1981 GL1100 available...want your opinion

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 5:04 pm

Looking for an opinion from the wealth of experience here. I've been offered a 1981 GL1100 Goldwing for $1,000. Bike has about 62k. Original owner, always stored in a heated garage and well maintained. Very clean as per the attached pics. Any concerns about the amount of mileage? I'd like to have this to go on trips with my wife or to make it a naked bike.

Thanks in advance for the feedback.

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 5:12 pm

I had a couple friends with 81 gold wings. They were very nice bikes and smooth. The guys took them from Michigan to Florida on a trip without a hiccup. IMO, if the belts have been checked and all the other engine / suspension basics check out, it sounds like a nice deal. Nice full dress. Paint looks very good from the pics

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 5:35 pm

David, Hell, for a $1K investment, buy the bike and put it away for another 10 years. It looks to be well loved.
I think that's a steal at a thousand.

Chris

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 5:42 pm

Those bikes, if maintained, are usually capable of mileage like a well maintained car. The motors typically run for over 150K miles.

Hawk Joined: Jan 10, 2012 Posts: 439 Location: Chicago

David,

I have a couple of older GL bikes...
Other than the typical maintenance of these beasts...Oil, brakes, rear diff fluid...The timing belts are the most crucial item to make sure they are in excellent condition...
They are typically about $100 for a pair but worth every penny to have new...

E

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 6:21 pm

David,

As the owner of a couple GL1000's, I can tell you that if properly maintained, these last for many, many miles. For $1000, I wouldn't hesitate to grab that bike. Since it's the original owner, he should be able to tell you when the belts were last changed. If he can't remember, then just do it. Rule of thumb is every 5 years if known, immediately if not known. The correct Gates belts for these are less than $50 for the pair and they aren't tough to replace. It's more work getting the bike ready to replace them (draining and removal of radiator, bracketry, etc.) than the actual job, but it isn't bad.

There's a wealth of information on the Naked Gold Wing site (www.ngwclub.com) and plenty of friendly members who will help you in a heartbeat.

Yes, these are smooth as silk and your wife will enjoy riding on it with you

Grab it and don't look back!

Tom

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 7:52 pm

buy it. convert to STD.

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 7:56 pm

David.. Please, Please do not ride NAKED on this bike.... moon

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 9:43 pm

As expected, excellent feedback, thank you very much. When you see a picture of the bike on my trailer, you'll know what happened.
I did some reading about the old wings on the nakedwing site and the info there was consistent with the feedback there.

I pm'd Nunzio because of the beautiful job he did on the naked GL1100 he created, but haven't heard back from him. Seeing what he did with that bike was really the motivation for keeping an eye out for an old 'wing.

Happy Thanksgiving to you guys south of the border.

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 10:08 pm

Buy it at $1K it's a great buy. Like E and Gene said get the belts new, change the fluids and you've got a road trip bike.

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 10:15 pm

basmn wrote:

David.. Please, Please do not ride NAKED on this bike.... moon

Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 3:04 pm

The brakes won't be like your F bike. Other than that they're a nice cruiser. I put 320mm rotors with Brembo calipers on my Blown 1000.

If you don't have the history on when the belts were changed, do it now. You can get them at the NAPA store.

Don't think you can get hurt for a grand.

Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 3:29 pm

I'm not sure that the same belts are used on the GL1100, but if they are, here's what's probably the best deal out there for them: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CRBRZI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

When I was shopping for belts for my '78 GL, NAPA quoted me 2x this price.

Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 5:04 pm

I ride naked most of the time:

But sometimes I like having heated grips. Smile

Get the bike, it looks like a steal, especially if that is CDN$1000 (at least it would be for me).

Twinstar Joined: Jan 11, 2014 Posts: 59 Location: Germany

I prefer racing Gold Wings myself ...

Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 8:02 pm

I looks very well maintained, I'd go for it at 1K. Even if you change your mind you could get 2K out of it.

MB-5 Joined: Nov 25, 2015 Posts: 12 Location: Hanover Pa.

You can't beat RockAuto.com for price on the gates belts. That a nice GL1100 for 1K

Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 11:58 pm

PhilC wrote:

I prefer racing Gold Wings myself ...

Phil do you race/trackday your Wing?

The vintage race club in Ontario has been asked to consider pre 1983 water cooled machines as eligible machines, yours is a great example.

Jim

Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 8:56 pm

thats not high mileage for those at all. +1 on the timing belts, they are a must. otherwise check the carbs out (if rebuild is needed, randaaks kits are the only logical choice), check the tank for rust and then do the standard tune up crap. if the exterior looks like that and it wasnt stored outside, id say get it if you dont mind a project

Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2015 5:21 pm

Ok, got the Wing!
The bike is clean and has 89,000 kms (about 56k miles). It has been sitting for about 2.5 years in an underground garage. I've changed the oil, drained the tank and refilled with fresh gas and seafoam (tank looked clean inside; no obvious signs of rust). I ran the bike a few times for about 10 mins each time, but it was really rough; it was difficult to moderate idle on choke, and didn't want to hold idle once warm. I think only one or two cylinders were running so I checked the plugs (see pics below). The right side plugs looked ok, but the left side ones did not so I changed them. I checked the temps of the headers after changing the plugs and the left side was cold; the right front was about 180, but the right rear was much cooler. The new plugs didn't make a difference. I think the next obvious thing is to clean and overhaul the carbs. Looks like I'm going to be a Randakks customer...

