Leaderboard

Just added a new concealed carry option. Kimber CDS9. 9 mm, 13 + 1 as pictured. Also came with 15 + 1 magazine. Love this thing.

I still ride my 1988 daily and on big trips. My mom who's 69 years old went with me to the Olympic National Forest last fall. She took her 2005 Goldwing Trike and we put on about 5000 miles in ten days. My old bike rolled over 100k miles on that trip. Since we got back in the second week of September, I've put over three thousand miles on her since then. We are looking to finally upgrade after eight years of ownership to a 2021+ Goldwing. Certain parts are getting hard to obtain, especially in decent condition. My rear spring is starting to get pretty soft, and its hard for me to trust buying one off of Ebay that I have no idea the condition of. I don't have room to have multiple parts bikes laying in the garage right now. I do all my own maintenance, including tire changes and balances. I'm pretty meticulous with my old Venture. I didn't have to touch a single tool on that last road trip. After we get the Wing, I'll keep the Venture and still ride the crap out of it, but I'll take my lady with me on the Goldwing on big trips. The Venture has been and continues to be one of the most consistent, reliable and solid aspects of my life. I've been through alot in the last 8 years (haven't we all??) and the Venture has been reliably by my side then entire time. We have our first baby on the way, due in June, so it'll be a slow riding year this year, so I'll focus on plastic repairs and keeping it running in tip top shape. I'll share a few pictures of our Washington Trip for proof.

I talk to him occasionally but it’s been a while. Last time I did, he indicated that his riding days were pretty much over. He had bought a couple of electric bicycles and was enjoying them.

Here’s the blinker fluid I use.

The original models, '83-85 s are now 40+ years old. How many guys are still hitting the asphalt with these antiques ? We can still get batteries, tires and there are plenty of spare parts on e-bay. Well, except for rear master cylinders. They are cheap enough you can buy a whole bike for parts anyway, if you look around. Downside, you have to be able to do your own maintenance. I enjoy my '83 and get to enter it in antique Auto Shows ! Awesome ! How 'bout you ? I know there are a few of us here, How about a roll call ?

Dennis Kirk usually has a good selection. I order my fronts there but use a car tire on the rear.

Out for first ride earlier today for over an hour and around 30kl. 130,500klm start . Pretty cold so didn't stay out that long!

Between London and Brantford Ontario Canada and getting weather you guy's are sending our way. Rain ,cold yesterday so no riding since Monday! Heavy freezing rain,hail and snow again plus very cold,so no riding today also! Supposed to be high of 15deg.cel. tomorrow. More rain etc. then chance of rain all weekend then chance of SNOW again Mon. and Tues.!!

Hi Carl, the bike is in great shape, especially for it's age. Plastic is all excellent although previous owner reinforced some pieces of the fairing but looks good. All the extras still work, radio, cruise, air controller. Next time there's a get together I'll bring this one down so you can have a close up look, Mark

got an '84 and '86. '84 is a bastard bike -- all 1200 parts on an '88 frame, and the '86 has over 120k miles on it, and was featured at the old Venture Days shows in the 90's.

I don't still have it but my very first Venture was that gold '83.....great bike, got lots of compliments when I rode it. It's what started my on my Venture lifestyle....now I'm on my 4th.

Still got my 86 (39 y/o) setting in the shop. Keep thinking I’ll get it out and clean the carbs but can’t seem to find the time. Parked it when I bought my 07.

Was out around 5pm Wednesday and temp was around 1cel(33.8f)and wind chill of around -7degC(19degF). so yes a little nippy! This is Ontario Canada around Lake Erie.

