Stretching the Wings "legs" today.....

Decided to take a 200+ mile road trip on the Honda GL this afternoon. Quickly loaded up some warm gear and on the road by 1:00 pm. Decided to run up "Ogilby Road" in California and north up to Blythe CA. Then over to Quartzsite AZ. Basically a big 200+ mile loop.
 The old ghost town of  "Obregon" along CA. Highway S-34...nothing there now, other than quite a few RV'ers dry camping in the desert. Appears to still be some small mining efforts going on.

                 (left click to enlarge)

The Gold Wings new carburation  system worked fine throughout the ride, other than the occasional "lag" when starting out. Checking fuel mileage put it at 42 MPG, which is about what I got with the original 4 carb system. 40 miles of rock, brush & sand on CA. S-34. Numerous sections of the road are water crossings, when it rains the water carries loads of sand / rock onto the road. After every rain "event" of any size, the Cal-Trans guys have to plow the road.

A nice section of hilly twisty roads were on my chosen route. The road then drops into the Colorado River Valley prior to hitting I-10.

                  Main Street - Palo Verde CA.

Fueled up in Blythe CA....checked mileage @ 42 MPG. Had a quick Macdonalds burger...then to Quartzsite AZ. Temperatures were cooling off as the day went on. In the lower 60's by 5:00 PM. Great riding weather. The bike ran great. I'll pull the spark plugs and take a peek at them tomorrow to see how they look.
The GL 1000 was really happy running at 75 - 80 mph on the highway. Engine temperature was in the low range as usual. This bike is more comfortable on the highway than any other bike I've ever owned.....other than the "stiff" rear Progressive Shocks..... CA. S-34 is a pretty rough road and a few of the bumps rattled my teeth.
Arrived home just prior to sunset.
                           Mountains outside Quartzsite:

We rode the sidecar rig over to the Mexican Border yesterday. Guess I'll need to get the R75/5 out for a ride next so it doesn't feel neglected...

GL1000 Single Carb Road Test

Got the bike out on the road for 150 miles today.
 Cold starting the bike (@ 50* or so) took a few minutes of warm up time. Took about 3 tries to get the bike running, then had to hold throttle at 2k RPM for a full minute before idle could be achieved.
Once warmed up, things were fine and idle consistent at 1100 RPM. Re-starts were instantaneous with a touch of the switch. What really amazes me is the amount of acceleration when the Weber carb secondary  opened up. ....65 MPH to 100 MPH happens VERY quickly. Engine ran smooth and consistent at highway speeds with no issues.

Took some secondary roads out to the Yuma Army Proving Grounds....then through the Dome Valley. Ran some freeway sections on I-8 at 75 - 85 mph.

 Occasionally experiences some throttle "lag" when starting out from a stop. I was pre-warned of this trait without the plenum preheating in place. Only experienced that at a few start outs from a standstill. When sitting stationary in neutral and hitting the throttle, zero lag is present....it only occurs when starting out, under load, when "lugging" the engine.

 The final "product" looks like a "planned event" when it was complete. The spark plugs in the bike are probably 5 years old so I stopped at a local bike shop and picked up a new set of plugs to install.  I want to keep an eye on plug "burn" condition to make sure it's not running to lean and new plugs were due anyway.

I monitored fuel usage for today's ride and was at 42 MPG for the highway riding, varying from 50 MPH to 80 MPH. That was exactly the same fuel mileage I was seeing prior to the conversion. The plenum heating will be next on the list to hopefully eliminate the occasional throttle "lag" I'm experiencing. Thinking about routing some exhaust heat via tubing up to the plenum. Not sure if that is a good idea but it would definitely be the simplest way. Still sorting out options:
1) Cooling System Heating
2) Electrical Heating
3) Exhaust System Heating
Saw where one aftermarket VW single barrel conversion used scavenged exhaust heat (EGR) for their preheating. Not sure how they achieved that but I'm going to think it through.

starting update:
I've "cold started" the bike a few times now and have a routine down to start it with one attempt. About 8 throttle twists, then hit the starter...... feathering the throttle for a few seconds will keep it running. Then lock the throttle at about 2k  RPM for 60 - 90 seconds, after that point the engine will idle.

