GL1800 1st gen water pump 

perfect machines, but not so simple to work on especially doing roadside repairs.. I got rid of my GL 1800 after a sampling of maintenance chores I had to do like, just changing the air filter, The dealer charges over $600 just to change the air filters on GL 1800 gold wings.. not including the price of the filter…and upgrading the rear spring on the shock,-or just trying to get the four-way flashers to stop flashing.. ( a very common fault) there is not a smoother running motorcycle out there, but there are not any that are as difficult to work on either. That’s the only reason I parted ways with my perfect gl 1800.. it’s not that I couldn’t do the work, I was a motorcycle dealership mechanic at several shops. I’ve never had anyone do any work on any of my dozens of motorcycles over the past four decades but me..Not even mounting tires or replacing a transmission mainshaft.. it’s not that I can’t do any of the work on the GL 1800 Goldwing i had.. it’s just that those engineers at Honda are magicians it’s getting so much in such a tight space, and covering it at all with yards of plastic.. i bought my first GL 1800 from the original owner with only 13 K miles on it. It had the original tires still on it, the air filter had never been changed, 16 years.. The suspension was tired I could feel it over bumps. I changed fork springs, seals, bushings, rear shock spring to match the fork springs, fresh tires,, changed all the fluids, the clutch fluid look like a melted chocolate milkshake when it came out. He had never changed it either.. changed final drive oil, lubricated driveshaft splines , cleaned and greased swingarm bearings and steering head bearing’s, air filter change, installed heated grips, new OEM vented windshield, flushed brake fluid, spark plugs, cleaned and silicone and ignition wires, cleaned battery ground strap to the frame (A source of many electrical gremlins) I wanted to add a small Electrical fused subpanel for accessories like two outlets for electric vests ,one outlet for heated grips, one outlet for Phone/Camera flat tire repair air pump.. The small fused subpanel with four fuses/circuits was only the size of a pack of cigarettes.. I could not find anywhere under the plastic, under the seat, under the side panels, under the engine cover that looks like a gas tank, to put that sub panel. Those design magicians at Honda really packed all those sardines into that can, so there is no dead space under there. And that’s what makes it so difficult to do repairs or service to the GL 1800 Goldwing. you have to remove so many things to get at things like the air cleaner, like the water pump, like the rear shock, like the widely problematic four-way flasher unit.. I was storing plastic panels and parts in my garage, in my game room, in our laundry room, I was taking pictures, making notes, and labeling things as they came off, like all those different screws that hold the cover over the engine that looks like a gas tank, most of those screws are all different sizes. You have to make a map of where they go for reassembly because they’re all different.. and don’t you dare drop one of those plastic rivets or one of the screws down inside the fairing.. when I was done doing all of that service to my new to me GL 1800 Goldwing..I rode it a couple years, then the thought of ever having to work on the engine or transmission to do Somethings serious like transmission work, or camshaft work, or having to do a roadside repair to the slave cylinder or the alternator or the water pump or the clutch, that made me have second thoughts. I decided to get an easier machine to work on.. I went back to a Yamaha royal star venture, my third Venture since 1986. I can replace the water pump, the slave cylinder, the starter, even the clutch with a few simple tools on the side of the road. I replaced a friends slave cylinder seal on his venture in a McDonald’s parking lot years ago. I always carry the spare seal for the slave cylinder on my Venture at that time. He just had to go to a parts store down the road to get some fresh brake fluid to finish the job.. it took about 30 minutes to remove the slave cylinder, replaced the seal, put it back together, bleed the air.. we didn’t have to remove any panels, or saddlebags, or exhaust pipes, or the gas tank. We only needed 3 tools. Number 2 Phillips screwdriver, 8 mm socket, 10 mm wrench..And of course, a few rags, and he picked up a small piece of hose At the auto parts store when he got the brake fluid to direct the brake fluid into a small cup to bleed the slave cylinder.. I made a RU-vid video pointing out what it was like to own a GL 1800 Goldwing, compared to owning my Yamaha royal star venture.. there must be a lot of gold wings out there because that is my most viewed video, it’s over 52,000 views since I put that video on youtube a year ago in 2021 or 2022.. this video here is just another example of how intricate and involved it is to do what should be a simple job on the Goldwing.. goldwings are the smoothest , They handle very well for a 900 pound machine. They have excellent fairings, they can easily do 300,000 miles with basic maintenance. Which brings me to the air filter change ritual.. if you don’t have a confidence or the skill to change your own air filter on a GL1800 goldwing. if you decide to just let your Honda motorcycle dealership change your air filters, consider this.. I had been reading on the Internet that $600 is the going rate just for the labor in a Honda dealership to change the air filter on the Goldwing 1800. I thought that was absurd. But doing the job myself made me realize, that’s just about the right price. I was a flat rate mechanic, and that is not a quick job.. flat rate mechanics get paid with the flat rate book says no matter how fast or slow the mechanic is. If mechanic can change that air filter in less than four or six hours, he makes more money because he is still going to be paid six hours labor. If it takes him eight hours to do it, he’s going to lose money because he’s only going to be paid for six hours labor. That is how a flat rate mechanic makes his money. I used to be able to go into work, and easily make 24 hours pay in eight hours. I only hoped it wasn’t warranty work because warranty work pays less per hour. Most mechanics hate doing warranty work for that reason.. but changing an air filter is not warranty work. That’s gravy work.. shop labor rate is $125 an hour, possibly more here in 2023.. The dealer charges approximately $600 labor just to change the air filter on the 1800 wing.. so let’s say you change your air filter just once every 20,000 miles. Let’s say you keep your machine for 200,000 miles. thats just 10 air filter changes.. in 200,000 miles that’s $6000 labor just to change the air filters 10 times, not including the price of the air filter itself.. also not including the $700 tax.. my wife and I usually go out Saturday night to a restaurant or a tavern to get a Fish sandwich or a pizza, drinks, usually comes to around $40-$45.. The cost of labor to change the air filter on a Goldwing just 10 times at the dealer would pay for my wife and I to go out to dinner between 140 and 160 Saturday nights.. not including sales tax on the labor or the price of the air filters.. it’s something to think about. If you don’t mind doing all that work yourself. That’s fine. I can do the work, but I don’t want to.. it’s aggravating, it’s a pain in the ass..and I wasn’t gonna pay somebody else to do it so I got rid of my perfect goldwing..Just because the thought of having to do something really serious like engine work, gave me second thoughts. I didn’t want to marry the dealer. So I sold my perfect Goldwing, and went back to some thing I know is very easy to work on and just as reliable, just as comfortable, and much roomier, my third Yamaha Venture.. The Honda Goldwing is much more powerful, handles better, and has better brakes. But my Venture is as simple as an old VW bug to work on. And - I like motorcycles that I can actually see the motor.. Don’t get me wrong. Goldwings are perfect.. just not perfect for me, and apparently, I struck a nerve with my youtube video because of the hundreds of people that agree with me in the comments on my video here on RU-vid about the comparison between owning a Goldwing and a venture.. this RU-vid video is a perfect example of how difficult it is to work on a GL1800..

Great video. I'm having an overheating issue. The Dealer replaced the Rad Fluid but still overheating. I want them to replace the thermostat but it seems like the water pump is in the same housing, so should they just replace the water pump too?