LukeMacPU

So what'd you end up doing? Or was this thread just an academic exercise and your current starter is good? FWIW, my new starter ($80) has been working well even in the colder weather we've had in IN lately.

Just got off the bike from my commute to the office. Hi/Lo beam are both functioning normally and changing beam angle so I'm assuming both filaments are working. The white RLU indicator stays on when using either hi/lo. I'll pull it apart to inspect soon, sounds like there might be a connection problem. The headlight icon is also showing up on my CMS, but the red blinking light (comes on with low fuel) is not flashing. I have the battery icon on my CMS at the moment because I installed a sealed AGM with no opening for battery probe. Eventually, I'll do the resistor modification to knock that out. Thanks for the info and suggestions, much appreciated. I'll post up what I find when I check the headlight.

Gotcha! That makes sense. I wonder why they made it that way...? Maybe just building in more gradual clutch engagement? That would make sense over pure power transmission on a touring bike I suppose. My thumbs did this on a tiny keyboard so cut me some slack!,

I guess I'll have to pull it apart and take a look. It's not clicking for me just looking at the parts diagram. Need to check my friction plates for wear while I'm in there. Just swapped springs when I had it apart before.

Where does the "full plate" go from the Skydoc_17 kit? Do you replace plate 7 or 9 in this diagram?

Thanks for the info. Any idea what stock wattage is supposed to be? There are lots of options for H4 bulbs.

I've been searching and reading up on this, but still have questions. My bike is new-to-me. I've gotten it running well and I'm starting to enjoy it. The headlight seems to be pretty bright, I hadn't noticed any problems. Switching hi/lo changes where the light goes, but both seem decently bright. I have a white indicator light that comes on next to the blue Hi-Beam indicator. I had assumed maybe this was just an indicator to let you know the light is working (since hi/lo both seem to), but from what I've read it sounds like that should only be on if there is a burnt out filament and the RLU is operating to make it function like a normal hi/lo. 1. First step to check current bulb filaments? 2. Swap bulb to a new one to see what happens (H4 bulbs right)? There isn't any flashing red light, just the white one and the LCD headlight shape on dash.

Haven't found a write up, but there's a Skydoc kit that included it My thumbs did this on a tiny keyboard so cut me some slack!,

I've heard 2nd can be a problem. Not looking forward to that, but I also hear the repair is prohibitively expensive. My thumbs did this on a tiny keyboard so cut me some slack!,

It took a while to get that test ride in. Clutch engagement seems more gradual with new springs, but it still slips if I whack it wide open in 5th. May have to look into that full plate after all... someday. Got some new Bluetooth stuff for bike and helmet too. All good and ready to roll! Apparently I can talk on the phone while riding 65-70 and people can still hear me fine. Who knew?!?! My thumbs did this on a tiny keyboard so cut me some slack!,

PO had starter issues and he parked the bike because of it. He never got to the bottom of it and threw some other electrical parts/battery at it. I got the bike after 80 miles of riding since 2009. That was this past October, 2015. I've been tinkering and fixing since then (carbs, brakes, clutch springs, fork springs, fork seals, etc...). I'm new to owning a Venture and there are certainly more informed folks on here. I was in your spot a couple months ago. Couldn't make myself spring for the $220 super nice starter when the old one (2-brush) had been working for 30+ years and almost 40K miles. I checked out some used ones on Ebay. Went with the new one I posted above. From what I read, the lack of screws on the outside of the case meant it was the 4 brush design and should be better than what I had. I also ordered and installed a rebuild kit for my old one so I've got a spare. Spins fine now when not installed, but haven't tested the rebuilt one on bike. I needed a new battery also. New battery PO installed had been sitting for over 2 years and was completely dead with some dry cells. I could charge and bike would crank fine, but battery would drain quickly. Put in a new AGM sealed battery and now the bike cranks over and starts no problem. No issues when the bike is warm from riding either, it restarts just fine. Again, I've not had much experience here. My old starter was definitely sick, would barely crank (only one or two slow turns) even with fully charged battery and/or the boost function of my charger (50 amp). I could jump power directly to post on starter and it still wouldn't spin. New starter and the problem is gone. No idea why these are only $80. Some experts may be able to shed some light on this? Maybe I'll regret it a year from now, but I'm happy for now.

I put a Vmax starter on mine. Appears to be the 4 brush upgrade over my '83 two brush and it was only $80 new. Has been working well for the last couple months, but too early to comment on longevity. NEW YAMAHA STARTER V-MAX VMAX VMAX VMX1200 1985-2000 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TH4BOMS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_eK1HwbSZ6XFMX My thumbs did this on a tiny keyboard so cut me some slack!

