1500 Goldwing upgrades. Where to start?

Cal, I have called upon my capped crusader friend, the Wizard of Wings, to tell you all you need to know.....taking into consideration that you are on a shoe string budget, and as we have previously discussed, you live too far away from my shop for you to come out to Washington, and receive FREE mechanical services. 'tis the pity.......'tis the pity, I say.

Okay, allowing the Wizard of Wings to clear his voice, as he prepares himself behind the velvet curtain............

Keep in mind, all you nosey wankers that are sitting on the sidelines reading this, and not offering help...these things are are advised taking into consideration that Cal is on a Shoe-String-Budget.

Tires: I say, run what ya got, and make the best use of them, keep a reading on how the entire sidecar rig drives down the road NOW, with those tires, how many miles are on each of the tires, and most importantly, what air pressure is in each of those tires. Despite what anyone else on any Honda Goldwing forum might tell you (and they are all &%#$&)....you should be running 38 psi in the front tire, 40 psi in the rear tire, and 30 psi in the sidecar tire.

If and when the time comes that you are ready to purchase new tires, then.....if you can afford it....go with a new Bridgestone BT-46 tire on the front wheel, it is a rear tire, you install it onto the front wheel in the WRONG direction of the arrow, so mount it backwards, and yes...use the original size of tire that the bike originally came with on that front wheel.

On the rear wheel of the bike, if you can find a decent quality Car Tire , preferably that is a Run-Flat, then go with that. Whilst the original rear tire is a 160/80-16, if it were me, I would search on TireRack.com for a 170/70-16, 175/70-16, 180/70-16, 185/70-16, 185/65-16, all the way up to a 195/60-16. If it were in my shop, I would measure the rear wheel WELL, with the current motorcycle tire in place on the bike, and see exactly how much space is available on either side of the bike...measure BOTH sides of that tire, and then I would make an educated decision of which size will fit inside that wheel well.

Do NOT give any consideration to the lower or higher profile of the REAR tire affecting the "raking"...as you labeled it....of the front end.

Yes, Install those new Progressive Suspension shocks you bought, because I know what that bike originally came with for rear suspension, and the shocks you bought will be an improvement.

To be continued...

Listen to Mr. Monkeys.  He is the Wing Whisperer.

Quote from DRONE on November 27, 2023, 12:27 am

Listen to Mr. Monkeys.  He is the Wing Whisperer.

I agree with FM, having owned 3 1500 I feel I can offer a little here as well. As for the rear tire I would try your best to stay away from the 195 as it is hit and miss as to whether it will rub your swingarm, half the people that try it say it works fine while the other half say it rubs, this is due to the condition of your swingarm. as for changing the trail, I can say, (having done this) you can help just a little, but a noticeable little by lowering your tree on the fork tubes. I know this sounds insane and it's hard to imagine it helping but it works. I lowered mine 1/2 inch, this still gave me plenty of room to turn full both directions without the tubes hitting anything. Just remember you are lowering the front a little so be aware your ground clearance will be lower. another trick is to keep the rear suspension high as you can and not hurt the comfort of your ride. this is how I rode my 1500 for 2 years before I changed the tree. personally I like the 4 deg tree. I have been told by someone I feel pretty confident with their knowledge the 6 is just a bit too much unless you have a big heavy car. 

I'm back (said in a scary voice), or as Paul Harvey would say....Now, for the Rest of the Story...

Cal, keep in mind, that the air pressures I gave you above, are for your current tires on the bike and sidecar. If and when you do change tires, my recommendations of air pressures will also change. I am very anal about air pressures, which is probably why I get more miles out of tires than the average bear, and why both Dunlop and Bridgestone used me as a tire tester.

On the front forks, triple tree and fork springs........

