Didn't realize our very own KennyD was a winger until this morning.. Came across his presence elsewhere on the web and thought I would put this up to give him something to look through.
I got my motorcycle license roughly 20 years ago when I picked up a used Kawasaki EX-500 (1989). Rode that bike for a handful of years and sold it when I lost having a place to store it after getting married (moved into a condo with no garage). This spring, I decided that I was going to own a bike again, and picked up a 2000 Honda VFR 800 that is in nice shape. Mileage is decent, few marks in the plastics, but it all works and runs strong.
VFR Photos | Photobucket
That didn't go over well with the wife in terms of being a passenger because of the postage stamp of a rear seat. So, we talked about how we could make it so she could go too. The answer was to buy a full-on touring bike. I picked up this little rarity for cheap money needing a lot of maintenance and some repairs.
Goldwing Photos | Photobucket
It's a 1986 Honda Goldwing Aspencade SE-i. In 1985, Honda introduced the LTD model. Fuel injected, all the bells and whistles, higher price tag, and few buyers. Plus, the brown color didn't really spark a lot of interest. The next year, they basically re-released the bike as the "Special Edition - injected" model, dropped the price back down a bit, and still didn't sell many. At that point, Honda was done with fuel injection on the Goldwings until the current generation (GL1800, starting in 2001).
This bike is very complete. From what I can tell, the only piece that I don't have is the correct cover for the CB radio. I have a cover, but it's black and not brown and the key doesn't match the rest of the bike. Otherwise, it seems all there. The mats for the bottoms of the cases and the carry bags are in place, the cover is there with a stuff bag, owner's manual, two keys, original in-dash stereo, CB radio, and everything else that I'm aware that should be there.
It seems that the fuel pump has been replaced because it doesn't appear to fit perfectly in the mounting bracket AND it was wired wrong (someone tapped constant power so it runs all of the time instead of keeping it connected to the computer so that it runs for three seconds when powered on then shuts down until the bike cranks). I've since corrected this.
I've also found a couple of other random wire taps that I've been removing if warranted. The stator may have been replaced, but it definitely appears that the stator wiring repair kit has been installed. Unfortunately, that wiring is failing and I have to repair it the right way (hard-soldered joints) to ensure that I don't roast the stator or anything else as a result.
I will be tearing into it to replace the timing belts and thermostat, new coolant, new fuel and air filters, oil and filter change, and will eventually do a fork service on it. I've already put new tires on it and polished up the chrome exhaust (it was pretty rusty, but some water and crumpled up aluminum foil fixed that in short order - watch the view in the library I linked to above).
The before pic is here: Rusty Chrome / Before | Photobucket
The after pic is here: Polished Chrome / After | Photobucket
The video is here for those that don't want to go find it on their own: Chrome Polishing Video | Photobucket
It has its share of faults... Not unexpected for a bike that's almost 30 years old. But, it's low miles (30k) and does run strong. The GL1200 Fuel Injected motor will run with the GL1500 bikes easily and will definitely outpace the carb'ed GL1200 bikes. So, I'm definitely looking to get everything squared away with the motor. Right now, the one repair that it needs is for the coolant temperature sensor to either be replaced (possibly faulty) or the wiring repaired. I'm not getting any temperature indication in the dash, and the problem is NOT with the LCD display. Plus, since it seems to be using a lot of fuel, I'm guessing that it's running rich because the temperature isn't being communicated to the computer so that the fuel mix can be adjusted.
I got my motorcycle license roughly 20 years ago when I picked up a used Kawasaki EX-500 (1989). Rode that bike for a handful of years and sold it when I lost having a place to store it after getting married (moved into a condo with no garage). This spring, I decided that I was going to own a bike again, and picked up a 2000 Honda VFR 800 that is in nice shape. Mileage is decent, few marks in the plastics, but it all works and runs strong.
VFR Photos | Photobucket
That didn't go over well with the wife in terms of being a passenger because of the postage stamp of a rear seat. So, we talked about how we could make it so she could go too. The answer was to buy a full-on touring bike. I picked up this little rarity for cheap money needing a lot of maintenance and some repairs.
Goldwing Photos | Photobucket
It's a 1986 Honda Goldwing Aspencade SE-i. In 1985, Honda introduced the LTD model. Fuel injected, all the bells and whistles, higher price tag, and few buyers. Plus, the brown color didn't really spark a lot of interest. The next year, they basically re-released the bike as the "Special Edition - injected" model, dropped the price back down a bit, and still didn't sell many. At that point, Honda was done with fuel injection on the Goldwings until the current generation (GL1800, starting in 2001).
This bike is very complete. From what I can tell, the only piece that I don't have is the correct cover for the CB radio. I have a cover, but it's black and not brown and the key doesn't match the rest of the bike. Otherwise, it seems all there. The mats for the bottoms of the cases and the carry bags are in place, the cover is there with a stuff bag, owner's manual, two keys, original in-dash stereo, CB radio, and everything else that I'm aware that should be there.
It seems that the fuel pump has been replaced because it doesn't appear to fit perfectly in the mounting bracket AND it was wired wrong (someone tapped constant power so it runs all of the time instead of keeping it connected to the computer so that it runs for three seconds when powered on then shuts down until the bike cranks). I've since corrected this.
I've also found a couple of other random wire taps that I've been removing if warranted. The stator may have been replaced, but it definitely appears that the stator wiring repair kit has been installed. Unfortunately, that wiring is failing and I have to repair it the right way (hard-soldered joints) to ensure that I don't roast the stator or anything else as a result.
I will be tearing into it to replace the timing belts and thermostat, new coolant, new fuel and air filters, oil and filter change, and will eventually do a fork service on it. I've already put new tires on it and polished up the chrome exhaust (it was pretty rusty, but some water and crumpled up aluminum foil fixed that in short order - watch the view in the library I linked to above).
The before pic is here: Rusty Chrome / Before | Photobucket
The after pic is here: Polished Chrome / After | Photobucket
The video is here for those that don't want to go find it on their own: Chrome Polishing Video | Photobucket
It has its share of faults... Not unexpected for a bike that's almost 30 years old. But, it's low miles (30k) and does run strong. The GL1200 Fuel Injected motor will run with the GL1500 bikes easily and will definitely outpace the carb'ed GL1200 bikes. So, I'm definitely looking to get everything squared away with the motor. Right now, the one repair that it needs is for the coolant temperature sensor to either be replaced (possibly faulty) or the wiring repaired. I'm not getting any temperature indication in the dash, and the problem is NOT with the LCD display. Plus, since it seems to be using a lot of fuel, I'm guessing that it's running rich because the temperature isn't being communicated to the computer so that the fuel mix can be adjusted.