Anyone else looking for GL1000 K0/K1/K2 shelter emblems?

[Sinahogol]

Hi everyone,

As I am currently finishing my GL1000 K1 project, I was confronted again with the fact that the shelter emblems (87121-371-000) are nearly impossible to get a hold of. If there's a couple of NOS items on Ebay the pricing is insane (I've seen something like 350 USD for a pair and currently there's one emblem in NL for about 190 USD), especially considering it's only two pieces of plastic...

Although I've seen a company in Australia that is offering some replicas for a lot less than NOS (I would pay additional tax and duty costs though) I started to look for other options. I started to look around in the Netherlands for a company that can make an exact copy of my old and not very nice looking emblems and I think I might have found a place.

Now my question is: are there any NGW members who would be interested in these emblems as well? I don't want to go on and have like 500 emblems produced, just to find out I can use the rest as decoration for the workshop

I guess it's mostly European members I'm asking (they would not have to pay extra taxes and duty costs), but I would be more than willing to ship worldwide.

[MikeNTexas]

If your referring to the emblems for the 1975 GL1000 I will be interested depending on the price.

[Whiskerfish]

It is difficult on limited production runs to keep the cost reasonable. Many of our members have looked into having "this" or "that" produced but like you mentioned unless you order in quantity it is generally cost prohibitive. Here on NGW you will only see a small snapshot of the market. I would do a search on Ebay for "aftermarket replacement" for the 1000 and see what kind of broader market is out there before making a decision. As with everything quality and pricing will be a big determining factor in success or failure.
I will say that I have seen several requests for replacements here on the Forum in the last few months.
Let us know how it goes.

[heraldhamster]

if/while you're researching on eBay (and I didn't know this for the longest time) remember in the search filter to check the box marked "Sold items" or "Completed purchases".
It gives you a clear picture of not what's out there to buy, but what people have actually purchased.

[Sinahogol]

If your referring to the emblems for the 1975 GL1000 I will be interested depending on the price.

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, they are similar for the first three models (1975-1977). Don't know about the price yet, also depends on how many people are interested I guess (the more I order, the cheaper they get). If I decide to have them reproduced I will let you know about it! For now I was just wondering if there's any demand for them.

[Sinahogol]

It is difficult on limited production runs to keep the cost reasonable. Many of our members have looked into having "this" or "that" produced but like you mentioned unless you order in quantity it is generally cost prohibitive. Here on NGW you will only see a small snapshot of the market. I would do a search on Ebay for "aftermarket replacement" for the 1000 and see what kind of broader market is out there before making a decision. As with everything quality and pricing will be a big determining factor in success or failure.
I will say that I have seen several requests for replacements here on the Forum in the last few months.
Let us know how it goes.

I agree, I've asked some companies and most of the time it wasn't worth it (especially because of the costs for the mold). Doing the Ebay research as well, thanks for the tip! Mostly imitation from Thailand which differ quite a lot from the original ones (they're really cheap though).

Will let you guys know as soon as I know more, willing to make a decend price for the people on the forum. Helped me out more than once.

[Sinahogol]

if/while you're researching on eBay (and I didn't know this for the longest time) remember in the search filter to check the box marked "Sold items" or "Completed purchases".
It gives you a clear picture of not what's out there to buy, but what people have actually purchased.

Thanks! Nice tip, didn't know that either!

[heraldhamster]

not trying to hijack the thread or butt in, but have you considered 3D printing?
I've been watching the resolutions improve for many years now. and recently seen some amazing pieces being done on the newer beds. and I know they can do multicolor.

I'm not an expert on 3D printing, but that's likely significantly cheaper than having somebody cut a mold (unless they're doing some sort of press/set molding) then inject plastic and paint each one (plastics injection & extrusion I know more about).

[Old Fogey]

The reproductions from Australia are good. Take it from one who has done the sourcing and producing small quantities, you can get your fingers (and your wallet) severely burned.

[Lucien Harpress]

The biggest thing (in my experience) is that what separates cheap reproductions from quality ones is the gold plating on the lettering- actual plating (like that used on stock emblems back in the 70s) has a mirror quality you can see yourself in. Cheap repops use paint, which can never replicate it. The Australian site mentioned is so far the only reproductions I've seen that are actually plated. The fact they also use real metal (NOT a stock option back in the 70s) is just a bonus.

