[John J]

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I went with a mate to look atthis 1500SE 1998 he brought today. In absolutely stunning condition with 1 owner from new and only 20k miles. It's spent most of it's life in the USA (Florida)and the owner brought it with him to the UK when he retired here. There are only a couple of minor problems and we would welcome advice on what you experienced owners think.



The first is that the air pump works fine but the suspension loses pressure very quicklyand goes rightdown to 2psi. Is there a common place for them to leak?



The second problem wasthatwe took the bikeon a run for about 20 minutes and when stopped for about 5 minuteswe got nothing on the starter when we tried to re-start it. The battery was fully charged, all ignition lights were on but the starter motor did notturn when the button was pushed, the headlight dimmed but it didn't turn at all. A few minutes later it fired up perfectly normally so we wonder if the starter switch could be the fault?

 

[Bellboy40]

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That is indeed a very nice looking Wing. Love the color. Try shooting some electrical contact cleaner into the starter button. Might clean it up enough to work properly. Those handlebar switches are prone to get erractic and can usually be corrected by some cleaner. I would disconnect the negative battery cable before beginning and work the button while spraying the cleaner in the switch. Then hook everything back up and give it a go.

 

[GWNorman]

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That's a very nice 1500 John. If spray cleaner doesn't work on the starter button, try opening it up and cleaning it. You can find instructions for that here:

http://www.goldwingfacts.com/1500startbutton.htm

As for the suspension losing air, that could be a leak in the rear air shock, or in the lines from the compressor. Usually it's the air shock, but din't rule out a sticking 'decrease' rocker switch on the air control panel.

 

[Spondulas]

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On your starter issue, make sure the kill switch on the right handle bar is ON. It is easy to bump it off the ON mark and when that happens on the 98SE, the starter won't engage. Also, make sure the green neutral light on the dash is lit. They should start in gear with the clutch lever pulled in but if the clutch lever micro switch is dirty or the grips have been changed to a thicker style, sometimes you can't pull the clutch in far enough.

 

[John J]

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Thanks guys. I've passed that info onto him and hopefully he can can it sorted now. Never seen such a clean Wing though, 20k and there's not a stone chip on it. Some people get all the luck!

 

[newday777]

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Be sure and check the voltage at the battery with a test volt meter.

 

[Wadcutter]

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For the starting issue the very first thing I would do is clean the battery connections. It doesn't take much corrosion to cause the same problem you describe. Wings have to have good clean contact at the battery to start. Even just a bit will do just what you're finding. Remove the battery cables, clean both the cables and battery posts, then make sure they are tight when reinstalled. If that doesn't work then it could be the starter switch.

 

[John J]

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I've just had an update and told the starting problem has been fixed after a loose fuse was found.
The shock air pressure is now staying up after it was increased to 50psi and left to stand but is losing about one pound a day. Do you think it's normal for a slight gradual loss of pressure?
Thanks a lot for the advice you have all given so far, it's been very reassuring to the new owner who plans to join this site when he picks up his new toy!

 

[ALEX BERECZKY]

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John J wrote:

...The shock air pressure is now staying up after it was increased to 50psi and left to stand but is losing about one pound a day. Do you think it's normal for a slight gradual loss of pressure?...

> Don't worry about it... It's probably Instrument Error (eg Fluctuating Atomosphereic Air Pressure causing the difference).

> My air shock has leaked before... worst case is to replace a simple O-ring, or shock seal ($10)

 

[Graham B]

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It might be losing that 1lb because you're checking it. If you're able, leave it for a couple of days and see how much it's gone down by.