So You Just Bought (or are thinking of buying) a New Venture

[twigg]

So you just acquired an old Venture/Venture Royale.

Stop right there Mister!

 

Unless you heard it running, and even if you did, there are things you need to know before it travels another 10 yards, unless you are pushing it.

 

The 1983-93 Ventures are among the most reliable and best handling Full Dress Tourers of their era. There are, however, things to know and do if you want to get anywhere close to the legendary 250k miles on it.

 

The Venture, especially the earlier 1200 had very few real issues, but there are two things to check before you proceed. The first is the rear subframe that had a nasty habit of cracking under stress. Check all around the rear suspension, and clean off the oily bits so you can assure yourself this is not a problem with the one you have. The later models do not have this problem.

 

Second gear is weak too on those bikes. If you rode it and it jumped out of second under acceleration, then yours is suffering. You have two choices. You can use the info on this site and in the Manual to rebuild the transmission, or you can change straight from first to third and forget about it.

 

Other than that, any foibles are minor and are associated more with age than anything else.

 

Before you even shell out the hard-earned there are a number of things easily checkable. Good plastic parts are rare and expensive. Repairing cracks in fairings, replacing broken tabs isn’t difficult, but it is time-consuming and should be reflected in the price. The engines are pretty bullet-proof. Like with cars, it is the bodywork that sells these bikes and top dollar should only ever be paid for one with a fairing and cases that are close to perfect. There is lots of pain doing it any other way.

 

If the bike comes with lots of verifiable service history then the mileage is irrelevant. If it doesn’t then you need to do some work before it runs.

 

You can check that the coolant is topped up and clean before you buy. If it is low, or gone, or brown then you have a neglected pile of iron, and bid accordingly. Be aware that coolant leaks can all be fixed, at a price. I know this because mine leaked coolant everywhere, and it cost me to fix it. O-rings at $3 apiece are a minor purchase, until you start counting just how many of them there are!

 

If the cooling system is in good order then the fan will fully control the temperature within the green zone in any weather, at a standstill. Some early bikes had poorly calibrated temp. gauges and they climb nearly to the red, but they should never actually get there. If the gauge reaches the red zone, then a cooling system rebuild will be needed (and some of it should be done anyway). Draining, flushing, cleaning out the radiator and physically cleaning the smaller pipes is a must. Sediment gathers there and flushing won’t shift it. Once that is done, regularly changing the coolant and flushing will keep it clean.

 

Now we can keep it cool, we can think about getting it hot.

 

Before that the oil and filter need changing, and the air filter needs cleaning and/or replacing. K&N make one which can be had for around $50 with careful shopping. You will never need another. If your bike came with one, have a beer to celebrate.

 

When you change the oil for the first time, what comes out will tell you much about the bike’s history. Firstly, about three quarts should come out! It should not be black nor have any metal bits in it. Any “foam” … like mayo, around the filler, filter or anywhere else tells you that water is going where no water should ever go. Waterpump shaft seals, headgaskets and the frail cylinder head connectors can all leak and cause this. About those plastic pipe connectors. There are two of them. They do not come out in one piece and are about $20 each. Each has three of the aforementioned o-rings. Do the math.

 

So the oil should be plentiful, free of slivery streaks and wrist pin clips, and dark but not too black. It should not have gasoline in it either (rare). If it is like that then change the filter and fill it up. Do not overfill it. About halfway up the sight glass is plenty. Anymore and it will be spraying through the breather and all over your beautiful new air filter. Have another beer, you have a good motor.

 

Leaks around the valve covers are common and not a big issue. Oil pouring out is a big issue. The original gaskets were poor but better replacements can be easily sourced. If any of the sixteen bolts holding the covers down is leaking, replace the rubber. If you try to tighten them down to fix a leak you will, over time, simply make it worse. If you are going to replace these gaskets then that is a good time to check the valve clearances. If they are uneven, especially if they are “tight”, then they need adjusting. This is fiddly but not hard and you can borrow the tool from members here.

 

Replace the plugs and, if the plug wires are original, remove the caps and snip ¼” off the wire. Check the cap resistance. It should be 10k Ohms. Trying to fix dodgy caps is fraught with difficulties. I would get new ones.

 

Moving on to the fuel supply. There is a hard to get to filter behind the fuel pump on the lower left of the bike. Change it. Cut the old one open and inspect the contents. A little bit of brown deposit is to be expected, but brown sludge or obvious rust means that the tank is suffering. Most of the tank can be cleaned on the bike there is enough access through the various ports. You did look down the filler for heavy rusting before you brought it home? It takes about five minutes to get the tank off my Triple, and about four hours (if you know what you are doing) to get the tank off the Venture.

