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Almost a full member
Hi all,

I've been lurking for a while but am about 60 hours from buying an 86 Aspy, provided the input you guys may give me doesn't scare me off from this particular bike.

Thanks to the information on this web site, the test ride of the Aspy I rode this morning was very productive and I felt that I could really get a good analysis of the bike. Since the bike was at a Honda dealer, I couldn't get any information about how the bike was maintained by the PO, or any problems he may have had with the bike. The upside is the service manager said they would service any bike they sold (I've read that some folks have had problems getting dealer service done on anything over 10 years old...)

The bike seemed to be well cared for, has about 71,000 miles, forks seemed clean (no pitting or excessive oil), the PO added an aftermarket voltmeter (that read just over 14 volt at 2000 RPM..thanks to the members of this site for making me smart on the charging issues) and three bright and clean yellow wires on the left side with no discoloration or any other signs of excessive heating (recently replaced, perhaps?). I have no idea if the timing belt has been replaced, but for the piece of mind, would either do or have it done immediately if I buy this bike. The bike also had relatively new tires, no cracks in the fairings, no other cosmetic problems. So far so good....

The bike was parked inside on the showroom, and I noticed that there were a couple of drops of oil under the bike. I didn't know how long it was sitting on the showroom, and after all, it is 22 years old, so I wasn't terribly concerned. The salesman was quick to offer me a test ride, and of course I took him up on it (beautiful day for riding in Arkansas this morning, only just a bit chilly and windy). While I was distracted filling out the "if you wreck it you buy it" paperwork he rolled the bike out to warm it up for me, so I missed if it blew blue smoke when it started. The bike rode like a champ, and is by far the heaviest bike I've ever rode, so I was thrilled that it handled the wind as well as it did (I currently commute on a 200cc dual sport)! The salesman told me to feel free to take the bike out as long as I wanted since it is such an old bike and even encouraged me to take it out on the freeway if I wanted. The bike didn't have any odd noises out of the either the engine or drivetrain, decelerations were smooth with no "popping," brakes were very effective considering the weight and the nose didn't dive excessively even with heavy front brake action. After about 30 minutes of riding, I was back at the dealership and figured by this time it was fully warmed up (any leaks should show up at this point), and gave it a quick post ride walk around. The bike hadn't been parked more than a couple of minutes, and I could see about 3 to 4 drops of oil on the ground directly under the aft side of the engine. This is what concerns me most. The oil was nearly clear (I assumed the service department recently changed the oil), and from what I can tell was leaking from around a panel directly on the aft side of the case (not sure if that is actually the gear box or the engine case) around the head of a ~7 or 8 mm bolt that is holding an access/cover panel in place. The goldwinginfo.com website has been down, so I can't determine where the leak may be coming from, or even give you folks a breakout number to tell me if this is serious or not.

After the bike set a while, I started it up and there wasn't any smoke present in the exhaust, so at least it doesn't seem to be burning oil. The asking price is $3700 which seems to be in line with Kelley's Blue Book, but I'd hate to have to drop too much money on the bike to fix a serious problem. The upside is when I was leaving, the salesman was riding the bike back to the service department.

I know this isn't a lot of info but would you pass on this bike because of the oil leak? Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.

Regards,
Rich
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#1 11-08-2008, 09:46 PM,
Hi Rich,

The first thing I would do is point-blank ask the dealership if they intend to fix the oil leak. You are correct, very few places will work on the older bikes but for something like you are decribing, I think it would be within their ability to fix. Is the bike a regular Aspy or is it an SEi? (just curious, I'm partial to SEi's) My first street bike was about four years old when I bought it (Suzuki GT380) and it had a never ending oil leak. The dealership never could fix it. But the bike ran like a champ and all I had to do was keep oil in it. But then again, its not always a good thing to have an oil leak so you most certainly want to check it out.

If you aren't prepared to to your own mechanical work, I would ask the dealership who they refer their older bikes to for service work (they should have a couple of people in mind) and contact those mechanics. Get their opinion on it and what they think it may cost you to make repairs.

