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Rick Butler

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  1. Rick Butler
    Gerald, I'd still mess with the ignition key to see any effect. There have been a few times on my 2002 that I have lost the instruments, where turning off the ignition switch and back on brings everything back to life. After flooding the ignition switch with contact cleaner it's been fine. I can't see a single fuse in the shop manual just for the instruments other than maybe the electric clock that is part of the fuel gauge. Other than this, I would check the main connection going into the back of the instrument cluster and re-seat it. Good luck, Rick
  2. Rick Butler
    Gerald, Was everything dead when you turned the bike on? If so, I'd probably be suspect of the ignition switch. Turn it slowly from off to on and watch for the dash to come on. This happened on a friends 2000 when we were out in Big Bend and he was able to find a spot in the ignition where the bike came on and would start. Hope this helps, Rick
  3. Rick Butler
    Sorry Kewl, When I first stated this project, I got all of the components from a 1st gen (the stock proportioning valve off the master and the metering valve for the front caliper). And with a set of custom Galfer lines, this project really took on more than I expected. First off, I had to create a billet aluminum junction to provide for one line in and two lines out (one to the proportioning valve to the rear and the other to the left front). When I was talked into looking at an adjustable proportioning valve, (by my brother-in-law who was in the hydralic business) I dropped linking the brakes and concentrated on a simpler solution to the rear brake. But don't get me wrong as I am BIG proponent of linked brake regardless of thier flaws for slow speed handling. And the effect of what you describe by braking going into a corner and then shooting out the other side is really created by the front brake more than the rear. The harder you press on the brake pedal, the more volume goes to the front caliper, which creates a "Trail Braking" effect. I do this by using my front brakes going into a corner, holding them a bit longer into the apex and then releasing them which shoots me out of the corner. Rick
  4. Rick Butler
    Jeff, He lists them under the Royal Star where the Venture really needs the 1.20 kg/mm, regardless of the weight of the rider. And Goose don't worry about blowing anything in these forks. Rick
  5. Rick Butler
    Ok, I hadn't really decided but here is what Don paid me just for the components, delivered to his door: Proportioning Valve $ 41.45 Galfer Line & Fittings 75.00 Priority Mail Postage 6.20 Total: $122.65 It only takes me about 15 - 20 minutes to assemble everything once I get them, so it wouldn't be any more than an additional $10. However I really want to hear Don's evaluation of this product. What worked for me may not work for everyone else with all of the changes I have already made to my brake system. Rick
  6. Rick Butler
    Well Squeeze, After I saw that there was no change in the pressure with the before and after in installing the proportioning valve in-line, I went on with the project. So I really don't remember. However all is not lost, because the gauge has a movable needle that records the pressure, so I went to the garage and looked at it. It was setting at 900 psi. Does this help, Rick
  7. Rick Butler
    Monsta, I understand completely what you are suggesting. In fact when I was doing my homework before starting on this project, I talked several riders who had previously done some racing and found it was a common practice to grind some of the pad off to provide less contact surface for the rear brake. Others old me about cutting some of the pedal off so you couldn't get your complete foot on the pedal which helped with rear lockups. However in our case, we have a 4-piston caliper griping our rear rotor. This is completely TOO MUCH caliper for a rear brake,,,,,that is unless it's part of a linked or ABS braking system. In looking at other rear calipers, you mostly see small 2-piston or even 1-piston calipers. The RoadStar Warrior came with 4-piston R1 calipers and a 1-piston sliding pin caliper. And even though I completely changed out the calipers on my RSV, with 4-piston calipers on the front and a 2-piston sliding pin caliper on the rear, I was still able to lock her un in a panic situation. Then I realized that the master cyclinder was designed to provide fluid flow for 4 pistons. And even though I now only have two, they were still coming out TOO quick. This is when I decided to try the proportioning valve. But first I had to determine if this valve changed the pressure or the flow and tapped a gauge into the rear caliper banjo bolt. I was surprised that no matter how much the valve was adjusted closed, the pressure remained the same from what I tested without the valve. In other words, this valve just cuts down on the flow, resulting in the pistons coming out slower. This really allows you to modulate the brake pedal to suit your personal needs in stopping. If you need to stop quicker, you just press harder on the pedal. I have yet to even come close to a rear lockup with this setup. However I realize that I'm only using a 2-piston caliper, which is why I talked Don into trying it so he could provide his unbiased opinion . And if you want to put stainless lines on your brakes like most of us do, this change to the rear brake is a natural. I would also reccommend EBC HH pads for the front calipers, which give you a better bite. Hope helps, Rick
