1989 Goldwing Gl1500 - ideal learners bike

[yoeddynz]

I've not owned a bike for 17 years. I had done my CBT in the UK, owned a minty fresh 70's Honda SL125 and commuted on a Honda Citi-fly 125. 

Then I moved back to NZ and didn't really think about bikes again.

But since starting the Imp GW conversion I've fancied a Goldwing to ride. I love the engineering and the absurdness of it all.  Plus if the Imp feels quick at 800kg what would it be like to ride something half the weight with the same torque.  But they are always way more than I want to pay (says the bloke who spends lots of money on bikes with no motors)

This one popped up on my saved search again.  The listing stated the owner as having been diagnosed with Alzheimers and lost his licences. He'd had it listed previously for loads more, way more than I could afford to pay for an unknown bike in the wrong island.

But now the price had dropped to a $1000.  It had developed a clutch issue and was out of wof and he just wanted it gone so he could build the model railway he'd always dreamed of. True story. Was stated in the listing.

I phoned him. His name was Rob and he was super cool on the phone. He told me that no one had bothered to call him. Just texts or emails which he wasn't fond of. I was the first to actually chat to him. I told him about the Imp, that I'd been looking for a gl1500 to ride and we just got on well.

  I paid him straight away, sight unseen. It was only just out of wof in October and even as a spare engine if the bike was in a state it was worth it. But it looked good.  It had a bloody cup holder and air horns!!! 

Just look at it! Its beautiful. Such presence. I was very excited.

Edited February 3 by yoeddynz
Got years wrong

[xsspeed]

Pics of you two on it in full goldwing appropriate attire pls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goddammit Alex not nude, I meant tassled jackets

[tortron]

You can probably dump that old big red now

 

 

 

[Lord Gruntfuttock]

Barry up some musical air horniness pls...

[yoeddynz]

So after I paid Rob I thought it best to let Hannah know what just happened. 

She didn't rocket through the ceiling. In fact she was genuinely excited.

So that was nice.

But know 'we' own a bike that was in the other island, near Taupo and the Rob wanted it gone ASAP. No wof and a potential clutch issue that could juts be a hydraulic bleed needing or could be worse. No idea until seen about the condition of other parts/tyres for a wof.

I contacted a few oldschoolers in the vicinity but really it was a big ask and was bound to get messy. I have no bike license so wasn't prepared to risk the points or potential impoundment of the bike by trying fly up and ride it home. 

I rang up many various motorbike transport companies. As soon as the two words 'Honda Goldwing' left my lips the phone line might as well have gone dead. 

Or a crazy priced quote was offered up, usually close the same cost as I paid, or a time frame that suited the seller.

I had posted an advert on Wisemove.  A few days after buying the bike I had a fella named Lewis from Nelson who runs a car transport company Elite auto transport. Turns out we'd met a year ago when I picked up a toyota van engine from his yard.  He was coming back from Auckland with an mx5 on his truck and a van on the trailer. Reckoned he could pick up the Goldwing on the way through on Sunday, then deliver to us the next day.   

For waaaay less than the other quotes  

He sent me pics from the way down. I'd asked him to get a photo of the seller with the bike for me.   Robs a 6'4" Dutchman.  Are they all tall?

Nice Iveco tow truck..

Then yesterday afternoon it turned up.  We were both so excited!

Winching it down slowly off the truck was a bit tense. Jeez its a lump! Finally on flat ground, we waved bye to Lewis and we stood back for ganders at what we'd bought.  Wow. Better start it up then.

It started straight up and man the exhaust sounds delicious! Rob had explained that he was sick of the original mufflers rotting out so it had aftermarket stainless ones fitted.   Actually sounded much better (even more Porschy) than the Imps note. Goddamnit! starts planning Imp exhaust version 4.

Best get it into the workshop for a look at the clutch situation. How do I use reverse though?  Hannah spots a lever that has in big letters reverse.  Ahhhh ok.

This lever here...

With the engine running you turn the lever upwards..

 

Then simply press the starter button. Bike reverses slowly. 

Slowly!  its effective and very low geared but I struggle to see how it might shift a heavier car backwards , especially up any rise. I've always wondered about this.  I'm really quite glad I have a normal 5 speed car box in my Imp now.

So bike is 'wound' backwards into the workshop. Up on the centre stand. Hannah jumps on..

A few little jobs. Off with that cup holder. Not a fan. I don't plan to ride and drink coffee at the same time.

Airhorns were already removed by Lewis for the transporting as he didn't want to see them get damaged.  I'm not sure about refitting them yet.. kind of cool, kind of not. No doubting their ability to warn cars, cows, little Harleys to get out of the way.

I wonder what the horn sounds like on the Tron bike?

You can see they are mounted to an aftermarket highway peg. Spot the other one still in place.

Not sure about these either. But again I understand why. Rob had owned this bike for 16 years,  having bought it after a few years of missing his original 1988 1500 - that what was the 3rd sold in NZ and he had sadly crashed. He's also previously owned 2 of the 4 cylinder Goldwings.  So he knew these bikes and had amassed a serious amount of riding about all over NZ. 

While working on it I kept spotting the lovely details. Even the badges are cool.

Now what's in those boxes? Unlock the top box. Ahhhh...

Ummmmm...

So I'll be re-doing that lot then. Pretty cool that Rob had fitted a Fusion marine stereo setup with a remote controller on the tank.  Shame that the original tank mounted tape deck was binned (to be fair, he said it had crapped out and who uses tapes these days*

But i would actually like to track down an original tapedeck/stereo unit because it just looks so right on the bike. They look like this..

