My 88 had back lit buttons on the radio. They were a little on the dim side. My guess is they are burned out. I think there is an article on converting the bulbs to LED's that are nice and bright in the "How To Articles" section.

Sounds like the recall was not done back in 89. Look just above the foot peg on the frame on the right side when you are sitting on the bike. There should be an X marked on the frame if the recall was done. My 88 did not have it done. You need to pull the carb and replace the pilot jet with a #55. I...

If you do pull the carbs, save yourself some hassle, get new carb boots. Those are the rubber parts that are between the carb and the intake. They get hard over time, and trying to push the carb back in can be a real bear. I put new ones on mine, and they slide in with just a little pushing. There i...

After 5 years, yep, time to change the oil. I go by the owners manual recommendation. 1 year or 8000 miles. What ever comes first. As AZ said, A gallon of Rotella T6 is cheap insurance. That is what I use.

Hey Snoemoer Thanks for the reply. I notice you have bikes similar to mine. Including a 77 GL1000. Have you used it on the Gl1000, GL1500 and the Gl1800? Do you have the Classic HD model? Cheers I have had mine for 10 years now. It is the cheaper Cycle Hill one. It looks just like the Cycle Hill Pl...

I have a No Mar changer and use the hitch mount. I don't have the room to mount it on the floor also. After you get it adjusted for the height of your vehicles, it works great. Yes, you do loose a little bit of space for the bar to move 360 degrees around the tire. But, most of the time when I get t...

Still go with the Pathfinders or the ones from Electrical Connection. The reflector on the 1500 is set up for a halogen bulb just like it is on the 1800. The one on the 1500 used the lines in the headlight lens to help focuse the light, so the smooth reflector. The cheap led lights have come a long ...

The seats can not be moved back. You will have to get a custom one made that is a little longer for you.

When I rebuilt all the calipers and master cylinders on my 88, I added fluid to the caliper before hooking up the brake line. I rolled it side to side and added more fluid to work out the air bubbles. It has been a while, but I think the shop manual said to do this. I then pumped fluid through the m...

If it is running, you should have tried a good dose of Sea Foam for a couple of tanks of gas first. That usually cleans things up on a running engine. I would just get the OEM gaskets and O rings. They will be the best. That is what I did when I got my barn find 88 going after sitting for 7 years. Y...

Yep, use it. I have it in all my bikes and quads. Great oil.

You do not put "air pressure" in the rear shock on the 1800. There is a pump that adds more oil to the shock to add pressure. You will just have to play with it and see what feels best for the way you ride. I normally have mine set at 15 when I ride one up. When on trips fully loaded and pulling my ...

I have been using this Valvoline coolant without any problems. It is made for Hondas and is the same blue color as the new stuff you get from Honda. It is a 50/50 mix. The closest Honda car dealer is over an hour away. This is at my local Wal Mart. I have switched all my bikes and quads over to it. ...

I don't remember off the top of my head, but weren't the Aspencade ones a satin finish and the SE a chrome finish? That would give them a slightly different part number.

Honda used the same Dialectic grease in the turn signal switch as they did in the flasher switch. When you take the turn signal switch apart, go slow and be careful. There is a small spring and BB in there that can fall out. Clean out all the old grease and contacts. Put some new Dialectic grease in...

The early 1800 switches are starting to do the same thing as the 1500 switches as far as sticking. To do it right, you will need to take the switch apart and clean out the old dialectic grease and put new in. With age and dirt, the grease gets sticky. There is a small wire in the switch that locks i...

You are correct. #1 is the fill plug, #21 is the drain plug.

The breaks on your wing have more then enough power for towing a trailer. I tow a Roll A Home camper and have trailer breaks. On a trip, I had an electrical issue with the trailer breaks and they were not working. The trailer was at around 600 lbs. and the wing had no problem coming to a stop. I jus...

I second adding the relay. Along with the added power to the horns, you will put less draw on the old bike wiring.

He is replacing the HIGH beam bulb, not the low beam.

I think that someone had the ball bearing size in the other post you had about what spring to use. Make sure you put some Dielectric Grease on the moving parts to keep things running smooth. I cleaned mine out on my 88 about 8 years ago. Still nice and smooth. I would not cut and splice!!!! You are ...

I would pull the top inner lit out and start from there. The plug may have come off the USB plug. Use a tester on the plug and see if there is power. If not, then start working your way to the fuse panel. Also check the wires where they go from the lid to the back of the passenger seat. They have be...

I have one on my 2012. It is more for extra protection. I have run over a few things and there are some scuff marks and small dents on mine. There are a few people that have had rocks hit the bottom of the motor and crack the case. Not many compared to how many wings that are out there, but it has h...

No, you are not missing anything. Just some people like to change their oil before it is due on the maintenance schedule because it makes them feel good, or it is easier to remember at say 5K miles. I run Rotella T6 synthetic for 8K miles or one year, what ever comes first. No problems and shifts ar...

It would be a good idea to get it done. I did mine at 32K. I did them myself. All the valves were within spec, but a few were close to being out. I now have a baseline to see what they look like at 64K.