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Gearhead

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Everything posted by Gearhead

  1. Gearhead
    So the Venture's been back on the road for a couple weeks now. Here's what I can report: The NAPA 156 T-stat is working fine; runs a little hotter than the stock one, maybe 5-10 degrees. The gage now camps just a little under half under optimal cooling conditions (steady low-speed cruise, cool weather), where it used to run at the little break in the line at 1/3. The weather is no longer hot, so I dunno how it will fare in hot temps. I suspect it will be the same as before in hot temps, as the T-stat probably wasn't the limiting factor in extreme cooling situations. The set point just appears to be higher. The starter is working well, but I have to add that I haven't really done many hot starts on it. The cooler weather makes the problem less anyway. So it's not been thoroughly tested, but so far so good. The zerks in the rear suspension linkage are nice. I hope to add a squirt to them at every oil change. But when laying them out, pay attention to the direction they will face. Two of mine at the middle joint face straight down, and they are the lowest-hanging object in the vicinity meaning that it's only a matter of time until they get caught on something. I'm gonna replace them with the low-profile needle-type. Jeremy
  2. Gearhead
    The rubber washer allows easy adjusting of the steering head bearing preload. Adjust the lower nut so the preload is just right, put on the rubber washer, thread the upper nut down just snug on the rubber washer (this part is key), engage a special lock washer that prevents the two nuts from rotating separately, then install the upper tree and the crown nut on top which locks the upper nut from turning, which by virtue of the special lock washer also prevents the lower nut from turning. Therefore, the lower nut which preloads the bearing is not solidly locked up but rather has a little play in the lock washer and the threads. With the Furber fix, the rubber washer is replaced by metal and the upper nut is tightened down tightly on that, solidly locking the bearing preload. However, it makes setting the bearing preload harder because play in the threads allows the bearing preload to change when you tighten the upper "locking" nut. So you set the preload, tighten the locknut, and the preload is now changed (tighter than you set it, I believe), so you have to go back in and make an adjustment, tighten the locknut again, see how it is, etc. Yamaha used that rubber washer in a bunch of bikes, including 3 I've had. If it caused front-end wobble, I don't think they'd have used it! Wobble is usually caused by front tire balance, or maybe head bearings, although I have to admit I have a little left in the Venture I haven't been able to eradicate. I highly doubt this changes anything with front-end wobble. Jeremy
  3. Gearhead
    Hey Dragonslayer, Have you checked the voltage drop from the battery positive to the starter lug while cranking? I ask because in my case the starter would drag but this check showe no appreciable drop so I know the solenoid was not the culprit. I just got mine back on the road, and one of the things I did was an internal grounding upgrade to the starter, as recommended by a Vmax website courtesy of Squeeze. So far it's working well, but it's biggest problem before was hot restarts and I haven't really put it to the test. Jeremy
  4. Gearhead
    Al, one thing I haven't seen addressed here is your terminology. You said, Maybe you know this already, but remember that when you pull the hand lever you only get one front caliper, or HALF the front brakes. The linked system gives you the other front caliper and the rear together when you push the foot brake. If you're used to riding bikes with normal brakes, you're accustomed to getting all the front brake power with the lever. So you need to compare apples to apples. To each his own, of course, but IMHO the factory brakes work very well once you're used to them. I've had to release brake pressure due to squealing tires in emergency stops, so I know they give me all the braking I have traction for. I was used to using mostly front brake as my Virago has dual front discs with only a drum in the rear. So on the Venture I had to retrain myself to use the pedal a lot, and I find it stops great. I did replace the pads on the "lever operated" front brake with HH pads to improve the bite and power there, and they helped. The feel at the lever is quite firm. Jeremy
  5. Gearhead
    The part about it kicking off is normal; the book says it will cancel if the speed varies by more than 5 or so from the set point. Jeremy
  6. Gearhead
    Well, not all CV carbs need this as this is the first bike I've had that's so sensitive to the airbox. I think it has to do with the jetting, relative to both restriction and resonant effects in the airbox. It is true, though, what you say about the Venture's airbox. Jeremy
  7. Gearhead
    Mike, engines under no load always increase RPM with more spark advance, to a point of course. Take a distributor-equipped car and move the timing forward and backward as the engine idles and you'll see this. This is correct! Chuck, if you used a fixed resistor to keep the timing on the "advanced" curve all the time, I think you'd end up with detonation at full throttle and possibly other heavy-load situations. Low timing advance at idle is also an old (pre-EFI) emissions tactic, reducing NOX I think, by means of reducing combustion temp. I'd like to have it idle at maybe 10-12 degrees BTDC. Interesting about the binary nature of the vacuum advance. My Virago is the same way, but cars I've had with true vacuum advance on the distributors were progressive with increasing vacuum. Of the bikes I've had, only my Virago has a window for checking timing, the rest have had open holes like the Venture and blow oil all over. What helps is to hold a small piece of plexiglass over the hole. That way the oil doesn't blow in your face, on your timing light, etc. Good discussion, and great experiments, Chuck! Jeremy
