90 vr broken frame mounting tab and instability

[Kevhed]

Hello-

 

Just got a new 90 vr with 40k on the clock.

 

Runs well but a couple of things to start with.

 

The trunk was really loose so when I removed it the bracket on the bike almost directly under the rear of the grab rail is broken. It's the bracket on the bike frame where the bolt drops down through the trunk bracket and into the l shaped bracket welded to the frame. Snapped in two. The broken half was still there.

 

Can this be welded back together?

 

The bracket on the trunk mount frame where the grab rail connects also snapped in two. Same side must have really taken a whack. Right at the circular hole where the grab rail enters.

Can this be welded as well?

 

 

On the ride home the bike felt like a drunken sailor from 20 to 80. Very unnerving. The class was not working but I have already fixed that and aired up the shocks. Have not driven it since because the trunk is hangin there but I hope it helps the wandering problem

 

Any help is always appreciated.

 

Kev

[ChurchBuilder]

Hey Kevin, I'm not sure what bracket you are referring to. Can you post a picture?

 

About the bike driving like a drunken sailor, there are a few things that could cause that. tires would be my first guess, followed by the steering bearing being too loose or possibly the swing arm plastic bearings being worn out. It could also be a cracked fork brace.

 

Good luck and welcome to the forum

[Kevhed]

Trunk bracket- you can see the broken mounting tab- like half a circle. The mounting hole in front of the broken tab is where the bolt drops down to the broken tab on the frame.

 

The broken tab in this pic accepts the back of the passenger grab rail.

[Kevhed]

Fram pic

[Peder_y2k]

Yes those parts can be welded. Personally, I'd find a good used chrome trunk mount on e-bay and order it. Then I'd take the bike to a good welder and have a steel washer welded to the broken frame tab closing up and reinforcing the gap in the hole, and finish paint it black.

2nd what churchbuilder says. Also check the front fork brace for cracks, or broken/loose bolts.

-Pete, in Tacoma WA USA

[Kevhed]

Thanks Pete. The prob with frame tab is its 90 degrees. There is a chunk which attaches to the " half circle" that's left and then the tab bends 90 degrees to accept the bolt coming from above. The part that bends 90 is broken off.

 

I am wondering if the steering bearings are too tight. On the center stand with front off ground the bars won't drop to the side without assistance and don't bounce hardly at all from the stop.

[Squidley]

I am wondering if the steering bearings are too tight. On the center stand with front off ground the bars won't drop to the side without assistance and don't bounce hardly at all from the stop.

 

That sounds like the head bearings are a bit tight. I'm wondering if the grease inside them is gummed up as well.

[Condor]

I had to do the weld job on both sides of the '91. It worked fine using the broken pieces that were still attached to the grab rails. Just remember to spray the heck out of the weld with a clear coat to prevent rusting. Never could come up with a reasonable explanation as to why it happened. The trunk was in perfect condition, but it must have taken a heck of a shot to bust those tabs off.

[Flyinfool]

You can weld it all back together. As mentioned I would add some reinforcement, I would also check the other side real close for any cracks.

 

I don't think that the handling issue can be caused by the trunk rack being loose. Check all the stuff mentioned above.

[frankd]

The trunk bracket on my 89 also needed to be welded. I'd pulled the trunk off for some other reason, and then I noticed the bracket was cracked. A friend of mine TIG welded it.

 

Yes, binding steering bearings would make it steer badly, but now that you have the CLASS working, take it for another ride. Set the front to about 14#, and the rear to about 55# for starters. Depending on what brand tires you have on it your normal tire pressure will vary. I use Avons on mine, and I run about 46# rear and 42# front. Dunlops are usually good for 40# maximum, so run them @ 38 rear and 33-35 front. If you have a different brand on it, read the tag on the tire for maximum rated pressure and then run the rear near the max. and the front about 5# less than max. Also the brand of tires on the bike affects how willingly it turns. Most of us feel that the Avons turn the best, but a lot of us use the Dunlop Elite 3's. This bike may have Elite 2's on it, which were good tires, but on them you have to convince the bike to turn more than the Avons. If it still handles poorly, check the steering head bearings, and the swing arm bearings for proper adjustment.

 

While these bikes don't handle like a Hyabusa, when everything is working properly, they do handle pretty good.

