videoarizona

Bill, thanks for the doc. It seems I already downloaded that and printed it out! Had it sitting on the floor next to the tools...and a pencil to check off the steps. If I do have an issue, I'll be giving you a call, Bill, if you don't mind. Probably not until next week as I need to be in Payson this weekend. Frank, I looked over the manual and the pictures of the swing arm mounts... and it doesn't look as easy as four bolts. I'm going to see if I can pull back the rubber boot and check out the ujoint and intermediate shaft nut first. If all is well, I won't bother with the swing arm. I'll only pull the rear end and check the drive shaft. If my memory is correct, the rear end splines of the drive shaft are bathed in oil from rear end (1st gen 1989) so only the front end of the shaft needs grease. Randy, I'll see if the rear end is OK...don't think I've heard to much about older 1st gens having that issue either...I'm going to think about taking the rear end apart. Everything "looks" good from outside, including bearings on wheels, etc.. But who knows what evil lurks under the skin?? Wish there was an easy way to confirm a broken pinion nut? Anyway, taking everything apart was easy with your help...wheels are back from Tucson with new Shinkos at 44 pounds of pressure so they should be good. Will keep you posted...

I'm with you, Kevin. This might be a small profit cetner for someone with a 3D printer. Both the left and right side vanes that are used to cool off the motor and provide heat for riders would be nice to have.....plus the ones on the fairing as well. I'm in...

Randy, I want to check the intermediate shaft to see if the shaft broke. I have a small leak under the ujoint area and have a loud whine under deceleration. So there is the potential issue of the shaft broken and the end and nut riding inside the ujoint. So taking the differential off, pulling the drive shaft out from ujoint is important to me at this point. Why not? I'm this far anyway. And...found out the rear end oil had never been changed (39K miles), or not changed in some time, as it was black and some metal filings on the little magnet end of the drain bolt. I took delivery in April and have been working on it to check it out a little at a time....

Perfect...thanks Frank!

Yep...me too. Hmm...

Got bike on center stand and both mufflers off, right side stripped down. Once my buddy comes by this morning, I'll get the wheels off and take them to Tucson for new rubber. After I get back, I'm going to take the rear end apart to inspect, clean and grease. Question #1: at what point do I need to drain the rear end oil? I assume it's when I take the rear drive unit apart? I see it has oil seals. Question #2: If I have the front end down on forks (kneeling)... if I have a broken shaft (intermediate?),do I need to drain engine oil before taking the shaft out from the trannie case? Manual isn't that good...and I really don't trust it. Trust you guys and gals expertise more! TIA, david P.S. that nut on rear axle is on there tight.....geesh.

Skeeter, I think the type of lights would depend upon whether you want more visibilty for cars to see you, or more flood or spot lights for night driving. Maybe a little of both. For me, It was more along the lines of wanting people to see me easier. I already added a pair of WalMart lights ($20) to my VStar 950T, swapping out the 55watt bulbs for 30watt as the 950 charging system isn't robust enough for that much current. They seem to be doing the trick as I haven't had any issues since I put them on(knock on wood). I also put a small screw into each lens to make sure they didn't pop off as they are held on with a dimple. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Optronics-55w-Pair-Driving-Light-Kit/16680058 As you can see, the lower wattage bulbs are plenty bright. They do add light to the sides of the road at night as well... as I have them aimed that way just enough to catch the eyes of drivers on side streets. I'm now researching driving lights for my 89 1st Gen VR. May use the same lights as well but leave them at 55 watts. Haven't figured out where to mount them yet which is the holdup. Because the switches are poor quality, I would hard wire the lights to the battery through a relay so they are on all the time the ignition is on, as I did with the 950. If you want pure down the road light, suggest a good halogen or LED light proven for that use. $200 each will buy you very strong LED driving lights. These are cool... http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/316/d/utv-lighting#&&SearchParameters=42-1021-0-0-0-1-24-1-6_1-2_956 Hope this helps... david

Posted video link in "videos" section. Title: "Wickenburg north to Jerome VIA 89 & 89A" download... then get bored...there is some interesting scenery later on... david

Here's the link for the video. Re-rendered it in real time....so you can either get bored watching entire trip or speed it up yourself on playback if your computer allows that... GoPro original at non-HD setting. Wanted to test out the lens. You can download...about 1gig....look for the download icon on lower right. Three little dots. https://www.dropbox.com/s/dofatb0q73m84n2/GP%20WickenburgtoGerome.mp4?dl=0 david Scrape floorboards on the VStar 950Tourer multiple times...one of them is at 19:05ish. Handlebar mount: first section cam was mounted high...second.. moved lower. Didn't like lower....