  8. Rick Butler
    Kiki, The big problem on what you are asking about draining the oil, is there is no place in these forks to drain the oil from like we had on the 1st gen Ventures. So this means, you either have to suck it out from the top of the forks after taking the fork caps off, or take them off completely and turn them upside down to drain. The bike comes with a light 10 wt fork oil, where some folks use a 15 or 20 wt fork oil when changing, which slows down the fork action. However if he feels the forks are too soft, the problem is really with the springs being too light. If it were me, I'd either drop in a set of Progressive Springs but even better would be a set of constant rate springs from Sonic Springs out of Oklahoma City. The spring rate of the springs that come with the RSV are rated at .90 kg/cm. On bikes as heavy as ours, you are really better off with springs rated at 1.20 kg/cm regardless of the weight of the rider. And putting air in the forks really only changes the fork preload, which is nothing more than changing the ride height of the bike. Heavier weight oil will change the rebound dampening and more oil will effect the compression dampening. These 3 things are the only changes that you can do to a set of dampening forks without adding Race Tech cartridge emulators or drilling the rebound holes. Hope this helps, Rick
  9. Rick Butler
    Thanks Guys, But just after I made this post, I remembered Bill Vinson had one. So I e-mailed him and he still had the instructions that he e-mailed to me. So for now I'm good on this subject. Rick
  10. Rick Butler
    Guys, I am helping a friend remove some accessories to be installed on another RSV later. And he has a Trip Master tach with a water temp gauge. Does anyone know if this gauge came with a replacement thermo switch? Thanks, Rick
  11. Rick Butler
    Well Guys, I have been riding with this proportioning valve installed off of my master cylinder for just about a year now. And I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to finally be able to come to a complete controlled stop with just the rear brake. Now in all seriousness I only do this when coming to that final stop at a stop sign or light. Otherwise it's front brake to scrub off speed followed by the rear brake as I slow down and then rear brake only to come to that final stop. However we all know that in a panic situation, we don't always do the RIGHT thing. Yeah sometimes that right foot has a brain of its own and goes straight for that brake pedal like you have done countless times in your 4-wheeler. And I can tell you from experience that when the rear brake locks up, it's not a pleasant experience (especially when your partner is in the back seat). Now if you want to read up my last post, go to: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2940&highlight=%22Proportioning+Valve%22 It pretty much explains what all is involved, which is a custom Galfer line with an extra adapter and a proportioning valve from Speedway Motors. It turns out that our hot rodder friends have the same problem when setting up new disc brakes on an old drum system car. They don't want a rear brake lockup either and use variations of proporting valves to get the proper braking. But just in the last day, I have realized one interesting fact after I installed new pads on a friend's RSV with stock brake lines and took it out to seat the new pads. It appears that with stock brake lines, the rear brake is not as sensitive as it is with stainless lines. I have been running stainless lines for about 6 years now I had forgotten how they felt. I have done 2 of these set-ups (now 3) and the materials only cost just under $120. The valve needs to be re-threaded for 10 X 1.00 mm threads and you have to use banjo copper washers to make sure the adapters seal properly, so it's not a time consuming task. I thought if anyone was interested, but didn't have the knowledge or expertise to make this modification, I could put the components together for an extra $15 and that would cover the postage to just about anywhere in the US. But on the other hand, I would also be glad to help anyone that wanted to take this project on themselves. But for now, I want to see what Don thinks of this modification. Later, Rick
  12. Rick Butler
    Guys, Just something else to consider. AMSOIL came out with their severe gear extreme pressure lube just this past year. And they have it in 3 grades (75-90,-110 and -140) and they all are GL-5 and GL-4 compatable. http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/svo.aspx Rick
  13. Rick Butler
