videoarizona

Got her on Thursday a week ago. Put about 300 miles on her so far....and enjoying the ride. Stable at all speeds, everything works except do have ignition noise in intercom/CB. Found solution here for that....so I'm good on that. Small oil leak under the side stand area showed up yesterday after a short but warm day run at 75mph...leak appeared when she cooled down. I was surprised at how easy slow speed turns were. Much easier than my 950T (and I thought she handled well). 42mpg on first tank, 40mpg on second. Only have two issues so far: 1: Gear whine upon deceleration...especially in lower gears. All oils are up and clean. Only thing I haven't checked is the driveshaft. But it is loud....not the simple straight cut gear whine...more like a loud rear end whine. Will probably find a fellow rider around the Tucson area and let them hear it to see if it's normal. 2: Foot brake is not very good. I had to adjust the pedal height and throw. Now at the point that my toes aren't pointing to the ground before the brakes engage! But even with the pedal about right, those brakes seem weak. Hand brake (right front) is good. Levels are up, no leaks detected, pads have plenty of life in them...so guess it's time for me to consider bleeding them. And probably a good idea to consider new brake lines as well... thinking about unlinking the system since I should change out the lines anyway. Other than that, I'm pleased with the VR. She is comfortable, runs very good, solid handling up to 95mph (passing a truck...4th gear just happened and next thing I know I'm near the century mark!) and pretty too! Pleased about this forum....so far the help I've received has been great. I signed up to assist anyone in my area in Arizona so I can pay the help I've received back to the group. david

I like the idea of keeping the old bike around just a while longer. I've had conversations with two dealers in the past month about other things, and asked the question about a new Venture coming down the road. Both said yes.... So who knows? david

Whoa! Good idea, Frank...will check it out today... thanks.. david

Thanks, Kurt! PM on the way.... Guess the knobs just pull up. Can't see why they would fall off at all! Rosie...thanks....for offer. This board is great! david

Hmmm...I would think someone would have those two knobs floating around..... Don't like the idea of $25 each for some I found online....YIKES! Ah well... david

I have the same problem. It's definitely the ignition system leaking into the audio signal. I can hear it on the CB as well. Easiest way to tell it's ignition is to rev the engine a tad and listen to the noise change with the rpm's. I'm going to look for a bad ground along the antenna system, the radio system and the CB system...in that order. Usually, motor ignition noise in an audio signal is a bad ground. Next is a poor shield somewhere in the wiring (or bad placement of the wires as mentioned). I won't be able to check my 89VR out for about three weeks as I'll be busy with another project....so maybe you will have found the solution by the time I can get back to the VR!! By the way, sometimes you can use a simple aluminum foil shield as a test and move it around the wires of the audio system. Find the weak wire and shield it. Good luck! I'll be hoping you can find it! david

Well gentlemen, I got the 3M tape and it is great stuff! I didn't get back to check on forum until AFTER I put the tape on. But now know how to get it off as well! (grins) I have the entire wrap around reflector that was taped on with good tape...just not 3M stuff. So I'll be OK regarding LED lights. That will be this summer's project (to hot in Arizona to ride for most of summer) . I'll slip them in the top groove between the reflector and the trunk body. About 1/4 inch. Thanks all! david P.s. Can't get the VR up on center stand. Suspension isn't lowered and air system is working...so no idea at this point. Did read up on how...but that didn't work for me. Tonight a buddy is coming to visit on his HD. We'll take that matter up then. I'm meeting him on the road for dinner, so this will be ride #2 for me and #1 at night. Whoo hoo!

I took my 2009 950 Tourer in for an oil change and check up (valves, etc.) prior to winter last Fall. They did what I asked, on time, within budget and were nice to me as well. http://www.motorsports101.com/index.htm Not much to look at as a shop, but the end result was to my satisfaction. I tend to like to go to people that treat me that way... Hope this helps...and hope your experience is as good! david

Got my new-to-me 1989 VR today! Finally got delivery...geesh. So cleaning up and enjoying the thought of getting on the beast after riding my VStar 950 Tourer. BIG BIKE that VR is!! Just wondering if anyone has two of the knobs for the cassette deck. They are the top two...FF and Stop/eject. That is about all I'm missing at this point. Thanks! david

Thanks, Kevin. Off to the store tomorrow to get some 3M double sided tape!! david

Just got my new-to-me 1989 VR. Wonderful! Scary! LARGE ....Going to be interesting...bit bigger than my 950Tourer...hmm. So far, I've cleaned her up, checked some maintenance items and put the windshield back on. Everything works....so far! Noticed that the rear reflector that wraps around the trunk is held on by what looks like duct tape! Someone looped the tape in little loops and stuck them inside between the reflector and the trunk. Ok.....so this just doesn't seem right to me. The rest of the bike is in excellent shape obviously well taken care of, so I'm curious why the P.O. did this??? Ideas and hints appreciated.... thanks, david

Love that line.... First read it in a book..."Flying to Pieces" by Dean Ing. Funny book about old farts and flying. David (my way of continuing the thread)

I'm sure some of us would be willing to help with the load...is there a way for you to do that? david

Please add me to the list for your tool... david

Tricia, I ordered from these guys and had them custom fit the headset to my helmet. Depending upon the type and make of helmet you have, they will tell you which version to buy. Some of their headsets just clamp on the helmet. The idea here is if you have another bike down the line, all you have to purchase is a new bottom cord that plugs into the bike's system. The headset stays with your helmet. http://www.jmcorp.com/SeeProducts.asp?PF=12 The first four in this page cover most helmets...the differences are the quality of the speakers. Good people... david

Ah rats. Wish I had seen your Venture FS. I bought one in December and waiting to get it shipped to Green Valley, AZ. I could have bought yours and had a buddy ride it down to my home in GV! I recommend you drain gas tank, put new gas in with Seafoam. Ride around the block a few times and she should run like a champ again! david

Only problem with that is some of them use the channels reserved for marine use. They could get their antennas spanked for doing that. david

The least expensive version of Sony's Vegas that I would recommend is here....the Platinum version. It has all the bells and whistles, is easy to learn, has self-help built in and handles multiple formats. http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/moviestudiope I run the Pro version for business and have been extremely satisfied with the company. BTW, all video takes up lots of drive space...so plan on that. Large external USB3 hard drives are cheap now. david

Hi Dave, Welcome to the GoPro World! I've used various mounts for the GoPro and all have worked fine. The sticky mounts are designed for high speed auto mounting, so they will stay where you put them if you follow the instructions. As for shaky cam, yep...some mounts have long arms that transmit vibrations to the cam. I would look for an area on bike that gives the shortest mounting arm for best video. Some video editing software (Sony's Vegas for instance) has plugins to help reduce the shakes. As far as "usefullness"? I would save the GoPro for times when the weather and scenery are something you want to remember. It is cool to watch yourself going through a scenic section of road. I've even sped up the video for comic relief. I've used the cam on my sailboat, my bike, the car, in the pool and home for events like Christmas. Most fun for me are my bike videos. Enjoy, david