i don't know what year you are working on, so i can't refer you to a specific partzilla (or other) parts diagram. furthermore, i don't know exactly what it's called, but it sits on a machined surface on the caliper mounting bracket. it serves 2 purposes ...1) it provides a smooth surface for your br...

the parts lady at honda asked me what kind of bike i was working on. i told her it was a gl1100. she said she gets a lot of bmw guys buying it. i guess they are getting hosed at the bmw dealership.

after grumbling about the price on the moly 77 i bit the bullett and bought a tube from a local honda dealer. their price was actually as good as anyone online was offering; sometimes the dealership is your friend. anyhow, i have done 2 gl1100s with that 1 little tube and easily have enough for a 3r...

i would check the coolant for signs of oil and do a compression test.

engine seized ? could be hydro-locked. remove spark plugs and try to crank engine. place rags over spark plugs holes before cranking because if there is liquid in there it can be pushed out with considerable force. if it doesn't crank, my next move would be to put a couple of tablespoons of tranny f...

when messing with wires it's not at all hard to blow a fuse, so check the main fuse as well as all the others. also make sure you havent left a ground wire dangling somewhere. green is ground, unless the P.O. did something weird.

what colour smoke ? is this bike new to you, i.e. do you have some history on it ?

i was one of those. lesson learned, and thanks for the link. now i know how to seat-in new brakes .

adding a bit of closure to this thread ... after successive nights of tying off the front brake lever, and resting a weight on the rear brake pedal, i noticed a very small leak at the banjo bolt to the front master. tightened that, installed all new brake pads (the new brake lines were already insta...

if there's nothing dripping onto the ground, no milkiness in the oil, and no evidence of coolant-coloured stains on the engine then it has to be getting into the combustion chamber.
i would do a compression test. better yet, if you can get ahold of the tool, a leak-down test.

a better troubleshooter than i will be along soon, but just to clarify ... you have a cranking no-start condition, as opposed to a no-crank, no start ?

is the kill switch in the "run" position ?
if so, do you have 12v at the battery side of the starter relay ?
if so, do you get 12v to the starter side of the starter relay when you press "start" ?
if so, what voltage do you get to the positive post on the starter when you press "start" ?

for the full throttle stutter i would test the output of the fuel pump.

the ancient brake lines were replaced with new (wish i had gone stainless braided). 3 successive nights of tying off the brake lever, releasing, pumping, re-tying, etc. has got the travel down to where i think it is good. the issue now is no decent "grab". i actually thought these brakes were o.k. u...

the only thing i can think of that comes close would be the float bowl drain screw, but those are brass. it's possible that a previous owner lost one and used that as a substitute, but if all 4 of your float bowl drain screws are accounted for, then i am officially out of ideas.

the brass piece on the rights is the jet into which the slide needle moves up and down. it sits inside the throat of the carb on the bottom. i can't recall whether it is installed from the underside of though the venturi. the other piece is a mystery ... is it really "silver" in colour as it appears...

sitting for a couple of years usually means gummed up carbs (also, the sellers "couple of years" often turns out to be 5 or 10). if it is running better now it may simply be due to running fresh clean gas through it. i would try a can of seafoam or similar fuel system treatment to see whether you ge...

well, my initial thought was "fuel pump", but since it will rev up but not idle, i am doubting that. that would also seem to rule out clogged gas cap.
have you had this bike a while or just got it ? i am wondering about the cleanliness of the gas tank and carbs.

you say that when you pull over after the bike starts running poorly, it won't idle. does this mean that it will still rev up if you give it throttle at that point ?

definitely get rid of all that old fuel. sitting for 3 years with gas in the bowls is not kind to carbs. if you are lucky, the previous owner treated the gas with fuel stabilizer, but even there, the bottle says right on it that it is only effective for 6 months. some symptoms that point to carbs ne...

i would be checking float height and cleaning the fuel inlet needle seat. for that i like to put a q-tip in the drill, put a dab of the orange hand cleaner on it (the type that contains pumice). you could also use carb cleaner and some people use toothpaste . a few seconds of that and a rinse will h...

get yourself a couple of JIS screwdrivers (probably have to get them online as they seem to be a big secret in the tool business). the reason all the "phillips" screws are mangled on japanese bikes is because they are not really phillips screws. the first time you use a JIS screwdriver you will feel...

i'm not sure what you are getting at with the 1st pic, but pics 2 and 3 clearly demonstrate why the carbs are removed from the left side of the bike.

p.s. ... these bikes are difficult to work on at first, but after you have done everything once, the screaming and swearing starts to ease up. enjoy.

you only have to remove the vacuum slider caps off the right side, then you can manoever the whole carbset out the left side of the bike (on my gl1000 i got away with removing only the cap from carb 1 but if i recall, on the gl1100 you may have to remove 1 and 3 ... someone can correct me here). don...