Worse, you have to do this for a job which should be done every couple of thousand miles -- bleeding the brakes.
The actual process takes as little as a minute, once you have prepared. This also assumes that you either have a willing helper, or -- far better -- that you have installed Speed Bleeders.
It's getting TO the bleeder screw that is the royal pain in the okole.
That pain can be eliminated by putting in The Hole That Honda Forgot, cutting through the inside wall of the left saddlebox.
The dimensions that I am presenting work on MY 1989 GL1500, either on the center stand or raised off the ground on a jack. They SHOULD work for your GL1500, but I make no promises.
I used an oscillating multitool to cut through the case in the appropriate spot, which I determined by drilling a couple of time holes and looking up under the skirts. While cutting, I made sure to just barely go deep enough, and made small bites, looking through the hole with a light to verify that I was in the right spot.
A hole this size gives plenty of clearance for connecting wrench and hose. Be sure to deburr the edges of the cut.
This pic shows the ruler resting on the bottom of the saddlebox.
But it gives easy enough access to the Speed Bleeder that there's no longer any reason to accept spongy brakes for "just one more week." I can put my catch bottle right next to the bleeder, eliminating about a foot of hose (and that much more lost DOT4 fluid).
