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Gearhead

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Everything posted by Gearhead

  1. Gearhead
    And Bluesky, that's a cool vid! And the dated look is kinda entertaining ;-)
  2. Gearhead
    Hey Earl, that makes sense. My bike actually had 115,000 miles on it! I may have done the fork bushings before, I can't remember. I'll have to check my maintenance record. But I'm pretty sure I can feel a small amount of play between the sliders and fork tubes. I'll check it out. I've had similar experience with fork seals, BTW. Factory last much better. But you know what makes the biggest difference of all in terms of fork seal longevity? Using fork tube protectors to keep the dead bugs and rocks away from the sliding surfaces of the fork tubes. Now I just realized I have a leak in the flex hydraulic hose down by the clutch slave cylinder. The battle never ends! Jeremy
  3. Gearhead
    Yeah Puc, it sure does! Thanks guys for the ideas. I'll take another look.
  4. Gearhead
    Hello Venture-ing friends! I've been scarce on this forum lately but still lurk now and then and still ride my old 87 Venture. I've discussed this some time back and did a quick search before typing this, but I want to ask again about the old subject of front end wobble. Not the hiway speed wobble that happens at 70+ mph (don't have that), but the low-mid speed wobble that happens around 35 mph and is worst when decelerating, and is normally not a problem as long as my hands are on the bars (where they belong anyway). My past experience indicates this is usually front-end related, normally tied to front tire wear and/or balance. My Virago will get a little bit of it on an old front tire, but it always goes away completely when that is replaced. I could ride all day on that bike with my hands in the air if I so desired! Not that I do that sort of thing... Not so with the Venture. It seems prone to this issue, and gets worse with front tire wear, sometimes to the point where even with my hands on the bars I'll feel it shake a little at times. In the past, I've had a new tire cure the problem but only for a very short time; a couple thousand miles later it was starting already. This time I had a bunch of deferred work on the bike and it was off the road for several months. Recently got it back up and it's a blast to ride with new parts and adjustments...but...the front wobble is very present, the worst it's ever been with a new front tire. This work included: - New front tire (not rear) E3's. Note that this E3 required the most wheel weight I've ever used to balance a bike tire. - New Steering head bearings. Torqued tight at first while turning bars back and forth (to seat races), then backed off and brought it up to factory specs (2.5-3 ft lbs or so, IIRC). More info on this below. - Change fork oil - Checked front wheel bearings, they were fine. Other work I've done in the past, along with other possibly relevant info: - Run 38-40 psi in tires - Progressive rear shock and fork springs - Rear suspension - some new bushings, all greased - Superbike fork brace - I've tried various torques on the steering head bearings before, as some here have had success with this issue by overtorquing them. It has never helped for me. Nothing I've ever done to it save replacing the front tire has ever made any difference in this front-end wobble. I've read about it here, and my dad has similar experience with his 2001 Kawi Voyager. It seems this type of bike's geometry and weight distrubution may make it prone to such behavior. But I can't help but think there has to be a way to make it better. Has anyone ever installed a steering damper? I've only seen these on sportbikes. What am I missing here? Thanks, Jeremy
  5. Gearhead
    Hey Y'all, A while back I had the problem documented here with my brakes. I fixed them as follows: I bought bushings that are 3/16 ID (just right for the pins) x 1/4 OD, drilled out the holes on a drill press and light pressed the bushings in. I also bought new pins, 3/16 dia. All hardware came from McMaster Carr and cost just a few bucks. I also filed down the surface with the grooves until the grooves were essentially gone. I have attached pretty detailed pics. They aren't great, phone camera, but they get the point across. In the "wear_grooves" pic, the grooves are near and in the part that looks blue. The "egg_holes" pic is supposed to show the egg-shaped holes before I did anything, but it's pretty hard to see. The file names of the pics are fairly descriptive. The process took me a while, but saved getting at least two and maybe 3 new calipers. Jeremy
  6. Gearhead
    Your farkles are electric? Mine are just gas...
