'83 in AZ

[cmiles3]

Bought an '83 off eBay. It's in AZ near Flagstaff. Needs work; clutch master? according to previous owner. Picked up a master off eBay; planning a trip to pick it up.

 

Plan A- ride the bus (20 hours), hop off, catch a ride to the place, swap out the clutch master, bleed the clutch & ride off into the sunrise. $

 

Plan B- drive out towing a trailer & #1 son, rest is the same except add a side trip to the Grand Canyon. $$

 

Plan C- catch someone driving east on I 40 with room on a trailer or in a pickup, pay for gas to haul it to OK. $

 

Plan D- pay to ship it to OK. $$$

 

I'm leaning toward plan A, but I'm an optimist. Plan B is more practical, and covers both likely scenarios- it runs well or it doesn't. Missed an opportunity for Plan C, but it could happen again.

 

Thoughts? Maybe this oughtta be a poll...

[mbrood]

IF everything was pristine and the master was the ONLY problem, plan A would be an interesting run. But I wouldn't want to be doing major roadside troubleshooting or trying to find a midnight parts store. In my opinion it COULD be a high stress and expensive trip. Without hearing it run I wouldn't even consider it.

 

Part B has a built in casual factor... no matter what, you bring the bike home hassle-free, get to spend time with the son and see the Grand Canyon too! The outlay is tied to a pretty fixed plan, no major surprises or headaches.

 

If I was 20 again I would go for option A... hoping for the best but not bothered too much with endless hours on the roadside trying to use bailing wire to get me to the next service station. I'm a bit older and not as willing for these high optimst exploits. I've BEEN "stuck in Lodi"... I'll call it an "experience", but I wouldn't recommend it for the casual rider.

[Guest Vermincelli]

Another option that I have done in the past was to fly out with A in mind but call ahead to see how much a 1 way Uhaul van would cost as backup or if it's more than can be fixed quickly.

[Cutty]

You could see if any of the Venture family lived in the area and might have time to check it out for you. Plan B will CYA and increase family life.

[Condor]

Plan Z.... Reverse bleed the hell out of the clutch. Unless you've been there before I wouldn't mess with a slave replacement until I got it home. Bet the bleed will cure the problem. Congrats on the n2y scoot.

[cmiles3]

That's what I'm thinking. Don't plan to replace the slave except as a last resort. Possible it's the master, but... As an optimist, and with some experience, bleeding solves many problems- sometimes only for a short time, but hey, it's only 14 hours from home...

 

Plan Z.... Reverse bleed the hell out of the clutch. Unless you've been there before I wouldn't mess with a slave replacement until I got it home. Bet the bleed will cure the problem. Congrats on the n2y scoot.

[cmiles3]

Thought about that, but haven't seen many posting from there. Any suggestions? I've got distant cousins in the area, but none with motorcycle experience that they'll admit to.

 

Running out of summer for plan B. Family vacations before school started were routine, but #1 daughter is on her own, #2 son is working and prefers time with friends, and Amy's vacation hours are limited- I guess most employers don't offer 5 weeks vacation a year? I'm behind on my vacation burn rate this year, so a few days to the desert might be a good break.

 

You could see if any of the Venture family lived in the area and might have time to check it out for you. Plan B will CYA and increase family life.

[cmiles3]

Thought about flying; there's a charter air service flying to Vegas from Tulsa 4 days a week, that offers $79 fares occasionally. Southwest has some interesting fares, too. Might try it; I like to visit new places. Vegas & Flagstaff aren't new places, but I don't spend much time in them- more like passing through in a hurry to get someplace.

 

Another option that I have done in the past was to fly out with A in mind but call ahead to see how much a 1 way Uhaul van would cost as backup or if it's more than can be fixed quickly.

[Condor]

Personally, what I'd do is rent a 10' U-Haul trailer, go down and yank the thing back home. Borrow a friends pick up truck if you don't have one. Having never seen it, it's the only thing that makes sense. a 14 hour ride gives it plenty of time to mess up your day big time on the way back...... Or check on the board and see if a few members in the area have a trailer and maybe a relay could be set up???

[cmiles3]

Running out of summer vacation. Plan Z- get the boss to pay for a trip to attend a professional conference in Phoenix? It's not until November, though.

 

Any Venture Riders heading east on I40 soon? Want to drag a 1st gen part way?

[bongobobny]

Plan A could very easily go from $ to $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

 

Don't ask how I know...

[cmiles3]

Dropped everything and headed to AZ on a Sunday afternoon. JohnJr asked & Winghunter offered to subsidize my trip so I could haul Shooter's bike back for Ian. Spent a day on the road to get there. Loaded Shooter's VStar in Phoenix Monday afternoon, drove to Prescott Valley, drove around in the dark, then stopped & asked for directions. Loaded the '83 in the dark, and headed back. Made it home Tuesday night.

 

Tested Shooter's bike to see if it was road worthy for JohnJr. Low, cruiser style. Nice, but harder seat & suspension than my '87. Think I'll stick with a 1st Gen Venture.

 

Reloaded and headed to OH Thursday afternoon. Dropped the VStar in Delaware OH Friday morning, then headed back home. Missed the big rains and flooding. Spent an extra hour in the parking lot; locked my keys in the van & waited for AAA's road rescue. Arrived Friday after midnight (wait, that makes it Saturday). Road construction in St Louis, and big rains in KC added hours to the trip.

 

Spent more $ than I intended, but less than a family vacation. Used several interstate rest areas & 1 motel. Averaged 17 mpg on the AZ leg hauling 2 bikes, and 18 mpg on the OH leg with 1 bike. Saw some new country; saguaro's in AZ, and a little of OH. Revisited a lot of trails I've driven before; I44 & I40 west, I44 & I70 east. Overall, a good trip, but I'm glad it's done. Now, I'm still explaining to Amy why I left CJ home to manage the cat, dog, school & his job and took off cross country.

 

Plastic on the '83 is rough, the fuse box is history, and there's a couple of mechanical pieces missing. The wiring has been modified, so I'll have to fix someone's rat's nest. Haven't started it yet, but it cranks well and almost fired up. I will be looking at it again tonight.

[Venturous Randy]

Chuck, I am glad you have it home and it sounds like a typical old Venture that has had minimal fixing. Most of the problems you mentioned are just things that will need upgrading anyway.

Good luck and keep us posted.

RandyA