Cheep Bike Challenge <$1500

those are a blast to ride!!!! I have a 90 GT,,im leavin Friday morning for Tellico Plains for weekend of curves and hamburgers..LOL

I've gone through this thread from start to finish in the last couple of nights & have enjoyed every minute. There is a lot of inspiration here & I thank all of you for your time. The bad is that I am now on the look-out for a project

yyy

^^^
Price. What'd you pay for it man.

$450.00. It's in the title.

Ah. 'Nother shortcoming of tapatalk; no headings. :/

Can't remember if I posted this or not. 1980 GS550. Paid $200. It runs, just needs TLC. I wanted a smaller bike than my 82 GL1100 to run the back roads.





Thinking of "Scrambler-ing" it.

I paid $40 for this 73 Yamaha TX750. It had a locked up motor. I literately bought it for the tool kit that was correct for my 72 Yamaha XS650. I was going to sell what ever part's I could and scrap the rest.





I posted a picture of it on xs650.com. Someone there ended up giving me a free motor/part's bike. A little elbow grease, and some vinegar to de-rust the chrome,,,,, and Badda Boom,,Badda Bing!! It still needs some ironing out, but it turned out pretty good for a $40 bike.

I'd say so! Nice score!

I paid $640.00 for this old silverwing. It looked rough but it ran perfect. BEFORE AFTER

I paid $900.00 for this bike. New tires, sprocket chain, points and she was goog to go.

Are those side cases the ones sold on ebay with lights and locking lids?I am looking at those for my V Star.

Just bought this for $600. It's in great shape. Has a slight stumble when you crack the throttle but runs like an ass slapped mare over 2500 rpm. Putting new fork seals on it and having the carbs tuned to fix the stumble, then ride it till it dies.

Already posted a picture of the bike earlier, when I had made the deal with the original owner. But, I just completed a 2,000 mile ride home on her from California to Montana wandering all over. Figured I'd post again in full trip dress. $500 for the bike, $270 for a set of Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tires mounted and balanced, installed a cell phone charger and some "custom" grips (tennis racket tape on the grips) and rode her home. Fantastic trip that I only took about 5 pictures of because I was having too much fun to get off the bike :)



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OK...you guys have got me thinking. After seeing all the bikes that some of you have bought & fixed up, I'm thinking i might want to try my hand at this.

I've turned up an '81 Goldwing Interstate...pic looks pretty good but have not seen it in person yet. Bike has 44,000 miles, new starter, battery & front tire. "Needs work"...but don't know what yet. Ad says $900 firm.

From what I can tell the plastic looks good & since I would want to turn it into a naked bike (similar to one posted in this thread...painted OD green)...I'm thinking I could reduce my costs by selling the parts I didn't want.

Anything in particular to look out for on a Wing of this age?

Thanks for your comments.

There's really not a whole lot that goes horribly wrong with the old 'Wings. 44K is nothing, and honestly, I'd rather buy a GL1000/1100 with higher miles than lower, since a lot of the common problems with them are the result of disuse.

The biggest possible problem is timing belt failure - it's an interference engine, so when the belt goes, the engine eats itself. Make sure it turns over (listen to the starter, sometimes they have issues with the starter not engaging - can often be solved with cleaning and lubing the starter, but it's something to watch for) and check for compression. If you do buy the bike, replace the timing belts immediately - don't ride it until you do.

The other main thing is carbs. They're fiddly on the GL1000 and only slightly less so on the GL1100. It's not a small job to pull them and rebuild them, but it's probably necessary, or will be soon, unless it's been done recently. So I'd factor the cost of a carb rebuild into your budget. Also, having the carbs out of sync can cause a lot of drivetrain noise at idle. Not really anything to worry about unless it's excessive, though.

One thing that may look like a problem but isn't is slight smoking on startup, especially from the left exhaust. Since the cylinders are horizontal, oil doesn't drain back down into the sump right away and some can seep past the pistons, especially on the left, where the cylinders tilt down while the bike is on the side stand. Shouldn't be much smoke, and it should stop within a minute or two of starting, but don't be alarmed if there is a little on startup.

Finally, the charging systems on the old 'Wings aren't exactly the most robust. I'm not sure if it's as much of a problem on the 1100s as it is on the 1000s, but stator failure is not that uncommon. On the 1000s, and possibly also on the 1100s, the stator plug that connects the three yellow stator output wires to the wiring harness can short out, melting the plug and causing charging problems. Bring a multimeter and make sure the battery is being charged while the engine is running, if you can.

Otherwise, just your basic old bike issues - the suspension is probably shot, the brakes probably need attention, bearings and rubber parts should be inspected. The GL1100 at least has electronic ignition, I believe, so you won't have to mess with points.

Condition and use is really everything with the older 'Wings. If you find one that has been ridden regularly, it is far more likely to be a good runner than a low-mile garage queen, no matter how pretty and clean it is.

I'll be starting my Gold Wing project soon..



Just picked it up from a local barn, free 78 GL1000 w/22k mi.

My work is cut out for me.

Is this you , WaywardSon ?

Man , quick work on the Wing if it is you. Shot today in Central Ky.



Sweet work on your new ride !

Not exactly I'd have to see a pic of his Mother to tell if we are related. On second thought...no need.

Missed out on mine....couldn't find the road it was located on & by the time I got in touch with the owner later that evening...she was gone. Guy said when he started it up for the prospective buyer, it ran better than it ever had & it made him sick to his stomach to sell it for $900 bucks. Oh well...another one will turn up.

FWIW....I am about as far west as you can get in Kentucky.

Have fun with that! My '78 is one of the best bikes I've ever ridden, but it fought me tooth and nail before it would let me ride it. I hope your project goes much more smoothly. If you need any help on it, feel free to hit me up. I'll try to help as best I can.