Gearhead

Greg, I hope you find it! I could not. I would say, from what I've read here over the last 2 years, that the average is more like 38-40. Mabe they've made miles longer since that survey! :-) Jeremy

"I get about 30mpg (UK) with a sidecar, pulling a trailer, on a run; but I only used to get about 33-35mpg solo. I've checked the float height, balanced the carbs, changed the plugs (currently iridium) and put on an easy flowing air filter." Well, with a sidecar and a trailer I wouldn't consider your mileage to be out of line. That's a bunch of extra weight and drag. Also, I don't think we get better mileage because of our "aero" fairings, I think it hurts mileage because of the huge frontal area. I ride a stock 87 VR. I've done all the tune-up - details following. My best - 42 US, riding mountain 2-lane with skinny daughter on back, mellow speeds. My worst - 25 US, blasting desert interstate at 107 deg F and 85-90 mph, wife on back of bike. I was disappointed to say the least. My experience and others certainly points to speed as a huge factor. Why so sensitive? My Camry mileage drops from maybe 32 US at low speeds to 26 US at 85-90 mph. Why does the Venture drop so much more? Also, seems to me I get better mileage when weather is cool, sorry to be contrary :-) I bought mine with 45K miles and considerable deferred maintenance. It was getting about 32 US in my normal daily cycle. I found vacuum advance not functioning due to corrosion in connector right under battery. That liberated a whopping 2 or 3 mpg. I've tuned carb pilots (only fuel pilots, by the way, no air screw), checked fuel levels (OK), replaced shot slides, checked plug wire resistors, air filter clean, changed all fluids, checked compression (OK), adjusted valves and I can't even remember what else. I've really done all the basics. I have NOT removed and disassembled the carbs, but I have no evidence that they are bad inside as the bike runs like a bat. I've messed with the airbox a little. This bike may not be sensitive to exhaust tuning, but it IS sensitive to the airbox. Try to idle it and then give it throttle with airbox lid removed and you'll see what I mean. It won't take throttle. (4) 1/2" holes in airbox lid is considered to be OK and potentially beneficial to running and maybe mileage. I've done this, then taped them over, then opened again, not sure I seen any difference. Nothing major anyway. One more data point. I also have an 87 Yammy Virago 1100. Stats: VENTURE.................VIRAGO 800 lbs....................550 lbs Full huge fairing.......mid-size shield Huge luggage...........mid-size bags and soft trunk 1300cc....................1100cc 4-cyl........................2-cyl ~100hp...................~60 hp 38 mpg US avg........40 mpg US avg 25-42 US.................32-44 US Notice the Virago isn't much better on gas than the Venture, except in the worst case. I've been in the same discussions on Virago forums, and the gamut of mileage reported is like 30 - 55 US. What these two bikes do have in common is low gearing. Most cruisers have much taller gearing than the Virago and get a little better mpg (mid-size cruisers, anyway). Most dressers have taller gearing than the VR. I've heard the 1800 Wings get around 40-42. They have a bunch of power, but also have EFI. Go figure. Jeremy

Hi, I'm posting this in 1st gen tech and also the Audio forum. Sorry for the repeat, but I wasn't sure which would be best. My CB was working OK. I had dual short antennas. I recently switched to a single 3' Wilson Flex fiberglass antenna and a Firestik splitter, which should work better. I got it all hooked up and now the CB is stuck in receive mode whenever it is on. I disconnected the antenna and splitter and it stays in RX mode even with no antenna. It's like the squelch is turned to max sensitivity, but adjusting the squelch doesn't change anything (it used to function normally). It did work, now it doesn't. Timing is conincident with antenna change, but problem is independent of the antenna being connected. What could have happened? Second, I've read that the Firestik splitter/duplexer is very efficient for signal transfer. The CB, while stuck in RX mode, is successfully receiving signals. But they are stronger (voices sound louder) when the antenna is connected directly to the CB, compared to when wired thru the splitter? What gives? Does the "Matching" pot affect receive strength or just transmit? Thanks, Jeremy

