New here and a question

[willysman]

Hello. I am new to this forum and if this is in the wrong place I apologize in advance. I am looking at picking up a venture and from my research it is a Mk I as it has the 1200 cc engine and detachable luggage. Right now it is not mobile and has not run in a year or so. I am an experienced mech so getting it running should not present too much of a problem. My question is is $250.00 cdn a good deal for this bike even if it is going to take a bit of work and money to fix up? I am new to ventures so not sure of value of these bikes.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Jason

Edited June 12, 2010 by willysman
bad typing skills LOL

[Freebird]

That is pretty much a bargain any way you look at it. Even if most of the plastic is good, it will part out for MUCH more than that.

 

The biggest issue may be 2nd gear. The early Ventures, through around mid 1985, have a tendency to lose 2nd gear somewhere between 40,000 - 60,000 miles. It is a pretty involved repair but can be done if you are a good mechanic. Some folks just keep riding them and just skip second gear.

[Pappa Bear]

Well first of welcome to the site! As far as is it worth it , yes it is even if you were to use for a parts bike. These bikes MK1 and MK2 as well as the newer versions are a passion for alot of us on here. I own a 89VR and have done alot of things to it all of which I learned on here, thanks again to everyone. I love my bike, and would ride it anywhere and I mean anywhere, as long as the boss says ok, lol. If you come across any questions feel free to ask. I see you are a mech, but you will need to use the knowledge of the ones that have been do this road before! Don't be to proud to ask cause someone else may need the answer also. Once again welcome to the family.

[Pappa Bear]

Willysman, My bad, I reread your post and I thought you were asking about Ventures!!! I would stay away from whatever a Yenture is!!!! lol

[mini-muffin]

If 2nd gear is an issue with this bike you can always get a transmission from a MK II and put it in.

I'd say that's a great price, especially up in Canada. They seem to sell ventures for more up there.

Oh and welcome to the site.

 

Margaret

[willysman]

Fixed thanks Pap Bear LOL:doh:

[Dano]

Welcome to the site, spend the 12 bucks to join and then buy that bike! For around 800 to 1000 you can completely rebuild that bike from front to back, any rotating, rubber, bearing or wear item included. Best way to learn what your riding and the durability of it is to rip it down and rebuild it! I did mine almost 3 years ago and this thing is bullet proof. Matter of fact, pulled the front wheel last night (wheely, not off the bike!) as I was leaving my buddies house, a very exciting, fast (if you want) and at the same time docile if that's what you're looking for.

 

Once again,,,,,

 

Buy it and don't look back!

[bongobobny]

Sounds like a great deal!! As stated, you can part it out and make a huge profit. Where in Ontario are you?? There are several very knowledgeable members around...

[Snaggletooth]

Howdy Jason.

 

I spent a lot more than that on a bike that hadn't run in 9 years and have no regrets. Took me 3 months to get it running and 3 years to get it to where I wanted it, one piece at a time.

 

Once you have the old girl fired up, well that's when the fun begins.

 

For $250.00 bucks........are you still sitting there? Go man GO NOW!

 

[6m459]

Hi,

 

Well, except for my garage space issues, for $250 Cdn I'd be all over that one second gear or not! Unless its a total POS otherwise, with a bit of effort and patience, you could soon make that money back parting it out, especially if the exhaust system is worth having. (put me down for the metric speedometer, if you get to that point.)

 

(It should be said that where old Ventures are concerned I seem to have a substance abuse problem, so best not tell me where it is.)

 

Failure of the following things seem to make people give up on old Ventures:

 

Plastic bodywork.............A real PITA but repairs are possible with patience and determination.

 

Second gear............ complexity of repair is off putting to say the least. All the more so for a 26 y.o. bike.

 

Drive shaft......... improper / neglected lubrication and parts availability. (Design flaw)

 

Engine electronics black box 'TCI' ............. OEM parts availability is poor and expensive but a reasonably priced aftermarket solution has recently emerged.

 

In general, dealers still have, or can get many parts for routine service and ebay frequently has good stuff to offer. Shops are reluctant to work on old bikes I find, I suspect for insurance reasons, so being handy oneself is a pre requisite.

 

Hope this is helpful.

 

Cheers and keep us posted.

 

Brian H.

Uxbridge Ont.

[jasonm.]

all the negatives apply to the 1200's. BUT nearly all parts can be updated from a 1300 series '86-'93

[willysman]

Thanks for all the replies so far. I am pretty fluent in bike repair and patient as well. I do not need to be in a rush with this as it will be a second bike ot my 88 KLR 650 daily driver. This one will be so the wife will go two up touring with me next year. As for asking for help any mechanic that thinks he knows it all or will not ask for advice/help sometimes is probably not a good mechanic and I am sure I will be sucking all the info I can get out of this site and everyone on it.

