BratmanXj

You couldn't have posted this a few days ago, I just ordered some parts to fix the cruise control on one of the cars! But...there were some "toys" I wanted to order so I'm sure it will go to good use.

Look up Truck-Lite brands on Amazon and eBay...they make the Kuryakyn and can be had for $350 for a 3 piece set (7" headlight and 2 - 4.5" spot lamps) which still isn't cheap but is much more palatable than $700-800.

I agree that the heat was never much of an issue to me unless you were stuck in traffic and sitting over a heat-pump in 90 deg+ heat. Now I used the bike to commute through Chicago so I did have a few of those "why am I sitting on this rocking potato baker" moments. As for the water cooling, they were able to cool the valve train (and not the whole engine as you did point out) and build the heads to tighter tolerances and NOT have to deal with the wide range of operating temperatures and metal expansion rates. This in turn made the engine more efficient as well as helped with fuel injection tuning for a specific operating temperature. Like Porsche with the air cooled boxer engines and BMW with the 1200cc boxer, they hit the limits of metallurgy and engine performance without sacrificing longevity.

I haven't dealt with the newer HDs that have catalytics, but both HD's I've owned were night and day difference with new head pipes, mufflers, intake and tuner. One thing I did hear in passing is some guys swapping the cat-in-pipe for later model cat-in-muffler head pipes and getting relief from the heat. I'm lucky, I grew up next to a WELL KNOWN engine builder in the Chicago area...my last bike ('03 Road King) was far from stock just off spare parts he gave me. He builds strong RELIABLE motors and stands by a 2-into-1 will wake up a HD Motor. Just throwing that out there, but everyone wants true duals cause the sound cool. I missed the black lowers in that picture, its early and I didn't have my coffee yet! The sift linkage issue - do you have a stock linkage with the "captured ball" ends or does your bike have an after market linkage with heim joints? You can swap the original captured ball ends to heim joints from McMaster Carr for a fraction of the cost of HD Accessory linkage. It removed the slack in the linkage for a much more positive shifter feeling and you can shift while barely lifting your foot. The $5 radio shack buzzer on the factory alarm vs the $100 HD buzzer. There is a lot of "common sense" substitutions on that forum where someone has already done the leg work for you.

Looping through the 3 pages I have a few comments: 1. '13 did not (and the photo does not show) LED headlights. The kuryakyn LED headlights are made by TruckLite and can be had for 1/2 the price under that name. I haven't found who produces the HD LEDs yet. 2. In regards to the heat of the engines. Doing a Full stage 1 (intake, exhaust, and tuner) solves 50% off that issue. On a bike that HAS lower deflectors like and Ultra the heat is a bigger issue, if you ever decide to put lowers on make sure to purchase the VENTED lowers. 3. FuelMoto puts together some pretty nice, cost effective Stage 1 packages with Rush mufflers. If you're looking to make power ALWAYS GO WITH A 2 into 1 headpipe. 4. HD Forums has a touring section with a thread specifically to "cheap" fixes...upgrading your shift linkage for $20, bolting in the saddle bags vs the dzus clips, $5 radio shack alarm

There are Ethanol Specific stabilizers on the market

I'm with you on that one, but unfortunately with the year I've had around here I think I'm on my 3rd set of 3...

Live and commute through Chicago daily....its good and its bad when you know the rush hours and how to avoid it, but there's ALWAYS an alternate route. Now, last time I was in Muskegon we got delayed over 2 hrs by traffic (and a random boat with no trailer on the shoulder of 31???) and construction on Business 31.

The Ural one... http://imz-ural.com/dark-force.html

ZG1000...I had a '97 with 40k that I bought for $1,200. I'm 6'2" 250 and the bike was CRAMPED for me; used set of 1-1/2" riser blocks, used 1" offset peg brackets, and a DIY repading of the seat make it an EXCELLENT commuter bike all for an extra $100. But most sport-tourers have enough aftermarket support to swing the ergo's either towards sport or towards touring. Lowering brackets for the pegs, riser blocks or heli-bars, and saddles can really open up the seating position.

I assume the bike was reasonably stock before this intake and exhaust modification? The added more air flow so you will need to adjust the fuel flow as well, the bike is now running lean. Short term rideability issues and long term scorched plugs and a hot running engine. I'm not 100% certain on the carb setup on the 1100 if you can get away with shimming the needle or if new jets are required. I don't think the Thunder MFG "stage 3" is an absolute requirement when the jets are usually sold for a few dollars a piece. If you do a quick Google search for "Rejetting a V-Star 1100" there is a very nice guide on the VStar1100 forum that pops up.

