videos I weighted about 175 pounds.
Left side view Download size: 7.39 MB
Rear view Download size: 6.49 MB
Right side view Download size: 7.20 MB
Front side view Download size: 6.46 MB