 

The petcock is likely to be stiff. Move it to “reserve” and leave it there. Use the gas gauge which is accurate, and carry a small MSR Fuel Bottle in the side case. That will get you a few miles if you run out. Be aware that leaking petcocks are a nightmare. Rebuilding one with new filters and seals will cost around $40. A new one can be had from about $54 up to $75, depending on where you buy. While you are down there, the gas pipe has a very sharp bend and could be quite close to needing replacing.

 

While you were doing all of that charge the battery. If it looks old it probably is. Have it load tested or replace it.

 

So …. We have fresh oil, fresh gas, new plugs and no obvious signs of distress. The coolant is clean and topped off and the battery charged.

 

Turn the key, wait a couple of seconds and hit the starter. Unless it’s cold you will need little or no choke. Leave the throttle completely alone until the engine is running.

 

Run the engine for no more than fifteen seconds then shut it off. Now feel each of the exhaust headers, carefully. They should all be warm. If one or more remains cold then the respective cylinder(s) are not firing. If they are all warm, then start it up again. Go quickly around the bike as it warms up looking for anything amiss. What you do not want to see are oil, fuel or coolant leaks. There will be a bit of smoke as it warms, but not much. There should be none from the exhaust.

 

While we are on the exhaust …. One in poor shape will cost. Just the gaskets in the system add up to a hefty $100 if you need to replace them all. The collector can rot out, and it can rattle. The rattle can be ignored or fixed later. If the joints around the collector leak then it will need fixing. This is one to check before you buy because it’s a good negotiating point.

 

Check out all the electrical components while it is warming up. Lights, flashers, horn etc. With luck they all work and the motor will warm until the fan cuts in. Let it cycle a couple of times before you shut it down. Check again for leaks.

 

Yeah, I know you want to ride it but you can’t yet. Have a beer.

 

We have checked that it will go but we haven’t ensured that it will stop.

 

Tires should be less than ten years old (they have a date code) and free of any cracking. You are pushing 800lbs down the road on them and they need to be good. It goes without saying that they should have sufficient tread.

 

Check the brake pads for thickness and freedom from oil. If the fork seals have blown then fork oil easily makes it onto the calipers. It’s obvious and needs fixing before you ride. Check rotors for thickness and that they are not binding. There should be no signs of brake fluid leaking anywhere, and the fluid should be changed. Check that the steering bearings are not obviously worn. While we are on the subject of hydraulic fluid, change the clutch fluid too J

 

Now you can go for a ride.

 

Just a few careful miles is enough. Check that the handling is not too strange … it should track true and not meander. The suspension should be compliant and not induce nausea causing your lunch to end up all over the instruments. The brakes should stop you in a straight line and the gears shift fairly smoothly.

 

If your ride checks out okay and it doesn’t leak all over the driveway when you get back, then you have the makings of a great motorcycle so …

 

Have a beer to celebrate.

 

There is a whole bunch of stuff not included here. There are some minor fixes that are likely to be needed to things like the starter motor and electrical items. There is lots of information on the site to help.

 

If you fell at any of the hurdles above, then there is an issue that needs resolving. All I tried to do here was go through a routine that would get you up and running safely.

 

Above all, have fun, and lots of beer but not before a ride.

 

Others will chip in to add stuff I missed, and correct mistakes I made but I hope this helps.

[friesman]

Great write up! thanks!

 

Brian

[Yammer Dan]

And I thought I got the thing to ride it. You didn't mention that headight that needs upgraded or that it needs more lights on the rear and a better horn and....

[twigg]

And I thought I got the thing to ride it. You didn't mention that headight that needs upgraded or that it needs more lights on the rear and a better horn and....

 

I also kept quiet about the best bit ... Ya know, faster than a 2nd Gen

[XV1100SE]

Nice write up !

As for which Gen is faster... I don't know or care. My '09 gets me to the same places yours does in comfort. Whether you get their first or second doesn't matter. Speed limit is speed limit... might slow one of us down if we have to stop to get a ticket !

Now back to the topic of this thread....

[Hummingbird]

that was a great write up, took a lot of time as well as an enormous amount of recall.

 

I didn't read it all because I don't (never did ) have a 1st gen. However I read enough to deter a 1st gen purchase on my part and again to be TOTALLY happy with my 2nd gen. and as XV1100SE mentioned, whether you get there first or second, it doesn't matter

[twigg]

that was a great write up, took a lot of time as well as an enormous amount of recall.

 

I didn't read it all because I don't (never did ) have a 1st gen. However I read enough to deter a 1st gen purchase on my part and again to be TOTALLY happy with my 2nd gen. and as XV1100SE mentioned, whether you get there first or second, it doesn't matter

 

Heh ... Thanks.

