I couldn't wait to finish the tail; I had to see it in place so I sprayed it with the rattle rat black that I am using as a guide coat, and took the bike for a spin

Seat pan fiberglassed

Duct tape and more spray glue and tin foil for the seat pan

Sand and fill. T nuts are in place to support the back

Fiberglassing done. All that hard work on the plug is now lying on the ground

Rode to oVc in Hillsburgh to change the engine oil and rear drive oil

Spray glue and tin foil for a separator

Here is the cardboard and drywall compound plug that I made on the bike. The three depressions on the top will accommodate nuts to hold the seat pan on. The square depressions just ahead of the butt stop go down to the frame and will be supports for the back of the seat like the cafe seat previously. The depressions at the front of the plug go down to the stock seat bracket and to a tongue that goes under this bracket like the stock seat. The depressions on the side toward the back will accommodate nuts which will hold the back of the cowl with bolts through the holes in the frame that the stock fender was mounted to. The depression at the back will accommodate the back of the light

I've decided to change the tail on this bike since it no longer has the low bars on it. You can't have a cafesque tail with regular bars so I am going to make a new more suitable tail. This bike is in good original shape so I want to make any changes as sympathetic to the stock Goldwing as I can so I am going to try and incorporate the original tail light in the design. Here it is being mocked up for position fore and aft and for height. It is a big ungainly tail light so I want to get it as low as possible without it getting hit by the back tire and I don't want it hanging too far off the back of the bike

I flipped the crippling handlebars back over

We rode down the street from Tim's to the Paris Fairgrounds for the vintage bike show

The day after Port Dover was the Paris vintage bike show so I rode to Paris and met the Ural dudes at Tim's. I rode the nice comfortable 1100: no brake issues and no ergonomic handlebar issues. It is such a nice ride and I had to apologize to it for taking it for granted

The ride home was relatively uneventful; no brake issues, but the handlebars were so uncomfortable I thought I was going to lose the use of my arms. I thought I would take some pics of this iteration because it will be no more

Another '78... with drink holders, for that nice leisurely ride

Rick and Steve

More Friday the 13th pics

My bike looks out of place parked with the Urals

Well here it is all buttoned up in Port Dover. I haven't taken any pics since Tuesday since I've been so busy putting this bike back together. I spent way too much time doing the body work on the tail trying to get it perfect and then ended up running out of time. The tail needed to be trimmed back because of clearance issues and then I just gave up and painted it rattle rat black. I still had a list of things to get done so I ended up pulling an all nighter Thursday. I had to make a licence plate bracket and wire up the tail light and put everything else back together. I didn't have any other mirrors around so I used the stock mirrors that came with the bike; not my preferred choice. I thought I was going to get some sleep until I got on the bike to test drive it in the middle of the night and realized my new forward posture was causing me to hit my shins on the crash guards, so off they came. Easier said than done but then what isn't. No test drive. One hour to shower and get ready and leave by 6:00 to meet my brother and Rick in Brantford at 7:00

I didn't know it yet but the fun was just beginning. The bike was running fairly well although a little rough at low RPMs and then in Cambridge the rear brake started to apply itself. It squeezed so hard, so fast, I couldn't get the bike completely off the road; on a blind corner no less. So here I was partially on the road with a bike that won't move and I don't know what the problem is. I got away from the bike because I was sure it was going to get hit and made a call to CAA for a flatbed. After a tense hour or so without getting hit, the flatbed arrived but by this time the brake had cooled and I could get the bike to roll. I had a decision to make: return home with the Deathcycle and ride my '82 to Port Dover or continue to Port Dover on the Deathcycle. I thought maybe the caliper was sticking so I figured if I kept off the rear brake it wouldn't lock up again. The flatbed was waved off and I continued but I didn't get out of Cambridge before it happened again. At least this time I knew what to expect and got off the road as fast as I could. Now I really didn't know what was happening; did I touch the rear brake? ; maybe I did out of habit. Try again. Don't touch the rear brake! It didn't happen again until Highway 24 and what complicated things was the gravel shoulder. I didn't want to stay in traffic but I also didn't want to hit the shoulder too fast and wash out the front end, so I headed to the edge of the pavement until the brake was ready to lock up solid then steered onto the gravel. Worked like a charm. Now I'm sitting on the bike waiting for the brake to cool and I start to fall asleep because I am sooo tired. I'm just like a little kid falling asleep in his dinner; the bike starts going over, I wake up and catch it, the bike starts going over the other way, I wake up and catch it, over and over until the brake cools and I can move the bike. Funny only after the fact... Anyway, no more problems into Port Dover, my brother saved me a spot on Main St. and life was good.

I bought some low bars and flipped them over. I rerouted the throttle and clutch cables and they now have a straighter run than stock so that's a plus. The only potential problem is the brake line. There is only one orientation of the handlebars that allow the brake lever and master to slide onto the handlebars fully and it places the grips at an odd angle. I would like to test drive this arrangement before Friday but I haven't got time

The bike has been de-Vettered. It is nice to ride a bike with a fairing but it does make the bike heavy and ungainly.

I had the seat from the '79 upholstered and I will use it on this bike for Port Dover. I have to do something with that trailer wiring though. The poor bike having to drag a trailer all over the place. Just buy a car already...

More ugliness has been removed; the seat, fender with tail light, bag frame with turn signals, turn down exhaust tips, passenger pegs and trailer hitch

The Samsonite bags are easily removed from the frame with a key. All three bags are the same and it is a well designed mounting system

I'm not sure what happened but I bought another Goldwing ; a '78. It has Samsonite bags and a trailer hitch. I'm going to try to get it ready for Friday the 13th in Port Dover. It's going to be tight

The T-nuts have been Bondo Haired onto the seat pan

T-nuts ground down to attach the seat pan to the base

The seat pan has been trimmed to fit

The mirror parts have been trial fitted. The frame is aluminum, the mirror is a convex stick on and the amber LEDs are from disemboweled side marker lights

Mirror housing being cut out with the soldering iron I use to weld ABS

One mirror housing formed. Not a great pull but it will work

I want to try to make a pair of bar end turn signal mirrors so I made a mold which I will vacuum form plexiglas over to create a housing

Fiberglass has been laid up to create the seat pan