I bought my 2001 RSV with 71K Miles on it. And it had a pogo-stick rear shock. I thought I would share my adventure of renovating the rear shock on the forum. I don't see any way that this shock can be disassembled any more than what is required to replace the O ring, and Yamaha says the shock is not rebuildable. But here's the deal. There is an O ring seal on the shaft just above the bottom clevis pin shock mount that will wear out and the shock fluid will leak out. When enough fluid leaks out, your rear suspension acts like a pogo stick. Running max air pressure may help a bit, but to fix it, that O ring needs to be replaced, and shock fluid replenished, which will often restore the shock to like new performance. It fixed mine! Credit to long time member @dfitzbiz (Dave) for the detailed instructions on how to replace the O ring. I PM'd him and he quickly sent the instructions and a pic of the tool he created to accomplish the O ring replacement. I guess he has a reason for not posting those detailed instructions in an article on the forum, so I will follow his lead and not post his instructions here. I have searched and read the "RSV Repaired Rear Shock 2000 Mile Update" post from top to bottom and searched the forum site but I don't see the detailed instructions that Dave sent to me posted anywhere on this site. So I am posting pics of my shock renovation journey, along with descriptions and comments. I gotta say, after putting in the new O ring and replenishing the shock fluid, the rear shock feels like new. Dave fashioned his shock expansion tool from what looks like 1" square bar stock. I did not have ready access to this material, so I ended up using what I had on hand to build a variation of Dave's tool. As you look thru the pictures, check for descriptions and comments below the pics. Shock Before Removal Harbor Freight Mini Moving Dolly Under Rear Wheel Harbor Freight Mini Moving Dolly Mini Dolly under rear wheel allows bike to be moved on the rolling jack after shock is removed. Removing the air filler hose from the bike. Removing the air filler. Removing the air filler. Removing the air filler. AIS is in the way - gotta come outta there. AIS coming out. Ratchet in place on top shock bolt. I think it's a 17mm. Ratchet in place on top shock bolt. Top Bolt ready to pull out. Loosening the bottom bolt. Bottom bolt ready to come out. Lowering and removing the shock. Shock removed, AIS hoses plugged and capped. Used rubber plugs for the bigger hoses (see red circle). Poor dirty old shock. Nice purty cleaned up old shock. What's behind the curtain? Removing the boot. Removing the boot. Boot removed. Boot removed. Hang the shock upside down and remove the air valve to allow shock fluid to drain. Draining the shock fluid. Draining the shock fluid. After about a day, less than 50ml drained out from the shock. After two more days, still the same. I waited that long only because I couldn't get back to this project for a couple of days, and figured it would be good to make sure it all drained out. So that's why my shock was pogo-ing. 50ml is not enough to provide damping. Maxing your air pressure to 57psi might help a bit but won't totally stop the pogo-ing. Now, if your shock won't keep air, I believe that is a separate problem. My shock would hold air pressure even tho the O ring was leaky. So my guess is there's another chamber or rubber balloon that handles the air pressure. Well, in retrospect, the above can't be right. The air goes in the same hole that you pour the shock oil into so the damping mechanism and air chamber are connected. Comments and experienced observations are welcome here! Less than 50ml of old fluid came out of my shock. Dave recommends refilling a shock with 125ml. Fabricating the expansion tool. So this piece of steel channel stock was cut from a 6 foot length I found laying in the middle of a street about 15 - 20 years ago. You never know when you might need a chunk of channel stock, right? Shock bolt will go thru this hole. Pusher bolts will go thru the two smaller holes. Lube the new O ring. Carefully slip the new O ring over the clevis and down onto the collar at the base of the shock. Carefully slip the new O ring over the clevis and down onto the collar at the base of the shock. Carefully slip the new O ring over the clevis and down onto the collar at the base of the shock. I made this pressure plate from plywood. It's not really sturdy enough for doing multiple shocks, but it worked fine for this one shock. This spreads the pressure from the pusher bolts out so as not to deform/bend the bottom of the shock housing when the pusher bolts are tightened. Expansion tool mounted and ready to pull the shaft up to expose the old O ring. Expansion tool mounted and ready to pull the shaft up to expose the old O ring. Tightening the nuts on the pusher bolts. The nuts push the tool and shaft upwards while the bolts push down against the shock body. O ring starting to show in the gap as the shock is expanded. O ring starting to show in the gap as the shock is expanded. Slip a small screwdriver under the old O ring and pull it out from the groove. Snip the old O ring and pull it out of the shock. Old O ring is clipped and ready to be pulled out. Old O ring. Clean and lube the groove that the O ring fits into. Clean and lube the groove that the O ring fits into. Use a small screwdriver to carefully coax the new O ring up off the collar and into the groove. Use a small screwdriver to carefully coax the new O ring up off the collar and into the groove. Use a small screwdriver to carefully coax the new O ring up off the collar and into the groove. New O ring in place. Clean it up as good as you can. New O ring is in place. Make sure it's still adequately lubed. Slowly back down the nuts on the pusher bolts to allow the shaft to retract back into the shock body. Remove the air filler hose from the shock body, and lay the shock at a slight angle with the filler tube up. I used a cheap meat injector from WalMart to refill the shock with 125ml of Yamalube 10 Fork & Shock Oil. I used a cheap meat injector from WalMart to refill the shock with 125ml of Yamalube 10 Fork & Shock Oil. I used a cheap meat injector from WalMart to refill the shock with 125ml of Yamalube 10 Fork & Shock Oil. I used a cheap meat injector from WalMart to refill the shock with 125ml of Yamalube 10 Fork & Shock Oil. I trickled the fluid in a few drops at a time to allow it to ingest into the shock body and avoid it bubbling back out. That way I'm sure all 125ml goes into the shock and I'm not guessing how much bubbled out. Connect the air filler hose to the shock body and pressurize the shock to about 40psi to test for leaks. Reinstall the shock into the bike. Reattach the air filler hose to the bike. Shock reinstalled. Rear AIS deleted. Put the side panels and seat back on the bike and ENJOY THE RIDE!

