Two in One Day!! (first day)

[RossKean]

No, I didn't drop it or break it in any way!

 

Caution: Long Bonehead Post

 

Traded in the Roadstar and picked up my new (to me) 2002 Venture today. I went over the bike with the salesman and thought I had it figured out pretty well.

 

Just getting out of town and an unfamiliar green light came on (on the left side of the dash). Bright day and me without my reading glasses interpreted this as an oil light !!! (Started with "O" and had two more letters/characters) Went back to the sales guy and told him the oil light was coming on intermittantly. We checked the oil level (OK) so he agreed to replace the oil level sensor (Had to be that, right?). By the time I left town again and rode another few miles, I began to see a pattern of when the light would come on - always in fifth. D'oh - Overdrive light!!! Embarrasing to have to email the guy when I got home a couple of hours later and tell him he could cancel the order for the part - especially since he had agreed to fix it on their nickel!

 

To make things even better, after my first return to the shop when I first discovered the "oil light" problem, I decided to try out the radio and listen to some music for the ride home. Figured out how to turn it on and found a station. Worked Ok for a few minutes and then I started getting intermittant loud static. WTF!! First an oil light sending unit and now a screwed up radio. (I hadn't figured out the O/D thing yet) I was a little pissed and returned to the sales guy and told him about the radio. This guy was great but (like me) was not intimately familiar with the Venture. He agreed that something was screwey and said that they would replace the unit inside the fairing!! The parts were ordered (oil sensor and parts for the radio). As I said, these guys are great when it comes to customer satisfaction and service!!

 

By the time I got home, I had figured out the oil light thing and sent an email with my apologies and told him not to bother ordering the part.

 

Started thinking about the radio... Seemed like it might have been an intermittant grounding issue so I started playing with it after I got home; checking antenna grounds and wiggling the wire from the control unit. I could neither induce the static noise nor stop it by any action, including giving the fairing a gentle thump. Sounded like radio interference...???

 

Funny thing - I never had a bike with a CB system on it but after I thought about it for awhile, I began to wonder what would happen if a CB transmission came in over the radio station. (was thinking there may have been a fault so there was some cross-talk) D'oh again!! Just realized that in my attempt to get the system operating and tuned while riding, I had managed to turn on the CB (hadn't realized it could run at the same time as the rest of the audio)!

 

Next step was to RTFM (Read The F***ing Manual).

 

Next step after that was to send the sales guy another apologetic email explaining that he really didn't have to order the radio parts, either!!

 

In my defence, I doubt that anyone on earth could figure out the Venture audio system without at least a sneak peek at the manual.

 

This brings me to a question... The bike did not come with an owner's manual. I figured out the radio thing with some help from a downloaded manual (from a link posted on this site). The PDF of the owner's manual is not printable. Does anybody have a link to a version that has printable pages?

 

My only other "issue" is the clutch "ring/whistle/chirp". I will look into it a bit before I make any further complaints. Three major embarrassments in one day would be just too many. Unfortunately, I understand that this is a "known" issue and it is something I will likely have to live with (or pay a lot of money to fix).

 

Maybe the sales guy will fix/replace the clutch for free since it didn't cost him anything for the oil light and audio?? (maybe not)

 

G'night

 

Ross

[spear]

Hey Ross,

Welcome to the best bike site in the world. And I should know, 'cause I live here too!

I don't know about an owner's manual but I do have the full workshop manual on CD.

If you can't get a hold of one over there and would like it, let me know your address (send me a PM) and I'll send a copy of it to you - all the way from Oz.

[Eck]

All the real honest ones here will admit to it...the radio incident happened to me ...

[RossKean]

Hey Ross,

Welcome to the best bike site in the world. And I should know, 'cause I live here too!

I don't know about an owner's manual but I do have the full workshop manual on CD.

If you can't get a hold of one over there and would like it, let me know your address (send me a PM) and I'll send a copy of it to you - all the way from Oz.

