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Since I can only work on one thing at a time, I’ll combine the two bike projects I have into one topic.
The first project is a 1981 Goldwing I bought for $200 with a clear title and no drivetrain. I was missing my 1994 cb1000F.
While looking for an 1100 or 1200 drivetrain, I found a 1990 goldwing with a salvage title. It had been abused and was missing a few parts I would need, but it was $400.
I cut the frames near axle height and brought them together, bending and stretching the 81 frame as necessary. I bought the missing components off Ebay. I think I have about $800 in the bike at this point.
The 81 frame was stretched 4 inches above the 90 engine, the rake was increased a few degrees, and the festiva radiator and fan for the trike turned out to be the best fitting radiator I could find. The 90 was missing it’s dual radiators that would have been a hassle to install anyway. They are also expensive, used or new.
The 81 upper shock mounts were in the wrong place for the 90 swingarm, so I made new removable ones further aft. The rider sits on the fuel tank, so it needed to be removable.
The 81 fuel tank required butchering to clear the starter and alternator.
The faux fuel tank is where the air filter goes, but it is almost completely filled with the two carbs. I’m fabricating an air box from a plate to bolt on to the carb tops and two mandrel bends to accept two cone filters at the front of the faux cover, which has a gap/scoop at the front since the frame was stretched 4 inches.
The mufflers were going to be sportster take offs, but I used one for the savage. I’m undecided at the moment.
I heated and straightened the handle bar to try different positions and determine which bar I would like to order.
I didn’t care for the bowl seats and started reshaping and trimming the seat base. I also added a cheap headlight bucket and brackets off Ebay.

I shortened the swingarm initially, to line up with the 81 shock mounts but I made it about an inch too short. I found another swingarm on Ebay and decided to go full length so I would not require a custom driveshaft.

Note massive rear brake and tiny front brakes. I don't plan to change the 81 front end. The rear brake is being plumbed as a separate system.

At this point, I started thinking about the Savage, which had been sitting for a long time and I wanted to get it running. I figured I would work on it a couple weekends and be back on the goldwings. I’ll pick that up later, as I have 130 feet of wood privacy fence to hang pickets on today and an oil change. I had to review drawings an engineer at Guardian Couplings sent me on my adapter order for the Kubota trike, but that’s another story. I’ll add Savage info and picks later.

Very cool project!!!

PooK

Nice to see you around again, MV8. I'm surprised you cut and welded without including another engine and getting a flat 12 out of it. You know you want to!

Hey MV8! -- Yep, good to hear from you! I like the way Marcus is thinking... Which ain't necessarilly a compliment to Marcus, but it'd be a helluva build!

JD

Excellent start for a great thread to be watched.
Bikes are so easy and quick to build compared with a car.
And relatively inexpensive since so many get wrecked by kids.
I have picked up several bikes at auction and have a great supply of assorted parts to choose from for various projects.

Thanks guys!

I'm sure I would have been pleased with a 4, but could not find one at the time. I bought both bikes on Craig's List.

I have about 2/3rds of my fence complete.

About the Savage:

The 36 hole rims are ProWheel blue anodized, 18 x 2.15 front and 17 x 3.50 rear. I called and asked for closeouts and they gave a a really good deal. Color choice was not an option. They threw in the bands for free.

The spokes and nipples cost me about $220 for stainless from Buchannans, so I hope I got it right. I still need to lace them. I sent them each spoke type and specified the overall length and thread length, mocking up the new rims and old hubs with drinking straws.

I need the wheels finished and reinstalled before reinstalling the engine, but I do have some in-process pictures.

The main part of the RYCA IMHO is the fuel tank. It is the stock tank with the bottom cut out and lowered onto the frame to clear the handle bars. There is a compression release solenoid that pulls a cable which rotates a shaft in the head to hang the exhaust valves open while cranking. It won't fit with the tank mods, so they use the forward shift lever to rotate the shaft during cranking (see photo). I plan to use a lever on the handlebar for compression release. Unfortunately, the aftermarket ones are for 7/8" bars and the savage uses 1" bars. This also affects grip selection so I went with coke bottles which are supprisingly comfortable. I'm also using bar end mirrors.

I'm using a sportster drag bar with the savage low risers and two large nuts on each side to bring it up about an inch. The RYCA uses clip ons on the fork tubes.

