[ARKnapp]

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Ladies and gentlemen: I am happy to report that the GL1100, 1980 is now road worthy and I have put on 40 Km in testing it. Part of my problem is expectation; I expected nothing so everything above and beyond zero is a bonus. The wing rides fine, I have to readjust the suspension since 19 PSIG up front along with 42 PSIG in back is too truck like. At 100 Km/hr the tach reads 3800 RPM. With a standard bike of this vintage is this about right? I did note that the people with 4 wheels are in much more of a hurry than I am, so I really do not know if the speedo is correct. I will examine it as time goes by.

The fairing is solid as are the bags, no undue vibrations. After the run the carbs seemed to settle in with distinctive pulsations from the exhaust along with an idle at 1100 more or less. The new Havoline Coolant (Extra Life Red) kept the temp at the beginning of the normal range at highway speeds and smack in the middle in town. I am still running the fuel I put in during the repair sequence. Voltage stays at 14.99 to 15.02 max at the upper rev range. Clutch, gears tranny and output shaft are stable, quiet and act as expected. The engine is quiet but at times the exhaust seems slightly noisy. No leaks in the exhaust area and so far no leaks in the engine, oil, and coolant area. The engine takes a load quite well as it does the higher revs. I maxed out at 100 Km/hr (62 MpH) since this was a test.

Having been off a bike for 10 years my expectations of noise, vibrations and handling became normal after the 40 Km run. It was a test of both the bike and the driver and we both passed. Tomorrow I will hit higher speeds to complete the testing then dump the oil and send it for a chemical analysis

Again thanks to all for the help and assistance.

 

[Ruaidh]

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Congratulations and welcome back!

Ruaidh

 

[Hawker22]

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You sound a lot like I was at the first run. I had been off a bike for about 10 years and had never been on a Wing so I had no idea what to expect. I was a bit disappointed initially, but soon discovered that it was me and not the bike that was doing things wrong. The bike and I are both getting better each day.

Congratulations.

Hawker22

 

[SilverDave]

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 You are gonna  have your oil analyzed ????????/forums/images/emoticons/shock.gif Really ??????/forums/images/emoticons/shock.gif Does anyone else  on this board ever do that ???  What are you expecting to find, except for burned hydrocarbon by products, and sone weak acidic  oil fragments /forums/images/emoticons/mad.gif??? "Inquiring Minds want to Know " !!.................. I am missing out on something ...  Should I be having my old oil analyzed  ??? I am usually quite happy just to throw it away .... SilverDave /forums/images/emoticons/emoticonsxtra/cooldj.gif

 

[ARKnapp]

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I have been in business out of business, in mechanical, electrical and now my 7th career, but in all I have always checked out the inner workings of an engine without breaking it down until I know what metals are floating around in the oils. As an example what is the lead, tin, copper, brass, aluminum content and how does it compare to a vehicle that is new. Wear tolerances are not given as a factual single number but a range. For the price, of a chemical check up, it saves me tearing the thing apart all for about $35.00. The comparison needs a sample of the same oil used in new out of the bottle condition.

The problem is that when chemically checked it is now up to me to read the technical report and then determine what has occured internally. Then from that point I can make an informed decision about the engine. I keep my vehicles for 20 years+ and it takes some examination to verify the condition.

I also do it because I am crippled up with arthritis and it helps keep me away from the physical repairs when they may not be needed. I know of no other way to determine the health of an internal combustion engine other than to tear it down, I simply am trying to resolve these issues with as little input from handling the tools.

And now to boot the GL 1100 is 25 years old and I am owner #7. What did the other 6 do to it? So far I know they knew nothing about electricity. Mechanically the engine is as every one claims, bullet proof. After my initial 40 Km test I pulled the plugs and was pleasantly surprised to see them the correct colour. The gasoline in Ontario is terrible on plugs, although the compression ratio in the 9.2:1 area says regular is OK, the high test fuels are actually without MMT and thus have a tendancy to keep the upper end cleaner and well lubed.

Sorry if this sounds a bit anal, I am really not wound that tight, but any vehicle I own will be in the best shape possible, simply because at 59 I still want to see my grand kids grow, I do not want to be responsible for the harm or death to others, so safety is upper most and this rrequires me to know the shape of the vehicle be it car, truck, tractor or bike.

I know a few others that do chemical analisys, but they were also involved in lurication technologies as I was. I have spent years in manufacturing and from experience I also do vibration analisys to determing breakdown.

I hope this explains why I do what I do and by no means am I suggesting others to do it. I have learned a great deal from people in chemistry. Maybe I should have remained there, but my boredom level becomes problematic for me.

 

[SilverDave]

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 Awesome.../forums/images/emoticons/shock.gif (I was a research chemist about a thousand  years ago and three careers ago  )... I had no idea you could cheaply analyze engine oil for all those metals , for so little $$$..........I assumed that this sort of test would be nearly $1000 ./forums/images/emoticons/sad.gif.. I guess it was ,when I was a researcher (1960's)...  But assume you see , say , 2 mg% copper, and 3 mg% Fe... what will that tell you about what to do next ???  It sounds like a great procedure... but ... Will this tell you to replace bearings, or ???? Fascinating !!!!! SilverDave /forums/images/emoticons/emoticonsxtra/cooldj.gif