Power issues while riding

[Royal Refurbishied]

Hello all,

I'm new here and new to Yamaha. I have had a couple bikes before, but this one I don't really have a clue about. From what I can tell, it is an '05 Royal Star. The bike has a lot of power - like trying to go squirrelly when I romp in it going 30mph, but when I'm at a steady speed it feels like it is running out of gas. I filled the tank with mid-grade gas and some Berryman's. I checked the air filters and they don't look bad. I was told that the exhaust was swapped out and I've read that Road King mufflers would work, so I bought a pair of new take-offs. I was told it needed jets. Any ideas?

[snyper316]

Hello all,

I'm new here and new to Yamaha. I have had a couple bikes before, but this one I don't really have a clue about. From what I can tell, it is an '05 Royal Star. The bike has a lot of power - like trying to go squirrelly when I romp in it going 30mph, but when I'm at a steady speed it feels like it is running out of gas. I filled the tank with mid-grade gas and some Berryman's. I checked the air filters and they don't look bad. I was told that the exhaust was swapped out and I've read that Road King mufflers would work, so I bought a pair of new take-offs. I was told it needed jets. Any ideas?

 

Check your Diaphragms, see if there is any holes in them. If there isn't I don't know if I would use Berryman's to long. Lot of us use the Sea foam I would switch to that on next fill up and see if it straightens back out. Another thing which I don't know if the 05 has one but check your vacuum advance hose for any leaks. Maybe spark plugs. But anything more then that, @Flyinfool @yamagrl @bongobobny might have other suggestions too.

[M61A1MECH]

One thing to remember is that on all Royal Stars 4th and 5th gears are overdrive gears, if you are cruising around at 40 or 50 MPH in 4th or 5th and give them a lot of gas, they stumble. Use 1st to 3rd up to about 60 MPH , then go to 4th, no real need for 5th unless you are on the interstate at 70 plus. Take it out and stay in 3rd gear, find a nice straight section of deserted road or an interstate om ramp and crank on the throttle. The rev limiter should kick in around 95 and it will not take long to get there.

 

Another thing that caused me trouble on my Venture, which is essentially the same bike as yours, mechanically, was when I installed K&N air filters I opened up the air box, resulted in a very lean conditions and when I got on the throttle it would sometimes bog down like it was running out of gas. So check the air filters and the air boxes form modifications.

 

I fixed mine by shimming the needles on the carbs.

 

Welcome to the forum and good luck with the bike.

[bongobobny]

Yes, questions, questions, questions! First off, as my good friend Steve mentions, a V4 likes lots of RPMs!! Do not treat a Venture like a Harley. For each gear, you do not want to be below 3K. I know, there is no tachometer so, to give you an idea, 1st gear should be up to 20 to 25mph, 2nd should be up to 35 or so, 3rd maybe up to 45 to 50 (top end in 3rd is around 90mph), 4th should be around 60, and 5th is useless at any speed under 60!

 

Now, as far as the exhaust goes, there needs to be some back pressure for it to run decently. Also, the exhaust system has an air injection system that can cause issues if not working properly but usually the issue is backfiring with deceleration. As far as re-jetting, that is more so an issue with what comes in as opposed to what goes out. Using a free flow intake such as K&N air filters may cause more air than gas to enter the combustion chamber which would require re-jetting. What could be your carburetor issue could just be they need a good sync! Of course, there nay be other issues such as plugged jets, etc if they were stored with gas in them for an extended period. When you try to synchronize the carbs these issues should show up as being way out of sync or difficult to sync.

 

Have you tried new plugs?? Our V4s are known to eat plugs!! It is not uncommon to only get 10,000 miles or less out of a set of plugs before they don't work as good as they should. Another issue with the plugs is the wires themselves. Inside the caps for the plugs is a spring, diaphragm, and resistor disc that can, and does, get corroded and inhibits spark. For the little cost, I would recommend installing a new set of NGK Iridium plugs and test and/or service your plug caps!! One thing to know is that these bikes can, and do run quite well on just 3 cylinders!! Using a good heat sensor on the exhaust pipes while warming up will detect if you are running on all 4!

 

The last thing as far as maintenance goes that I will mention is valve adjustment. As strange as it seems, the wear on the shims is for the valves to loose clearance, not gain it! Valve clearance can be done with the engine still in the bike, and requires a special tool to change the shims. Normal interval to check the clearance is anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 miles. Usually the indicator of needing an adjustment is hard starting but can manifest itself with other minute symptoms as well.

 

Lastly, as Snyper mentioned, there could be a vacuum leak! The most common place for this to occur is on the caps for the vacuum ports on the carbs where you hook up either gauges or a Morgan Carbtune to sync the carbs. It is quite common for them to split around where the clamps go.

 

Welcome to the site!! Hopefully, we can get your bike running properly for you and assist you in making your Venture become what it is designed for, one of the most comfortable and long lasting touring bikes made!!

 

One last thing, although you posted in the Royal Star and RSTD forum, your profile does not really tell us what exactly you have! Is it a RSTD, a RSTC, or Venture?? Does it have a trunk?? If so, it is a Venture. If not then it is most likely a Tour Classic or Tour Deluxe. Regardless, all the info is the same...

Edited January 10, 2017 by bongobobny