I need some long distance advice

Advertise with us
shop deals on amazon
Shop deals on ebay
Classic Goldwings

Help Support Classic Goldwings:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Piper

Piper

Well-known member
Supporting Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2010
Messages
192
Reaction score
0
Location
Sandwich, IL
I have begun prepping for an 1850 mile trip later this summer (Chicago-Phoenix) and trying to decide what needs to be done. The bike is an 81 Interstate (63,000 miles) and is running absolutely perfect with the engine temp running right where it is suppposed to and the electrical system holds right at 14 volts continuously. The previous owner obviously babied this thing and spared no expense maintaining it. Tires are like new with 2000 miles on the rear and 3000 on the front. Both look like new and the bike handles fine. I am thinking about changing the stator to the new one that supposedly puts out 20% more but maybe I am just being paranoid because I had one fail years ago on a 750 about 100 miles from home and had to hitchhike home and come back with a trailer to get it. It turned into a nightmare and I wouldn't want that experience again. I don't know if it has ever been changed or not. I know it's a big job but doable.
I have only owned it a year and have put about 2,000 miles on it and the only thing bad I can say so far is I get a drop of oil on my right shoe after about three hundred miles which I thought was a valve cover gasket but after further review, I now think it is the fuel pump gasket. Obviously that will be fixed before the trip. I asked the mechanic at the Honda shop when the rear tire was changed if he thought it would make it to PHX and he just laughed and said "How many times?"

What is the opinion of all the experts here? Would you changed anything as a PM measure or go with the "If it aint broke, don't fix it" theory?

Thanks,
Dave
 
fuel pump gaskit or tack o ring on the leak ...i have to laugh at the honda machanic tires are alway an issue on long trips ...id say your coming back to a tire change who knows but wings are a lot more capable than the tires out there for them....i would never change the sator before its time ....you could hard wire the sator with soder if it stills has the plug in it.....the sator are great its the wiring that causes al the problems and to much lighting or overload....

i say pack some tooling an have a great ride :mrgreen:
 
That would be an awesome trip!
Maybe I can work it out to meet you in AZ. Your bike looks in showroom condition, I'd love to see it.


First, I wouldn't worry about the stator.
1100's are less prone to failure and in fact the new one is more likely to fail.
I'd go with the mosfet regulator mod. I believe that reduces load on the stator.
If it did die, a new car battery tied in goes a LONG way. Can go all day between charges.

These engines are strong so internally there's no concern but when were the timing belts changed?
It's uncertain how often they should be replaced but if we go by most recommendations by autos of the time it should be around 60k miles. Also IMO if the bike sat still unstarted for more than 2 years they should be replaced, or every 5 years.

Tires may look new but check the date code.
I have a perfect condition rear over 11 years old that can't be trusted.
"They say" no more than 5 years old.
 
Hi, I'm also taking a AZ to NY trip in August and I feel like if you change the oil and filter (synthetic 10W-40 is better than regular oil in my opinion) before you leave and do a real close inspection of the tires looking for dry checks and any other damage, you should be good to go. Don't replace things "just in case" . These bikes are bullet proof and made for the open road. Just be safe and keep it at a safe speed. I'm also wearing a fluorescent colored tee shirt to increase visibility. Seems that's when accidents happen when other drivers don't see you. Just have fun!
 
I agree with the above. If there is any doubt on the timing belts change those. If the stator connector is still there solder the wires together. If you worry about the stator I'd put a new fully charged battery in one of the bags. Tire plug kit and mini air compressor is nice to have along too.
 
slabghost":1bkf6bp4 said:
I agree with the above. If there is any doubt on the timing belts change those. If the stator connector is still there solder the wires together. If you worry about the stator I'd put a new fully charged battery in one of the bags. Tire plug kit and mini air compressor is nice to have along too.
Click to expand...

Good idea, and a can of fixaflat.
On a ride with scdmarx he got a hole in the rear.
Fixaflat got us to town where he picked up a tire plug kit to get home.
 
Thank you all for the really good advice....
The rear tire was changed when I bought the bike by a large dealer so I think it was probably a fresh tire but will check the date codes to be sure. The guy I bought it from only had it for a month because he had back problems and decided his riding days were over after he tried riding it for a while and it just didn't work for him. He bought it from the original owner and he said the timing belts had been changed but he didn't say when, and not thinking, I didn't ask.
I won't need new tires when I get back because the bike is staying down there and I am riding the aluminum tube back. I want to have the bike down there next winter because there are so many great places to go compared to up here. Sedona, Lake Havasu, San Diego, and Tucson to name a few.
Dan, I am a snowbird so any time you can work it out and make it down next fall or later, you are more than welcome and have a place to stay, or anybody else that happens to be in the neighborhood as well. Maybe we can have joecool come over and tell us about his NY trip. I sure hope you have a comfortable seat Joe...lol 6000 miles is amazing to me, even on a Goldwing.
 
Your's is the most ambitious trip I have ever seen. Mine is just opposite and probably the laziest trip I have ever seen. If it takes me three days or three weeks, I really don't care. I plan to stay on the two lanes as much as possible and maybe even do the "Old Route 66" route. I am going to spend at least a day, and maybe several days in ABQ to see some friends.
 
I saw a cell phone antennae booster on a tv commercial. Got me thinking it would be nice to have. My luck if something breaks I'm in a dead zone.
 
The best advise I can give you is to get yourself a extra clutch cable and keep it in the trunk...Flashlights, extra air valves and patch and plug kit...Have a Safe trip...
 
I never gave the clutch cable a thought until I read AApple's post about his. I think I will replace it and carry the old one as a spare. As far as I know, it has never been replaced. It's the little stuff like that that can turn a trip ugly and breakdowns on the road a long way from home can get really expensive.

Thanks
 
you can also totally rebuild the bike, replace every part and still get stuck so a bit of faith helps too.
 
depends on the phone you have, a lot of the boosters are only good for analog phones. You need a bag phone (they are available in CDMA and GMS now) if you want range.
 

Latest posts

Top