Loss of RPM

[Daddy0]

H,

 

I am new to the forum. Tonight I was riding my Venture on the highway All of a sudden I started losing acceleration and my rpm went down to zero. Occasionally rpm came back and I could accelerate again. Could only go approx 60 kmh. I decided to return home. Just to provide a brief history. I recently replaced the battery with a sealed unit. Xo thus battery charge light came on as I had no place to attach the sensor. I read on this forum that you can bypass the light by attaching sensor wire to accessories fuse. I I temporarily attached the wire to the fuse by placing wire between contact and the fuse. Light went off. Can my problem be related to the fuse not having a clear contact? I ask because I stopped and removed the wire bike continued to lose rpm and no acceleration for a few miles and finally returned to normal. Any help is extremely appreciated. I am not very mechanically inclined so anything major will be performed by a garage.

 

Tks

[djh3]

If we know what model of beast we are talking about it would help immensely. I would have to take a poke you are talking first gen, as there is no wire to the battery of a second gen past the positive and negative cables. If it was a second gen I would say look towards the fuel pump maybe.

[Daddy0]

Hi,

 

Sorry its an 87 Venture Royale. Could bad gas be a cause as well I havent had the bike long. Filled up recently. Bike had been running great until I attached the battery sensor wire.

[cowpuc]

Hi Dad and to VR!!

It is possible that hooking the battery condition wire directly up to the positive post of the battery to make the warning light quit flashing could be your problem. What you did is not uncommon but doing it properly requires putting a resistor between the battery and tci as the voltage from the battery is higher than the tci can sometimes handle.. I say sometimes because I have ran many miles with my battery indicator light hooked up as you are speaking and never had issues with it BUT - others have so I know damage is possible.

All that said, I would do some testing and see if you have other things happening here. A couple quick questions: Why did you replace your battery in the first place? Was your bike not charging correctly and your battery was going dead? Did you do any testing of the charging system before you put a new battery in it?

Go out and remove the connector from the battery - it will hurt nothing to run your bike with the battery warning light flashing. Check your connections at the battery carefully to make sure everything is connected properly. Fully charge your new battery. Turn your key on and listen for your fuel pump to cycle thru (you will hear it clicking down on the left side of the bike just below the passenger foot peg). Turn the key off and back on again and listen for the fuel pump clicking.. Keep doing this until you hear the fuel pump clicking slowly and come to a halt - this means the float bowls on your carbs are full. Now start the bike and see if it will run as normal. Look carefully at the volt meter on your dash, slowly rev the bike up to 3 grand and back down and see if the volt meter comes up to above 13 volts? Also watch your tachometer while your doing all this is see if it is acting normal - one of the signs of a failing TCI is a strange acting tach because it is electronic..

Report back here what you find as you try these things..

[Daddy0]

Hi Cowpuc,

 

I purchased the bike a few months ago. When I took posession of it, I noticed right away that the starting of it was lazy. What I mean by that is when I engaged the starter button, it turned over very slow if at all. My initial reaction was to call the original owner (2nd historical owner). He mentioned that he hadnt had issues with the starter. I decided to take it to my mechanic as I have zero knowledge of motorcycles. Sad but true!! My mechanic ran some tests and reveled that the battery was the issue. He replaced it with a brand new sealed unit and it has started great ever since. That is why I changed the battery. I removed the battery sensor wire on the side of the road once it started acting up. I rode it for a few kms before it finally went back to normal. this all happened last thursday. I took it out for a spin on Sunday for a short run and it rode fine again. However, I will run the checks you referenced tonight and report back. Just a quick question...Where is the TCI located on the 87 Royale?

 

Tks Tom

[yamagrl]

Hi Dad and to VR!!

It is possible that hooking the battery condition wire directly up to the positive post of the battery to make the warning light quit flashing could be your problem. What you did is not uncommon but doing it properly requires putting a resistor between the battery and tci ...

 

 

Puc,

 

I think you mean "between the battery and the CPU Monitor (not tci)

[Venturous Randy]

This needs to be moved to the 1st gen section.

Randy

[Eck]

This needs to be moved to the 1st gen section.

Randy

@Venturous Randy, DONE!........

[cimmer]

The TCI is located under the battery box along with the coils. I would install the resistor inline with the wire and connect it to the screw just on the steering side of the fuse panel. Right off the top of my head, I dont remember the resistor size but it is in one of the post here or in the tech section. There is also a PDF of the service manual in the tech section also that you might want to download as it can be a big help to you also.

Rick F.

[bongobobny]

Yes, hopefully you did NOT connect the sensor wire directly to 12 volts, but put a resistor in series with the probe line. If you DID connect directly to 12 volts without a resistor chances are the sensor chip is now fried!! This will NOT affect performance however, it is just a monitor! The resistor value should be between 2,000 ohms and 5000 ohms and it's wattage can be 1/4 to 1/8 watt.

 

Yes, you may have had some bad gas or something. I would HIGHLY recommend you add a can of "Seafoam" to a full tank of gas and then drive it like you stole it!!

 

The resistor can be installed between the accessory fuse and the probe...

 

I see you are sort of north of Kitchener, there are a few members in southern Ontario that are VERY knowledgeable on 1st generation Ventures, hopefully one or two of them will introduce themselves!