Goldwing Single carb conversion - "on the road again"

Finished up some small details today to get the bike on the road again. Now the bike is "wearing" one Weber 32/32 carb. The Weber utilizes a progressive 2 barrel system, with the secondary barrel activated via a progressive linkage.
Completed the air filter installation and plumbed in the crankcase breather to the air filter. 
Rode about 30 miles, 20 of which were on the freeway. Engine ran well and power was good. 
Took a couple of minutes to warm up. Engine wanted to "stumble" a bit when cold when throttle was applied.
Power band isn't as "seamless" as the OEM 4 carb set up but acceleration seemed to be as good if not better. 
I'll rack up some more miles in the next couple of weeks and keep an eye on the spark plug conditions.
As far as a final determination to the set up, we'll see how it performs over time. The idle is stable at 1000 - 1100 RPM. 
I'm just happy to have the bike back on the road...for around $350.00 total cost. 

The bike has been sitting since August and the front brake calipers were a bit "sticky". I removed the calipers, and with a large c-clamp in place, extended the pistons out past their normal travel distance, then use the c-clamp to re-set the piston. Performing this task a few times frees up the pistons. With the fluid sitting "static" for a long time, the fluid must create a "spot" on the cylinder bore walls.  This same scenario happened a year ago when the bike sat for a while. I'll eventually need to rebuild the calipers, and should probably change the brake fluid, although the visible fluid looks as new.
I also changed the oil / filter, I'd only ridden the bike a bit over a 1200 miles since the last oil / filter service about 12 months ago. The previous owner retro fitted the bike with a spin on filter adapter which really makes the filter change easy.

Right side view:
Throttle cable was too short to bring in from the rear, so I opted to bring it in from the front. Made a simple bracket for mounting. Had to drill a small hole through the "firewall" to route cable into place. Purchased a universal throttle kit to adapt to the cable. 
                   ("left click" on photos to enlarge)

Air Filter had plenty of clearance and the OEM Tool Tray still fits in its' place. I ordered a Weber 32/34 air filter but it didn't quite fit, so had to modify the base plate a bit to make it fit.

Left side view:
The carb came equipped with an electric choke assembly which was quite large...not enough room "under the hood" for the assembly. I removed the entire assembly and plugged a vacuum port behind the heat coil. I could have likely been able to plumb in a manual choke but so far the bike started easily with no choke....just a couple throttle twists to prime the system prior to starting. 
One issue I'll need to address is a "preheating" system to warm the manifold plenum. The proper scenario will be to have a chamber welded to the bottom of the plenum and circulate engine coolant to heat the plenum. The carb supplier says this is a "must" for proper atomization of the fuel. He was an Engineer for G.M. and knows his business. Since I have no way to perform the welding / fabrication myself, this addition will have to wait until I hook up with a reasonably priced fabricator who is willing to take it on....then I'll also need to "tap" into the cooling system to access coolant. 
I've also been thinking about alternate plenum heating options. I wonder if one could adapt an electrical heating system...maybe using something like a "heated grip" type element...hmmm....food for thought? Downside would be the additional draw on the charging system, but it might be an easier (cheaper?) option. 
According to the Engineer, the plenum does not need to be "hot", only warm, to achieve more efficient fuel / air mixture atomization.

Plenty of room under the manifold to fit a heating chamber to the plenum if I go that direction.
Initially the carb sat lower when installed....this did not allow room for the fuel inlet fitting up in the shelter area. I eventually fitted some 20 gauge 1 1/2" chrome steel pipe inserts inside the 1 1/2" rubber fuel tubing. The inserts fit tightly in the tubes and also reinforce the tubes as they are not "vacuum rated" and would collapse under throttle application. When all assembled, the steel tubes made the assembly more "rigid" and raised the carb / manifold high enough for fuel inlet fitting clearance.

Honda GL1000 Single Carb Conversion?