Hi, I'm posting this in 1st gen tech and also the Audio forum. Sorry for the repeat, but I wasn't sure which would be best. My CB was working OK. I had dual short antennas. I recently switched to a single 3' Wilson Flex fiberglass antenna and a Firestik splitter, which should work better. I got it all hooked up and now the CB is stuck in receive mode whenever it is on. I disconnected the antenna and splitter and it stays in RX mode even with no antenna. It's like the squelch is turned to max sensitivity, but adjusting the squelch doesn't change anything (it used to function normally). It did work, now it doesn't. Timing is conincident with antenna change, but problem is independent of the antenna being connected. What could have happened? Second, I've read that the Firestik splitter/duplexer is very efficient for signal transfer. The CB, while stuck in RX mode, is successfully receiving signals. But they are stronger (voices sound louder) when the antenna is connected directly to the CB, compared to when wired thru the splitter? What gives? Does the "Matching" pot affect receive strength or just transmit? Thanks, Jeremy

"- Check voltage at the batt while cranking. = Drop of 8 on the meter - Check for voltage drop on the ground side of circuit. Put VOM red on starter body, black on batt neg, crank engine, check reading. This is your voltage drop, and should not be much. I would think .5V is too high, should be less. = 2-3 - Check for drop on hot side. Put VOM red lead on batt pos, black on starter power lug. Crank engine, check reading. This side of the circuit has to go through the solenoid, but again I wouldn't really want more than .5V drop = Same again, 3." Do you really mean your voltage drops were 2 to 3 volts on hot and ground sides? Or was that .2 to .3? If it's 2 to 3, then you have way too much drop on both sides. If batt ran headlight for 4 hours, it's probably good. Probably. That big ground point is all that really matters for starter power. The wiring harness ground ties to the frame below and to the left of the battery. It's a real bear to get to without removing the upper fairing, but I did manage it; I wanted to check, clean and grease the connection. "I took the starter out, gave it a quick spin on the floor and it spun nice, I then took the lead off it and noticed that it was wired straight to the body, someone had taken the small 10mm bold off completely and put the main wire directly to it. The result of this is that the main motor inside the starer looks burned:(" Not sure what you mean here, but it could be significant. What lead is wired straight to the body, and where? 'Splain, or provide pictures. Jeremy

If you do the voltage drop checks I described, you will know where the problem is and not be guessing! Jeremy

Do you know if the dealer actually charged the batt? There are specific instructions that after you put in the acid it is supposed to be charged slowly, like 2A, for 12 hours or something. At the gages - OK - do you have a portable volt meter? If you do: - Check voltage at the batt while cranking. - Check for voltage drop on the ground side of circuit. Put VOM red on starter body, black on batt neg, crank engine, check reading. This is your voltage drop, and should not be much. I would think .5V is too high, should be less. - Check for drop on hot side. Put VOM red lead on batt pos, black on starter power lug. Crank engine, check reading. This side of the circuit has to go through the solenoid, but again I wouldn't really want more than .5V drop. - In either case, voltage drop comes from bad connections or bad contacts, such as in the solenoid. Jeremy

FWIW, Boss Hoss bikes (V8 powered) ran car tires in back, factory stock, for years. It appears they have switched to the big custom bike tires that are available now. They used to run low pressure, like 24 lb, to allow it to flex in corners. They were never exactly known for handling, but it worked. Thanks for the data point - very interesting. Jeremy

"Front tire seated bad, Front tire bad or Rim bent would be my guess out of your latest Statement. Why? ... Because in a U-Turn and very slow Speed you should not feel anything wobbling. If so, there is something mechanicaly involved." Checked these. Bearings good, everything running true. Problem persisted thru the installation of a new tire, although it did improve much at that time. I also checked the play in the rear suspension again, and it's not 1/4", but more like 1/8 to 3/16". The linkage bushings need replacing, but I don't have much of a hi-speed weave so I don't think it's urgent. The rubber handlebar mounts are good. I already wrote the stuff I tried on the head bearing settings. The search goes on! That FJR article is interesting. Jeremy

If I understand correctly... Jason, you said holes were taped shut. Somebody probably got the idea to open the airbox and went crazy, then found that the bike didn't run worth a hoot. Thses bikes are tuned such that they are very sensitive to the airbox configuration. Try to run it while holding the filter in place but with the cover off. It will idle but won't take any throttle or rev up. I've never seen anything quite like it. Like Rick said, up to (4) 1/2" holes works fine, although I'm not sure if there's any benefit. More than that and you're courting trouble. Did you say the stock mufflers have been opened up? As in, your bike makes more exhaust noise than average? That will cause popping, or actually allow it to be heard. I think popping on overrun always happens, but stock exhaust keeps it very quiet. Aftermarket pipes typically allow the popping sound on overrun. How do your plugs look? Jeremy

