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Rick Butler

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  1. Rick Butler
    Guys, Have any of you went into your carbs and replaced your main jets with the same jet size? And does anyone know why Yamaha in their infinite wisdom uses 122.5 jets in #1 & 2, a 117.5 in #3 and a 120.0 in #4? The reason I ask is a friend of mine took his 06 with a Dyna 3000, Barons Nasty Boy slip- ons, needles shimmed and K&Ns and put it on dyno at a Yamaha shop. They started at 72.3HP and 74.05 lbs torque and ended up with 74.95Hp and 73.84 lbs. And they did this by installing 115.0 main jets in all carbs. My first thought is that they don't know what the heck they are doing, but how did they end up with an increase in HP. I have only messed (considerably) with 86-93 carbs and know that they came with 125.0 mains. And (in 89) with a DynoJet V-Boost kit (which they stopped offering in 92) with 150 mains and a few other pilot jet changes, I could get close to 100HP on a dyno. With these RSV carbs, I'm back on virgin ground. Curious minds need to know, Rick
  2. Rick Butler
    Hey Kent, Are you back yet? I'm interested in taking a look at your gas analyzer after you get it up and tested out. It would be a perfect excuse to come over for a visit. Rick
  3. Rick Butler
    Jim, What you saw with the valve is only for the 1st gen Ventures. To get to the radiator cap, you have to take the fuel tank off....it's under there. Just fill it with a 50/50 mix and after you run it for a while, let her cool down and then fill the overflow bottle to the mark. Rick
  4. Rick Butler
    JD, The whole left side (radio and inner cover) will have to come off before you can get to the junction block that connects the cables from the throttle and cruise control to the carbs. If you don't have a service manual, pay close attention to how the cables go into this junction so you can put it back together, because it's not that intuitive. I'm guessing you just have to replace the short cable to the juction to the pull (acceleration) side of the carbs. Good luck, Rick
  5. Rick Butler
    Hey Guys, It's July 4th and I am back after almost 4,000 miles of traveling to WV and back to Texas. Rick
  6. Rick Butler
    Tom, My philosophy is to first get the foundation foam to more fit your butt. Then after that, I cut in a tailbone relief to take the pressure off the tail bone and put it on the sit bones. And the memory foam is really nothing more than a means to have a top layer that fills in the cover and doesn't create any upward pressure to speak of. And I get mine from Target or Walmart where it's nothing more than a 1 1/2" mattress topper. So which GL seat do you have and how much have you already modified it. If it's not too cut up, I could probably save it and make it right? Later, Rick
  7. Rick Butler
    Larry, I would certainly endorse lowering your front by sliding the forks up in the triple trees and I can fix your seat (after July 4th) , where I assume that you have a pillow top. I can get the seat an inch lower and still maintain the foundation foam before running into the point that the seat meets the rear fender.. Later, Rick
  8. Rick Butler
    Hey Guys, I thought I'd give you all a heads-up that Linda and I are leaving for a 2 week vacation on June 21st to West Virginia and the Smokey Mountains, etc. Therefore the "Butt Butler" will NOT be IN until probably July 7th. I have told this to the last few folks recently that were interested in my seat mod and I'm sending out Steve Wallace's RSTD seat today. And I think I have one more seat headed my way to complete before we leave. So, if you have not shipped your seat to me as of today June 13th, please wait until after July 4th. Then I will be happy to fix your seat. And on the subject of fixing seats, I thought I'd like to give you all a little insight into what I have learned recently from re-working seats. Even though I have been doing my tail-bone relief for maybe 20 years, I have learned much more since I have been using memory foam to layer seats before putting the cover back on. It not only fills in the seat cover from the foundation foam that I've removed but it's such a pleasureful material to sit on. It does not have a linear resistence that most foams have when sat on. It compresses fully to the foundation foam whan sat on from those pressure points and then doesn't compress where there is no pressure. Secondly, I have always used a electric carving knife to remove most of the foam. This is done to take any crown or forward pitch that is in the seat, or more recently to cut a curvature into the back of the seat to let you set back into the it. I don't know why Yamaha in their wisdom built a flat surface into the back of their seats? To me it just created another pressure point that is annoying. The reason I have only recently discovered this issue, is that I've been riding on a Travelcade Road Sofa