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I’m trying to decide between the bike or boat today.

New bag lid covers from Ace High Leathers.

I remember the day, it was a grand day, that after having lunch with the bunch of us, we mounted up to take a ride,,, in Michigan,,, everybody was ready and mounted but one bike refused to start, just nothing. Shortly there were about 4 or 5 other riders giving instructions and helpful hints, fuel was double checked, oil sight glass confirmed, booster cables were added, battery voltage checked, kickstand confirmed,,,,, just nothing was going to get this 84 to fire. Young lady rider comes over finally, climbs on the bike and attempted to start,, which it very nicely did!!! Yep, it had to be in neutral!! Funny how that happens!

Rode for three days each way to be there. It was a hoot.

Keep the carbs clean with good fuel and do scheduled maintenance and you can expect 250k miles easily. The only engine failures I’ve heard of were all from carbs overflowing and hydrolocking the engine. Some have a clutch basket whine that can be annoying but not a mechanical issue. Check the rear shock for oil leaks. There’s nothing on it that can go wrong that the fix can’t be found here. It’s a top heavy bike but eats miles comfortably. They like to wind, keep the revs up around 4000 for the best performance, don’t touch 5th gear (overdrive) below 65mph. I’ve got almost 90k on mine and we’re planning a month long tour out west soon.

I lived in NOLA back in the 80's I know better than to go Downtown on Fat Tuesday, like Murtaugh said I am getting too old for this crap.

Yep. its too cold and way too much snow to ride in Western Kentucky. I have headed for Daytona at 28 degrees, but the high today is 22 with snow everywhere. So, I will wait a couple of weeks before I brave a ride.

It's a Beautiful day in the neighborhood. Just west of Houston

This is kind of on topic: To the poster that talked about compressing the front suspension when trailering, DON'T! Strap down on the lower fork and allow the suspension to operate as normal. This is not only better for the forks, it is more secure as there is no way for the bike to hop under the straps. You really don't even need a front chock, though I still use one. SRKCycles, aka Bikes and Beards has a great video on YouTube about this method. They are trying to sell you their straps(which are excellent, BTW) but it works with any ratchet strap system.

There are going to be times when you remember and will miss him big time. It's amazing how when we care for each other often times it's not a burden, work? yes, time consuming? yes but not a burden. Blessings to you all as you discover a new part of life and share the memories.

Been a busy couple of weeks. Jeff is now in a local care facility. Pretty much a nursing home. His condition is such that we can't care for him at home anymore. He doesn't seem to mind, and might even like it. It's a decent place and I think he likes the idea of having 3 meals a day served to him. It was a bit of a hassle to get him enrolled onto Medicaid to get the cost of care covered, but we got it done. I actually got 6 letters in the mail on the same day. 2 told me that his Medicaid application had been denied, 2 saying that he'd been approved, and 2 telling me that his SS Disability amount had been reduced, as the amount was now to be paid to the care facility. I stopped at the facility and spoke with the business manager who said she had just gotten an e-mail from the State saying that Jeff had been approved. He seems in good spirits as he begins this next chapter in his life. I never thought him to be much of a burden when Lisa and I cared for him at home, but now that he's gone I realize just how much effort went into his care. Kinda sad, but after 20+ years as his caretaker, it's a weight off my chest.....sigh....

Here’s my latest project: mounting Harley One-Touch saddlebags on my 2005 Royal Star Tour Deluxe, Black Betty. I’ve completed the custom mounting brackets and bottom support rail for the hard bags. Next up is adapting the Harley saddlebag guards to fit. I had to remove the rear turn signals since they interfered with the bags, so I’m switching to LED saddlebag-mounted tail/brake/turn signals. The LEDs are working, but I’m dealing with rapid blinking. I wired in load equalizers, but they didn’t resolve the issue. My next step is likely installing LED flasher relays—possibly one per signal—to correct the flash rate. Any input or advice from those who’ve tackled similar mods would be appreciated!

Back to normal for this time of the year in Houston. Actually, expecting potential record highs in the low 80's. Rode to the office Monday and Tuesday.

Most air compressors start in an unloaded state. It should be close to "Rated" with some inrush possible. If the 10hp converter doesn't manage the inrush, you might think about adding a soft start or going with one of the newer 3 phase drives that converts single phase 208 to 3 phase. I have no idea what they cost though.

