View Full Version : Money Pit.
Water Warrior 2
02-13-2014, 03:48 AM
Bought a money pit today. Needs a cash infusion of parts and labor. The MP is a 1983 GL650 Honda Silver Wing. Old ...................yes. Old enough to vote and smoke if it wants. Needs a few repairs at the local shop because I absolutely refuse to crawl around on a concrete floor fixing stuff. Minor tinkering will be my job or I'll just pay more later.
Just gonna slow it down on it's long trip to the scrape yard in the sky. Should be fun.
alantf
02-13-2014, 05:26 AM
Didn't know what a silverwing was, so I googled it. Looks a lot like the Suzuki Bergman. What cc is it? Automatic? The big Bergmans (650 cc) are auto/manual at the flick of a switch. The silverwing looks like a comfortable ride. :tup:
Like this.
1983 GL650 Honda
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTfoCOc5R_ovK4zcTYDYUDbPMpU9xg_U RrrKj80U2Z6ZnBh8KrH
http://epautos.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/83-Wing-three.jpg
alantf
02-13-2014, 12:27 PM
When I googled Silverwing, it came up with pictures of a scooter. Is it a scooter or a bike?
This is what I came up with.
2006-Honda-Silverwinga-small.jpg (http://www.gz250bike.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=103&stc=1&d=1392308740)
Google this...
1983 Honda GL 650.
The scooter did not come out until 2002.
Did my pictures not show up on your computer?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_CX_series
Water Warrior 2
02-13-2014, 01:22 PM
Like this.
1983 GL650 Honda
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTfoCOc5R_ovK4zcTYDYUDbPMpU9xg_U RrrKj80U2Z6ZnBh8KrH
http://epautos.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/83-Wing-three.jpg
The one with the bags and that color too. Mine has 2 up seating with the top box further back. Not near as pretty looking as the one in the pic though. 31 years takes a toll on a bike's appearance. Not that I care a lot. Once it is mechanically safe and a decent rider I will be satisfied.
Any unmodified bike over 25 years old can be insured as a "Collector" here. The difference in rates between this bike and a Vstrom 650 for one year should nearly pay for all the needed work. Financially it is a sound theory but who knows how it will end. I did not test ride the bike and have no idea how well it will fit me while riding. Life is a bit of a gamble and a bit of suspense is sometimes needed.
Those bikes have a proven good engine. The only bad thing I have read about them is something to do with the starter housing???
Congrats on the new bike.:clap:
alantf
02-13-2014, 02:31 PM
JWR....Your pictures did show up on my computer (after I had googled And found the scooter). I knew that one of us must be wrong, but I didn't know who. :hmm: :) :tup:
JWR....Your pictures did show up on my computer (after I had googled And found the scooter). I knew that one of us must be wrong, but I didn't know who. :hmm: :) :tup:
Have you ever known me to be wrong before?:lmao:
Water Warrior 2
02-13-2014, 03:29 PM
Those bikes have a proven good engine. The only bad thing I have read about them is something to do with the starter housing???
Congrats on the new bike.:clap:
Will have to find a forum that includes these old critters. The starter looks easy enough to get to but I certainly hope the Stator doesn't need to be replaced soon. Gotta a feeling it requires an engine R/R.
Time to go find my plastic teeth and wash my face. Then down to the local shop and leave it there for a long time. Might be on the road in April. No real hurry as I haven't been on the road for a while anyway.
blaine
02-13-2014, 05:43 PM
Congrats on the buy.I believe you do need to remove the motor to replace the stator.I know you do on the GoldWing. ;) :)
mainlinecoffee
02-14-2014, 03:14 AM
No wonder no one does it.
5th_bike
02-14-2014, 07:34 PM
Old enough to vote and smoke if it wants.
Still not half as old as many of us here!
Congratulations, WW :ride:
Water Warrior 2
02-14-2014, 08:22 PM
Thanks guys. Gotta do some shopping on ebay for a new oil pan and gasket kit. New tires of course, likely brake pads, new brake fluid, wheel bearings, new rear brake shoes. Everything can be done in one fell swoop at the shop.
And a new brain bucket too. The old one expired shortly after I sold the Vstrom so I tossed it. Thankfully I kept the rest of the riding gear.
northsidegz
02-15-2014, 06:24 PM
Congrats on the acquisition!
