warp1 Posted June 18, 2012 #1 Posted June 18, 2012 Well, I'm officially a Venture owner. Picked up my '06 with 8900 miles Saturday morning and rode it the 4 hours home. Never been on any sort of touring bike before, I was extremely impressed, almost felt spoiled I'm familiar with the engine (in Vmax tune) and was happy with the torque and horsepower. Never used a heel-toe shifter before...so felt like a complete rookie and mis-shifted several times I couldn't believe it doesn't come with a tach....that confused me for the whole ride. I seriously pushed every button I could find...no tach. But did find the 12 volt aux and the clock Wasn't happy with the high frequency whine at certain RPM's. The Vmax has it too....but the fairing an this funnels the noise right to the rider. I know it's a normal noise...guessing it comes from the valve train? Anyone have fixes for this...or should I be in a lower gear? I'm hoping some synthetic oil might quiet it down. I definitely need the driver backrest...at 6'2", I find I slouch too much. Lastly, I purchased a cheap MP3 player and plugged it into the aux (once I got home) and it's not working? The stereo and CB work...didn't try the cassette though....any simple checks? I read through installing the splitter behind the fairing, straight into the amp...and may do that. Didn't play much with the headset and the CB....couldn't do it all in 1 day Overall (so far) was exactly what I was looking for....now just want to get out and ride
rickardracing Posted June 18, 2012 #2 Posted June 18, 2012 Whine is the clutch. Some are louder than others. Quirk of a Venture. I fixed mine with louder pipes. You have to set the radio to aux for the mp3 player to work.
etcswjoe Posted June 18, 2012 #3 Posted June 18, 2012 Glade you liked it, you can switch clutch baskets to try to get rid of the whine but it does not always work.
djh3 Posted June 18, 2012 #4 Posted June 18, 2012 The radio/comm stuff takes awhile to perfect. I'm still learning and I got mine in Jan. Could you hear the radio before you tried the MP3 on the aux side? If you couldnt maybe either the volume was down or it was in HS mode (headset) I havent messed with the CB at all. CD is nice if your going a few hours from the house and dont want to mess with trying to find stations. Here in Central Fl there aint many to choose from. I plug my GPS into the aux on longer trips. I still struggle with finding stations and trying to load them in the "presets" is like learning morris code, tap this twice then when its here press and hold tap once more geeze.
allwx Posted June 18, 2012 #5 Posted June 18, 2012 Congrats on the new bike. My best advice would be that you not form any major opinions about the bike until you've put maybe 5k miles on it. The Venture is top heavy, and the heavy handlebar mounted faring makes it even worse. Then, there is the full 6 gal tank of gas. It can be a hand-full, but once you master it you will find the bike handles very well, and is very stable at high speeds. No, no tach on the Venture. You'll get used to it. No temp guage either. Consider it a blessing.
BG Hawks Posted June 18, 2012 #6 Posted June 18, 2012 Welcome to the board! Good to see another Cedar Rapidan hanging out around here! Back rest is an absolute must. The whine is the clutch and they are right some are worst than others. I have an 06 as well with just short of 16k; Look for the upcoming meet and greet on July 7th starting in Riverside. Missed it last year but not missing this year.
XV1100SE Posted June 18, 2012 #7 Posted June 18, 2012 Just a thought.... being an '06, check when the original owner purchased it. You might get lucky and still have something left of the 5 year warranty. It transfers to the new owner but ends 5 years from original date of purchase. For mp3... as was mentioned, the stereo has to be set to AUX. Check whether you are set to HS (head set) or SP (speaker). Volume is set independently for stereo or CB. The radio controls aren't exactly intuitive so read the owners manual section carefully and have it in hand when you set presets. If you don't have the owners manual, you can download it as well as Service Manual, parts manual from the read only tech section. If you have the cd changer and have a iPod or iPhone, you can get an interface from Yamaha that plugs into the cd changer cable and controls the iPod from the stereo controls. Works great ! Also.... for GPS, the Buddy Rich cable is a great addition and allows you to hear directions thru your head set. I have the Garmin Zumo 660 and have a 16gb memory stick full of music on it. This way I can listen to mp3's and directions at the same time. The Zumo also has bluetooth so I synch it with my Blackberry and can make/receive phone calls thru it and hear/talk thru the helmet. Plus 1 on the backrest. I have the Utopia. Highway bars are good (I have the Kuryakyn offset). Tip on the cruise... after turning it on, hold the "set" button for a second before releasing the throttle so it engages. Last but not least... enjoy the ride !
