Papa Fred

I know there is a dedicated forum for darksiders, and if this is moved to that area, that's fine. I went this route to get many eyes on this, specifically anyone who is currently running a Nexen SB 802 165-80-15 on their RSV. Mine is a 2000 (Gen 2) and after what I thought was lots of research, I installed the above-mentioned tire. There were a few on the forum who ran that particular tire so I knew "fit" wouldn't be an issue, and this past winter I found a rear wheel from an '05, complete w/ brake rotor and drive hub. A visit to MANY tire shops in my city revealed that no-one had a comparable size tire to the Nexen, so I went to the internet and ordered the Nexen ($93 USD). Tire arrived, found an independent guy who had no problem mounting it...aside from 110 psi to seat the bead...had him replace both wheel bearings and seals, and brought it home. I swapped out my OEM wheel and existing tire (Metzeler ME 888) for the new wheel and Nexen, and went for a short test scoot yesterday then a 200+ mile ride today. Observations: The tire is rated for 1200 lbs @ 36 psi. If that is indeed the maximum advisable pressure, I'm not sure if I'll keep it on the bike. With 36 psi it does seem to provide a noticeably softer ride. While I was expecting the handling to be drastically different, it turns out, for the most part, it has a fairly "neutral" feel. The major issue I have, however is at low...parking lot...speed. While turning, the bike is now a bit of a handful in that it feels to be "off balance", if that makes sense. With an MC tire on the rear, I can do donuts and figure 8s all afternoon without grief. With the Nexen, a simple effort to set up an approach to a parking spot is a challenge. The best way I can describe it is any input feels similar to the shake in the bars if you give them a hard push when stopped. You feel the bars, forks and tire give a little wobble. Also, the bike is now really twitchy at hiway speeds and much more unhappy in cross-winds. Thoughts: I'm going to check the steering shaft bearing locknuts with respect to that twitchyness. With 36 psi in the tire, the sidewall, as expected, has a LOT of flex...therefore softer ride. BUT...is that flex changing the feel that drastically? Even though the Nexen has the same circumference as the MC tire, with the sidewall flex it has lowered the rear end by at least an inch. This will likely mess with the steering geometry in ways I don't understand. The Metzelers (front and rear) have a much stiffer sidewall, and are a noticeably harder tire than my previous Avon Cobras, and in a round-about way...here's The question: for those who run Nexens...Can I run more than 36 psi? What did you notice in the overall feel of the bike with the Nexen. Any other bits of experience with that tire? I HAD been running 38 psi in the front tire, but my plan is to drop that a bit in steps and make note of the difference. My hope is that a bit more air in the back and a bit less in the front might even things out a bit. My original goal for switching to a CT, aside from the actual tire cost, was to improve the load-carrying potential on the rear tire since most of my riding is 2-up and occasional trips pulling a trailer. The Nexen is rated for 1200 lbs @ 36 psi, the Metzeler is 992 @ 50 ( I was running 42), but even though the extra capacity is fine, the rideabilty has to be there too. Thanks for any assistance and thoughts, gang. Cheers...

Hey there Erik....welcome to VR. I've got a 2000 RSV that I believe came with the same seat as your '99. I bought a pillowtop set (front and rear) from a guy who had a wrecked bike...not sure of model year but newer than my 2000. I guess I'm not naturally padded enough because I don't fine either seat really comfortable on long runs (longer than a couple of hours). Until I can find an upholstery magician who understands The Bike vs The Butt battle, I'm using an air cushion made by Air Innovations. Similar to the Air Hawk but slightly less expensive. I've been using it for 3 years or so now, and it takes a bit of the hurt out of the ride. You mentioned bar risers..I put a set of 1 inch riser blocks on, and while it doesn't make a HUGE difference, it does allow me to adjust the bars back a bit. The only issue with them is the bar clamps now hit the tank cover (around the ignition switch) on full -lock turns...rarely an issue. You'll get lots of help from the crew at VentureRiders. Read often and enjoy.

Yep, definitely agree with you on some of the information found in the "expert" manuals. Sometimes it's kinda like paperwork..if some is good, more must be better. Maybe. Another option is to follow The Rule of 3-2-1...get 3 opinions, if 2 match, 1 should stop thinking. (unless it's about tires or oil) Cheers...