[skydoc_17]

Hey Kevin,

Welcome to the VR.ORG Forum! Lets talk about that trunk rack first. By 1990, Yamaha was in full production of the Venture Royale. Honda was still using a 4 cylinder in their Goldwing's and the VR was the "touring bike of choice" during this era. Some engineer got the "bright" idea that if you increased the amperage of the welding process, MORE trunk racks could be manufactured in the same amount of time. This created multiple problems. The tabs on the trunk rack were made from low carbon steel, they were "cold formed" then they were welded to the trunk rack tubes using too much heat. The poor quality of the steel tabs when overheated makes them "superhard" (like glass) and the vibration of riding the motorcycle "rattles" the steel to failure. I call this process "hot boxing the welds". I also have seen this in the injection molding of the plastic parts of the post 1989 parts as well. (side covers, fairing halves, dash panels, etc) The temperature of the ABS plastic was increased to produce more parts, but left the finished products "brittle".

 

Now, about that "squirrelly feeling" issue you mentioned while riding your bike. You didn't mention what tires you are running on your 90'VR, or their condition, but I would "Venture" to say that they are underinflated. Try running 42 to 45 PSI in the rear tire, and 38 to 42 PSI in the front tire and see if this firms up the ride of your bike.

 

Lastly, on the left side of the bike, down by the passenger floorboard, is the "swing arm dampener". These bikes were fully adjustable for rider/passenger weight, and riding style. You just need to make some adjustments. If you ride 1up, and weigh 165 lbs soaking wet, then run the tires at 42 rear, 38 front, with the dampener on 2 or 3. If you weigh 275 lbs. and carry 4 buckets of KFC chicken in the rear trunk at all times, run the rear tire at 45, and the front tire at 42 with the dampener on 5. (you don't want all of the crunchy breading to fall of those chicken breasts, do you ?) :crackup:One final note, if you ride this bike around in 5th gear at 40 MPH, and try to roll on the throttle, then it's going to shutter and buck, try downshifting one or two gears to "wind up" the motor, and you will find the ride will be much smoother. With the air ride on these bikes, I personally prefer the bike to be level to slightly high in the rear, as I do ride rather aggressively. If you have the rear of the bike low, then it is "squatting", and this makes the front end "light" which will make it wander, and feel a bit loose at speed. As you can see, there are many variables to "play with" on your "new to you" motorcycle. Try the adjustments first BEFORE you start replacing parts, and chasing "ghosts in the machine" that may not actually be there.

Congrats on your new scoot, again, welcome to the forum, and remember the most important part of riding a motorcycle is "the riding part"!

 

These are my thoughts, for what they are worth.

Earl

[dacheedah]

As a reminder if anyone welds on your car, truck or scoot. Unplug the cdi, have them ground on the piece to be welded and if they move, move the ground again on the piece being welded. The reason is that every day people smoke cdi's and wiring when the piece being welded seeks a ground. Once repaired clean well, prime and coat of paint.

[Kevhed]

Thanks for all the feedback.

 

I have Dunlop elites front and back maybe 50% left. Pressure 42 rear and 38 front so I am hoping fixing the class and getting some air in the shocks will help the wandering.

 

I am going to the welder tomorrow. Is disconnecting the battery negative sufficient to protect the electronics?

[cimmer]

I would also check the a-arm and it joints to make sure they are properly greased and have free movement as if they are binding it will cause the bike not to track well in curves. Also make sure all the bolts on the frame attachment as tighten to specs as the rear subframe bolts to the main frame behind the engine and under the seat.

Good Luck and welcome to the group.

Rick F.

[Kevhed]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

I got my tabs welded (with negative batt cable disconnected) for 10,00 and they seem to be very strong.

 

As for the wandering, I was finally able to get at the bearing nuts with a long thin steel rod and a hammer. One of the prev owners had already taken the washer out so the 2 nuts were jammed together. I loosened the nuts almost a full 2 inches just to get the bars to rebound a little,

 

It seems to have fixed my wandering by about 95%, I still have a very small bit of wander at about 35 so I may try to loosen just a bit more,

 

The steering is wayyy lighter and "neutral" than the fighting and constant corrections I had before. Drives great.

 

Thanks again.

Kev