Not to be contrary, but hotter plugs shouldn't make the engine run hotter unless they cause ping (pre-detonation). The plug tip needs to be in a certain temp range to work right. Hot enough to burn off the carbon, cool enough not to cause ping and meltdown of the plug. A cold plug has a big heat path to the threads so it can transfer heat to the cylinder head faster, thus keeping its temp down, while a hot plug has its tip more isolated, so it retains more heat and runs hotter. The higher altitude means you are running a little rich which causes more carbon and a hotter plug can help in burning that off, as you found. In a sense it's a band-aid, but it's alot easier than rejetting. But those plugs don't make the whole engine run hotter. If you start hearing ping, that would be a good time to put the colder plugs back in. Did you ever try it with new stock plugs? Sometimes cleaning them doesn't do it. I've seen plugs that look fine but are bad. I recently rode my stock VR from Tucson (2500 ft) up Mt Lemmon (9000 ft) and it ran fine the whole time. However, I didn't spend enough time on the mountain to have cumulative rich-build-up like you might get driving all the time at your altitude. My 2 cents. Jeremy

Hmmm, I've wondered about a grommet hole for the antenna. Sounds like a pain to put on and take off every day - I wonder if it's easier than I think? Jeremy

My wife is on the taller side and likes her legs to be straighter while sitting. I made a set of hiway pegs for her that fold out, putting her feet just behind and outboard of mine, and fold back under the pass. board. I made these from scratch and haven't seen anything like them anywhere else. Unfortunately I have no picture to send you. They hinge on a bracket I made that mounts using the forward two pass. board bracket bolts. When folded in, they look unobtrusive, mostly hidden by the board. When out, they aren't exactly a fashion statement, I suppose. Her feet can be in the way when we come to a stop, so she knows that when stopping she needs to put her feet on the stock boards. Since the pegs hinge back, if I drag one it will be OK, and if I come to a stop with the peg out (no foot on it) and it bumps into the back of my calf, it will simply fold back. Best of all, she loves 'em! Jeremy

1) do you know anyone with a headset? Older Wings, Voyagers, and others use the same plug. That would help to narrow down the problem, to see if the headset output works. How about the tape deck? 2) I have the same exhaust leak. Need to buy a gasket. I think Condor took his pipe or old gasket to a muffler shop and found something suitable. Jeremy

Well, you could have: 1) Failure to charge battery 2) Problem with wiring to starter 3) Problem with starter motor 4) Mechanical problem with engine causing high drag. No. 4 seems unlikely. No. 3 happens. Mine is draggy when hot. I want to pull it off, clean it out, check the brushes, lube the bushings. No. 2 happens a lot. Usually it's a matter if high resistance in a terminal somewhere, or sometimes in the solenoid (this would explain the hot solenoid). But you said batt voltage drops way down when you hit the button? Where are you measuring voltage? If it's right on the battery and it goes below, oh, maybe 10 volts at the batt, that would tend to tell me the problem is in the battery, or a dead short in the wiring between the solenoid and the starter. As for the battery, did you buy a wet-cell where you have to add the acid? Did you follow the charging instructions before installation? Jeremy

