I picked up this '98 GW sidecar rig. The PO said he did not look at the tires in his 5 years of ownership. I knew it would need tires as the tread was thin.
Low and behold when I got it home and looked for the date code I see (2405).
So here's the question. Since I am going to assume that the wheels have not been off in the 14 years of the tires life what can I expect to replace when I get the wheels off?
Get some good moly paste for the final drive splines. Honda has M77 but you can use any paste that has at least 60% molybdenum in it. You do not want to use grease here. This is a good time to put nickel 90 degree valve stems on and clean/polish the wheel. Take a peek at your shock bushings also. Take a gander up at your rear fender and see if there is any rubbing taking place. This will tell you if you need to replace or stiffen your shocks. And last but not least, check the brake pads. I'm assuming you were going to replace all the fluids and filters so I shant mention it.
Good idea on the shock bushings. I still have the tube of Honda Moly paste that I bought when I got my Valkyrie in '99.
What else does this GW have in common with my Valk IS? 3 O-Rings? Dampers in the rear wheel?
Honda says check Timing belts at 100K. I changed the belts on my IS at 73K and they looked like new.
Finally who is the best for online parts ordering?
I got a couple of belts in my shop off different cars that look fine except they make a line instead of a circle. Age is the greater enemy. They dry rot like tires then break with no warning. The risk to reward issue is just too high not to change them at a closer interval.
Odd that Honda doesn't have a schedule for replacing the timing belts. I recommend replacing every 5 years or 50000 miles. Have seen the damage a broken belt will cause. Like bent valves and even a broken piston.
Quote: "What else does this GW have in common with my Valk IS? 3 O-Rings? Dampers in the rear wheel?
Honda says check Timing belts at 100K. I changed the belts on my IS at 73K and they looked like new."
Yes the three O rings and dampers are there in the same way as the Valk.
With regard to the belts I have seen many posts over the years on this forum and others, mainly from new owners to a bike, asking whether the belts should be changed as the mileage is low but the bike is old. For me, the answer is always the same...change the belts. When I've had a new to me bike I figured the peace of mind of knowing the belts are new is far better than trying to convince myself they don't need doing yet.
With regard to the belts I have seen many posts over the years on this forum and others, mainly from new owners to a bike, asking whether the belts should be changed as the mileage is low but the bike is old. For me, the answer is always the same...change the belts. When I've had a new to me bike I figured the peace of mind of knowing the belts are new is far better than trying to convince myself they don't need doing yet.
Well said. Given we are talking GL1200 or 1500s, these bikes are now OLD. Honda engineers setting mileage numbers for maintenance or replacement were not considering maintenance decades later.
I bought my GL1200 in 2008 with only 14K miles on it. Regardless of miles, the bike was then 24 years old. So I immediately changed the radiator hoses. I would have also changed the belts, but the original owner kept good paperwork and I found a receipt for timing belt service in 2006.
In 2016, after my stator was dead for a year, and I was tired of charging my bike after every cruise, I pulled the engine, did the stator and among other service and cleaning, of course I installed new timing belts. I’m thinking $15 each at Napa for Gates belts. Of course the belts I replaced looked new.
So my ‘84 Standard today with only 26,500 miles has had at least 3 sets of timing belts. That comes to changing on average every 8800 miles. It’s more the years than the miles, unless you’re Dennis and have 290K miles on your Wing.
I’m changing tires this week, not because the tread is bald. It’s because the DOT manufacturers date is 2012. I don’t wear out my tires. That’s hard to do when you have 4 street bikes. I’m not going highway speeds with tires 7+ years old. Thanks for reading. JD
They have chains. Same on most Honda cars these days with few problems. The only ones I ever saw have a problem had a fram oil filter. Just like the early days of Honda when using a fram would cause the cam bearing surfaces to gaul.
I thought 5 yrs from DOT stamp on tires? rubber things? a blow out on a car/truck tire is a PROBLEM... a blowout from dried out tires on a bike is CATASTROPHIC. ... i wud think. im trying to figure out how to mark the timing belt covers so the next owner knows that the belts were changed @... month/yr. when i get brave enough to change the belts, if i get brave enough to change the belts. getting the radiator cap off to get radiator out ... might be a challenge. i read it is a thumb and one finger deal and i have.... all thumbs. unless im playing cards... then i have "a hand.... like a foot" anyway, engraver on top of belt guard, primitive but functional.
Gates/Napa belts come with a sticker you can fill out and stick on it somewhere, like on the air cleaner cover. You are going to have to take the shelter off anyway to be able to fill the radiator. It's not a hard job.
On a 4 cylinder wings you only have to take off the shelter to get to the cap and the bottom of the radiator will swing out to get the belt covers off. Hold it back with a bungee.
My local Discount tire would not even top off my doughnut spare a few weeks ago, because it was over 10 years old, and I was there spending $500 on new front tires .
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