We've been at our Winter retreat for 10 days already. Been working on minor projects....cleaning up the yard and some RV repairs which have stacked up over the past 9 months.
Finally took a little time and removed the Gold Wing carburetors. Prior to removing them I performed a compression test on the engine....PSI ranged from 139 psi to 142 psi across the 4 cylinders....sign of a perfectly healthy engine.
 The OEM carbs have caused me minor problems for the past 3 years and have never worked as they should. If the bike sat for more than 2 weeks it would flood and not want to run, usually flooding and gas would expell through the exhaust manifold. After a thorough warm up the bike would then run, but never as good as I thought it should. I got into the habit of starting the bike once each week and warming it up to riding temperature, even if I wasn't riding it. This weekly procedure at least kept the bike ready to ride. But last August it basically "died" on me, not getting fuel to the right cylinders at lower RPMS....engine would run at 4000 RPM's and higher but not in the lower ranges.

 I have a few different options:
1) Rebuild them myself.....this option would be the best. A rebuild kit from "Randakk" runs about $189.00. But the 4 top plastic "plugs" in the top covers have rotted and one had a hole in it last Winter which I jury rigged a fix. I cannot find any replacement parts for these so I'd need to buy a set of 4 donor carbs to replace the top of each CV chamber.  Also I don't have the equipment to properly "soak" them to clean them out. I simply did not want to tear into the complex "4 carb" rack. Once mounted on the bike the multiple adjustment screws are nearly impossible to access. I attempted to remove the bowl drain plugs last Fall....no way to get the soft brass plug screws loose without stripping them. The OEM design is definitely the best, but overly complex and difficult to keep working properly.
2) I had a quote for a rebuild from a retired Honda mechanic....quote was for $850.00 to rebuild / tune the bike. Way more than I am willing to spend. A local shop would rebuild them if I brought them in...cost of rebuild kit plus 3 - 4 hours labor. Likely a total of $500.00 - $600.00 by the time it was done.
3) Go to a more simple alternate carburetion. After many hours of research I found multiple different bolt on options:

        This set up utilizing a "Solex" type one barrel carb sells for around $400.00. I don't like to looks of the squared plenum, I would think that fuel mixture flow would be disrupted.

 This bolt up set up about the same...same carb and slightly better manifold.....$400.00.

This design appeared to be the best...again with the VW one barrel carb and a better designed intake....$580.00


After more research I just don't think the Solex one barrel carb would be sufficient to handle all ranges for the Gold Wing. Read a lot on the subject.... many have installed and like the above set ups.

I finally decided to go a different route and ordered the items below today. This will require some design of my own and won't be a "bolt on and go" scenario, but talking with folks who have built / used them, I think it will be an easier option rather than  maintaining the more complex OEM system. Also should be a better fit for the ranges needed for highway / street riding than the Solex single barrel carb. I found some information from a guy on the Internet who has done this exact conversion. Trying to follow his "lead" as close as I can. He put a lot of effort into research / developement while designing his conversion. 

                VW Type 4 Bus engine Plenum.......

            Weber "32DFT" 2 barrel carb using a progressive (linkage operated) secondary.

My experience with the Weber carbs has been excellent over the years. I once replaced a troublesome Solex 2 barrel with a Weber 2 barrel on a German car I had years back. The Weber was much better and trouble free.
I will need to come up with either piping or tubing to connect the plenum to the heads. The stock intakes which attach to the heads will be retained and used. I've also purchased a "universal" throttle linkage kit which will allow used of the OEM throttle cable. This project will require a bit more labor to install but I think the final installation will be much easier to maintain and tune than the OEM setup once everything is dialed in. Hopefully I won't regret this decision....Discussing the above set up with folks who have toyed with the single carb conversion, I found that the chosen setup should be the best alternate to the OEM system...we'll see.....