I too am a Southern Manitoba boy, and over the past several decades have learned much from, as you say "figuring it out". One of the many valuable lessons I learned working on my own vehicles is to ask questions...hence the above thread. I have figured out many things on my Toy by taking stuff apart, but before turning wrenches I like to have at least a bit of an idea of what I'm likely to encounter so I don't end up with a bunch of parts and tools on the floor while our limited riding season disappears waiting for something I needed and should have had before starting. My experience has taught me that I like to see the road before beginning a trip. That has served me well in repairs as well as a 1/4 century of Long Haul driving. One way of getting at least a close idea of the correct torque value for the swingarm bolt (aside from talking to my dealer) would be to gently use my torque wrench to loosen the bolt. If it needs more than 40 or so lbs of pressure, I guess I could assume (there's that word) that it indeed requires the 51 ft/lbs, not 5.1. Instead of paying large money for the dealer to do it I'll sort it out one way or another. Thanks for the input gang.

Thanks, Ron... I had found the procedure in an on-line Service Manual and had just printed that off when your msg came thru. When I read thru The VR version I saw where the torque for the right side bolt is only 5.1 ft/lbs....the service manual states the torque on the right side bolt is 51 ft/lbs. Bit of a difference. Any thoughts on which would be correct? While I thought the 5.1 might have been about right for a bolt with a locknut, on further thinking it seems to be pretty light for a swingarm bolt...given that the left one is 72 ft/lbs. ??

Thanks for the replies, Gary & Carl. I was thinking it might be just remove parts till you find the target, while taking pictures to remember where it all goes back. One additional question if I may...are the swingarm bearings a "sealed" style of needle bearing where you just smear grease on the inner pivoting part, or would they be like older style car wheel bearings that let you pack grease in from the side? I'll find out by getting them out, but thought I'd ask. Appreciate the tip on the steering head bearings, Gary. Hadn't really given them much thought, even tho I have played with the adjustment a bit over the years. That looked like a bit more of a job to get at....guess I chickened out from the thought of hanging the bike from the rafters while I tried to pull the forks out. 😬

Greetings from the soon-to-be snowless Great White North. I'm looking for information on things to look for with respect to the correct operation of the swingarm on my 2000 RSV. I'll be pulling the wheels in the next few days for new rubber and wheel bearings, and while the rear is out of the way I want to check the swingarm. Are there specific things to check? If so...what and how? I believe I've read (here or ?) that the swingarm has no grease fittings, which suggests to me it has to be removed to get at the bearings. How complicated is that operation? Brief background on my mechanical "skills". I do my own general maintenance including replacing brake pads, new clutch discs, new stator, installing an electronic fuel pump...general "keep it running" stuff. I've also replaced the rear shock with a rebuilt from Dave Fitzgerald and had the rear end apart when I replaced the stock diff with a VMax drive (thank you John Furber) so I've had most of the parts out of the way before. I figured I'd dig into the swingarm this time with the tire out of the way. There's no particular reason for my concern, just a question since I don't know the maintenance history of the bike. I purchased the bike in 2017 from a, shall we say, Non-Metric V-Twin Dealer who took the bike in on trade from the original owner. He had looked after it really well, but I received no historical paperwork from the dealer. I looked thru the Tech Forums and couldn't find anything other than brief references to the lack of grease from the factory. Any guidance would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks...

Ditto everything above. Depending on the type and amount of crud, that little clamp can be hard to figure out. It's a fairly thick clamp so be bold, but be careful. ( probably a Canadian thing....sorry.)

I just saw this addition to my original post.....apologies if my "fix" got forgotten. The small brass tube coming out of the petcock was loose. I cleaned it thouroughly, then applied a VERY thin smear of JB Weld to the pipe (tube) and gently tapped it into place. The JB squeezed out around the tube to form a perfect little "donut" seal around the tube. Several thousand miles later and no issues with fuel leaking.

Hey there Fuelman Being a fellow Canuckian, my 2000 RSV also shows only KpH. I'm not positve on this but from the RSVs I've seen in this area it seems the bikes sold on THIS side of the 49th got Metric dash info...Southern bikes appear to have both scales. A guy I know locally bought his across the line and his dash has both. The only "oddity" in the speedo seems to be in the accuracy. Mine registers about 10% fast across the speed range. (shows faster than actual). I've confirmed this with my GPS and with a many-mile riding buddy. Our speedos read the same on the dash and both are out 10%. The odometer, which you would think would be out by the same 10%, isn't. It's pretty close to accurate...maybe 2%. I tend to look at my GPS for road speed and only pay attention to the odometer when it's time to look for gas. Hope this helps... Cheers

The air filter can be changed without removing the lowers. The upper bolt on the air box is a bit challenging, but a flex joint / u-joint / whatever you want to call it on a 1/4 in drive allows access to that bolt without removing the lower. Don't forget to put a light smear of grease around the intake pipe before sliding the air box back into place. The clamp doesn't always seal the rubber pipe completely and a remarkable amount of dust can collect in the air pipe. Just sayin'. 😏