I talked to Dave last summer at the Asheville rally, he’s shipped his repaired shocks all over the globe. I have the instructions bookmarked but they’re on here somewhere, not sure where. He did a demonstration at one of Freebird’s MD weekends several years ago, great guy to deal with also if you want him to fix it.

Very cool, and a creative fix ta boot! Here's to 100k more worry free miles on that shock! Enjoy!

That’s the problem it’s says “red” on the box so you can only use it on the rears.

I tried that once and then had headlights shining backwards,,,, spent days and days flushing that out. Found out that using alcohol was best in getting things back to normal,, somewhat.

Bought the points off amazon. Replaced the fuel pump points at about 16,000 miles and now at 60,000. I don’t get many miles to points on my 2007 RS Venture. this is why I remain subscribed even though o only ride my Venture a few times per year.

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

not for the 1200's. it says to warm up the bike, shut it off then check. regardless, i still did a static wet check. two carbs were smack on, the other two were way off. Fixed them aaaaannnnd....nothing changed. checked spark plug boots. Found one of the resistors had a carbon track on it, bypassing the whole resistor. Changed the boot aaaaaaaaand....nothing changed. So, this scenario is very unique to me. I have found the issue for my bike. You see, I wasnt running almost any of the plastics due to them being mostly smashed or cracked, and me wanting to be stupid and do adventure riding with it. Which means the air box is out in the open. From a hunch, while on the highway when it was surging, I decided to cusp the air inlet on the box to help stop the wind shear blowing across it aaaaaaaand...the surging stopped. Removed my hand, surging started again. So, I went back home, reinstalled the fake tank lid, and what do you know, that was it. Turbulent air was causing my lean surge. At least I can ride the bike without the annoying lean surge. Also threw on the messed up side covers. Makes it look like a big Seca~

It’s a few days of the best riding you could ask for, not to mention the time setting around the fire hearing and telling stories. Some of them even true!!! I’ve made the last 4 years and it’s a ton of fun with some good people. I recommend the trip if you can.

Dan is going to try to make it from Chicago.

If we get to go we’ll stay there too. Right now 100 miles is about my limit, we’ll see in a few months.

My local Yamaha dealer orders my Metzlers for me. I run the 888s with good luck and just replaced the front one last week.

I have an 84 VR that I bought brand new still on the road,,,,thanks again Carl @Marcarlfor the refurbishing of this bike to keep her going. My wife and I went around Lake Ontario last year through New York State and home with it. Also have an 86' pictured here. My sister and I went to Vermont on it in 2023. Still love riding these old bikes. Hard to believe that they're 40 years old. Mark

Still have my 87 that was my first touring bike(sold last bike {84 Honda 400SS} to get married in 83) rode it till having accident in 2008. Bought it back with intentions of restoring when I had time after retiring! Well that hasn't happened and not sure if it will happen at all!!!! Don't have the money or the time as I hoped to have!!! Really miss ridding it!! I do ENJOY ridding my 2012 Royal Star Venture but both bikes have their qualities that make me LOVE both!!! Will have to see what happens I guess!!

I have michlien tires on my bike. I think i got them from Dennis Kirk. I love them.

The “audio” button is also the power button for the system. If it’s been turned off or battery unhooked hit it to turn on. Not trying to be funny but sometimes the obvious escapes us, wait til the kill switch on the bars gets you like it has the rest of us.

Hey there! I've seen your bike posted on one of the facebook groups sometimes. Before you get too crazy re-adjusting idle screws etc, did you replace the jets from the 1300 carbs to the 1200 carb jet sizes? Some of the jets are different. There's a chart somewhere on this page that has different jet sizes for different years etc. If your jet sizes are okay, you may need to turn your pilot screws out an eighth turn at a time until it quits, that will richen the mixture. Also, in my experience, I believe that I have an air leak at from the boots that go from the airbox to the carburetors on the bottom side. That might be leaning you out as well. Another thing to think about. If you're running stock main jets from your 1200 carbs, your emulsion tubes may be worn out of spec. The needle rubs against them and can oblong them. Maybe you're actually running a little too rich. You can get some smaller thickness washers ( I dont remember the size i replaced mine with) and drop those needles a little more into the emulsion tubes to lean it out and see what you get there. What are you getting for fuel consumption??

