Introduction from PA new bike owner

[psu1]

Hi all,

A 56 yr. old male finally getting into cruising! (Getting closer to retirement ) Presently restoring my 73 CB450 to sell and make room for my new acquisition.

Purchased a 1988 GL1500 from eBay about 2 months ago. Have been slowly working on it about a month and a half.

This bike is one of those stories where it was never ridden and just stored in a garage. According to description it only has 152, YES 152 miles. An older gentleman bought it new, couldn't handle it and just stored it in his garage. Started it every few years. Hasn't been registered in 15 years. Original gas left in the tank. I actually did a clean-in-place with water and naval jelly. Found the idea on the net and it worked well. Soaked it 3 times. The before and after was amazing.

Carburetion was expected to be a total mess. No elec. issues and pistons not stuck.

I expected the carb to need rebuilding but it did not. Sat flooded with SeaFoam and carb cleaner for weeks while I worked on rust and corrosion removal. The wheels were the worst but now finally done. None of the products recommended from several Goldwing sites worked. Believe it or not the extreme corrosion and black spots were finally removed with a full strength grout remover with fiber stripping wheel (drill accessory and dremel for the tight spots) I tried every caustic and stripping/cleaning product I owned. And I have a lot. None came close to the grout remover/cleaner.

Needed new battery and mufflers which were really rusty. Heat guards all needed stripping, body work and repainting. Farings like new. Lot of rust under the saddlebags. Tiny rust spots throughout the frame. All repaired. Most exposed bolts were rusty and difficult to remove.

Starts like a charm now. Mid and front fairings still off. Added an auxiliary fuse block and 12v lighter receptacle. Will be adding some trim as the bike had no extras. It's getting there though. I'll add pictures when done. Again, hello!

Any suggestions for a good insurance company. My car insurance carrier (Erie) does not cover bikes. Thanks!

psu

[jconnr]

I use Foremost that was gotten through AARP. I also have Erie for my cars and my agent set me up with Progressive for the bike at more than double the Foremost rates. many of the people I know use Allstate.

[actionpack]

sounds like ya put alot of time and effort in this restore , good luck with her

[landisr]

Congrats, and enjoy!

I bought one of the first CB450s back in '67. It was a little quicker than my buddy's TR6.

Ron in MI