warp1 Posted June 18, 2012 Author #8 Posted June 18, 2012 Thanks for all the comments...and definitely +1 on the "top heavy". Just pulled off the interstate, at the bottom of the off ramp....yield sign, so was rolling through while looking over my left shoulder for traffic, and she started to tilt. Took a bit of leg muscle to keep her straight. Will have to adjust my "around town" riding appropriately. So it's the darn clutch huh? Wonder if the Barnett pressure plate would fix it? I'll be trying something in the future....sure would bug me. I was on aux and SP. Radio and others work fine. MP3 player worked with headphones...so was thinking it must be the plug in the cassette deck. http://i748.photobucket.com/albums/xx130/wlwarp/DSC_0178.jpg http://i748.photobucket.com/albums/xx130/wlwarp/DSC_0179.jpg
XV1100SE Posted June 18, 2012 #9 Posted June 18, 2012 So it's the darn clutch huh? Wonder if the Barnett pressure plate would fix it? I'll be trying something in the future....sure would bug me. I was on aux and SP. Radio and others work fine. MP3 player worked with headphones...so was thinking it must be the plug in the cassette deck. More specifically it is the clutch basket. Getting an "i-basket" installed from Yamaha often resolves or lessens the issue. Do a search for "clutch whine" or "i basket" and you'll have enough reading to keep you busy for a while. If you take the fairing apart check the connections. They are color code for the stereo system and just make sure they are clean and connected. Di-electric grease is used by many to seal them from moisture. Some of us have added a splitter so that we have a separate aux plug near the mp3 player mount on the handle bar so it is in a more permanent location. Could be the previous owner installed one that has separated or removed. Do a search for "AUX splitter" and you'll find the tech article.
warp1 Posted June 18, 2012 Author #10 Posted June 18, 2012 Gotcha....well, won't be messing with the clutch anytime soon. Sounds like a winter project. Maybe a good synthetic oil will quiet it down. I'll try to make the July 7 ride as well. Looks like I should be off work that weekend. Have some friends going to Algona....so will have to wait and see. I WILL be riding somewhere though I'll probably pull the fairing apart tomorrow after work. Would like to stop at radio shack first and at least have parts on hand if I go the splitter route. That MP3 player sits so cute on the cassette door And of course....love the site.
loehring Posted June 18, 2012 #11 Posted June 18, 2012 Glad you like the bike and welcome to the site. I love my '07. I guess the whine never has bothered me. I've always had some sort of whine with every bike I've owned so no issue. (The Baron 4-2-4 Nasty Boy pipes don't hurt. Loud pipes and ear plugs pretty much take care of the whine. ) Once you get used to the bike the top heaviness won't bother you either. I can hang with most police bikes in low speed maneuvers so it's all about getting to know her. She really shines though when you put your feet up and just relax as the miles roll by.
Kirby Posted June 18, 2012 #12 Posted June 18, 2012 You might also want to check the Tech section for a How-To on getting your saddlebag rails to line up a little better with the lines of the bags.
gibvel Posted June 18, 2012 #13 Posted June 18, 2012 (edited) If I remember correctly the AUX in is a wire that has a stereo 1/8" jack that plugs into the amp that sits behind the cassette deck. You'll have to split the faring to find it. I remember because the yahoo PO cut that and I had to put it back together. It's possible this plug got pulled out and left disconnected. Another possibility is that I noticed that my MP3 had to be turned up almost all the way to hear it at a decent volume. I ended up getting a small pre-amp to put between the MP3 and the AUX jack. Good luck finding the problem and enjoy the new ride! Oh, and just noticed something in your photo. Don't use the CB until you change your antenna around. Unless that photo is turned around, via photoshop, your CB antenna is on the wrong side. It's supposed to be over the riders LEFT shoulder! You can double check this by looking at the left antenna and tracing the wire out to the box under the trunk. That is the CB. If you don't do this and you key the mic. it could severely damage the CB. Edited June 18, 2012 by gibvel
bongobobny Posted June 18, 2012 #14 Posted June 18, 2012 Word of warning with synthetic oils, make sure there are NO friction modifiers in the oil unless you like a slipping clutch. The engine also has too few miles on it for synthetic oil anyway for proper break in wear IMHO. Yes, they are easy to drop with low speed maneuvers but there are lowering kits that help that out. Or, you can go the route I did and never drop it again ever... Welcome aboard!!
