SilverWing Owners Group Members Forum - Archive - Technical Information Requests

New! bike (1 reply)

Tony Arkwright — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 18:31:10 -0700

I have just found the bike I have been looking for for ages, a GL500 19500 miles and fair condition for an '82 I have a problem though, the bloke I bought it off says that it runs on unleaded fuel how when they didn't have unleaded in '82 and the docymentation with the bike does not show any mods.

Please help, I'm stuck.

Tony

Silverwing forum (2 replies)

Randy — Tue, 05 Oct 2004 09:50:21 -0700

Hi everyone,
by any chace,does anybody knows what happend to the silverwing forum that was set up by Chopper Charles?
I bookmarked that site,and used to visited often,but now every time that I click the mark,I got nothing.
Maybe they moved to a new web site?
Anyways,any help on this matter will sure be appreciated.
Thanks.

Electronic Cruise control 2 (2 replies)

Jeff in Ohio — Thu, 30 Sep 2004 05:21:17 -0700

I have been using the cruise control for several weeks now with no problems or complaints. It keeps speed with no problem, it also recovers quickly when going into hills. The way the control switch is mounted is convenient and resists water pretty good, but it isn't water proof. I rode through a mild rain storm with no problem. It's a little unusual feeling the throttle move without me doing it, but I got used to that very quickly.
Overall I am very happy with the results.

I was finally able to track down the supplier of the fittings I found to use in the balance ports. They are made by a company called 'Clippard Minimatic'.
I found several other options while I was tracking them down but I wanted to list the parts I used in the project.

www.clippard.com

The part consists of: Adjustable "L" fitting #15002-1 and 10-32 to 1/8" I.D. Hose fitting #11752-1

Here is a link to the original topic.

[www.aegeansoft.com]

purchase (no replies)

J. Hanner — Thu, 23 Sep 2004 16:13:23 -0700

Hello,
A buddy of mine is interested in buying an 82 GL500. He doesn't have a lot of experience with bikes and has asked me to come along. I'm no expert, but have a lot more experience to draw on. I have never however dealt with this particular beast. Besides normal (look for on any bike) kind of things is there anything unique to this bike I should be looking for. (I.E. I think I read somewhere once that if the stator goes out you have to practically tear down the motor to replace).

Anything you can give me would help. We go to check it out tomorrow at noon.

thanks
j

Raising seat height (5 replies)

Steve in Seattle — Sun, 26 Sep 2004 14:55:29 -0700

I'm 6'2 and I've noticed that the knees and butt get a little fatigued after an hour or so. I have highway pegs and these help but I'm still a little crouched. Any suggestions on raising the seat height?

shift lever (3 replies)

Marc — Tue, 14 Sep 2004 19:38:06 -0700

I bought a new pair of boots and now i am having some trouble getting my foot under the shift lever. Tried adustment of the shifter but then the bike wouldn't switch gears. I'm wondering if the shift lever is bent. I know the original owner did crash the bike. but whether the shift lever was affected, I don't know. Any ideas? Anyone ever have this problem?

Marc

Windjammer V fairing (2 replies)

Eric Kristjanson — Sat, 11 Sep 2004 08:22:45 -0700

Could someone tell me if a Windjammer V fairing from a 79 CX 500D will fit an 81 GL 500 ? In other words, are the motor mounts the same, because it bolts to the motor mounts. Thanks

braided brake lines (3 replies)

Steve in Seattle — Sun, 12 Sep 2004 06:34:29 -0700

After reading some of the posts that highly recommend switching to stainless steel braided brake lines, I'm hoping to get some for my 82 gl500 interstate. Is it necessary to have them match the internal diameter and length of my stock lines or do I have to buy them pre-made with the same measurements? I'm trying to do on a student budget so any suggestions or recommendations on how or where to shop would be appreciated.

Thanks

Lights (10 replies)

Jeff in Cincy — Fri, 10 Sep 2004 17:36:47 -0700

Should the rear turn singles be on as running lights? It seams to me this would be a good safety feture. With only the rear tail light on at night there's not much back there to warn oncoming drivers.

GL500I, LEAKING PINK FLUID (9 replies)

ANDY — Thu, 23 Sep 2004 10:39:29 -0700

HAVING OWNED SEVERAL CX500 MODELS YEARS BACK I THOUGHT THE BULLET PROOF LITTLE STEAD WOULD LAST WITHOUT PROBLEMS INDEFINITELY. WRONG SAYS MY LOCAL 'WING' EXPERT. HAVING RECENTLY PURCHASED THIS UNIT IT NOW HAS A PINKISH COLORED OILY SUBSTANCE WITH A DRIP WHICH DOES NOT SUBSIST? OIL AND COOLANT ARE NOT CLOSE TO THIS COLOR, MY THOUGHT IS GAS AND ?? PERHAPS JUST RESIDUE FROM UNDERNEATH OR ?? ANY SUGGESTIONS OR WISDOM WILL BE A GREAT HELP!!!

