Wheelspin911 Posted June 28, 2011 #1 Posted June 28, 2011 I know this is probably not the right forum, but I wanted to make sure it was seen by many members. So after 17 years of dragging my knees on sportbikes, sometimes on the roads, mostly road-racing, I've decided to trade in my one-piece leathers for a nylon and mesh armored jacket and jeans. I'm ready to stop laying my chin on the tank with my butt in the air, and to start leaning back and enjoying the scenery. On that note, yesterday I purchased a 1985 basket case Venture for less than $1G. It only has 32K km (about 20K miles), though I'm unsure if the second gear problem has been addressed. I've done some work on my bikes over the years, but nothing like the project I'm now addressing. My neighbour is going to help me, we plan on stripping the bike to the frame and rebuilding from there. Being a former racer, I already have one mod in mind - the Vmax heads, cams, and valve train. You can bet I will be posting numerous questions. Any suggestions for brake upgrades? I've read some have used the R1 setup. Suspension? Anyway, photos to be posted soon and wish me luck!
gibvel Posted June 28, 2011 #3 Posted June 28, 2011 Don't think you should have a 2nd gear problem with an 85. If the serial number is after 0001413 then you should be good to go. I'm referencing this post by another member for that info: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2922 Oh, and welcome to the forum!
XV1100SE Posted June 28, 2011 #4 Posted June 28, 2011 Welcome to the forum. Best $12 you'll spend ! Lots of memebers in the area with 1st Gens so be prepared to have lots of help !
friesman Posted June 28, 2011 #5 Posted June 28, 2011 Welcome to the loonie bin, ....and I dont mean the Canadian dollar. lol! This a great spot to be and some Venture gurus that have info to help you out. I have an 85 as well that had around 32000kims on it when it was purchased, now it just turned 68000kms and most of the work done to this bike has been done because of this site. Some of the modes done to mine are SS brake lines(dropped my brake distance by at least 1/3), solid motor mounts, metal water pump impeller, new heavier battery and starter cables to avoid the hot start issue, progressive springs in fork tubes, Condor Brace to stiffen front forks, Steble air horn, new throttle cables (4), spark plugs and new wires, and the new thrust washer in the transmission on second gear to make sure 2nd gear stays good. I would consider changing front forks to the newer 86 and up as they dont use the braking system for the antidives, PLUS you can hang a R1 caliper on those forks to get you stopped quicker, and use the newer bigger rotors. a member from here, did the rebuild as I am mechanicall challenged, but have learned to do most of the lighter day to day maintenence items from everyone here. If you need some advice about your 85 just ask and Me or one of the real gurus will jump in and help you out. (or maybe just joke with you about something.....) PS there is a serial number on the 85's above which you shouldnt have the 2nd gear issue, but to be hionest i dont recall one being in the good side of that. I will try to look up that number when i get some time today and will post back here for you. Good luck with the rebuild, Brian
gibvel Posted June 28, 2011 #6 Posted June 28, 2011 PS there is a serial number on the 85's above which you shouldnt have the 2nd gear issue, but to be hionest i dont recall one being in the good side of that. I will try to look up that number when i get some time today and will post back here for you. Good luck with the rebuild, Brian Posted it above Brian! 0001413
GaryZ Posted June 28, 2011 #7 Posted June 28, 2011 Welcome! The amount of 1st Gen information available on this forum is staggering. My '85 had the bad second gear when I got it for $600 (see photo 1) showing 58,000 miles on the odometer. I used steel wool to clean all of the chrome, de-greased and washed the rest, and rode it without second gear for a little over a year (see photo 2). I fixed the transmission issue when I found an '87 1300cc engine with less miles for $550.
Rocket Posted June 28, 2011 #8 Posted June 28, 2011 Welcome to the loonie bin, ....a member from here, did the rebuild as I am mechanicall challenged, but have learned to do most of the lighter day to day maintenence items from everyone here. Good luck with the rebuild, Brian Brian, have you progressed past changing out a light bulb yet????
friesman Posted June 28, 2011 #9 Posted June 28, 2011 Brian, have you progressed past changing out a light bulb yet???? Yep, have had the air pump out 3 times, fork caps off twice, fixed an collector rattle, and taking a tire off today or tomorrow to get the rear changed out before Cody trip. Brian
Rocket Posted June 28, 2011 #10 Posted June 28, 2011 Yep, have had the air pump out 3 times, fork caps off twice, fixed an collector rattle, and taking a tire off today or tomorrow to get the rear changed out before Cody trip. Brian Good to see, you doing things yourself. There is some hope yet......
Venturous Randy Posted June 28, 2011 #11 Posted June 28, 2011 PS there is a serial number on the 85's above which you shouldnt have the 2nd gear issue, but to be hionest i dont recall one being in the good side of that. IBrian I bought an 85 a while back that has a serial number in the 5000 range, so they do exist. RandyA
mrich12000 Posted June 28, 2011 #12 Posted June 28, 2011 Glad to see your doing well Paul Back into the States to.. Welcome, I have a trans complete for your bike I was going to do the trns fix but looked at the work; Sold the bike hence a box of trans parts not needed, paid 240 us sell if it OK Michael. For 190 Can postage extra. Also here in Calgary Pro-Am cycle has all the extras as I returned the special ordered parts and took a blood bath for restocking. You will love that bike and the gang here will help with the restoration good luck. PM me if interested Brian check the facebook entry for your wall....
