Leaderboard

2003 GL 1800. Fork seals were shot. Replaced seals and tubes. One seal still leaked so replaced that one. Found it had turned upside down in the process,, they don't work well that way. So now the new one leaks, tubes are perfect. WHY?

What do you mean..... Canadians???? We tried, but it wouldn't turn. Found out later that both back wheels needed to be off the ground and there was only one jack. Guess it was cheaper to have a spare rather than put in 2 jacks,,,,, Americans!!!! and their engineers!!!

So why didn’t you just rotate it and put the flat spot on top? Canadians. Geeezz.

I had a flat once,, and after working in the mud and snow in my Sunday suit to change it out, discovered it was only flat at the bottom!!! Things they don't tell yah in the owners manual!!!

Hello fellow “Venturers”! Well, while I like the performance of my SVTC I know that “Raider” engine in it has more to give. There are some of you out there already like me who have drilled out the pipes and added the K&N air filter. For my part, I felt a definite seat of the pants increase in performance and it has not hurt my gas mileage as long as I “stay out of it”. That’s difficult though since I ride exclusively in SPORT mode except for in the rain. Anyways, Magnum Tuning has a reasonable performance chip at $250 which has been designed and dyno’d on a stock SVTC and they guarantee 15% MORE HP, 15% MORE Torque and 22% FASTER throttle response. All this without flashing the ECM and thus destroying the warranty. It works with the existing ECM program by causing it to adjust to parameters being fed to it (by the chip) and gives you the performance increase. In other words the ECM is just operating as designed, and the unit can be switched off and it goes back to operating as before. That being said, we know the weakest point of this motor is the flat tappet lifters. Because of that design, running a motor oil with at least 1500ppm ZDDP is essential. Mobil 1 V-Twin is 1700ppm and the only other higher is Redline Oil at 2200ppm but it’s pricey per qt. I did find a ZDDP additive which only adds $10 to each oil change but puts the ZDDP protection levels at 3,000ppm. I’ve ordered it and it should arrive by next Friday. I need to get the protection in BEFORE I increase the output. Its been requested that I do an “installation” video when I perform this, so I’ll do my best to accommodate that. Looking forward to the results!

Had a beautiful 70 degree ride into work, and 15 miles of pouring rain coming home. Life is good God's still sovereign and let me make it home in 1 piece.. thanks Jesus 😁

But you will have to pay the core charge on the new battery!

This is a touring bike, 2009 Venture

I never knew that. I came across a still in a WV holler when I was about 14. Got some rock salt in my thigh over it, scared the crap out of me. He asked me about it on our next visit so we talked about it and staying away from stuff that wasn't mine in the woods. I never told my parents until I was an adult. They said it was his still and they knew all along. He taught me a valuable lesson about 'movin along' as he put it.

Hey Marcarl, I have to admit, I have rarely seen you post about something that has you scratching your head over it, so this will be an honor to add my two cents to the mix! With that being said, The guide bushings that keep the upper fork tubes in the center of the lower fork tubes will wear out just like the fork seals. In fact, if the guide bushings are excessively worn, they will cause a perfectly good set of fork seals to start leaking! Because of the "Rake" of the front fork tubes, (angle of the tubes in relation to the center line of the motorcycle frame) the guide bushing inside diameter will become "egg shaped" over time. When this condition increases to the point where the lip of the fork seal no longer contacts the upper fork tubes, leakage will result. There are usually two guide bushings in each lower fork tube, try replacing those. Earl

I only ask because yes as @Condor says he’s a mainstay member and this is the time of year when his experience and advice is invaluable and so much appreciated and anticipated. Hoping all is well. I’m still new here and haven’t met any of you in person yet, but I have a connection with a lot of y’all.