Water Warrior 2
02-15-2014, 09:03 PM
Congrats on the acquisition!
This may back fire and Honda will congratulate the bike for acquiring an idiot and his pension income.
Late last night I finally tracked down and ordered the oil pan and complete gasket kit. More decisions, tires, what kind and why? I'll let the shop order them along with an air filter, oil filter, and use whatever oil he has on hand. Valve check/adjust as needed.
The shop is actually a Yamaha dealer but he has a fair bit of experience on all bikes. He told me he had spent a lot of time on the Honda line when he was younger and working in a Honda shop. Good thing because I really know very little about the care and feeding of a GL650.
Sounds like you have a good man there.
Hope you have it going good when the weather breaks.
:ride:
Water Warrior 2
02-20-2014, 02:54 AM
New gasket kit and used oil pan in the mail now.
Told the guy at the shop to just find some fairly decent new tires too. I'm not too worried about lower priced tires not working well. They will still be far better than what the bike has now. Even lesser quality tires should me a couple years with no real spirited riding.
Tomorrow I will start the procedure for Collector plates with some paper work and pics for the powers that be. 5 or 6 weeks for that alone.
Next on the list is a new helmet. Time for a drive into Vancouver to the local big dealers to check out what fits and what doesn't. Decisions decisions.
alantf
02-20-2014, 05:20 AM
Hey, WW. Went past the bike shop yesterday, and he'd got a brand new 650 vstrom in, at €8,599. That's $Canadian 13,065. How does this compare to prices in your part of the world?
Water Warrior 2
02-20-2014, 04:42 PM
Hey, WW. Went past the bike shop yesterday, and he'd got a brand new 650 vstrom in, at €8,599. That's $Canadian 13,065. How does this compare to prices in your part of the world?
WOW!!!!! Hope that was the Explorer model.
2013 Vstrom 650: $8000
2013 Vstrom Explorer 650: $10000
2013 Gladius 650: $6800
2014 GW250 $4000
These are prices not including PDI/set up or any taxes. The tax is 12% on everything.
Add a couple grand for either Vstrom model and it is close.
When I bought my Vstrom 650 in 2005 it was $9300 OTD. That included an extra $100 for delivery to me at home. Now a new 2013 with ABS is approx. $10000 OTD. Not a tremendous price increase over 6 model years.
alantf
02-21-2014, 06:13 AM
I've noticed that even the prices the Americans are tossing about are MUCH cheaper than ours. I must live in a very expensive part of the world for motor vehicles. Even the car I bought eleven years ago was only around $3,000 dollars more than the vstrom is today. A good second hand bike can cost €5,000 or more. :cry:
Water Warrior 2
02-21-2014, 11:50 AM
You are not alone Alantf. Our friends down under pay some steep prices for their transportation too. Bikes and cars.
With the auto industry starting to shut down manufacturing in Australia they may even pay more in the future. GM has been moving into China with their manufacturing for years now so what will become of the Made in America symbol. This is a real kick in the pants after the U.S. and Canadian governments bailed them out to keep them operating and provide North Americans with jobs and security.
The so called Global Economy is a 2 edged sword for many folks. Some products are cheaper now but no one has a job to earn money to buy anything. The spin off from auto manufacturing in N.A. is being reduced further and causing more unemployment as time goes by.
Suzuki pulled their auto sales out of the states due to a very small market share and high costs of dealerships and their support. Thankfully the bike sales are in better position in N.A. even if it is still a smaller part of their overall sales world wide.
Water Warrior 2
02-27-2014, 04:07 AM
Quick update on the Money Pit. Oil pan and gasket kit are at the shop. Met my new Kenda tires today too. In the mail is a brand spanking new set of Honda fairing mount mirrors. ebay is the best recycler in the world. Used and New Old Stock is there for the buying.
P.O. sent me 2 original owners manuals and another spare key.
Water Warrior 2
03-28-2014, 01:07 AM
Ta Da! The Wing is ready to fly home. All the needed stuff was done and all I need to do is get it home to install the new mirrors and clean it up nice. All in all I am quite pleased with the results so far. $250 on ebay for mirrors, gasket kit and used oil pan. Add in the work and parts in the shop comes to $1100. $1800 for the bike and I should have an old reliable bike for $3150 total. The Silver Wing 650 like this one was only made for one year so it should retain some value for a while.