  7. Gearhead
    My Dad has one of those cool digital volt gages on his Voyager. On your 84 VR, don't you have the mechanical anti-dive? There's some component in the electric anti-dive on the 87 that really sucks down the voltage under braking, way more than just the 1157's. Thanks for the advice on the RR, I will definitely look into that should the need arise. But it's working great right now! Oh, and I looked under there this morning and didn't see an oily mess, at least not yet. I need to get in there with the big flashlight and mirror so that if there is still an oil leak, I can see it before a huge mess is present. Jeremy
  8. Gearhead
    I just finished replacing the stator on my 87 VR. Thank God for the volt meter on the dash, it allowed me to notice that I wasn't getting charging voltage before it was too late, and I rode the bike home on battery power. What a pain this job is! The stator part is typical - remove the cover, replace the stator, deal with the little rubber plugs where the wires go through. But, as has been noted, the screws holding the stator inside the cover are SUPER TIGHT with Loctite. The gasket was like a piece of granite bonded to the cover - very difficult to remove. And finally, there's the little cavity behind it with all the oil leak opportunities. Ya know, behind the cosmetic flange on the bearing cover behind the stator cover? Mine was an oily mess. I found on this fine website that oil can leak from either of the wire plugs in the stator cover, the gear selector switch, the shift shaft, the clutch slave cylinder installation, or the gaskets themselves. And all of these are packed into a tiny area too small to see, much less work in, which was difficult to clean out because my engine was sitting open with two covers removed and I didn't want crap to get in there. There's also 4 wire bundles that go through there, plus a convoluted shifter design with TWO linkage rods, 4 heim joints and a jackshaft! No wonder the shifter on this bike is not the smoothest I've ever used. I was pretty sure my leak was not coming from the clutch cylinder. That left the gaskets, gear switch o-ring, wire bundles and shift shaft as possibilities. I was already replacing the gaskets and redoing the wire bundles. The gear switch o-ring was low-hanging fruit, so I did it. As others reported, I found one of three retaining screws missing and another loose. Re-installed with Loctite. I did not do the shift shaft seal because, frankly, it looks like a total pain to do and I didn't wanna! I am hopeful that the leak was not there. Well, the good news is that it runs great, charges great, but dunno yet about leaks. I installed the hi-output Rick's stator. They don't list it, but I learned about it here; it is in their Hot Shot series. They don't really give any specs on what to expect in terms of increased performance. I can tell you that by 2000 rpm it's generating 14.75 volts at the battery, even with the driving lights on (stock regulator). Even by 1500 rpm with the driving lights and heated grips on it's getting up over 13V, where charging is starting to happen as opposed to battery drain. I never drive it below 2000 rpm except idling at signals. I don't have any "before" data to compare it to, but my impression is that I am getting more charge at lower rpms. I know that before, if I had my driving lights and heated grips on and was running around town I would gradually deplete the battery. Thanks to all who have contributed to stator and oil leak info on this site. That info makes all the difference when doing the job. Happy New Year, Jeremy
  9. Gearhead
    I just posted in some detail a few months back about my adventure with this problem. In my case, the groove was keeping one end of the pads from clamping on the rotor, so my pads were worn in a wedge. Most of the wear in the pin system was not on the pins themselves, but rather the holes in the calipers where the pins go through looked like eggs. The problem was most evident in the rear but starting in the front as well. I didn't want to pop for R6 calipers or whatever 'cuz I'm too cheap. I ordered some small bronze bushings from McMaster Carr, as well as some new pins. I drilled out the egg-shaped holes to the OD of the bushings and tapped them into place, restoring the fit of the pins in the calipers. I then filed out the grooves in the calipers. They are working quite well since. I took pics of the job but have not yet posted them. Jeremy
