Flyinfool

Technically a crimp is more reliable than solder. In high reliability situations the joints are either crimped or welded. BUT This is assuming that you are comparing a proper solder joint to a proper crimp joint. The cheap crimpers that you get at the auto store with the terminals is NOT going to give you a proper crimp, A proper crimper is rather expensive for the average home shop, starting around $50 and can be as much as several hundred dollars. A proper solder joint must be mechanically secure BEFORE the solder is applied, and the solder must not be wicking up into the strands of the wire. You can not just lay the wire ends next to each other and glob on some solder to hold them together. This would be a poor electrical and a poor mechanical joint.

Double check your connections to the bike. The bikes wire colors are all different than the wire colors on the converter. The converter that you have is not an isolator type, The isolator type is preferred for bikes. With the isolator type, all of the power for the trailer lights comes from the battery and not thru the bikes electrical system.

I have been using Dielectric grease on all motor vehicle connectors since the mid 70's. I have never seen or heard of the grease actually causing an issue. If the grease was conductive it would short all of the pins together, it has to be non conductive to do its job. Even the name "dielectric" means non conductive. Undamaged connectors have no problem making good contact through the grease, and the grease will then form a seal around the contact point to slow down corrosion. The auto makers even use dielectric grease on/in the connectors and bulb sockets. My guess is either a bad RR from the start or a bad crimp to the wire on the connector. Just because a contact "looks" clean does not mean it is free of oxidation. Clean them anyhow. Dielectric grease will not help a dirty connection, it does not fix any kind of existing problem, it is purely to help prevent future problems.

I just took my 88 to the paint store and they were able to match it close enough that I know what was repainted and I can not see a color difference. I do not know if the gold is any harder to match than my metallic Maroon, which according to the color computer was almost the same as a Toyota color, just needed a bigger size of metal flake in it.

Since you unloaded your RSV to get it. Maybe name it "Venture".

I think your order of priorities is messed up......... I think it is exactly backwards........

I have seen several versions like this one. But they are all so true. I have also seen versions where bass boat won't start, where truck not running right there are probably others. I showed it to Erika and she does not get it......

I watched a friend of mine that is vertically challenged get on his bike from the "wrong" side. When I got home I tried it. That darn near landed me on my posterior. I am no longer real agile like I was a half century ago, so I look a little goofy getting on or off the bike.

I have 2 Wolo Bad Boys on my bike. I have come to the conclusion that even as loud as they are, it is still not loud enough. At highway speeds the wind seems to kill the sound enough that it is still not heard for any great distance. It sure sounds loud in a parking lot or to the rider, But I have to many other drivers remain oblivious to my presence. But I have a plan I am working on to get MUCH louder.:mo money:

But the cagers have not yet stopped attacking us.

It is not necessarily a short that caused the connector melting. A short would have popped a fuse. Most common is a dirty contact in the connector will cause heat. If you are getting 16V at the battery, the RR is toast. The higher voltage will cause everything on the bike to draw more power and that could also heat up the connector. If you combine the high voltage with a dirty contact the connector don't stand a chance.

You should be able to get the -4AN fittings at many auto supply stores, the rest you should be able to find at the hardware store.

I had someone challenge me to eat a gallon of ice cream once, it was good to the last drop.... Maybe that is why all of these years later I ended up here... :essen_018: :essen_018: 2 pounds does not sound like a lot, 2 pounds of bread is a lot more than 2 pounds of steak. But it would be fun trying.....

You really do not need brake lines rated for 3,000+ PSI. The max pressure in the front shocks is only 17PSI and most run less than max. I was thinking some cheap black polyethylene or polyurethane line rated for 100PSI that will go on a barbed fitting with a cheap spring clamp. If I had a 2nd gen I would have already made something up. The outside of a Schrader valve is a 5/16-32 UNEF thread, the same thing as a -4AN fitting. Just take out the valve core and screw on the an fitting and attach your hose to the barb. It does not have to cost a fortune to work.

But I made it home......and it is all better now .......

I'll bet Jack Benny does not have 500+ LEDs on his Venture...... If it's broke I can fix it, if I can't fix it, it wasn't broke. Just take a quick swim across the lake to find out about being around me, I'll buy you an ice cream.

When you say you got a drain of 12, 12 what? If you were measuring volts, then that is normal, If you were measuring amps, that is really bad. Your charging voltages are low. Here is a test procedure. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=81297 I cant help with how to get at the RR.

Did you ever look into just getting some parts from the hardware store to make your own?

You know we have to ask??????

You could have just parked in the sun to warm it up and eaten right out of the trunk, would have saved some cleaning time......

AMA Insight, No matter which side you are on. The American Medical Association has weighed in on Obama's new health care package. The Allergists were in favor of scratching it, but the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves. The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve. Meanwhile, Obstetricians felt certain everyone was laboring under a misconception, while the Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted. Pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!" while the Pediatricians said, "Oh, grow up!" The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, while the Radiologists could see right through it. Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing and the Internists claimed it would indeed be a bitter pill to swallow. The Plastic Surgeons opined that this proposal would "put a whole new face on the matter". The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists were pissed off at the whole idea. Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and those lofty Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no. In the end, the Proctologists won out, leaving the entire decision up to the Aholes in Washington.

Mobil 1 T4 is specifically formulated for MC.

Eagleeye is another I have not heard from in a long time.

I really am not sure. I have no first hand experience with using the wrong oil. IIRC the slippage does not show up immediately when it does happen. BUT when slippages does happen, it can take 2 oil changes to make it go away. On the other hand, there are some car oils that are fine with the wet clutch even though they do not say so on the bottle. Now that I have you thoroughly cornfused........ It sounds like you already have the car oil in there. If you run it just to do the carbs and as a flush of the gassed oil I am "guessing" that you will not have an issue. As long as you do not pull the clutch to open the plates the oil should not get in there. When you go to drain this oil, there is a second drain plug for the transmission. It is the bottom bolt of the 6 bolts on the left side middle gear cover, this bolt should have a copper crush washer to seal the bolt head. For a "normal" oil change this bolt does not need to be pulled. There is only a couple of ounces of oil in there. But since you want to get as much of the old out as possible, I would pull that plug this time. The main oil drains best on the center stand the trans drains best on the side stand. Drain the main first. You can reuse the crush washer if it is not damaged and you anneal it. To anneal it use a torch (a gas stove will work in a pinch, just don't let the wife catch you:duck:) to heat it to a dull red and immediately drop it in a bucket of water to cool. this will make it soft so that it can do a good job of sealing the oil.

10-40 is the recommended oil. Heavier is not always better. I also have been running the Valvoline 10-40 MC oil. This last change I tried the Amsoil full synthetic MC oil. So far no difference other than the size of hole in my wallet. I was hoping for at least a slight increase in gas mileage to give me an indication that it was a better lube.