Thanks Squidley...I just sent you a PM. Hi again, Earl...thanks for the eBay tips. I had to laugh when I opened them, since they were 2 of the offerings I was looking thru last nite....many, many postings.😏 The big challenge, from a $ point, is the shipping cost of most of the wheels I viewed. A $40 wheel turns into close to, and often, more than 200 bucks. And that's before adding in the $ exchange. There were a few possibilities... a guy one province east of me has a clean wheel with drive hub and brake rotor. The "plus" for me is no international shipping. I'll hear from him tomoro as to shipping cost. If that doesn't pan out, I'll continue the hunt South of the Border. I'll check out Squidley's setup as well. Coming off a 2nd Gen answers the "will it fit" question. Thanks for the reply..nice chatting with you again. Cheers... Fred

Greetings from North of the 49th... Does anyone here have, or know where I can get, a rear wheel for my 2nd Gen RSV (2000)? I don't need the tire, just the wheel (with the drive splines if possible). With The Toy put away for the winter, I now have more time to think up stuff to do in the Spring. A buddy of mine down the street recently went Dark on his Goldwing. He bought a second rear wheel with the car tire already on it, making the swap easy. We've ridden a lot of miles together the past few years, which is to say I trust what he tells me, and he is very impressed with what the tire has done for the ride and overall feel. Unfortunately this got me thinking about going that route as well. As I said earlier..spare time, thinking, boredom..etc. Anyway, that's the background for the post. I want to put a suitable CT on a spare wheel and see for myself what Uncle Darth has been talking about. If it turns out to be a bad choice, I can switch back without telling my mechanic and enduring the ridicule. Since the bike will be sleeping for the next 4 or 5 months there's no real hurry, but I wanted to throw it out to The Group for ideas. Thanks, gang....stay well and warm. Cheers... Papa Fred

Add me to the "probably brake fluid boiling" club. Couple of years ago, I spent some quality time in a large parking lot working on basic ideas from Motorman Paladino's playbook I've practiced over the years.... low-speed stuff in the friction zone with light rear brake..u turns, tighter u turns, circles, high speed panic stops etc. After a steady 5 minute session doing The Intersection turns, the rear brake took a holiday. No pedal feel and no brake. I let the bike sit for a few minutes then did a few brake-free trips around the parking lot. Brake came back, and I flushed the brake line and Master when I got home. Fresh, clear fluid makes for happy brakes (and clutch).

Thanks for the tip on that Prestone rad cleaner, Ben. I've been toying with the idea of a flush and fill event for some time now as my fan seems to be coming on in stop & go traffic a lot more often than last year. Might be able to blame it on Climate Change, but the rad cleaner is somewhere simple to start. 👍

Gas leaking on the engine seemed kind of interesting while it was leaking. To put it another way, it was pretty much my focus once I discovered it.

After a few days and several hundred miles, The Toy looks like it's keeping the gas where it belongs. I tried a bit more aggressive pulling on the brass fuel nipple at the petcock, and with the aid of a bright light and a pair of padded channel-locks I noticed a slight movement in the tube when I twisted it. It came out with remarkably little effort. The light pressure I was applying with just my fingers in earlier tests didn't show any movement, but with a good grip on the tube, it basically pulled right out. Hats off to everyone who had suggested the fuel nipple as the culprit, and my apologies for not working that thru earlier. Here's my "fix"... I scrubbed the brass tube with Scotchbrite to clean it up, likewise the socket on the petcock. I applied a light smear of JB Weld to the tube and pushed/tapped it into place. The JB Weld squeezed out around the barrel of the tube to form a seal. ( it looks like an O-ring around the base of the tube.) Let it set overnight before attaching the fuel hose..using a single spring clamp (😉)..and hit the road. I checked it every time I stopped after short or long rides over the next few days, and as of this morning everything is still dry. Thanks to all for weighing in, and I look forward to not talking about this again. Cheers...

Our typically polite Canehdian way to describe a royal PITA! 😏 😎 I'll be looking for less rigid gas friendly hose tomoro...hopefully have a positive result to share.

