Hello folks i was wondering if anyone here can help me rebuild my gl1100 (that is in the montreal, Quebec, Canada area).. I have a guarage and all but i dont have the experiance ..
the local motorcycle shop (cheapest i found) for 1 gasket, water pump and timming belts the are charging me about 2000$ before taxes (100$ for an extra 30 mins) ... i can drive it the way it is but eventually my oil and coolant will be 1 .. goldwings dont deserve this torture lol
Or is there anyone that is selling a rebuilt motor?? i found one on ebay but i dont know if its a rebuilt or just taken off the bike.. any help or leads .. Thx allot guys
From what I gather,you have a bad water pump and need new timing belts,Right??
If so,there is no reason to replace the whole motor.
At the top of the page,there are articles on "how-to" repair and replace these 2 things yourself.
Even someone who has never worked on a wing before can accomplish this task.It may take a few days,but the most of the shops repair bill is labor anyways.
A new pump,belts gaskets and "O" rings shouldn't cost more than $300 US.
Remember...."no experience" is just never having done that before.We all have been there.Even a non-mechanic like me that has no experience will muddle through it.With help from these guys,it seems easy.
I would love to help you, but it's too far from Seattle to you.. Hope someone can help you out. I would not replace the motor, just change the pump and belts, it will be a lot cheaper (As you won't know the condition of the replacement motor) and you will learn more about your bike/engine and that's always good..
thx guys. its not the water pump or the belt. it really is my head gasket and it would be smart to change the timing belt and water pump at the same time:) or vice versa, if i change the belts why not change the gasket and water pump arrrgghhh this sucks i gotta do this before may thx again ill check it out
My only concern about changing the water pump, is I believe it's an engine out job.. The head gaskets and belts can be changed with the engine in the Frame!! That is a lot easier and quicker!! Someone correct me if I am wrong, but if I am right, I would leave the pump until it actually fails..
You stand corrected.The water pump on the 1100 and 1200 can be changed without pulling the engine.And so can the head gaskets(without pulling the carbs) too.
Okay, so corrected I stand.. If the water pump can be changed with the engine in the frame, I would do that with the belts and head gaskets.. If you have someone to help you and you have the replacement parts (New belts, pump, gaskets, etc) I would count on a full weekend to do this.. You will learn a lot, I just hope you can find someone to help you.
Thx guys i appreciate your time. I have found a person but he is 15H away lol can this bike do it, my bet is yes .. but i dont know if ill go. ill check the forums and ill probably do it myself. my only concern is screwing up with the timming. i dont have any tools to check pressures and so forth.... and i am bound to screw something up
Have faith brother, take your time and listen to the wealth of knowledge here and you'll be ok. As far as worrying about screwing up the timing, after getting things back together you can check that before starting it. Before putting the timing belt covers on turn the engine over by hand with a wrench. You will know then if the timing is ok. If the engine rotates freely things are good. If timing is off the engine won't rotate when the valves contact the piston. That way you won't do any damage.
Paul
CE1 Navy Seabees/RET
1981 to 2002
ASE Mechanic
The worst thing I did was strip the threads frOm a head bolt.A$50 mistake.I got In a hurry and forgot to clean the hole out and put the washer on.It's all in the details.
Every time we tell ourselves we`re going to "screw it up", we condition our brains to that thought. And sure enough, we screw it up. So, STOP SAYING IT, and you won`t. And as a new member my self, remember, the long time contributors to this site have forgotten more than most of the rest of us know! As some once typed to me,"somewhere on this site there are articles that will teach you all you wanted to know about what you need to fix ".
It's not very often when something can't be fixed. Even if you can't figure out a way of fixing something, it's likely that someone, somewhere, at some time, has done the same thing, and figured out a way to fix it. Sometimes there is even a product based around it.
The 4.6L engine in my Explorer has only 3-4 threads in the aluminum head holding spark plugs in, and it's known for blowing plugs out of the head, taking the threads with them. It's happened enough that someone has actually created a product specifically for this problem that not only allows you to machine and put an insert into the head to fix it, but do it without removing the head.
It never hurts to ask questions if you're not sure!
I just finished my first mechanical endevor into my '81 1100. With the instructions here I was able to do far more than I've ever done before (I do not consider myself a mechanic or very mechanical). However with the great pictures and write ups here, there is very little I would be afraid to tackle on the '81.
Plus, I learned far more than I ever knew about any vehicle and have a certain sense of feeling good about both the bike and me when I ride.....it's good to know the bike.
AND....if you screw up really badly, you can always buy that engine on ebay, but you will be fine.
Plus, when I had questions about how to proceed, someone or two or three always had a direction to point me on this website.....very helpful people.
Go for it Bro. You'll never know if you would have failed if you never tried. And like it was said before, if you can't get it fixed you can always get the motor from flea-bay. Besides, think of the satisfaction of fixing it yourself.
Paul
CE1 Navy Seabees/RET
1981 to 2002
ASE Mechanic
(100$ for an extra 30 mins) ... i can drive it the way it is but eventually my oil and coolant will be 1 .. goldwings dont deserve this torture lol
thx again ill check it out 
