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Re: 1978 GL1000 Resto-mod

Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 10:04 am
by rcmatt007
I bet many of the old shocks started off at one length, but would measure shorter now

Re: 1978 GL1000 Resto-mod

Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 10:15 am
by delling3
Assuming the bike is on the center stand with the rear wheel in the air, you can measure the eye-to-eye shock length that way.

Re: 1978 GL1000 Resto-mod

Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 3:35 pm
by robin1731
delling3 wrote:Assuming the bike is on the center stand with the rear wheel in the air, you can measure the eye-to-eye shock length that way.

That would get it pretty close. But the weight of the swingarm, wheel, tire and brake would affect it a little bit.

Re: 1978 GL1000 Resto-mod

Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 7:40 pm
by mwallette
robin1731 wrote:
delling3 wrote:Assuming the bike is on the center stand with the rear wheel in the air, you can measure the eye-to-eye shock length that way.

That would get it pretty close. But the weight of the swingarm, wheel, tire and brake would affect it a little bit.
Probably...but, having a taller rear would quicken up the steering a bit (don't know if that's desirable, since I still haven't ridden a running GL1x00 yet), and provide more clearance when riding with a passenger, which will be my typical use case. I'm tall enough not to be worried about ride height, so I think I'd rather go a little too long than a little too short.

However...

With the coolant leak and possible exhaust/rocker box/cylinder head gasket issues, I think stiffer shocks will be put on the back burner, for now. My shocks are serviceable, and I'm more concerned with getting the bike mechanically sound than I am with getting all of the upgrades on my wish list.

Re: 1978 GL1000 Resto-mod

Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 10:50 am
by rcmatt007
Fortunately, there is room to play with shocks. I changed out the ones on my Ltd because they were to tall (don't get short with me) and put progressives which are a lot nicer for me

Re: 1978 GL1000 Resto-mod

Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 11:29 am
by CYBORG
I think they are a personal choice. Based on riding style, weight, etc. Get as close as you can, then tweek them to your liking

Re: 1978 GL1000 Resto-mod

Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 12:24 pm
by rcmatt007
absolutely.... what I need in shocks may be very different than someone who is a linebacker

Re: 1978 GL1000 Resto-mod

Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2016 6:08 am
by mwallette
I'm probably coming across a bit ADD given how I asked about shocks the other day, then mentioned a leaking water pump and possibly cylinder head/exhaust gasket leak, and now I'm going to change the subject yet again. A co-worker of mine has a theory about people in our line of work and short attention sp---SQUIRREL!!!

Anyway...

I received my new Uni air filter in the mail yesterday, a set of Renthal "Superbike" handlebars in the mail today, and an Oregon Motorcycle Parts regulator/rectifier in the mail a few days ago. I went with a Uni rather than an OEM or K&N filter since the Uni was a reputable -- but less expensive -- alternative to the K&N, which I've used on my XS750 and which I've used on a couple of cars I used to own. Based on my experience with the cars, I won't put a K&N or similar filter on another fuel-injected machine (even the factory-oiled filter gunked up the MAF sensor), but they're fine on carbureted engines, IMHO. The OEM filter was even more expensive than the Uni, and can't be washed, re-oiled and reinstalled, so I figured it was worth giving the Uni a try.

The regulator/rectifier required snipping and crimping a wire, but that wasn't a huge deal. I took a little liberty with the install instructions, and used the old regulator's plug to fabricate a connection to the new R/R unit like so:
Image

...then snip one of the green wires on the wire harness and run the wire from the regulator plug to the opening where the green wire was:
Image

After firing up the engine, I was rewarded with 13.5-14.5 VDC at various engine speeds, instead of 16.7VDC. action1

Installing the new handlebars was a piece of cake: use compressed air to blow the left-hand grip off the OEM bars, loosen up the bolt on the clutch perch, loosen the screws that hold the turn signal and horn housing, loosen up the two screws that hold the throttle housing, loosen up the two bolts that hold the brake perch and master cylinder, then remove the four allen bolts that clamp the handlebars to the triple tree. Once the handlebars are free, slide the throttle, brake perch, turn signal/horn housing and the clutch perch off the old handlebars, and slide them on the new handlebars.

I ran into two snags with this process, however. First, the bracket that holds the brake perch in place was chrome, while every other component -- and the new handlebars themselves -- were black, so I took a can of Krylon to the bracket. Second, I wanted lower bars, but the "Superbike" handlebars are *REALLY* low. After running into this problem on my XS750 build, I knew that it was possible that the control cables (clutch, throttle) might be too long with the Renthal handlebars, and sure enough, they were. I was able to re-route the throttle cables so that they work (but they look sloppy, so I'll fix them eventually), but the clutch cable wasn't going to happen, no matter how I routed it. Fortunately, I found...

http://ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36507

...^^^good instructions on how to shorten a cable^^^
...and with that guide, I was able to shorten the clutch cable so that it would work with the new handlebars. The throttle cables look like they might be a little more difficult, due to the adjuster at the throttle side, but maybe If I adjust the carb side of the cables...? We'll see.