There's also a Ctek battery charger wired in plus multiple usb sockets and at the bottom are two large air pumps for the airhorns. I'm now actually fearing putting the horns back on.  Would dogs bark in the distance? Would it be like this..?

Those sidebins. How the fark do I open those? I could not find a way in. Finally found two levers hidden under the top bin (secrets out now) 

One had a bike cover..

The other side stocked with oil, new filters and the original owners manual (from his original new 1988 bike)

Enough playtime. Best look at the non-working clutch.

[Lord Gruntfuttock]

man that's a lot of bike for the money... 

[yoeddynz]

Yeah I'm gobsmacked. Since having clicked 'go' on this purchase Hannah has been frantically searching mebooktradeface and there's not a lot of cheap classics out there that appeal to us. 

Popped the various side panels off to gain access to the clutch slave bleed point. No real obvious leaks around the base of the cylinder where there's a drain point (my fears that the slave was weeping its fluids into the sump were waved goodbye after checking my workshop manual)

Its a simple system shared by a few other Hondas like CBs and VFRs. Setup up our professional brake bleeding jar and old bit of hose and away we went. Lots of air, then fluid. Finally the clutch lever came pumped up good. Off the stand and test the clutch out. It works. Ok.  Cool.

I'm bare foot in shorts and tee. But half a minute later I'm out the workshop, down the driveway slope and  into the yard.  First ride on a 400kg leg breaker and within 10 seconds I'm sold. It just seems to shrink straight away and feels super stable as soon as its moving.  

We had already organised with some friends to meet 5.30pm down at the big gravel carpark near the start of the Abel Tasman national park to practice riding their bikes in preparation for our soon to be booked CBT tests.

I guess I'd better try the 1500 out for size. I have already checked and sadly the motorbike training business in Nelson kind of frown upon someone suggesting they could turn up on Goldwing to do the course.  

But Goldwing. Must ride.

So on with my safety gear:  Tramping boots, Snowboard jacket, leather welding gloves, Cactus clothing canvas trousers that smell of Tordon, pine sap and grass clippings. We do have decent Caberg helmets we'd both brought back from the UK.  

I'll admit I've been pretty nervous over the last week thinking about the process of piloting one of these land ships.  But as I trundled up our pretty rough stony driveway I forgot about all that and just enjoyed the very sudden learning process. It was just simple fun. Turned onto the road and gently opened it up, through the gears up to the heedy heights of circa 70kph!!!   Hannah followed in the nissan cube, emergency bleeding tools just in case the clutch fails.  Or I fail.

Through the first bends. Wow. it's wafty smooth. The sound. That torque. Man its cool fun. Brakes are ample. I honestly wont be giving it the full beans until I have decent kit and bigger balls. But its very very easy to go fast.

Pics from at the carpark..

Short vid. Nerds might pick the Tron soundtrack..

 

 

[Lord Gruntfuttock]

Cool... 
Quick tip (you prob already know), but lightly dragging the rear brake at low speed stabilises the bike and makes tighter turns much easier.
Might be useful for such a behemoth... 

[yoeddynz]

Had fun on the gravel. Some might call it boring but I loved trundling around, or hooning about on the smaller bikes, especially the little baby 250cc trail bike but it was a great way to get back into it. Hannah had so much fun along with Merisha who's not long got her learners.  Beautiful hot evening, sea view, cicadas singing and flat six blaring.

Rode home and took pics of SS great eastern and the Imp.

Love it all.

So the Wing is now safely stashed in the workshop begging to be taken for a casual trundle again but its lashing it down outside - hence I'm sitting here cosy as writing my story.

I've ordered a new clutch slave seal as I don't trust the potentially original item. There's also a pair of British made Gates cambelts on their way over from the states via Rockauto.  Half the price of even the trade prices here.

They'll probably leak.

I'll give it a tidy up. Hopefully the tyres might just sneak through one more Wof.  Sort my shit out and get a license.

[yoeddynz]

Just now, Lord Gruntfuttock said:

Cool... 
Quick tip (you prob already know), but lightly dragging the rear brake at low speed stabilises the bike and makes tighter turns much easier.
Might be useful for such a behemoth... 

yeah I do that already and definitely helps.  

Factoid. The Goldwing rear brake also activates one front disc. The front lever operates the other disc.

Something I learned about riding the bigger 650 thumper last night was how antiquated it felt. But having many moons ago watched folk in a French national classic trails meet trundle about doing some pretty impressive slow speed stuff reinforces the 'its not the bike, its the rider'

I'm really looking forward to the whole new learning process on bikes of all sizes and gaining skills/confidence.

[xsspeed]

It's as big as the imp

[yoeddynz]

Its a chunky monkey alright.

[Mof]

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mLqIwgp

 

For the aerial plz

[yoeddynz]

or as a tie?..

 

[dmulally]

Stop being a DH and put the horns back on. NOW!

[yoeddynz]

They might just end up back in place. 

For max mad max effect

[Vintage Grumble]

Nice half car you have there Sir. You could probably use a spare imp as a sidecar? 

Also, I thought that transporter looked familiar, he giveth, but also taketh awayeth.

[HighLUX]

Good to know wisemove works out. Il be needing it at the end of the month

[cletus]

What a bargain, welcome to motorcycles overtaking cars as the preferred hobby 

[HighLUX]

UJ aint ever gunna finish his fintail so we need a substitute