    Well Guys, There is a big difference from the stock one. The first ones made in 86/87 were an overkill and about 2" thick. The later ones were around 1" which is more than sufficient. The main difference is that the super brace was a precise fit rather than a loose one where the mating surface on the fork is an elipse rather than a radius. Both super braces were flat on top and polished and had stainless allen screws rather than flanged cap screws on the stock brace. Hope this helps, Rick
  14. Rick Butler
    Pierre, Attached are some pictures that I took when I modified CECDOO's seat. Remember, this is a 1st gen seat which is somewhat different than your seat. The last one is still a little rough where I smoothed it out more later. You should be able to see how much foam I took out and what I did to accomodate the tail bone, etc. Rick
  15. Rick Butler
    Rick, If I'm correct the Shell Rotella T 15/40 (white bottle) is a petroleum oil. I would suggest that you take a look at the Rotella T 5/40 (blue bottle) synthetic which is what most of my MC friends (not using Mobil 1 or AMSOIL) are running. And like they say, it's available from Walmart in a 1 gallon container. Here is an interesting web site on MC oils, etc. http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Consumables.html Hope this helps, Rick
  16. Rick Butler
    Pierre, I might be able to help you out but I would need to know exactly what part of the seat is bothering you. I see where you have a midnight which should have one of the flatter seats as opposed to the pillow top. If the seat is burning your bottom in less than 120 miles or 2 hours, I have been successfull in cutting foam from the bottom to remove any crown in the seat and create a lower pocket for your tail bone. This can also be extended to provide some comfort for your privates. In other words this will flatten out the seat to provide relief for your tail bone to put the pressure on your sit bones. Then I glue memory foam in the depression so that the seat cover will fit. The memory foam compresses when sat on but then raises up when the weight it taken off. But in order to do this you would need to send me your seat, where I can probably turn it around in a day or so and have it back to you within a week using UPS. I have been doing this for years now for free for friends, where I have more recently been charging a modest fee of $30 plus shipping both ways. I'm retired now and have the time and can use any extra money. Just a few months ago I modified a seat for CECDO's 87, where I have not heard anything negative about the modification. I also lowered his seat since he was a bit inseam challenged. The 2nd gen Venture seat can't be lowered as much as a 1st gen seat because of how the rear fender sits higher. But for your back support, either a Utopia or DiamondR backrest will help out considerably. Let me know if I can help, Rick
  17. Rick Butler
    If you are lucky, You learn something new every day. Have you ever wondered why phillips screws (like on carb bowls) on metric bikes always get boogered up or rounded out? Well today I finally found out why..... It appears the Japanese industry standard for phillips screws is different than the US and European standard. Yeah and they use a different phillips screw driver. It appears from the following link that Snap-On carries these items. http://www.katun.com/products/toolsjis.html So does anyone out there have access to a Snap-On truck to validate this? And do they have the hex screw tips for our magnetic drivers. This might keep us from drilling phillip heads off and replacing them with cap screws? Rick
  18. Rick Butler
    Seriously Wayne, With the left side of the lift setting under the front mount of the center stand, only 1/2 of the weight is on the front mount under the exhaust pipes. And like I mentioned, they a double walled (inner exhaust with a heavy chrome pipe on the outside welded top and bottom) and I've never seen one bend. Like many others, I've been lifting them like this for many years now with no problem. Rick
  19. Rick Butler
    Lynn, If I understand your linkage from the photo you provided, the right side of the triangle is attached to the frame and the left side attached to the swingarm? If this is true and when the bike goes down and the swingarm up, then extending the length of the left side of the triangle will raise the bike. But you can measure the distance you need by taking the swingarm linkage bolt out and raising the bike up to get the rise you want. With that bolt out you will be able to determine the extra length you need to make the left side of the linkage triangle. This means you are going to need a 1/4" plate to do this. And stack drill both sides to make sure you get the holes even. But 1 1/4"? Remember you also need to keep track of the angle of your drive shaft so you don't ever put the U-joint in a bind, but you may be ok on the Royal Star since I think it set's just a bit lower overall than the RSV. And you are stuck with that shock because NO ONE makes a replacement shock (besides Yamaha) that extends when the bike goes down. I'm also curious if you have checked the sag in your stock fork springs (if they are still stock)? After 10 years the sag may be about gone. And if the spanner nut is to adjust preload, then it's purpose IS ONLY to change ride height where it looks like it is maxed out now. In other words, Preload on a spring (or shock) only changes the Ride Height and has nothing to do with the Spring Rate (or whatever is used in this shock). There might even be an internal spring inside of this shock? Hope this helps, Rick
