1976 GL1000 - A Soul's Journey - Ride Across America

[KarlJanisse]

Hey guys!
This is my first time posting to this forum (been checking here since day one of GL ownership) so apologies for any lack of etiquette or proper form on my part. If this is in the wrong section - I apologize.

This story starts 4 months ago, I bought a 1976 Honda GL1000 that is in beautiful condition with just over 44,000 miles on the engine. My plan was to ride that beautiful bike across North America - 20,000 miles in total - to spread my dad's ashes in all the places he used to love. Paul Janisse - my dad - was a truck driver, really salt of the earth kind of guy. Any dollar he made went to the ones he loved and he worked himself to the bone to provide for me and mom. We didn't have a lot, but we had enough - he made sure of it.

When he died 3 years ago I promised myself I would honor his life and his sacrifice the only way I knew how. The problem is I kept telling myself I didn't have enough time. I had to keep working. Living in a big city like Toronto.. you work to live, and live to work. Life costs just slightly less than what you can make and that's just the way it works. I always told myself I didn't have enough time to do this.. how would I survive?

Well, it took me over three years to realize that - this reality I was stuck in wasn't good enough. That I refuse to work my life away wishing I had done the crazy thing, Paul worked his life to make sure I could even get this far and he deserves a tribute for his sacrifice. So I left at the end of November on my trusty GL1000 and began this journey.

Now just before leaving I had some non-permanent mods done to the bike to support the bags for the trip and got more load-friendly tires. During this checkup I began to notice that cylinder #4 (back left) wasn't up to par with the others and told myself I would rebuild the carbs at the halfway point when I park in California for a bit. That horizon may be a bit too far away at this point though.

I am currently in Mission, Texas - 5000 miles into the journey and I woke up this morning to a massive reduction in power and performance and cant figure out why. Yesterday I drove from Laredo to Del Rio and averaged 30mpg, today I am getting 15mpg and can barely bring the engine above 60mph. She is still running, but I am out in no-mans-land and gas stations are more than a tank away at 15mpg. If anyone has any advice or knowledge on what could be the issue from their experience I'd love to hear. Also if there are any known mechanics with experience working on classic Goldwings in West Texas I'd take those recommendations as well.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate all of you on this forum

[DenverWinger]

After 5000 miles one of the first things I'd look at is the points. Rubbing blocks can wear down, I used to have to re-adjust points every season (usually around 5000 miles) on my '77. The wear could get to where there was hardly any point gap at all....

For a roadside fix, check to see that you have a matchbook cover's gap in the points. Adjust accordingly if not. Won't be exact, but it would get you down the road again.

And if not an issue with points, would be helpful if you can identify which cylinders aren't firing. at only 15MPG I imagine it is running pretty ratty even at idle. should be able to easily identify mis-firing cylinders by pulling sparkplug wires, you should be able to snap a half-inch spark from the terminal inside the sparkplug cap to the top of the plug on a cylinder that's firing correctly .

[Guerreroho]

Hey guys!
This is my first time posting to this forum (been checking here since day one of GL ownership) so apologies for any lack of etiquette or proper form on my part. If this is in the wrong section - I apologize.

2020-01-26 06.36.24 1.jpg

This story starts 4 months ago, I bought a 1976 Honda GL1000 that is in beautiful condition with just over 44,000 miles on the engine. My plan was to ride that beautiful bike across North America - 20,000 miles in total - to spread my dad's ashes in all the places he used to love. Paul Janisse - my dad - was a truck driver, really salt of the earth kind of guy. Any dollar he made went to the ones he loved and he worked himself to the bone to provide for me and mom. We didn't have a lot, but we had enough - he made sure of it.

When he died 3 years ago I promised myself I would honor his life and his sacrifice the only way I knew how. The problem is I kept telling myself I didn't have enough time. I had to keep working. Living in a big city like Toronto.. you work to live, and live to work. Life costs just slightly less than what you can make and that's just the way it works. I always told myself I didn't have enough time to do this.. how would I survive?