Mixed bag here....do you WAIT to install the front fork springs until you have also changed out the trail reducing triple trees, or....go ahead and replace the fork springs ASAP, when the dollars allow, as technically the labor is NOT overlapping ??? If it were my bike, and I had your limited budget, I would replace the fork springs ASAP, and I would buy the Progressive Suspension heavy-duty springs...NOT the Mono-Tubes.....just the heavy-duty fork springs, and I would use a 10w or 15w fork oil in the front forks.

Why not the Mono-Tubes....you ask ?  Because on a SIDECAR rig, the front forks do a slightly different duty than on a 2 wheeled motorcycle, so spending the EXTRA money to buy the Mono-Tubes is wasted away in Margaritaville. The Progressive Suspension heavy-duty fork springs are all you need for this application, and whilst I blend my own fork oil to get the weight that I want, I will say you can use either 10w or 15w fork oil, generic fork oil, not some fancy expensive snake oil, and be good with that.

BUT.....FIRST check your current fork SEALS. Make sure 100% that they are not leaking now, because if they show any signs of wear/tear, you will have to do this fork springs and fork oil job all over again when you replace those fork seals.

Doing the fork springs on a GL-1500 is harder to do than on a GL-1800. It takes a lot of strength and down-force to compress the fork springs on a GL-1500, versus the same job on a GL-1800. If you, Cal, have never done this job before, watch videos, THINK about it in advance, and eat a lot of spinach, so you will be as strong as Popeye, or....me....30 years ago.

When it comes time to remove that OEM triple trees, and install the new 4* trail reducing triple trees...you will NOT have to drain the forks, or remove the fork springs at all, so there is NO overlapping labor involved. That is why I suggest doing the fork springs sooner, and the triple trees when you can afford to.

Several places to order/buy the trail reducing triple trees from, like Bill (independent guy that machines triple trees for the former DMC), or Hannigan sidecars, as they machine their own now (talk to Corey in the machine shop there), and you may want to ask TSC/DMC, to see it they make their own triples trees, or buy them from an outside source.

I agree, the 6* trail reduced triple trees are overkill on a GL-1500, and I too would go with the 4*. I kind of wish someone was making a 5*, as that would be MY personal choice.....but not a 6*.

Replacing the triple trees on your bike is a job, but it can be done by the home mechanic. Before you throw you hands up into the air, and get frustrated with all these individual tasks, give some thought to a prior offer I made you, bring your sidecar rig, and your doggie, out to Western Washington, to my ranch, and I will do all that stuff in my shop...in ONE day.

Yes, there is a lot more to do, but it all takes priorities as per dollars spent, time available, time of year so as to not interrupt riding seasons, etc.

In a perfect world, were you not short on dollars, I would suggest a RDL seat, or Russell Day Long seat, and....paint the sidecar to match the bike.

I saw that you asked on another site whether the shocks you bought are the correct ones and come with the heavy duty spring.

Most often Progressive lists their spring rates in the xx/yy format.  The link you included said 140/190.  Going from memory when I ordered the heavy duty springs for my BMW RT that is the heavy duty spring.

But your best bet is to contact the people you ordered from and verify which spring comes with it.

Drew

Thanks everyone. And special thanks to my "Main-Wing Man", Miles for taking the time to type all that out,,,lol. 

I hope I can keep this in order and reply correctly.

I'm just going to run the tires I have for now. Unknown miles on them as they were on the bike when I got. But they look good.

The rear shocks will be here Wednesday. I'm going to drag my feet on installing them in case a pair of 416 air shocks pop up. I have 90 day's to return these if I choose to. It's just going to be a bitch to adjust them. Have to see how that plays out.

Thanks to stuff being on sale at Denise Kirk I was able to save roughly $100 on the shocks, so I had enough left to buy the fork spring's too,,, that were on sale. I'll go ahead and install them.

The bike has 110,xxx miles on it. So I want to rebuild the forks anyway. I'll have just enough $$ left to get all the stuff to do that. Then I'm done for awhile,,,lol.

