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Let's see then: GL1100 weight 266 kg, Weight of sidecar, 85kg or 32% of the weight of the bike. Even so, I suspect that I may desire to beef up the frame after checking for rust. That is more my concern - frame weakening due to corrosion over its 40-50 year life.

Yeah, I was thinking of that too. Depending on the frame's design (openings &c) and how much road salt it was exposed to....

On the other and, if the pic you posted is your sidecar it looks like it has new hardware and what you can see of the frame in the pic doesn't look bad but that doesn't tell you if there is any rust inside the tubes....

So, I found the compression issue. But I just happen to have a rebuilt head

Today's project, Rear rotor needs to be replaced, but Ill just run the old pads from the front, which have a lot of wear left, until the new rotor arrives. Then I'll pull the wheel, put on a new sneaker, replace bearings in the swing arm and the wheel and mount the new rotor. Then the new pads can go in and I should be good.

This is definitely not good. The cast is broken around the center of the water jacket. I suspect a PO had removed a head and used a pry bar in the center to break off the lower 5mm bolt. The remains of the bolt was still in the tapped hole. It tested good for compression a couple of years ago, but I wonder... Is this a deal breaker?

I can't tell exactly from your pic, but the sleeves look to be undamaged, which is where most of the seal would be. One thing I might wonder about would be if the damaged area would become a hot spot, but it's right in the water jacket... I would recommend only OEM head gaskets to insure a consistent seal, though. My 2 cents...

I would side with Track on this one…she might get a little more heat in that spot transferring to the coolant, but could be built up if it eases you mind.

What is the best way to build it up without losing temper on the sleeve?

I would be inclined to try something like JB Weld. I have seen some that cures under water, so perhaps that would be better.

wingrider wrote: ↑Tue Jul 06, 2021 5:12 pm I would be inclined to try something like JB Weld. I have seen some that cures under water, so perhaps that would be better.

I took your recommendation and used JB Cold Weld. I'll post pics when I get it leveled out an cleaned up.
The rear brake rotor arrived today, new stainless braided lines are due this week, so I'll be able to stop before I can go. Calipers are cleaned, rebuilt and ready. Master cylinders seem to be working fine.
As soon as the cylinder heads are back on and the valve timing reset, the wheels are coming off.

The trailer hitch I ordered from Saber Cycle came without all of the mounting hardware, but with a bit of ingenuity I'll have it ready to go on after the aft end is ready.

There's a dimple in the JB weld patch on #3, but I think it will seal ok with the proper torque. I have, on my GL1000 head gaskets, used Permatex copper cote spray to assist in sealing. It's had no problems. But I will try this dry and let the gasket do its thing. I have a full top end set of Vesrah gaskets for the GL1100, and since my Honda Shop is moving slowly in parts lately, I'm going to use them. It's a test. It would be a real emergency if I wasn't afflicted with Too Many Bikes Syndrome.
The left side is ready to torque down with the new head.
I'm loosening all the tappet adjusters to allow the cam to spin free until the belts are in place, then I will adjust the valves.

I am stealing polished aluminum and chrome off my other bikes to make the 83 ready for Deadwood. So far the heads are replaced, timing belts done, water pump checked out, new thermostat, rebuilt brake calipers and lots of paint stripping and body panel work. Today, a we are putting up a new tower for my daughter's WIFI (she needs a 30 foot antenna to receive any internet here out on the prairie). Then it's almost time to fire it up and synch carbs.
New sneakers are still on the list and on the top shelf in the garage.

Just a FYI. If you leave your bike over the summer in a storage shed with the fuel lines detached, check all inlets and outlets for mud dauber wasp nests.

The new fuel pump arrived today. The old one was not salvageable. I went with the oem pump. Mother Honda knows best.