I've just been thru this, although from a slightly different angle, and learned way more about CB antennas than I thought I needed to. My story and findings: - My 87 had dual short antennas, fiberglass-core-wire-wound (like a Firestik) that were only 16" long. They topped out right at the height of the rack so the cover fit. The radio worked, reception decent. When I finally used the CB I thought the reception was very short, signal starting to get weak at ~1/4 mile. - Gave a ride to friend who, upon stopping, tried to dismount as from a bicycle by swinging his leg over the back (hehehe) and broke the CB antenna, so the quest was on. - First, you MUST have a CB antanna for your CB, and the radio can use that thru a splitter. You cannot use a radio antenna for the CB. - Sources seem to indicate that a fiberglass or whip antenna of less than 3' is really asking for trouble, and the little rubber ones are worse. When I say trouble, that can take the form of high SWR but the main thing is short range. 3' is the minimum length for good CB operation with good range, thus saith my sources. This explains my short CB range with 16" antennas. - Dual antennas in such close proximity actually reduces range of the CB transmission. Some say this only applies side-to-side, that forward and backward range is not affected. Not sure. - One experienced source says that the Yammy factory splitter is very inefficient, that a bunch of signal is lost. He recommends the Firestik splitter, available for under 20 bucks, if you want to stick with one antenna. - For shorter antennas, like 3 or 4 foot, fiberglass is supposed to work better than a steel whip. - Make sure your mount has a good ground to the rack and ultimately to the chassis. This is very important. - Standard antenna connections use 3/8-24 threads for mounting and a PL-259 (I think I have that right, it's threaded) cable connector. MC factory stuff, of course, uses something different. If you're replacing a factory antenna, which I think has the cable built-in, you will need also need a mounting stud, angle connector (optional), new cable with PL-259 on both ends. That will connect to the input of the splitter or CB. Splitter CB output is also PL-259 and goes right to the CB. Splitter radio output is a different type connector, a smaller push-type which is standard for radio antennas. That lead needs to thread to the other side of the fairing where the radio is and connect to it. If your antenna is already aftermarket, it has probably been retrofitted with standard hardware and cables. Pull the CB out of the dash (6 or 8 screws) and see what you've got in there. - Now, for the great fold-down question that precipitated your question. There is, readily available, a "lift and lay" fold-down which has standard 3/8-24 threads, so it goes between the mounting stud and the antenna. Number is 203EZ. The ideas is great; lift a sleeve and the thing folds down. Gold Wings come with a real nice one stock. However, the 203EZ is not so nice; it's loose and sloppy, allowing the top of a 3' antenna to wiggle around 2". And that's it. There are no other current options. The 203EZ does come packaged in a couple different labels, one being AUFO, another being Bud's, but it's the same junk part. Firestik made a line of fold-downs that use a big wing nut (look up DV-SB) and have no slop, but they're discontinued. Some are still out there and I'm looking for one. - Much more info is available at Firestik.com, in the tech section. - I decided on a single Wilson Flex 3' fiberglass antenna. I liked this one because it is thinner than the Firestik, even the lighter Firefly model which would look like a tree trunk on the back of my bike (to me). I modified my mount so the antenna is farther back and no longer obstructing the removal of the saddlebag lid. The opposite side bracket has been removed. I don't think my factory splitter is working right, not to mention the aforementioned power loss issue, so I bought the Firestik splitter. I haven't installed it yet; I need to figure out how to deal with the connectors on the radio side. - wearecb.com has good prices and were good to deal with. WalcottCB.com has most everything, but didn't have the Wilson antenna I wanted. Local truck stops might have just what you want. - It might be better to buy a Gold Wing CB antenna. You'd have to figure out how to mount it, but it comes with the cable, mount and fold-down all built in. I dunno what type of connector is on the cable. Hope this saves you some trouble. Jeremy

"Now I just have to wait for the Odyssey battery to arrive should be today or tomorrow, finish the battery warning light fix and I will be back in good shape. Don't worry I may have had to push start the bike once or twice at the gas station after getting gas but this little issue can not keep me off the road with great riding days like we have had in the last two weeks.:whistling:" I had to push start mine recently when I learned the hard way that my accessories were too much for the charging system. I actually found it to be pretty easy to push start, much easier than I expected. I used 2nd or 3rd gear, forget which, ran along side it, and popped the clutch, and it started the first time. My other bike is a Virago, which is much lighter in back and has a v-twin, so it has a tendency to skid the rear tire when I pop the clutch. This thing with the 4-cyl and all its weight spun the engine much easier. Jeremy

Hey Jeff, what are you getting at? What is that a symptom of? Jeremy

Look on p. 7-42 in the shop manual. Did you say the light sticks on whether you pull the lever or push the pedal? That's weird, I can't imagine what would cause that other than the coincidence of both switches sticking. The switches have more than 2 wires coming out because of the cruise control cancellation feature. Also, activating the brake light circuit also turns on a relay for the EANDS system, so the current draw is more than just the bulbs. FRONT - a plunger switch located at the front of the lever, just forward of the pivot. That surface of the lever pushes the plunger in when the lever is released. A spring inside pushes the plunger out when you pull the lever, and that makes the light come on. The plunger can be removed and, with some difficulty disassembled and greased. Maybe spraying lube in there is all you need. REAR - As somebody described, part of the lever has a spring attached which then pulls on the plunger which, opposite of the front switch, is pulled back into the switch by an internal spring. Pushing the brakes pulls it out. I think you have to remove the side panel and the little black cover to see it. Good luck, Jeremy

