Opinions on upgrades

[Guest cyote61]

Probably be cheaper to do what I did. Find yourself a nice Valkyrie standard for hot rodding when you feel the need for speed and power. No cruiser can touch you, not even an 1800 wing. Also its pretty good at long trips. When you want to lay back and ride in shear comfort then take the RSV. Just think of that engine as a big 550 cummings, with plenty of power, good to go a half million miles and and just purring along beneth you. Oh oh oh, I'm think I'm getting turned on:rotf:

[pegscraper]

More nay sayers. Downshifting doesn't make more hp. And a 15 - 20 hp increase is significant even in a car, much more so in something with only a 1.3 liter engine and weighing only 800 lbs. like our bikes.

 

The V Max engine would probably fit in our frame. But why? Believe it or not, the Venture block is heavier and stronger than the V Max block. We already have a stouter short block to start with. We just have a weaker top end. Some of the V Max boys who want to build up a radical engine will start with a Venture block and fit it into their frames.

 

With the hp boost I've given my bike, I'm making real close to what a Valkyrie is doing. I've never raced a Valk, or anything else for that matter. A Valk could probably still beat me. But I'm thinking I could give him a real hard way to go. I like the Valks a lot, especially the red and white '97 (wouldn't you know). It's too bad Honda Ruined them and then quit making them. But in the small details and trim items, I like the looks of the Royal Star and RSV better.

 

Actually I have ridden my bike pretty ambitiously against my brother who owns a '95 Kaw GPZ1100, basically a Ninja without the name (see pics in my gallery). In a straight line up to about 70 mph, I keep right up with him. He can't pull away from me. Outside of those parameters, I don't really care. He has ridden my bike a couple times, and his comments were that it felt heavy and awkward compared to what he was used to, but that if you nail the throttle, you had better know where the front wheel is pointed, because you're going somewhere very fast.

[Redneck]

I wrote, that if you make up an Engine, this seriously does not take only changing the Cams. If there is bigger Displacement and more Airflow, then the Cams need to changed to improve and adjust the Motor for best Function and Goals to achieve.

 

Well, last Time i looked, this 350cui small Block Engines have had just one Cam ... so there's the need to have thousands of different Cams...

 

As you may know, the Venture has four of them, two Intake, two Exhaust. If you vary the Overlap, which means the Point where the EX Cam is opening the Valves and the IN-Cam is also opening their Valves, just can use the pumping Effect for setting the Motor on best Low- and Mid range Performance or best Top End Power.

 

Of course, since there is no variable Valve Timing System, this means, aiding one Side means suffering the other End. Therefore, stock Cams are always a Compromise for best overall Performance and just bored to a somehow fixed Point in the Range of the cheap and easy setting while mounting on Production. If you mill these Holes up to slotted Holes, you can turn them to some other Point and another Overlap.

 

You're right on 'bigger is not always better', but these Engines have a Lot

hidden Power inside. A Friend of mine is building Motors and EFI's. He's a V4 Specialist. I know what he has done in the Past, and he has done a Lot of crazy Things nobody normal would do. He did saw a Vmax Crankshaft where the Con Rods connect and welded the Pieces back together, 1.5 mm wider than stock. This elevated the Stroke of the Engine 3 Millimeters. After balancing the Crankshaft, the Motor gained 35 hp and ran fine for some 3000 Miles, it did break on the Dyno while putting out 240 hp. But he know this would happen some Time, he just wanted to know how long this would last. As he had already a Steel Crankshaft on the Way, it wasn't a big Loss. He used this Motor on a Vmax Street Bike with a Lot of Road testing the EFI and occasionally some Drag Racing.

I understand that changing cams and cam timing will increase the power of the engine what you don't understand is that Black Knight said he is looking for better low and mid range performance and the modifications he described with the exception of cc increase will hurt the low and mid range performance. The modifications he described will increase the maximum horse power of the engine and if his ultimate goal is to make it as fast as possible in a drag race he is headed in the right direction. My point was after these modifications are done and he is riding along at 50 mph in fifth gear and and wants to accelerate up to 70 with out shifting down the stock engine will out perform the modified engine. The venture is a big heavy touring bike and the engine spends most of its time in the low to mid rpm ranges. I am a fairly aggressive rider and I like to wind it up to 8k and feel the power and I would like to have more power but the bottom line is 99% of the time my tach is between 2 & 4k and the modifications described would decrease engine performance 99% of the time.