  20. Rick Butler
    Mark, The biggest consideration on lifting a 1st gen without frame adapters is the double walled pipes, they are strong as a bull. And by the way that they mount to the collector makes them even stronger to lift from, kinda like the strength of a triangle. But the 2nd Gen Ventures just have single walled pipes with chrome covers which make them more prone to bending, which is the real reason we use frame adapters. But (from the right side of the bike) I always slipped the left rail of the lift just under the front frame mount of the center stand so I didn't have the complete weight of the bike on the pipes. This pretty much balanced the bike once off the ground. You really need to watch this balance point, so when you take the front wheel off that it doesn't want to rock backwards Now can anyone tell me if this Craftsman Jack uses a bottle jack to lift with, or is it mechanical? Rick
  21. Rick Butler
    Just curious guys, But does this Craftsman jack use hydralics to lift or is it mechanical? I really like the look and design of this jack. It looks like it is much smaller and easier to handle than my old Dunwell, which seems to be hard on bottle jacks. Rick
  22. Rick Butler
    Phil, Yeah I have done it. In fact I tried to get a set before the dealers even had a part number. I quickly saw that the Tour Deluxe was using a RSV muffler with a billet tip bolted into it. But the TD muffler had nuts welded into the tip for the mounting bolts. Anyway after I received the tips, I sat the bike level so I could position the tips in the muffler and mark the holes I would use. The tips have 4 mounting holes so they can be rotated at different angles. But the mounting holes in the muffler are straight up at 12 and 6 oclock. I can't remember what size the stainless allen mounting bolts were, but say they were 6mm X 1.00 pitch, which requires a 13/64" hole to use the tap. After the holes were properly marked, I drilled a hole 1/2 the size of the tap. Then I took a large nail set (which is tapered) and started driving it into the hole, until I was able to snuggly slip the drill bit into the hole. The nail set created a flanged hole into the muffler which gave me more metal on the sides to tap. Now I just taped the hole and mounted the tips. Now there is one side that is more difficult to get the allen bolt into, but it will work pretty well with the short end of an allen wrench. Hope this helps, Rick
  23. Rick Butler
    Well Guys, The fact of the matter is that they changed all of the transmission gearing in the RSV from what we had with the 1st gens as follows: Gear RSV 1st Gen === === ===== 1st 2.529 2.600 2nd 1.632 1.775 3rd 1.200 1.347 4th .960 1.068 5th .786 .906 The final drive gearing stayed the same. And they took away our shift indicator (and tach) and gave us a light to let us know that we were in the LAST gear in the shifting pattern. Now why did they do this, I'm sure they must of had a good reason in their infinite wisdom. But for the most part, it lets us know that we can run just as fast in 4th gear on the RSV as we did in 5th on the 1st gen Ventures. And when you shift into 5th on the RSV, you won't go any faster, you'll just do it at a lower rpm. This is why a 1st gen will outrun a RSV, just about any day of the week because of this gearing But, I know of a dealership that has taken a new V-Vax final drive and machined the speedometer hole in the final drive which will give the RSV back it's original lower gearing. When I ran a Max rear in my 91 (for my sidecar) it ran about 500 rpm higher in every gear. Yeah, but in 5th at 4500 it still had all kinds of pull. And when I come up with an extra $450, I think I'm going to see what it will do for my RS Venture? Just for your info, Rick
  24. Rick Butler
    Ronnie, My experience is that any form of wax will only contribute to fogging. I bought a bottle of Kleer Vu Anti-Fog Cleaner that is supposed to work pretty good and can be used on plastic. In looking at their web site it looks like MSN gave this product a test and gave it a good review on face shields. Heck if it works on a plastic face shield, it should work on a windshield? http://www.kleervu.com/ Hope this helps, Rick
  25. Rick Butler
    No James, I have never been to the Aspen Cash but have been to the Golden Aspen countless times in Sept. I've had friends that have been to the spring ride and said it was just a miniature version of the Fall Rally. But what I told you about the tongue decreasing at highway speed is not near as important to the proper loading of the trailer with most of the heavier weight over the axle and in front of it and the lesser weight articles behind the axle. Hope this helps, Rick
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