Dbrianson Posted June 1, 2011 #1 Posted June 1, 2011 I am new to this forum as well as the 2003 royal star venture that i just bought. I have searched all around this forum but haven't found the exact problem that i may be having. I say "may" because i'm not sure if this is the way this bike is supposed to sound and perform. This bike has 3200 miles on it and looks brand new so i picked it up for a deal. I am used to riding v-twins like my raider. I trailered this bike back home and I believe the previous owner hasen't ridden it for a few months. When I started it, it cranked right up and idled what sounded a bit rough but not bad, when i rev it while in neutral it sounds nice and smooth but throttle response is a bit bad. The real problem seems to be when the bike is under load, when i take off in first gear the smooth sound turns into a sort of a - putt putt putt putt sound like it may be missing, it also seems to surge a bit at the top of each gear. this thing seems to have very little power at top gear, when i twist the throttle at 60 mph it is slow to 70 or 80 mph, even if i downshift to 4th it makes noise but doesn't seem to go anywhere. I also get small backfires while downshifting and letting off of throttle, not bad, but i can hear them. I'm very accustomed to my raider which is very snappy at any gear, maybe its just me but there seems to be a problem.
Guest scarylarry Posted June 1, 2011 #2 Posted June 1, 2011 Seafoam would be first thing along with maybe a new set of plugs.. I would also synch the carbs.. But seafoam it first let it sit overnight and ride it like the law is after you....:rotf:
Yammer Dan Posted June 1, 2011 #3 Posted June 1, 2011 :sign yeah that: I would run it down below 1/2 tank and put a can of Sea-Foam in it. Run it til you are sure it is in the carbs good (around the block a few times) and leave it sit at least overnight. A set of fresh plugs sure can't hurt it.
Dbrianson Posted June 1, 2011 Author #4 Posted June 1, 2011 i was thinking about seafoam, i'll try that tommorrow. I'm just not sure what kind of power i should be getting but i'll try seafoam today.
jfoster Posted June 1, 2011 #5 Posted June 1, 2011 i was thinking about seafoam, i'll try that tommorrow. I'm just not sure what kind of power i should be getting but i'll try seafoam today. Loewer in Alex has an 06 for sale they would let you test ride to get a comparison or something to gauge by.
V7Goose Posted June 2, 2011 #6 Posted June 2, 2011 (edited) At a minimum, you have carb problems. Could be a dead cylinder too, but let's not jump to that yet. But you need to face it - an 8 year old bike iwth only 3,000 miles has done a lot of sitting and rotting - your fuel system is a mess. From your description, you definitely have some pilot jets at least partially plugged. Seafoam is good stuff, but when it is as bad as you have, it will take a LONG time to clear it up with that, if it ever does. I really suggest you pull the carbs and take the jets out for specific cleaning. Make sure to dump all the old fuel and use only fresh, and change that fuel filter! And make sure you find/read some of the threads about how to ride that bike - you MUST ride it differently than the twin you are used to. It needs lots of revs. A search on "limiter" should find the threads. Here is one to start with: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=58942&highlight=limiter Goose Edited June 3, 2011 by V7Goose
Dbrianson Posted June 3, 2011 Author #7 Posted June 3, 2011 well, i did the Seafoam thing and let it sit and soak in the tank all night. The next morning the bike is a bit better but still not up to par. I will remove the carbs and clean those suckers out, also gonna set the valves and sync the carbs. I only paid 5000 for the bike, I still think i got a deal. Here is my "new" 2003 with 3000 miles http://i55.tinypic.com/2urqw4x.jpg
Darren Posted June 3, 2011 #8 Posted June 3, 2011 " I only paid 5000 for the bike, I still think i got a deal." A great deal! Wish i could find those deals up here. Yup seafoam and a good good cleaning then lots of revs!!!
FreezyRider Posted June 3, 2011 #9 Posted June 3, 2011 Welcome to the best motorcycle site on the Internet!! You got such a great deal on that bike!!! Now, since you paid so little, spend a measly $12 and become a supporting member. Trust me, you will need the ongoing advice of the RSV pros on this site. And, at the end of your first year's subscription, I am betting that you will think that $12 is as good a deal as the low price of your Venture was. Good luck! Joe
Guest scarylarry Posted June 3, 2011 #11 Posted June 3, 2011 Be prepare to spend another 5k in chrome and what nots... Great site but has cost me a fortune in add on's but wouldn't trade it for the world though...
