89 Venture Royale Bobber project

[Khett]

Recently bought and began stripping down a Venture Royale 1300. Looking to get an actual gas tank put on it, wondered if any of you might know a good swap.

[luvmy40]

I doubt there is anything available that will be anywhere near plug and play. If I were going to do this, I'd look at a split Harley Fatbob tank. There may be metric equivalents, IDK. A split tank will be the easiest, IMHO to mount and make look nice.

[Khett]

I doubt there is anything available that will be anywhere near plug and play. If I were going to do this, I'd look at a split Harley Fatbob tank. There may be metric equivalents, IDK. A split tank will be the easiest, IMHO to mount and make look nice.

 

 

Yeah I was thinking tht or perhaps a Dyna wide tank. something a bit on the wider side like that. I know I will for sure have to do a bit of fabbing, to get it to mount on the double neck frame, Just finding something that would have the room needed for the batt and the carb is the tricky part.

[Patch]

Bobbers were 600cc or less, bar hoppers is what they were mostly built as..

 

The frames were tubular and easy enough to modify. Also the were kick start mostly or a small battery somewhere low.

A gallon of gas was plenty!

 

On these the plastics hide everything. Also you need to consider the carb setup not just movin the battery.

The engine design of the 1300 or 1200 is wasted if you don't handle induction properly.

 

I get that you want to strip it down some but a bobber she won't be.

 

Zag's bike is a creation but not a bobber, so yes you can get creative but a bobber instinct may frustrate you beyond the point of satisfaction?!

[luvmy40]

...

 

Zag's bike is a creation but not a bobber, so yes you can get creative but a bobber instinct may frustrate you beyond the point of satisfaction?!

 

 

Monster Bobber????

 

:banana::banana::banana::banana:

[Freebird]

Bobbers were 600cc or less, bar hoppers is what they were mostly built as..

 

The frames were tubular and easy enough to modify. Also the were kick start mostly or a small battery somewhere low.

A gallon of gas was plenty!

 

On these the plastics hide everything. Also you need to consider the carb setup not just movin the battery.

The engine design of the 1300 or 1200 is wasted if you don't handle induction properly.

 

I get that you want to strip it down some but a bobber she won't be.

 

Zag's bike is a creation but not a bobber, so yes you can get creative but a bobber instinct may frustrate you beyond the point of satisfaction?!

 

I'm not sure that I agree with all of this. Especially the part about Bobber's being 600 cc or less. A lot of early Bobbers started out as 1200 Sportsters and etc. Even larger Harleys. Now Harley and Indian both market "Bobbers" that are larger than 600 cc. I think it has to do more with the style that the engine size. I did a search to see if there was a true deifinion and most agree that they are basically bikes with all unnecessary parts striped off to make the bikes lighter and faster. Usually with no from modifications. Remove front fender, bob rear fender, small lightweight seat, etc. I personally think that they look cool but not something that I would want to ride for any distance. The closest thing I've had to one was built from a 750 Honda. I was much younger then and put a lot of miles on it. Couldn't do it now though.

[Patch]

I'm not sure that I agree with all of this. Especially the part about Bobber's being 600 cc or less. A lot of early Bobbers started out as 1200 Sportsters and etc. Even larger Harleys. Now Harley and Indian both market "Bobbers" that are larger than 600 cc. I think it has to do more with the style that the engine size. I did a search to see if there was a true deifinion and most agree that they are basically bikes with all unnecessary parts striped off to make the bikes lighter and faster. Usually with no from modifications. Remove front fender, bob rear fender, small lightweight seat, etc. I personally think that they look cool but not something that I would want to ride for any distance. The closest thing I've had to one was built from a 750 Honda. I was much younger then and put a lot of miles on it. Couldn't do it now though.

 

What's up with that?

Once again the internet is wrong!

Bobbers have been around lots longer then push button starts.

I'll give you that a 750 can make a nice Bobber tho, and is still a mans start demonstrating he hasn't had too much.