for the past 20 years. And even some aftermarket seats have comfort issues that I've had to personally deal with. And I'll have to admit that the Road Sofa for the 2nd gen is nothing like what they made for the 1st gen Ventures. And IMHO gel inserts are highly overrated. They not ony absorb heat when sat out in the sun, the gel still creates pressure points that are uncomfortable. In fact I reworked a Travelcade Road Sofa for a 2nd gen few months ago and discovered gel inserts which I was not expecting. However I had worked around them on my Road Sofa a year earlier and had planned on doing this one the same. However the more I got to looking at the seat with the inserts out, I realized that I could cut the edges of the insert indentions out and still have plenty of foundation foam to work with. Plus it automatically gave me a seat that was 3/4" lower, which works well for those of us that are inseam challenged. And with a 1 1/2" of memory foam, the seat cover still fits like it was intended. But, I've only recently found a small pneumatic right angle grinder with a 4" 60 grit sanding pad that I could easily control and vary the speed. This tool is critical to put a final smooth finish on the foam after I have cut it down with the carving knife. However it really puts off some fine foam particles, so after a short period of smoothing down foam, it looks like I've been snowed on. This is why I do this work outside under my carport. Sorry I got long winded explaining why I won't be available until after July 4th. But I need to go get a couple of tires changed for a our trip coming up. Thanks, Rick Oh and FYI, if you have not noticed, I have a classified ad here for my Butt Butler Seat Mod http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php/product/1023/cat/7/date/1157932426
  9. Rick Butler
    Rick, Synching a 1st gen is alot easier than what we have to do on our 2nd gens. I've attached a page out of the service manual that shows a pretty good picture and all of the adjustment screws are the same type of sloted screw head. The (A) screw is on the left side of the engine and it adjusts cylinder 1 to cylinder 2 The (B) screw on the other side adjusts cylinder 3 to cylinder 4 The © screw adjusts the right side carbs to the left side carbs And speaking of a service manual, do you need either the 1st gen and/or 2nd gen manuals. I have both if you want to borrow them for your maintenance day. However the 1st gen is for the 1300. I sold my 1200 manual years ago. Hope this helps, Rick
  10. Rick Butler
    George, You are certainly right with using a relay to provide power, but I believe Mike probably wired them up per the instructions provided by the folks at Star Accessories. Mike, if I remember right they have you use a quick tap to get the power from one of 3 wires found in the headlight harnesses. I'm guessing you used one of the two wires (yellow or green) from the blue multi connector. But this power source is also attached to a switch to where you can turn them completely off. But when you say that you are blowing fuses, especially your headlight fuse, this means you have a direct short in one of the two red wires going to the passing lamps. The insulation may be pinched somewhere going through the bracket. You can find this with a ohm meter once you have disconnected the power. And you may have to wiggle the red wires until you find the wire that is getting continuity when it touches the bike's ground in the passing lamp bracket. Hope this helps, Rick
  11. Rick Butler
    Jerry, If this problem is on your 06 RSV, I would suggest you have a problem and you can probably can see the evidence of oil leaking at the bottom of the shock through the rubber boot. If this is the case, you need to take it to your dealer and have them replace the shock. However if it's on your 1st gen, there are several points that might be causing this decrease in pressure. Rick
  12. Rick Butler
    Kent, Just curious if you noticed any blueing of any of the metal plates? The last Venture I did a clutch job on (with a PWC kit) had at least 3 of the 6 metal plates that were scorched. I will admit that the rider weighed in excess of 300 lbs, where he claimed that he was always riding double? However the plates were not warped. So, I have started bead blasting the metal plates just to get a good textured surface on them. This also seems to help keep the fiber plates from slipping prematurely. Rick
  13. Rick Butler
    Brian, For the money, the one from Harbor Freight is a good buy and I have personally used one. They allow you to ride up into the chock where the front tire is held so you can get off the bike and install the tie downs without anyone holding the bike. I know they will take a 120 width tire but not a 150. A 130, maybe. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96349 Rick
  14. Rick Butler