@YoungWayne that machine looks incredible for having been outside. As for warning lights…yep! The center computer gauge cluster will go through a series of sensor checks each time you turn the key to ON and a red warning light will blink and the fault will stay illuminated on the display until remedied. Changing the battery will almost certainly cause a fault as it’s looking for low fluid level, this can simply be eliminated by adding a resistor inline. Also the kickstand down will blink until you are ready to ride and put the kickstand up. If you put it in gear with the kickstand down it will shut off.

Yes

Hopefully get a ride together next week if the weather cooperates. I'll post here when things firm up.

Bike looks great, be really careful with the plastics they will be really fragile when removing. For compression test I bought a gauge that screws into where the spark plug comes out of, make sure you have oil in engine while doing which you can see from sight glass Manual says remove all plugs and hold throttle open while trying to start the motor until the gauge in what ever cylinder/spark plug hole you choose reading hits its highest point, write down your max readings of every cylinder and compare

Just to be explicit since I'm no expert, I should try this with oil in the engine correct? I will definitely be trying this when it comes around to that time. I'll check out the tech section as well thanks! Thank you, I downloaded that and I'll be reading it! I'll definitely check out the air filter thank you for reminding me. It's been sitting outside in the sun hopefully no critters got in there. When I get a fresh battery and turn the key, is there anything I should be looking for or any lights I should be worried about? Haven't gotten to read about that yet, but potential air suspension problems have been worrying me. And I just ordered the Shinko thank you! Unfortunately I think getting the front tire is a must so I can get it out of the street and into the shade. Thank you, I will look for any rust and probably change the fuel filter as well, it doesn't seem like it has any old gas in there which I think is good so I can just put some fresh gas in there. I think I read about putting premium in an old engine that hasn't started Also: picture of myself helping the tow truck driver put some weight on the flat tires so he can pull it up the ramp

LOL. My grandpa had a still in WV mountains. I understand the "poison" on both ends of the run. hence the old adage 'bad shine will make you go blind'. It'll also put you in the ground.

In case you havent found them yet, here is a link to download a copy of the service manual for the first gen Ventures. These will be of some assistance in figuring out where things are and how to get to them and service them. And as always, ask us here on thing also. Rick F.

There are two mounting bolts just under the seat above the side bags. Remove them, lift the rear of the seat and slide it back an inch or so. There is a full service manual here: https://www.venturerider.org/forum/forum/81-manuals-guides-parts-diagrams-etc/

Puc usually pulls his disappearing act when he and Tip go visit the grandkids. I assume and hope that’s all that’s going on.

I am inclined to agree. If it fires up and runs reasonably well transmission and drive-line feel good don't hesitate. As a rule these engines can withstand a lot of abuse before they fail. As stated before worse case scenario you can always recoup your outlay by selling of parts. So for the most part you can't really loose. Having said that after sitting for ten years even a good engine may be difficult to start and if it does it may run rough or have hesitation issues, until it has had a good run. Seafoam or other additive can often help here. Pay attention to how the engine sounds when you crank it over. Even it does not start you should be able to get some idea if it has good or bad compression by how the engine sounds while cranking it over. A little gas dribbled in the carbs will sometimes help getting a sitting engine to fire up. If it has a slipping clutch I would not worry as this is a relatively easy and cheap repair no reason to turn your back on this type of a deal. with it on the center stand and back wheel off the ground clutch handle pulled in rotate the back wheel while in several gears and listen for any unusual sounds, also a extremely rare occurrence but no harm in checking.

All these "safety" features can be irritating at times. How did I survive to be 77, starting with no seat belts, no steering wheel locks, no neutral switches...? I don't remember my first bike, a 71 Honda CB350 having any interlocks. My riding lawn mower started blowing fuses so I bypassed the safety interlocks one by one trying to find the short. I had to be seated with the brake depressed, and the blades off to start it. Then if I backed up the engine shut off. That thing is so much more of a pleasure to use now with those interlocks bypassed. By the way the short was in the device below the carb bowl that supposedly shuts off the fuel to prevent backfiring when the engine is shut down. I defeated it too because a new one cost about $80 and it wasn't effective anyway.