Dbrianson Posted June 3, 2011 Author #12 Posted June 3, 2011 What is the best tool to use to remove the carb jets and where is the best place to find a carb balancer? I'm planning on tearing down my carbs this weekend and cleaning. I'll be stuck with riding in my old 65 mustang till I get her fixed up.
friesman Posted June 3, 2011 #13 Posted June 3, 2011 Ya should be in Oberlin Ohio this weekend, where everyone on the east side of the continent that rides a venture is at. Maintenance day is on tomorrow and there are lots of guys there that know these bikes inside and out that could help you out. Because of that anything you post may not get an answer until a bit later and they all get de-toxified from all the food, drink, and ice cream Brian oops I read your location as IA, not LA you would have a long ride in a short time....
V7Goose Posted June 4, 2011 #16 Posted June 4, 2011 (edited) Pulling the carbs is a big job on this bike the first time, but not really hard. The valves, however, are a really big job. I have a detailed writeup in the tech library on doing the valves. There are a number of options for carb synchronizers - lots of folks love the Morgan Carb Tune, but I think it is a terrible tool. I prefer the mechanical four-gauge set you can get for about $50. There are lots of threads here about the two tools, including links for where to buy them. Use advanced search and look for posts by me with the word "vacuum". A chemical like Seafoam can only work while the treated fuel is being actively run through the carbs, so letting it sit overnight does not have a lot of benefit. There is some good if the treated fuel has actually been run through the carbs a little to get the deposits wet, but the real cleaning is only happening while the engine is running. The jets are very easy to take out of the carbs once you get them off and on the bench - just pull off the float bowls. Be sure to read my tech article on properly setting the float levels, absolutely GUARANTEED that your floats are set way too high right now. And be careful to not mix up the jets! All four pilot jets are the same, but the four carbs have three different sizes of main jets, so best to only pull one out at a time. Goose Edited June 4, 2011 by V7Goose
friesman Posted June 4, 2011 #17 Posted June 4, 2011 you come from a vtwin world , keep in mind that these bikes like to rev. You can take it up to the rev limiter and it it will cause a miss so you dont hurt the engine. These bikes will do over 60mph in 2nd gear which usually seems a bit foreign to a vtwin owner. Part of your issue may be that youre not revving the bike enough to allow it to develop torque to accelerate in each gear. I would recommend you take the bike out and let it rev and bump into the rev limiter a few times in 2nd or 3rd gear so you get to know how much you can rev and what it sounds like when you start to develop torque. I would recommend you find a tach so you can find out what your engine is doing, these engines dont start to delvelop power until after 3000 rpm, and then run like crazy until the rev limiter shuts down at about 6000rpm. (the engines will take about 7500 or 8000, the limiter is how they can warranty them for 5 years). These bikes routinely kick almost any Harleys butt all over, but they have to be revved to get there. Brian With only 3000 miles on the bike there is almost no possible way that your vavles need to be adjusted, these bikes require very little maintenance if ridden regualrly, so once you get your scoot running right you will put on the miles with little wrenching
Dbrianson Posted June 4, 2011 Author #18 Posted June 4, 2011 I have worked on many bikes in the past but never a v4 but the carbs should be an easy fix. I was letting it idle yesterday and pulled the right rear plug wire off and no change in the engine. So I would say that cylinder is not firing.
frankd Posted June 4, 2011 #19 Posted June 4, 2011 Congrats on the Venture The carb is probably plugged but____ First make sure you have spark and a good plug in that cylinder before you pull the carbs.
Dbrianson Posted June 4, 2011 Author #20 Posted June 4, 2011 Got the carbs off in 20 minutes gonna clean them when I get back. I have spark on all cylinders, i should have her lined out by this afternoon.
Dbrianson Posted June 4, 2011 Author #21 Posted June 4, 2011 Well carbs were a mess, one carb has the main jet almost unscrewed and that carb had a light green chalky residue in the bowl. Three others had partially plugged jets. Anyways she was running on 2 cylinders before now she hits on all four. Tons of power now she is straight. Took me about a two hours worth of work to tear down, clean, and reassemble. Thanks for all the help, I'm going riding.
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