I just got a 1988 goldwing gl1500

[Sterben182]

OK so the bike is really fun but there's a problem the previous owner thought they could work on it carburetor so it runs rich an ruff but runs so far I haven't done much other than an air filter change an a oil change haven't done the timing belts or the
Shaft drive oli. I'm also getting horrible gas mileage about 62 miles for 3.2 gallons to the tank
I really want to know how to tune up the carburetors and fix them I also only have a motorcycle license so I ride daily and have 2 bikes
But my boomer davidson is down again till next Tuesday so I'll have Time to work on the goldwing gl1500 carburetor and belts but would like to know
More about this bike since I plan on putting the Legendary. 1million miles on it before my early 20s are gone

[Rambozo]

Randakk's has the right soft carb parts. If someone used a cheap kit they may have changed the OEM jets for bad Chinese ones. OEM is the way to go for the internal hard parts. Setting the float levels is very important and not done like many carbs, so your's may be a mile off.
Get a factory service manual as you will need it.
On a bike this old, vacuum hoses and really anything made of rubber is likely bad, so inspect everything for cracks, etc.

[tobeerortobike]

Triple check that you have the choke off when you are riding the bike - you push the choke lever up to disengage it - which was counterintuitive to me. I put ~ 40 miles on my bike with the choke fully engaged after I first bought it (dumb, I know).

I'll echo what Rambo said, the hard carb parts are not something to cheap out on - cheap rebuild kits are all over eBay and amazon, and can make your problems worse instead of better.

You can always spray carb cleaner or WD40 around the vacuum lines to check for leaks while the bike is running. If you hear the idle change, there's a leak coming from where you sprayed.

Best of luck.

[Solo So Long]

Congratulations on getting a truly great motorcycle. Many of us with GL1500s wouldn't trade them for a GL1800, especially those made before 2019.

Now, CHANGE THE TIMING BELTS!!!

Unless you have documentation showing that they have been changed in the past two years, AND that the bike was regularly ridden, you're riding on borrowed time. This is the one weak point on the 1500.

Takes a couple of hours, costs about $50, you need Gates T275, 2 each (these are actually OEM).

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9774

You also want to need to know that there are NO PHILLIPS SCREWS on a Goldwing. The are JIS (Japan Industrial Standard) screws, and require the JIS driver (or bit). These aren't expensive (check Amazon), and after using them, you will wonder why anyone uses Phillips in the first place.