Gotta do some cleaning and TLC on various items to improve it's looks so it is insurable as a Collector bike which is about 20% of a non collector. The first ride from the shop to home should be a bit tense so I will be waiting for a warm sunny day to ease into riding again.
I will try for some pics if I can figure out Windows 8. My old desk top with Windows 7 was a snap but it is sadly semi retired and needs work to function properly.
Time to dig out the riding gear now. :)
Fawlty
03-28-2014, 05:08 AM
Ta Da! The Wing is ready to fly home. All the needed stuff was done and all I need to do is get it home to install the new mirrors and clean it up nice. All in all I am quite pleased with the results so far. $250 on ebay for mirrors, gasket kit and used oil pan. Add in the work and parts in the shop comes to $1100. $1800 for the bike and I should have an old reliable bike for $3150 total. The Silver Wing 650 like this one was only made for one year so it should retain some value for a while.
Gotta do some cleaning and TLC on various items to improve it's looks so it is insurable as a Collector bike which is about 20% of a non collector. The first ride from the shop to home should be a bit tense so I will be waiting for a warm sunny day to ease into riding again.
I will try for some pics if I can figure out Windows 8. My old desk top with Windows 7 was a snap but it is sadly semi retired and needs work to function properly.
Time to dig out the riding gear now. :)
Bet you can't wait for that warm sunny day! Be careful and enjoy!
blaine
03-28-2014, 08:47 AM
Congrats W.W.Hope she works good for you. ;) :)
Water Warrior 2
03-28-2014, 12:06 PM
Thanks guys. I always thought it would be sort of neat to have had at least one bike from each big Japanese manufacturer. Just need to ride the Wing to complete the thought.
I should probably not call the bike a Money Pit anymore as it did not cost as much overall as I anticipated for the repairs, parts and maintenance. That was a nice surprise.
grasshopper
03-28-2014, 01:33 PM
Don't forget to post the pics of the WING. Have fun with it and be safe.:ride:
Water Warrior 2
03-28-2014, 06:28 PM
Wing pics will happen when I get the other computer tuned up and can do something with apps that make sense to me.
Water Warrior 2
04-02-2014, 07:28 PM
Brought the bike home today. I will attribute the clumsy tall weird handling to my rusty riding skills. Bloody scary to be sure. Topped up the tank with fresh gas so it would be even worse on the road and in the parking area.
Now comes the TLC part of ownership.
Contact cleaner for all the switch gear. New light bulbs everywhere so others can see me a bit better. The old bulbs are dim with age and likely ready to expire soon anyway. Lube all cables, levers, locks, hinges on bags. Gotta get my battery tender back from a friend so I can hook up the pigtail to the battery. Adjust rear brake pedal for my size 12 boots. It is too high and hard to find. Lube the side stand and centerstand. The drive shaft has a couple grease points too. Hopefully the swing arm does too.
Yup, all sorts of stuff to entertain me for a while. I am not in a rush to ride till it gets warmer and sunnier.
Something I never considered is the torque effect of the engine. The bike tries to lean right a little when revved at a stop. This certainly is a different animal compared to what I have ridden before. Should make for interesting times.
burkbuilds
04-02-2014, 10:31 PM
Hi WW. Glad to hear that you are back on two wheels, at least occasionally. I've been without since December (2013) and the weather here this week is hitting 80 degrees and sunny and I'm feeling the desire to be back on two wheels myself. I don't think it will happen this year though, to many other things on my plate and into my wallet at this point. Maybe next spring. :)
Good on you WW.
Hope you have fun on a bike again. Just ordered a new set of tires for my bike this afternoon.
We had about 70 bikes turn out for bike night last night. Our weather has turned to spring, so plenty of riding is going on around here.
Good to see you post bb.
Water Warrior 2
04-03-2014, 01:58 AM
I should be out and about in a couple weeks. Haven't told anyone yet so it will be surprise to my friends. After I have done all the TLC stuff I will install the much needed air horn. The original is pretty much dead weight, my alarm clock is louder.
grasshopper
04-08-2014, 10:59 AM
I'm ready to see the pics of it when your done (or have your computer ready).
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