CaseyJ955

I sit outside with my coffee this time of year, there was a doe and three very young uns stacked together like they were packaged for shipping. They are great to look at, and they were in this valley before I was but I'm still driving my Audi with deer damage. May the OP find her and wear her skin like a prize! If she is found quickly she might even still taste a little like tomatoes. Dern hooved rats!

Last time I had a contract that was breached I slid it in front of my lawyer with my documentation when a tactful phone call failed to work. He read the contract and wrote a demand letter, the problem was fixed, I think it cost me $125-ish. I contacted the other party to reimburse my legal fees as it was their breach that made my fees necessary, it took a small claim summons to get them to issue a check for my legal fees. Even that is a fairly simple cost-effective step. It's sucks that vendors/employers can be so downright greasy and fly with no apparent principles or moral compass, only to fall into compliance when forced by legal action, or the threat of. They may be greasy but my guess is they have a really good idea that if a judge looks at this situation he will not find in their favor. Everyone loves to threaten to sue, of those poeple I would speculate that maybe 1 of 100 ever calls a lawyer, so they laugh you off. Once they get some registered goodness from a lawyer they can start thinking about doing the right thing or trying to explain deplorable business practices to a judge. What sucks is that businesses that try and do things right and hold their customers in high esteem end up suffering when others in the same industry pull **** like this. I hope you get every penny your owed my friend!

If I could just make a suggestion, if the contract or their actions are anything less than crystal clear this should go before your lawyer. Anything you do now could make his job harder later, bounce this off him before doing anything. Often what seems an intuitive way to handle legal issues like this is actually counterproductive. Anything beyond insisting that they honor the contract. I would also bill them for your legal expenses, its fees you would not have incurred had they honored their contract. IME just about any small claims lawyer would award you legal fees in a situation like this where legal means were required to force these poopsmears to honor the contract. It's shocking what a good lawyer can accomplish with little more than letter head and a few words. It's dissapointing how consumers are often abused and how much less vendors/businesses care after they have your $$ vs before. Unrepresented consumers are not much of a threat beyond a ****ty Google review. Representation seems to motivate businesses to get in front of issues like this. Unfortunately businesses just doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do is pretty far from trendy in this age, especially if it cuts into the bottom line. I'm really sorry your having this experience, I hope it get sorted quickly.

All good points and very true RE Vmax. One thing that is true of a Vmax is that they do handle poorly in stock form, there are a few basic things that can really help that. I stopped short of buying expensive rim conversions to get rid of the bias ply tires. It handles just fine and I live in the Black Hills, it's stock except for solid motor mounts and Progressive springs. It will never be a CBR but it carves canyons just fine with a few tweaks. Some guys go further and add frame bracing, better fork brace and as mentioned, radial tires (that last one is the not cheap one, there is no radial rear tire in stock Vmax size so a rim is needed $$$$$$). Owning both I do agree that the gen1 Venture is a better handling bike in spite of its massive weight. Vmax and Venture engines are cross compatible, with the differences above being the biggest. A perfect mill would be a 1300 Venture engine with the 1200 Vmax heads/cams/carbs/intakes. I also believe the Venture gearbox has a couple different ratios, but the Venture 5th gear would be a welcome thing on my Vmax, seriously it's pretty high strung on the highway as opposed to the more relaxed Venture ratios and final drive.

Hey Jeff, I have done the Gen1 one and my VMX but not a Gen2, so grain of Na here. If all your doing is installing the springs you should be able to lift the old ones right out and slip the new ones in through the top without tearing big chunks off the bike (on center stand with no weight on the front wheel, dont ask me how I know that). Progressives often contain a spacer or PCV sleeve that you cut to suit your preload requirements, there is usually an inlay in the box explaining (sort of) model specific spacers. If your taking this opportunity to replace your seals and bushings then there is more to it but still not that bad. There is a tech library here somewhere or a thread in which Freebird (IIRC) did his Gen2, with pics and explanations. I cant find that link but I know it's here, along with the service manual. Regardless of how your doing it you will need to adjust oil levels as the Progressives are slightly beefier than OEM and will displace more fluid as you slide them back into the tubes, you will need to compensate by adjusting fluid level. The coolest part about all this is how much better the bike will ride and handle when your done. On a side note, my Gen1 felt a little bouncy for the first few days until the new springs settled in.

