[PhotoDoctor]

I bought an 81 GL500 Interstate about 6 weeks ago and liked it so I bought another one!



Number 2 is an 82 GL Interstate and is complete except it is missing the front seat, both side covers, and most importantly the fuel petcock.

Does anyone know what would be a good replacement or substitute petcock. I’d prefer to not have a vacuum petcock. If anyone has any of these parts for sale I’d be interested.



As for the condition it, I looks like it's been sitting a few years but the engine is not locked and that is as far as I've gotten.



Thanks,

Mike

 

[Blindstitch]

18mm petcock on ebay.

 

[Blindstitch]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HOND...ors_ATV_Parts_Accessories&hash=item58848bd8ea

 

[ScrapMetal]

Stitch,



Have you used these before? Much cheaper than the ones I've found.



Scrap

 

[LowLife1220]

I was in a pinch when i couldn't find one that didn't fit and didn't leak. i got a plumbing connector 18mm to 1/4" barbed from home depot. worked like a champ.

 

[marshallf3]

No reason that eBay wouldn't work, looks like it comes with the screen and a has an integral fuel filter as well.



It may hit Reserve a little earlier or later than the OEM one but no big deal there when you learn where it is.



I bought a similar one from eBay some time back, came in an OEM Honda package.

 

[PhotoDoctor]

Thanks as always for the input.



I rode GL #1 today and worked on #2 this evening sipping a few beers while working and having a good thoughtful time of it. Compression test with charged but seemly weak battery that came with the bike reads about 70 psi each side, however the cranking speed was slow so I won’t count that as a good read. I will take my “known” good battey and redo the test so I have a good base line.



I also changed the oil and pulled the carbs and tried to bleed the front brakes.



The front brakes have nothing and it seems the issue is the right caliper is leaking.(Disk are in great shape)



After carb removal I pulled only the right side bowl and found all jets are plugged with crap so a carb clean will be in the works when I wake tomorrow – it’s going to rain here in Tampa so no riding #1.



Also, the plugs were so rusted it was tough to get a plug wrench on them but after some cleaning I got the plugs out. It appeared that water had sat in the holes so I disassembled the resister plug caps and cleaned them, to my surprise they looked pretty good considering the rusty plugs. On testing with new plugs the spark looks good.



I must confess that I did try to start the bike before pulling the carbs by running a 4 foot fuel line from GL #1 to #2 but no go – worth a shot but no luck – did not really expect it to run – but worth a shot as I had the line. (Right side carb also poured a lot of gas out of overflow tube)



Also, the tires are Brigestones and while I'm sure they are many years old they have good tread and are show no signs of dryrot and cracking.



The gas tank has a good bit of rust inside and out but looks to be salvagable. Thanks for the link to the fuel petcocks - Supertanker - that looks like a good solution.



I think it will be running before the weekend is out!





Cheers,

Mike

 

[Blindstitch]

I have recommended this type to several people and they have had good luck with it.

 

[PhotoDoctor]

Well, did not get the bike running today as the carbs were much worse than anticipated. Every jet and hole was plugged with junk. It turns out that the bike has not been registered with a tag since before 1997 so I figure it has sat at least 13 years with two owners who never got it running, but tried thus plugging up the carbs even more with each new owner.



Biggest problem is with the idle screws - one broke and on the other carb the aluminum part spins on the brass looking needle so they are both stuck.



All other jets came free for cleaning. I have some ideas for drilling the idle screws out very carefully on a drill press. If anyone has run into this I’d like to know how you solved the problem.



I thought about taking the carbs from my running Interstate but I’m in no hurry and can wait till get this one running.







Thanks for any thoughts,



Mike

 

[Blue Fox]

It sounds like you have a fun job ahead of you, Mike. On the screw with the top that spins, these "caps" are installed with glue after the mixture is set at the factory. The screw itself has a wasp waist and will not take a lot of abuse before snapping off. This was done to prevent enriching the mixture beyond a certain point and polluting the world.



How I would proceed would be to use a micro torch to heat the screw a bit and then take a small Vise Grip and securely clamp the cap to the screw. Then take it very slow and easy trying to turn the screw in and out. Add some penetrating oil and a little more heat occasionally. If you are careful, you should be able to back it out. Don't let the Vise Grip hang at a angle and break the screw, keep everything aligned.



The other screw may be removed in a similar fashion. You will need to Dremel a slot in the head using a cutoff disk and then use a flat bladed screwdriver to back out. If the screw is broken below the surface, just go ahead and slot it and the tower together. There is at least 1/8" of tower that can be sacrificed before any consequences. Use plently of PB Blaster and heat while you are doing this.



When you get both out, you can remove the cap from the one with a Dremel and just use the other as is. I have also soldered a replacement end on broken screws to make it easing to adjust. If you are getting new screws, or original replacements, I like to grind a bit of the lug that keeps the head from turning off the float bowl. That only takes a minute, and then you have complete adjustment without removing the bowl.

 

[PhotoDoctor]

Thanks I will try slotting and much more PB blaster with heat.



The front brakes are good now - just a lot of bleeding to get them going. I had to clean the rust off the plugs to get a wrench on them.





See photos; (I think this link should work maybe copy and paste if needed)



http://photodoctor.smugmug.com/Moto...er-SilverWing/15056964_8aDJw#1124934714_StmDq





Mike

 

[William J Ennis]

Thanks I will try slotting and much more PB blaster with heat.



The front brakes are good now - just a lot of bleeding to get them going. I had to clean the rust off the plugs to get a wrench on them.