Well, it took me over three years to realize that - this reality I was stuck in wasn't good enough. That I refuse to work my life away wishing I had done the crazy thing, Paul worked his life to make sure I could even get this far and he deserves a tribute for his sacrifice. So I left at the end of November on my trusty GL1000 and began this journey.

Now just before leaving I had some non-permanent mods done to the bike to support the bags for the trip and got more load-friendly tires. During this checkup I began to notice that cylinder #4 (back left) wasn't up to par with the others and told myself I would rebuild the carbs at the halfway point when I park in California for a bit. That horizon may be a bit too far away at this point though.

I am currently in Mission, Texas - 5000 miles into the journey and I woke up this morning to a massive reduction in power and performance and cant figure out why. Yesterday I drove from Laredo to Del Rio and averaged 30mpg, today I am getting 15mpg and can barely bring the engine above 60mph. She is still running, but I am out in no-mans-land and gas stations are more than a tank away at 15mpg. If anyone has any advice or knowledge on what could be the issue from their experience I'd love to hear. Also if there are any known mechanics with experience working on classic Goldwings in West Texas I'd take those recommendations as well.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate all of you on this forum

* Clean air and gas filter
* Put out the sparks and clean with a metal brush and regap from 0,6 until 0,8 (change is better)
* clean and regap point
* note if you have a gas leak in gas pump

[in2it]

If you make it to Texarkana, Arkansas.. your welcome to stay here till things get fixed (Sleep, Wash clothes, Fix Wing) any or all of the above your welcomed here

[KarlJanisse]

After 5000 miles one of the first things I'd look at is the points. Rubbing blocks can wear down, I used to have to re-adjust points every season (usually around 5000 miles) on my '77. The wear could get to where there was hardly any point gap at all....

For a roadside fix, check to see that you have a matchbook cover's gap in the points. Adjust accordingly if not. Won't be exact, but it would get you down the road again.

And if not an issue with points, would be helpful if you can identify which cylinders aren't firing. at only 15MPG I imagine it is running pretty ratty even at idle. should be able to easily identify mis-firing cylinders by pulling sparkplug wires, you should be able to snap a half-inch spark from the terminal inside the sparkplug cap to the top of the plug on a cylinder that's firing correctly .

Thank you! I checked the points, but to be honest I don't know exactly what I'm looking for as I'm not used inspecting them. How do you adjust the points?

[KarlJanisse]

Hey guys!
This is my first time posting to this forum (been checking here since day one of GL ownership) so apologies for any lack of etiquette or proper form on my part. If this is in the wrong section - I apologize.

2020-01-26 06.36.24 1.jpg

This story starts 4 months ago, I bought a 1976 Honda GL1000 that is in beautiful condition with just over 44,000 miles on the engine. My plan was to ride that beautiful bike across North America - 20,000 miles in total - to spread my dad's ashes in all the places he used to love. Paul Janisse - my dad - was a truck driver, really salt of the earth kind of guy. Any dollar he made went to the ones he loved and he worked himself to the bone to provide for me and mom. We didn't have a lot, but we had enough - he made sure of it.

When he died 3 years ago I promised myself I would honor his life and his sacrifice the only way I knew how. The problem is I kept telling myself I didn't have enough time. I had to keep working. Living in a big city like Toronto.. you work to live, and live to work. Life costs just slightly less than what you can make and that's just the way it works. I always told myself I didn't have enough time to do this.. how would I survive?

Well, it took me over three years to realize that - this reality I was stuck in wasn't good enough. That I refuse to work my life away wishing I had done the crazy thing, Paul worked his life to make sure I could even get this far and he deserves a tribute for his sacrifice. So I left at the end of November on my trusty GL1000 and began this journey.

Now just before leaving I had some non-permanent mods done to the bike to support the bags for the trip and got more load-friendly tires. During this checkup I began to notice that cylinder #4 (back left) wasn't up to par with the others and told myself I would rebuild the carbs at the halfway point when I park in California for a bit. That horizon may be a bit too far away at this point though.

