GL1800 Goldwing steering head bearing maintenance

[@toddjacobs5660]

Just bought my 2004 Wing a couple days ago, 42,000 miles, going through it flushing fluids etc. so i noticed my front end a little wobbly, so im not only changing my front wheel bearings, but i lifted my front end up a touch w floor jack, & from front to rear i was able to feel a little play , so im doing just like you did, as im changing my air filter & im 1/3 of the way buried into this thing i guese im going to attack the steering as well, yr video is exactly what i was looking for, so that helded me tremendously, im putting a K&N in , thanks for the perfect video 👍

[@gregoryy1368]

Great video and now I see why most places don't want to work on Goldwings. They have that stuff packed in there tight. Damn.

[@toddjacobs5660]

Excellent video 👍

[@sgt27towner]

That wire that runs thru the steering head is for the auto cancel turn signals

[@SCWMoto]

Thanks for sharing. Caught me by surprise at first.

[@thomasgriffith3747]

How big of a PITA was getting the instrument cluster reconnected. Not much room for hands to get behind it to reconnect the electrical connections. I'll be switching out my cluster with another one due to lost pixels in mine

[@SCWMoto]

I hear ya, not much room at all. But in all honesty, reconnecting it isn't that bad. Disconnecting was more of a problem because you had to pull the clip latch to release it. Two extra knuckles per finger would help. 😏 Going in is, push till you hear the 'click'. So not so bad.

[@thomasgriffith3747]

Should-a Could-a Would-a ok thanks good video

[@theChaseGroup]

That steering nut is highly touchy to proper torque. Should be around 21... not below 20 or you will get wobble. Not above 23 or the bike will not center itself easily. I'm curious how it drove after "wingin" it. ;) Also the washer with the tabs has a conical shape to it to act as a spring washer. You should replace that if they look flat. Just my two cents.

[@SCWMoto]

I had read that. I noticed a slight slop in the feel off the handlebars. The nut was under the torque spec. It had already had a slight 40 mph wobble and since i was already down in there it just made sense to go a little further and give it a look see. I did eyeball it with the torque spec. But with the fork brace, centramatics, and new tire/s, the wobble is gone. And the bike tracks true and straight and tight. The spring washer was in perfect shape and wasn't squashed at all. Thanks for the comment.

[@ipostuplenie]

Max from Traxxion dynamics suggested ))

[@albertifergan6506]

Is it the same process for prior models? Thanks for a good video.

[@SCWMoto]

For the head bearings pretty much the same the differences are the removal of the plastics. Prior to 2012 the plastics and instrumentation removal will be different. You would have to take that into account.

[@albertifergan6506]

@@SCWMoto thank you much for your prompt reply.

[@richardhalbur4347]

If you take keys switch cluster out. Will make a lot more easier taking main cluster out and back end to get wire harness unplugged and replaced back in.

[@wingandhog]

Good video. I learned something new. May I ask what kind of screening did you install on the air intakes into the filter? I just did my filter myself after purchasing my first wing a month ago and didn’t have rodent problems but next time I want to be proactive since I live in a rural area and the possibility is much higher that this could occur. Thank!

[@SCWMoto]

Hi the screening was any home any garden center type. In my case The Home Depot. I scrunched the holes to make them as small as i was comfortable before i felt it would hinder airflow. Best guess on that. Thanks for the comment.

[@ronaldcooper7609]

No need to completely remove the cluster. Leave the wiring connected and Bungee cord it to the windshield

[@MrRamman04]

I changed brakes and oil on my first gl1800, nothing else touched for 92000 km, coolant was still in spec, brake fluid was still testing fine but a little dirty, air filter was pretty dirty but light still shinning through it, changed it all and seen no difference in performance,bike doesn’t need much maintenance, my riding buddy has 229 000km on his 2001 and has almost no maintenance done to it, funny how some wings are bulletproof proof while others have problems but I still hate the crappy suspension

[@SCWMoto]

It does ride ok but i will admit the suspension is one of its weakest features. The boxer engines in both the 1500 and 1800 are a cut above. Show the bike a little love it will love ya right back. I ran mine for a 22 hr ride never missed a beat.

[@adventurekevin9409]

Nice informative video, thanks for posting BUT the head mounted camera is horrible. It’s nauseating to watch with all the turns of your head. Had to look away from my tv more times than watching.

[@SCWMoto]

Yup i agree. Sorry about that. I have been working on better lighting, sound and a different approach for POV that will hopefully help with that. on the next winter projects i have lined up. Thank you for the feed back.

[@bradleycocks3423]

Best way to see what’s going on , brilliant video !