[cowpuc]

Puc,

 

I think you mean "between the battery and the CPU Monitor (not tci)

 

:doh:,, THANKS YAMAGRL!!!:thumbsup:

[Daddy0]

HI everyone,

 

Thank you for all the great info. I actually added approx 8 inches of wire to the battery sensor wire and wrapped it around one of the posts that the accessory tube fuse sat in. There was a resistor already attached to the original sensor wire so I just assumed that would suffice. I do understand the wire should be soldered to the base of the fuse plate. I tried this to see if it would turn the light off and it did. So if I need to add another resistor I will. Just not sure if I do or not. I have never heard of seafoam but I will look into it and see if I can track it down. Need to fill up anyway.

 

Cheers,

[KIC]

Welcome to the farm. JOIN. You won't regret it. Well you might, but we try to keep Cowpuc under control.

 

Here is some info on the battery wire.

 

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?489-Battery-Warning-Bypass

 

Some more info you can use:

 

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?1066-A-list-of-known-problems-on-the-First-Gen-Venture

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?65738-Things-I-would-Check!

[XV1100SE]

You can get Seafoam at Canadian Tire, NAPA, etc. Somewhere between $12 - $14 a can. You want the one that says "motor treatment". You can use it in your gas, pour directly into the carbs....even use it in the oil. If you put it in the oil, do it just before your next oil change and ride 100 or so km. You'll have blue smoke behind you when you put it in your oil but it will help to clean out the gunk.

 

I'm in Kitchener so not that far from you. I have a 2nd Gen and not that familiar with the 1st Gen but there are some people in Burlington, Caledonia, and even a notable person in Brantford that know the 1st Gens intimately. Some more intimately than others.

 

:-)

[Trader]

WELCOME TO THE MAD HOUSE!!!!!

 

By any chance did you happen to wash that new puppy before your ride when it acted up?

These old bikes don't react well to a lot of water.

 

A lot of folks will take the TCI and mount it on top of the air filter box just behind the air intake . There is plenty of wire to allow you to do that.

You will have to trim off a mounting tab so it can move far enough forward for your false tank cover to fit on properly.

This also gets it away from the heat of the motor and hopefully will prolong it's life.

 

Like someone already said....one symptom for your TCI is acting up is that it could affect your tach.

 

Seafoam is great. After you give it a good strong dose I put a few ounces in the gas about every 4-5 tanks just to keep things clean.

I've never put it in the oil... I have heard some people claim that it cleans things up so well it might start leaking oil...I've read about that problem with power flushes for motor and tranny that oil change places try to sell.

 

Pay the $12 and sign up!

You'll save a heck of a lot more than than in repair bills

 

To own a bike that is pushing 30 years old you have to be willing to learn and do your own wrenching.

I am NOT mechanically inclined. Other than swapping out parts I never really got into the nuts and bolts of ANYTHING!

But thanks to YouTube and mostly to the folks on this site I've done a lot of MAJOR work on my bike...including wiring issues.

right now I'm in the middle of removing valves!!!!! (I would never have believed it before!!!)

 

Don't forget to put what year/ model of bike you have in your profile.

It helps us to know what you have when you asking questions....and just so you know....there is no such thing as stupid questions.

Edited May 12, 2016 by Trader

[Daddy0]

Hi Trader,

 

No I did not wash her. All I did was attach that battery sensor wire to the fuse post. I am not sure how much sea foam you recommend I use but I am going to take her for a run tonight and put some in. And yes I am definitely going to sign up. Its awesome how much you can learn about this beast. Unfortunately I live in an apt bldg at the moment and have no place to work on it or I would be willing to take some of these projects on. As for youtube, I havent found too many posts pertaining to this model.

 

Thanks for the post.

 

Cheers,

[Daddy0]

Thanks Don,

 

Any recommendation on how much my first time around? I know the owner before me babied it and really took good care of it.

 

Also, if anyone knows where I can get a front fender for her. I noticed a substantial crack in it last weekend. have clear gorilla tape holding it from splitting. Its the gold two tone model.

 

Cheers,

[bongobobny]

Ebay for fender. 1 can of seafoam to 1 tank of gas, drive it like ya stole it, these bikes like it!!

[bongobobny]

n but there are some people in Burlington, Caledonia, and even a notable person in Brantford that know the 1st Gens intimately. Some more intimately than others.

 

:-)

And Toronto, and Mississauga, and Woodstock, and...

[Daddy0]

Perfect.

 

Consider it done. lol

[camos]

Also, if anyone knows where I can get a front fender for her. I noticed a substantial crack in it last weekend. have clear gorilla tape holding it from splitting. Its the gold two tone model.

The front fender is ABS plastic as is all the other plastic on the Venture. You might as well get comfortable with repairing ABS since you will most likely need be doing it for as long as you own the bike. That may seem terrible but it's not that big of a deal.

 

ABS is not that hard to repair once you learn how and there are lots of threads explaining the different methods to go about it. In my opinion, the best and easiest repairs/rebuilds are done using ABS scraps mixed with methyl-ethyl-keytone or MEK to make an adhesive paste filler. With a hairline crack that naturally fits tight together, a squirt of MEK will bond it together without making a mess. The use of ABS plumbing cement will also do a reasonable job as long as the repair can be done out of sight.

 

If you manage to mess up the repair you can always buy another fender but I think you will find it is easier than you might think.

[yamagrl]

 

To own a bike that is pushing 30 years old you have to be willing to learn and do your own wrenching.

 

 

I can attest to that!