So, Cpt Kirk, it sounds like the rear end renovation was the most critical step you took? I have done all the cleaning, greasing and bearing preloading back there, but it did not help my wobble. The bushings seemed snug in the suspension linkage, but I just discovered that with the rear tire off the ground, it has about 1/4" of vertical play due to slop in those bushings. As for the steering head, I have performed a slow, multi-stage process. First, I inspected, greased, and torqued to factory specs, which many say are too loose. I had wobble. I read somewhere that if you hook a fish scale to one fork tube (front wheel off ground) and pull from centered position, it should take 3-6 pounds of pull to make the wheel and bars start to turn, more for heavier bikes. So, I tightened the head bearing so I had 3 pound of resistance. No change in handling or wobble. Just recently I adjusted so I had 6-7 pounds of resistance. No change in wobble tendency, but it is now steering sluggishly because the bearings are too tight. So loose (or tight) steering head bearings are not causing my wobble! The wobble I have it not generally severe. I can remove my hands from the bars, but if I hit a rock with hands off or intentionally bump one grip a wobble will start and rapidly amplify. That's not so bad, I keep my hands on the bars. Also, when doing a slow u-turn, I feel the bars wobbling slightly. Also no big deal. Finally, under emergency-stop conditions, death grip on bars, heavy braking, it wobbles severely. Not a big deal UNTIL I get in that situation, then it's highly stressfull! Jeremy

Hi, I just installed a Wilson Flex 3' antenna and want a fold-down mount so I can cover the bike. I've read some posts here about this, one of which said the 203EZ mount was too sloppy; Hugbare said some are, some aren't. I took my chances and ordered one with the antenna. It's junk. It looks nice, but allows the tip of the antenna to wiggle around about 2". I've only found a couple alternatives: - There is a similar looking unit called an AUFO - Accessories Unlimited Fold Over. Do any of you know if it's just the same junk part in different packaging from a different distributor? - The Firestik DV series mounts (with the wingnut) are my second choice, but it seems that Firestik is discontinuing at least some of them. The DV-SBS with the spring seems to still be available, but I didn't really want a spring. I guess it would be OK. DV-90 or DV-SB would be preferred. Do any of you have a source, or have one you want to sell? - Is there any other fold-down mount out there that I'm not finding? Thanks, Jeremy

"The new rear light is 6x 12v, 3w bulbs. Two are signal. The others can be hooked 100% brake, 100% running, or 50/50 brake and running. I just assumed the bulbs were 1157 until I opened the package today and had planned on maybe changing them to LED's." I've been researching LED's and one thing I've learned is that you're better off with a whole fixture designed for LED's than installing drop-in LED bulb replacements into a fixture designed for incandescents. Incandescents radiate light around essentially 360 degrees, while LED's are very directional. This significantly affects the design of the lense and reflector for optimum usage of the light produced. If you want to reduce the current draw of the factory running and tail lights like I do, there is really no choice but to try to find a reasonably effective LED drop-in replacement bulb. But if you're adding a new fixture like you are, it's better to buy an LED fixture than to install an incandescent fixture and change to LED replacement bulbs. There are a million different styles of LED fixtures available. Jeremy

Hehehe - you give me too much credit! My juvenile mind doesn't make those connections... Jeremy

Your driving lights probably have H3 bulbs. You can get 35W H3 bulb replacements for just a few bucks online, don't remember where. Is your new rear light an LED? How about the trailer lights? If so, they draw almost no power. Remember when considering your rear lighting that only 6% of MC accidents happen from getting hit in the rear. Jeremy

Hi JB, I also bought an early Superbrace off ebay, a few months ago. Mine went on fine. The only goofy part was the caps that are supposed to plug the bolt counterbores, so I left them out. I disassembled nothing except for removal of the stock brace. The new one slid right in. I agree with post above; if you have factory fork boots they protrude into the space required by the brace. FYI, I also have slight front-end wobbles under certain circumstances; the brace did not help, but it is shiny and looks manly! Jeremy