Ill 2nd that having had mine partially torn down. Radio, CB, CLASS air system, luggage and bracketry. Its got some heft to it. Are you thinking about bobbing it or just shedding weight while leaving the bodywork intact? A first gen vmax weighs about 630 wet wt. and are quite cheap in project form, depending on your end goals and budget. Im definitely a big fan of the V4 heart in any cool project. Im not really sure what a fully bobbed Venture will tip the scales at but a few guys here have them and can maybe weigh (lame, I know haha) in on that. I have one of each and love them for very different reasons. Even my Vmax weighs a bit more than a friends HD but the extra 5k rpm and snort more than makes up for it, believe me! On the Venture I have considered pulling radio, CB amd CLASS, but everything works and it has no lack of punch in spite of its significant girth and weight.

Ill toss out what I know. Key in ACC, mine too, I never figured it out, had to ask here and was told. My guess is thats to keep riders from mucking about with it while sailing down the road. On the fork covers, I have a set of chrome metal ones fixed on with hoseclamps. They are solid and look great. Not sure if they are OEM or not but when I get back home this weekend ill be happy to post a pic for you. Also I cant remember if this came up but on front end stability I had to do two things to make mine solid and smooth. First my steering head bearings were knackered, I replaced bearings, races and seals with an All Balls kit, it took a couple tries to get adjustment just right but shes there now. The other thing I had was the bike felt loose and terrifying while changing lanes and highway speeds. I got up on the ctr stand, straightened forks, loosened the axle and the tree bolts, then retightened from the top down, which cured that issue. Read up on that last thing, I hope I recalled it correctly. There is info on that here but cant find on my phone. Again, happy to find it when I get home this weekend. Hope this helps.

Love this project. I parted out an 85 Vmax awhile back. I still have the final drive, engine/trans -heads and cams, vboost and intakes which I harvested for my 1300 Venture. If you need any of it I'd be letting it go for not a whole lot more than shipping. Not only is the Vmax final drive a touch lower but 5th is lower too in a Vmax (maybe other gears too, cant recall) It would be a little more high strung on tbe highway but acceleration would benifet. I am 90% highway on my Venture but if I lived in a congested city I would go to a Vmax pumpkin. Its really not that hard to swap em' out. There is a shock mount on the Vmax pumpkin which might be considered unsightly for your restoration, but it is possible to swap Vmax R&P into the XVZ pumpkin to preserve OEM aesthetics. A tool is needed and I believe Sean Morley (Morleys Muscle) rents or sells the tool. Btw, love the polished side covers. Thanks for documenting this project.

One could enterpret this as an indication that twin buyers are ready for change. Maybe well see at some point how many buyers are upgrading from HD. From what I can see a buttload of them already moved to Polaris or BMW. Would be interesting to see how this less available model fits into the grand scheme, and how they adjust production to meet future demand. Ill bet we dont see any major changes for at least three years, nothing beyond revamping issues typical of new models. I have to admit the looks are growing on me. I predict a diet/light version, they may be able to hook buyers that want a better twin and wind protection without the added expense, weight and complexity of infotainment, park asst, auto leveling etc. Im not a potential buyer but I am intrigued.

Safe is good, its not a cheap bike so piece of mind is nice. I dont figure it will take long to get used to, it does have torque but pretty different power delivery. I'll bet coming off a wing there will be readers very interested in your thoughts and reviews as you rack up some miles.

Sounds like your golden then. Its a completely different engine than the 1800 6 pot and this is just one of those differences that fall under normal operation. You may notice I said valve sounds rather than noise. I have owned plenty of air cooled cars and bikes and the sound of a properly adjusted valve train does not offend me, I find it almost musical. On this bike and oils, I think i would only use oils that meet mfr requirements, regardless of oil brand, at least until there are more of these on the road and more is known about the durability of this new line of engines. Giving a mfr any grounds for denial of warranty may not be a great move IMHO, at least not just yet. For a mfr to legally deny a warranty claim they must prove that what you did contributed to the failure. If you have an engine failire while using oil outside mfr specs you may very well be sole owner of the hot oily pieces scattered all over the blacktop. Brand of oil is not the issue, but correct spec is. Just like if you ise "incorrect" oil and then experience an electronic failure there is precious little chance a judge would allow a mfr to void your claim. It may vary from state to state but this is what I have seen. As the miles pile on and if certain failures become known they may have a hard time denying a claim anyway. I would wait a bit before playing with oil specs, just my .02.