Exhaust system (4 replies)

George — Sun, 29 Aug 2004 10:58:19 -0700

Will a '78 CX500 exhaust system fit my '83 GL650 Silverwing Interstate? All I need is the headers and balancer.

Suspension Air Pressure (2 replies)

Paul — Wed, 25 Aug 2004 16:01:39 -0700

I know I have what probably are some dumb questions but have just got my bike recently. I was checking air pressures, easily found and added air to the front.

Going by my Honda owner's manual, the air outlet for the ProLink is apparently up behind the right side cover. The manual says to remove the panel, but doesn't tell how to remove it. Being plastic I don't want to try and force/break it. My Clymer has yet to arrive, but I would really like to check that rear air pressure asap.

Is it quite simple to remove, or is there a good site to go to that will show beginners how to do it? Thanks to all

Hauling my Interstate (10 replies)

Paul — Thu, 26 Aug 2004 22:40:48 -0700

Now that I have my new 81 500I (and LOVE it!), I have the challenge of transporting it 800 miles. For actual trailers designed for motorcycles I have found anyone renting them require the trailer be returned (no one way and "drop off" rentals). As far as I can see, that leaves me an option of renting one of those smaller U-Haul trailers that I can drop off at destination.

Those seem to be readily available. But I have concerns about how difficult this would be (don't want to mess my cycle up!). Has anyone out there done this? Is it difficult to accomplish? Are there sufficient tiedown points in a uhaul? Should I put the bike on it's sidestand, no stand, etc etc? So many "what-ifs", so little time. Any help/experiences (good or bad) appreciated - don't want to mess up a really "nice" motorcycle!

Air adjustable shocks (3 replies)

z_bassman — Tue, 24 Aug 2004 15:35:27 -0700

What pressure are you all running in your front and rear shocks?
What kind of load do you typically carry?

PANNIER FITTINGS (1 reply)

PAUL BARR — Sat, 28 Aug 2004 06:38:22 -0700

HI THERE I'M RESTORING A 1982 GL500 SILVERWING FOR A FRIEND OF MINE .BUT HE WANTS TO FIT PANNIERS TO IT HE'S GOT A PAIR (ALTHOUGH TATTY AND SOME PARTS MISSING) BUT AFTER LOOKING IT SEEMS THE REAR IDICATORS HAVE TO BE RELOCATED I'M JUST WONDERING IF ANYONE HAS A MOUNTING BRACKET OR KNOWS HOW & WHERE TO RELOCATE THE INDCATORS. ALSO IF ANYONE HAS A DAMAGED LEFTHAND PANNIER I'D BUY THE HINGES, FEET,HANDLE ETC FROM THEM

CHEERS PAUL

Handlebar switch (5 replies)

Marc — Mon, 23 Aug 2004 20:43:59 -0700

I've been toying with the idea of switching to a slightly flatter handlebar on my GL500I. Has anyone changed the bars? Good idea? Bad idea? Any opinions? I was reading a review on the GL500 in a 81 issue of Cycle (came with the CD Rom Shop Manual I ordered from Kathy in Australia) Seems like one of the only features they didn't like was the "tiller" type bars.

Marc

Front shock/fork "slam"? (3 replies)

David — Sat, 21 Aug 2004 08:06:17 -0700

Something weird about my front forks/shocks. When I go over regular bumps, where the fork is compressing, they work super smooth. But if I go over a sudden drop, where they stretch, they "slam" really hard, and really bang loud. Speed makes no difference. Feels like something might break with the wrong occurrance. Any suggestions as to what this might be a symptom of, or possible things to check/fix? TIA...

Valve rattle (3 replies)

Bob Keyes — Tue, 28 Sep 2004 18:03:22 -0700

Good day all! I have recently purchased a 83 650 Silverwing and the engine has what seems to sound like as excessive valve rattle. I had the valves adjusted to the specs of .003 for intake and .004 for exhaust and they were not out much, maybe 1 thou.
My question to you is: Does your engines normally sound like they have excessive valve lash? I have heard that the Silverwing engine sounds like a threshing machine up close. Is this true? Coming to you from Boyle, Alberta, Canada. BK

clutch catastrophe (2 replies)

fizzycrazycraig — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 23:39:03 -0700

oh blimey. am i in a fix! as a courier on my trusty silverwing i was riding today over hill and dale when pulling away from lights my clutch cable went--or so i thought. after a closer inspection it was the cast bracket where the lower end of the cable goes thro had broken off! i have a spare bike which i can pinch bits off, it appears i will have to replace the front alloy cover. anyone out there had this problem or can advise the difficulty in changing this by someone with limited mechanical ability.

Erratic Temp. Gauge (2 replies)

John in Ontario — Thu, 19 Aug 2004 05:17:49 -0700

Hello all, I have a 1982 Silverwing GL500 Interstate that I purchased last year, great ride however I noticed that my temp. gauge will run up to hot, stay awhile, then come back to normal. The engine never overheats but the gauge can be annoying and not trustworthy. I got some hints from this forum last year saying it could be either the 7 volt regulator or battery. At seasons end last year, I took the battery out and noticed that there was hardly any fluid in it, this year I put in a new battery and the gauge worked fine, however it's now starting to act up again, haven't checked the battery yet but I would like to know what causes the fluid in the battery to get so low, over charging maybe ? Any suggestions would be great.