dacheedah Posted June 18, 2012 #15 Posted June 18, 2012 Manual here http://www.starmotorcycles.com/assets/service/manuals/2006/LIT-11626-19-25%202006%20Venture_1193.pdf
FreezyRider Posted June 18, 2012 #16 Posted June 18, 2012 Oh, and just noticed something in your photo. Don't use the CB until you change your antenna around. Unless that photo is turned around, via photoshop, your CB antenna is on the wrong side. It's supposed to be over the riders LEFT shoulder! You can double check this by looking at the left antenna and tracing the wire out to the box under the trunk. That is the CB. If you don't do this and you key the mic. it could severely damage the CB. [/color][/size][/font] Antennas are definitely reversed. CB antenna should be on the same side as the heal-toe shifter. Joe
Bummer Posted June 18, 2012 #17 Posted June 18, 2012 Welcome! Nice looking bike. You might also want to check the Tech section for a How-To on getting your saddlebag rails to line up a little better with the lines of the bags. I recommend against using the "drill a new hole" technique. Just loosen the front bolt slightly, then grab the back corner closest to the fender and push down. Do it a little at a time and just bend the back to achieve the alignment you're looking for. A shorter windshield will change the whine you hear, though it probably won't remove it completely. I find the best bet in most cases is to simply downshift. (Some Ventures have the whine so bad that the only option is the I basket, but that's often not the case.) I use the whine as an indicator that I'm running in too high a gear, since the whine only happens on mine between 2500 and 3000. These engines are happiest above 3k. If you've come to the Venture from a V-twin of some kind, you probably should take it out and bump it into the rev-limiter a few times. Won't hurt it, but it'll help you get used to how high these engines rev. Just remember, one or two rpms before it starts cutting out it's completely happy. In fact, you can get a Dyna3000 that allows you to raise the redline. (Max 7500 without a V-Max spring job.) And use second gear. Third will put you pretty close to 100 when it cuts out. Of course that can be fun too, but some of our friends in law enforcement will feel compelled to frown on that sort of thing. There is a tach you can put on the brake reservoir. There are other ways to add a tach, but this one is probably the easiest.
Semi-retired Posted June 18, 2012 #18 Posted June 18, 2012 Gotcha....well, won't be messing with the clutch anytime soon. Sounds like a winter project. Maybe a good synthetic oil will quiet it down. And of course....love the site. Hey, Bill, welcome aboard! As someone else said here.....don't worry about synthetic for now......but, DO change your oil as frequently as you a) can afford and b) want to be bothered. Fresh oil will HELP keep the noise down, make shifting a little smoother.......and, of course, keep your engine "fresh" for years to come. On the NOISY clutch subject, whatever you do, PLEASE DON'T buy LOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUDDDDDDD aftermarket pipes, just to make your bike/engine/exhaust even NOISIER than it is now! Loud pipes don't 'save lives'.......they just PISS OFF everyone else within earshot.....AND contribute to YOUR own future DEAFNESS. I'm a motorcycle rider training instructor in Ontario, Canada, and a lifelong (51 year) rider, and when I was a "kid".....I mean a goofy teenager......I wanted to make all the noise I could and draw attention to myself and my shiny motorcycle (a new Honda CB 160, way back when Jesus owned one, too!)......but now that I'm "all growed up"...I realize that loud bikes are just an annoyance to EVERYONE, with the exception of, possibly, the owner. Please keep your stock pipes.....keep your bike as quiet as possible......and enjoy the thrill of RIDING in the extra dimension that two-wheelers bring to the road. Avoid being a NOISY BIKER! If you wanna "fight" with cars and car drivers who (you think) don't see you or hear you.....do yourself a favor and buy two things: a nice Stebel air horn (cheap and effective).......and a nice neon vest (cheap and effective). One, so you can be heard (only when it's necessary).......and the other, so you can be SEEN at all times! Work on your own skills of "situational awareness": i.e. ride smart...know what's going to happen BEFORE it happens.....stay away from stupid car drivers! So endeth today's sermon. (P.S. Don't mean to sound preachy.....you probably know all this stuff, since you've just graduated to the epitome of motorcycles! It just burns my butt when people suggest that turning your radio up to 12 and fitting your bike with "straight-thrus" is the way to "quiet your clutch"........and "guard against evil car drivers".) (P.P.S. If you're going to be playing around inside your upper faring.....be sure to read the advisories on how NOT to break off the plastic tabs that keep the top of it together. Snoop around the tech section....you'll find it easy enough.) Again, welcome! Michael
gibvel Posted June 18, 2012 #19 Posted June 18, 2012 (P.P.S. If you're going to be playing around inside your upper faring.....be sure to read the advisories on how NOT to break off the plastic tabs that keep the top of it together. Snoop around the tech section....you'll find it easy enough.) And how to repair them iffen you do break them. Freebird wrote a great how to on an ingenious fix which I did and is pretty easy. Someone mentioned about the windshield reflecting the chirp/whine back to the rider. I changed from the stock windshield to a Clearview XXL and noticed a difference in the sound. I don't know if the whole it was reduced, volume wise, as much as a very high pitched component of the sound was reduced dramatically. My chirp used to grate on my nerves due to that high pitched component of the sound. I believe, with the re-curve of Clearview, that ultra high pitch is reduced significantly or gone completely and it's not nearly as annoying. You may find that the chirp/whine gets louder or softer when the temperature is warmer and colder. I believe mine isn't as noticeable when the bike and the weather are cold.
