2002 GL1800

Yes I did it again and this time upped my game a little bit. Friend of mine sent me a like for this bike on FB Market and well had to take a look at it.

The back story is both interesting and a little sad, but I hope to have the bike back on the street in a week or so and will make all parties happy.

This bike has been sitting in a garage sense 2008, so the mice had found a new home. For those of you that live in areas that have lots of mice, do your self a favor and mouse proof your air box intakes, will save lots of work later on down the line.

Fuel tank was full of gas, but what gas can last that long without being mixed by moment or additives of any type in it.

Looking forward to getting this bike on the road and then I can sell possibly up to three bikes that this bike will replace.

Gl1800 by Tim Brown, on Flickr
GL1800 1 by Tim Brown, on Flickr
gl1800 3 by Tim Brown, on Flickr
gl1800 4 by Tim Brown, on Flickr
gl1800 5 by Tim Brown, on Flickr
gl1800 7 by Tim Brown, on Flickr

From last yr or whenever, I am more or less nose broke, can't smell much anymore. Believe you me when I say I could smell that varnished gas! The mice stuff not so much but that gas you bet! lol

For those of you that are supper observant you will notice that the fuel tank is plastic. What is all the rust coming from? The upper fuel level sending unit is causing the rust. It only cost $300 + so that will not be getting replaced right away.

The rest of the fuel I drained sealed in containers and then used rags to remove the varnished fuel. The pump is what I will be working on today to see if I can clean it and check the fuel filter inside the pump.

 

Parts are in the mail and air filter showed up yesterday. Going to get the filter back in and then button up the "shelf" as Honda calls it. Just the front part that holds the radio up to the instrument cluster.

I hand washed the bike again yesterday finding more mouse stuff. Got the air compressor out and did some more cleaning of engine surface. Blew out the fuel rail onto a rag and that was clean gas, so here is hoping that I don't have to pull each injector out and clean them as well. Looks like if I do that I might have to take off the entire front plastic parts.

Trying to find a vid or someone checking the injectors to see how they go to the screws holding the covers but no luck so far. Will be interesting seeing how the fuel pump goes back and and putting some gas to it.

 

Still waiting on the new fuel pump to come in, should be here Monday. Looking forward to getting it mostly back together and she is she will run. Been doing lots of little cleaning to her and just crossing my fingers I don't have to seek and fix a bunch of mice issues on wires.

Gas tank is clean and on the lookout for a reasonable front fuel level for the tank. There are two in these tanks and the OEM price is close to $300. I can use the trip on the odometer before I fork over that kind of money . Air cleaner is back in and the front part of the shelf or what ever the book calls all the plastic hard wear in front of rider. All went together okay for being my first time. No choice words or broken parts.

 

Bike is running, yes she fire right up after I got the pump kinda in the tank. I only put about a gal of gas in and set the fuel pump and holder into the hole. I hooked all the lines back up flipped the key and nothing. Now what....lol

Got the power probe out (love that thing) and check to see if the other two pins on the pump cover were good nope. So had to McGyver some new wires on the pins and then tried it again, pump started to work. Back int he bike the pump went, hook it back up and turned the key. Sure enough, heard the pump. Hit the starter button and aver a very short time, the bike stared right up. No noised, no smoking (so far) and ran great.

No waiting on mail again. Knowing the bike is a runner and is a good bike with less then 8k miles on it, I ordered a new pump and front fuel level sending unit. $600 for the two of them. As we have said before, these hobbies are not cheap but they sure are fun to work on.

Hoping to get some paper work in the mail this week, new parts in the bike and then down the road we go.

 

One of the issues with having a Honda Goldwing set for a long time is things (buttons) get stuck. My four way flasher was not working like it should have. Come to find out the factory grease if not used for 15 yrs, get all hard and nasty. It will or did stop the swx from working.

Took it apart, cleaned it well and then used some contact cleaner to lube it up for any future corrosion issues. As I was putting the last part of the swx back together, the plastic taps let lose. This I should have known was going to happen, sat for 15 yrs and it is a 20+ yr old bike.

Go on line and look for the replacement swx for the four way flasher, no such animal. You must buy the entire panel that is for that area are around $250.

Did some DIY wiring and added another swx in the the area. Four ways work just fine for $7 worth of four connector swx from Amazon.

While I had the "shelter" off, I added a blue tooth, AUX and pre amp to the stereo of the bike. That way I can run my phone to the speakers for music and Waze my favorite direction map apt.

 

Goldwings are more of a technical challenge than our UJM's for sure. In the end my conclusion after riding an 83 for a couple of years is that they're needlessly (for my needs) complex and parts are much more expensive.

There's no doubt it's a rock solid platform out on the interstate for eating up a lot of miles, it's the bike you want for long distance touring.