I am currently in Mission, Texas - 5000 miles into the journey and I woke up this morning to a massive reduction in power and performance and cant figure out why. Yesterday I drove from Laredo to Del Rio and averaged 30mpg, today I am getting 15mpg and can barely bring the engine above 60mph. She is still running, but I am out in no-mans-land and gas stations are more than a tank away at 15mpg. If anyone has any advice or knowledge on what could be the issue from their experience I'd love to hear. Also if there are any known mechanics with experience working on classic Goldwings in West Texas I'd take those recommendations as well.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate all of you on this forum

* Clean air and gas filter
* Put out the sparks and clean with a metal brush and regap from 0,6 until 0,8 (change is better)
* clean and regap point
* note if you have a gas leak in gas pump

I've looked at all of this except the gas pump - where do I find that on the 76?

[KarlJanisse]

If you make it to Texarkana, Arkansas.. your welcome to stay here till things get fixed (Sleep, Wash clothes, Fix Wing) any or all of the above your welcomed here

Thank you so much for the generous offer! Im headed west almost to El Paso at this point, but I really appreciate the kindness!

[DenverWinger]

Thank you! I checked the points, but to be honest I don't know exactly what I'm looking for as I'm not used inspecting them. How do you adjust the points?

As the engine is turning you should see the contacts coming together and spreading apart. As things wear, that gap when the contacts are open gets smaller and smaller until the points no longer open at all and you lose spark to two cylinders. This also affects ignition timing. To adjust the points there's a screw you can loosen (closest to the contacts themselves) which will allow you to move the baseplate and inner contact closer to or further from the outer contact.

When the contacts are at their maximum opening, there should be barely enough clearance to fit a matchbook cover between them. This is called the "Close Enough for Roadside Work" method. If the points are just barely opening or not at all and the engine runs bad, this will return it to running decent enough to go down the road nicely again.

This is common enough occurrence on the GL1000, but there are other things that can go wrong besides points...

[dingdong]

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/16718 ... 000%201976
Here is a link to gl1000 shop manual. May be of some help. good luck!

[dingdong]

You couldn't have picked a more desolate area to break down. I suspect you have carb problems, if so it will be very hard to diagnose remotely. You might want to go over to ngw site for assistance on your gl1000. More people with them than here.
https://ngwclub.com/forum/

[landisr]

Your carburetor float(s) might be sticking, meaning that they don't "float" as fuel is needed. In laymen's terms, the carb is/are gummed up a little. Buy a bottle or can of good fuel system cleaner (Lucas is excellent) and add to the tank before filling up per instructions on the container. Do this for several tanks. There is a chance that your bike may gradually start running better before long.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Ron in AZ

[KarlJanisse]

Thank you! I checked the points, but to be honest I don't know exactly what I'm looking for as I'm not used inspecting them. How do you adjust the points?

As the engine is turning you should see the contacts coming together and spreading apart. As things wear, that gap when the contacts are open gets smaller and smaller until the points no longer open at all and you lose spark to two cylinders. This also affects ignition timing. To adjust the points there's a screw you can loosen (closest to the contacts themselves) which will allow you to move the baseplate and inner contact closer to or further from the outer contact.

When the contacts are at their maximum opening, there should be barely enough clearance to fit a matchbook cover between them. This is called the "Close Enough for Roadside Work" method. If the points are just barely opening or not at all and the engine runs bad, this will return it to running decent enough to go down the road nicely again.

This is common enough occurrence on the GL1000, but there are other things that can go wrong besides points...

Awesome - Does anyone recommend replacing the points with an electronic ignition system?

[KarlJanisse]

Your carburetor float(s) might be sticking, meaning that they don't "float" as fuel is needed. In laymen's terms, the carb is/are gummed up a little. Buy a bottle or can of good fuel system cleaner (Lucas is excellent) and add to the tank before filling up per instructions on the container. Do this for several tanks. There is a chance that your bike may gradually start running better before long.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Ron in AZ

I was thinking as such, does Fuel cleaner do the trick alone? Im hoping to not do a carb rebuild in the middle of nowhere.

