Might be able to push one of the heavier guitar strings thru the lines in the tank, they're pretty stiff. Get yourself a low E String for an electric guitar.

Deb uses a hair brush called a "Wet Brush" after a ride, works any snags out a lot easier than a standard hair brush.

Most alternators need at least two wires to function, the big heavy cable that feeds current to the bike, and the little actuator connection that switches the voltage regulator "on". Are both connected? Most alternators won't output anything without the second connection.

When I was resurrecting my 1100 back in '05 I checked engine run-ability by taking a piece of fuel line from the pump and sticking the other end into a gallon can of gas. The NASTY liquid that was in the gas tank bore no resemblance to fuel whatsoever. Doing this could confirm your pump works, and g...

Not wired correctly into the 7v regulator and getting 12v instead? Can't be getting that hot just idling 5 mins. And if it was that hot you'd have coolant out the overflow and steam....

I wouldn't be surprised if an 1100 will take or at minimum keep up with a 1500...

Also, the regulator in an alternator regulates the VOLTAGE, not the amperage. The current is not regulated - it will supply whatever is being demanded of it, up to its rated capacity (or its capacity at a given RPM). Sorry, I know this well, I was trying to "Dumb it down" a little... Most common ca...

You won't see it circulating there. If the bike hasn't been overheating (i.e. Temp gauge full scale and Steam/coolant from the overflow) I'd just put the new coolant in and ride it like you own it!

If the battery is good the starter should turn that engine over with authority and a quickness.

Probably time to pull the starter and give it a good servicing. You'd be amazed what a new set of brushes will do for a weak starter.

I've done that before as well. I recall riding home from Wing Ding in Fort Wayne in 2012, almost exactly eight years go today. It was the hottest weather I have ever ridden through, as you can see on the picture I took of the thermometer on my bike: Very hot riding home.JPG I had bottles of water i...

10000 of the 100000 miles were traveling 2-up pulling fully loaded camper trailer cross-country. Never thought twice. Never any issues either, just put fuel in it and continue down the road. One of those trips was a 3500 mile loop thru 9 states!

Got over 100000 miles on my '80, ignition has never given any trouble. They're actually pretty bullet-proof. For what it's worth, the 1100 essentially has TWO Separate ignition systems, one for the front cylinders, one for the rears. If a coil, pulse generator or Ignitor module quits the other syste...

Easy enough to make one if you or a buddy has a welder, I took an old sparkplug, smashed the porcelain guts out of it and welded the metal sparkplug shell to the end of a short piece of pipe. then welded an air hose chuck fitting to the other end. Leakdown Tester.JPG When you bring a cylinder up to ...

The High output alternators will NEVER be outputting max power on a Goldwing, the point of having one is to have GOOD output at Idle RPM. The regulator in the alternator will keep the amperage throttled back so that it is only outputting what the bike needs, generally around 30 amps. The nice thing ...

I hope I never have to rebuild mine, years ago after the plastic reservoir disintegrated I went to the local motorcycle "Pick-and-Pull" junkyard and found a bike that had twin front calipers (think it was a Yamaha) and bought that MC. Works great. Trouble is, I forgot to note what make/model the MC ...

Ask the Owner?

The clock should still work without the radio, but that's about it.

If the bike only has 3650 miles the alternator is most likely original. An OEM alternator can be identified by a green-colored core.

My Jeep's oil drain leaks. I just wrap up the drain plug bolt in teflon plumber's tape before screwing it in. No leaks.

Wobbly would be a very good description of that ride I decided 15 MPH was quite fast enough! (but it might've smoothed out some if I went over 30)

I had the sidewall give out on the rear tire on my GL1000 many years ago, forget the brand of the tire. A buddy of mine and I were out riding, and decided to stop for lunch. When we came out I found the rear tire (tube-type) on the 1000 was flat. It was fine when we parked. Rode with my buddy to get...

There's a 3 foot long piece of 2x6 sitting on the garage floor where I park my 1100, I park the bike with the rear tire on the 2x6. Without the 2x6 under the wheel it's almost impossible to get the bike on the center stand. On the stand, the rear wheel still touches the 2x6 but just barely. And if t...

14.3 volts is good, especially at idle.

That tick almost sounds like a minor exhaust leak where the pipes bolt to the heads. Listen underneath. If that's what it is, it won't hurt anything.

With belts on and Crank at T! the marks on the usually won't line up exact. If you have them close enough where moving the belt one cog either way would make the marks line up worse they are correct. The right cam belt can be fun. With the mark lined up one of the valves is just starting to open and...

That's a little arrow in the left circle