Have you changed the oil in the compressor yet? hopefully it was just low and not out of oil. site glasses are notorius for leaking oil so after cleaning the area around the site glass keep an eye on it. Hopefully you have great find.

Just want to pop my head up and say thanks for this thread. I used to be active on this forum but now my Venture has pretty much sat for 4 years as I play with a Tenere 700. Went to go for a ride with the wife today and all I got was a slow idle and no clicking. I took off the side cover and tapped the fuel pump and voila ! gas. This isn't my first rodeo with replacing the points but didn't remember the part number. Thanks @Du-Rron

Just did some quick research and apparently 200 volt motors are not unusual on A/C systems. I think, if I read it correctly, they are sometimes used on 208 Volt line systems. That being the case, I would go with the 10 HP drive. I think if the line voltage is within 10% of the rated motor voltage you will be fine. Wow, I haven’t been an electrician for about 35 years. I’ve forgotten a lot.

The good news is once you get em dialed in they are great bikes. Sounds like you’re well on your way to reviving a gem.

Going to Mardi Gras for the first time in 40 years. Who else is going.

Error 12 Update: Called the shop and they stated that they may be able to work on my bike, but they are 2 weeks out. It is understandable that they are unable to tell me what is wrong without plugging it in their diagnostic tool and determine the issue. With that said, I am going to handle this myself for the meantime. 2 weeks plus is something I am not willing to wait and beside my bike is already out of the yamaha 5 year factory warranty. I called Partzilla today and was able to obtain OEM part numbers for the Starter and Starter Relay. Starter: 2DF-81890-10-00 & Starter Relay: 2DF-81940-00-00. I have no diagnostic tool on hand, but I plan to replace the relay first and see if it starts and then move on to install the starter. I think I'll have fun working on the bike. About to place my order online.

I have not had this issue and I really don't even recall reading about it.

I got stuck in NOLA for Mardi Gras one time. Had a business trip there that week and was in a hotel downtown. PIA. Really soured me on Mardi Gras. Just not interested in it. I know a lot of locals will leave the area during Mardi Gras. Our office there actuall closes on 'Fat Tuesday' because you can't get into work.

Mardi Gras has always been my dream carnival destination. My cousin who has always invited me to come for Mardi Gras, but work schedule and other commitments just could not jive with the celebration. If I am not mistaken, it is next Tuesday, March 4th and it happens the day before Ash Wednesday (educated myself on this online). May you have a great time and please let us know how you liked it.

Hope you get your ride in today! It jumped up to the 60s here in Omaha today, so of course I rode my bike to work! That sun sure felt good!

Good morning to all and happy Monday. I was able to wash the truck yesterday after a month and a half of winter weather grime. Today is about 50 degrees, so it just might be a ride day today. Have a great week.

That’s the plan today. I’m going to remove the “T” fitting from between the carbs and run it to figure out which one is pushing fuel and then I’m going to disassemble again and check needle, valve and float. My guess is the float isnt floating as the needle and valve are new but until I open it back up I can’t be for sure.

Look at the needle and seat along with the float itself.

Good evening to all! Our next week's weather forecast is looking much better. Looking forward to ride.

Ok, so went down to the local power sports place and asked the service manager if he had some old carbs on a shelf that they scavenge parts from. for a case of beer I walked out with an old Mikuni carb set that was not identical but mic’d the shaft and seal and they were the same! Now I’m back in business. now on to final adjustments of float height, air/fuel mix screws and verify I have the right jets in the right carb (as I found out they are different between carbs)… any tips would be greatly appreciated.

No riding for me too until perhaps next month. I am over here near the MD/PA line, but temps and roads conditions are not good for riding...at least in my book... A few more weeks then we should start talking more about bikes.

It's been pretty cold in Central Ohio, but, working at OSU I was surprised to see how many motorcycles were in the student parking areas. Mostly crotch rockets and adventure bikes. As for me, I'll wait for warmer weather.

