Gearhead

"He just didn't believe in solder, heat shrink, using the right tool or changing ANY fluids... if the level was up, it HAD to be fine." We must've bought our bikes from the same dude... Jeremy

"I don't understand the big milage difference,I sync my carbs at least once a month " Once a month?!?!?! Wow, I don't even come close, but whatever you're doing, keep it up as it sounds like you're getting exceptional milage. I did just sync mine, though, and my first tankful yielded 34mpg. Jeremy

The disparity in gas mileage that people get never ceases to amaze me. Just when I start despairing that I have the worst-milage Venture on the planet, I read one like yours, Dick, and then I feel better! I average around 35 in mixed driving, and averaged 25 on my hot trip across the desert 2-up running 80 plus. I've seen 40 twice. Under normal circumstances my gage goes to red around 140. Jeremy

"My temp never reaches the red zone, but I have never driven in Arizona, or Texas climates." What temp does the stock fan switch come on at? Since the gage has no numbers, I have no numerical reference. I just runs at half-way! Do you know about what temp that is? What is the temp of the t-stat? I recently did a tour with my wife on which I posted a write-up, and it ended with a run from San Diego to Tucson. Our ride through the El Centro and Yuma area was accompanied by temps of 105 to 107. With it being so hot, my tendency was to push the speed to get it over with. Much of the time I ran with the cruise on the max, 80. Sometimes I ran it harder. I did notice the temps creep up into fan-territory - 3/4 or so - and pretty much stay there. Never really approached the red. Jeremy

"Yes, I can hear the fan kicking it, on occasion. Another thing I noticed is this: While out riding, tonight, that issue was not experienced. But then, it was also cooler, so the hotter temperature of our earlier day may have contributed quite a bit to the previously mentioned 'needle-rising'." When the fan kicked in in the daytime, was it in slow, stop-and-go situations? How hot was it outside? And have you noticed where the gage reads when the fan starts? My Venture has the cruise control, but on my Virago I've had a throttle lock for years. I love it. Not as nice as cruise, of course, but a welcome respite for the hand on a long ride. I found that I got used to flicking the lever up with my thumb to release. Also, it will slip so if I forget to release it but just twist the throttle closed, that works too. It is a major suspect in your throttle binding, though. They need to be properly adjusted. For that matter, so do your throttle cables. You should have some play in the throttle, that is, you should be able to wiggle / twist the throttle 1/8 to 1/4 inch without actually opening the throttle. Check this at both steering limits as well. If too tight it can cause binding. Lube is also good. I like Dri-Slide for cables because it doesn't attract dirt and comes with a teeny-tiny tube that you can slip inside the cable. It's expensive for a little bottle but it lasts many years. Jeremy

"Wouldn't make sense to have different fuse designs from the factory....would it?" Make sense? Who said anything about making sense??? But the factory did this, all the same. That bit about this fuse box existing only on the Royale makes sense - Yammy added a "sub-box" for the additional functions of the Royale. Jeremy

Regarding the temp issue, it could be a funny reading on your gage, but you don't want to stake your engine on that. Does the fan run? It's obvious when it does; you can hear and feel it. Mine runs at halfway most of the time, and the fan comes on at 5/8 to 3/4, still below the red. You may need to take that issue up with the dealer as well. If coolant level is good, it may need a new thermostat. I hear that water pump impellers can go bad as well. Jeremy

There's a photo cell that turns off the pulsing at night. I would bet that it creates a problem with the CMU. Jeremy

Dan, I didn't experience that symptom. What happens if you turn the idle speed screw down? Jeremy

