1978 GL 1000 "The Tank" Resoration Project

[shieldsm]

Sorry, I'll be more clear on the ballist issue:

I have a Dyna III ignition with stock coils. I have the ballast resistor with an additional piggy back resister. The piggyback resister looks badly corroded and one side came undone from the silicone. I am thinking about getting a 1.5 ohm resistor and ditching the current setup. Later on I will definitly get dyna or accel coils

[shieldsm]

Okay gang, I am at a crossroads here....

If you recall, purchased bike my brother...has not been started in over 4 years. I am trying to get it started to see if it is "worthy" before I do a total dissasemble and rebuilt back up. I have been totally stumpted with electrical issues to the point of madness (see my "starter woes" thread). This is what I have all done (in order) and the problem I face:

1) New timing belts (checked, double checked all good)

2) Adjusted valve clearance to spec

3) New battery

4) New starter relay (1st problem I had...no fixed)

5) Replaced rectifier with rectifier/regulator from a CBR 600. Yellow wires from stator going directly into rectifier. Check resisitance..all is good here

6) Fresh fuel, coolant, and oil

7) Did a quick cleaning of the carb pistons

This is where it gets tricky: the ignition (Came with a Dyna III unit, using stock coils). I believe I am not getting any spark. This is what I have troubleshooted:

1) Installed 1.8 ohm resistor (mine was toast) I am reading the right voltage with ingition on, kill off

2) I am getting 12V into the Dyna module

3) I am getting 12V from the primary coil wire (blue wire/yellow wire coming from coil into the blue and yellow wire to the module)

4) Tried doing static timing with 12V test light. Light stays on all the time.

5) Removed spark plug wire and turned them upside down...no spark

At this point I suspect either A) my Dyna module is shot or B) somewhere the wiring is foulded up. I have checked and double checked the wiring. Granted I plan to do a more comprehensive wire job (soldier, etc) but don't want to get carried away as I will be disassembling everything.

Everything points to the Dyna module even though it is hard to say for sure. My plan was to upgrade with new Accel or Dyna coils when I go through the final dissasembly (as well as new spark wires). This is the big question I have:

Should I buy a new Dyna ignition (probably the Dyna S) and new coils and wire NOW and see if that is the issue OR just dissasemble the bike..rebuild..install all this new stuff and hope the bike starts in the future. It will cost probably $300 or more for all this stuff but I am taking a chance if the bike is not worthy.

PLEASE, any advice here. I am stuck, stuck, stuck!

[shieldsm]

Okay gang, I am at a crossroads here....

If you recall, purchased bike my brother...has not been started in over 4 years. I am trying to get it started to see if it is "worthy" before I do a total dissasemble and rebuilt back up. I have been totally stumpted with electrical issues to the point of madness (see my "starter woes" thread). This is what I have all done (in order) and the problem I face:

1) New timing belts (checked, double checked all good)

2) Adjusted valve clearance to spec

3) New battery

4) New starter relay (1st problem I had...no fixed)

5) Replaced rectifier with rectifier/regulator from a CBR 600. Yellow wires from stator going directly into rectifier. Check resisitance..all is good here

6) Fresh fuel, coolant, and oil

7) Did a quick cleaning of the carb pistons

This is where it gets tricky: the ignition (Came with a Dyna III unit, using stock coils). I believe I am not getting any spark. This is what I have troubleshooted:

1) Installed 1.8 ohm resistor (mine was toast) I am reading the right voltage with ingition on, kill off

2) I am getting 12V into the Dyna module

3) I am getting 12V from the primary coil wire (blue wire/yellow wire coming from coil into the blue and yellow wire to the module)

4) Tried doing static timing with 12V test light. Light stays on all the time.

5) Removed spark plug wire and turned them upside down...no spark

At this point I suspect either A) my Dyna module is shot or B) somewhere the wiring is foulded up. I have checked and double checked the wiring. Granted I plan to do a more comprehensive wire job (soldier, etc) but don't want to get carried away as I will be disassembling everything.

Everything points to the Dyna module even though it is hard to say for sure. My plan was to upgrade with new Accel or Dyna coils when I go through the final dissasembly (as well as new spark wires). This is the big question I have:

Should I buy a new Dyna ignition (probably the Dyna S) and new coils and wire NOW and see if that is the issue OR just dissasemble the bike..rebuild..install all this new stuff and hope the bike starts in the future. It will cost probably $300 or more for all this stuff but I am taking a chance if the bike is not worthy.

PLEASE, any advice here. I am stuck, stuck, stuck!