As mentioned the triple tree is going to have to wait. But I do want to jack up the bike and check the bearings that's in there now. If I find any issues I'll have no choice, IMO, but to go ahead and change the bearings, right?  Yes I will have to redo it if I ever do the triple tree. But it is what it is. And maybe I'll get lucky and will find the handling suits me well enough with out do the triple tree. Time will tell.

And what do you mean, Mr. Miles,  paint the sidecar?  I was just going to put some green pin stripe on it and red pin strip on the bike. It'll match,,,lol. Just kidding of course,,, maybe??  I actually did run into a guy who said he could paint the sidecar for me for $100 plus material. I'm sure I would end up with a $100 paint job. But it would hopefully look better than it does now. I know it looks bad, but first things first.

I would love to get a convertible top for the sidecar. Any temps above 85* and poor Wilton doesn't like the sun. He hides in the nose of the car. But I did rig a pillowcase across the dash to keep the sun off him. You guys have any idea if I could have a top made and the cost? I might consider doing a top before the triple tree. Cause if my boy dog aint with me I just don't hardly ever go. I actually missed a lot of riding because it was too hot for HIM.

So that's it for now. Thanks again.

How could I let "Sidecar Willie" cook in the sun,,,lol. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't need a sidecar.

Quote from Drew on November 27, 2023, 5:00 pm

I saw that you asked on another site whether the shocks you bought are the correct ones and come with the heavy duty spring.

Most often Progressive lists their spring rates in the xx/yy format.  The link you included said 140/190.  Going from memory when I ordered the heavy duty springs for my BMW RT that is the heavy duty spring.

But your best bet is to contact the people you ordered from and verify which spring comes with it.

Drew

Thanks Drew.

I just got off the phone with Progressive. They did confirm that is the only shock they offer for the 1500, and it is heavy duty.

Cal, oh Cal.....your sidecar rig  does  NOT  look bad, because the  bike  and the  sidecar are  different  colors. Don't  be  a Scrooge.....your bike and  sidecar  look like a  Christmas  rig.

As for a sun protection  roof for  keeping  Wilton from wilting.....I  would have a vinyl  tonneau cover made that snaps on.....secured by snaps around the  upper  curve of the  windshield,  and across the  upper  back of the  fiberglass  body of the sidecar. Installed it should be  stretched  tight  enough to  not flap in the  wind. Can be  removed  in 18 seconds, or Installed in  24 seconds,  and the entire  tonneau  cover  and installed  snaps  should  cost you  about  $ 100.00, all done, all in.

Shock adjustment.

It's really going to bug me loosing my air adjustment. Have any of you guys , 1500 Goldwing comes to mind, switched from air to coil overs?  Did you just do a set it on no. 3 and forget it type deal? Did you ever need to adjust?

I've never had a passenger on this bike, let alone in the sidecar. But that don't mean I won't. And I'll for sure be pulling my trailer and load up for camping. Point is I THINK I will need to adjust the shocks maybe? I don't know exactly how much extra weight I'll be carrying.

I need to wait until I get the shocks mounted to see what's what. But I have it in my mind to cut an access hole in the back of the saddle back to get the shock wrench in there. I was thinking about getting a junk saddle bag off ebay and cutting a section out to make a cover for my hole that could be easily removed like an access panel. Just a thought right now.

I found a saddle bag on ebay the guy is willing to cut a section out of the back. It's only $10.

Any idea's? Thanks

Having driven a motor coach with air-ride, I can say that while the system works, it's nice.  When it fails (and it will) it is not nice.  Luckily you would generally be closer to service and not on a hard schedule when it does fail.

I'm going to get rid of the air shocks on the forks this spring and go to Progressives only since the air shocks leak and the seals have gone as well.  I can ride the rig without adding air to them, but it's harsh and choppy.  I don't expect the change to make a big difference over the charged shocks but time will tell.