$3,700 is a good price for the bike (my opinion) so even if you have to put a few more bucks into it. you will be so happy to be riding a Wing, you won't mind at all! Big Grin Big Grin Big Grin

PS - let us know what the dealership says about the oil leak. Chances are you will find lots of folks here who can give you specific advice/answers and you'll have a better idea of what to do.
1986 Aspencade SEi
Former rides: 1970? QA50, 1972 SL125, 1976 Suzuki GT380, 1975 CB200, 1981 CM400T, 1982 CX500 Silver Wing, 1984 500 Shadow
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#2 11-09-2008, 06:23 AM,
I am curious about where the oil leak is coming from.
You say aft on the left side? is astride the bike? or looking from the front?
If it is the left astride the bike, all I could think would the the rear engine cover gasket (after installing a new alternator) but even that wouldnt drip.
The only stupid questions are the one's that are not asked.

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#3 11-09-2008, 07:19 AM,
All,
Thanks again for the quick replies!

I just lost a long post, but the short answer is the leak is dead astern. What is mounted back there? Is that the transmission cover or the back of the engine case? The Goldwinginfo.com break outs look like it could be either the Engine: Rear case or Engine: Transmission Cover.

I am handy and willing to do the minor maintenance (oil changes, coolant flushes, minor carb adjustments, etc), but since time (and kitchen passes) are limited, I'd rather spend time riding rather than on major maintenance. The good news is the local dealership will perform service on this bike since they sold it. The service manager said they go over their bikes pretty well before they put them on the showroom, and wholesale out the junk. She was surprised that there was a leak on that particular bike, and apparently called over to the used car showroom to bring it over for another look. As I was leaving the dealership (after about 20 minutes of ogling over the new bikes), the salesman was riding the bike over to the service area. Hopefully I'll have good news on Tuesday. Regardless, I'll post the results one way or the other.

Thanks again for the help!

Rich
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#4 11-09-2008, 12:00 PM,
FireCapt41,

Left out the basics, it is a regular Aspy. Good looking and smooth though!

Thanks again for the great info!
Rich
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#5 11-09-2008, 12:03 PM,
You could do what I did when my Aspy was leaking oil, just tell everyone that the bike thinks it's a Harley! Smile
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#6 11-09-2008, 01:20 PM,
Is it in the vicinity of the drive shaft boot?

Have a close look.

If so it is possibly either an O ring or Seal

Is it engine oil or gear oil.
The only stupid questions are the one's that are not asked.

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#7 11-09-2008, 01:24 PM,
Tricky,
Thanks for the response. I don't believe the leak is near the boot, it seems to be coming from behind an access panel and weeping around the 6 mm bolts that hold the panel in place, almost like the gasket wasn't seated properly. I assumed it is engine oil, I'd expect gear oil to be a bit more viscous and perhaps darker. Am I correct in this assumption? Would fresh gear oil be clear? This oil seemed to be thin like normal engine oil.
Thanks again for all the help, unfortunately the dealership is closed today and tomorrow or I'd make the trek to take pictures!
I do like the idea of saying the bike wants to be a Harley; I have a couple die hard H-D fans in my office. I am looking forward to explaining how the "rice burner" is made in the farmlands of Ohio, and showing them the "Made in USA" on the engine casting.

Regards,
Rich
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#8 11-09-2008, 02:12 PM,
Yes gear oil would be a littler thicker,

The only access panel I can think of is this one, and if it was it would be just a gasket or not tightened properly.

You definitely don't want a Harley disease, you would be shunned by other clean Goldwing riders and sent to the other side of the parking lot for fear it might be contagious :lol:


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The only stupid questions are the one's that are not asked.

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#9 11-09-2008, 02:19 PM,
All,
Thanks for all the help, but the mysterious oil leak remains a mystery. The bike was sold by the time I got back to the dealership. The search continues...

Regards,
Rich
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#10 11-11-2008, 07:52 PM,


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