 

Thanks again.

[Yammer Dan]

As long as it has been sitting get yourself a can Of Sea-Foam pull line fron fuel pump and fill carbs with about 2/3 Sea-foam 1/3 fresh gas and leave sit at least overnight. Or you can pull carbs and clean. Which is a PIA on these things. AND WELCOME!! We don't know it all either but we can find somebody that does!!

[BradT]

If it is all there, and you can work on it you will have no problems with all the help you get here. Also you could flip as is, and sell it for more than double.

 

Once you get it going and go for a ride you may want to keep it.

 

Have some fun fixing it.

 

Brad

[saltcreep]

you say it hasn't ran in a "YEar or so", I'm new here, so this might be total BS, but I recently purchased a "hasn't ran in a year or so bike"... er 2 or 3 or 4

 

The rubber bits will be your problem areas, these include in my experince (so far)

Carburetor diaphragms (~$90 for all 4) ,Fork Seals, Tires (~ $250 for both), any O-rings, (might need to replace clutch & brake lines if they are the orig ones)

 

I would "guess" you are probably looking at $400-500 to get it going again by replacing the rubber crap that has dried / cracked and just plain failed... For that price it is well worth it no matter what.

 

Just my 2 pennies, I'm a new Venture owner so take it for what its worth... Good luck.

[oldandcrotchety]

you say it hasn't ran in a "YEar or so", I'm new here, so this might be total BS, but I recently purchased a "hasn't ran in a year or so bike"... er 2 or 3 or 4

 

The rubber bits will be your problem areas, these include in my experince (so far)

Carburetor diaphragms (~$90 for all 4) ,Fork Seals, Tires (~ $250 for both), any O-rings, (might need to replace clutch & brake lines if they are the orig ones)

 

I would "guess" you are probably looking at $400-500 to get it going again by replacing the rubber crap that has dried / cracked and just plain failed... For that price it is well worth it no matter what.

 

Just my 2 pennies, I'm a new Venture owner so take it for what its worth... Good luck.

 

 

Heh heh, yeah....very true. Always "been sitting about a year". And every time a cop asks a drunk how much he's had to drink, it's "2 beers". And another one you hear is: "It was running fine when I parked it". Un hunh.....so why did you park it. Still, even if this one has been sitting 5 or 6 years, it is a near give away price. It would be worth buying just for the parts.

[Marcarl]

I haven't looked at it heard it, felt it, or even know where it is,,, but if you don't buy it,,,, it's sold,,,, maybe

[Marcarl]

I haven't looked at it heard it, felt it, or even know where it is,,, but if you don't buy it,,,, it's sold,,,, maybe

[sleepy2]

I'm with Marcarl been looking for a cheap parts bike and never seem to luck out like you did!!!!! I'm with everyone else buy it and enjoy. If I had the chance I would buy it to fix mine(had accident 2years ago and have been looking since ) Good luck!!!!!

[willysman]

Well went and picked it up last night and brought it home. It sure is a big beast compared to my KLR 650 LOL. I will take some pics today after work and post them but the plastic is all in great shape from what I could tell even though the original maroon color has been sprayed with a dark blue. I am going to take some pics then strip all the plastic bodywork off and start going over the whole thing making up my list of parts that I am going to need. Though I will probably fire it up first for a few mins to make sure it will run.

[Yammer Dan]

Congrats. Sounds like you got a plan. The 12 bucks for here could be the best 12 bucks you ever spent.

[6m459]

Well went and picked it up last night and brought it home. It sure is a big beast compared to my KLR 650 LOL. I will take some pics today after work and post them but the plastic is all in great shape from what I could tell even though the original maroon color has been sprayed with a dark blue. I am going to take some pics then strip all the plastic bodywork off and start going over the whole thing making up my list of parts that I am going to need. Though I will probably fire it up first for a few mins to make sure it will run.

 

Hey, where are those pictures?

 

Cheers,

 

Brian H.

[saddlebum]

Congrats on buying the bike. You will find on this site all the help you will need, there is almost always some one here that knows something and collectivly I think it would be safe to say if it can,t be found here it probably hasn't happened. Even if the plastic isn't perfect it is not a write off , as there are products such as plastx that performe great. My own bike was written off in an accident 2 years ago, I bought it back off the insurance companyand 3/4's of the plastic I repaired instead of replaceing and the bike looks better now than before the accident.