Oh, Cal....(and every post in this thread should start with that...Oh, Cal)

Have you LOOKED at what shocks are currently on the rear of your '96 GL-1500 ?  If they are BOTH air shocks, then they are NOT the OEM from Honda.

That bike originally came with ONE air shock on one side , and ONE coil-over shock on the other side. The problem (discovered by 1,000,000 Honda Goldwing 1500 riders was that in higher speed sweepers, the rear of the bike would pogo, as the air shock would compete with the coil-over shock, and it would pogo the rear end in higher speed sweepers, like I-90 in Montana, at 90 mph.

The vast majority of owners would replace BOTH original shocks and go with either a SET of air shocks, or a SET of coil-over shocks, all preferably from Progressive Suspension, and that solved the problem immediately.

In my opinion, you will not have to adjust those rear coil-over shocks more than ONE time. Contrary to my former advise that you should set them at position # 3 on the cam adjusters on each shock, I will revise my advice, and say to set them on cam position # 4.....because you also intended to tow a trailer at times.  "IF" you find that under all conditions of use, that the rear shocks are too firm, then adjust them ONE time, to setting # 3 on the cam adjusters...then ride it, and forget it.

Quote from FlyingMonkeys on November 28, 2023, 12:22 pm

Oh, Cal....(and every post in this thread should start with that...Oh, Cal)

Have you LOOKED at what shocks are currently on the rear of your '96 GL-1500 ?  If they are BOTH air shocks, then they are NOT the OEM from Honda.

That bike originally came with ONE air shock on one side , and ONE coil-over shock on the other side. The problem (discovered by 1,000,000 Honda Goldwing 1500 riders was that in higher speed sweepers, the rear of the bike would pogo, as the air shock would compete with the coil-over shock, and it would pogo the rear end in higher speed sweepers, like I-90 in Montana, at 90 mph.

The vast majority of owners would replace BOTH original shocks and go with either a SET of air shocks, or a SET of coil-over shocks, all preferably from Progressive Suspension, and that solved the problem immediately.

In my opinion, you will not have to adjust those rear coil-over shocks more than ONE time. Contrary to my former advise that you should set them at position # 3 on the cam adjusters on each shock, I will revise my advice, and say to set them on cam position # 4.....because you also intended to tow a trailer at times.  "IF" you find that under all conditions of use, that the rear shocks are too firm, then adjust them ONE time, to setting # 3 on the cam adjusters...then ride it, and forget it.

I actually did look at the shocks half way expecting to find BOTH air shocks. The po did do many upgrades in other area's. But he was about 5' 5'' tall and weighed about 175.  When I first straddled this 96 I thought it was lower than my 89. I thought he might have lowered it?

When I first put the sidecar on and was setting it up I put 200 pounds on the seat. I could tell it really squatted and stayed. I even made a video trying to see how much suspension travel I was getting when rocking the bike. Hardly any.

BTW. Can't remember if I told you all ready. But Progressive confirmed those are a 5 position shock. 

Quote from Quick_Cal on November 28, 2023, 12:43 pm

 

I actually did look at the shocks... half way expecting to find BOTH air shocks. 

BTW. Can't remember if I told you all ready. But Progressive confirmed those are a 5 position shock. 

Oh, Cal.....what you didn't say in your post above, is whether both shocks on your bike are currently air shocks, or as I described, one air shock, and one coil-over shock.

So, when you actually looked at the shocks, what did you find ?????????

Fork rebuild.

I've rebuilt several sets of forks. Two sets for a 1200 Goldwing, and a few on my Japanese bikes. I know the 1500's can be a bear with the longer progressive springs and you really need a proper tool for safety. I really don't know what's in there now. They could come shooting out and take my head off.

So. I need to come up with said tool. The Honda tool is crazy money, just like the steering bearing tool.  (Next in que) So I'm going to build a tool like I have done for many other projects. Question is, which version. It looks like the easiest might be the one with wooden blocks and all thread rods. Just wondering what you guys have done? Any one build this one?

Thanks.