Touring on an older bike?

[Albacore]

I recently inherited my dad’s 1987 Goldwing interstate. It has been garaged the entire time he owned it, and it only has 27,000 miles on it. However, he did not ride it much the last 10 years, and not at all in the last seven. At that point, he pulled the battery out, and it has been sitting in my parents’ garage ever since. Now that he has passed, I am thinking I would like to restore it, and tour on it. To do this, I would need to sell my 2015 Harley Davidson Electra Glide, and use the excess money after paying off the loan to fund the project. Here is my question: Is it reasonable to expect to get this older bike in touring condition? I go on long rides, sometimes 600 or more miles in a single day. As old is this bike is, is it reasonable to expect I would be able to confidently take this bike on such long rides? If I do this, it would mean that the 1987 interstate is my only bike. I don’t have much experience working on motorcycles, so it’s not a project I would be able to do on my own. I would have to pay a restoration specialist.

[Viking]

If you have to pay someone to do the work, it is probably not worth it unless it is done as a way to memorialize your father. There is a certain amount of work that would HAVE to be done in order to be able to use the bike reliably. This is money that will be eaten up by parts and labor charges, and ultimately, when you are done, you will have a very good old motorcycle that you cannot work on because you do not feel capable. Getting parts and service while on a trip will be difficult due to the age of the bike. It is your journey, and you need to travel it in your own manner, however, if it was me, I would not travel this particular road. If you are happy with the Harley, and it is not giving you trouble, I would sell the Goldwing and keep the Harley. Now, if you are willing to start working on the Goldwing yourself, then I would recommend you keep it and do so, but the financial end of that would be much lower as labor costs are the biggest expense. Four things that you need to look at are timing belts, carburators, tires and a battery. Check out the wiring for mice damage. Other than that, you could be good to go.

Good luck whichever way you jump.

[dingdong]

Ditto everything Viking said. Keep your Harley. Too many of these $$$$$ involved. Also won't be easy to find a good "restorer".

[DenverWinger]

Once back in proper shape the '87 Interstate would be a very reliable touring bike.

But after sitting 7 (10) years there will be much to be done to get it into touring condition. A bare minimum of:

1 - New set of timing belts.
2 - Most likely carburetor cleanout / rebuild.
3 - Bad fuel in the tank, tank may now be rusty inside.
4 - New set of tires.
5 - If the brakes appear to work OK, At minimum flush and bleed brakes and clutch hydraulics. otherwise possible rebuild of a master cylinder or caliper. May need brake pads. You'll find out about those when changing tires.

And you may find other issues as you go, if you doubt your mechanical skills to take on these tasks finding a mechanic to work on a 33 yr old bike will be both difficult and expensive.

This work isn't exceedingly difficult and there's a wealth of "How-To" articles on this site, and a wealth of knowledge and help in the members. There may be a member nearby who'd stop by and help evaluate the current condition of the bike.

But if this is above your skill set, as previously stated I'd suggest you keep the Harley.

[winguyjo]

while i wouldn't hesitate to tour on a properly resurrected goldwing, shop rates will, as already stated, add up very quickly.
another vote here for keeping the harley. if you can afford both, keep the wing and learn to work on it; it's a hobby that i enjoy and youtube is a great resource for learning this stuff.

[Albacore]

Unfortunately, I rent. And I don’t have a garage, or a proper place for my Harley let alone a second bike. As it is, my Harley sits under a cover, which often times attracts critters. Although I am looking into buying a plastic shed that I can park the Harley in, it will be no where nearly big enough to work on a bike. Someday, I will have a garage, and the ability to work on my dad’s old bike. Maybe for now I will just leave it at my moms house, safely stored in her garage.

[Andy Cote]

Unfortunately, I rent. And I don’t have a garage, or a proper place for my Harley let alone a second bike. As it is, my Harley sits under a cover, which often times attracts critters. Although I am looking into buying a plastic shed that I can park the Harley in, it will be no where nearly big enough to work on a bike. Someday, I will have a garage, and the ability to work on my dad’s old bike. Maybe for now I will just leave it at my moms house, safely stored in her garage.

Welcome to the forum. We met on another Goldwing forum recently.

You have a great bike with the greatest of attachments to you. Unless you are like Jay Leno with full time mechanics on staff and bottomless pockets, it will only get better if you do your own work. I think you have the right idea there. Good reason to go visit Mom (wish mine lived closer). The only other choice would be to bring it in to your kitchen.

[landisr]

Good advice here. I might add that anything you could do right now to help preserve it while continuing it's sleep would be wise. Remove the battery, and follow winterizing guidelines offered elsewhere on this site.

Ron in AZ.