Well, it took a little bit of fudging about etc, but the old bird is now running and idles well, all the white smoke has gone, no smoke at all, a real bonus. I will probably have a go at adjusting the cam chain, but without a kick start its a pain in the arse, oh well, at least she runs now,
Busy day and trying to beat the rain storm that keeps on coming in then out etc, but I was prepared for it and got a lot done today, considering this is my first GL500, no books, service tips or much info about on these 22 degree road machines, but the CX is similar so at least a fighting chance at getting the carbs off and new ones put in place.
With the old manifolds removed, I cleaned the intake face area up with Carb cleaner, I made sure also that I dabbed a little grease on the O Ring that seats into the new Aluminum intake and then hand tightened the bolts to see how the angle was for the carb kit to fit to.
I am sure glad that I did take the extra time to clean up all the area that had grease and grime and these intakes fitted like a glove, but now the fun begins as there is not a lot of space inside the frame rails to work with and the carbs plus air filters are going to make it tight to do anything but here goes.
I got the intake manifolds all sorted out, apparently the CX500 is even tighter in the frame and apparently I was lucky I had some maneuvering room to get these carbs to fit.
The trick for me was to put a little grease onto the rubber manifold, to allow the carb to slide in easier and this sure did help as I did try it dry and I struggled, so I was stoked when these plopped into the manifolds.
The same with the Air Filters, pretty tight inside the chassis but with a few curse words, a dab of grease and they fitted up no problem and look pretty cool.
Both these girls are in and I will hook up the new battery, add fuel lines and connect to an auxiliary gas tank that I have on a stand, as the old tank has bad gas in it from sitting for years, but I have not hooked up the throttle cable because I want to try and run this as the carbs are pre set, so they will idle high for a bit until I take both chokes off, so will leave one choke on and see if she runs. I am sure there will be a ton of white smoke coming out of the exhausts as I poured some Marvel Mystery Oil down the bores to lube everything. Sometimes Piston rings will stick and marvel is great for bores, but it will have white smoke as I also put some WD40 in the bores to and left it for a few days. I do this with all motors, it cant hurt it and eventually will burn clear.
Well, the 22 Degree V Twin is in my workshop and now the fun begins by removing the carbs, this bike has 47,000 Miles on the clock but no idea how many real miles are on the motor, but to be honest it does look fairly clean, except where the oil and grease tend to stick.
With the old plugs removed and New ones ready for later, I poured some Marvel Mystery Oil into the Bores as I have no idea when this last ran, the tags say 2006 but no idea when she ran to be honest, so thought that marvel will help the rings for sure as I use that in my Flathead Motor to keep the valves from sticking.
She has been sat for many years but I have seen way worse, I rode the CX500 for many years but never had a GL500 but pretty much the same motor, so now the fun begins as I have to remove the air box then attempt to get the carbs out, I did have a look on you tube but nothing like just jumping in and having a go, quite fun today, albeit dirty and oily but love this sort of stuff.
By the look of it, the frame is way more forgiving than the CX model as the airbox wasn’t too much of a struggle to get out and as I am not putting it back in, I can make a sigh of relief as the New carbs should just bolt right on.
Still, it is out now and whilst I was there I pumped the suspension up as it was on the ground almost and bunged 65 pounds of air in that Mono shock system, I really prefer twin shocks if truth be known but beggars cannot be choosers.
Well that’s that out of the way, right, next up is to make a start on these carbs, I’m used to a rack of 4 carbs these days so these seemed a little easier to get too but the cables were a bit of a pain comp[aired the CB750 and CB550 versions I usually work with.
I undid the hose clamps on the rubber intakes and then set about with an 8mm Ratchet wrench and undid the mounting bolts on the aluminum manifolds, te inners were a little awkward but I was persistent and got them to crack undone with no real issues.
I can see all that Oil and grime in between the cylinders and when I get the carbs off, I shall spray some st100 on it and remove it with cloths etc, may as well as thats the best time to get any sort of access to that area and with carbs on, its almost impossible to be able to reach your hand in that area.
After a few swear words and a good use of a screw driver, I managed to get the carbs out of the frame, way more room on a GL500 than a CX500 for sure, but still a bit of a struggle, the cables were the push pull variety with the 2 10mm hex nuts but a pain to remove the cable nipples from the arms, but managed to get them off, the choke was pretty easy as it is just a screw and bracket holding that.
Look at all that grime from years of riding etc, I am glad that I can now get in there with a rag and some ST100 cleaner to get the majority of it off and use a cloth as I dont want to use water, a long laborious job but I will clean it up and get it looking way better for sure.
From the right side you can see the oily substance that has sat itself here for many years, but usually if you can get it off, it kind of protects the casing underneath and it should come put quite clean after a bit of scrubbing.
Not show winning but so much better, I mean, how far should I go, I just want the bike to run, then make the new 2 into 1 exhausts for it, soon as the New Carbs arrive I can fit them.