The 3rd gen is still new to us, but generally speaking Puc is correct as usual! It is indeed normal for air cooled mills to have a little more audible mechanical sound. The water jacket enjoyed by liquid cooled engines also makes for great sound deadening. Like that buttery smooth, eeriely quiet wing you just came off of. If your hearing pinging, or pre-ignition/detonation (not exactly the same thing but oft used interchangeably) then that could be ****ty fuel/wrong grade, faulty timing or excessive heat in the combustion chamber, which is not unheard of with traditional air cooled engines. I would not suspect a mechanical fault on a brand new bike but if what your hearing is a pinging, esp when hot, I would probably take it in to be assessed since its a brand new machine, but if what your hearing is a faint lifter/valve train noise then that could be the normal sound of an air cooled twin, or air cooled almost anything. If the dealer has another Venture or Eluder maybe they will allow you to tale a spin to get her good and hot amd see if it sounds similar. Good luck and congrats on the new scoot!

Welcome and congrats on choosing a darn fine steed. Check the classified section here, I know there must be some parting out going on. For new OEM parts like seals, gaskets and bushings I like boats.net. Ebay is your friend also, if you cant find what you need right here. As always on Ebay, Chinese/unbranded aftermarket anything should be avoided, but nice used OEM parts, like reflectors, can be found on Ebay. Same for windshields but there may be some other good aftermarket options too. Besides many knowledgable and helpful folks here there is a ton of good reading in the 2nd gen tech section below. For specific questions about your 99 (2nd gen) you might try 2nd gen tech section to get it in front of the right guys/gals. Again, welcome and enjoy!

I had not had the pleasure of meeting him outside the forum but anyone that spends time here is familiar with his great nature, wit, knowledge and humor. I remember him on a couple occasions in chat and hes one of the folks I had really looked forward to meeting. His posts imparted valuable information, help and entertainment for everyone, even folks that arent members yet will benifet. I'm glad he was here, I'm glad he got the trike he had wanted for so long and got to ride it away. How fantastic that he got to experience this before having to go. When terrible news like this comes down the line I try to find some light beyond the tragic circumstances. Condolences to his family and everyone here, it will not be the same without him. Sad news for sure. RIP.

Are you giving me backchat!? Do I have to get the belt!? Hahahaha. Love ya brother! Yea, I did miss the year and it was pre-coffee. Not sure why but from the face I incorrectly recognized it as a MKI.

If its nice, reeeds nothing and ready to ride then 1500 would probably be light, albeit not by enough to call it a lowball. I would hold off on an offer before a ride to check for the dreaded 2nd gear issue or anything that can require money. Even weaping fork seals should knock a few hundo off the fair market value. If it needs TLC then $1500 may be quite generous. Facts are its a very old bike and ppwersports market is pretty soft across the board. I hope its the right machine at the right price, if you do snag it we'll be looking for a few pics! I hope it comes together for you.

Virtually all world class bikes sold in North America in recent history have been properly liquid cooled, with one notable German exception that comes to mind. Yamaha is among those considered a world class mfr. Liquid cooling comes with a whole host of pros and VERY few cons, but among those cons are weight and cost of manufacturing. Two things Yamaha could absolutely NOT add to the gen3 is more weight or in reased MSRP/decreased profit margin. I do believe its really simple. Those of us put off by the air cooling were not in Yamaha's demographic for the Venture anyway. I just hope heads and jug kits are cost effective for the guys that like to pile on the miles. Edit: I should clarify that last sentence, it sounded cynical and dickish but was not meant as such. I cant usually put smileys in my posts with the phone. What I meant was that based on experience with other popular air cooled narrow angle twins, I would speculate longevity and durability to be somewhere between HD and previous generations of Venture. I have no doubt that the gen3 twin will outlast an HD twin and probably with superior reliability, and that heat management is very good with regard to rider comfort. I only meant that it would be very reasonable to expect 100k to come after a valve job and maybe slugs-n-jugs, especially for a spirited rider.

