Hello, fantastic site!

imported post

:waving:



Hi, I'm kind of new to Goldwings,I wasn'tperticularly a huge fan of bigger bikes but after owning a 1997 Bandit 1200 and then having the oppurtunity to get myself on a GL1100 I think I have found my calling as a rider. I will argue with anyone saying a GL1100 standard isn't "sporty"!! (no doubt there will be no arguements here! )



The GL1100(1000) Standard'sdo just fine in nearly any situation, given it be street riding, drag strip outings, or even for that matter, just carving a smooth line through a twisty road. The bike defines "all arounder" for me! I used to look at the GL's as "old man bikes". Boy was I wrong!! :gunhead:



A friend came into a little money and was getting tired of his GL1100 and asked me (having done all the work on it) if I wanted the bike!! I was stupified, a free motorcycle? Who passes that up?! I had ridden it a few times over the summer having returned to riding after a year off and enjoyed it alot.



It was nirvana for me to have a big, mean, healthy breathing beast of a motorcycle under me again, it filled in the spots the bandit fell short at and got rid of the hooligan tendencys to ride mile long mingers for fun. Not that the GL is short on get up and wheelie power, oh no no, it just doens't make it so easy so it stays where it belongs. The occasional rolling burnout during test rides was enough to prove this bike is no weekendcruisertoy it is a machine built for a purpose.



I started riding big street bikes with a 1977 Yamaha XS650, the tires were horrible though, alot of older riders advised against what I called "sticky" tires on it saying it would flex the chassis too much. I couldn't understand why they would say that when all I wanted was the thing to not headshake and walk around during 55mph sweepers, Dunlop D404's took care of that goofy wobble and made the bike a joy to ride in a spirited manner.



My firstquestion is, (not caring about wether they are radial or bias) what tires would a 17 rear 19 front GL1100 (82 or 83 I believe but a more knowledgable owner can confirm) work well for the occasional twisty bit and 20 mile strait line commute on the super slab? Wear rate is not really an issue as after spending $300 every few months on a rear Pilot Power for the Bandit :shock:a 150 dollar tire sounds like a steal!Any suggestions on a tire with as much grip as possible would be appreciated! I am 25 years old and still have sportbiker friends I like to ride with and after coming off a really hard core corner carver of a sportstandard bike I am looking to get as much out of this GL as possible in terms of riding enjoyment. :action:



And question #2. I know how goofy this is going to sound, bear with me here everyone. Is there an aftermarket jet kit for the early 80's GL's? I bumped up theprimary main jet's from 145 to 150, removed the airbox lid, and oh boy does this bike howl! I thought my VF500F without the snorkel was a screamer, this thing beats on it's chest like king kong when it's opened up! I am very interested in dialing it in for proper A/F mix and suprising the 600 SS boys in the area, it already does, but a crushing time from the strip would be a trophy in and of itself.







I am going to be spending the winter attempting tofabricate a 4-1 equal length header for it (I madethem for BOTH of thesubaru legacys I used to havea few years back and the packaging seems like it will be very similar)so there is plenty of time to get a set of sticky tires, rejet the bike with the exhaust and intake, and get some hard bags for it and get back to the long haul touring I was starting to grow fond of when I had the B12. This afternoonI'm headed out to the house where the bike is stored and will snag some pictures then, I shoud be back tomorrow afternoon at latest and I am sure I will be busy with replying to the welcomes, this seems like a very family like place here.





Glad to be here, till next time,





:waving:



Ben







Haha, found a pic of the GL out on a 180 mile test ride, my bro standing next to his 1985 GPz600R 'Fighter. The bars on the GL have been changed since the pic and the exhaust was a one off deal I did for it. Sounds great and isn't loud at all. Muffleris a stock affairfrom a 2003 GSXR1000 so it has all the sound deadening material and the catylitic converter intact.