One in a Million! Allan Zahrt’s Million Mile GL1000

July 30, 2017 By Leave a Comment

How many million mile motorcycles are there?  Answer below. Read on!

July 2017

Allan Zahrt with his Million Mile GL1000!

In the early seventies Honda launched without fanfare an ambitious project. Internally, Honda had a bold plan: to build the world’s best motorcycle. Not just the best Japanese motorcycle  – the best motorcycle available anywhere in the world. Period! The eventual result of this project was revealed to the world at the Cologne, Germany International Motorcycle Show (INTERMOT) in October, 1974 as the GL1000.

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Filed Under: Customer Spotlight, Engine, Honda GL1000, Master Carb Kits, Miscellaneous, New Owners, Tune-up/Troubleshooting Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Honda GL1000 Timing Advance Unit Details

March 19, 2017 By 4 Comments
OEM Honda Timing Advance Unit Details:
Honda-GL1000-Ignition-Advancer

This simple device is critical to proper ignition function on Honda GL1000s!
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Filed Under: Ignition/Electrial, Tune-up/Troubleshooting Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Single Most Common Carburetor Problem (Clogged Pilot Jets) and How To Fix – by Ari Henning

February 16, 2017 By 2 Comments

I’m happy to share this excellent video tip created by Ari Henning of Motorcyclist Magazine. Ari is a notorious AHRMA road-racer and all-around swell guy!

This is excellent information.

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Filed Under: Carb/Fuel, Carb/Fuel, Carb/Fuel, Carb/Fuel, Carb/Fuel, Carb/Fuel, Carb/Fuel, Honda CBX, Honda CX500, Honda DOHC-4, Honda GL1000, Honda GL1100, Honda GL1200, Honda GL1500, Tune-up/Troubleshooting, Tune-up/Troubleshooting, Tune-up/Troubleshooting Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Shade Tree Diagnostic Tests!

May 17, 2016 By 4 Comments

I was very fortunate to grow up in a neighborhood and farm family full of excellent shade-tree mechanics. Mostly they were short on cash and long on resourcefulness.

I learned quite a lot by pestering these very talented home-gown mechanics. 

Shade Tree Mechanics

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Filed Under: Carb/Fuel, Carb/Fuel, Carb/Fuel, Carb/Fuel, Carb/Fuel, Ignition/Electrial, Ignition/Electrical, Ignition/Electrical, Tune-up/Troubleshooting, Tune-up/Troubleshooting, Tune-up/Troubleshooting Tagged With: , , ,

Honda GL1000 Carb Code Location

February 16, 2016 By 7 Comments

This is covered in my GL1000 Carb Rebuild Video, but just in case you haven’t made that great investment…

Here’s a photo showing the location of the all-important GL1000 Carb Codes:

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Filed Under: Carb/Fuel, Miscellaneous, Tune-up/Troubleshooting Tagged With: , , ,

Pod Air Filters or Aftermarket Pipes on Vintage Hondas?

January 22, 2016 By 4 Comments
I get a steady steady stream of questions about re-jetting for aftermarket pipes on the range of vintage Honda motorcycles I support.  
Pod Filters

Pod Filters?

Filed Under: Carb/Fuel, Carb/Fuel, Carb/Fuel, Carb/Fuel, Carb/Fuel, Carb/Fuel, Carb/Fuel, Dyno Results, Dyno Results, Engine, Engine, Engine, Engine, Engine, Engine, Honda CBX, Honda CX500, Honda DOHC-4, Honda GL1000, Honda GL1100, Honda GL1200, Honda GL1500, Tune-up/Troubleshooting, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Jump Starting a Vintage Motorcycle?

January 13, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Warning from Randakk: Controversial Material! 

I am not a big fan of “jump starting” a motorcycle. In my view, this procedure should generally be avoided. I believe it’s better to anticipate, prevent, diagnose and fix problems before they degenerate into roadside “no starts.” But – sometimes bad things happen no matter how well prepared you are. Jump starting can be done in an emergency situation with relative safety if you follow these tips by Howard Halasz. I truly hope you will never need this information!

Battery Jumpstarting
“Dead” Battery on Left.     “Donor” Battery on Right.

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Filed Under: Ignition/Electrial, Ignition/Electrical, Ignition/Electrical, Tune-up/Troubleshooting, Tune-up/Troubleshooting, Tune-up/Troubleshooting Tagged With: , ,

Recommended Honda GL1000 Timing Belt Change Interval

January 9, 2016 By 10 Comments

My recommendation for Honda GL1000 timing belts is simple: It you can’t verify their age – change them! Thereafter, my recommendation is to change them every 5 years or 25,000 miles…whichever comes sooner. Obviously, they should be inspected from time to time for any evidence of damage or deterioration which would warrant immediate replacement.

timing belt replacement

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Filed Under: Engine, Tune-up/Troubleshooting Tagged With: , , ,

Diesel Clatter in Honda GL1000 ?

January 4, 2016 By 5 Comments

Does your early GL1000 sound like a rattling bucket of bolts when idling? If so, you might have a serious engine problem but most likely you do not. Read on…

Diesel

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Filed Under: Engine, Tune-up/Troubleshooting Tagged With: , , , ,

General Honda GL1000 Troubleshooting Guide

December 14, 2015 By 17 Comments

You might consider this item: Randakk’s GL1000 Carb Rebuild Video

Note: You should do a valve adjust and compression test (in that order!) before doing ANY ignition or carb tuning. GL1000s will run poorly when valve lash is not set exactly to spec. Fortunately, valve lash stays “in spec” for a long time once properly set.

Compression Testing 1

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Filed Under: Carb/Fuel, Tune-up/Troubleshooting Tagged With: , ,
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