Like any classic bike that's been sitting, it needs refreshing:
- brakes are siezed, but I know new front brake kits were installed 5 years ago; I'll have to take them apart for cleaning.
- change coolant
- change rear drive gear oil
- tires have a 2006 date stamp, but are hardly used and with no cracks; I'll replace them anyway
- check front and rear suspension air pressures
- check valve clearances
- change the timing belts
- battery is good
- air filter is good
- exhaust is in good condition; chrome looks great from the sides but the inner parts facing the rear wheel have surface rust. It will take some work to remove as much of it as I can
- bike fires up right away once warm, but I have heard some noise from the starter clutch....

There were some awesome things that came with the bike; things that classic bike owners love - the original Honda bags for the side cases and an original Honda air pressure guage. Very cool.

I joined goldwingdocs.com. The site has great info.

The key reason I took the 'wing is to be able to ride with my wife. The good news is that last night she actually said she was excited about the bike Very Happy

Awesome. The bad news is she wants me to sell the 900 Shocked

Crap.

Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 2:20 pm

Good luck with the new project David. I wish my wife would get on a bike at all.
DO NOT SELL THE 900F!!

Contact me if you are down this way. ScrambleBob and I might go the the Toronto bike show in January. I'll let you guys know when confirmed.

Take Care,
Chris

MB-5 Joined: Nov 25, 2015 Posts: 12 Location: Hanover Pa.

Glad to see you got the wing. Very nice looking machine, your wife will love it on that bike. (my wife loves riding on our 82 interstate) Don't sell the 900F you need a good solo , backup bike ! Wink

Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2015 12:22 am

I love my '77 GL1000. I'm amazed that is as smooth going 80MPH as it is at 20MPH! Very comfortable to ride.
Brakes are not as good and the handling not as quick or sharp as a F bike, but still good none-the-less.

Your wife and you will love it!

Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2015 1:34 am

If you have any attachment to your 900f I would not sell it. Break it down for storage if you must. Once you sell it, all you will have is cash and that can dwindle away fast. I remember in the 1970's people would practically give away Indian motorcycles in the for sale section of the newspaper. Now they are highly valuable. These will never be 40,000 dollar motorcycles but they are not being made anymore. Consider that.

Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 3:53 pm

So I took the exact same path... My wife wouldn't ride on my F-bikes anymore but asked for something more comfortable.

(What's that honey you want me to buy another bike????) I found this 81 GL1100-I that needed a water pump and I did the belts while the front was apart. The water pump is expensive but obviously critical. (There is small drain hole on the bottom of the front cover on the left side...look for green there.) Head gaskets can be an issue but mine are original.) I did a complete restore on mine..brakes, forks ect..) Some observations on these bikes over the last 3 years and several road trips.... The bike loves to operate in the 45-60 MPH range....before this statement starts a pissing match....yes the bike can be safely ridden at 80 MPH all day long on the highway BUT it just does not "feel" happy. This is also evidenced by the fuel consumption at 75 mph the bike barely gets 35 MPG while at 50-55 MPH on two lanes (even tossing in some sweepers and hills) it gets 45+ MPG and just feels happy.) The bike overcharged on long trips and routinely boiled out the battery so I put in an AGM and problem solved (so far.)

Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 8:41 pm

DrOlds wrote:

So I took the exact same path... My wife wouldn't ride on my F-bikes anymore but asked for something more comfortable.

(What's that honey you want me to buy another bike????) I found this 81 GL1100-I that needed a water pump and I did the belts while the front was apart. The water pump is expensive but obviously critical. (There is small drain hole on the bottom of the front cover on the left side...look for green there.) Head gaskets can be an issue but mine are original.) I did a complete restore on mine..brakes, forks ect..) Some observations on these bikes over the last 3 years and several road trips.... The bike loves to operate in the 45-60 MPH range....before this statement starts a pissing match....yes the bike can be safely ridden at 80 MPH all day long on the highway BUT it just does not "feel" happy. This is also evidenced by the fuel consumption at 75 mph the bike barely gets 35 MPG while at 50-55 MPH on two lanes (even tossing in some sweepers and hills) it gets 45+ MPG and just feels happy.) The bike overcharged on long trips and routinely boiled out the battery so I put in an AGM and problem solved (so far.)

Thanks for the tips Doc. Your bike looks good.
I got a set of belts this week and plan to install them over the winter. Bike has an AGM battery already. Carbs really need cleaning, and I'll have to watch that weep hole from the water pump closely because I'm getting a few drips from there after the bike has been running. Not sure how many drips are too many....

Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 2:15 am

DrOlds wrote:

So I took the exact same path... My wife wouldn't ride on my F-bikes anymore but asked for something more comfortable.

(What's that honey you want me to buy another bike????) I found this 81 GL1100-I that needed a water pump and I did the belts while the front was apart. The water pump is expensive but obviously critical. (There is small drain hole on the bottom of the front cover on the left side...look for green there.) Head gaskets can be an issue but mine are original.) I did a complete restore on mine..brakes, forks ect..) Some observations on these bikes over the last 3 years and several road trips.... The bike loves to operate in the 45-60 MPH range....before this statement starts a pissing match....yes the bike can be safely ridden at 80 MPH all day long on the highway BUT it just does not "feel" happy. This is also evidenced by the fuel consumption at 75 mph the bike barely gets 35 MPG while at 50-55 MPH on two lanes (even tossing in some sweepers and hills) it gets 45+ MPG and just feels happy.) The bike overcharged on long trips and routinely boiled out the battery so I put in an AGM and problem solved (so far.)

I was in the same boat; if I wanted her to ride with me it was gonna-hafta be on something a lot more comfortable. Hence the 1800 'Wing. Pricey bastards but she's into it for about half so it's "our" bike. Makes a great daily rider though so it's what I'm usually riding. Helps keep the miles down on the 1100.