Hey Steve, I'm about an hour 1/2 west of you in Graves Co. Yep, too cold and snowy. We rode to Cadiz on that 75 degree day early in the month. Looking to be in the 60's next week though. That's the way it is around here. Bill

U-Haul makes a purpose-built motorcycle trailer and the RSV fits in it perfectly. Trailer is just over 9' from inside the ramp to the front of the tire cutout in front of the trailer. Has sturdy strap loops and it is low to the ground. Only about $25/day. Hauled my bike from where I purchased it in Pella, IA to back home in Madison, MS. Wrapped tie-down straps around hand grips to the low loops in the trailer and pulled tight to compress fork (not quite all the way down). Put another pair of straps from the bag guard rail to the back low loops (hard to see in these pics). No problems during that long haul back home. Rode the bike up into the trailer to load, backed it down w/ feet flat on the ground at home. Have a slight dip in the driveway which helped flatten the ramp bump.

Thanks, I think they work as good as they look, at protection from scuffs and wear

Nice touch for a custom look.

I was too busy raising kids and working two jobs to ride back then. Wish I hadn’t missed those years of VR.

Looks good. Nanci is the best.

Cold again here in Nebraska. Was near 60 on Sunday, it's now 11F with a -3 windchill factor. The bike is safely tucked away.

Added to Tech LIbrary. Thanks

Was going through some stuff and look what I found...

Sorry to hear about him. Hopefully he can make as good of recovery as possible and be back on his feet. It's been a nice week this week in Omaha. I've put 140 miles on the bike going back and forth to work and took the lady out for a ride along the Platte River. Shes still doing good riding for being 5 months pregnant.

Nice looking bike... we are going to see how it does, in the twisties, against the Spyder...lol

Venturerider Brothers and Sisters where has the time gone. It’s been almost 4 years since my original post. The 2000 miles I mentioned became 35,000 miles and my original repair finally failed last fall just prior to a trip to Southern Virginia. It failed again during the trip. I have had 3 premature failures that I know of. My shock and one of our members were repaired and had failed at about the same time. I had increased the fluid refill in both from 125ml to 150ml. That may have been the issue and I haven’t done that again. The other was a pinched O ring. To date I have replaced the O ring in about 70 RSV shocks with a very good success rate. I have documented the process and designed a simple tool to extend the shock to expose the O ring. If anyone would like this info send me a PM. Thanks to all who have supported me in my efforts especially DaNetFlunky and Rbig1 for donating their failed shocks to stock the initial exchange program. I have a third exchange unit and for the life of me I can’t remember who donated it but thank you also. Ride safe and ride smooth! Fitz

Not one to dismiss what others experience with their take in choice of Bikes;but; seems to me GW has moved from thrill to a different market class: and also that, the GL 1500 may just be the last of say our crowd? Anyways for myself in touring the VR1300 was a very good fit for my style. I absolutely loved swinging the clever in 2nd after timing my entrance on to the HWs over the years and just ripping through 3rd! Of course this was after I spent the time getting her to giddy-up when I dug my spurs in! You may know I've run some modified 1100 Kats, this one time my boy and I were on an inter city HW low speed stretch of nice asphalt at a light early one morning. My boy hadn't kept up with the work I'd done on the VR. When we took off he just in front and just rolling I let it rip in 1st then quick shifted to 2nd by the time 3rd was up I slowed for the next set of lights. As he pull up he lifted his visor smiled and shook his head, thinking back he was likely wondering if I was ever going to ride like a mature fellow? No way would I take the Kat in a fare fight on a straight run but I can take her by surprise..lol Not sure if any of us here have had the opportunity to ride far on a Cavalcade? I can tell you that should you find one running on all 4 and dialed in, those bikes can really move, very much an old style ride but very comfortable! I often rode her sun up and past sun down, endless torque all gears. I'm putting an engine back together for her now, her finish 1/2 done is blue marble over black pearl. I'm cutting back the marble to a more 50/50 paint as I found the marble took too much of her old style/look away.

Just my thoughts. An AC compressor is built different than an air compressor, but I suppose your know that. There are reasons for this and in some cases things like this might work. One thing I think of is that the AC compressor sends oil into a closed system, so what are you going to do with the oil in a one-way system and you will need to supply the compressor with new oil on time. JMT

There’s my “duh” moment for the day. I was reading it as an air compressor 🤷‍♂️