Tuning Carburators for altitude


Information and questions on GL1500 Goldwings (1988-2000)
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MarcSmith48
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2022 5:50 pm
Location: United States
Motorcycle: 1996 Goldwing GL1500 Trike (Converted - not factory issue Trike)

Tuning Carburators for altitude

Post by MarcSmith48 »



I have a 1996 Goldwing Trike and live at 7,000ft. Do the carburators need tuning for this altitude?


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AceCycleNut
Posts: 64
Joined: Wed May 17, 2023 8:17 am
Location: Norhtern California
Motorcycle: '93 GL1500SE
'86 Honda Shadow VT700
'74 Yamaha DT175 Enduro
'63 Yamaha YG1 80
'60 Mondial Nova 125
'58 Vespa Piago GS150

Re: Tuning Carburators for altitude

Post by AceCycleNut »

When I bought my '93 1500 It needed a lot of work done to get it back into shape. I did a lot of investigation about carburetors. As a result I gained some understanding as to how they work.
This is a Link to a video by Shane Martin that was developed for Honda techs so they could learn the different systems. I highly recommend you watch it ;) .



   Never miss a video: Subscribe to the GoldwingDocs YouTube channel today!


Now to answer your question. As I understand the earlier model 1500s had some mechanical widgets and do dads (those are technical terms) that compensated for altitude. I'm not sure when they changed but all that was revised and "simplified"? The later models supposedly now use the ECU to control the altitude adjustments.
Your '96 model will be the later type.
That's my understanding on how it works. Somebody smarter than myself might be along and show us both how ignorant I am,lol.
At any rate the video is worth watching :) . And WOW 7000Ft! That's pretty high!

ACN
Did you ever stop to think? :idea: And forget to start again? :roll:
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Snowmoer
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Re: Tuning Carburators for altitude

Post by Snowmoer »

No, you do not need to adjust the 1500 carbs. The bike has a system that adjusts for altitude. The video describes how it works. I live at 5800 feet and ride at 10,000 to 11.000 feet when I go up in the mountains. Bike always ran great. The same when I had it in California on the coast.
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AceCycleNut
Posts: 64
Joined: Wed May 17, 2023 8:17 am
Location: Norhtern California
Motorcycle: '93 GL1500SE
'86 Honda Shadow VT700
'74 Yamaha DT175 Enduro
'63 Yamaha YG1 80
'60 Mondial Nova 125
'58 Vespa Piago GS150

Re: Tuning Carburators for altitude

Post by AceCycleNut »

Snowmoer wrote: Thu Jul 18, 2024 8:53 am No, you do not need to adjust the 1500 carbs. The bike has a system that adjusts for altitude. The video describes how it works. I live at 5800 feet and ride at 10,000 to 11.000 feet when I go up in the mountains. Bike always ran great. The same when I had it in California on the coast.
Hey Snowmoer, what year is/was your 1500?
The '96 won't have the stuff under the right fairing pocket like the video shows. I was a little confused at first. I was looking for things that my bike doesn't have because it's after the revision. All this made me curious now. I'm going to find out what year Honda did that. I'll post it when I find out,,,,unless some smart person replies first. :)

ACN
Did you ever stop to think? :idea: And forget to start again? :roll:
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AceCycleNut
Posts: 64
Joined: Wed May 17, 2023 8:17 am
Location: Norhtern California
Motorcycle: '93 GL1500SE
'86 Honda Shadow VT700
'74 Yamaha DT175 Enduro
'63 Yamaha YG1 80
'60 Mondial Nova 125
'58 Vespa Piago GS150

Re: Tuning Carburators for altitude

Post by AceCycleNut »

Okay, I checked the parts fisch and it looks like the revision was for 1990 and later models.
1990 looks like the first production year for the SE models too.
That satisfies my curiosity. :)

ACN


Did you ever stop to think? :idea: And forget to start again? :roll:
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