New clutch springs in. Super easy swap. Spent 10 times as long scraping old gasket off the cover as I did with everything else! [emoji35] Test ride tomorrow hopefully. Not exactly a good time of year to have quality bike time. The Mrs would certainly frown upon me taking off by myself on Christmas Eve leaving her with the wee ones! Weather is crazy warm for December though so I'm enjoying it and will get out there sooner rather than later. My thumbs did this on a tiny keyboard so cut me some slack!,

I'm a few days late and certainly not been around the forum long. I've own my '83 VR for about 6 weeks (I think) and this site is a key reason it's up and running. My experience with forums that are bike specific has been very good. My first forum experience involved a '79 Triumph Bonneville Special that hadn't run for about 15 years. That was a forum dedicated to Triumph, the brand, so there were whole sections devoted to new bikes which kept the new blood coming in maybe. As the VR's slowly fade out of existence (could take a while if they all made 300K miles like Puc's) you might see total numbers of active members drop. That's really when the value of the information here goes up though. As parts become harder to find and the bikes are less common, those who have them tend to become more dedicated and/or desperate! Good luck and thanks for putting in the time/effort to manage this for the rest of us! Nobody knows what the future holds, but I certainly appreciate the veterans giving me pointers that have saved me lots of time and headache. I've gotten to enjoy 1200+ miles on my VR already and that wouldn't have been possible without this site. Looking forward to making a ride or two if I can sneak away from the Mrs. and 4 little ones (3 - 8 years old).

Puc, I appreciate the additional insight and clarification. That is a pile of miles you're putting on! I hope to put on a fraction of that. Doesn't sound like a super critical fix from what you're describing. As long as I don't race my touring bike, I should be fine. With my personality, I'm going to have a tough time letting a slipping clutch go unresolved. I've got no problem riding a bike with cosmetic issues, but a correctable mechanical problem will drive me nuts eventually. It's an illness really. I'll see how long I can hold out if the new springs don't help much. Might eventually have to get in touch with Skydoc and see if his full plate is the cure. Thanks again guys/gals for all the help getting this bike up and running. I'm pretty darn happy with it! Never dreamed it'd haul the mail like it does (now that all the slides work) and my first long road trip was uber comfortable. 1200 miles down, hopefully many many more to go!

I see what you did there with the Darth Vader lines. Well played, especially with the new movie coming out. So are you saying it isn't a problem I should worry about or just that it might still slip a bit even with new springs? The bike was not loaded at all, just my 200 LBS. I did order a gasket. Seem to have terrible luck getting those off intact. My thumbs did this on a tiny keyboard so cut me some slack!,

I guess my bike doesn't want me to get bored by having nothing to work on so... Now that I've got my engine pulling good and hard in the upper revs like it should, I figured I should roll on it in 5th and see if my clutch is weak. Sure enough, it starts slipping and breaks loose just as the engine starts to pick up the punch. My tach seems to be sluggish, but at an indicated 4000-4500 is where the clutch starts slipping if I pin the throttle in high gear. I've ordered new (stiffer) clutch springs to see if I can get away with just that.

Got my slides epoxied together and reinstalled. Just rode back to the office from lunch for the first time and all I can say is holy cow!!! I must have never had more than two or three slides working properly after I synced the carbs and actually tried riding it. Hadn't checked them since I first put the carbs on after cleaning them. Bike is a freakin' rocket for a big ol' thing! Night and day difference. First I've experienced the top end I'm assuming these are supposed to have and I couldn't stop smiling. Love it!

Mini amp installed and speakers sound good. Must have been a bad old amp. Going to use a Bluetooth receiver to pair this to my phone and I'm in business! Total cost will be $45 for speakers, amp, and Bluetooth receiver. My thumbs did this on a tiny keyboard so cut me some slack!,

Thanks I'll go glue shopping! My thumbs did this on a tiny keyboard so cut me some slack!,

I'll give it a shot thanks. My thumbs did this on a tiny keyboard so cut me some slack!,

What's the secret to keeping them in place? My thumbs did this on a tiny keyboard so cut me some slack!,

Here's my problem... http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/11/5f279131a99337b136d1e606b4663330.jpg Slides keep slipping off the metal tube that diaphragm fits on. How do I get them to stick? I guess three nonworking diaphragms would explain my poor engine performance! My thumbs did this on a tiny keyboard so cut me some slack!,

So what does it mean if I only have one slide moving via diaphragm the other three are sitting still? My thumbs did this on a tiny keyboard so cut me some slack!,

I've had a weak battery issue that's led to me flooding it a few times recently at start. No issue since new battery went it. I'll check the plugs when I get home. Runs ok, but I'm sure I've over-choked it a couple times since I got it running and threw new plugs in it. I thought the plugs would recover from the flooding after I got it started and ran it a bit. Sounds like I might be wrong. I'll be sure to check the pipes next start-up. Should quickly tell me what I'm working with. I had a diaphragm messed up when I first got it. Should be able to pull air filter and watch the slides move to check that right? The messed up diaphragm had separated and you could easily see it didn't move like the others. Thanks for the info guys.