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Removing the horn for access to the bike’s interior.
Using long-shafted pliers to disconnect the switch wires.
The old thermostatic switch is exposed, its brown color and two prongs evident.
The wobble socket wrench and 27mm socket are in place, ready to remove the old switch.
The old part (left) is a bit shorter than the new one.
Ready to install the new switch.
fits perfectly. Carefully threading the part into place, he snugged it
down. (No, there’s not a suggested torque setting for this part in the
GL1000 manual.The GL1200 manual suggests 20 foot-pounds for the
same part.) Then Stu reversed the steps of the process he had followed
to remove the old part.
Using a special antifreeze funnel with a lip on the business end that
fits snugly into the radiator filler neck and won’t tumble out, he poured
the antifreeze back into the radiator.
With everything buttoned up again, he started the engine and let it
idle.As the temperature gauge settled into the mid range, the fan came
on.After a few minutes, the needle on the gauge had dropped a bit and
the fan cycled off automatically.After three cycles, it was clear the problem
was solved.
Stu says that these thermostatic switches troubled many early owners
of the GL1000s and that many avoided the often-repeated expense
of replacing them by installing a manual switch.
Since Stu did the change-out in about an hour’s time, this wasn’t a
particularly complicated repair but, as with most things, the process
was made to look easy by a skilled mechanic, familiar with the procedure
and equipped with the right tools.
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May 2007 79