My friend in Ontario has a battery charging station for his smaller batteries. Each has its own battery tender. He has the chargers on a timer that turns on for one hour every day during the off season/winter months. He has had these smaller ATV/motorcycle batteries last for upwards of 10 years and ...

Just read the article and response in MCN. Interesting response. Tried to find the original article you mention, could not, not an issue. I have found that the 1200 and 1800 suffer from a twisting set of front forks as well. A better bracing system, or fork brace upgrade is a good idea when this is ...

Looked into these units and compared all the models of the SPOT and inReach - Garmin and Delorme, and checked out PLB - Personal Locator Beacons. As with everything, your needs, budget and location generally dictate what you purchase. Being north of the border, we generally pay a premium for items, ...

In between working on my '85 1200, travelling to Ontario, and three tries to get back home have been amassing some parts for the 1500. Have a new fuse block to install - the FZ-1. Like this product because it has an integral ground bus and relay for switched power. You can also choose between switch...

Finished reading. Interesting perspective on the ride, and the people she met for a millennial. Liked her thoughts on Canada, but we have some off the wall people as well. Her summary of the bikes, what she took and had to do is quite interesting. Her purchase of a $400.00 USD tent and what it did f...

I would like to add that the wheel and steering stem bearings also get a "set", and should be considered for replacement. When I did the steering stem bearings on my '85 last year, the lower bearing just fell apart.

Here's my take on suspension. Not only does it provide for a great ride and bike performance, but suspension is the only item on the bike keeping the tires firmly planted on the road. Even though we cannot feel it, the tires with a soft/weak/worn out suspension tend to "hop" causing the tires to sca...

We are heading up to Yukon/Alaska departing 26 June this year and have a four week timeline. Planning already going well as is what we need to take. here's the route we are going to take: Yukon Route.jpg Seems we are travelling when recommended. Welcome to tag along. Sonya is doing the scheduling. H...

The old OEM RR has two green wires - ground. Cap these. The two green wires are joined into one wire just after these wires disappear into the wiring harness. The two red/white wires are joined into one wire just after disappearing into the wiring harness just like the green ground wires. The red/wh...

I'll weigh in here. Bearings do not last forever. For the 1500, your bike is some 20 years old and bearings can feel good, but in reality are still failing. I would change them, inexpensive maintenance. All Balls kits are quite good actually. This way you know that the bearings are in good shape and...

Can't hurt. Gives peace of mind, and you're good for another 60K miles. As mentioned, inexpensive maintenance item.

Picked up the Austone tire yesterday in Hawkesbury, Ontario, only place in Canada that I could find. $262.00 CDN taxes in. The gentleman that sold me the tire asked what I was putting it on, mentioned the 1500. He said that he sells a lot of these to GW owners. Nice tread profile and like the rounde...

Progressive fork springs for the front forks, direct replacement for the original front fork springs. The rear air shocks can be rebuilt with new springs and oil seal. If you are going to restore this old girl I would rebuild the original rear air shocks. The drive train upgrade is swapping out the ...

Put an '85 Limited Edition fuelie on the road last June and drove it cross Canada from northern Ontario to Victoria BC after it had been off road for four years (have since sold this one). Doing engine work on my first '85 LTD, heads refurbished and some additional work as well - keeping this one. O...

I have two, an '85 LTD and a '95 1500. When one is down for work maintenance, have one to ride. Can keep both on the road for less insurance than a newer model. Being fully retired need a project so my '85 fills this requirement, been working/refurbishing it for almost four years. It has been used f...

Once you rebuild the forks and install new Progressive springs you may find that the rear shocks need to be refurbished or replaced. Something to consider.

WingAdmin - trust you are still pleased with your going to the darkside. Quick question - balancing. Did you go conventional or use beads, and if so 3 ounces in the rear? Thanks Yes, I definitely am pleased with the changeover, to me the pros (incredible traction, tire life) far outweigh the cons (...

WingAdmin - trust you are still pleased with your going to the darkside. Quick question - balancing. Did you go conventional or use beads, and if so 3 ounces in the rear? Thanks

The issue is not the daily mileage, but what you want to see on the way. Some days depending can be quite long, and others short. A friend of mine mentioned that if he did it again he would take more time and stop more often. Having mentioned this, depends on where you are going and why. Came across...

You can do a leak down test. Even though you have lapped the valves, may still be considerable leakage past the valves. The main culprit would be the exhaust valve(s). The leak down test will also let you know if the rings are bad as well. Here's a web site regarding a DIY leak down tester by Mike N...

First Wing a '77 GL1000 in '02 at age 44 (is that too young?) and now in the stable an '80 GL1100 (since age 47) and a '93 Aspencade with only 44K mi two yrs ago. At least I was well over 50 for that one. Now age 61 right around the corner I figure with proper care the Aspencade will outlast me! Th...

Good pictures. Wonder why there are two wires, a yellow and yellow/red joined together? The red wire going to the dog bone fuse is the 30 amp CFI circuit. The wire that is there is a bit overkill, only need a 12/14 GA wire. There's only about 7 to amps flowing in that wire - I've checked the amp flo...

Pictures would help, like pictures.

Connect the battery to the "B" terminal, the starter to the "M". Change the wire connected to the "M" terminal and connect it to the "B" terminal, you may see a difference.

Here's a diagram of the starter solenoid: Starter Relay Schematic - 2.jpg The red and red/white wires should be live at all times, battery voltage. The yellow/red wire will only show power when the starter button is pressed, should be system voltage. The green/red wire is to ground through the clutc...