So, I am now ready to top up the radiator reservoir tank and have some 50-50 in my Hot Rod, so will use that, and then I will call it a day and get on with some other stuff whilst I await New Carbs n Cables from Murrays.
Hey Guys n Gals
Well, I picked up locally a 1981GL500 Silverwing the other day, Non running, purchased on a whim, not run for many years, Only just got it home last night as we had bad weather here, but it seems all there, the main reason is I think I may make some 2 into 1 exhausts for it and I think the CX500 is pretty much the same too? I have had a few enquiries so hope to make a start soon, let me know if you would like a set?
But this week I will tinker with this old girl to see what state the motor is in, if the carbs are goosed, I will invest in a New set that a buddy makes for these and see how that goes but, I will fit a new battery, New plugs etc, change Oil and filter and then see what we have as she rolls along fine, brakes work etc so may be lucky and get her to fire up if I run a seperate fuel cell to the carbs, if I have a spark, I am halfway there.
It is a liquid-cooled, 80-degree pushrod V-twin, with four valves per cylinder, displacing 497cc. Unlike some liquid cooled engines that are disguised to appear to be air cooled with bolt-on cooling fins, the GL 500 engine made no such pretense. The engine’s skin is the smooth exterior of its water jacket, with only a few minor ribs cast in on the rocker covers and lower crankcase.
The engine’s transverse orientation in the frame placed the cylinders protruding from the sides of the bike. This arrangement has obvious advantages for an air-cooled Moto Guzzi engine; it places the cylinders and heads out into the air stream for maximum cooling effect. For a liquid cooled engine where that air flow doesn’t matter, it creates a rather odd, lumpy appearance.
Adding to the oddness of the engine’s appearance, the cylinder heads were rotated 22 degrees from the axis of the crankshaft. This was done to create a straighter tract between the intake valves and the 34 mm Keihin constant velocity carburetors.
While this improved engine aspiration and performance, Honda made no attempt to conceal the design and as a result, it creates the appearance that the rocker covers were put on the engine askew.
For those of us brought up on vertical twins with nice, symmetrical barrels wrapped in cooling fins, all these angles, rotations and finless surfaces are a little radical. This set-up took some getting used to, but once done, it was easy to not only tolerate it, but to appreciate its surprising power and efficiency.
It’s even possible to get used to the torque reaction pulling the bike ever so slightly to the right when cracking the throttle at a stop sign.
The GL-500 has an exceptionally light clutch that’s a joy to use on day-long rides. Power reaches the rear tire via a low maintenance drive shaft. The five-speed transmission is an easy-to-use, positive shifting thing that in my mind could have been improved in only one way—the addition of a sixth speed.
The engine’s excellent torque and willingness to rev has the rider constantly reaching for the clutch for one more upshift after fifth gear. The engine spins at about 5500 RPM at 60 MPH in fifth gear, making it seem to work harder than it should have to.
A six-speed overdrive arrangement would have given the Silver Wing a much more relaxed tone on the open road, and perhaps less vibration in the mirrors. This design might have caused an occasional downshift on long or steeper inclines, but for most flat highway work, it would have been an improvement. A sixth ratio may also have increased the bike’s already impressive fuel economy—routinely 55 MPG on the highway.
The GL 500’s instruments and rider controls are all first rate. Large dial faces on the tachometer and speedometer are easy to read. An engine coolant temperature gauge is built into the lower edge of the tachometer and a trip mileage meter is included in the speedo.
Large, easy-to-see indicator lights are carried in a separate panel between the gauges. The ignition switch, choke and front fork air valve are all up there in the cluster, as well. Even the fuses are up on the steering head beneath a flat black cover panel over the handle bar.
The double-piston disc brake up front generates just about as much braking force as you need on demand. Squeezing the lever gradually brings on gradual deceleration; pull hard, stop hard. The rear drum brake has a similar responsive feel to it, making it possible to stop the S-wing very hard in a straight line.
The interchangeable pillion seat and travel trunk make the bike more versatile in a way, as long as one has the option to pick between the added carry-along capacity of the trunk or taking a passenger; but you can’t do both.
The GL-500 wasn’t much of a pavement projectile when it was introduced and its position in the performance hierarchy of 30 cubic inch displacement bikes didn’t improve over the years. But, Honda didn’t design the bike for pulse-pounding, wheelie-pulling acceleration and top-end speed.
Over the years, the machines have proven themselves capable of accomplishing what Honda did intend them to: reliable, practical, long-term service in the mid-range touring and leisure riding class. In the U.K., many of these bikes are still in service as courier bikes and have astronomical mileage totals on them.
Its engine and drive-train combined some radical elements in terms of the transverse, finless, four valves-per-cylinder, V-twin engine with practical, proven elements like the age-old pushrod valve train.
Air-adjustable front and rear monoshock suspension was rather radical at the time for a 500 cc machine but the bike’s rake, trail and wide bars gave it a practical, well-mannered feel out on the road. Shaft drive added practicality for long, long highway miles with minimal maintenance.
1981 Honda GL-500 Silver Wing Specs:
