Venture Mortality

[B.E. Coyote]

Seen lots of mentions of high mileage Ventures.

 

Other than crashes, what are the typical causes of the catastrophic problems (if any) suffered by other bikes ?

 

My new to me bike has 91k on it.

[Condor]

Seen lots of mentions of high mileage Ventures.

 

Other than crashes, what are the typical causes of the catastrophic problems (if any) suffered by other bikes ?

 

My new to me bike has 91k on it.

Lack of proper maintenance....

[Marcarl]

The rider suffers from internal and external wear, maybe due to not enough lubrication or maybe too much. Could also come about from this recently discovered aging thing that a lot of folks seem to be talking about. It just seems to effect the rider though, these bikes don't seem to mind it a bit,,,,, even better than an EverReady.

[bongobobny]

Yup, what Condor said!! Surprisingly over the course of the last 12 years, I have only heard of 3 catastrophic failures and one was caused by a hydro lock issue. On the other hand, I have heard of many 2nd gen Ventures going over 200,000 miles and still running strong.

 

The only "minor" issues are the fuel pump going south, electrical issues such as the stator and the R/R going south, and clutches slipping for various reasons. If not properly stored, the carbs can get plugged up...

[B.E. Coyote]

So my nearly 20 year old bike should have some life left.

 

Never really heard of any Yamahas having real issues as a model. Coming from FJRs and Super Teneres if there was ever an issue it was a faulty cam chain tensioner allowing a jump and a meet and greet between the valve and piston. Not a problem for this bike?

[djh3]

Some have a bad howl from the clutch basket. I have only run across one of those, and I suspect it was because earlier in its life it pulled a trailer. Fuel pumps die, but are an easy fix. Ignition switches will arch out, but there is a fix for those. I too have only heard of a couple catastrophic failures. One hydro-lock, one a fellow had spun the bearings on the crank. I think he ran the wrong kind of oil or something.

[bongobobny]

Oh, yes, the dreaded ignition switch failure! Forgot about that, I had to replace mine this spring...

[eusa1]

i am to say the least a bit of a parts and bike collector of royal stars. and in all of the years i have been buying and selling 2nd gen royal stars the only reason i have sold/replaced the engines have all been for the same failure and the count is 6 and none while i have owned them.

they have all failed due to leaking needle & seat o-rings in the carbs letting fuel run into the cylinder and seeping past the rings into the crank case while parked in most cases.

then the owner finds it hard to start and ignores this if they do get it started and the motor hydro locks with fuel in an over full crank case and sometimes with fuel full on both sides of the piston.

 

look at your oil level and see if it grows to a higher level and buy new needles and seats or send me your carbs and i have two sets rebuilt and ready to swap.

[B.E. Coyote]

Good reason to use the petcock!

[eusa1]

Good reason to use the petcock!

 

True as that may be, more times than not the crankcase being full of fuel upon trying to start can warn you of pending catastrophe and the same thing can happen while in flight going down the road and there is no warning other than the bang and the oil slick in front of the rear tire.

 

my 2003 rsv has 236,000 miles on it with no end in sight, i took it to Canada last July pulling a trailer at above average speeds and the deepest the motor has seen maintenance is valve cover gaskets and valve inspection with no adjustments.

i did not put as many miles on it this past year due to the purchase of 3 more royal stars. it's a sickness i know.

 

btw i have never shut my fuel off unless removing the tank for maintenance.

 

my advise would be to replace the needle and seats about every 7-10 years if it has regular use, and if it sits for long periods of time to use plenty of seafoam before you park it so it can get to the carbs and do some good.

all of the fuel that is in the carburetor can still leak into the cylinder while parked with the fuel turned off....

Edited March 15, 2018 by eusa1

[Raven1294]

So I have an 05 RSTD that I bought in April of 2017 it had only 11,700 miles on it when I bought it, currently I have 24,400 miles on it I ride this bike every day of the week, my question is should I replace the needles etc or do you really have to worry about that if driven all the time, I live in Texas so riding is all year long.

[videoarizona]

I wouldn't worry about it. Turn off the petcock when you park and ride on for many miles! It's a good habit to get into, if for only this reason!

 

The only thing you "should" do, besides normal maintenance, is check the valve clearances once in a while. Some have gone 200K plus without even looking...others do this every 16K miles. Your choice. But if you've never checked or if the PO didn't do it...it would be a good thing to do. There are a number of Venture riders on this forum in Texas area. Look them up and see if you can arrange some help if you think you need it. Not a hard job....just time consuming. Search this forum for pics and write-ups.

[Raven1294]

Thanks for the info! Was going to have the valves checked when it hits 40,000 miles or possibly at 50,000 we will see.

[djh3]

40k would be a good marker. I did mine @ 27500 and only like 2 or 3 were slightly out of spec. I went ahead and reset all to minimums as I had shims available. They tend to get tighter as the valve is being "pulled" into the head. Owners manual says 26k, 30k with no adjustment or very little is common. It is a big job in my book, only because of all the prep work. Lower fairings (leg) have to come off, drain coolant, fuel tank off, and valve covers. The actual job its self is not bad. But like carpentry work measure twice before I ever moved a shim. Also if doing yourself have a pair of calipers or a mic handy to verify shim thickness. They are supposed to have the thickness printed on them but sometimes its not very readable.

