First big bike we've ever owned and we bought an '83 Venture Royale. It's got Issues.

[bpate4home]

I think it's time for sheepskin on that seat. You can get it dyed any color, maybe purple. LOL  

[Pasta Burner]

@HeatherFeather for the air suspension computer I ended up re-soldering all joints internal and it works great now.  Also mine was obviously attempted to be fixed by a previous owner without luck and they ended up cutting the air lines and installing schrader valves.  Once I spliced all that back together the computer was timing out.  Took the compressor apart, cleaned and lightly oiled with pneumatic oil, same with the selenoid bank and fixed the timeout issue.  
looks like R6 calipers up front.  I didn’t see it mentioned in the thread so just an FYI the bike has a linked braking system. (Unless of course the gen 1 didn’t do that, someone correct me if I’m wrong)

[luvmy40]

Yes, the Gen1 MK1 had linked bakes. Rear and right front(IIRC) on the pedal and the left front on the grip. @skydoc_17 sells a delinking kit. If you already have R6 calipers on the front you are ahead of the game. Those, Earl's delinking kit and a higher flow front MC will make a world of difference in the stopping power. I don't remember if you want a Gen1 MK2 front MC or a Gen2 front MC. Earl will chime in on this, hopefully.

[HeatherFeather]

On 9/7/2024 at 2:43 PM, luvmy40 said:

Yes, the Gen1 MK1 had linked bakes. Rear and right front(IIRC) on the pedal and the left front on the grip. @skydoc_17 sells a delinking kit. If you already have R6 calipers on the front you are ahead of the game. Those, Earl's delinking kit and a higher flow front MC will make a world of difference in the stopping power. I don't remember if you want a Gen1 MK2 front MC or a Gen2 front MC. Earl will chime in on this, hopefully.

Previous owner already installed the delinking kit! So that's already taken care of, at least. Don't know about the MC, though.

On 9/7/2024 at 12:05 PM, Pasta Burner said:

@HeatherFeather for the air suspension computer I ended up re-soldering all joints internal and it works great now.  Also mine was obviously attempted to be fixed by a previous owner without luck and they ended up cutting the air lines and installing schrader valves.  Once I spliced all that back together the computer was timing out.  Took the compressor apart, cleaned and lightly oiled with pneumatic oil, same with the selenoid bank and fixed the timeout issue.  
looks like R6 calipers up front.  I didn’t see it mentioned in the thread so just an FYI the bike has a linked braking system. (Unless of course the gen 1 didn’t do that, someone correct me if I’m wrong)

We'll give that a try1 Can't hurt anyway.

[Pasta Burner]

@HeatherFeather also forgot to mention drying the desiccant.  It’s in a metal tube mounted somewhere around before the compressor intake.  Microwave did the trick.  Don’t remember exactly how to open the tube but it does open, or exactly how long to microwave 

[rpjn59]

Hey, brand new to the forum, I'm looking at an '84 right now, but more on that later. Personal thoughts...copying the original two tone and pin striping scheme in pinkish tones or related colors might work nicely.

Also, plastic parts like the fairing that are made of ABS plastic are very weldable. It's also not that hard to learn, if you're good with your hand or have any welding, brazing or soldering experience. And you don't need expensive and messy epoxies and such. I'm sure there's plenty of tutorials on the internet. All you need is a soldering iron and some scrap ABS plastics.

Absolutely, change out the fork oil. Also, measure what's in there before dumping it out. Wrong weight, dirty or improper fluid level all can be culprits to your issues. As well as, learn how to inspect the internals, slides, bushings, seals. All can lead to improper fork travel and function.

Finally, front end, different from stock, cracked lens and dash panels, hmm...sounds like someone had a "fender bender".

Ciao

[HeatherFeather]

Finally done with all the painting! It came out really well, and definitely gets a lot of attention now! We added a bunch of shiny butterfly stickers to really capture the "9 year old with a barbie jeep" vibes it's got going on lol:

Edited September 24 by HeatherFeather

[BlueSky]

Congratulations on finishing a big project!  

[luvmy40]

Looks like you did a great job! Now get to CTFW!

[HeatherFeather]

5 hours ago, luvmy40 said:

Looks like you did a great job! Now get to CTFW!

Definitely planning on it! We've been wanting to head down towards Ouray and ride the million dollar highway one of these days...

[bpate4home]

On 9/24/2024 at 6:55 PM, HeatherFeather said:

Finally done with all the painting! It came out really well, and definitely gets a lot of attention now! We added a bunch of shiny butterfly stickers to really capture the "9 year old with a barbie jeep" vibes it's got going on lol:

 

That is definitely a unique bike. Time to get it ready for some shows, great job. IMHO the 1st gens were the best looking, but barely.  The Gen 3s are great looking too. 

[HeatherFeather]

Reupholstered the seat & backrest! Also got a hold of new muffler gaskets and will be installing those this weekend.

