Hi guys,
My name is Youp and I have a GL1000 from 1976 since a couple of months. Ive spent alot of time polishing / making the bike original again. The previous owner hadnt driven it for about two years so I changed oil/ cooling flued etc. It drove great for about 150 miles until this morning.. when i started the bike blue smoke came out of the left exaust pipe this went on for a while than the smoke disapeared. After an hour i started the bike again and again smoke came out of left exaust. This time it went away a bit quicker. Can anyone tell me whats wrong and how I can fix this? Thanks in advance!
Smoke..
- YoupGL1000
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2016 3:01 pm
- Location: Bergen op Zoom Holland
- Motorcycle: GL1000 K1 1976
- Aussie81Interstate
- Posts: 1178
- Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2014 2:34 am
- Location: Penrith Australia
- Motorcycle: 2001 GL1500F6C Valkyrie
1982 CX500 Turbo (Historic registration - finally)
1981 GL1100 Interstate (sold)
1988 GL1500 (sold)
Re: Smoke..
If left on the side stand it could quite simple be valve stem seals, or you could have a deeper problem of worn rings. I would do a compression check when the bike is cold, and check the valve clearances. How many miles/km's on the bike? 

- YoupGL1000
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2016 3:01 pm
- Location: Bergen op Zoom Holland
- Motorcycle: GL1000 K1 1976
Re: Smoke..
The bike has 70.000 kilometers on the clock. If the rings are worn it wouldn't stop smoking would it? Compression test is a good idee, thanks.
- Maz
- Posts: 785
- Joined: Tue May 19, 2015 4:43 am
- Location: Kent, UK
- Motorcycle: 1975 GL1000K1
1976 CB500T
1979 CB750L
1990 Yamaha FJ1200
1993 Suzuki GS500E
Re: Smoke..
If the smoke disappears after running for a while, I would bet on valve stem oil seals. They are relatively easy to replace in situ. As mentioned, it is usually worse if the bike is left on the side stand.YoupGL1000 wrote:Hi guys,
My name is Youp and I have a GL1000 from 1976 since a couple of months. Ive spent alot of time polishing / making the bike original again. The previous owner hadnt driven it for about two years so I changed oil/ cooling flued etc. It drove great for about 150 miles until this morning.. when i started the bike blue smoke came out of the left exaust pipe this went on for a while than the smoke disapeared. After an hour i started the bike again and again smoke came out of left exaust. This time it went away a bit quicker. Can anyone tell me whats wrong and how I can fix this? Thanks in advance!
Maz
Ironically, Common Sense is the LEAST common of all senses!
- aussiegold
- Posts: 106
- Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2011 3:02 am
- Location: Mildura...Australia
- Motorcycle: 1975 Goldwing (No 8 to come to Oz )
1976 LTD cleverly diguised as an 81 interstate
1976 LTD.. a feller with 2 LTD's can't be all bad.....
Re: Smoke..
london to a brick, it is neither valve stem seals or worn rings.
read this Honda Service bulletin.
ride it. park it on the centre stand whenever possible. i doubt it will smoke if parked on the centre stand.
http://www.ngwclub.com/File%20Share/1000tsb/service.pdf
read this Honda Service bulletin.
ride it. park it on the centre stand whenever possible. i doubt it will smoke if parked on the centre stand.
http://www.ngwclub.com/File%20Share/1000tsb/service.pdf
- YoupGL1000
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2016 3:01 pm
- Location: Bergen op Zoom Holland
- Motorcycle: GL1000 K1 1976
Re: Smoke..
Thanks guys. The service manual says it may smoke briefly, but the amount of smoke from my bike was terrible!.. I wil try to put it on the centre stand and see if that helps, and otherwise a compression test / new valve seals.
- Maz
- Posts: 785
- Joined: Tue May 19, 2015 4:43 am
- Location: Kent, UK
- Motorcycle: 1975 GL1000K1
1976 CB500T
1979 CB750L
1990 Yamaha FJ1200
1993 Suzuki GS500E
Re: Smoke..
Youp,
if it's any consolation to you, I bought my '75 GL1000K1 in 2009. It had not had much use for a few years before I purchased it and it had 73,000 Miles on the clock. When I first started it, everything was ok. After I had done an oil/coolant/timing belt change and left the bike on the side stand overnight, then started it the next day, a LOT of smoke was emitted, mainly from the left side. This cleared after a few minutes. For the first few rides, every time I stopped to fill up with fuel and then re-started it, it smoked heavily. This gradually got better the more I used the bike (I am guessing that the valve stem seals had hardened through lack of use and now it was being used more, they had softened up slightly). However, occasionally it would still smoke on start-up, although not as heavily. I have now replaced the valve stem seals with Viton ones and have not had any smoking since, even after leaving it on side stand for a few hours before re-starting.
If the stem seals ARE worn out, the bike will probably still smoke some even after being on the main stand.
Search the topic on here and you will see that many 'Wings suffer from it to varying extents. It should be fixed, but you are not damaging anything by using it.
Maz
if it's any consolation to you, I bought my '75 GL1000K1 in 2009. It had not had much use for a few years before I purchased it and it had 73,000 Miles on the clock. When I first started it, everything was ok. After I had done an oil/coolant/timing belt change and left the bike on the side stand overnight, then started it the next day, a LOT of smoke was emitted, mainly from the left side. This cleared after a few minutes. For the first few rides, every time I stopped to fill up with fuel and then re-started it, it smoked heavily. This gradually got better the more I used the bike (I am guessing that the valve stem seals had hardened through lack of use and now it was being used more, they had softened up slightly). However, occasionally it would still smoke on start-up, although not as heavily. I have now replaced the valve stem seals with Viton ones and have not had any smoking since, even after leaving it on side stand for a few hours before re-starting.
If the stem seals ARE worn out, the bike will probably still smoke some even after being on the main stand.
Search the topic on here and you will see that many 'Wings suffer from it to varying extents. It should be fixed, but you are not damaging anything by using it.
Maz
Ironically, Common Sense is the LEAST common of all senses!
- YoupGL1000
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2016 3:01 pm
- Location: Bergen op Zoom Holland
- Motorcycle: GL1000 K1 1976
Re: Smoke..
Thanks Maz, that makes me feel a bit less worried;-) I'll keep yee posted!Maz wrote:Youp,
if it's any consolation to you, I bought my '75 GL1000K1 in 2009. It had not had much use for a few years before I purchased it and it had 73,000 Miles on the clock. When I first started it, everything was ok. After I had done an oil/coolant/timing belt change and left the bike on the side stand overnight, then started it the next day, a LOT of smoke was emitted, mainly from the left side. This cleared after a few minutes. For the first few rides, every time I stopped to fill up with fuel and then re-started it, it smoked heavily. This gradually got better the more I used the bike (I am guessing that the valve stem seals had hardened through lack of use and now it was being used more, they had softened up slightly). However, occasionally it would still smoke on start-up, although not as heavily. I have now replaced the valve stem seals with Viton ones and have not had any smoking since, even after leaving it on side stand for a few hours before re-starting.
If the stem seals ARE worn out, the bike will probably still smoke some even after being on the main stand.
Search the topic on here and you will see that many 'Wings suffer from it to varying extents. It should be fixed, but you are not damaging anything by using it.
Maz