Oldodge

Still waiting for dealer to call and tell me parts are in. Haven't been riding, prime riding weather too. Decided I would take a ride this morning and the fuel pump didn't run when I turned the key on. Started and ran for a few seconds on full choke and died. Half hour later I turned the key and the pump ran fine. Fired right up. Don't trust it at all, so I let it sit. I think I will call dealer Monday and ask for status update, if it is going to be much longer I think I will order a Facet pump to get going again. I will probably go with a Facet down the road anyway and keep the Mitsubishi pump in the saddlebag as a spare.

Today I tried to call the dealer where I bought it, closed Monday. That figures, just my luck. It is a little over two hours from home anyway, so I called a dealer that is only about 40 minutes away. He took all my information, listened to my story and said he will order the parts. Said it didn't matter where I bought it he would repair it. He will call when he gets the parts and schedule me to bring it in and have it repaired under warranty. Said since it is running and I already did what he would do to check it out there is no sense bringing it in until the parts are in hand. He did caution that it will probably do it again and may not start next time. Didn't seem the least bit surprised that it failed.

It does have a Mitsubishi symbol stamped on it.

I pulled the fuel pump today. The points look shot. Not arced real bad but worn and worn off center. There was a lot of carbon dust in the cover. I blew that out with electrical contact cleaner. They look like they have an overbite. I made provisions to bypass the pump if I have to. Reminded me how terrible it is to replace the fuel filter too. Doing some research I am amazed at how common this failure is. Yamaha should be ashamed that they built this bike, unchanged, for so long, and still have this failure point. I will call the dealership tomorrow and question them on their knowledge of this issue. First warranty issue so I don't have a feel for their service dept.

Thanks guys, it is still under warranty, Not sure if I will take it to the shop or not, I hate wasting a day for them to not find anything wrong and give it back having done nothing. I will look into options, new pump, new points, aftermarket pump etc and then make a decision. Very disappointing, doesn't sound like a very reliable part.

I ride a 2013 RSV with about 28K miles on the clock. On the way home from work today it just felt sluggish and the throttle felt abrupt. I thought it was just me, I was tired and sometimes I imagine issues with mechanical stuff when I am tired. On a straight, flat stretch of two lane with cruise set about 65mph the bike just shut off. I coasted to the side of the road and tried to restart. It cranked over fine but wouldn't fire. I tried the choke with no success. I tried exercising the key switch and the kill switch with no success. i pushed it to a nearby wide berm to get away from traffic. Tried it again and it started with full choke, but any attempt to move the throttle or remove some choke and it would die. I tried removing the fuel filler cap with no change in running. I called my wife to come get me, about a 20 mile drive as I was halfway home. Figured I would have to return home and get the trailer when she got there. I had some time to kill and I didn't think it was getting fuel so I started to remove the seat to remove the tank and see what I could see. I couldn't get the toolkit's open end wrench to loosen the one seat nut that I had loctite on. I decided I would turn the key and listen for the fuel pump and if it ran I would then pull the fuel hose from the petcock and check for fuel flow. I turned on the key just as a big truck went by and I couldn't hear whether the pump ran or not. I stabbed the starter and it fired right up, idled smooth, revved smooth too. I texted my wife and had her meet me at a gas station about five miles up the road. The bike ran up to the gas station better than it had felt before the thing quit. Actually felt better than it has the last couple days. We met and she followed me home without incident. I did, when close to home to home, switch to reserve and felt it didn't run as smoothly, maybe just my imagination but at home I drained the tank to see if I had any water or anything and the gas looked very dark compared to normal. No dirt, crud or visible water/contaminants. I had filled up yesterday at a station I always use but decided to put mid grade in instead of the regular I normally use to see if it affected fuel mileage. I don't know if it was bad gas, seems odd it would quit running at speed and then restart gradually as it cooled, but I didn't find anything else. I put a gallon and a half of gas from the lawn tractor can in it and it runs like a champ. Any ideas? Fuel pump or relay maybe? Vapor lock on my old Flathead Dodge acts like that, but it was only mid seventies F and I wasn't running hot, at least not that I could tell. In 28K miles it has never hiccupped, until today. It is running great but I wish I had found something definitive. Sorry for rambling on, but I am really baffled.

