louiepolly Posted November 7, 2008 #1 Posted November 7, 2008 Is the front end just naturally a bit harsh on earlier years Ventures, or should I be thinking it is something else. It had 10 lbs of air in the forks and when pumping them while holding the brake they don't feel all that bad, but on the road it's a different story. The bike just turned over 22,000 miles and is in exc. condition. Louie
Cinderella Posted November 7, 2008 #2 Posted November 7, 2008 Welcome to the group........ Im sure some of the guys will give you some answers soon. and of course we will want to see some pictures of your scoot !!! ( its the rules...)
V7Goose Posted November 7, 2008 #3 Posted November 7, 2008 Is the front end just naturally a bit harsh on earlier years Ventures, or should I be thinking it is something else. It had 10 lbs of air in the forks and when pumping them while holding the brake they don't feel all that bad, but on the road it's a different story. The bike just turned over 22,000 miles and is in exc. condition. Louie 10 pounds in the forks is too much. Check your owner's manual; max is 7. More important than the actual pressure is to be absolutely certain the forks are exactly equal. You can't do that unless you have a low pressure gauge with a zero loss chuck. I'd suggest you just let all the air out and try it. That is the default setting and will be fine. Goose
crockettrider Posted November 7, 2008 #4 Posted November 7, 2008 I was picking up a heck of a vibration...or I sould say a shake on my bike at around 30 mph. It bothered the hell out of me for a while. I was placing 7 lbs in the front forks and it would seem a little better for a while. Sure enough it appeared I had a leaking seal and would loose pressure on the right fork. I removed all air and the problem seems to have gone away. I am on a diet so I won't need to add air again:smile5:!
Freebird Posted November 7, 2008 #5 Posted November 7, 2008 Hey guys...he said "EARLY" Venture. I looked at his profile and his is an '83. The 7 lbs. is for the second gen. My bet is that the springs are shot. They just weren't designed to last for 25 years. Replace them with some new Progressive springs and you'll be very happy.
crockettrider Posted November 7, 2008 #6 Posted November 7, 2008 Hey guys...he said "EARLY" Venture. I looked at his profile and his is an '83. The 7 lbs. is for the second gen. My bet is that the springs are shot. They just weren't designed to last for 25 years. Replace them with some new Progressive springs and you'll be very happy. That just goes to show.. "Never listen to advice from me!":mo money:
Dano Posted November 7, 2008 #7 Posted November 7, 2008 Hey Louie, you will probably need to do a complete rebuild of the front forks, with seals, slider bushings, "lower fork piston (is what MamaYama calls the lower slider bushings)" and progressive springs. Find a competent local independant shop to do it for you. Parts available thru www.flatoutmotorcycles.com , you can look them all up online. When that's done, get ahold of Condor here on the board and see if he has any of his "Condorbrace"s left. This will help to strengthen the forks to keep them from twisting in the twisties. Welcome to the show!! Oh, and WE NEED PICS of you, your bike and navigator! Number 1 rule around here. We need to see who we're helping out! Ask anymore questions you have, and we'll be sure to confuse you for awhile, then give you the right answer!!! Dan
V7Goose Posted November 8, 2008 #8 Posted November 8, 2008 Hey guys...he said "EARLY" Venture. I looked at his profile and his is an '83. The 7 lbs. is for the second gen. My bet is that the springs are shot. They just weren't designed to last for 25 years. Replace them with some new Progressive springs and you'll be very happy. Glad you spotted that. If someone doesn't show their bike info either with their user name or clearly stated in the thread I either just don't respond or make an assumption. Often leads to bad advice, just like it did here. Goose
Yammer Dan Posted November 8, 2008 #9 Posted November 8, 2008 Hey guys...he said "EARLY" Venture. I looked at his profile and his is an '83. The 7 lbs. is for the second gen. My bet is that the springs are shot. They just weren't designed to last for 25 years. Replace them with some new Progressive springs and you'll be very happy. Progressives are the way to go may save you for a while but you will probally be rebuilding them. With the new progressives you shouldn't need air.
Big Daddy Posted November 8, 2008 #10 Posted November 8, 2008 Hey guys...he said "EARLY" Venture. I looked at his profile and his is an '83. The 7 lbs. is for the second gen. My bet is that the springs are shot. They just weren't designed to last for 25 years. Replace them with some new Progressive springs and you'll be very happy. In addition to the springs I added a set of gold valve cartrige emulators when I rebuilt mine. Not cheap but worth the money in my opinion my 83 really handles and rides great now. Better than new!
louiepolly Posted November 8, 2008 Author #11 Posted November 8, 2008 Couple of things I want to check just to make sure it isn't something simple. After reading the repair manual I found that the anti-dive was set on the highest setting, don't know if this will make any difference but I will test it out. I know they checked the tire pressure before I left but I will check that again too and make sure it's correct. After I check the simple things, if it's still not to my satisfaction I'll take it the shop and have them look into it. Thanks
cowpuc Posted November 9, 2008 #12 Posted November 9, 2008 For kicks, let the air out of your forks, sit on your scoot with the weight of the bike on the tires, now look down at the front forks under the bars and you will be able to see the dust covers on the sliders.. Bounce up and down a little and notice how badly your springs are sacked out - unless those puppys have been changed they ARE gone.. Little bit of inside info to go with the new progressives your gonna want to install,,,, it seems that back in the good ol days of producing really really really fast touring bikes Yamaha spent sooo much cash on R and D for engine design that they couldnt afford quality fork AND there was an abundance of fish oil left over from the resturants in Tokyo sooooooo guess what ended up in the forks of our bikes??? Seriously,,, your scoot has probably never had a fork bath, pump er clean - purge it with some 7 wieght and pump clean again and fill to spec.. I use a syringe with a piece of metal tubing in it to get the fork fluid exactly equal... It probably wont handle like an R1 when your done but it will do nicely up to 135.... 'Puc
louiepolly Posted November 9, 2008 Author #13 Posted November 9, 2008 (edited) Thanks Cowpuc, I will have some extra time this week and think I will do what you have suggested. Will probably do the springs this winter, I want to try and get one more day in of riding before I put it up for the winter though. Thanks again everyone. Edited November 9, 2008 by louiepolly
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now