    Doug, The holes that are needed are in the tapered part of the end that surrounds the hole, not in the hole. This is an area that is about 3" in diameter. I'm guessing you haven't received the tips yet. When you get the tips you will see that they are an exact fit into this area and the location of the 2 holes will be very evident. And no JB Weld will not work. They need to be held in by these set screws. Rick
  15. Rick Butler
    Ok Doug, I've been exposed. So here is what you need to do to mount these RSTD tips in your RSV mufflers. These tips will come with 4 (2 on each tip) 6mm X 1.00 pitch allen head set screws. The hardest part about making holes for these set screws is getting the holes marked to where they set straight. You only need to make 2 holes (top and bottom) since there are 4 holes in each tip so you can rotate them any direction. Once you get the holes marked the way you want them, you need to drill a small 5/32" or maybe 11/64" hole in each location. To tap a 6mm hole you need to drill a 13/64" hole. Since you will be drilling through a piece of heavy sheet metal, you need to create a surface that can be threaded. So once you get these holes drilled, take a tapered punch and drive it into the hole. As you drive it in you will create a flanged funnel like surface inside. Keep driving it in further until the end of the 13/64" drill bit goes snuggly into the hole. Now you can take your 6mm X 1.00 pitch tap and cut threads for the set screws. Now getting these set screws bolted through the tip into the muffler will take a little time and patience because there is not alot of room for an allen wrench. A balled end allen works well for getting them started. Hope this helps, Rick
  16. Rick Butler
    Put a set of EBC HH pads on the front calipers and you will have the brakes you desire. However do NOT put these pads on the rear caliper because it will give you more rear brake than you know what to do with. Hope this helps, Rick
  17. Rick Butler
    You need to get the bleed valve at the highest point of the caliper. I'm not sure but with this relocating bracket, it may have the caliper upside down with the bleed valve lower than the pistons. If this is the case you will need to take the caliper off the bracket and move it up the rotor where the bleed valve is higher than the pistons. Then it will bleed properly and once you get all the air out, move the caliper back to the bracket on the bottom. Hope this helps, Rick
  18. Rick Butler
    So Salty, Can Rick can get them for less than what you would pay Works directly? If so, that's a pretty good deal. Regardless Tom, What you are looking for is their UltraSport shock 2 way adjustable with no reservoir which they list at $649 (plus shipping). The only adjustment you have is the manual threaded preload collar to establish the correct ride height and then the adjustable rebound dampening. http://www.worksperformance.com/html/street.html And Salty is right in that they will need to know the weight of the rider, passenger and normal luggage to establish the spring rate you will need. They already know what the weight of the bike is. Hope this helps, Rick
  19. Rick Butler
    Dan, I was part of a group that started the Venture Super Sport project back in 2000, where Dave Getsfried actually completed his. Actually I completed mine on my 93 w/V-Max heads but totaled it in Arkansas 4 months after I completed it. Dave had just bought his bike in Sommerset and I worked with him getting his completed. However he went a different avenue that I on the crossovers and kept the butterflies. I am attaching the write-up that he sent me, FYI. Also, the V-Max junction rubbers for the carbs is an almost possibility to get installed. You will probably pull all of your hair out before you get all 4 of these in. The reason is that 1" that you loose with the V-Max intakes and puts the carbs right up close on the frame. What I did was use the junction rubbers from the crossovers for the carb juctions. You will need to chamfer off the taper (1/16") from bottom of the carbs to make them fit the grooves in the junctions. You will also need to fabricate a new mount and tube for the pull throttle cable. The one that is there will not fit with the bike's frame. Oh, and you can make your stock air box work by installing a flat top on it. I took a K&N Venture filter and cut 1" off of the bottom with a dremel and cutoff wheel. Then I took the rubber base I just cut off and cleaned the filter material letft on it. Then I laid down a big heavy bead of black RTV silicon and then set the top of the filter down into and let it dry good. Now I had a K&N filter that would fit in the bottom of the OEM air box. But with this you will need to drill a bunch of 1/2" holes. The exact number will depend on which size main jets you install. Good luck, Rick
  20. Rick Butler