I have been seeing RK mufflers at Gsales and swap meets frequently. Usually for

Nope. Dwindling. They are getting better but it's far to little, far to late. Consumers are wising up, it's to hard to deny the vastly better value offered by virtually any non-Chinese motorcycle manufacturer. Their targeted demographic is graying and hanging up the keys. Seems many younger guys aint so enamored as their fathers were. Far better alternatives exist now. I see them make for the younger buyers but then they have to compete with some really amazing machines from Japan and Germany, often for less money. Unless HD can make some honestly new models with some impressive hardware, they are all but gone. HD does not know this yet, but a paint scheme or theme is NOT a new model. If HD even went back and had a look at their Nova project, that could lead to something really cool. I'm still predicting they will be pretty much gone from the map within about 20 years. They may manufacture a few novelty bikes a year and possibly sell leftover merch, if customers for it exist, but being a mass manufacturer will just not be viable going forward. Remember how Indian was dormant and bought up, even Triumph went dark for a few years, although they came back in Hinkley and have been churning out some damn fine machines. I think HD has seen it's peak and prime, a while ago. The end is not all that far off for HD. As far as parts availability, absolutely. Millions of these things have been made and very few and slight changes between years. There are countless HD's aging on CL right now. Even after the company lawn darts into the earth we will be seeing HDs on the road for many years yet and parts plentiful on the used market. Also plenty of aftermarket.

I usually knock out 600-800 on the first day then slow it down to 400-500, so avg is probably just north of 500/day. Also I tour away from cities and traffic, hitting countryside and open roads so that 500 comes a lot faster than my counterparts riding in more congested areas or vacationing in cities. My personal best is a 1000 mi day on a Triumph Sprint, but I was younger then, not sure I would (or could) do that today. I'm just not in any real hurry unless I'm trying to get away from a city.

Nothing obstructing the bars or forks then I cant imagine anything else it could be, besides these bearings have a lot to do with these massive bikes and all the years already gone by. I'll bet those bearings come out bone dry and probably knackered if they are rough enough to cause a head lock. I'm sure it's maintenance many folks overlook as it is a bit of a PITA to service them. I think you are absolutely correct not to ride again until it's sorted out. As mentioned I used the All Balls Racing set and very pleased with quality and price. I figured if I was going through the labor to go in and service them I just as well aught to replace them with new since they were dern near 30 yrs old. BUT, I had to take my forks off and apart anyway so it seemed like the right thing at the right time. I do think it would be easier to take the tree loose, enough to get the bearings visible and maybe remotely cleanable and greasable without a full tear down. I did the full tear down and it was enough work that I wasnt about to put old bearings back in there. Mine were dry and tired, created a noticeable shimmy and vagueness at parking lot speeds but never bound or threatened to lock up. Quite the opposite, it felt as if it would simply fall off the bike at some point in the near future. Having fresh forks and head bearings changes the entire nature of the bike.

Also check cable and line routing and make sure nothing is hanging up. It seems odd that a set of head bearings would be in bad enough shape to cause the steering to bind like that and not exhibit other symptoms during normal riding. If it is the bearings then it's a little bit of a knuckle buster to replace them. I used the All Balls bearing kit and really happy with it.

Oh, I hear ya. To note; nothing is pavement bound to Puc! I recently picked up a KTM 2-stroke 250 dirt bike for the summer of festivities that lay ahead. Usually during Sturgis and tourist season here it's ride off the pavement or dont ride at all. That is unless one can deal with the all the HDs and RVs clogging up the road, I have real struggles with that myself. I spare myself the headaches. One of the bikes that has been calling out to me on and off for a few years has been a Vstrom. Plenty tour-able and some dudes get them pretty far out there in the sticks too. The Venture, mostly just because of it's sheer, soul crushing weight would not do much more than a tame gravel road with me on it. Of course a 1200GS is no lightweight either but to hold that up on anything more than fire trails one would have to have legs like oak trees. They tip the scales at around 3-4x that of a dedicated dirt bike. I'm in 100% agreement with you though, there is nothing like getting out there a bit and really enjoying where you are.

I would have to stick with the 1st gen MKII. Not only does it haul a$$, but it can haul almost as many groceries as my old Squareback dub. If I were going to drop some serious coin on a newer bike then it would have to be something that could leave the beaten path. Being pavement bound is the only notable disadvantage of the Venture I have found.

I ordered mine off Ebay from the US because I needed it very quickly, but I later found out that even of ordered from the other side of the pond it arrives pretty fast.