 

Most of it is what you should do before and straight after buying any bike. The faults on the 1st Gens are few and mostly easily fixed, but they should be reflected in the price.

 

It's all too easy to spend a couple of grand, then have to throw another thousand at it for stuff that could have reduced the price had you known about it when purchasing.

 

Mine cost me $1500 to buy. It is now running beautifully, but has also cost me a total of around $2500 (including purchase) to get it that way, and it still looks like crap. I could have avoided some of that had I read this post before I bought it (I probably paid $500 too much).

 

The speed thing? Well that's just bike guys having fun

[Mel]

I bought my '84 Venture Royale brand new, if I can remember correctly I paid $6,800 for it. It was quicker, faster, handled better and got better mileage than '84-'85 Gold Wings that I was aware of. It's been a while, but I think I had it only about 3 years before I disabled the anti-dive and changed the fork springs to Progressive. Little did I know at the time that I was doing a modification that would become almost a "must do" on the Mark I's. Also had to re-solder some pins on the CLASS control board, never had another problem with it after that. Just two of the things that can improve your early Venture riding enjoyment. I rode that bike until 2004, and the 2nd gear defect finally caused me to trade it.

[Howard B]

I'm glad i came across your post . It turns out i bought a good one. Other than bleeding the clutch and re-soldering some pins, (4) everything is wonderful. I have had to repair some plastic, but it isn't difficult. I have learned most of what I needed to know from this site. The only thing I didn't learn here is how heavy it is to pick up! While parking, my pant leg caught on the foot peg. Once it starts over, its going all the way. lesson learned, don't start leaning the bike over until the kick stand is fully deployed. Luckily, the only breakage to come of it. Broken ribs. My own. I'm hoping this a one lesson thing. If anything else comes up i'm sure i'll look here first. Thanks to everyone who posted info on fixes for these great bikes. Oh by the way mine is a 1988 venture royale and it looks beautiful.

[KIC]

Welcome Howard. I have an 89, and if i ever get it back together will enjoy it again one day...

 

You will enjoy it here until you make a mistake and they pounce on you like rabbit in a snare. But they are mainly the slower 2nd Genners who do it out of jealousy, so we over look that, and give a lot of grace and forgiveness.

 

So welcome !

[Howard B]

Thanks for the welcome. You mentioned the slower ventures and I must say, I have never ridden a bike with as much power as my 88. Now for my question. How do I get rid of the front end wobble? It only shows up if I, foolishly, release my grip on the handlebars. But knowing its there is a little disconcerting. thanks for any info.

[twigg]

Thanks for the welcome. You mentioned the slower ventures and I must say, I have never ridden a bike with as much power as my 88. Now for my question. How do I get rid of the front end wobble? It only shows up if I, foolishly, release my grip on the handlebars. But knowing its there is a little disconcerting. thanks for any info.

 

There are several ways, but first it has to be said that the front forks are marginal, at best. They should have been beefier!

 

First make sure that things like wheels and tyres are actually "round", or it will always be poor. Also, the forks must be dead straight in the yokes, with no twist.

 

The fork brace is poor. A Superbrace will stiffen up the front and you will notice that most when making slow speed turns.

 

Forks need the bushes on the stanchions to be perfect, to eliminate unwanted movement, and the head bearings should be in good condition and torqued correctly.

 

That will eliminate all or most of that wobble.

 

The other thing you can do is be mindful of technique. These bikes do not like being allowed to coast around tight turns ... you will feel the front shift around (we are back to the weak forks) ... Instead, whatever the turn, try to "drive" through it. so go in very slow and accelerate through. In cities, at intersections, etc, this is a nuanced thing, but the difference it makes is quite remarkable.

 

Even when leaving my driveway into a narrow country lane, this slight change made a massive difference ... it takes practise but I rarely feel any uncertainty now.

[Howard B]

I have noticed a difference in how it handles in turns. My first ride made me think the forks were made of rubber. Maybe i am unconciously making slight adjustments to my riding style? Whatever, i am becoming more comfortable riding it. Now if i could only get my wife to ride with me. The only bike she would want me to ride is a schwinn or huffy.

[twigg]

I have noticed a difference in how it handles in turns. My first ride made me think the forks were made of rubber. Maybe i am unconciously making slight adjustments to my riding style? Whatever, i am becoming more comfortable riding it. Now if i could only get my wife to ride with me. The only bike she would want me to ride is a schwinn or huffy.

 

Me too ... You are compensating for an inherent weakness. All you can do is make sure everything is tip-top, with maybe a fork brace.

 

It's never gonna be an R1