We also got a functioning tape deck off of eBay and got that installed, so the audio system now functions as it should. Couldn't get the CLASS computer working so that's been removed and we'll be converting it to manual. Right side of the dash has the glovebox now - finding one with a good hinge was a bitch. And we replaced all the cracked reflectors and turn signal lenses and replaced the broken saddlebag release on the right side. Converted the headlight to LED for good measure, too.

Seems like a good spot to stop and take stock of what's left to actually do on this thing.

1. It's still running kind of hot in city traffic and gets right up to the top of the green area on the temperature gauge when idling for long periods of time. The water pump's been rebuilt with new seals and a metal impeller, so we're not sure if there's much else that can be done - maybe the radiator needs to be cleaned out? It's perfectly fine and sits right in the middle of the range on the temp gauge at highway speeds, at least.
2. Speaking of the temperature gauge, it stops reading steadily and the needle swings back and forth, randomly dropping to the bottom when going over 70mph or so. Might just be dodgy connectors on the sensor?
3. Still need to remove the air compressor and install schraeder valves on the lines so the suspension can be manually adjusted.
4. Replace the leaky muffler gaskets.
5. The windshield is really scratched up and foggy, so we're going to try and polish / wax it.
6. The front right inner fairing is cracked to pieces and really needs to be replaced.
7. Probably a good idea to go through the maintenance checklist and do anything that we haven't already done, including adjusting the valves and replacing the rear end fluid.
8. The speedometer is still wayyyy off but the odometer reads true, don't know if that's something that can be repaired.
9. There's a bit of a shimmy at around 85mph that feels like it's maybe the front wheel needing to be balanced.
10. The left mirror is cracked and ought to be replaced.

That's everything we can think of! Feels like we're closing in on the finish line

[Marcarl]

19 hours ago, HeatherFeather said:

Reupholstered the seat & backrest! Also got a hold of new muffler gaskets and will be installing those this weekend.

We also got a functioning tape deck off of eBay and got that installed, so the audio system now functions as it should. Couldn't get the CLASS computer working so that's been removed and we'll be converting it to manual. Right side of the dash has the glovebox now - finding one with a good hinge was a bitch. And we replaced all the cracked reflectors and turn signal lenses and replaced the broken saddlebag release on the right side. Converted the headlight to LED for good measure, too.

Seems like a good spot to stop and take stock of what's left to actually do on this thing.

1. It's still running kind of hot in city traffic and gets right up to the top of the green area on the temperature gauge when idling for long periods of time. The water pump's been rebuilt with new seals and a metal impeller, so we're not sure if there's much else that can be done - maybe the radiator needs to be cleaned out? It's perfectly fine and sits right in the middle of the range on the temp gauge at highway speeds, at least. Running 'hot' at idle is kind of normal. Check to make sure the diversion valve below center of radiator is in the right postion.
2. Speaking of the temperature gauge, it stops reading steadily and the needle swings back and forth, randomly dropping to the bottom when going over 70mph or so. Might just be dodgy connectors on the sensor? I would look for a loose connection.
3. Still need to remove the air compressor and install schraeder valves on the lines so the suspension can be manually adjusted.
4. Replace the leaky muffler gaskets.
5. The windshield is really scratched up and foggy, so we're going to try and polish / wax it. Good luck, let us know how it works out and how you did it.
6. The front right inner fairing is cracked to pieces and really needs to be replaced.
7. Probably a good idea to go through the maintenance checklist and do anything that we haven't already done, including adjusting the valves and replacing the rear end fluid.
8. The speedometer is still wayyyy off but the odometer reads true, don't know if that's something that can be repaired. A little lubrication using a very light oil might help things in the speedo head.
9. There's a bit of a shimmy at around 85mph that feels like it's maybe the front wheel needing to be balanced. Depends on what it is. Up and down vibration would indicate a balance issue, a wiggle on the other hand is or could be dangerous, and is most likely a steering head issue. Need to fix that before something kicks it off at a lower speed.
10. The left mirror is cracked and ought to be replaced.

That's everything we can think of! Feels like we're closing in on the finish line

 

[saddlebum]

On 10/11/2024 at 9:53 AM, Marcarl said:

 

These bikes do get very hot at idle and the fan kicks in right around the top edge of the green, but they usually come way down once your moving. The drain valve should be in the off or closed position. It should only be in open position when draining or filling the cooling system.

Mother's or McQuires headlight restore works amazingly well to bring the windshield back to like new condition.

With regards to the speedometer accuracy, with great patience and a gentle touch, it can be adjusted. You need to remove the speedometer head from the cluster and gain access to the inside of the speedo head. Spinning magnets move the needle up the scale and a fine spring from the needle to a fixed tab returns it to zero. Spring tension affects accuracy by how strongly it resists or counters the magnetic pull of the spinning magnet. This tab can be bent ever so slightly to increase or decrease the tension on the spring to either increase or decrease this counter force which in turn affects the speed indicated by the needle. This can be a very finicky  adjustment and is a total trial and error process. You may get lucky on the first shot or you may have to make several attempts. If the speedometer is running fast (which most do) you want to increase the tension. 

Edited October 13 by saddlebum