After I put the fairing back on the old windshield was giving me a headache as the turbulance hit me in the top of the head. New slipstreamer windshield that is 4 inches taller and problem solved.
Category Archives: Honda GL500i
Honda GL500i leaky petcock, July 10, 2021
So I was sitting on the bike back on June 19 & feeling that satisfied feeling that you’ve fixed just about everything and you’re ready to roll, then something else happens. The something else was that as I sat on the bike with it running, on centerstand of course, I look down and there’s a puddle of something oozing its way towards my electric bike & charger. Not knowing what this is I turn off the bike, get down and stick my finger in this puddle. Not being careful I also use my left arm instead of my right and promptly burn my arm on the exhaust pipe. duh. Hot pipe = Hot, and Hot is hotter than the Arizona sun …
Turns out the puddle is gasoline … hmm … why is there gas coming out the bottom of my engine somehwere … ? Time to call it a day & look again next week … so, that was fast. Here we are next week , July 26, 2021. Sunny day, full of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air, wonderful morning. Start the bike up again, wait for the gas to come out hte bottom, figure out it is coming from a small diameter black tube, trace it back to the … petcock? Really? What the heck? okay, there’s an overflow on the petcock. What’s it for? When does it leak? It is there to relieve gas build up when the diaphragm in the petcock ruptures …. great.
So … turns out the diaphragm is not flat, or spherical, it is round with a knob on each side, has a metal section in the middle, and another rubber side with a knob in the middle. See pictures below. Amazon/Ebay/the entire internet do not have rebuild kits specifically listing this model so what do I do? I spend $34 buying a new compatible full petcock. Not a bad idea as once i went to install it i found out the vacuum, relief, and output all face the wrong way compared to the current install. What good news is there? Well, the replacement petcock diaphragm section is the same as the existing one from 1981 … so i take it off and put it on the original … and it fits like a glove. Problem solved, now the inputs and output face the proper direction and i have a spare section so i can peruse the internet for similar looking pieces going forwards.
Honda GL500 Rear Brake/Running Lights, July 10, 2021
Took out the rather week inandescent rear bulbs, the ones in the brake/running light housing, and replaced with LEDs. Man are these things bright. No mistaking when the bike is on or when the brakes are being applied. Ordered from Amazon & prime delivery.
GL500i Right Cylinder Spark Problems, July 10, 2021
So a while ago I figured out I have spark problems on the right cylinder. Kind of odd as as soon as I pull the spark plug cap off by about an inch there is great spark. General theory is this is a sign of weak spark and there’s a weak point in the system … somewhere. Also seems to be a recurring mystery via CX/GL forums that new spark plugs, new coils, new caps, new cabling doesn’t seem to fix so it could be a general grounding matter with the whole system and not related.
Anyway, I took the right spark cap off, took it apart, and cleaned it. Before and after pics below. The first time I put it back in it fired right up. Problem solved, I thought, thinking it just needed to be cleaned. Until I let it sit for a few days and tried again in the morning …. cold start … pull out about an inch and instant spark … Oh well, back to the drawing board as they say.
The Honda GL500i Lives, May 31, 2021
So while wrapping up some of the EV related items ( still have to cut the sprocket guard and bottom plate from sheet metal and ordered a 46T rear sprocket), I gave the Honda GL500i a bit of attention this morning.
Looking at some possible reasons it was running cold on the right cylinder (it is a 2 cylinder 500 cc engine) I made changes to the air filter, the carb knob below the carbs, and the right spark plug connection.
The air filter, pictured below, is a mess. Not sure which previous owner thought this was a good idea but the whole thing reeks of engine fumes. Ordered a new one today.
Adjusting the knob below the carbs allowed the motor to idle at a higher rpm without adjusting the choke. Nice. Even nicer when I pulled the spark plug connection out and as soon as i broke the connection, but had not removed the cable, spark was made and the right cylinder fired up as well. The engine sounds a lot better that way.
Was able to ride it up hill in my driveway twice before taking it down the street and around the neighborhood & then back up my driveway (steep and short ends). Just need to fix the fork seal leaks, the leak by the clutch pedal, and figure out what the rear leak is from. As it is a shaft drive the rear leak could be from the connection to the wheel though it is not obvious from just looking at the tire (but the leak is only evident on the bottom half of the tire).