[polkadot]

From what you have said about the bike and the pictures, how could it not be worthy? It looks like a great bike. Do you have another bike to ride? Do you plan to keep this one for awhile? If so, do it right, disassemble, clean, repair and enjoy for a long time. I am not much of a mechanic, but there are only a few things left to be problematic. A dis-assembly will probably fix this problem in the process. I bet with the wiring mess you started out with, that a systematic repair of same will cure the problem. For what its worth.

[shieldsm]

It is/can be a good bike. The PO was my brother so i know it worked. I am going to do one more check to find the problem then total dissassembly is next

[shieldsm]

Plan to start total dissassembly today. I was unable to do an initial startup due to electrical woes. Will have to troubleshoot later on.Couple questions:

1) There is no evidance of bad head gaskets but since I am pulling the engine and replacing water pump (there is no evidence of failure but there is too much play). Should I replace the gaskets?

2) Should I pull the clutch for a system check and cleaning?

Any other major engine checks/replacement that I should be doing? I want a clean and rock solid engine before I put her all back together.

[rcmatt007]

IMHO, why in the world would you replace good head gaskets? the only reason I would pull the clutch is if I were going to replace it. There really is nothing I would clean there.

[shieldsm]

Rodger-

Good call on the head gasket! I just get nervous about skipping stuff that I will have to be plagued with later. Wow, dissasembly is fun...well except for that damn fuel tank and why ITH does there have to be SO many wires that go into the headlight. I would be happy with about 50% less wires!

[rcmatt007]

taking out a fuel tank is like birth'n a baby-lol

[shieldsm]

Need some inspiration for my project. This is kinda what I am looking at doing...at least the color scheme. I have a good friend who is a general manager for a fixture company who will do powder coating for free and also a neighbor who is a professional painter as well (lucky me). Your thoughts? Sorry not sure where I found this picture...

moto-guzzi-v7-clubman-cafe-racer.jpg

[Track T 2411]

I like the color scheme. Been seeing a lot of frames other colors than black lately, and I really like that. Hope you find your electrical gremlins!

Good wrenchin'
Todd

[shieldsm]

Ughhh...

Attempted to pull the engine last night. No good. Could not get the engine to clear the drive shaft no matter what. I was huffing and puffing all night. I am removing the swingarm and go that route.

Why can't life me easy for me???

[polkadot]

Nothing worth doing is ever easy! Take a break, walk away or sleep on it and it will work out fine.

[sunnbobb]

Did you remove the rear drive? If so, the drive shaft should slide back with little problem?

[shieldsm]

Took a breather and started fresh.

Yes, removing the drive shaft first was much easier to move the frame. On assembly I will probably just intall the engine first before anything else.

Need to buy a spanner wrench for the triple clamp. It seems the stearing bearings are really tight and/or stiff. New bearings may be in order.

Working on getting the forks apart so I can get the slider assembly off to get powder coated. New springs are in order as well (Progressive). Heard this was a good mod. Probably will keep the OEM rear springs for now. $300 for new springs is a bit much at this point but seems pretty easy to upgrade in the future.

Need to get a new water pump and seal kit. $150 that I don't want to spend...but new head gaskets is not a alternative solution in the future.

Priced out my dream list of everything I need. $2800 is going to be expensive but worth it. Not sure where the money is going to come from. $1000 of that is Randakk's intake manifold and a set of Weber IDF 70s. That will be the biggest upgrade. See list below:

Powder Coat Frame/Swing arm $0.00
New Tires (Bridgestone Spitfire S11) $130.00 Front: 10090H18; Rear: 13090H17 Dennis Kirk
Fork Dust Seals $22.80
Fork Seals $15.00 Crescent Moon
Progressive Springs (Front) $83.00 Crescent Moon
Fork Brace $160.00 Randakk's
New Handlebars $60.00
New Master Cylinder $160.00 Randakk's
New Brake Lines $51.00 GL1000BHS Sirius Consolidated
Brake Rotors (Replace or Refurbish)
Brake Pads $66.00 FA29 (Front); FA32 (Rear) Sirius Consolidated
Throttle Push Pull Cable Set $33.00 Ebay
Clutch Cable $20.00 Crescent Moon
Choke Cable $17.00 Crescent Moon
Water Pump Replace $147.00 Part # 19200-MG9-681 Bike Bandit
Water Pump Seal Kit $16.00
Carb Intake Manifold and Instructions $300.00
Weber IDF70-40 series Carbs $700.00
New Fuel Hoses $15.00 Ebay
Oil Conversion Kit $60.00 Randakk's
Sportster Slip On Exhaust $140.00 Ebay
Dyna S DS1-3 Ignition $140.00
Dyna DC1-1 Coils $140.00
New Plug Wires and Caps $30.00
Electronic Fuel Pump $150.00 Randakk's
Misc Wiring $20.00
Replace/Wire Rectifier $100.00
New Taillight $20.00
Total $2,795.80