Both of these subjects have been under a lot of discussion lately, and my bike needed both. Saturday was the big day, and here is my story. I'll start with the clutch. What happens to these things that makes them slip without wearing? All discs measured exactly the same as the brand-new discs - no measurable wear whatsoever. Spring measured within spec. Yet I had mild slippage sometimes under full throttle (not very bad, but annoying). I put the new discs in anyway. Didn't touch the half-disc in the "damper" mechanism as the manual says not to unless there is "severe chatter". I didn't sand the plates or replace the spring. Now after about 40 miles of riding and quite a bit of full throttle. I have experienced no slip - hooray. I've experienced this before. I've had (3) 87 Yahamas. I've had a Virago for a long time, and WAY back I had exactly the same problem with the clutch. I recall measuring the old discs to be well withing spec, just like this time, replaced them anyway, and I've never had that clutch slip again in 80,000 more miles. The mileage on it at the time was probably in the 50k's, same as the Venture now. I also had a Radian for awhile with less than 20k miles on it, and it's clutch slipped on occasion. I never worked on it and then sold it. What's up with that??? While I had the cover off I removed the nasty old remains of clear coat and polished - looks way cool but now the other case covers look very bad comparision - they feel embarassed, too. Worst part of the job was removing the old, rock-hard gasket from the cover. Replacing the slides went about as expected. I didn't want to remove the carbs so I haven't looked at the coasting diaphragms, just the slides. I had pulled #3 and it was quite cracked, so I ordered (4) of them. I found that #2 had been replaced sometime, don't know when but it was at least 2 years ago, probably longer. The diaphragm was good on it. At $55 a shot I wish I had known that before ordering, but the rubber was a little harder on it than on the new ones so I just put in the whole matched set and will keep the "new-old" one around for a spare. This profoundly affected the tuning of the bike. The carbs, which I just synced a couple k-miles ago, were way out, and the pilot screws which I had also adjusted needed to be leaned out. This gives me hope that this will answer my poor MPG question. Everybody said bad diaphragms kills the top end power, so I was looking forward to knocking my socks off on the first ride, although it ran pretty good before. Well, my socks are still on, but I think top-end is up. It sure gets up and goes. For one thing, it seemed to be running out of steam at 100 before, and this morning I saw 110 mph with a little still left (ran out of room). OTOH, it may have been clutch slippage or aprehension of a weave that kept me below 100 before, so I'm not totally sure if my perception is accurate. It tachs out to 8k rpm with no problem. I'll let you know about the MPG, although all this WOT ain't gonna be too good on that! Finally, I had gotten some weird compression readings before which made me wonder if something inside the engine was about smoked. I preferred to deny it rather than think much about it. On Saturday I ran compression again with the engine HOT and new schrader valves in my gage hoses (I tried two gages). I got 190 to 200 psi in all cylinders - wow! I concluded the following: 1) A hot engine can make a difference in reading consistency. It also makes a difference in burned fingers. 2) There is a schrader valve in the end of the gage hose that need replacing on occasion. It is special, so don't install a regular tire valve core (it looks the same) - get it from a tool store. It has a profound effect on readings! 3) Different gages sometimes read differently, so use the same gage for your whole test. 4) Even the different hoses made 10psi difference. Both had new schrader valves. All I can figure is that the valves were slightly different, but I didn't take the time to swap the new valve cores and retest. 5) They say to open the throttle all the way, but on a CV carb that leaves the slide blocking most of the intake path. I removed the air filter and used a dowel to hold the slide open for the test (as well as opening throttle). This seemed to make about a 5psi difference, and allowed the compression to build a little faster. I wouldn't say it's a critical part of the test, but it did affect the test. Jeremy

"Some guys have re-located the TCI to the top of the airbox, it keeps it dry there. There is a problem with where it is located...heat and then cools can cause condensation." Another problem with location - it sits right under the battery. Given enough time, batteries always leak stuff that corrodes whatever is under them, and it accelerates corrosion on the TCI connectors. Mine did exatctly what yours is doing, but only when I pulled the tank cover and sprayed water down in there for some reason. I didn't pull the TCI (PITA) but managed to get my hand down and unplug it. I used connector cleaner and grease, and several plug - unplug cycles to clean the connectors and it's working fine so far. Jeremy