UPDATE:
Slowly acquiring required parts. The manifold / linkage / air cleaner assemblies arrived. The Weber carb was finally shipped earlier this week. Ended up that the carb vendor was on vacation for a couple weeks so shipping was delayed until this week.
Went out yesterday and found some fuel "friendly"  1 1/2" intake hose. Decided to attached directly to the intake manifolds with the fuel hose. That required removing the rubber intake attachments on the OEM manifolds. I did not realize the rubber was perminantly bonded to the intake alloy manifold. I damaged the first one to remove it. The "lip" on the OEM manifold (which the new fuel runner attaches to)  is quite small. Hopefully I can acheive a positive seal with clamps. I'll go ahead and strip the rubber off of the three remaining manifolds today. Others use a rigid pipe (of different types) and retain the OEM manifold / rubber. If my technique fails, I went ahead and ordered a replacement set of used OEM manifolds ($18.00 for 4 with free shipping.)
I found another design where as folks are making single carb manifolds out of sch. 40 PVC pipe with reported success. They use single barrell VW carbs though, which I decided to avoid.
Slowly but surely I'm gaining some progress. If all goes well I should have everything assembled in the next few days. The throttle linkage would be the next challenge, but I have a couple different options in mind.
The carb comes with an electrically activated choke assembly. A number of set ups I've seen remove the electric choke activation module due to clearance issues...some running without a choke control. I'll figure that out as I go.....We'll see how the bike starts without a choke and go from there. The Weber carb uses an accelerator pump so fuel enrichment can be acheived by a twist of the throttle.
One problem I've read about is a "Hydro-lock" situation, where the cylinders flood with fuel, locking the engine. Every instance of this scenario has been due to someone leaving the fuel tank petcocks open and fuel leaking past the needle valve, effectively flooding the engine. I habitually close petcocks when engines shut down so this should not be an issue for me.
Total investment in the assembly is currently @ $300.00.

Mecca Beach / Sand Storm

We made a quick run over to the Salton Sea / Mecca Beach on Saturday. Since I was riding the solo /5 BMW, Darian followed up in her "chase" car. Was easy to throw all the camping gear in the trunk, rather than pack a bike.
We joined up with a few dozen fellow "Airheads" who were attending the yearly event. Great to see friends and catch up on "BS". We attended the same campout back in 2008, that was the last time we were in the area for the gathering.

 The old /5 ran without a hitch and worked well. Used 2.8 gallons to achieve the 130 miles to Niland CA.The "new" bar backs I installed made for a much better riding position. Also the small "S" Style fairing made for less wind blast on my chest.

 The Mecca Beach camping area is nice. Lots of sandy beach to set up on if one wishes. We set up across the lot next to a picnic table. A lot of close friends showed up. B. Jan Hoffman, the Airheads founder, was in attendance. B. Jan is always a "hoot" to camp with. He has always been a gracious guy and always has some good stories to tell.

A typical Salton Sea sunset. Numerous waterfowl always around. I was awoken by a massive wind in the night. At one point it was completely still outside but I could hear the roar of the wind approaching. When it arrived it was ferocious.  The large tent we were using has an 8' height so it was a good test for its' endurance. It fared well, only pulled up a couple side pegs while dancing in the wind. Packing up the tent in the 40+ MPH wind was a chore...eventually I chose to roughly roll it up and stuff it in the car trunk ...and deal with properly storing it when we got home in less windy conditions.

 Part of the ride home was with a tail wind, but turning east/west brought me into a "crosswind" which was massive. Approaching the Glamis Dunes I expected some blowing sand...but what was found was much more than that. Topping a hill, I saw a Ca. Highway Patrol car sitting with the lights flashing. I slowed down and came across a 8" sand drift across the road, probably 80 feet long. Plowing through the sand was a bit squirrely. Passing through that drift I then encountered numerous more on the road.

                                           Beautiful Downtown Calipatria CA.


 The blowing sand was brutal.....unfortunately I had my 3/4 helmet on so got a face full of sand along the way. Meeting RV's was another experience. Some of the morons were traveling at 50+ MPH and plowing into the drifts on the road. I met a couple at a "drift" and was pelted mercilessly by the flying sand.
Luckily the "dunes" area is only about 10 miles long. After passing the dunes area, the crosswinds were the next challenge. Leaning a 30* or so to keep upright. All in all there were no problems but by the time we arrived home I was worn out....the longest 150 mile ride in recent memory. Part of the Adventure!
The "lightness" of the R75/5 is not an asset in high crosswinds. My old Gold Wing would have fared much better in the wind, but not too well crossing the sand drifts in the road.