 

Thanks for the offer, Spear. I think I have it figured out now - problem was mine, not the radio!

 

Ross

[Mariner Fan]

All the real honest ones here will admit to it...the radio incident happened to me ...

 

 

 

Me too!

[RossKean]

All the real honest ones here will admit to it...the radio incident happened to me ...

 

 

Eck - How long did it take you to get it "fixed"?

[Yammer Dan]

Eck - How long did it take you to get it "fixed"?

 

 

When he read this thread!!:rotfl:

[KiteSquid]

This brings me to a question... The bike did not come with an owner's manual. I figured out the radio thing with some help from a downloaded manual (from a link posted on this site). The PDF of the owner's manual is not printable. Does anybody have a link to a version that has printable pages?

 

 

Have you gone to the My Star link on http://www.starmotorcycles.com/ ?

 

You register your bike and can download your year specific manual.

 

I did and it too is not printable.

 

 

If I were you I would return to the dealer and purchase a manual. to show them you are concerned about your bike and you want to RTMFM (Read the Most Fine Manual) to learn the details of your new to you machine.

 

 

at your My Star page there is a link to purchase an owners manual for $20 or a Service Manual for $93, but the PDF version of the service manual that is downloadable from VentureRider forum is printable....

[sarges46]

Thats ok! When I was driving my new to me bike home from Atlanta last year...I couldnt figure out this little yellow light that came on at around the 140 mile mark! It kinda worried me some until it dawned on me that it was the gas warning! The Po told me that the trip meter would reset to 0 when the gas was low and I would have to change over to reserve right away to prevent it from running out before I knew it, never did mention the little light.

[RossKean]

...If I were you I would return to the dealer and purchase a manual. to show them you are concerned about your bike and you want to RTMFM (Read the Most Fine Manual) to learn the details of your new to you machine.

 

The dealer has already agreed to get a copy of the Owner's Manual for me. Nice to have on hand for reference.

 

Ross

[KiteSquid]

I really agree on your comments on the Radio.

 

THAT is the reason the manual stays with the bike.

 

it is NOT easy to program the preset stations.... Takashi Kajikawa-San, are you listening???

 

Also too bad the current stereo is built by Clarion, and NOT Yamaha Electronics Corporation...

Edited September 12, 2008 by KiteSquid

[ventureblue]

i too had the CB problem, and i also keep the manual with the bike now.

[N3FOL]

I still have to play witht he CB function and may not do this up until Spring or Summer of next year. I really want to get a pair of headsets for my FF helmet and am waiting for the right Bike show to come in our area. I've had the bike for almost 3 months now and working the radio functions still confuses me time to time.

[SilvrT]

I still have to play witht he CB function and may not do this up until Spring or Summer of next year. I really want to get a pair of headsets for my FF helmet and am waiting for the right Bike show to come in our area. I've had the bike for almost 3 months now and working the radio functions still confuses me time to time.

 

 

I'm not confused anymore! .... I figgured out how to increase / decrease the Volume!

 

:rotf:

[Howard B]

Sometimes the manual does nothing to clarify anything. Since it is printed in japlish you must be fluent in that language. I still have not figured out how to preset channels. I did pull the radio out yesterday as a means of "learning" more about the venture. What I found was about 1/2 cubic foot of what I think was the remains of someones carpet. I hope the mouse, rat, chipmunk, squirrel or whatever kind of vermin it was, was warm and comfortable. He's not welcome back, so he will have to find other accommodations. I do not think that is what meant when you say riding two up. Hope you figure out the radio thing soon.

[SilvrT]

Hope you figure out the radio thing soon.

 

Howard, I would hope he's got it figgured out by now since the thread started in Sept, 2008 and the last post before yours was Dec, 2008.

 

But then, considering how complicated it is... maybe not!!

[Cougar]

Expired Membership TaBoot!