CaseyJ955

The supply line that goes to the left collar is cracked right before the metal crimp, the line that links them appears fine. I dont think it was leaking but it really needs to be replaced. Is there a universal solution for this or do I need to find someone with a parts bike/Ebay? I've yet to slide the fork uppers out and get the bearings done, would love to get it sorted while everything is apart.

I didnt quite know where to slip this in, but I finally got back and am doing the forks, head bearings and progressives. I'm stuck on removing the forks, or the lowers. I had to use an impact to run out the cartridge bolts (?) from the ends of the forks and I know I have to use the lower as a slide hammer to remove itself. I've been out there banging on those darn things for quite a while and they will NOT budge. I know not to hammer them upward, only downward, but it's having no effect. What could I be missing? EDIT, they finally came off, took quite a bit of fudging. Oddly enough I do believe it already has progressive springs, aside from being around 0.25" shorter they are virtually identical to the new progressives. Oh well, in they go anyway, I'm assuming these that came out have all the value of used dental floss, also I believe when they put them in they ignored any other fork service.

I doubt anything is in the works, they would have been making a big deal about it to psych it up, especially with the bike market being so soft and the economy looking so precarious. I know Indian and Victory are making a damn decent bike if you want a twin but I'm not sure they come much cheaper than 23k. IMHO once you get away from twins it's hard to go back when there are so many better balanced choices. Just like cars it would be a hit to buy new and there are some exceptional machines already out there so I wont hold my breath for Yamaha to come up with something. Probably the poorest value in the motorcycling world is a new HD, but used are getting much MUCH more plentiful and cheaper if the big twin is acceptable for your riding style. But look what else you can get for around 16k used. https://denver.craigslist.org/mcy/5765905573.html I dont know this seller and it's not local to me, I just pulled it as a random example of something that would be an outstanding bang for the buck mile eater for the performance minded. Because of bikes like this and Wings, Yamaha would have to come up with something exceptional to command >20k without hordes of them sitting on showroom. I find it odd that not so much as a spy photo has been leaked, I also find it odd that they would pick a release date that would have snow over a good part of the USA.

Then I could buy a 71 LTD to save fuel and commute haha. Actually that sounds pretty sweet, I like it! if we can keep it under 1000lbs I think we might have a winner. Alternatively if wt/size becomes a factor we take the new vmax 1700 engine, retune heads and cam for low end and MPG as that engine is a thirsty pig, and we use a compact biturbo setup, sort of a minature version of what we see on the current generation 3 series. With such tuning to get decent mpg when conservatively riden we could focus on tear-jerking low and midrange torque under say...8lbs boost. Turbo A right off idle for reduced lag and turbo B from about 3500 to a redline of around 7500. So bulky, yes with the intake plumbing, variable length intake runners, hefty radiator and intercooler. Under the skin of a fully modernized but retro styled skin to pay homage to the gen1 but aesthetically integrate the functional scoops harkening back to a gen1 vmax style but bigger. One side would house the intercooler and the other forced induction to the airbox. So 85mph at 2200 rpm pulling down 40mpg, mpg goes to hell with the flick of the wrist but your one sneeze away from 140 with a gear to go, if the sound of turbos bothers you than this is not a bike for you haha.. They will be available in pearl white and gunmetal with MPG, normal and white knuckle efi/engine control maps. In power mode MPG would be dismal but 225 hp at redline and 190 tq from 2000-4500rpm would be the reward. MSRP would be about that of a fully decked out CVO roadblock. Ill get my paypal up here later today for investors to help me get it going

Ive had a few bikes that could have used new needles/seats and there was always a strong fuel funk when the carb/s overflowed. Seemingly anywhere its going if its leaking > 1gal/day it would smell of raw fuel. Are we absolutly sure the sender and gauge are reflecting acurate levels in the tank? Maybe park it with a full tank and measure physical level q4h with a flexable dip stick. At that rate of leakage its going to be wet somewhere. To rule out leaking through the carbs use a hose pincher or disconnect/plug the line feeding the filter and carb rack and see if your fuel loss is unchanged, with this you should be able to rule out carbs, hoses and filter and isolate it to the tank.

I had an XS11 that did exactly that if I didnt turn off the petcock when not riding. I didn't know the Venture tank was high enough to gravity feed the carbs and drain out like that. I stand corrected.

Even if a tiny hole fails to shed light you can see if there is a corrosion problem, im away from home working so not sure if you can see the bottom of the tank from the filler neck. The next tool I buy will definitely be a borescope! Im new to the VR so not sure how tricky it is to access the tank or what particulars are involved in pressurizing it a little and spraying the outside of the tank with a squirt bottle containing 4:1 water:dawn to spot pinholes in much the same way we find slow leaks in a tire. The tank should be dry for that and im not sure but maybe there is a fuel drainplug as on the vmax. Not sure if those or sending unit ports are subject to leaking. Theres no possible way your the first to deal with a suspected fuel tank leak so hopefully someone else who has can get more specific.

Tha tank being lower than the carbs sort of rules out needle valves and shutoff, and much of the plumbing. If you carefully inspected all the hoses and junctions my money is on a tank that has corroded from the inside out. Ethanol tainted fuel can expedite this with moisture content. Possibly a hole small enough to weap but evaporate before it hits the ground and likely even make it difficult to catch a lung full of petroleum funk. I'll bet a pinhole in a hard to see place but if it leaks down to the last .5 gallon its close to the bottom, again assuming all hoses are serviceable. Maybe get a fiesty LED flashlight and have a look inside and around the lower outside of the tank. Please follow up when you figure it out, I'll be curious. To further stretch my silly theories, maybe during regular use the normal fuel consumption leaves a vacuum in the tank preventing an external leak until vacuum is eventually dissipated allowing an external leak to resume, as the fuel tank vent could be obstructed and why no fuel loss under normal regular use. There, thats as far as I can reach haha. I hope you get it sorted soon.

Thank you for your service and welcome back!!

IIRC the 1st gen Trophy had a 900 triple or 1200 four but I might be fuzzy on that, both fantastic according to owners. Considering how aweful Brit cars were (didnt stop me from owning several) its amazing how reliable, well built, well sorted the bikes are, not to mention how well they perform. I think your right about fitting options on the current RIII. I would probably still opt for a wing instead if they had legroom, I got the gen1 venture because I find it superior in comfort to any generation Wing, spoken with the highest respect for Honda of course. I saw a poll on this but a new venture in the spirit of the gen1 with the gen2 Vmax V4 would be tough to ignore as well. I could very likely be in a minority in not finding appeal in cruiser-ish touring models and instead leaning more towerd K bike, Trophy, gen1 VR distance bikes. It could be negative bias left over from my HD days. I have not ridden a K1600 yet but Im not sure it would be easy to top a BMW inline six (which are absolutely lovely in cars too) worth 160tq/160hp. I spoke to a guy at the pumps that had one and he described it as absolutely ridiculous. I would really love to see more models in this class of hard hitting tourers with sport bike bones, even though some of them border on sport tour more than touring. That being said I did throw a leg over a Chieftain recently and I can definitely see why folks love cruiser tourers, HD better be worried about Polaris for sure. It just feels like theres room on the market for another large cal. tour bike along side the Wing and big K bike.

I heeded this advice as it was offered in a thread I started. I got all of it from boats.net for something like $157 shipped. The OEM seals, dust cups, upper bushings and lower bushings, which are called pistons and that threw me off too. One thing I have learned on other bikes is to never use aftermarket fork seals. Im excited.to get mine together with the progressives and balls head bearings. Everything will be replaced and ill piece of mind. When I was riding mine home 300 mi after purchase and hit anything over 75mph it would start to vibtate and when I looked down through the fairing down the forks I could visually see them vibrating for and aft. Replacing the bushings, im in.

I dont know either, the Trophy is well recieved but down on HP when compared to offerings like the big nasty 6 pot K bike or FJR or Connie. If they did add a "Trophy 2.3" to the current model it would be amazing, but it would have to be a totally retooled and redesigned model. Anything that looks even remotely like an HD would not be my preference, but its what sells so I understand why they have it this way. Even a Trophy with a scaled back less torque/more HP/more rev 1850cc triple would be delicious. Maybe 115tq and 190hp@8500rpm... Just sayin' The one I had was a 955 triple and the two most notable traits of that config (besides amazing sound) were usable torque right out of the basement that seamlessly ended up as splendid top end HP, it pulled fantastic from idle to the rev limiter. Also the most perfect EFI mapping I have ever experienced on a bike. Yup, I am completely sold on the triple. I have my $ tied up in other things right now and not looking for a new bike, but I would not be able to ignore my made-up Trophy 1800 or 2300. I would most likely buy it.

I rode one of these first year out. If I were going to drop some coin on a power cruiser this is hands down the first choice. There are head and cam packages out there that boost power quite a bit more, and turbo setups in case your completely insane. I bought a brand new *****en' red Sprint ST in 2000 and its the best bike I have ever owned. I would not hesitate to own another Triumph and if they ever fit this 2.3L to a dresser instead of a cruiser it will have my attention pretty quickly.

X2. First step charge and test the battery. Not sure about a Venture but some bikes will cease to charge if the battery drops enough voltage.

Great pics! Giving up the wheels is a huge blow to independence so any alternatives he can control might help the conversation. Uber if he uses a phone or straight up taxi, when compared to the cost of registering, insuring and maintaining a vehicle taxi fare is not so bad. Many communities have ride services for seniors as well. In my experience a straight up approach tempered with love is best, and will go better if you have said alternatives sorted out along with the rationale that nobody wants to see him or others hurt. As a geriatric nurse I have come to realize that autonomy is a tough one to give up. Giving up control is tough after decades of diong for ones self and can even be depressing so thats something to watch for also. He sounds like a remarkable guy going so strong at 94 and my guess is hes pretty resilient. Best of luck to both of you.

Rotella 15-40 sure works nicely in the max, shifts well too so Ill use it in the Venture. I use it in everything except my old lexus which calls for synthetic so it gets Mobile 1, with 200k it still runs like new. No question synthetics have advantages but I think about things in a risk vs benefit way and with early engines I dont believe its worth the risk even though it may work. I would agree with the rationale that modern synthetics can attack old rubber and gaskets. It might work and it might not but I dont feel compelled to roll the dice when the Rotella works so very well. If I knew I could use synthetics with no risk or ill effects I would do it but I remain unconvinced that this is the case. Normally its hard to go wrong by using what is OEM recommended. When it all comes down to how much more engine life, added hp and fuel savings you get with synthetic oils the perks might fall a bit short of what some would like you to believe. I change bike oil about as often as conventional cage oil because there are plenty of open roads here, I can knock out 3000 miles in a short week if im touring I feel comfortable gauging oil breakdown on a bike by the shifting characteristics. I will change usually 2-3 times a season if I ride a lot. I change oil more frequently for vehicles w/o fuel injection Because unburned fuel can get past rings into the crankcase. I say use any conventional oil you like that is bike clutch friendly and enjoy life. Just my .02

That sounds like a blast. I see a few ways around the cities to. Risky time of year coming from SD so ill have to watch the weather.

Thank you! That is the first check ill do after I get the forks, tires and head bearings sorted. It should be a pretty full day of tweeking and dialing everything in. This chart will come in very handy.

By plug caps do you mean that lil' nub at the tip that needs to be screwed off for some systems? Im going to do COPs but just not yet, I just dropped like $600 on parts and tires so ill do that resistance check first and save the COPs for a winter project. Of course it lacks the Vmax power but it doesnt feel like Im missing a cyl. When I whack the throttle it boogies. Im at work for the next 7/days so I have plenty of time to read and think about what to do next.

Thanks guys. I'll start with checking for a vac leak and of course the mom-and-dad-were-first-cousins downpipe spit test to make sure it's hitting on all fours. When my Vmax dropped a cyl I was still all over the north hills just thinking it was a little down on power so I know they dont suffer as one would think when one pot is dragging it's feet. I went for a good run and checked for hot brakes and nothing there to suggest any dragging. I had planned to pull the carbs and set float levels, check jetting, diaphrams and needle position but if I can do a wet float level check with the carbs in place then I'll just do that and slide the diaphragms out and check that and needles. I remember something about the needle jets wearing out and trashing MPG as well. It looks like carb removal is a PITA compared to the Vmax carbs but I know float levels are critical for CV carbs. I'm glad there is no YICS to hassle with. The only ridability issues I have noticed is when I hot start the starter motor works fine but I sometimes have to blip the throttle a little to get it to light up and the missing/chugging/bucking/surging/coughing always happens in the same place as I'm rolling into town so the same operating temperature. If I grab the loud handle and do a couple WOT bursts it subsides and does not reappear until the following day, same place/same time. I have to go to work tomorrow for a week and when I get back I'll do this and the forks/bearings/springs/tires so I can maybe do a Yellowstone/Tetons/MT/WY thing before the roads ice over, I'm itching to put this thing to the road test! All the fork parts are here and the tires should be here today. I ordered the E3s from Dennis Kirk for $270 shipped. Thanks once again folks!

I have read two versions of YICS on the 1300 Gen 1.2 and one version says it did not come on the 1300. I pulled the side panels off and I cant see anything, was it supposed to be there? I'm trying to chase down why I'm getting a high of about 25mpg and an occasional bucking/surging/carb backfiring just after operating temp is reached. YICS came to mind as a possible culprit on an otherwise decent running bike.

Nice pic of the correct color bike . I like the fork bellows but mine has some sort of corny looking chrome shields in front of the fork tubes, I spose I'll leave them alone for now. Off topic but I'm getting ready to mount the exact same horns you have there on yours, did you need to upgrade the relay and all to make it work correctly or is it just a plug and play, I always do the relay with the air horns but with these, not sure if it's needed. I found a puddle under the chin of my bike today, the fork oil is actually leaking from the seal, onto and down the back of the fender and dripping to the ground. All the parts are here and ordering the tires now to get her all done. Thanks for all the ideas on how to set them up for low speed precision.

I also love on a crazy crappy gravel raod, would love to know how you get them setup for best control under such circumstances in regards to spacers and air.

From what I read about the YICS it would be a bear to synch the carbs with that hooked up. If all things are as they should be, at operating temp, they should synch up fairly well. They should be VERY close. Also from what I'm reading it's better to have a properly functioning YICS than blocked off. I know what you mean about it running on 3 cyl, the Yamaha V4 will run well. I had an electrical problem killing cyl #2 and I rode it around all day thinking it's just down on power a bit and not quite as smooth as it should be so I planned to go into it that eve and found a severed coil wire. I couldn't believe I had a completely dead pot and it still ran as well as it did. To make sure it's hitting on all cyl when I'm tuning I do the spit test on each downpipe to make sure each is carrying its aprox weight at idle. It's a quick backyard test but it told me in a hurry I had a bunk cyl when the coil wire was bad.

The carbs should be synchronized every time they are touched. I synch mine even after needle adjustments, which in theory should have no effect on synch but I can always make minute adjustments and the bike is always happier. Theres that small window of tune where all is right with the world and it's hard to stay in that window without fine tuning a couple times a season. I have never used the YICS tool myself. EDIT. I should clarify that the synching I'm talking about is on my Vmax, while the engine and carbs are essentially the same there is no YICS on it and I understand the YICS can make the bike less sensitive to maladjustment. I have never owned or synched a bike with YICS before. I'm just extra OCD about keeping carbs jetted and synched, maybe some throwback from my air cooled VeeDub days.