2024 Motorcycle Gift Product Review Spectacular

Each year I review a list of products that I think would make great gifts for motorcyclists...either for yourself, or for another Goldwinger.

This year is no different, and I have a great list of products we have reviewed over the years, some of which have made repeated appearances over the years, simply because they are such great ideas.

If you're struggling for a gift idea, or need to feed some ideas to your significant other...you should check out: 2024 Motorcycle Gift Product Review Spectacular

Winterizing Your Bike

Winter seems to have arrived early this year for many, especially those in upstate New York and Ohio, who are suffering through feet of snow as you are reading this.

For others, the end of riding season is close at hand, and it is time to think about properly preparing your Goldwing for its winter nap.

There is so much misinformation about how to best protect your bike over the winter, including "starting it up periodically to keep the oil fresh" - probably the worst thing you can possibly do to your bike engine.

Read about how to best protect your bike, and more importantly - what NOT to do to your motorcycle over the winter months: How to Winterize Your Motorcycle

Just Bought a Goldwing!!!

While some of us are putting our bikes away for the winter, others have realized that late fall is just about the best time to buy a motorcycle, price-wise (with early spring being the worst).

That's what new member Uranium1023 in Toronto has done, with the purchase of a beautiful seafoam green 1999 GL1500. You might remember we talked about him in last month's newsletter, where he was looking at GL1100's and GL1200's. The GL1500 is his first Goldwing, and he has some questions.

He's going to be doing some work over the winter, changing timing belts, and is considering some of the other changes and updates that he might have to perform on the bike.

If you're thinking about buying an off-season Goldwing and want to know what to look for, or perhaps what you will need to think about doing before going out for that first ride, check out: Just Bought a Goldwing!!!

3D Printed Goldwing Stuff

Member jakrabit designed and 3D printed a tray insert for the left saddlebag of his GL1800, which you can see in the picture here. It helps keep cans and beverages from rolling around inside the saddlebag.

Over the years we've had quite a few members post about the 3D accessory designs on their bikes. My own GL1500 had a 3D printed switch housing that I used for my custom Bluetooth audio control.

If you've designed and 3D printed an accessory for your Goldwing, would you share it with your community? Jakrabit has done exactly this with his saddlebag tray. If you want more information on it, or want to download the file and print your own tray, you can do so by visiting the topic here: 3D Printed Goldwing Stuff

How easy can an engine removal and replacement be?

GoldwingDocs member likeclockwork has two nearly identical 1983 GL1100's, and is hoping to pull enough parts from each to create one running GL1100.

He has a couple options as to which is going to be the runner and which is going to be the donor, and some of that decision will depend on which is the easier method to get to having a running, functioning bike.

With that in mind, he has some questions for people who have pulled engines out of their Goldwing before. Think you can help him out? Want to see what others have to say? Check out: How easy can an engine removal and replacement be?

Rebuilding Your Alternator?

Member sassy has been getting quite a bit of noise and vibration from the alternator in his GL1500. Unlike the indestructable OEM alternators originally supplied with the GL1500 which were made in Japan, today's OEM replacements are made in China, and are nowhere near as reliable. He's looking to simply rebuild his alternator, and is looking for advice.

If you are thinking about rebuilding your existing alternator rather than replacing it, and want some guidelines, check out: Rebuilding Your Alternator?

Misaligned Odometer - Sign of Tampering?

Member Beerbiker21 has seen quite a few Goldwings with odometers that are misaligned, as seen in this picture.

In some cases, when vehicles have misaligned odometers such as this, it can indicate that the odometer has been tampered, or "rolled back" to reduce the indicated mileage before sale.

He's wondering if this is the case with Goldwings, or if this is just something that happens with the odometer on them.

Find out what our experts have to say - is this something you need to worry about when shopping for a new (to you) Goldwing? Check out: Misaligned Odometer - Sign of Tampering?

Mouse Living In Trunk?

Member MCRider64 was finding evidence of a mouse living in the trunk of his GL1500: droppings and yellow stains, but only when he put a mousetrap in his trunk did he get hard evidence.

He's wondering how common this is, and how it can be prevented.

With the cold weather here, mice are moving indoors and looking for a warm, safe place to live, and your motorcycle is a perfect place with lots of hidey holes for them to nest, and plenty of nice wires to chew on.

Read how our members prevent expensive mouse damage to their bikes: Mouse Living In Trunk?

Possible Catastrophic Damage?

Brand new GoldwingDocs member motoringenthusiast bought a GL1200 Standard and has been riding it for a little over a week with no issues.

Until...while riding one night, he heard a crunch from the engine, the lights all dimmed, and the tach sped up without going into gear.

He did find that the dogbone (master) fuse had failed, but he's thinking that would not explain the crunch from the engine or the problem with shifting.

And no...he did not change the timing belts before riding it. So that's a distinct possibility. Follow along on his diagnostic saga to see what has become of his new Goldwing: Possible Catastrophic Damage?

Key Suddenly Won't Turn in Ignition

Member Helmetgurus has has no problems with his Goldwing...until recently, when he found that his key would no longer operate the ignition switch.

This can be a problem caused by dirty locks, worn out keys, worn out lock pins or cylinders, or other mechanical failures of the lock or locking cylinder mechanism.

If you start noticing that your key doesn't always operate the ignition or locks without a bunch of wiggling first, then this experience is likely in your near future - and you should read through this topic to find out what preventative steps you should take to keep your lock working properly.

If you have some other suggestions for Helmetgurus, or are looking for lock maintenance help, check out: Key Suddenly Won't Turn in Ignition

Throttle Cable Not Returning

New GoldwingDocs member Radiohammer has a problem with his GL1500 in that the throttle is not snapping closed by itself when he lets go of the grip. This is a serious safety issue: the throttle should always snap closed with no hesitation - and should be checked regularly, with the handlebars in different positions.

He's wondering how to fix this problem, or if the cables need to be replaced.

Our members have the answer for him, and it's easier than you might think. If your throttle is a bit sticky and not closing as briskly as it should, check out: Throttle Cable Not Returning

Replacement G8MS-H30 Relays for GL1500's

Goldwings, particularly GL1500's and GL1800's, are filled to the brim with relays. These electromagnetically-actuated switches are used to switch all kinds of circuits, from headlights to radios to even the starter. However, they are a mechanical device, and after some time they will fail.

If one of the many relays in your GL1500 has failed, or if you'd like to have a few on hand to carry around just in case one does (to avoid being stranded!) - and you'd like to take advantage of our quantity purchase, now is the time to buy them for less than half the retail price you'll pay from Honda. Check out our GL1500 relay store page: G8MS-H30 Relays

Of course, we still have our other product as well: GL1000/GL1100/GL1200 7 volt regulators.

This edition marks the 12th anniversary of the GoldwingDocs monthly newsletter! Stay warm! Also, don't forget to check out the GoldwingDocs YouTube Channel and the GoldwingDocs Amazon Accessories Store! See you next month...

Contest winner for November

Congratulations go out to our GoldwingDocs.com user tamathumper who is the November 2024 contest winner! They win a Set of ROK Straps, just for entering the contest and posting messages in the forum.

The December contest prize is a Schampa Neckgaiter. To be eligible for the December contest, just visit the GoldwingDocs.com Contest Page and click to register for the contest. As always, it's free to register! Once you're registered, every message you post in the forum during the month of December gains you another contest entry! Good luck!