I get that 1200 HD's are often spoken of as Bobbers, seriously, what else can be said about them;)

[Patch]

Monster Bobber????

 

:banana::banana::banana::banana:

 

 

I see we're all in a groove this morning;)

[Khett]

This is where she is at the moment. While I realize some people prefer other bike to create their own projects for, And everyone has their own tastes and opinions, I respect that. However, My vision of a bobber is not limited by the size of an engine, or a make and model. I prefer Yamaha frames for what I want to create, and feel that the old venture royale's have an epic structure to build a beast on. I've basically came to a fork in the road as far as my tank dilemma goes. Either I get a frame saver and weld it on so I can just plug and play with any tank I can find, or I get a split tank and have a buddy of mine who owns a fab shop do some tinkering to make it bolt onto the frame where the old plastics were. Either way, nothing should hinder the carb area or the battery placement. I plan on doing away with the 4 carbs anyways, and putting a low profile intake manifold on there that would reduce it all to a single VW pict carb. Should have more than enough room under the tank, especially with the tank riding above the frame rails. I can't get this site to upload the photo, so I have uploaded it to imgur and will post the link in the end of this reply. I thank everyone for offering some insight and help with this, and I realize that while some may like what I am doing others won't, and that is ok. My bike isn't for anyone else lol Hopefully this coronavirus crap disappears so I can start ordering my parts again. Hoping to get this someone finished before the local rally next Labor day. Hope everyone is safe and enjoying their week!

 

Here is the link to the girl all stripped down to her bare necessities. had to space the dot com so I could add the link

i.imgur. com/KYqRAZp.jpg

[zagger]

I really like the under seat gas tank on early ventures. In fact, that is why I got the bike to modify and make into some sort of chopper - not a bobber, I guess. Keeping the weight sitting low in the bike is really a good idea and makes handling much faster. Many riders have no idea where the gas is stored since the tank isn't obvious. Seems like a lot of effort to adapt some gas tank to your frame. Why not just go with the parts that you have?

zag

[cowpuc]

Bobbers were 600cc or less, bar hoppers is what they were mostly built as..

 

The frames were tubular and easy enough to modify. Also the were kick start mostly or a small battery somewhere low.

A gallon of gas was plenty!

 

On these the plastics hide everything. Also you need to consider the carb setup not just movin the battery.

The engine design of the 1300 or 1200 is wasted if you don't handle induction properly.

 

I get that you want to strip it down some but a bobber she won't be.

 

Zag's bike is a creation but not a bobber, so yes you can get creative but a bobber instinct may frustrate you beyond the point of satisfaction?!

 

Could be a cultural thing but around here a Bobber always represented a minimalist/stripped bike but no cutting of the neck.. A neck cut and altered rake to accomendate an extended set of forks was always referred to as a Chopper meaning the rake was not stock.. Of course,, it's either/or and neither here nor there as cultures to have a tendency to change things.. For instance,, I got a parking ticket in NYC one time and got out of paying because the no parking signs in NYC say this on them = "No Standing".. I simply explained that in Michigan our no parking signs say "No Parking" on them and that "No Standing" would translate into "No Parking Your Car Vertically" which was not the case..

 

[cowpuc]

This is where she is at the moment. While I realize some people prefer other bike to create their own projects for, And everyone has their own tastes and opinions, I respect that. However, My vision of a bobber is not limited by the size of an engine, or a make and model. I prefer Yamaha frames for what I want to create, and feel that the old venture royale's have an epic structure to build a beast on. I've basically came to a fork in the road as far as my tank dilemma goes. Either I get a frame saver and weld it on so I can just plug and play with any tank I can find, or I get a split tank and have a buddy of mine who owns a fab shop do some tinkering to make it bolt onto the frame where the old plastics were. Either way, nothing should hinder the carb area or the battery placement. I plan on doing away with the 4 carbs anyways, and putting a low profile intake manifold on there that would reduce it all to a single VW pict carb. Should have more than enough room under the tank, especially with the tank riding above the frame rails. I can't get this site to upload the photo, so I have uploaded it to imgur and will post the link in the end of this reply. I thank everyone for offering some insight and help with this, and I realize that while some may like what I am doing others won't, and that is ok. My bike isn't for anyone else lol Hopefully this coronavirus crap disappears so I can start ordering my parts again. Hoping to get this someone finished before the local rally next Labor day. Hope everyone is safe and enjoying their week!