Changed oil last night. Changed brake fluid tonight. Next up will be clutch hydraulic fluid. Oh yeah and rode to work and back.

I am an old car guy too. I drive my old car in a way that seems appropriate for a senior citizen vehicle, trying to stay at posted speeds on two lane roads. It was born in 1941, life was slower then I think, at least until the war started. I ride my bike in a variety of ways. Commuting to work I run at or slightly above the speed limits, thru the twisty section and also on the interstate. For a leisure ride the pace seems more sedate, although the speed is probably about the same. Must be a state of mind thing. Never thought much about it until now.

I think kids today play this type of game because: 1. They have social media as a media to gather lots of opinion 2. They have no desire to go outside and play 3. There are no wrong answers, so everybody wins or "gets a trophy" 4. Today, differing opinions are encouraged, in my day differing opinions started fights I know I am getting old, but I miss the days of a good spirited physical rumble over differing opinions with friends. I learned to only voice my opinion when I actually felt the topic was worthy of defending. Today's kids are expected to have a strong opinion on everything. And they play for keeps. No gun violence in my youth, just bruises and bloody noses and lips. My dad once told me, pick your fights, not every issue is worth fighting over, but the ones that are deserve full commitment. Oh yeah, and send in that horse sized duck, I say go big or go home!

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I know what you mean about nasty crashes this time of year. A fellow I used to work with lost his 43 year old son on Sunday when he crossed the center line and crashed head-on into an oncoming SUV with his Harley-Davidson. No idea why it happened, but it wasn't the SUV drivers fault. It is unusually warm here in PA. I just haven't had time to get mine out. I got a ride in on a nice day in January. Maybe Friday if I get all my chores done and the cable technician that is coming doesn't take too long, I can get a short ride in. You can bet I will be on high alert, as I always try to be while riding, both for my rusty skills and the cage drivers who really aren't looking for me.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the new child and your family. Congratulations! That right there is one lucky little cowpoke to have a Pap like Cowpuc!

May God bless us, every one! Merry Christmas!

Great idea Puc, I'll add a little. Twas the night before Christmas and all over this place, the lop eared varmints of VR have a smile on their face. Yes their bikes are all stored with carbs drained so clean, the formation of fuel shellac is NOT part of their dream. You'ld think that these varmints would be in despair, cause touring on their bikes they could no longer share. To the person outside of their lowly history, true understanding of VR is still quite a mystery. Many habits were formed when Don started it all, a family was formed in VR's sacred hall. And the un-educated, the unknowing, at best. Have no idea how these "Lop eared varmints" have been put to the test Thru illness and crashes good times and bad, We all remain friends And it's seldom anyone gets mad. Ok, who's next? Merry Christmas, Tim

My dad also made the choice on his own, sort of. Several of us kids had become concerned with his driving and my brother who lived nearest him (next door) talked to him an he said "I drive just fine". Cars were my dads life after mom passed. We got into rebuilding antique clunkers and showing them at local shows on weekends. Dad always drove one of the old cars to the local shows. One day he said " I am not going to drive to the shows anymore, people don't understand these things don't stop on a dime, or accelerate quickly and they are always tailgating me". Not long after that he was taking his daily driver to drop it off for inspection and my brother followed him to bring him home. When they got there he told my brother, "see I drive just fine" and my brother told him he had scared him to death twice during that short trip. Dad told me if he was driving that bad and didn't even know it he was giving it up. And he did, he was in his early eighties and mentally sharp, but the eyesight and physical strength/coordination failed him. He passed a couple years later, but never lost his love of the automobile, he quit attending the shows when he couldn't walk around and look at the cars anymore but still loved to go for a ride in one. I don't envy anyone who is faced with the dilemma of how to tell a parent or loved one they can't do something they love anymore. Here is a pic of dad and I working on our favorite old car. I am on the bucket and dad is on the fender. Good times!

I would use the gasket.

I think we have a winner.