I live in Tucson and the heat is a problem. My bike is an 87 which has the closable vents in the triangular holes near the rear cylinders - yours just has a hole, right? A bunch of heat must come out there, because when I open my vents it's real nice in the winter. Maybe you could retrofit the closable vents, or make some cover plates to put in. The side covers got way hot, so I got some under-hood insulation, kindof a woven felt-ish stuff with a sliver foil-ish cover layer, cut it to size and glued it on the entire back side of the covers to keep the surface from getting so hot. I cut a hole in it where the heat vent is, but in the summer I tape a piece of insulation over the vent (on the backside) because the vent leaks a little when closed. Heat also leaks out the crack between that cover and the fairing. I cut the insulation to kinda fill that gap. It helps a little but looks hokey. I intent to cut it back and stick some gray or black foam weatherstrip in there. I've not noticed a big problem on my feet, but sometimes my ankles get a little hot breeze from under the fairing and covers. Here's a big help - Baker Built Air Wings. They are discontinuing them for our Ventures but I bought some a short time back so get 'em while they're hot (no pun intended). They work like wind wings on an old car; they can give extra protection when closed or scoop air when hot. It really helps the hot knee problem, and provides a draft in the entire cockpit area. Check out their website for pics. I had to get used to the appearance, but they are worth it. Jeremy

My 87 has all the fuses you show - they must be stock. I don't know offhand what they are for, but IIRC, mine has a cover, and others have said what is labeled under that cover. Cool deal with the bars. My Dad has a Voyager and I can't envision how to retrofit the bars to a Venture; mine has a sort of clip-on arrangement while his are more conventional bars. Sounds impressive. I don't like the back sweep either. I've dealt with it by 1) adjusting the inner pivots all the way forward, and 2) adjusting the outer pivots all the way down, plus one. I actually ground out the slot so I could go one spline further down. I like it pretty well; it changes the angle somewhat from back to down which is better on wrists. I can sit up real straight and actually hunch over a bit on the bars for a sporty riding position, but if I lean back on the backrest my arms are out too straight. Jeremy

I thought about dremmel-ling a slot in the screw heads (some were very tight), but vice grips did the trick. Now they all have hex head bolts. I bought mine at RonAyers.com; they were $55 each. They, Zanotti and FlatOut seem to be very competitive. usually Zanotti wins, but not in this case. Yeah, the needle moves a little in the slide, but it's spring-loaded downward. If you push it into the slide it will go, maybe 1/16 of an inch, but it should spring right back out. Your problem sounds like it's not getting enough fuel. Have you cleaned the carbs, and I mean THOROUGHLY? How about fuel / float levels? Seafoam out the wazzu? Jeremy

Hey Giga, I think you could say that both are "oscillations" of different natures, but I'm splitting hairs. I agree with your assessment, and have been calling them a "wobble" and a "weave". I would guess that a Superbrace might help with a persistent wobble, but not the weave as you say. My bike gets the weave, just slightly, in a straight line on flat pavement at high speeds. As I've noted before, if I induce it with a rapid bump on the bars it will do a slight, self damping weave that goes 2 or 3 cycles and is gone; this happens at normal interstate speeds. However, today I had my bike up to 110 mph (that's 177 kph for those in other parts of the world) for the first time (more on that in a different post) and it did the weave, just slightly but constantly. I was trying different things like knees in the breeze per SilvrT, tighter / looser grip on bars, etc, but traffic got in the way before I could reach any conclusions. Darn traffic - what's up with those slowpokes, anyway?? : ) (Amazing how quickly you come up on people at that speed.) The weave was super slight, but does make you wonder...what if it gets bigger...suddenly... Jeremy

You're welcome. Instructor? Nope - mechanical design engineer, so I have to write instructions and assembly notes for my designs. But it struck me that you're the same guy who just had his Venture up around 120mph or so, right? So you're not short on top-end power, which is where bad diaphragms are supposed to hit you. Just a thought. Jeremy

