CaseyJ955

Mine is already a MKII but I went too the R6 calipers and Galfer HH pads. I got my calipers off Ebay and they came with some braided line that I was able too use. The factory line is not a good fit with the R6 calipers. Since the calipers were used I did end up popping the pistons and cleaning them out. The improvement in braking ease and power is hard too put into words. When I took off my OEM calipers they were hanging up some and because of their age I decided on the R6 route. I decided too delink my brakes and I'm glad I did, there is a split school of thought on this but I really hated the linking, others like it. When I delinked I plugged the front port and removed the spool from the proportioning valve and put her back together. Amazing results and not cost prohibitive.

Well no doubt in my mind the 1700 v4 retuned. I hope they give it a significantly different look

I am going to rebuild the MC and front calipers of my Vmax and throw on some HH pads. I called the phone number there and spoke to Mark. Really nice guy, I asked him directly if any of the items he was selling were from China. He said it's all made in Japan except some pistons made in in Europe, I think he said England but I cant recall. He mentioned trying some of the Chinese parts a few years back and said they were absolute garbage so he only sells the better stuff. He also said that there are lots of items not listed yet on the website so if it's not there to email or call him. It seems pretty straight up so I'll give them a try.

Is this that stunning 2 tone black/gold machine we saw a few weeks back with the carb difficulties?

That is good to know, I'll pull it off next time I'm in there. I'll have to replace VC gaskets and a bowl gasket at some point and I'll just shed that extra weight at the same time.

While I was riding through the Hills I really enjoyed the quiet, but something just enough to let out some of the music without being intrusive would be great. Looking at a set of 06 HD take-offs for $20, maybe I'll go back and get them. I sure wouldnt swap them over to save weight! I'm sure someone at MD will be wearing a set and can be heard. Ultimately a 4-2-1 with a robust baffle would be an amazing choice.

Cool, much appreciated. I looked in the manual, at the end there is a handy cable routing section and it looks like all the overflows run out the back individually. With the CA setup there is a rubber manifold right on top that puts all 4 into one outlet and that goes forward to the solenoid. I gave it a shot with the 4 into 1 bowl vent manifold, I just turned it towards the rear and ran an ~3/8" hose and ran it out back and down with the other vent hoses, it seems to function as it should . I removed the canister and the solenoid is just sitting there, I'll yank it next time I pull the carbs to replace a bowl gasket. I cant see any other CA equipment on the bike, the jetting seems to match standard jets for this year.

Hijack away! if you dont I may be guilty of hijacking my own threads. If that means I get my cool laminated card then I'm willing to pay the price!

I think of the washers help at idle the emulsion tubes have to have some wear, I'm thinking thats why the needle mod helped mine too. I'm pretty sure mine wont get up into the high 40s but we'll have to see when I hit the open road and cross the badlands and grasslands. I'm tempted to try out the Factory Pro emulsion tube design and see how that works. I see them listed for Vmax but not Venture in the link here. Also shows float adjustment. http://www.factorypro.com/Prod_Pages/prody11.html Thats a lot of coin for 4 tubes. In theory the main jets/needles/tubes should be doing nothing until there is a notable load on the engine or until around 4k when the revs start to lift the slides. Thinking my emulsion tubes are worn enough that dropping the needles actually put me back to stock-ish state of tune where I can see 40-ish. I'm also going to try putting the paper filter back for a day of riding and see what difference that makes. I'm going to speculate that new tubes with the same settings would buy me 3-4 more mpg. I'm really happy to be at 40-ish but if it can be made better, why not? Sounds like you have yours in a great state of tune and a proper riding method must help too.

My folks run a door company here in this area, anyone that knows Dad knows he's the one that can be trusted with historic and difficult jobs. Almost any door you walk through in Deadwood is one of his. We did go out to one of those silos and did some door jams that needed to be historically accurate, it came with the full tour down the hole and around the old equipment. As far as I know you need to get hooked up with a tour, they dont let you just wander them, the vandalism would be off the charts if they were just open all the time. It's worth seeing, very cool glimpse into the past. A real reminder of how things were in that era. Worth it! Nope, dont know anyone in Draper, not even that many folks in Rapid anymore, it has grown and become a big city with hostile traffic and lots of crime, I just stay out as much as I can. The rest of the region is pretty darn great for motorcyclists.

I tried to keep the revs up but it was just so relaxed at 2500-3500 and no hint of bogging, I barely touched the throttle but for headwinds or inclines I often downshifted to get that 3500-4000 in 4th or 5th, I have a several day road trip coming up and I'm going to try it both ways and see what happens, I think my state of tune may be atypical for a Venture. I'm sure if I stop screwing around with the throttle I can do better than 40. I'm taking wifey to Hot Springs for some brisket BBQ next week before I leave, we'll see how the 2up mpg is. Great mpg on the Victory, thats probably my favorite twin right there. Amazing how fast a headwind can kill MPG at highway speeds. Definitely look me up when you get here, if tourist season is in full swing or Sturgis bike week is going on there is a good chance I'll be out of state or hiding out on my property. If the later you must come out for some ribs and camp if your camping. If you come after tourist season it's a whole different experience, I guarantee you wont be disappointed! I know I'll get 40+ on a more tame ride, I really didnt expect to hit 39 with all those bursts of spirited twisties and WOT passes. Sure does, looks like that first valley coming in off Nemo road. Norris Peak road is another must do from Nemo road, it dumps out onto the 385 which is also fantastic. Not sure if I ever told you how much I love your bike! If you dont have a Wall Drug sticker we'll have to get you one next time your here, even though Wall Drug aint what it used to be, you still need the sticker! You guys rock, this is such a great community. If anyone would like to see a M&E, Black Hills/Badlands ride or camping trip, or any combination thereof let me know. If there is some interest in it I'll see what I can put together. Open question here, when you guys ride do you use the CB to communicate from bike to bike?

Thank you, but the credit belongs to all the guidance and bits-n-peices from other members here. I was just pleased that this seems to have remedied the issue fully and not just more baby steps in the right direction. I wonder what the paper filter would do for MPG. As I was riding today I could not for the life of me figure out why we have no M&E or gatherings here (besides the fact that I'm the only one here). The riding here is INSANE you guys! Now, Cowpuck, I'm going to be at the MD and I full expect you to be in attendance!

I will be waiting for my laminated card and acceptance letter into the 40mpg club. I have my credentials in order now. Rapid City fillup pure gasoline. Nemo road to Vannocker Canyon all the way into Sturgis. 14a leaving Sturgis heading into deadwood. I was well out of Sturgis before that first bar started flashing the F (43 miles). Deadwood to 385 heading back to 44, but I skipped 44 and did Sheridan Lake Road back into rapid where I filled up at the same station again, 105mi and filled 2.65 USG which lands me right at 39. There were a handful of WOT passes and some headwinds, almost all hilly curvy scenic roads and I was somewhat spirited on some of this journey as if I forgot to try and break 40mpg. I know a judicial rural highway jaunt would get me over 40 no problem. I tried to ride around 3500rpm as I read that they get good mpg there but it's so damn grunty from 2500 on (except 5th gear, 3000+ is better). I did a lot of 4th gear between 2200 and 3000 and it was very relaxed and thrust is immediate with the flick of the throttle. It was a cool and sunny day, roads were essentially clear all the way, it was blissful, damn near a coital experience to have this bike running so well and not have to keep one eye on the fuel gauge. Bike current config K&N air filter floats at 1.125" AF screws 1-3/4 Skydocs drop shims COPs/Ignitek. I'm done, shes done, we're ready.

If buzzy is a deterent, the RT might not be a good bet. Boxers tend to be pretty buzzy at highway speeds. I would still take one though. Bar weights do their job well. I had a friend fill his handlebars with sand to deaden that and he was pretty happy. I'm actually not sure how the 1200s are. I was afraid to ride an RT or GS1200 because I know that would be followed by a rapid series of unwise financial decisions, but 1100 and I believe 1150 have a buzzyness about them . I could real easily fall in love with an RT. Boxers are cool, they last a long time too, and you will learn how to put a bike on the center stand in your sleep.

I'm quite partial to BMW, I would jump on an RT for sport touring. It's hard to compare it to a Venture, they are different tools for a different job. Unless money is an issue it's hard to jump on an RT with the K1600 lingering in the background. If reliability is an issue you might consider a Triumph Trophy for 2up sporty touring. I bought a Hinkley era Triumph new in 2000 and put 80k trouble free miles on that, the single most reliable and well sorted bike I have ever owned. I would not be afraid to own one again, it's not like the older pre-Hinkley models that can be nearly as finicky as HDs. I almost bought the Honda VFR instead of the Triumph Sprint ST but the Triumph had superior EFI mapping and reliability. For a relative newcomer to be that much better than the Honda really says something. I rode a Night Train too for fun but it felt like it was only running on two cylinders, very anti-climatic machine. I rode the Triumph and bought it on the spot. I have not ridden a newer Trophy but based on my experience with Triumph it might be one of the first touring bikes I would look at. The BMW K bikes are insane powerhouses but I would give up a few HP for some sweet sweet reliability. http://www.triumphmotorcycles.com/bikes/adventure-and-touring/trophy/2016/trophy-se-abs

I heard TX got hit and there were some casualties. I hope all our Venture/Vmax boys are safe and thoughts for those not so fortunate.

If your already getting decent MPG than I cant imagine there is much to gain by leaning it out further. I think if I were hitting 40mpg I would be a couple states away instead of messing around with the carbs. The reason I cant even touch 30 has to be a rich mixture, I suspect the skydoc shims are leaning me out and getting me to where you are now. I brought it home and got a top of 25mpg when first purchased. Float adjust, new diaphragms, dialing in, Ignitek and COPs bought me about 5 more mpg, so it did help. Lowering the needles 020" today is a significant step leaner and I would not be surprised if I'm closer to optimum. The assdyno is always subjective there there is no doubt at all that the needle drop gave me a significant boost in low end/mid range torque and some top end too. It digs much deeper and pulls much harder. I could feel the difference immediately. I was planning a long ride tomorrow to check MPG but I have a bowl drain screw O ring leaking, so if I cant get my hands on an O ring that size I'll be stuck until after I get off work next week. The suspense will be quite difficult because I have a 4 state house hunting trip planned for the day after I get off work, I have to know this thing is ready.