Arizona Sunshine...Mecca Beach or Bust

 Spent some time today and installed the "Emgo" S-Type Fairing. Planning on riding to the Salton Sea tomorrow for an Airhead gathering. Also installed the old "Bar Backs" I had purchased last summer. The Bar Backs were missing the top clamp....and the original /5 top clamp wouldn't work with the :stud" arrangement they use. A trip to the hardware store and the bolts needed were found.
 Euro Bar Fitment...a bit low for my crippled back. I think the repositioning of the bars will save me some back agony. Off for a couple hundred mile run tomorrow morning. Time / miles will tell.



Bar Backs rendered the friction damper unusable, but I only used it when parking anyway. Also installed a cheapo after market "S" Type Fairing. Should keep a bit of the wind off me. 





The "bar backs" didn't come with the top clamps. Found a pair of "K-Bike" clamps for $10.00 on Fleabay. Wasn't sure if they would fit, but they fit just fine. 

Sub Zero Winter in November

The past week I've been closely following the weather forecast while working 13 - 14 hr. days. Initially the forecast showed a three day "cool down" with temperatures in the teens. The outlook degraded on a daily basis over the next week. When forecasts started showing temps. in the near "zero" mark it was time to go. We hurriedly prepared for departure last Friday evening and with all our earthly possessions were heading South on Sat. afternoon. Currently we are sitting South of Las Vegas NV with temps. in the 70's. Billings is now at minus 4* with minus 25* wind chill factors. Tonight the Billings forecast is for minus 10*.
Yuma AZ. is in the low 80*'s...we'll be there this afternoon. RV's and subzero weather do not go well together. I know from experience....We've been "chased" South by Weather numerous times in the past. Hated to leave work on such a short notice, but luckily I work for people who understand.

A Airhead gathering is scheduled for Mecca Beach, along the Salton Sea this weekend. Maybe we'll attend to see all our friends. The Airhead Community suffered a tterrible loss last week with the sudden death of one of the active So. Cal. members. Steven VanTwuyver passed away in his sleep a few nights ago. He was a good friend and we've spent many, many weekends camping with him over the years. I rode to Death Valley with him and another friend a couple years ago. It is hard to accept such a sudden loss of such a close friend....

Fall in Montana

Nice cool Fall day so decided to take the /5 on a little ride. Installed a new pair of Napoleon Bar End mirrors I recently acquired. The short stemmed OEM mirrors gave me a view of my arms....had some proper long stemmed mirrors but they vibrated and didn't look correct with the Euro Bars.

 Took "Duck Creek Road" which eventually connects to the Yellowstone River Road. Always a nice ride along the river.

 Used to be dozens of 40's - 50's cars lining the river banks for slope protection....the way things were done back in the days. They've removed many of them. There are still many along the river in less accessible areas.

 Went through Laurel MT. and over to the "Canyon Creek Battle" site.

 Most of the "green" has turned to Fall browns / tans.

 Snow flurries in the Pryor Mountains it appears....

 Snow flurries in the Absaroka (Beartooth) Mountains too.

All the Billings deciduous trees are in there Fall colors and leaves are everywhere.

Winter is approaching?

Not much new around here. Been working mostly 6 days a week so not much riding activity. Have tried to ride one of the bikes each weekend as time allows. We took a ride to Belgrade MT. on Labor Day with the intention of attending an Airhead Tech Day, but rode into torrential rain coming into Bozeman. We had a motel reservation so checked in and never got over to the Tech Day location. The following day brought more unsettled weather so we headed back to Billings. Originally planned on a trip through Yellowstone Park but the weather did not agree with that plan. Some areas in and around the Park had snow.
Took a 200 mile sidehack ride around Yellowstone / Big Horn Counties a couple weeks back.

