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I had 60,000 on my 89 when I bought it in 2006 and now have 160,000 on it Have not touched the valve set so it is overdue but the bike runs like a charm. Problem is being a mechanic and working on trucks all day I tend to procrastinate when it comes to my own vehicles and yet the bike has forgiven me and remained reliable despite my neglect. That is not to say i don't keep my brakes, tires and other safety items in peak condition. just don't fuss over the engine as much as I should. I toss a four season cover on the bike when winter hits, it sits out side all year. Add seafoam to the fuel tank and fill it to the top to reduce condensation build up, plug in the battery tender and fire it up in the spring and off I go. Like I said the bike is quite hardy and forgiving. This is not to say that because I am a bad boy that everyone else should be. Obviously it is always better to give your bike the TLC it deserves. I only mention this to show how good of a machine these bikes are.

So sorry to hear of your engine damage. Turning the fuel petcock off when bikes are in storage is a good idea but that alone will not prevent hydrolocking. The rubber o rings and needle seats deteriorate over a period of time and allow fuel to seep into the crankcase. Diluting the oil and if let go long enough will fill the cylinder full of fuel and bend rods or send them out the cylinder head. That is precisely why it is important to check the oil level on our machines often. I only add 3.5 quarts of oil at an oil change. No more than 1/2 way up in the site glass. Then I keep an eye on the oil level to make sure it does not expand above the 1/2 way mark. A good sign of possible fuel getting into the oil. I always wanted to learn how to rebuild my own carbs but due to time I chose to contact Mike Eykamp last season and opted to swap carbs with him. It costs some money but it was not difficult not remove my carbs and ship them to him. He immediately shipped a rebuilt set to me. I installed the new carbs and have enjoyed knowing I have some piece of mind that I can rest easy knowing I did what I could to prevent becoming a victim of hydrolocking. Good luck with your search for an engine. I hope this helps another owner.

Swapped the terrible factory headlight and passing lamps for new LED units. I know I could've just swapped it out the standard bulb for a LED replacement, but they rarely work well when retrofit into old incandescent housings. The mounting method i used required irreversible mods to the original light assembly and fairing to fit and retain adjustability. I bought a complete OEM headlight assembly off Ebay, just in case something went wrong. While I was in there, I also replaced the original 12V power port with a high output dual USB unit, moved the aftermarket tach the PO installed from the handlebars to the underside of the dash, and my favorite part... I replaced the inoperable factory cassette player missing the door, with a functional unit with a door. Silly, I know...but it reeeeeaalllyy bothered me to stare at that broken unit and missing door. It's right below the speedo, so there's no ignoring it. Removed the luggage rack from the trunk, removed the saddlebag guards, and addressed the indestructible adhesive left behind by a matching pair of reflective "Jesus fish" someone stuck to each bag. Not sure what they used to attach them, but it appears to be either super glue or epoxy. Hard as a brick, and impervious to acetone, Goo-gone, alcohol, heat, plastic scrapers, etc. Only options were cover-up or sand and refinish the bags. I opted for a pair of imitation Lucas RER25 reflectors. Next on the list are new tires, shorter windscreen, CB antenna delete, and a shorty replacements for the radio antenna.

I may have some from an 86 I will have to check. According to parts catalog the bucket was used from 86 to 09. Just do not know how much and how long it would take to ship from Canada. I sent a speedo head for the instrument cluster to one member here and shipping was $20 and he had the part in approx 2 weeks. However given that the part fit 86 to 09 someone closer may be a better option.

Please do, then they will have contact info......

If it happens, Lisa and I would like to attend.

I will call them Monday and say "Hi, this is Jeff from Wisconsin....."

Shook out the moth balls, blew the dust out of the tail pipes took her for a ride. That first ride of the season is always invigorating!

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END! (Or so they say!)I am officially back to work at my "Day Job" starting Monday, March 15th, 2021! All of my kits I offer, as well as the Shim Kit Loan are being offered again. The only exception to this would be the Block Off Plates. My wife has eased up a bit about letting me out in the shop, FOR NOW! I have been warned that if I come in from the shop "all beat up", that will be the end of that, so to speak. I can't tell you how grateful I am to be sitting here still on this planet, and chatting with this wonderful group of people! So, if anyone needs the Shim Kit, or anything else for that matter, just let me know! Also Thank you EVERYONE for the support during this trying time! Stay safe! Earl

Jeff hit the nail on the head. I have witnessed a friends Tour Deluxe let go after the bike hydrolocked on a hard start. They replaced the engine under warranty, but it's not totally unheard of, sorry about your mishap 😕

Thank you everybody for your responses hopefully Monday I will be driving it home if so I will post pictures then

I bought my 02 with 55K on it 7 years ago. It has 117K+ on it right now and I wouldn't hesitate to take it anywhere. As long as the maintenance has been reasonably performed, 200K isn't uncommon.

These PDF's and word docx's will give you a good idea as to what is involved To check and set valve clearances. Yamaha V-Max and V-4 Valve Clearance.docx Venture Valve Adjustment Procedure.docx Yamaha V-Max and V-4 Valve Clearance.pdf VALVE SHIM ADJUSTMENT V4 1200 & 1300.pdf

I second @luvmy40’s recommendation. If you’re gonna do the valves print off the instructions in the read only library here and contact Skydoc. His kit has the tools and shims to get the job done quickly. Plenty of help and advice available here, it’s not a real hard job if you’re handy with tools and follow the directions.

Yes, valve adjustment. These are shim over bucket top ends. skydoc_17 has a shim kit that he loans out if you buy your gaskets from him. Earl is a stand up guy and one of the most helpful and friendly people I have the good fortune of knowing. In fact, most of this motley crew will go out of their way to help another Venture Rider or anyone else for that matter. I can tell you that my '06 RSV was in darn near show room condition when I bought her from another member. The clock was right around 98K mi and I have put another 5k on her with zero trouble. According to the PO, the valves have never been adjusted. I will be checking them soon.

I say go for it. I had an '06 and put over 100,000 miles on it before selling it. Heard from the new owner 8-9 months later. He had already put another 15,000 on it.

At 62,000 it's barely broken in. At best it may need its 1st valve set if not already done. These 1300 engines are high millage reliable engines and tend to give very little trouble. Many have gone beyond 150.000 and some have even surpassed 200,000. the bike itself may need some regular maintenance such as changing all fluids and checking tire and brake condition. How much depends on the TLC given by previous owner..

That was an amazing write - up! and no doubt experience to say the least. Thanks for that and now you just finish healing up I meant to add that you should really share that with the staple remover lady. and after reading that I thought for sure you were going to say that you now have a staple remover in your tool arsenal.