[pegscraper]

...after these modifications are done and he is riding along at 50 mph in fifth gear and and wants to accelerate up to 70 with out shifting down the stock engine will out perform the modified engine... the modifications described would decrease engine performance 99% of the time.

 

No it won't. The V Max cams are just not that big. Keep making the cams bigger and bigger and you'd start to be right. But stock V Max cams aren't big enough yet for that to happen. The stock Venture cams are very, very small.

[Guest cyote61]

 

Actually I have ridden my bike pretty ambitiously against my brother who owns a '95 Kaw GPZ1100, basically a Ninja without the name (see pics in my gallery). In a straight line up to about 70 mph, I keep right up with him. He can't pull away from me. Outside of those parameters, I don't really care. He has ridden my bike a couple times, and his comments were that it felt heavy and awkward compared to what he was used to, but that if you nail the throttle, you had better know where the front wheel is pointed, because you're going somewhere very fast.

 

Here was my 97, your color choice also, and here is my 03 Valk, and my RSV

[Squeeze]

I understand that changing cams and cam timing will increase the power of the engine what you don't understand is that Black Knight said he is looking for better low and mid range performance and the modifications he described with the exception of cc increase will hurt the low and mid range performance.

 

Please look at the Time line of this Thread. He mentioned his seek for Midrange Power after my first Postings.

 

Well, the List in your first Posting doesn't imply that you're just seeking SOME Horses .... :rotf:

....

 

.... My point was after these modifications are done and he is riding along at 50 mph in fifth gear and and wants to accelerate up to 70 with out shifting down the stock engine will out perform the modified engine. The venture is a big heavy touring bike and the engine spends most of its time in the low to mid rpm ranges. I am a fairly aggressive rider and I like to wind it up to 8k and feel the power and I would like to have more power but the bottom line is 99% of the time my tach is between 2 & 4k and the modifications described would decrease engine performance 99% of the time.

 

Sorry, it seems you never did ride a beefed up V4-Engine. I did ride several and different Vmaxxes, which led me to my Opinion stated above.

 

These Engines, be it Vmax or Venture, have a LOT of Potential left unused even in stock Setup.

 

My first Ride on a 1500cc/160 hp carburated Max was Kind of Scary, ok i did get used to it and was able to open up the Throttle even on Backroads. That did not help me, when i was in need of test riding a 1500cc/175 hp EFI Max. This Thing was scaring, very scaring. I could not go on full Throttle on normal Roads, although this Bike has a bigger 200/50 R18 rear Tire and a Venture rear End. At 4 k the Rear Tire just looses Grip if you ride through a wet Spot on the Road, not even a Puddle.

Later the Day, i could go on full Throttle when i have 800 Meters free and open Road. This Bike painted black Stripes to the Asphalt in third Gear at 6k RpM, shifted into 4th Gear at 8 k and painted another 15 Meter Stripe.... This is at Speeds well above 100 mph ...

 

Your Assumption that the Low end and Midrange will suffer on the listed Modification is just not true. It's a wrong Assumption and i can assure you if you gonna make up your Engine the Way the initial Postings and my Addition suggest, you will wet your Pants when hitting the Throttle, at any RpM and at any State you may. Only Thing i can not guarantee is the Kind of Fluid what will surface... :D

[Orrin]

I just love this. You folks are in a totally different universe from me. KEEP IT UP!

[Guest JGorom]

I'd suggest you simply change out your rear for the VMax set up. This is the most economical and easiest means of getting more torque from your Venture at minimal cost. I love the responsiveness I now have (in all gears) as opposed to the stock Venture set-up. Why waste time and money trying to figure out all those other issues...just change out the rear and see what you think. Best improvement anyone can make on a Venture...that and the Diamond R leveling links for improved handling.