warp1 Posted June 18, 2012 Author #20 Posted June 18, 2012 Again...thanks for all the great feedback. Very interesting the CB and radio antenna are reversed....strange. I may try a shorter shield in the near future...we'll see if that helps. Thanks for the input on synthetic....I suppose I can wait a few oil changes before switching. I'm aware of the friction modifier problem...so usually stick with Rotella. I read through the tech article on removing the upper fairing...I believe to install the "Y" splitter. Just need to find it again. I'll also read through the fix so I know what not to break
playboy Posted June 18, 2012 #21 Posted June 18, 2012 Most everything has been covered already but one tip tip to offer on these beast is go easy on the front brake the last few feet of coming to a stop or any slow speed maneuver any irregularity in road surface with front brake applied at SLOW speed will be greatly magnified if your lucky you will only strain something if not it will be a $5 donation. By SLOW I'm mean the point at which you want to put your foot down Oh and Welcome enjoy your ride.
warp1 Posted June 19, 2012 Author #22 Posted June 19, 2012 For front brakes...is it pretty common to upgrade to EBC HH pads and/or stainless lines? Seems like they could use some more stopping power. I was paying particular attention to some slow speed riding today, to and from work...definitely takes practice...but I'll consider what you said about the front brake. It's very rare I even touch the back brake. Usually only when I need to stop ultra quick...deer, animal, cage etc... GOOD NEWS is I have the front fairing apart without breaking anything and found the aux wire ripped right out of the cassette MP3 works fine through the splitter. Now just need to spend some time routing the wires. I'll shoot a couple photos once I find my damn camera
djh3 Posted June 19, 2012 #23 Posted June 19, 2012 I went for a ride today as sort of a "pretrip" check out. Just to make sure everything is up to snuff. I had the GPS running thru the aux port and playing MP3's. I noticed a buzzing noise when comming to a stop. Sometimes it would continue just driving. I read somewhere to just rearange the wires for the comm stuf. I did this once and thought I had it cured. I guess its back. Seemed more prevalant in the right ear. I bought a splitter with a short cable and I think I'm just going to split mine at the aux plug in for now. Have fun, ride careful.
gibvel Posted June 19, 2012 #24 Posted June 19, 2012 Very interesting the CB and radio antenna are reversed....strange. Believe it or not, not as strange as you'd think. I've been looking for "the right" RSV to upgrade to for 3 or so years now. I'd say that about 35% or so have the antenna reversed. that's why I noticed yours... That's one of the things I look at on a regular basis. You'd be surprised how many were installed that way by the dealer also. Glad you found the problem with the AUX input and got the faring apart without anything breaking!
warp1 Posted June 19, 2012 Author #25 Posted June 19, 2012 Amazing as far as the CB goes. Haven't gotten around to that part yet. I ended up pulling the whole cassette carcass because I wanted my aux plug hidden behind the cover. Productive, because my cassette cover would never stay shut either. While apart, gave a few squirts of lithium grease ans she opens and closes like a champ now http://i748.photobucket.com/albums/xx130/wlwarp/IMG_1011.jpg Trying to show the busted wire http://i748.photobucket.com/albums/xx130/wlwarp/IMG_1013.jpg Ran the splitter into the cassette case and out through the faceplate (with a spare tucked in the box that I can always fish out for the GPS. http://i748.photobucket.com/albums/xx130/wlwarp/IMG_1014.jpg mp3 player velcro'ed in...playing "I'm pretty good at drinking beer"
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