Well that was a lot less trouble than I expected:banana:. Pulled the driveshaft and spline had a small amount of grease on it:happy34:. Pulled it from the final drive and was glad to see it was wet with gear oil:happy34:. Greased the front spline and coated the rear splines and seal with gear oil before reassembly. Used the coat hanger through the swingarm access hole to align shaft and u-joint. Took no time at all since tire/wheel was already off. Thanks again guys:happy65:.

Thanks to both of you for the replies. Midnight: I am glad I am not the only one with tan gear lube. " I have also changed mine every year simply because it is such a small amount and easy to do." That is exactly what I will do from now on as well. Du-Rron: Excellent write-up. I read a lot of articles and threads on the subject and somehow missed that one. The one I should have read. I will pull the shaft from the final drive as well. If I don't I will keep wondering if the holes are open and it is getting proper lube. Thanks again, wisdom, and willingness to share it, are what this site is all about.

I am replacing the rear tire on my 2013 RSV that got screwed. Literally, a screw thru the tread area. I lubed the splines and the pins that go in the wheel. I drained the oil from the final drive and plan to pull the driveshaft tonight to lube the front splines. My question is, should I pull the driveshaft out of the final drive to lube the spline there? A search provided an hours worth of interesting reading, but not a definitive answer. Some say the splines are lubed by the final drive oil and pulling the shaft is a waste because you will surely damage the seal. Others say pull it, it will be dry and the seal is hard to damage. What do you guys say? Also my final drive oil came out a light tan color. Not sure what color it was when it went in, but doesn't look like any gear lube I ever used. Water maybe? Feels ok, slippery and about the viscosity I would expect. Just the color throws me off, maybe a synthetic of some type? I am at 26,000 miles and I haven't changed the final drive oil since the 1k mile checkup at the dealer. When I would check the level and dip test it with a screw driver every oil change it looked really good. Still does, until you drain it in a clear container and it is such an off color. It wasn't overfull and I have no signs of leakage so I am just confused if it is contaminated, where did it come from and where did the excess oil go? Opinions please.

Ordered a new rear tire. Came out of work Friday and noticed something odd on the rear tire. It was a screw head. I made it home and unscrewed it. It was about an inch long and probably a #6 screw. Plugged the hole so it is easier to push around the garage until the new tire arrives. Just over 15K on the tire and I would have replaced it this winter anyway. Wanted to see how far it would go as it wasn't to the wear bars yet. Dunlop E3, best tires I have ever run as far as mileage. Never got more than 11K on any rear tire on any bike before, and they were really shot. Ordered same tire from Jake Wilson.

My longest distance one day ride was home to Chapel Hill, NC avoiding interstates and crossing the Skyline Drive. About 430 miles, took I think about 11.5 hours including getting lost looking for the hotel when we arrived. 38 degrees f when we left and almost 80 deg f when we arrived. Pretty much the same distance coming home on a different day, different route, hot weather. No interstate but some 4 lane took about 10.5 hours. Great memory.

Thanks Snyper316. That was a very simple, easy to understand, yet informative, video.

I bought mine as a leftover. I believe it was about '84 and the bike was an '82. Don't hold me to exact years. Dealer told me it was originally a naked bike and the fairing was supplied by Yamaha and added at the dealership to make it more appealing. Must have worked because I never payed any attention to it sitting there naked. The vents in the fairing were designed to bring in hot or cold air by switching a damper position. First cold morning both of the damper adjusters broke. Yamaha had no replacements so I made pieces and fixed them myself. I believe the handlebars, a clip on style, were also changed when the fairing was added. I got both sets when I bought it. I added soft bags and found it nimble, comfortable and reliable. Other than putting it in the ditch I never had any problem with it. I always felt the wheels were odd and didn't look right on the bike. The pic is not mine but it is the same bike and color as mine was. At the time it never occurred to me it could be a small Venture and was not advertised as such.

I had a Vision back in the day. Bought it new. Great little bike. I had an issue with gravel on a turn, a car backing out of its driveway and a ditch. Ended poorly. I fixed the bike but couldn't get the stripe package from Yamaha so painted it all black. I liked it all black and eventually traded it in on a Trimoto. I liked it a lot. Was technologically ahead of its time I think.