 

Here is the link to the girl all stripped down to her bare necessities. had to space the dot com so I could add the link

i.imgur. com/KYqRAZp.jpg

 

Seeing that pic of your build brought back some interesting memories Khett... Is that a piece of tire missing on top of the rear? I only ask cause I had a Metzler come apart on me one time out in California that looked just like that.. Any chance that is a Metz with a section missing out of it??

I like where your going with this one! I have done many Choppers back in my building days, never used a 1st Gen as a baseline though,, I did do a few HD's but my mainstay was early (SOHC) Honda 750's.. I only altered 1 original Honda frame and used aftermarkets (Santee - Amen) after that 1st one cause they were single back boned, straight, cheap and plentiful (could actually buy a raked and ready to build from frame for under 2 bills).. Anyway,, the early Honda 750's used a triple back boned frame that created the necessity for a wider than normal single frame gap between the tank halfs.. Those Honda tanks,, as I remember, were normal narrow only at the very front and then opened up real wide all the way to the rear of the tank.. I always used Peanut tanks or fabbed up a Coffin tank in my builds and disgarded/sold the OEM's.. I have no actual demensions to share with you but it may be worth seeing if you can find an old Honda CB750 frame and/or tank to take a peek at and see if it would fit.. FYI,, those Honda tanks were wide = ye be warned

Puc

[cowpuc]

By the way Khett,,

[Khett]

I'm not to sure on the tire brand haha I would have to check, but yeah it is for sure a chunk missing out of it. May or may not have had a little driveway fun with it. Zag, I thought about keeping the old tank on it, and maybe doing a sort of fake tank that would actually be storage for my wallet and smokes. Also thought about putting an oil tank there and doing an actual tank. there's just so many routes I could take I feel like a kid in a toy store lmao

[zagger]

Zag, I thought about keeping the old tank on it, and maybe doing a sort of fake tank that would actually be storage for my wallet and smokes. Also thought about putting an oil tank there and doing an actual tank. there's just so many routes I could take I feel like a kid in a toy store lmao

 

The stock under seat tank is actually a great design and is the main reason why I got my venture. Of course, most folks are completely confused and think that the top of the tank where the filler is located is actually the entire tank (maybe 1 quart sized!). I have no desires to replicate any sort of tank located on the frame between my knees. Anyway, it wouldn't be very easy to do since the frame has two rails in that area unlike most bikes which have a single frame rail running through a tunnel in the gas tank. I used the space above the carbs for Vboost valves (from a Vmax) and individual intake filters. I do carry four plastic cups to stick on the filters if I need to leave the bike parked in pouring rain.

Good luck with your project.

zag

[Khett]

The stock under seat tank is actually a great design and is the main reason why I got my venture. Of course, most folks are completely confused and think that the top of the tank where the filler is located is actually the entire tank (maybe 1 quart sized!). I have no desires to replicate any sort of tank located on the frame between my knees. Anyway, it wouldn't be very easy to do since the frame has two rails in that area unlike most bikes which have a single frame rail running through a tunnel in the gas tank. I used the space above the carbs for Vboost valves (from a Vmax) and individual intake filters. I do carry four plastic cups to stick on the filters if I need to leave the bike parked in pouring rain.

Good luck with your project.

zag

 

 

Appreciate the info Zag. I thought about perhaps leaving the area open for the intake filter. Plan on grabbing up a 4 to 1 intake and putting a VW pict on there. Should get a bit more clearance under the rails from it, not to mention the help with fuel air ratios. Just no idea what I would do there without a tank. I don't really want it too exposed as I have 4 crazy kids that love to put crap in places it doesn't belong lol