  8. Gearhead
    Gravity feed should work fine. Raise the supply can higher to increase pressure a bit. When you cleaned the carbs, did you pay extra-special attention to the pilot circuits? Pull the pilot screws, clean out in there. Make sure carb cleaner can travel from the pilot jet in the bowl area to the screw area and thru to the outlet holes in the barrel. Jeremy
  9. Gearhead
    Zanotti has great prices on factory parts. I know this has been discussed before, so I may be redundant. You're right, not the fuel pump! I assume you've checked the fuel levels? It could be a leaky or saturated float that's heavy and barely floats, which can cause intermittent flooding. I've had it happen. I can't explain why the flooding was intermittent, but it was. After the second time stranded I found it. Jeremy
  10. Gearhead
    5bikes, Regarding (4), isn't that backward? If covering the intake speeds up the engine, that indicates a lean condition because in limiting the air you correct some of that. My comment on (5) is that you are absolutely right. If you get more MPG than that you are my hero. In fact, you already are! Jeremy
  11. Gearhead
    "Figure it out" being the key phrase. The shop likely didn't take any more time than necessary and probably doesn't understand the RLU / CMS system at all. Jeremy
  12. Gearhead
    Does that work? That tip alone could make my day! Jeremy
  13. Gearhead
    I don't think the headlight circuit has any relays. It should...and mine does now...but stock, I'm pretty sure there are none. Therefore, all 5 amps go thru the key switch, the dimmer switch, the start button, as well as the RLU (reserve lighting unit). Cleaning those switches is the first thing to do in the case of low headlight voltage. If you bypass the RLU, it triggers the CMS for a bad light. (The RLU must sense H/L current. Ask me how I know this...) If there was a bad wire, why did the shop bypass the RLU / CMS system? Why not just replace the bad wire run? If I knew how to cut out the RLU without triggering that dadgum dash display, I probably would have, but I don't know how! Jeremy
  14. Gearhead
    If you have to extend the wires, get the same gage, but the "braided insulation" or whatever isn't important. Jeremy
  15. Gearhead
    I agree with Condor. I installed boards on my Virago (cruiser) and I love them, but the more rearward set of the pegs on the Venture made me think that boards wouldn't work very well on it. Jeremy
  16. Gearhead
    Oh, one thing about the Zerks I've never read anywhere. Be careful where you install them, that they are not the lowest hanging thing on the bike at that point. (You can rotate the installation point around the part to prevent this.) This applies to the middle joint where the shock attaches. There are 5 zerks there - one in the shock and two in each link. In my case, I scoped it out but still ended up with two of them hanging straight down which is lower than anything else. I'm probably going to remove them and install the little low-profile needle-type, because it's only a matter of time until they catch on something. Jeremy
  17. Gearhead
    I just installed zerks on the rear linkage and also put one in the bottom pivot of my Progressive replacement shock. However, the seals on the ends are so tight that I literally can't pump any grease in thru it. But that's the Progressive shock - stock is different and might work better. The top mount isn't accessible to a grease gun, so I didn't bother. Jeremy
  18. Gearhead
    So is there anybody here who has played around with the stack inside the filter element? Jeremy
  19. Gearhead
    I've read a number of posts on the VR airbox but don't remember much on the square "stack" in the middle of the filter element. What's its purpose - mainly intake noise abatement perhaps? Has anybody removed or shortened it? Its top edge, stock, is between 1/2" and 3/4" from the underside of the filter element. Any results to report? I know the box is very sensitve to having the top on, and some people like to have some 1/2" holes in the top. But this stack looks like a "flow torture device" to me! Jeremy
  20. Gearhead
    Tempting, yes, but a long commute to TX... Jeremy
  21. Gearhead
    When you say "pull the amps down to 5", I assume you actually mean volts on the dash meter? That's got to be an intermittent short somewhere in there, maybe in the solenoid, maybe in the starter motor - brushes, cable stud insuator or winding insulation come to mind. Jeremy
  22. Gearhead
    One major source of static is corrosion on connections, esp. grounds. Check and clean and even supplement the radio ground, the main batt ground, and the ground connection from the regulator to the battery / frame. Jeremy
  23. Gearhead
    Huh? Ya got that backward! I'm not convinced that impact wrenches really put out what they're rated to. Plus, an impact wrench's performance depends greatly on the stiffness of the socket and any extensions used as well as how solid the part is with the nut (crank assembly in this case). What happened on my Virago was this. I removed the flywheel once, my 250 ft-lb impact doing the job on the nut. When I reinstalled, I didn't want to bother with a tool to hold the flywheel so I could torque the nut back on properly, so I gave it a couple "carefully calibrated" hits with the impact in the tighten direction. Evidently I got too much on it because when I tried to remove it again at a later date I ran into the problem mentioned above. Not only that, once I had the nut off it was a real bear to get the flywheel off its tapered fit on the end of the crank. Nobody's answered yet on whether it's right hand thread, I don't know for sure, sorry. Also, IMHO, I don't think Liquid Wrench will be effective because it spends its whole life in a well-oiled environment. Jeremy
  24. Gearhead
    I had one so tight once (on my Virago, not the Venture) that I had to make a special tool to hold the flywheel and use a big breaker bar with a cheater pipe. Jeremy
  25. Gearhead
    Yeah, what George said. And an E3 should last 23k miles plus. Can't beat it! Jeremy
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