Rick Butler

Randy, Yeah solid mounts will stop the motor from flexing in the frame where I would guess you old motor mounts are pretty worn out. However, removing that cross bar will allow your frame to flex more. This is one of the 1st fixes that the V-Max owners make to their bike (that don't have this bar) to keep their frames from flexing. So in all reality, this bar is more than just a hanger for plastic, it provides extra strength for the frame by creating a triangle between the top and lower parts of the frame which is a parrallelogram. If it were me and I wanted to show the engine off by taking the panels off, I'd keep the bars, but paint them the color of the engine? Rick

Understanding your RSV Rear Shock Many of you have seen my old RSV shock that I had cut open to expose what the inside of the shock looks like. Well I have gone to the next step. I just had my Works shock rebuilt and this is when I realized these shocks don’t last forever and rebuildable shocks need to have the oil changed out every 35,000 miles or so because the oil wears out and get contaminated with the nitrogen. Once I understood this, I felt that the oil in the RSV should probably be changed out as well. So when I went to pick it up I took this cut-up and exposed shock to let my professional shock rebuilder look at this shock and give me his evaluation of what makes this shock work and what is the purpose each section of the shock. And I was a bit surprised but after he looked at it and we talked it over, everything made perfect sense. So here it goes….where you can refer to the diagram in the attached file: You can see that I have identified four basic parts of the shock: Outer Body Inner Sealed Shock Valving The Outer Shock Seal Polished RamItem 1. is the upper black part of the shock just above the rubber boot. This is nothing more than an air chamber, where in conjunction with (4.) the polished ram and (3.) the seal, allows air to be pumped in via the hose and Schrader valve to control shock preload and bike ride height. Item 2. Is where the real shock valving resides and is completely press sealed like what you would see on one of your Monroe shocks. I assume this contains oil and maybe a nitrogen charge, but the latter is only a wild guess. Item 3. is the outer body seal that keeps air in the upper chamber. There is a metal bushing just above it to keep the upper body in alignment with Item 4. the polished ram. Item 4. Is the polished ram that resides under the rubber boot. Even though this piece is polished, it is not hardened and is susceptible to scratches, mostly from a dry bushing. Another purpose of this piece is to act as a reservoir for 7.5 oz of oil that stays inside the shock to lubricate the outer shock seal and ram. The reason I know the amount of oil, is that I took out the Schrader valve, hung the shock upside down and let it drain for 5 days until it stopped. With the shock upright, the oil will stay in this cup pretty much undisturbed, with the exception there is a 1/8” hole about ¾” down from the top of the ram. I can only assume that as the bike moves from side to side some oil will come out this hole, run down the ram and help lube the bushing and seal. Now this also means that if the bike is laid on its side, most of the oil will run out and down the outside of the ram. I can only suspect when this happens, a shock will start leaking (seeping) oil out the bottom if there are scratches in the ram. But if the ram is not scratched and the seal is holding this will not present a problem with the shock action. This will only help lube the bushing and seal. In fact in those cases where the shock is making that squeaking or groaning noise, it is doing this because the seal is dry and really needs to be lubricated. At this point, I would suggest that you could lay the bike down on it’s side and let some of the oil run down the side and I’ll bet your groaning shock will quiet down. Also, I would have no problem taking the schrader valve out and squirting in a couple ounces of 20 weight fork oil down the hose to help lube the ram. You will also note that this shock has a full-length spring but with a spring rate of only 839 lbs/in and the shock travel is 1.77 inches. Now my conclusion on this shock is that you could cut the upper body and the polished ram completely off and you would still have a fully functional shock……but without any preload or ride height adjustability. And it’s not a bad design for what it does for the average rider. But if we are taxing the load limit of the shock beyond 839 lbs. or the maximum load limit of the bike of 419 lbs., we should be looking for a heavier shock. The spring rate on my Works shock is 1,200 lbs. Finally, if the shock is leaking oil, the ram is scratched and maybe the seal torn so it won’t hold air much longer anyway so it should be replaced under warranty. If it’s groaning it just needs some internal lubrication, where I have given you a couple of options to satisfy this. There you have it, Rick Shock Diagram.PDF

Mark, I have had swivel hitches both on my camping trailer and my Bushtec and I wouldn't ride without one. Yeah a standard ball will cover a good angle but these RSVs like to go completely horizontal when they go over and I have seen some good hitches bent all to H_LL because of this. If you have a swivel hitch, the trailer will stay on the ground. And just the opposite, if for some reason your trailer goes over, it will not take the bike with it. And for the money and the trouble to build one yourself, get one from Neosho. They have been making bike trailers and swivel couplers for as long as I've been riding a Venture, and their coupler is 1st notch. Rick

Klaus, Find someone that builds stainless commercial sinks and counters for restraunts and hospitals. They might be able to help you, but these folks are probably located in the larger cities. Maybe a Google search might be in order to see if anyone is doing business on the internet? Rick