LED still have a service life, but it is more than 1 year. The biggest issue I see is under the saddle bags is prone to road debris and water splash as well as more susceptible to moisture from washing the bike than mounting under the fuel tank.

Erik heading over to Victory that ACTUALLY wants to design bikes and not just "parts engineer" every new bike they make....Oooooooo!!!

Read somewhere with the acquisition of Brammo electric & the efforts in the Zero-TT that Victory would be redeveloped into a performance brand and Indian would become the cruiser brand.

I have not installed any of those automatic clutches but from what I'm reading on the website it is a direct swap for the factory diagram spring. I have done the "Double-D" spring on my venture as well as Barnett pressure plate on many Road Stars & Warriors (same clutch system as our ventures). The pressure plate swap is pretty easy with simple hand tools and a little patience. Read through the attached thread showing the Barnett installation but at step 7 you'd substitute the Barnett pressure plate for the AutoClutch of your choice. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?491-Barnett-Clutch-Installation

My favorite because you can download GPS files for route planning in Garmin, Tomtom, etc... http://www.sundaymorningrides.com/

Do it...any upgrade on these bikes is an improvement over stock. Kinda funny how even the Road Stars went up to the 4-pots in the later '00s when the Venture is an even heavier bike. Pressure and Volume are inter-related in the closed system. I guess some people confuse lever travel with brake effort applied to the lever. Too large of a master cylinder gives that "wooden" feel. If you ever feel a wooden brake you'll understand that term immediately, there is on & off with no modulation. When you go up in size on the master the effort at the lever will increase but the lever travel will decrease. The reason being the caliper piston sweep area is fixed and you are altering the master cylinder diameter. http://www.vintagebrake.com/mastercylinder.htm

Why does everyone equate it back to inches when I show percentage?!? The change in mechanical advantage is the same if you look at it in inches vs mm. Pressure and volme are directly related in a closed system. If you change the volume by 13% you consider that negligible? Again...if someone has the resources to ONLY do a cliper swap by all means do it, it is worth it by its self. But if you can also swap to the proper 14mm master (even if you see it as inconsequential) it greatly improves the brake feel over the 5/8" master. I have ridden both types of systems and I CAN feel the difference. I ride my RSV with a group of sport & sport tourers, I push the bike hard. The casual highway rider might not know the difference but I will never go back to the 5/8" master.

Modulation...brakes are not a switch (on/off); there is a range from light application to full aplication. What I have noticed with the 5/8" master on the 4-pot brakes is only 1/3 of the lever travel is used to go from light to full application of the brakes. You loose "fine" control of brake application due the larger volume of fluid that is moved by the 5/8" master over the 14mm. 5/8" = 15.875 mm That is 13.4% larger than 14mm That may not seem like a lot but makes a big difference in a low volume system like your brakes.

The R1-R6 swap greatly improves the breaking effectiveness, I will always tell someone to make the caliper swap even if it doesn't include the master. The two bikes that I have personally been on and my experience swapping my own I offer the following information: 1. Stock 2-pots brakes require a FIRM GRAB of the brake lever to slow down, to me there was very little modulation ability due to the amount of pressure needed on the lever to obtain useful braking. '99 Venture stock 2. 4-pot brakes with stock 5/8 Master, much more braking applied with less OVERALL pressure needed on the lever yet modulation was only in a very narrow portion of the lever swing. This was on a friends '04 Road Star. 3. 4-pot with 14mm master, same braking ABILITY as previous swap but more more modulation available through out the lever swing. '99 Venture with '02 RS Warrior calipers & master

Not denying that the older R1 & R6 calipers are more predominant on eBay, just saying there are OTHER options to search for. The debate has gone back and forth many times and always comes back to matching the 14mm Master (vs the stock 5/8 master) is the MOST EFFECTIVE brake upgrade. If you are searching for a 14mm Master the Road Star & Warrior parts are a direct swap, and can be paired with the R1 & R6 4-pot calipers.

RSWarrior.com for $65 for the whole set off a wrecked '02.

1700cc Road Star ('07-up) or early Road Star Warrior ('02-'06) calipers and 14mm master match the existing look of the Venture/Tour Deluxe front brakes.

2007-2009 in the US with the 3.0L common rail diesel. If only they'd offer it in the wrangler with a 4.0 gear reduction in the transfer case like the Rubicons, now your talking about some stump-pulling!

my wife is just over 5' and I'm 6'2", she actually wants to sit LOWER on a 2nd gen. I talked to Rick about modifying the seat but there's not much you can do to lower a passenger. I'm sure he can go up but where's the tipping point to TO MUCH.