Also, unless I'm grossly mistaken, all first-gen Goldwings (75, 76, and 77) used the same shelter emblems, and that style (with an opening in the "O" and between the "N" and the "D") aren't used on any other Honda model. They may have been changed in 78, but that I don't know.

[flyin900]

When I restored my 76 I bought a set from Taiwan through EBay, or a similar area over there in the Far East. They were plastic and very reasonable compared to these above price quotes. The quality was quite good and the gold was nice and shiny with the cost with shipping under $50.00 US for the set.
I think the seller still has them for sale on EBay present day.
I don’t have a real close up of them, yet unless your doing a concourse resto these are VG for the look and price.
The Australian ones do look quite good, yet too rich for my wallet for what I wanted at the time.

The seller on EBay is BKK_Classicbikes for the ones I bought for the bike.

08ACDA23-747E-4DC2-BE00-73B20AF91045.jpeg (263.61 KiB) Viewed 348 times

[Sinahogol]

not trying to hijack the thread or butt in, but have you considered 3D printing?
I've been watching the resolutions improve for many years now. and recently seen some amazing pieces being done on the newer beds. and I know they can do multicolor.

I'm not an expert on 3D printing, but that's likely significantly cheaper than having somebody cut a mold (unless they're doing some sort of press/set molding) then inject plastic and paint each one (plastics injection & extrusion I know more about).

Yes, I've looked at 3D printing and also CNC milling. As I want it to be as near to original as possible the CNC milling wasn't really an option (I want it to be plastic like the original). With 3D printing it was mostly a quantity problem. It's nice (i've been told) for making a couple of them, not for making large numbers.

The company I'm in contact with right now can do the mold (somehow) for a more reasanoble price than other companie. They will metalize the letters (gold chrome finish) and paint the background black. Pretty much like the original ones were made I suppose.

[Sinahogol]

The biggest thing (in my experience) is that what separates cheap reproductions from quality ones is the gold plating on the lettering- actual plating (like that used on stock emblems back in the 70s) has a mirror quality you can see yourself in. Cheap repops use paint, which can never replicate it. The Australian site mentioned is so far the only reproductions I've seen that are actually plated. The fact they also use real metal (NOT a stock option back in the 70s) is just a bonus.

Also, unless I'm grossly mistaken, all first-gen Goldwings (75, 76, and 77) used the same shelter emblems, and that style (with an opening in the "O" and between the "N" and the "D") aren't used on any other Honda model. They may have been changed in 78, but that I don't know.

Indeed, they use the same shelter emblems and style. Most repros are lacking the styling details you mention. I've been looking quite a bit and so far i've only found the Australian option as a near original option. I guess using metal is mostly an advantage indeed. Although the flexion (don't know if that's the correct word?) has to be really perfect then, the plastic ones are still a little bit flexible and will take on the shape of the shelter cover more easily.

[Sinahogol]

When I restored my 76 I bought a set from Taiwan through EBay, or a similar area over there in the Far East. They were plastic and very reasonable compared to these above price quotes. The quality was quite good and the gold was nice and shiny with the cost with shipping under $50.00 US for the set.
I think the seller still has them for sale on EBay present day.
I don’t have a real close up of them, yet unless your doing a concourse resto these are VG for the look and price.
The Australian ones do look quite good, yet too rich for my wallet for what I wanted at the time.

The seller on EBay is BKK_Classicbikes for the ones I bought for the bike.

Looks pretty good! Nice bike!
They're still available on Ebay indeed. I've been thinking about these reproductions as well, the reason I didn't do it was because of the size. If I'm correct they are a bit wider than the orginal ones. Looks pretty good on your bike though, not very different from original.

Are they holding out nicely? How long have they been on your bike now?

[flyin900]

They are fine as far as the finish is concerned, yet I sold the bike last year. I had them on there for a few years and they still looked great. The bike was always garaged though.
Frankly, unless it was being judged they wouldn't even know the difference. As to the size difference, I didn't really notice that as an issue. I did use some silicone to attach them along with the supplied tape as shown on the sellers listing.