    Lutz, Any more I have stopped dealing with fork fill capacities, especially if you don't remove the forks and let them drain upside down. I now use the method of measuring the distance from the top of the tube to the oil level, with the forks completely compressed. And for most forks like ours with a total travel 5.5", 5" works pretty well. What this is doing is leaving enough expansion area for the forks to fully compress (which you will never do). And another reason for using this method is that you always get the same amount of oil in both forks, where if you still have a little oil left in one leg (over the other) and add 12 oz to each fork then you will end up with different levels. Hope this helps, Rick
  21. Rick Butler
    Tony, If you haven't rebuilt a set of forks, I'm not sure you would be up for this. However if you feel up to it and have the tools to remove the forks and disassemble them, then it's certainly a job that you could probably handle. Because this kit includes a set of Race Tech Cartridge Emulators, you will have to remove the dampening rod. The reason for this is because you have to drill 6-5/16" holes in the rod to flow as much oil as possible. Then the compression and rebound is controlled by the pop-off valve of the emulator. And you won't have to separate the fork tube and the bottom to remove the dampening rod so you don't need to replace the seals. But you will have plenty of instructions available. The way this kit works to lower the forks, is to place a slug down inside the upper fork tube under the dampening rod and rebound spring. Then it's only a matter of adding oil, dropping in the new springs and setting the spring preload. However you could cut the cost of this procedure by just buying the Barrons lowering slugs and getting a new set of springs (Sonic or Race Tech) with a spring rate of 1.1 to 1.2kg/mm and forgo the emulators. Hope this helps, Rick
  22. Rick Butler
    Le Roy, Wayne is right when he told you that adding air to the shock is mainly to set the preload of the shock. And changing the shock preload is to set the ride height of the bike. In other words the rear of the bike will sag more with both you and your wife, so you would normally run less air (or preload) when riding solo. Ride height is important to keep the shock from bottoming out, especially when riding double. So when it comes to the amount of air pressure to set the ride height, it depends on the weight being carried. However air does have one other function other than preload. Air in a confined area does act like a progressive spring. The more it compresses, the more it resists. But in your case, I would think that 35-40 lbs should work fine. Most of us carry a hand pump made by Progressive, Inc with a guage reading 60 lbs to faciltate adding air to the shock and forks. Hope this helps, Rick
  23. Rick Butler
    Danny, Let me give you a little insight to what Yamaha has always used for windshield material. And the method you describe works just great on Lucite (aka Plexiglass), but not on LEXAN, which is what your OEM shield is made of. If you don't already know it, LEXAN is a soft polycarbonate (I think), which in certain thicknesses is almost bullet-proof. In fact it's unbreakable where it will bend before it will ever break. I have taken a piece of 1/4" LEXAN, put it in a vise and beat it into a 90 degree bend without breaking it. But, what they have done to make it with a hard surface like Plexiglass, is to put a hard surface coating on the exterior called a MR (Mar Resistant) coating. So, once you get a scratch in this thin coating, you are stuck with it and can't do anything with it. And when this coating starts to wear off, you are now down to this soft material that is pretty much useless for a motorcycle windshield because any bug that hits it will make a mar and when you try to clean it off, it just makes it worse. So the solution to this issue is to buy another shield, preferably one made of Lucite or Plexiglass. Now this material, unlike LEXAN is breakable (with enough impact) but in the thickness they use is pretty stout under any severe condition. But any oem or aftermarket shield you buy from Yamaha is made of LEXAN. The Clearview shields are made of Lucite, which if you get a scratch in one of these shields, you can be polish the scratch out with some Novice #2 and get the shield back to it's original luster. There you have it, Rick
  24. Rick Butler
    I know this might sound far off, But has anyone thought about shielding the unit's electrical wiring to keep out the interference from the plugs or alternator. I've not had to deal with this issue for a while, but it seems to me that when I did, I wrapped the wiring in aluminum foil and then covering everything a with coiled plastic wire loom. Just a thought, Rick
  25. Rick Butler
    Oh Condor, Like Don mentioned, the Royal Stars do not have a fork brace and really don't need one because of the heavy metal fender and the larger diameter forks. Besides there is not a feasable place to mount one because of the lower fork covers. Rick
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