See photos; (I think this link should work maybe copy and paste if needed)



http://photodoctor.s...124934714_StmDq





Mike

I am curious about what you plan to do with that Carb Piston Slide? Do you plan to reduce the scouring by polishing to try to reduce its rough surface? Or - replace with a spare? Or - just throw it back into service without dressing it?

Regards,

 

[Blue Fox]

Mike, I just checked your pictures, and think you should be able to get the broken screw out. A Dremel thin cutoff wheel is the trick. Another trick is to use (or wear down) a cutoff wheel to a small diameter. That will allow it to only slot the screw and not so much of the tower. And heat is your friend, a micro torch is perfect for this. Don't overdo it, but getting the temperature up to 400-500 degrees and then dousing it with PB Blaster will allow the Blaster to suck into the threads. You also may be able to add a bit of Blaster to the tip that is inside the venturi. You don't want this to snap off inside the carb.



Slow and easy is the way to proceed on this.

 

[PhotoDoctor]

Bill,



If I can get the idle screws out and move forward with these carbs then I will polish the slide and see how it goes. The body also has the same type of wear on the air filter side of body. At this point I’ve only had my eyes on two pairs of carbs and this has been the only one of the four carbs with this type of wear on the slide. It seems a bit unusual to me. One of my buddies made the comment that it should not matter much. Do you have any thoughts regarding the wear on this slide?





I may not be as good as Blue Fox at getting these screws out, it’s like they are welded in. So far I’ve soaked, heated, PB blasted, held my face right and have managed to twist the head off the 2nd one and I thought I was being gentle. I have the dremal tool out and cut the slot in the first carb – but they can soak a few days now. If I can’t get these out I may be looking for new bodies – and am wondering if all the CX and GL bodies are the same. (This bike is the 1982 Interstate Model) I did read that the air cut-off valves are different in some of the models. Another set of bodies is just a backup plan. But it would be good to know what will work if it comes to it.



Thanks, Mike

 

[Blue Fox]

Mike, Larry (LRCXed) would be the best authority on what bodies will interchange. You might just list the numbers on yours so someone can identify them better. I know yours should have a vacuum port for the petcock and a accelerator pump, so that does narrow down your options.



It doesn't surprise me that the other cap broke off. They were designed to do just that to keep folks from messing with the adjustments. You are on the right track with just leaving them sitting for a day or two. Try to use a screwdriver bit that is hollow ground (not tapered at the point) to tap into the groove you cut. Then gently try turning in, then out in very small increments. Once you get just a bit of movement, work it back and forth, don't just try to remove in one step.



Hang in there, you will get them out.

 

[William J Ennis]

Bill,



If I can get the idle screws out and move forward with these carbs then I will polish the slide and see how it goes. The body also has the same type of wear on the air filter side of body. At this point I’ve only had my eyes on two pairs of carbs and this has been the only one of the four carbs with this type of wear on the slide. It seems a bit unusual to me. One of my buddies made the comment that it should not matter much. Do you have any thoughts regarding the wear on this slide?





I may not be as good as Blue Fox at getting these screws out, it’s like they are welded in. So far I’ve soaked, heated, PB blasted, held my face right and have managed to twist the head off the 2nd one and I thought I was being gentle. I have the dremal tool out and cut the slot in the first carb – but they can soak a few days now. If I can’t get these out I may be looking for new bodies – and am wondering if all the CX and GL bodies are the same. (This bike is the 1982 Interstate Model) I did read that the air cut-off valves are different in some of the models. Another set of bodies is just a backup plan. But it would be good to know what will work if it comes to it.



Thanks, Mike

Mike,

I also have a set of carbs with the piston slide scoured - very similar to yours. After counseling with Larry (LRCXed) he advised me that it was probably due to a misalignment of the assembly and that possibly some gunky buildup worked its way under the Viton O-ring (between the carb body and its piston cover). I have not yet put my piston on my buffing wheel for a polishing, but that is the next thing I'll try. The piston tolerances are important to the effectiveness of the engine's vacuum to move the carb piston without resistance. In my case, I'm of the opinion I will end up substituting a carb body and matching piston set in order to have confidence of solving my problem. I now have three sets of carbs, and will be happy if I get one optimum assembly.



Meanwhile, I think Blue Fox is giving you very sound advice. Larry's approach is lots of soaking in carb cleaner + minor movements of the threads + more penetrant + minor movements of the stuck threads + repeated soaking in carb cleaner + more time + do-dah, do-dah. Patience and Persistence are your work buddies.

Best wishes for your success,

Regards,

 

[PhotoDoctor]

Thanks for the input.



I put Larry’s book on my Christmas list and will let the carbs soak and may not get back to them until after the holidays. This bike #2 is missing the front seat and I bid on one about 40 miles from me for about $ 18.00 on ebay – the man also has a set of carbs with starting bid of $ 45.00 and no bids. If I win the seat for $ 18.00 I will look at the carbs while there picking up the seat. If they look good I will make an offer.



Until then I can polish parts on Interstate #2 and then swap them out on riding Interstate #1 so it can become a little better looking. These bikes are “addictive” – one could have worse addictions though!

Cheers,



Mike

 

[ki4radiocom]

On my cx 500 c I had to drill out one of the needle valves. I was able to remove the larger part, the threded portion. I was left with the needle shank in the hole. I used a high temp air line I used in my buisness to press on the remainder and removed the rest. I have a lot of carb parts here. Well you could e-mail me and I may be able to help out.