Ok, we're there. Ride 1. I used Skydocs shim mod that lowers the needles an additional 0.020" inward, rode. Noticed more poke, from 2200 in 4th gear on level ground she muscles forward like never before, noticably better midrange, it gathers speed better from around 3500 on and reaches for the readline with more urgency. So to Skydoc and a big thank you! This got me from a 5 to an 8 on the appreciation scale, clear indisputable difference. Ride 2. Same as ride 1 but replaced the paper filter with the K&N. Not nearly as noticeable as the shims but it did give me a little something from around 3k - redline. I did notice a very slight improvement in midrange poke and it feels like it's breathing better as it reaches redline. This takes me from 8 to 8.5 on the appreciation scale. I was expecting some low end problems with the K&N and when I was coming back in and 1st gear down my driveway I could hear some popping through the exhaust as I decelerated and at idle, when I got it parked and leveled it was popping through the exhaust a little bit. This is strange because it is VERY strong right off idle, blip the throttle and the bike lunges forward in first. It did cough once when I did that. Once I got the bike level I found that I could make the popping go away by turning out the left rear AF screw 5 turns, whereas before they all settled at 1-7/8. I pulled it apart for a shotgun and found a few bits of crud on the needle for that cyl so shotgunnign now. This is probably completely unrelated to the shims or filter. Tomorrow I'll be taking a nice long cruise and see how all this effected the MPG, I mean moving the needles that much HAS to to effect it too some degree. Please note that I'm coming at this bike running to rich so if your already in the 40mpg club than YMMV (pun intended) with these mods. I will finish the shotgun, synch and dial it all back in, button her up and tomorrow I'll take a long ride and see if I'm now part of that elusive 40mpg club. If nothing else I sure picked up some performance!

I would not have been opposed to a cheaper filter. I'm not hung up on names as long as I get quality. This K&N was used, dirty and impossibly cheap on Ebay so I went with it. I have heard of others using Dawn and hot water but not tried it. I have yet to try ATF but nice to know it works. The K&N oil is really sticky and gooey, and a little does go a very long way so I find it cost effective, as opposed to their cleanser which seems absurdly priced for how quickly it gets used up compared to the oil. I'm going to get a dab of K&N oil and compared it to the ATF just too see how they differ.

I know the charcoal canister has to come off, plus there is a funky solenoid thingy in-line from the bowl vent, that will be joining it in a box on the shelf with all the plumbing. The questions are: 1. Are there any other California specific differences or equipment with the GenI, other than the charcoal/bowl vent system? 2. I see the bowl vent runs down and back, exiting in front of the rear tire on the 49 state, is it very picky about routing or size of vent tube, I cant imagine that it would be as long as it's big enough to vent adequately. For those of you with the 49 state what size is that vent hose? Thanks all. Tony

In regards to filtration a good quality paper filter is hard to beat. I live on a long dusty road so the reusable filters make sense, the K&N has done a good job of keeping the inside of the Vmax nice and squeaky clean so I hope it works here. I too have heard that K&N doesnt do quite the job of the paper but so far so good on the other bike. I know the K&N will probably lean things out a bit, in fact I'm counting on it. Some combination of this and moving the needles inward should lean me out enough to see an improvement in MPG, or tell me that I'm heading in the wrong direction. I will use the restrictor plugs and play around with jetting if it goes that far but hopefully these few changes will get me closer to 40mpg. If nothing else I will learn some things about how the Venture differs from the Vmax in regards to tuning for power and MPG.

Well, my used K&N filter arrived today ($22 shipped) caked with muck. I know K&N sells a kit that includes cleaner and filter oil and I purchased one years back. That kit is really not cheap and I went through plenty of cleaner and have the same filter oil I have had forever. The K&N oil is great sticky stuff and it only takes a small amount, I have found nothing better to use yet. For cleaning I have found that Castrol Super Clean works as well if not better, for a fraction of the cost. Besides I usually go through several bottles of cleaner for every bottle of oil. I'm getting ready to throw it in and just felt compelled to share this in case it will save anyone some $$$.

Wow, integral HT lead and coil? reeeeally? That doesn't sound very Yamaha-like How does the 2nd gen do with COPs?

Thats awesome! I would love to be able to buy whatever grade I want without pumping that garbage into my vehicles. It's not enough to make up for over 40 ppl/sq mi but it sure does make Maine look pretty darn good.

Ethanol is garbage. It has less energy than pure gasoline so with fuel not tainted with ethanol you will see better MPG and performance. Of course assuming a vehicle is not specifically tuned to run on ethanol. EFI vehicles seem to be able to digest it but carbs dont seem to like it one bit. I have an early Lexus LS400 that requires 91+ and thats what I run, and it loves it, if I try and cheap out I can feel the difference. If a car only requires 87 then 91 is nothing but a waste of money (unless it's the only way to escape ethanol). I would be quite happy if I could find 87 oct pure gasoline, few things would make me happier.