I laced the rear wheel and my fingers, hoping my measurements were correct. I did have to increase the bend a few degrees by hand and a slight tweek where the spokes neck down to clear each other. It still needs to be trued and tightened up.

The trick was to install the spokes in groups of 4 or two crossed pair, one for each side. Installing all the spokes just scratches up the anodizing on the opposite side. It was tedious until I figured out the proper technique.

The rear wheel pics.

I relaced the rear wheel with alternating spokes the opposite direction through the flanges and it worked out much better.

I'm not pleased with the front tire. It will be changed when it wears out. I'm thinking I need to lower the front an inch or two also.

I need to do more trimming (note black marks on tank and fender) but I can't finish the tank until the engine is reinstalled. The bike isn't jacked up at the rear with longer shocks from an intruder as is done on the RYCA, because the rider (not me) has a limited inseam. With a chain drive, the wheel can be further aft for more suspension travel without bottoming.

The wheels still need balancing. I will spin balance them then order the necessary spoke weights, which are much more expensive per box compared to other wheel weights.
The ends of the spokes should be ground flat on a belt sander or grinder before installation to remove the burr, then dipped in the oil that comes with the spokes. Only use a spoke wrench. Do not use anything else. The nipples are soft.

Here is how I true a wheel after lacing.
1) Finger tighten each spoke with the wheel mounted, a few turns per spoke then going to the next, until they all are finger tight.
2) Take the egg shape out. A dial indicator is not necessary, just a fixed point to observe the clearance to as the wheel rotates. Adjust the high areas out with a couple turns of all the spokes in a 20 degree arc around the center of the high area. If it gets hard to tighen, go to the other side and loosen those spokes a few turns.
3) Take wobble out in the same manner, except you are tightening toward the pointer/indicator by tighening only the spokes in the 20 degree arc on that side.
4) Recheck egg shape and observe wobble. If it looks good, spin the wheel and tap the spokes that point the same way (usually every other spoke) listening for a pitch change. Tighten a couple turns each low pitch spoke. Go to the other side and repeat. Go back to the first side and do the spokes facing the other way. Go to the other side and repeat.
5) Recheck egg/wobble while checking pitch of spokes again. Do not expect to have a perfectly true wheel. My wheels are rolled into a circle and welded, which leaves a flat area but I'm using a dial indicator which shows every little flaw.

It takes a couple hours for me to do one wheel, but I don't rush. I'll get bored and do something else, then come back to it.

Here's one of my favorite naked Goldwings:

Yeah those are nice. I think it must be 84-87 or so to be a 1200? I'm not a wing expert.

That one looks German.

I'm not sure when the wing will make it back to the front in the "to do" list.

These are some of the wings that are being built on the naked wing forum.

Hey! I've got one of those.



I need to install my electric fuel pump, and go for a ride. The brakes/tail light/etc... are done, I just haven't taken any recent pictures. Hopefully I'll have it out this weekend.

That looks just like what I started with, only a lot more parts!
You don't like the plastic front fender?

I modified my seat and since I added 4 inches between the handle bar and the seat, I won't be using such a cool handle bar. Is that the clubman bar?

Folks have rebuilt the original fuel pump with parts from another, cheaper pump. The solenoid box pump is very noisy, so mount it with rubber and add a ground strap. You may also want to put a sheetmetal box around it to help dampen the sound. Another option is an intank pump from a late 80s honda with a carb.

I made a stand to roll the bike around without a rear wheel. It bolts to the 1500 frame. I also modified a socket to use as a key for removing the swingarm.

Thanks for the tips on the fuel pump. The fenders are actually CM400, I don't have a picture of the front. The bars are clubmans, there is no way you could reach them with a 4" frame stretch unless you were 6'6"+

I like where you're headed with the seat. I've been thinking about pulling mine apart to smooth out the passenger seat area.

Try 5'11", but I make up for it in girth.

I would have liked to remove more from the passenger seat area, but that as far as I could go without cutting through. The rear most section of the base kicks up very high. One could cut the plastic base and add a piece of metal with sheetmetal screws to attach it, then add a foam filler underneath. I didn't think it would be worth the trouble.

I also trimmed the seat base edge so it ends just above the center line of the tubing. See difference in tubing overhang between untrimmed photo and the other side.

It is hard to see in the photo, but I thinned the drivers seat by about an inch also.

I won't be reinstalling the trim rail around the back.

Unfortunately, I don't know which fuel pump they rob the rubber disc from for the overhaul.