I haven't dreamt about him, but do think about him on occasion.

Dave Fitzgerald @dfitzbiz dfitzbiz@yahoo.com

Below has been my CCW dream. It is an older model, but the firepower is self explanatory.

Have you ever tried a sidecar? Other than the concept of "not needing to hold the bike up at a light" I wouldn't necessarily describe it as an easier riding experience than a 2-wheeler. I have an '07 Ural Tourist that is a factory designed sidecar rig with a leading link front suspension that both lightens the steering effort AND has better lateral load handling than a conventional fork. I've piloted converted Ultra Classic & Goldwings with both the standard triple clamp and the "Ez Steer" clamps. A sidecar is a-symmetrical and will pitch and yaw at every throttle or brake input, there is no subtle body lean you can put in to counter a side-wind; everything takes upper body strength to hold your line.

Thanks for posting your experience including pics. Very informative indeed.

Appears to be a fuel line or the fuel pump. It's actually under the seat. When I get home from this trip I am looking to pull the fuel pump cover and check. The I can call the shop.

I’m under the assumption that with these LED turn signals that we need high viscosity blinker fluid. Is there a specialty blinker fluid that’s recommended for motorcycles?

hey Joe that's right up there with blinker fluid 🙃

Changing the coolant tends to help it stop better 🤪

What's in the box?

Happy belated birthday Freebird! I have noticed that pesky year older too! I will catch up with you later this year.

This was me coming thru a tunnel on the parkway last week. I had hit the airhorn to see how much the wife would jump at the echo, laughed at her and exited the tunnel to find carnage. Three cars, two bikes, and a hiker in a pile, parts scattered everywhere. The first car upon hearing the horn and seeing a single yellow light thought he was meeting a freight train panicked, locked the brakes and lost control wreaking havoc. Three cars, two bikes, and a hiker in a pile, parts scattered everywhere. Luckily no injuries but it took two days to figure out which parts went to which vehicle. Lawyers are recommending I add more lights to look less like a locomotive. The best news out of it was that me hitting that broken truck bumper shook two lost 10mm sockets from somewhere in the motor and landed on my floorboard.

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 happens with old age,

Hi all..Been off the grid for awhile.. Got the sad news of Bob's passing. He was one of the happiest guys I have ever met. Always willing to lend a hand.... You will be missed big time buddy... Prayers to Becky and the family..... Here is a couple of my favorite memories of Bob from MD 2011...

It was an amazing funeral for a very special guy with huge turnout of Patriot Guard Riders:

LEDs. Some ideas for you.... I replaced my headlight bulb, reflectors, taillight with LED's. Taillight was sold by Custom Dynamics, about $90. A board replacement that is quite bright. I don't see it available on their site, now, but it fit the VStars as well. Maybe available on EBay. The reflectors I replaced with 2 cheap 2-way LED boards that fit almost perfectly into the reflector spaces...and wired to the taillight and front running and turn signals through plug and play adapter cables sold by a member here. Added an LED strip under trunk and HD style tail light kit for additional running and stop lights. Headlight bulb was a Dot approved LED with low beam cutoff and passive cooling. Fit fine and works very well. Also, you might want to consider the ignition switch modification. As stock, Yamaha runs a ton of current through the switch. Member that makes the plug and play cables also makes a plug and play set up that routes most of the current through a relay instead of the switch. Easy installation, like all of his stuff. Look up above under classifieds, member venders. LEDs in rear Reflector LEDs..run and turn blink. Wires run through rear guard, up front forks. Plug and play accessory cables from Steve. I've used his stuff to wire in the XM radio power, rear lights, front leds and soon the small front spot lights I'll be mounting on the forks. I used the 12 volt power center located under the dash on the lower left side of the fairing. Pics of the headlight pattern. High beam does go out nicely! Much better than stock in both reach and width. Low beam... High I also lowered my front end about an inch. helps level the bike, gives me more flat feet room and makes the low speed handling a touch easier. Currently run 0-4 lbs air front shock, 30lbs rear shock. Front tire at 38 and rear at 40. I change rear to 35-40 for 2 up. david PS. love your part of the country. Spent some time just East of Knoxville picking up my travel trailer. Strawberry Plains Best Western! Been through that area a lot in past few years. Will have to plan a detour south to your area by the Tennessee River next time!

It goes on the swing arm side here is another pic and a write up. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?515-Rear-Wheel-Removal