[KarlJanisse]

You couldn't have picked a more desolate area to break down. I suspect you have carb problems, if so it will be very hard to diagnose remotely. You might want to go over to ngw site for assistance on your gl1000. More people with them than here.
https://ngwclub.com/forum/

Awesome! Thanks for the tip and the manual. I left my hard copy in Canada and have been regretting it.

[landisr]

Regarding the fuel cleaner, yes, if the carb or carbs are just gummed up, a lot of times treated gas flowing through can help. At least it could help some. It's a cheap and easy thing to try. But if the problem is elsewhere, that would be a different story.

Again, good luck.

[DenverWinger]

Awesome - Does anyone recommend replacing the points with an electronic ignition system?

Points are OK, but do need periodic maintenance... Electronic Ignition for the GL1000 might be hard to find these days....

[WingAdmin]

Can you check to see if all four exhaust pipes are hot, and the same temperature? That will tell you if it is a systemic problem, or if just one cylinder is giving you problems.

[SlowTyper]

As Admin recommended, checking exhaust pipe temp is a good diagnostic tool. I found which cylinder was not pulling its weight on my bike by going up a steep hill at full throttle, and then checking the pipe temps with a IR temperature gauge at the top of the hill.

In my case, it was a sticking CV slide. Even more likely in your case might be a leak/crack in the CV diaphragm. You can check those diaphragms by pulling the cover off the top of the carbs.

[pidjones]

As Admin recommended, checking exhaust pipe temp is a good diagnostic tool. I found which cylinder was not pulling its weight on my bike by going up a steep hill at full throttle, and then checking the pipe temps with a IR temperature gauge at the top of the hill.

In my case, it was a sticking CV slide. Even more likely in your case might be a leak/crack in the CV diaphragm. You can check those diaphragms by pulling the cover off the top of the carbs.

GL1000 carbs have pistons, not diaphragms.

>>The PO describes a problem of droping from 30 mpg (low) to 15 mpg (terrible) in one day.<<

The first thing that I would do is pull the plugs to see which cylinder(s) are off-line. I was having poor milage on my '75 engine with #2 cylinder running very rich. It turned out to be a severely worn needle jet that was allowing fuel to flow freely even with the slide down. That is something that would develop over a long time, however.

Also, you may be suffering from a non-engine problem such as a dragging brake.

[dnehasert]

I had similiar problem on my 82 GL1100. Found a a bad ignition coil. Affects 2 cylinders. If only one bad cylinder check ignition cable and cap.

[landisr]

Your carburetor float(s) might be sticking, meaning that they don't "float" as fuel is needed. In laymen's terms, the carb is/are gummed up a little. Buy a bottle or can of good fuel system cleaner (Lucas is excellent) and add to the tank before filling up per instructions on the container. Do this for several tanks. There is a chance that your bike may gradually start running better before long.

Good luck and keep us posted.


KJ, are you having any luck? Where are you today?

Ron

Ron in AZ

I was thinking as such, does Fuel cleaner do the trick alone? Im hoping to not do a carb rebuild in the middle of nowhere.

[captdecker]

On a trip to California, (with an 1977 GL1000) on way back to Az. Started losing power too. Limped it home, found that the valve's on (yes the left rear) were not seating as that should. Has Wingman said have you checked temp on exhaust pipes ? IR sensors now very reasonable in price.
As for Electronic Ignition is the way to go. though was hard to find a unit 16 years ago.
I wish you well that this is NOT what is happening with your bike not an on road repair.
AS you have to pull the head,resurvice the valves and seats...gaskets and seals.

So once again wishing you well on this trip in remembrance of your Dad.

[landisr]

KarlJanisse: How is it going? Any progress?

Ron

[wingingit2]

If you can make it to Sierra Vista I can help, being a Wing Shop. Just google Falcon Services in Hereford AZ.

[grospetit]

hello. check vent hole in gas cap...first think to do.