Squidley Posted June 28, 2011 #13 Posted June 28, 2011 Dave, Good to have you here, your in the right spot for info. 1 person right off the bat to contact on the Vmax goodies your planning is Dingy in Ohio. He has Vmaxxed his MKI 1st gen ('83 to '85 is considered this with it's 1200 motor) The front end should you want to go with R1 calipers would need to be upgraded to the MKII forks ('86 to '93) to be able to use those calipers. If you have questions just ask, you have a good base of folks in your area of Ontario that are a wealth of knowledge.
Wheelspin911 Posted June 28, 2011 Author #14 Posted June 28, 2011 Wow, thanks for the warm welcome and contacts. DISASTER! I showed up to grab my bike today, and the seller gave me my deposit back. Someone showed up last night, offering more and took it right home. But fear not, True Believers. The welcome you've all shown me, plus the potential in this motor and bike as a super-tourer means I will be scouring Ebay and kijiji for a winner in my area. Stay tuned.
Marcarl Posted June 28, 2011 #15 Posted June 28, 2011 Wow, thanks for the warm welcome and contacts. DISASTER! I showed up to grab my bike today, and the seller gave me my deposit back. Someone showed up last night, offering more and took it right home. But fear not, True Believers. The welcome you've all shown me, plus the potential in this motor and bike as a super-tourer means I will be scouring Ebay and kijiji for a winner in my area. Stay tuned. Well sucker!!!!! you missed out on a 85,,, the best of both world's and already the fastest without any addons. I would have punched the seller out, right there and then,,,,,, nah I wouldn't have,,, but I surely would have been disappointed,,, specially at that price. Good luck to find another,, I'll keep an eye open for you. And Welcome,,,, now don't go away,,,,yahear??
tcoop Posted June 28, 2011 #16 Posted June 28, 2011 To bad you don't live in my area. Some one is selling TWO Ventures for $1600 OBO. An 85 Royal and 83 Royal and me with no money.
Wizard765 Posted June 28, 2011 #17 Posted June 28, 2011 There is a guy in Glanbrook which is close to Hamilton that has an 84 in his barn and I believe he is looking to let it go.. I can find out for you if you like...
bongobobny Posted June 28, 2011 #18 Posted June 28, 2011 Yah! Welcome aboard, we don't care what you ride. Hey, we even let the GW crowd in here... Hope you can find another project bike, the Venture is a very durable and dependable scoot!!
dingy Posted June 28, 2011 #19 Posted June 28, 2011 There are some fairly significant differences between the 83-85 (MKI) and the 86-93 (MKII) versions if you are out shopping that you may want to consider. Since you want to make it perform better, the larger motor of the MKII's has a 100cc advantage. Better brakes. More luggage room. To me the luggage is actually a negative on the MKII's. It is not removable like the MKI,s are. If you want to work on the bike in the area of the luggage, it's much more of a chore on the MKII's. I like to pull at least the trunk off mine on occasion if I know I am going riding in a more curvy type area. Bike handles better. Takes less than 2 minutes to pull both side bags & trunk on MKI's. The overall electrical package is better on the MKII's but the MKI's can be upgraded. One big tuning item is the TCI upgrade to an Ignitech module. Either series can be upgraded with almost all the fast VMax parts. One major stumbling block for me so far is finding a high performance exhaust system. Almost none of the VMax header systems will work on the Ventures due to the mono shock set up getting in the way. Another somewhat limiting factor is the widest tire you can put on rear is probably a 150, not a lot of rubber if you get up around 110 or so RWHP. At road speed these bikes will out handle anything their size. At parking lot speeds, its like a beached whale. In my profile picture there is a few pictures of the bike being rebuilt 2 winters ago. Its had another series of extensive upgrades this last winter. Haven't got it completely done yet due to back problems, but its getting closer. Gary
bongobobny Posted June 28, 2011 #20 Posted June 28, 2011 There is a guy in Glanbrook which is close to Hamilton that has an 84 in his barn and I believe he is looking to let it go.. I can find out for you if you like... Maybe Chubby Checker will finally sell his too!! He hasn't ridden it since he broke his wrist at Marcarl's!
BradT Posted June 29, 2011 #21 Posted June 29, 2011 Welcome to the site. Lots of people here are willing to spend your money. If you find one states side and is a good deal we can help you get paperwork done to import it. Any questions feel free to ask it is not hard, I have did 3 times and it was easy to do If you get one with a bad second gear Marcarl has expirience, he can take it apart real easy just to make sure he did it right the first time. Brad
Marcarl Posted June 29, 2011 #22 Posted June 29, 2011 Maybe Chubby Checker will finally sell his too!! He hasn't ridden it since he broke his wrist at Marcarl's! Maybe that would be Chabachicka? but it's all in parts,,,, but should work real nice. Welcome to the site. Lots of people here are willing to spend your money. If you find one states side and is a good deal we can help you get paperwork done to import it. Any questions feel free to ask it is not hard, I have did 3 times and it was easy to do If you get one with a bad second gear Marcarl has expirience, he can take it apart real easy just to make sure he did it right the first time. Brad ya ask me about it,,,,, not hard at all, I can now uninstall the engine in less than 2 hours.
Flyinfool Posted June 29, 2011 #23 Posted June 29, 2011 (edited) There was a Craigslist deal here in northern Wisconsin for five '83 ventures for $2500 for the package. 3 were running and 2 were disassembled. I found it in the Madison CL. Well you said you wanted a project......... Its only about 1300kM or 800 miles from you. Edited June 29, 2011 by Flyinfool
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