Thanks for those points, Patch. I figured the pump pressure didn't really factor into the fuel seeping out at the petcock, unless it was somehow allowing some sort of back-pressure to make its way up the line. I double (triple?) checked the petcock itself to eliminate it as the problem..zero leakage from around the tank seal or the fuel nipple into the petcock ( I've seen a few posts about those coming loose). As for the tubing itself, I've got a pre-formed piece of plastic tubing with a 90 degree bend that slips over the fuel line and curves it from the nipple inboard under the tank. From there the line takes a gentle turn toward the back. Your mention of the tubing size got me thinking, however. When I originally replaced the line a cpl years back, I probably used the old line as a guess for the new tubing. Being old and worn out, it was likely a bit larger ID than required. I'll measure the fuel nipple and get something that needs to stretch a bit to slip on. That way the spring clamp is just insurance, not defence. Thanks for the memory jog... Cheers

Thanks for the reply Carl... When I pull the gas line off, there isn't any fuel coming from the petcock itself... either around the seal to the tank, or the outlet...with the fuel valve shut. It only weeps out around the hose when in use. If I shut the fuel off and let the bike run for a couple of minutes to use the gas in the line, or it sits overnight and cools down, there is no leak. I'll be doing a bit more research today into the fuel line I'm using. Maybe it's a simple solution. 🤞

Looking for ideas here on a possible cause of fuel leaking (seeping) past the clamps on the fuel line at the petcock on my 2000 RSV. I replaced the old line a couple of years back and till a few weeks ago didn't really notice any issues. What got my attention was the fuel stain on the front left cylinder fins and the dog-bone. When parked for a short time I have been leaving the fuel on...when stopped for the day the fuel is off. Recently, when parked with the fuel on or off, gas is weeping out past the clamp. Thinking the hose I replaced was a cheap grade or something, I replaced it with a more rigid hose from the petcock back to the filter (in-line under the seat..installed a couple of years ago) then from the filter down to the OEM pump. The pump appears and sounds to be working fine. I've tried regular screw clamps, the spring-type clamps, a type of fuel injection line clamp...all with no success at stopping the leak. I tried tightening down a clamp on a spare piece of the new hose as well as the one I pulled off. Both seem to distort slightly when under clamp pressure, and I got to thinking that I may have created the problem by using a heavier hose than I need. The new hose is a good snug fit over the flare on the gas pipe coming out of the petcock, so I figured a clamp would be insurance. I'll mention here that I pulled the hose off the petcock to see if the petcock was leaking. Bone dry when turned off. Also, the vent line at the top of the tank is clear...blew compressed air thru with no restriction. I noticed a couple of times when I removed the fuel line there was enough pressure in the line to blow gas out of the hose. I thought that some type of back pressure in the carbs was forcing the gas back up the lines, but with the pump being effectively closed when the power is off, that seems odd if even possible. Anybody have any ideas , or experience, with this. I've noticed on other bikes the fuel line at the petcock is held in place by that simple spring clamp. Could it be as simple as installing a thin rubber tube instead of the heavy-duty stuff?? Thanks in advance, gang. It'll be interesting to see where this goes. Cheers...

Dead mic update...we got our hands on an audio cable from a wrecked RSV, tested it, cleaned all contacts, bit of dielectric and installed it. Everything works as it should. Odd that one circuit in the old cable took a holiday. Gotta love Things Electrical. Cheers...

Thanks for that....I'll pass it on. Any collection of 20 yr old wires is worth a look. I'll update this after the fairing "dive" is complete.

Chasing a little mystery here. A friend of mine has a 2003 Midnight Venture with a dead microphone in the front audio socket (on the gas tank). His helmet audio and microphone work in the rear socket on his bike and both sockets on my bike (2000 RSV). We tested 3 helmets on both bikes. All helmets have audio and mic in both positions on my bike, but only the rear socket on his bike. When any helmet is plugged into the front socket of his bike, that helmet receives radio and passenger audio from the rear socket, or CB audio from another bike, but has no microphone transmission. We used a multi-meter to test continuity of the microphone pins in the socket, following a Clymer Service manual, and got continuity readings in all sockets. ( I tested my bike as well...similar readings to his.) He's planning on splitting the fairing to get a look at the other end of the audio cable and whatever it's plugged into, and I'm wondering if anyone here has experienced this odd failure and has ideas on what else to look for. Cheers...

You may have already tried this, but I'll pass it on regardless. Occasionally, my bike (2nd Gen RSV) will crank as usual with no fire. Everything seems to work as far as the dash and other lights, and whether it's been sitting for days, or just long enough to put in gas....it'll crank like normal but won't start. If I turn the key fully "off" then back on it'll fire. Sometimes just holding the key and giving it the slightest twist, and I do mean Slightest...it'll fire. I first experienced this a couple of years ago and working the theory that it was the contacts in the switch, I removed the switch and cleaned them up. I don't recall having the problem last year, but it has happened a couple of times this year, so last weekend I pulled the ignition and dressed the contacts again. Only ridden once since then, and the bike started with no drama. Time will tell for how long.