Puc, Something like this will work to hold the phone. There are some out there that will trigger the picture as well. Something Tippy can hold while you drive... http://tinyurl.com/ljc9zov david

I have both the GoPro and the JVC Addixxion cams. JVC is tiny with built in monitor. GoPro is a GoPro. Lots of good mounts available. I mounted the GP on my VStar 950T in two different places. Handlebar and on engine guard. The guard was more stable. The wind buffeted the cam on the handlebar. BUT, with both cams having such wide angle lenses, the buffeting and vibration isn't really that bad at all. Perfectly acceptable. The handlebar gave a better wide angle view of the scenery...the guard gave a better view of the road. I editing two hours of video down by speeding everything up and cutting out the boring sections. The wide angle lens does make the speed seem less than you are really going anyway, but the result was fun to watch. Venture: I will probably mount the cams in or under one of the rider air ducts on the first gen fairing or make a small plate that goes under the mirror mount and holds the cam just in front of the windshield. We shall see. The only way to go is one of these little cams. They are made for this kind of work. You start them then walk away for the duration of the ride. No distractions on your part. You can buy the JVC for under $200 and the new GP for less! The least expensive GP will do very well...for stills and video. Just experiment with the format settings and location mount to get the best "look" for you. I also carry a tiny Olympus point & shoot for my "get-off-the-bike-to-rest-my-butt" pictures...as well as my phone. If I can figure out a way to post a video...I'll do so.... david

I've bought stuff from these people and so far their products have been as advertised. Scroll down to see the english translation of the page.... Don't know what system this will work with... http://tinyurl.com/mchz5ws david

Kev, Wishing you and Tippy a Wonderful Thanksgiving! Prayers Up! d

looks like a good deal..

Excellent read! Thanks, and Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Arizona lakes: Lake Pleasant, Lake Havasu and Roosevelt Lake are excellent sailing, beaching, partying lakes! Plus we are a days drive to San Diego and Marina Del Ray in LA, where we can sail off to Catalina Island for a week of bliss. The problem I have is sailing, golf and riding all take up a full day or more.....so I dropped golf! PUC, didn't notice the moose...that's funny! Good catch! Time to hitch up boat, get some ice in the cooler and enjoy! Have a great weekend guys and gals! Stay warm and safe...

How can it pass a lot of dust if its oiled properly? Just curious.....

Well....come on down! Bring your weather...I defy your weather! Do make sure you look up those of us in Southern AZ! Meanwhile, while Bill goes to Globe, I'm going to Lake Pleasant to sail, cookout on beach and party!

Popcorn.....

Done

Richard, Two things.... First, I would look over the pictures on this site and search the archives. You may be on to something regarding a missing bushing. I would go take pics for you but my 89 is stock...no heel/toe. Second. I run 20-50wt Yamalube year around here in southern AZ on both bikes. Our temps are cooler than PHX. Much better shifting and quieter. I spent 40 years in PHX and always ran heavier oil year around. I let both bikes warm up for a few minutes...being water cooled, I treat the 89 VR just like my car. 5w-30 is too lightweight I would think. Third (oops). Did you bleed down at the slave cylinder? I assume so. When I bled my clutch a few weeks ago...I went through almost a half pint of fluid getting the old stuff out and the line to run clear. Took a while, but the effort on the clutch is now so much better. Just an additional thought...since I was concerned how long and how much fluid it took for me to change out old for new....

Angelo....yep. Puc, it looks like you had a crack/split right below where the chunk fell out. In picture #1. Gotta think that the first indication of a problem is the split...then followed by the chunk blowout. Bet the heat added to the problem. Just like mine.....except I didn't get that far....just have the split. You were lucky, me thinks, my friend!

If someone here buys it, hope they share the article.....would be cool to add this to our web site for all to enjoy!

Done! Site is "lookin good"! Thanks for the effort!!!!