thinking of doing this myself. I asked alot ofpeople on how to do this, and I got conflictingviews. I even tried searching the Internet butwithout much luck. Too bad there isn’t aPrestone flusher kit like what we used in the1970s on cars.Thank You.James M. EgyudGWRRA# 252102Seven Hills, OhioJames, as you may know, the officialGL1800 service manual instructs the mechanicto drain the coolant, reinstall the drain plug,then refill the system with fresh coolant. Whatyou may not know is that the manual alsoshows the location of the drain plug near thecarbon canister at the front of the engine anddescribes the method of draining the coolant.Having said that, I must disagree with the recommendedmethod of simply draining the oldcoolant and refilling with fresh, because thiswill leave some of the old coolant in the system.In the case of the GL1800, that amount couldbe considerable—as much as one quart. Unlessyou’re experiencing unusual overheating problemsor if severe system contamination is evident,simply flushing the system with clearwater should suffice. I recommend allowingthe engine to run till the fans come on, thenallow the engine to cool before draining thewater. Repeat until the drain fluid comes outwithout a greenish tint. Twice is usually sufficient,and make the last flush with distilledwater. The problem now is to get as much ofthe water as possible out of the cooling system.This is especially important if you plan torefill with a 50/50 pre-diluted mixture such asGenuine Honda coolant. If a quart or more ofwater were left in the cooling system (it onlyholds about 4 quarts), that would yield acoolant to water ratio of only around 37%.The UView tool reviewed in an earlier issue isa good tool for removing almost all of theremaining water. Failing that, you may wantto install two quarts of a full strength, silicatefreecommercial coolant followed by onequart of distilled water. If this completely fillsyour cooling system, especially if you can’t getthe entire quart of water in, you’ll have a50/50 mixture or slightly stronger. Run thesystem through at least one fan cycle, allow itto cool, then check coolant strength with aradiator hydrometer. Finally empty and flushthe overflow bottle either by removal orthrough siphoning, and refill it with a 50/50coolant mixture till coolant is visible on itsdipstick. Final adjustment to the full markshould be done with the engine at full operatingtemperature.StuPulse Generator for GL1200Hello Stu, in reference to the article in theApril 2008 issue of <strong>Wing</strong><strong>World</strong> concerningpulse generators for GL1200s, they are stillavailable from the Honda dealer in my area. Ijust purchased a set last month from AikenHonda here in South Carolina.The telephone number for Aiken Honda inSouth Carolina is (800) 236-7183. The partnumber is <strong>30</strong><strong>30</strong>0ML8680 and the price wasabout $115. I hope this helps.J.C. RogersSaluda South CarolinaThank you for that, J.C. I believed theywere still available, though I admit to not havingchecked recently. One thing to note—thewire colors on the last batch I checked werereversed, causing the ignition to triggerimproperly. If the machine fails to start orruns poorly after replacement, reverse thepulse generator wire connections.StuSpline LubricationStu, I read with interest your recommendationsto Mr. Rich Hahn in the February2008 issue about lubricating the U-jointsplines on the GL1500s.Could you please explain the additionalsteps necessary to do this procedure during a44 <strong>Wing</strong> <strong>World</strong>
Individually Designed To Your Specifications Since 1974“NEW GL1800 Seats” “Thinner & Upright”Individually styled for both driver Replacement Passenger Backrestand passenger.for Honda GL1800Los AngelesINGLEWOOD, CA - 310-677-5800P.O. BOX 489SEVILLE, FL 32190800/722-9995 • www.diamondseats.comHonda2008 MODELS AVAILABLE IN ALL COLORS AT ALL LOCATIONS.DENVER, CO - <strong>30</strong>3-399-5447OAKLAND, CA 510-635-6<strong>30</strong>0AUBURN, CA5<strong>30</strong>-885-7105www.otdcyclesports.com • 1-800-261-8397 • 310-674-8069 FaxAlways wear a helmet, eye protection and protective gear.July 2008 45