Winter is drawing nearer so I anticipate my work will end in the next 2 - 3 weeks. We'll  pack up and head for Arizona when work slows / weather deteriorates. The Montana weather has been surprisingly warm this Fall, still having 60 - 70 degree temperatures. That will come to a screeching halt before too long.

 We have 3 or 4 motorcycle trips planned as usual for this Winter.
My main Winter focus is a long list of RV repairs and upgrades which are due. Also need to diagnose & repair the old Goldwing as it has been "dead" for the past few months.

Honda CX Road Trip

CX Honda's have always been a favorite of mine since I owned a GL650 SilverWing a few years back. They are known for their reliability and longetivity.

This afternoon, while working, three young guys rode into a parking area at Badlands National Park where I am working. I had a nice, but short visit with them.

 They were traveling across the country from North Carolina, heading West. Two of the young guys had passengers. They looked like they were having the time of their lives. All three had bought cheap CX 500's for their journey. Riding two-up with all their gear they were a bit "over taxed" but obviously the bikes were getting them across the country.

 I was real happy to see young folks traveling across our great country and seeing it from a "biker" prospective. This is the type of trip I always wanted to take but never took the time in my younger years. I had numerous opportunities but ......

So Cheers to you fine young people on a trip you will never forget! Happy Trails and enjoy!

Mt. Rushmore Revisited

We rode the sidecar over to Rushmore a couple weeks ago. Decided to run the /5 for a few miles today. Went to get it ready and saw leaky old fuel lines. I'd replaced the "easy" ones last winter. Pulled the airbox cover and replaced the cross-over line and the ones to each carb. 

Haven't ridden this bike much since putting it together last Winter due to leaky fuel lines. Finally got off my duff replaced all the fuel lines this AM and took it for a 200+ mile jaunt. It never "missed a beat".
My old Honda "took a crap" on me yesterday at the end a 380 mile ride so the /5 will be the ride of choice for a while.

Out in the flats of SD. The exodus from Sturgis was well under way. 




Mr. Washington 



Some small storms in the area but nothing serious.

South Dakota 350 miles ....Dead Honda

Finally got in a decent ride today. Leaving Wall SD  I ran East to Kadoka, SD....misread my map and ended up 15 miles past my turn....back West 15 miles and headed South on Hiway 73. The Exodis of humanity leaving Sturgis and heading East was unbelievable. A solid line of vehicles as far as the eye could see,
I looped around South then West, eventually passing through Pine Ridge SD. A very depressing place.
Heading North towards Hot Springs the weather began to turn:

The Black Hills are in the back ground, shrouded by the thunderstorm. The road appeared to be heading directly into the storm. I took a few minute break and headed into the darkness.
A few miles down the road, it turned in a more Northeasterly direction which was just outside the worst of things. I hit light rain for 20 minutes or so but just missed the main storm:

 Glad I missed the wall of water. Looked like a real "gully washer".

I stopped at a Conoco Station at Hermosa SD and filled up. The bike had ran well up to that point, averaging at 43 mpg. Immediately after fueling up the bike started running ratty. I stopped in Rapid City and the engine did not want to idle. Headed down the freeway and the engine ran OK at higher RPM's but let the RPM's down, and it barely ran at all. Pulling into our RV Park, I had a hard time keeping it running for the last 100 yards. As soon as I let off the throttle it died and I rolled into my space. Rode 350 miles today.  Well at least it got me home and didn't die hundreds of miles from home.
I have not a clue as to what is going on with it. It has not run as good as it should for the past year, but nothing as bad as this. Likely a fuel delivery / carburetor issue or bad fuel (?)....don't know.
Appears that a multiple carb rebuild might be on my list for this Winter.....or sooner. I do have a good old school Honda GoldWing mechanic located in Billings. Maybe I'll get a quote from him for a carb rack rebuild. I imagine he will want way more than I am willing to spend. A complete rebuild kit from Radakk is about $150.00. The Honda will be "resting" for a while in any event.