  10. Gearhead
    Regarding the knocking, mine does that, it's play in the clutch basket. Pull in the clutch and see if it quiets down. Well-synced carbs make it idle smoother and minimize this. Jeremy
  11. Gearhead
    FYI, I checked the plug this morning, the one with the 3 AC wires from the stator to the R/R. It was OK - I had previously cleaned and greased it. But I found the problem - continuity from the stator wires to ground - a bad thing! The varnish-type insulation on the windings breaks down over time, same thing happened to my Virago years ago. Also FYI, RM Stator sells their own stock replacement model for $100, and they sell Rick's stock replacement for $140. I need to call Rick's and Buckeye about high-output models, and check the price on a Yammy stock unit. QUESTION: How does a high-output stator work with a stock R/R? Thanks, Jeremy
  12. Gearhead
    E3's do make a funny noise in corners, but they handle great and wear like iron. Mid 20k mile range is normal for me - 22k-27k-ish
  13. Gearhead
    The filter is behind the chin spoiler and a metal mesh grill - I wouldn't think it would be very susceptible to damage. Furthermore, my dad's old Intruder 1400 had a factory stock spin-on filter in the same position, and it did not even have a chin spoiler...so I don't think it's an issue. Who sells this adapter? What kind of filters to they take? Jeremy
  14. Gearhead
    Where is the smoke coming from? Pipes? Engine area? Center stand? Sometimes they leak oil in the middle near your feet and it gets on the hot exhaust collector. Does the temp gage go super-high? It's normal for it to go to ~2/3, just a bit under the red, when warm. Does the cooling fan kick on? Yes on the valves. Adjustment interval is ~28k miles. But I doubt that's related to the smoking. Jeremy
  15. Gearhead
    Keep it up Dan. The pain will get less every time, and your strength will return. Keep it up. Jeremy
  16. Gearhead
    Funny you should mention, yes I have! I'm a good speller and proof reader, so horrible internet spelling amuses me, I must say. But that being said, it doesn't seem like I type as well as I used to. Maybe I never did... Jeremy
  17. Gearhead
    RM Stator in Canada now only sells standard output stators. Where is this "Vendors" area? I can't seem to find it. Thanks!
  18. Gearhead
    I checked RM Stator and they have a great deal on a stock replacement stator, $100. But I thought somebody made a high capacity stator? Jeremy
  19. Gearhead
    You've probably already thought of this, but make every effort to plan it so you ride the bike uphill and back it downhill. Wow, Flyinfool, that really sounds gutsy. You've never dropped it? Jeremy
  20. Gearhead
    Yes it is potentially harmful. You can do it carefully to get home if your clutch handle falls off or something breaks, but don't make a habit of it. It slams the gears together under some engine load. Jeremy
  21. Gearhead
    Yup, will do. Maybe my stator is OK and just one of the connectors is overheated and corroded.
  22. Gearhead
    Yup, mine are scuffed on both sides. And that is how they stay.
  23. Gearhead
    Probably 'cause there's so many Wings out there. The used market for Valks is much smaller, which causes a kind of cult demand.
  24. Gearhead
    Was riding to work this morning, got about 10 minutes from home, and happened to look down at the volt gage - sitting smack in the middle of the "12" - at speed, engine turning a normal RPM, no excessive electrical loads turned on. Hmm...this is not normal... My volt gage is normally very consistent and actually quite accurate. SOOO - thankful that I looked at the gage and caught the problem while the battery was still charged and keeping everything going - I turned the Venture around and exchanged it for my Virago. No time to check anything out yet, but I noticed on the way home that the gage does dip below 12 when the engine is idling and climbs a tiny bit to the 12 when revved, which sounds just like years ago when the Virago had one of its stator coils short out - it kept charging just a tiny little bit, enough to keep the engine ignition working, but not enough to run the headlight. So I need to do the tests to confirm, but I need to know what's out there nowadays for stators. Is there still a company that makes an upgraded stator for the old Ventures? Jeremy
  25. Gearhead
    Excellent!
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