[GLgeezerfun]

Okay guys I have a question: I am trying to talk to a gent with an 82 GL500 and he seems...well skiddish.



It suddenly occurred to me that I have been looking exclusively at 82s, and was wondering if the earlier years are okay. CX or GLs.



So here's the question....if I were looking at earlier years is there a truly better year they were made? I want one that has the least amount of headaches. I don't mind working on them but I'd rather be riding...



Randy

 

[Blue Fox]

The 81 GL's should be mostly identical to the 82's. The CX's changed in 82 to a TI versus CDI ignition. The TI seems to be a more robust system with fewer problems. But the stator can still go out on the TI's too. The automatic cam chain adjuster didn't happen until the 83 650's. In other parts of the world, this information may vary.

 

[Blindstitch]

All gl's should be fine. With the ignitech now the pre 82 cx's are.

 

[GLgeezerfun]

Okay I got the bike! I am now a proud papa of an 82 GL500.....it had a front brake leak and peed fluid all over the front fender so I am going to have to investigate where that came from...



Anyone know of a good response to brake fluid on the bike? The paint is peeling on the fender so it looks like I will be trying some repainting too.



One thing a little weird...the bike really leans on the side stand. I have not looked yet but is it possible the kick stand is bent, or maybe something wrong with the frame? What should I look at first?



Randy

 

[bullet]

Okay I got the bike! I am now a proud papa of an 82 GL500.....it had a front brake leak and peed fluid all over the front fender so I am going to have to investigate where that came from...



Anyone know of a good response to brake fluid on the bike? The paint is peeling on the fender so it looks like I will be trying some repainting too.



One thing a little weird...the bike really leans on the side stand. I have not looked yet but is it possible the kick stand is bent, or maybe something wrong with the frame? What should I look at first?



Randy

Congratulations on your new bike.



I remember the "lean issue" being discussed in the old forum. As far as I know, it is common/normal. I remember some members welding some sort of bolt/nut to make it adjustable.

 

[dhoenisch]

Seems to just depend on how much air you have in your monoshock. When mine is filled to the max, the lean on the bike makes me a bit nervous. I forget how much air I have in the shock now, but the lean is fairly minimal in comparison to a full shock.



Dan

 

[cxlover]

My kawasaki and my cx have a almost scary lean. I've looked at both and the issue is the area where the bolt goes through spreads out over the years. I bent my saki's back and it was good for maybe 2 months before it came back to the same lean.



Honestly I think after years and years of being leaned on there's not much that can be done except a new kickstand, bolt, and weld up the area that gets walered out.



If there's room maybe just mount a better stand that doesn't flex and leaned on

 

[Scrappyike]

Congrats on your acquisition. I've got the same lean but compared it with some of the Goldwings of the same age and they have the same lean. The metal attachment that sticks out broke off so I'm not able to use the side stand, only the center stand until I can get it welded back on. Grrr.

 

[GLgeezerfun]

[you know the more I have looked at this side stand the more I am convinced it is bogarted.....



It is forward of 90 degrees from the centerline by a good 2 inches. I am also going to have to do some fairing work or try to find a replacement as this one has been dropped on it's side.



Got the fairing off now, am looking at the brake line, specifically that manifold where it splits as from the look of the fender that's where the fluid dropped so I am guessing that's the problem.



Going to see about the calipers too. The front wheel barely turns at all so I am sure I will have fun with those. Once I change the fluids and clean the carbs I should be good to go. Electrics all work fine.



I just have about 3 other cars to fix in the meantime....school and kids, who knew they could be so busy?



Randy

 

[DakotaMK]

Congrats on the bike! I have an 82 GL500 as well- and mine leans enough that it made me leery at first. I didn't get fully off the bike until I was sure that the lean wasn't the beginning of a tip! I still put it on the center stand as much as possible, but only because I feel it's more secure.





How bad is the fairing? Mine was dropped at some point, and there have been some cracks and 1 or 2 holes we've fixed (OK- he forgot about one hole, but that is still going to be done). My fiberglassing isn't as good as my boyfriends, but I decided to try it after he made it look sooooo easy. He still had to work on it after I attempted it, but he said he was glad I did what I had done because it gave him a strong base to work with. (He is better with the cloth, I always have latex gloves on hand for my photography work- so I grabbed a pair of gloves and was using the resin/ hardener mostly)



I was a little more mildly upset with seeing fairing cracks, etc when I got mine- because I wasn't sure when/ how it would be worked out. Good news is that it was a lot easier than I thought it would be.... it just takes a little time. Hang in there- you'll get it where you want it to be!

 

[Dash]

Congratulations on your new Silverwing. Does your bike have two front brake calipers and rotors? If so, you have the Interstate GL500i model.



I've had four of these bikes and two of them, a '79 CX500 and my '81 GL500 lean way too far over to even use the side stand. I've had lots of bikes over the years and this is a weak spot in the CX/GL500 design/engineering. The frame tab hole gets worn and elongated and then the tab itself starts to bend. Then the sidestand gets sloppy and hits the stop at the wrong angle. Some day when it rains for 40 days and nights I will get my frame tab welded up and then redrill the shoulder screw hole. Until then I'll keep using the centerstand.