Howdy!

[Guest]

Jim here from SoUtah.

I am a lifelong motorcyclist. I've noticed quite a few low mileage 1200 wings out there for sale that appear to be in good to great shape. Interest in the 1200 due to the fact of its lighter weight than the 1500 and expense of the 1800. I mostly travel solo. I have found several on the east coast for sale and I would like to pick one up and ride it back west and visit some old stomping grounds in the process.

Any key things I should look for other than the obvious? Professionally trained wrench with 35 yrs experience and engineering training.

Thanks! Jim

[roscoepc]

Welcome to the Site!!

Some of the things to check would be when the timing belts were last changed along with clutch/brake fluids antifreeze and such. The main weak point on the 1200 is the charging system the 2 areas to check there are the stator connector located to the left of the battery and the main 30amp dogbone fuse mounted on the starter selinoid located to the right of the battery. Look for evidence of the stator plug getting hot or melting. The repair for this is to cut out the connector and hardwire/solder the three yellow wires. If this has been done you're good to go there! The dogbone fuse gets brittle over time and can develop cracks and fail. The fix for this is to replace it with an in-line 30amp fuse so if this has been done, again. You're good to go!!

One more suggestion I've got is that you might want to read some history on the Gl1200. It might help you to decide which year/model to purchase!

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!!

[bluewing]

Welcome to the site from Baltimore Ontario. roscoepc has given you some good advice, these 1200s are a great bike, I am sure you will love it.

[Sgt Dave]

Hello from Georgia and welcome aboard.

As stated previously, stator problems seem to be the biggest worry. A good service history is a must when buying a used 1200. Low mileage is not always a good thing too. These bikes don't like to sit and some gremlins will pop up on one that has sat for extended periods of time. My 1200 has over 200k miles and I would not hesitate to ride anywhere at any time. A buddy of mine just bought an '87 1200 with low miles that runs like crap and looks like 10 miles of bad road because it was not taken care of...so check that service history.