I dunno, but the service manual (available on this site) shows how to get them out, and they're REALLY easy to access on the bike, which is amazing (I guess SOMETHING has to be easy to access!) Remove side covers and lower fairings, and the caps are staring out at you. Four screws each and you're in, but there could be a little trouble here. For one, there is a tamper resistant torx screw for which you can buy a special wrench OR us a combination of small vice grips and a standard torx wrench to get it out. Second, these screws are often stuck in there pretty good. I used an impact driver when I pulled one cap to inspect, but tapped VERY GENTLY on the pot-metal carb bodies. The other day I picked up (16) 5mm x 12mm hex head bolts to put in in their place when I replace the diaphragms this weekend. Stainless socket head or button head looks really cool, but you can't see them anyway with the fairing on so I went cheap, zinc-plated hex head. I will install with a touch of anti-sieze - esp. important if you use stainless. Once the caps are off, the slides pull right out. Inspect parts for wear and dirt, etc. You can remove the pilot air jet #2 if you like - I will probably spray some cleaner in the accessible orifices. Remove the needle from the old slide, put into new slide, reinstall. Check the condition of the tiny o-ring at the bottom - probably needs replacing. Also, keep everything VERY clean. That's about it. Look at the manual for pics. Jeremy

Good work! This is a good argument for flushing the hydraulics every couple years - hopefully to avoid these problems. Jeremy

Transistor Controlled Ignition - I think. It is stuck under the battery toward the RH side. As such, over the years it tends to get some acid runoff from the battery causing corrosion on the connector. Some guys move it to the top of the airbox. I agree - I love talking shop! Jeremy

Well, I know the diaphragms are shot which is said to affect the top end power. I just got my new ones yesterday and am waiting anxiously for the weekend. Jeremy

" "BLUE Beast" had 98,700 miles on her and when she left left everyone knew it. Redline was home to her and the longer she stayed there the better she ran." Hey Dan, I keep seeing these references to Blue Beast, but it sounds like she's no longer on the road. What is her sad story? Jeremy

185 km/h! That's 115 mph. She'll go that fast?? I've had mine to about 100 and she doesn't have a whole lot left. Jeremy

You know the little rubber boot for the odometer, well actually, trip meter reset button? Mine is falling apart, which it seems will allow water into the gage assy which seems not good! It's not separately available, according to the parts fish. What have you guys done to fix that, or is water entry not really harmful? Thanks, Jeremy

"2. i would make a background check on what political party the bike belonged to before you acquired it....:cool10:" Yeah; at least if it pulled to the right... I don't think brakes will do it, but easy enough to check. My Virago has always had a slight pull to the left (gasp) as well. Never figured out why. My Venture steers straight. I wonder if there are small variations in frame alignment or something. Tire wear sounds like a suspect. You speak of sway - that is different from pull. My 87 VR has had two types of "wobble" or "sway". There was a front-end wobble where the bars and front wheel would ocsillate rapidly and with increasing intensity if I took my hands off the bars, starting around 30 mph and up. This went away (almost completely, but has happened once since) with a new front tire, which has been my experience with this type of wobble on other bikes as well. There is also a high-speed "weave" which comes in around 65-70. It is distinctly different, though. It's frequency is much lower (oscillates more slowly). It is not just the front end, but rather the whole bike. Grabbing the bars harder does not stop it, but it damps itself out quickly anyway. It does not happen on its own, but only with a sharp input on the bars like perhaps a rapid lane change. The tendency increases with speed. I have gone thru the entire suspension. I believe this one to be a function of the bike's size and layout and flex in the frame. Articles from 1983 mention this as normal for a full-dress machine, although it does make me wonder, "What if it doesn't damp out just one time?" Reading on this forum has led me to believe the only way to really reduce it is to install solid engine mounts which stiffens the frame, once you are sure your bearings, etc are working properly. Jeremy

"In the earlier years, this was an option, like the cb radio was an option. " OK, but weren't they included on the Royale? Jeremy