Might take a while to lap in this valve. :)

[John Schmidt]

This is the valve and combustion chamber off the GL1200 I bought recently. In case you missed it, I've included a picture of the piston. Found out one thing today while pulling the carbs and radiator in preparation for pulling the engine....this 1200 is a lot more difficult to work on than the Valkyrie any day. What a major PITA. The replacement engine will be here Saturday but installation will be delayed whilst I do some clean up. This thing sat outside for about three lifetimes....and it shows.

My holy piston!


The culprit. It also broke off a piece of the valve guide.


Sure chewed up the valve. Guess I'll have to file down the edges...ya think!

[YoungPUP]

WOW!  Did the PO think that that was a "good" noise coming from the engine???

[Skinhead]

Nice project.  It'll keep you out of the bars.

[pancho]

You might want to grind that one a bit before starting the lapping.

[John Schmidt]

WOW!  Did the PO think that that was a "good" noise coming from the engine???

The PO was so hard of hearing that it was apparently overrevved. The mechanic who had it and I picked it up there, told me that when he would leave on his bike he would gun the engine and slip the clutch something awful. I asked why, he told me he can't hear it so went by the vibrations he felt. Wonder why he didn't use the tach reading. Oh well, the mechanic said it quit cold and hard on him, lucky he wasn't going down the highway. The replacement engine has 38k on it and came off a good running '85. No accident, just parted out by a bike recycler who got it from one of his longtime customers. The shop is also does repairs.

[old2soon]

I gotta chunk of aluminum and an old Ford valve yer welcome to iffin ya think it could help some.  Some J B liquid steel and yer of to da races.  Or should i just send you my bench grinder??  RIDE SAFE.

[signart]

I'd say the piston went capooey, and the pieces got under the valve.

[Patrick]

Ahh, a little scraping, some paint and it'll be good as new.   What a mess. At least you're keeping yourself busy.

[John Schmidt]

I'd say the piston went capooey, and the pieces got under the valve.

I thought of that, until I heard his mechanic talk about how the PO always revved the engine when riding. Said he even went to high RPM before shifting. I just don't understand why someone wouldn't at least keep an eye on the tach. Regardless, I'm taking the easy way out and just replacing the engine with a relatively low miles unit. In the time it took to pull the carbs and radiator yesterday, all in preparation to pulling the engine, I could have had a Valk engine out. This thing is a pain to work on. 

[old2soon]

I'd say the piston went capooey, and the pieces got under the valve.

I thought of that, until I heard his mechanic talk about how the PO always revved the engine when riding. Said he even went to high RPM before shifting. I just don't understand why someone wouldn't at least keep an eye on the tach. Regardless, I'm taking the easy way out and just replacing the engine with a relatively low miles unit. In the time it took to pull the carbs and radiator yesterday, all in preparation to pulling the engine, I could have had a Valk engine out. This thing is a pain to work on. 

   YUP-but it be keepin ya outa da bars and away from wild wimmenz.  RIDE SAFE.

[CajunRider]

I can fix that...

All I'd need is duct tape, JB Weld, WD-40...

Oh... and a good mechanic and a new engine...     

Let us know when you get her running!!!  I wanna see and hear it.   

[RP#62]

I hate when that happens.  I pulled this beauty out one time - the engine was running a little lumpy at idle.  Don't know if it was this, or the fact that the valve that did this was found bouncing around in the supercharger.
-RP

[John Schmidt]

My replacement engine got here today. Was in Ft. Myers, FL which is a good 200 mile drive one way from my place. A good friend that lives in the Naples area just south of there was coming to Orlando for a gun show and offered to bring it with him. I owe Jeff McKay a debt of gratitude for doing that. The replacement unit needs some good cleaning, worked over with a wire brush to get rid of loose engine paint, then repaint it. I've read on the Naked Gold Wing site that Duplicolor Aluminum 500 degree paint works good on engines. Does anyone have other suggestions based on personal experience? I'm about ready to pull the old engine, being held up with a lift and a couple bolts yet. Maybe tomorrow. Most of the fasteners are rusty so it's taking a lot of bearcat pee to loosen things up.

[flsix]

John, an old fabricator friend of mine had a saying about things that were a little rough.....Hammer to fit, paint to match. Always worked for him, but he was fond of hammer marks

[YoungPUP]

You probably already know the trick, but a propane torch and then a crayon or piece of candle applied to where the fastner meets the fitting will usually get them freed up.

[Blackduck]

May pay to have a good look at the alternator, have heard 1200's don't last as long as the earlier 1000/1100's.
Can't remember what exact paint I used on the last 1000, Think it was just Duplicolour Silver/Aluminium engine enamel, may still have some of the cans in the garage. Took awhile to fully harden but has held up well.
 Cheers Steve

[pancho]

Like any other paint job,, and especially with aluminum because of it's tendency for the surface to quickly oxidize, preparation it the most important step. As clean as you can get it, and no shiney surfaces.