[dfitzbiz]

Keep an eye on your rear shock. It's not catastrophic but it can be expensive. You may notice an oil drip under the shock mount area or some dampness around the bottom clevis and mounting bolt. A new shock from Mama Yamaha is around $700-$800. Aftermarket a little less but you lose the air adjustability. If you have this issue don't panic, I have a fix and the sooner you catch it the better. I do this as a service for VR supporting members at no charge other than freight and $.25 for an oring and a couple of buck for suspension oil. Freight each way via USPS is about $20. Any extra $$ I receive I donate to the site or to one of the rally's I attend.

Ride smooth and ride safe,

Fitz

[Raven1294]

So you can repair the shock? So its best to have you fix it before I see the issue or is this something that is fixed after the problem appears?

[dfitzbiz]

So you can repair the shock? So its best to have you fix it before I see the issue or is this something that is fixed after the problem appears?

 

I would wait until I noticed a leak. Something to check when you do your regular oil change. You may notice a puddle on the floor but most likely you will notice some dampness around the lower shock mounting clevis. They seem to start slow and gain momentum over time. I have repaired 7 or 8 so far Raven. All have returned to near original performance according to those who have mounted and put some miles on them. Of course the sooner you detect the leak the better. I'm not sure what will happen if the cylinder inside is operated dry for an extended period of time. It appears to be more of a dampener than a gas/oil filled shock absorber. It pulls oil in through ports in the bottom on the up stroke and expels it out on the down stroke. Seems to be some type of valving inside. Anyway, what happens is that the oring, just above the bottom mounting clevis, develops a leak and the oil runs out on your garage floor. When the oil is gone your RSV turns into a pogo stick. If you would like to try the repair shoot me a PM. I have a unit I will be repairing early next week and we can do an exchange if you need a quick turn-around.

Ride smooth, ride safe!

Fitz

[Raven1294]

I would wait until I noticed a leak. Something to check when you do your regular oil change. You may notice a puddle on the floor but most likely you will notice some dampness around the lower shock mounting clevis. They seem to start slow and gain momentum over time. I have repaired 7 or 8 so far Raven. All have returned to near original performance according to those who have mounted and put some miles on them. Of course the sooner you detect the leak the better. I'm not sure what will happen if the cylinder inside is operated dry for an extended period of time. It appears to be more of a dampener than a gas/oil filled shock absorber. It pulls oil in through ports in the bottom on the up stroke and expels it out on the down stroke. Seems to be some type of valving inside. Anyway, what happens is that the oring, just above the bottom mounting clevis, develops a leak and the oil runs out on your garage floor. When the oil is gone your RSV turns into a pogo stick. If you would like to try the repair shoot me a PM. I have a unit I will be repairing early next week and we can do an exchange if you need a quick turn-around.

Ride smooth, ride safe!

Fitz

 

 

Took a look at the bottom of the shock as you suggested and this is what I found, so I have never seen any oil on the floor, and my question is what will happen if you keep riding it say is there is not any oil left in the shock and how hard is it to remove the shock? As I do not have a lift or center stand stand any kind also how much is an after market shock? don't really care whether it is an air shock or not as I am the only rider and always travel light where ever I go.

[dfitzbiz]

Took a look at the bottom of the shock as you suggested and this is what I found, so I have never seen any oil on the floor, and my question is what will happen if you keep riding it say is there is not any oil left in the shock and how hard is it to remove the shock? As I do not have a lift or center stand stand any kind also how much is an after market shock? don't really care whether it is an air shock or not as I am the only rider and always travel light where ever I go.http://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=111907

 

Yep, that's how it starts. It looks pretty minor right now. Keep an eye on it and if it gets worse we can do an exchange. I can PM you instructions on how to change the shock. You will need a motorcycle jack and it is easier with a lift adapter like the one sold by CarbonOne.

Search "Hagon" for an after market shock. I'm sure someone on here will let us know the cost.

Ride smooth, ride safe!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Raven1294]

Yep, that's how it starts. It looks pretty minor right now. Keep an eye on it and if it gets worse we can do an exchange. I can PM you instructions on how to change the shock. You will need a motorcycle jack and it is easier with a lift adapter like the one sold by CarbonOne.

Search "Hagon" for an after market shock. I'm sure someone on here will let us know the cost.

Ride smooth, ride safe!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

 

So whats the best aftermarket shock to get? Non air shock

[bostonlawman2003]

So whats the best aftermarket shock to get? Non air shock

 

I put a Hagon shock on mine a couple years ago after my stock shock peed all over my garage floor. I think it was right around $500.

 

I am very happy with the customer service from Hagon as well as the shock itself.

[Raven1294]

I see that the new OEM shock is a little over $500 with Bikebandit

 

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[Raven1294]

Just bought the Hagon shock from WIZ, will install it once I get it and send you the OEM shock to fix and keep in reserve just in case the Hagon ever gives out....Thanks for all the info!

[Sylvester]

Yup, what Condor said!! Surprisingly over the course of the last 12 years, I have only heard of 3 catastrophic failures and one was caused by a hydro lock issue. On the other hand, I have heard of many 2nd gen Ventures going over 200,000 miles and still running strong.

 

The only "minor" issues are the fuel pump going south, electrical issues such as the stator and the R/R going south, and clutches slipping for various reasons. If not properly stored, the carbs can get plugged up...

 

I am one of the 200k members, and have had very little problems with my 02. All problems were my fault. Keep the oil level mid glass, use Seafoam or similar for storage when over a couple months and service regularly.