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  • In order to help others find info on a particular bike, be sure to put the year, make or model of bike that you are asking a question about, in the Topic Title. This will allow people to pass by posts they have no interest in.

Mu usual quandry, old Wing this time.

W

wymple

Forum Sage
Past Site Supporter
I was given a 77 Goldwing with 58K on it for bringing an RD350 back to life. I'm no fan of the hassle of original nitpicking, and it was in terrible shape to look at. I decided to work with it as the oil was clean, no leaks anywhere, and way better underneath than it looked in general. The rear fender was rotted in two, so I stuck a Guzzi fender on it that was hanging around from a project. Pretty direct fit and looked better anyway. I added the rear tail/brakelight assembly from a Virago project, and a headlight from said Guzzi as well. I put new belts on it 1st thing, as it's an interference engine, along with thermostat & hoses, water pump seems perfectly fine. Flushed the devil out of the fuel tank. I had someone who knows his stuff go thru the carbs. It starts instantly, and while cold blooded as as a frozen toad, it runs out smooth when fully warmed up, and is solid as a rock. The charging system runs north of 14 volts. Then I get to the problem. There is an unbelievable amount of wiring on this beast, and it's aged. I'm a fan of minimalism there and can pull every wire off the bike and start fresh, keeping it as simple as possible, as on a chopper, for instance. I don't care about all the indicator/idiot light normal stuff, turn signal indicators, etc. What I'm worried about is how much hassle will I run into with the charging system. I don't think it's a PMA setup, and doesn't the old beast have a starter-generator combo? I'm no Chuck Hahn, so cut me some slack, I could get in over my head here. How messy is this likely to be? I can live with the crap it has if I stay close to home, but hey, it's a Wing. If I find something to replace that stupid 2 butt seat and some handlebars that fit me, I think I might like it.
 
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Not sure what your "PMA" is, but I am guessing "permanent magnet alternator". If that's what you mean, you are spot on. :encouragement:

It is NOT a starter-generator combo, it has an arrangement that is virtually identical to one on a GS.
HOWEVER: to change the stator, you have to pull the engine out of the frame.

Because of that, it makes even more sense to replace the R/R with an SH775. Yes, the Honda R/Rs were a bit more robust to start with, but they fail, as well.

Don't worry about all that "extra wiring". Most of it is there to make the bike what it is: a bike that works well and is a pleasure to ride. Yeah, Honda's definition might not match yours, but it's still a nice bike. You can relieve some of the cold-bloodedness by turning the mixture screws out about 1/4 turn.

Even though the water pump seems "perfectly fine", it might be prudent to change it, anyway. :-k There is a seal behind it that fails rather slowly, but causes a bit of damage in the process. Changing the pump will give you another 10 years and/or 100,000 miles with no worries.

.
 
The easiest way to reduce wiring, in my opinion, is to move the ignition close to the fuse box, near the battery. That is why many old bikes had the ignition on the side under the seat. It isn't convenient. You might also consider cam belts on the motor.
 
Just remember that if you want to keep the fuel gauge and temp gauge they are 7 volts. Don't smack them with 12 volts or they fry. Theres a separate regulator under the left side tank cover for these units. Lots of good links much like Bikecliffs site has for our GS bikes here. Also check out Goldwing Docs for some good reads and how to make your own 7 volts regulators...

https://ngwclub.com/forum/page/Welcome
 
On the seat deal....GOD only knows why so many liked that King / Queen setup. But even used OEM ones on Ebay hit 200 or 300 as starting asking prices.
 
850 Combat said:
The easiest way to reduce wiring, in my opinion, is to move the ignition close to the fuse box, near the battery. That is why many old bikes had the ignition on the side under the seat. It isn't convenient. You might also consider cam belts on the motor.
Click to expand...

I have new cam belts on, that was a piece of cake. I also like eliminating wiring to the point that both my daily riders, the GS850 and the Guzzi California have the ignition under the seat.
 
" but I am guessing "permanent magnet alternator". If that's what you mean, you are spot on. :encouragement:"

So it is a permanent magnet alternator? If so, that's great, as I have experience with that from my Suzuki.
 
chuck hahn said:
On the seat deal....GOD only knows why so many liked that King / Queen setup. But even used OEM ones on Ebay hit 200 or 300 as starting asking prices.
Click to expand...
Well, then, I must be a god. :-\\\

I, for one, enjoy the comfort of a good bucket seat. It is much larger and form-fitting, so there are no pressure points that cause discomfort and pain. True, you can't move around much, but the primary need for moving around is to change the pressure points. If there are no pressure points there is no need to move.

The first time I had a seat made for me, the shop was about 100 miles from home. As I rode the bike home, I realized that I had not squirmed around on the seat like I did on the way up there. The next day, my wife experienced the back seat for the first time and pronounced it "WONDERFUL". We have enjoyed bucket seats ever since then (that was in 1979).

Many don't care for the looks, but "looks" is all a preference. I don't care for the "looks" of a bobber or brat, although there are many that do enjoy them. Even in the custom seat (saddle) world, there are differences, and some do look better than others (to me, at least).

It all comes down to how you ride your bike and what you ask of it. If you want a corner carver that begs to be thrown into the next corner at speeds that require you to hang off to the side, a bucket seat is definitely not what you want. However, if you want to hop on the bike and head for the next state (you New Englanders will have to make that THREE states over), comfort rules, and a well-fitting bucket seat is a great part of that.

wymple said:
" but I am guessing "permanent magnet alternator". If that's what you mean, you are spot on. :encouragement:"

So it is a permanent magnet alternator? If so, that's great, as I have experience with that from my Suzuki.
Click to expand...
As I mentioned in post #2, it is almost identical to a GS system. There is a three-phase stator with multiple windings and a rotating magnet, which is part of the flywheel. The biggest difference is that it is on the back of the engine, which requires the engine to be removed from the frame for access.

Check the output of your stator. If it passes all the tests, I would suggest installing an SH775 to keep the stator in good shape.

.
 
I rode mine down to Luckenbach TX 2 years ago from Oklahoma City..a total of 1194 miles that trip and was overwhelmingly happy NOT to have that seat abortion under me.
 
Oh and by the way...IM NO CHUCK HAHN either.....LOL. Hope that was complimentary sarcasm HA HA
 
wymple said:
I'm no Chuck Hahn. Everyone knows who the Wing man is.
Click to expand...

chuck hahn said:
That would be Steve I believe.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't be too sure about that. :-k

Yes, I am one of several on this forum that happens to own one, but, like most Wings, it requires very little maintenance. Mine is still rather young, it's only 18 years old and has about 188,000 miles on it, so it hasn't needed much in the way of repairs. :-\\\

I can give you some details about features, styling and other such stuff, but have never had to do anything inside the engine. In fact, my only "engine" work has been changing timing belts (and tensioners) and changing a thermostat. All other work has been the usual "maintenance" stuff, like brakes, tires, filters and accessories.

I will put my vote in for Chuck Hahn as the go-to guy for working on the older Wings. Somehow, I would think he might shy away from the 6-cylinder Wings, as they are considerably more complex. :oops:

.
 
Wymple....After setting for 22 years I just fired up my neighbors 78 GL1000 Wing. Gotta sync the carbs yet and a whole laundry list of other stuff but the old girls full of life again.
 
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