Here are a couple of photos before I got the clutch cable installed:
Image
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...and another with everything back in place:
Image

I'm really not liking the stock mirrors with those lower bars, though :(

And of course, I can't make progress without running into another problem, and the work today was no exception. One of the main drivers for the lower handlebars, since the old ones were perfectly serviceable, was that the new braided stainless steel brake lines that the P.O. provided with the sale of the bike were about an inch too short. Consequently, I couldn't connect the new lines and test the rebuilt brake cylinders until the new bars were installed. After installing the new handlebars today, I connected up the brake lines...and found that the master cylinder doesn't seem to actually pump any fluid at all. So, I'll be tearing apart the "rebuilt" (so the P.O. told me, anyway) master cylinder soon, unless I just decide to replace it outright. I've got an extra M/C from a FZR750 sitting in the garage, but I can't find the other half of the clamp. I'm pretty sure the spare M/C has a 16mm bore, which according to Randakk's web site is approximately the right size for a GL1000 (5/8 inch is roughly 15.9mm), so that might be a quicker, easier option than trying to rebuild the original M/C. And from what Randakk says, the 16mm M/C should provide better feel and operation than the OEM M/C. I dunno...I'll figure something out.

Re: 1978 GL1000 Resto-mod

Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 1:24 pm
by Sugs
Did you have trouble getting the clutch perch over the knurls on the Renthals? I have a new Renthal ultra low bar and I'm having trouble getting the clutch perch past the knurls. I've tried heating the perch up with the bars really cold but no dice.

Re: 1978 GL1000 Resto-mod

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 9:30 pm
by mwallette
Sugs wrote:Did you have trouble getting the clutch perch over the knurls on the Renthals? I have a new Renthal ultra low bar and I'm having trouble getting the clutch perch past the knurls...
Hmmm...no, I found it pretty easy to get the clutch perch on the Superbike bars. Your bars are 7/8 inch, right? If so, I wonder if maybe the perch isn't opening up enough when you loosen the bolt?

Update on the Brakes:
Looked at the master cylinder a little more closely, and found that the brake lever wasn't actually moving the piston -- something is missing/broken/incorrect about the way the previous owner put the m/c back together after the rebuild. I found the other half of the clamp for the FZR750 master cylinder, so I decided that's probably the easier way to go. There was a bit of an issue with clearance between the throttle housing and the brake handle (or more precisely, the adjustment screw), but I think I have found an acceptable compromise.

And of course, I ran into another snag, lol. I can't seem to bleed the brakes! After troubleshooting that for longer than I'd like to admit, I found that the slave cylinder on the RH side appears to actually be a LH cylinder(!). The silver bracket that mounts to the forks is correct, but the black cylinder is wrong -- the brake line is at the top of the cylinder, and the bleeder is at the bottom. (I'll attach photos shortly). I bought a banjo bleeder valve from a guy who makes brake parts for V-Stroms and SV650's, which use the same size/pitch banjo bolts, which should allow me to bleed the brakes completely. However, does anyone know if using a LH slave cylinder on the RH bracket will cause any other problems?

Re: 1978 GL1000 Resto-mod

Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 2:49 am
by Sugs
mwallette wrote: Hmmm...no, I found it pretty easy to get the clutch perch on the Superbike bars. Your bars are 7/8 inch, right? If so, I wonder if maybe the perch isn't opening up enough when you loosen the bolt?
Thanks, I had to use a little more force than I wanted to to get the perch to open up enough, but did succeed in getting it onto the bars.

Re: 1978 GL1000 Resto-mod

Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 9:53 pm
by mwallette
Pics, as promised:

FZR750 Master Cylinder:
Image

Left-hand caliper, with brake line and bleeder valve oriented correctly:
Image

Right-hand caliper, with the brake line on the top, and the bleeder valve on the bottom -- opposite of how it should be:
Image

Re: 1978 GL1000 Resto-mod

Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 1:38 am
by CYBORG
hard to bleed????

Re: 1978 GL1000 Resto-mod

Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 6:34 pm
by mwallette
CYBORG wrote:hard to bleed????
Maybe a little, lol.

I added the banjo bleeder to the RH caliper...:
Image

...and was able to get quite a bit more air out of that line. However, I noticed the outside of the LH caliper looked a little wet. It seems like maybe the caliper is leaking at the bleeder (not the new banjo bleeder, but the OEM 8mm piece). I've got the wrong slave cylinder on the RH side, so let's just do it right and be done with it. Brakes are kinda important, after all.

Replacement RH caliper ordered from E-Bay. When it arrives, I'll remove the LH slave cylinder, move the LH slave cylinder that's actually installed on the RH side to the LH side where it belongs, and install the new RH cylinder on the RH side -- after rebuilding it, of course. Maybe then, I'll be able to bleed the brakes properly.

Re: 1978 GL1000 Resto-mod

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 9:20 am
by CYBORG
Sounds like a good idea