[@soumilinon]

All ball bearings for camera would be nice, and the elevator music while on hold WOW!!!! Other than that thanks

[@paulmeinzinger9736]

I need my steering tightened. Also sometimes the navigation system wont boot up after starting. I turn off the key ,back on then comes on

[@jamesrenfro799]

Need to stabilize the camera, got sick at my stomach watching.

[@SCWMoto]

Yup i agree, I was experimenting with different camera platforms at that time to get the shot. Sorry, Later videos address this and are much better. Thanks for the comment

[@RighttothePointDIY]

I had to just forward to certain parts. Still feeling sick. Yikes!! LOL

[@Bass.Player]

Steering bearings have nothing to do with the front tire wobble. Tightening the steering bearings to mask another problem is not the right way to fix this issue. The problem is the cupping of the front tire, if you can see the cupping or not. Ever notice how that wobble goes away after installing a new front tire? The front forks have poor damping and they flex like a noodle. Running a rear tire on the front and using balance beads goes a long way to fixing this wobble, however it is actually a design flaw in that weak front end...

[@SCWMoto]

Agreed on tire cupping as a primary cause of wobble, the vehicle was purchased used at 10k and was at believe around 16k at time of service. The bike calls for steering head maintenance around 12k so while i was in there after doing the filter, it just made sense to go in a little further and get that out of the way. No vids on how to do it. These projects have made a marked improvement on the handling of the wing and time will tell with the tire wear.

[@Bass.Player]

@@SCWMoto The only risk is from over tightening the bearings which causes the bike to be hard/harder to maintain a straight line but it will really show up when at slow speeds like coming to a red light, you will have to get your feet down fairly early because the bike want's to fall over.... In other words it makes it hard to balance. With the bike on the center stand and the front wheel off the ground the handle bars should flop to one side (or the other) and if it's very hard to get it not to do this then you will know they are not too tight. (provided nothing is rubbing)

[@keganmowery6689]

Goldwings still wobble on decel with new tires and proper inflation...

[@Bass.Player]

@@keganmowery6689 Neither one of my Gl1800's did, nor has any other's I have known....

[@mylesm7947]

Get an shop manual goldwings are complicated

[@easternsprails]

Dang, not to interesting as you ponder you next move and the camera needs to be mounted instead of panning back and forth so much. Other than that, nice video.

[@SCWMoto]

Yeah the head cam without stabilization was not a good look.🤢 I do the tripod now, no more sea sickness. Still learning. HO and N scale fan here wish I had the space. Take care.

[@keganmowery6689]

Don't HAND TORQUE like this amateur. If you're going to show people how to "maintain" Goldwings you should use a manual. The wobble is caused by the type of bearing from the factory. The front end will wobble with 20ft lbs of torque. Twenty-one ft lbs is the sweet spot. About 25-26ft lbs the bike will wonder. HAND TORQUING a steering head bearing is the dumbest advice I've ever seen, not to mention very dangerous.

[@SCWMoto]

Actually, all bikes inherently have a wobble due to the caster effect. Fork rake angle, rim and tire dimensions can alter the characteristics and to when and at what speed they show up. New and well maintained bikes usually hide the symptoms until something wears, to which there is a whole bunch of theories as to what wears to cause what. As for type of bearings, that is not true, I put "All balls" tapered conical's in my ZG1000 for the same reason the dreaded 60 mph decel wobble and it still had a wobble. Only after rebuilding the front forks with new bushes the problem is solved and it's now rock solid. The wing, that was tires, now it's also rock solid, I couldn't be happier. The unknowns of buying a second hand bike in terms of what was maintenanced and when has been addressed for me. This video was to show basically how to get in there to do the job. There was nothing posted (that I found) that showed what it took to getting in at the triple tree nut. so I shared As for hand torquing i'm comfortable with my best judgement for a 20 ft lb torque setting. And i agree, everyone should have a manual. Take care; Bob

[@narmac01]

Hummm,,,,and who has or does a calibration of their torque wrench to ensure accuracy??,,,good luck with being in that 5% ,,,,I used to manually check calibration with actual weights and at distance. Only a few were ever even within reason.

[@91156]

sorry, but your camera work makes a viewer seasick. Mount it somewhere other than your head.

[@SCWMoto]

I know. It was an earlier video. They got better. Sorry for the motion. 😉

[@Supernaut2000]

Whoa! I am having flashbacks and a seizure as watching your video jumping around is driving my brain crazy. Surely you have a tripod? Clamp on tripod? Look at Fred Harmon's videos for guidance. I can't watch this video. Sorry.

[@SCWMoto]

Lol that was early on. Yes they got much better as i progressed. POV without Stabilization is a bad idea.

[@seatime674]

Yeah I got through half the video now I'm seasick on the verge of throwing up, couldn't finish....