Servicing front forks (7 replies)

George — Thu, 19 Aug 2004 16:08:35 -0700

I have a GL650. The front forks are mushy and come close to bottoming out. I will probably rebuild this winter if needed, but for now I just want to service them to see if that will solve the problem. My books doesn't tell me how to get the top caps off the front forks so I can change the oil. Any help is appreciated.

non-stop brake light (4 replies)

ryan — Tue, 14 Sep 2004 19:06:56 -0700

okay, so i had that silly question about my brake light not turning off when i locked the fork only to have sidecar bob point out that i was leaving it in park!

now my brake light won't dim to its running light when i'm riding the bike! no one behind me knows when i'm actually brakeing! at first it only happened when i used the rear brake pedal it would then stay on, but if i slid my foot off the side and let the pedal slap back into position then the light would dim. now its on non-stop.

so my question is: where is the contact between the rear brake and the light? i think that is the source of the problem.

thanks for all of your guidance.

-ryan

Battery Meltdown (3 replies)

Lew — Mon, 16 Aug 2004 16:16:29 -0700

Driving along at about 75mph(6500 rpm) and started to lose speed. Thought that something might be wrong with fuel system so I switched to reserve tank. The engine died and I pulled off of the road. When I went to start, I noticed 2 things:

1. The ground terminal had melted down.

2. The right spark plug was disconnected(possibly kicked loose when I went to rest my foot on the road pegs).

I reconected the battery with a paper clip that I had in my pocket, the heavy duty spring loaded type. I left the petcock on reserve as a precaution. After a few cranks, the bike started and I road about 6 miles home with no more problems.

Is there a connection between the battery melt down and the loose spark plug connection? Could anything else be going on that I might be missing?

Tire problem (3 replies)

Abe — Sat, 21 Aug 2004 06:22:59 -0700

Hey Guys, Have a quetion for you all out their. My Silverwing's back tire rubing on the swing arm shaft side. Does any one know how to fix this tanks for the help.

Tach not working (5 replies)

George — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 08:00:23 -0700

I have a 650GL Interstate and my tachometer is not working. It looks like the cable is buried on the engine where it seems to be impossible to work on. Any easy tricks to getting the connection removed? The temp gauge is functioning.

side kickstand problem (7 replies)

mike — Tue, 14 Sep 2004 16:40:19 -0700

i'm having a problem with the side kickstand, the bike is a 1981 gl500i.the stand seems to have to much side play and causes the bike to lean over way to much.the mounting hole where the bolt goes through looks like it is elongated,is this a common problem? and does anyone have any suggestions for repair?

thank you,

mike

performance (3 replies)

Robert in Ypsilanti — Mon, 09 Aug 2004 10:52:16 -0700

My 1982 GL500 will rev to the redline in neutral, but when in top gear, it is difficult to get any more than 60 mph. I am 195 pounds, and my bike is essentially empty with regard to cargo. The performance is very smooth, and the engine does not sputter but seems to flatten out at 60 mph.
Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks,

Robert

Brake Fluid on plastic. (2 replies)

Wayne — Sun, 08 Aug 2004 06:43:48 -0700

While my bike was resting during my vacation, it somehow leaked brake fluid down on the locking cover and down the fairing!!! There seems to be a coating on the cover, that started to peal off. There are now streaks down the inside of the faring. Is there any good Vinyl Paint on the market?? I'm thinking of just repainting the small areas where the damage is.
Any good ideas????
Thanks,
Wayne
Glendora , CA

Silverwing fairing ???s (6 replies)

Jim in NJ — Sun, 08 Aug 2004 18:51:32 -0700

I am in the process of mounting a 1981 GL500 fairing on my 650.

I need to change out the upper clamping plates from 500 ones to those that work on the 650. I need to remove the right pocket, but I do not have a key for the cover. Does anyone know of a way to get the cover off? I would like for the patient to survive the operation (i.e. no broken or damaged parts).

I have discovered that 1981 fairings only have two fuses in the fairing wiring harness. What is the extra circuitry (and fuse) for in the 1982 and newer fairings? Should I put in a newer wiring harness?

The temperature probe for the temp gauge needs to be in the airflow in order to give meaningful readings. There don't seem to be any appropriate holes in the fairing, and I am not inclined to make any. What have people done to ensure airflow past the probe? I am considering making a slit in one of the rubber fresh air ducts?

Squeeky rear break (1 reply)

Jeff in Cincy — Tue, 03 Aug 2004 04:37:56 -0700

Hi all. I just bought an 82 GL500I that's in great shape. The last owner stated there was plenty of pad left. He had a lot of peddle travel (2 to 3 inches) which I readjusted to 1/2 to 3/4 travel. However now when I apply the back breaks hard there is a loud squeek. He didn't ride it much for the last year so could it be just needing use?