larrydr

First I would like to say Thank You to everyone on this forum for letting me be a part of it ..At 76 years old I thought I would ride forever and work for years to come ...March 2023 life decided to throw me a curve ball and not been riding since .. And to this day at 77 years old I and still trying to throw that ball back to where it came from ..I have plans of riding a smaller lighter bike next year ...But only the GOD knows what life has in store for me ... TO ALL RIDERS KEEP IT BETWEEN THE LINES AND THE RUBBER SIDE DOWN

I hope all works all okay for you ...From March till May I could not look after myself pain and swelling in my complete body , my eye site presting a challenge and am going to eye surgen in August ...We need to trust God in all things even if things get difficult ...Sometimes hard times make us stronger ...My wish for you is that all things go well

I sold my 83 Venture ... Even if the mind wants to do things you used to do and your body says no ....We all will have to down size at some point in our life

The first I did to my 83 was to replace/update the box , and check all connections .... Sometimes the little things can cause a pile of trouble

I look at the safety side of things , being safe on the road is what everyone should be doing .. I have had some close calls but managed to avoid a wreck because I learned to handle a bike at most any speed

I started to ride off road in 1959 and started to ride the road in 1963 ... I have enjoyed every mile with the only sound was the wind ...Sometimes In a early evening ride I would pull the bike onto the shoulder and turn it off ..I would sit and listen , and sometimes there was no sound at all with only the sound of birds overhead , other times there was some sound in the distance . .I have call it done as I am turning 77 years old and it is a difficult decision .. ..An old injury is coming back to haunt me . To all riders enjoy the ride KEEP IT BETWEEN THE LINES AND THE RUBBER SIDE DOWN ..

Yes it is ...I bought the bike 3 years ago , and the previous owner used the unit to tow a camper they slept in as they drove/rode from Manitoba to the east coast of Canada .

I am not sure how the years are for fit ...I have hitch to fit a 83

I had to park my 83 XVZ12TDK only because my legs were giving out on me ..I had to go to a lighter bike , I guess 76 years are adding up to tell me something ..

I have a 1983 Venture and I did lower the bike 1 1/2 inches by relocating the shock lever pin 1/2 inch lower which then lowers the bike 1 1/2 inches which brings the balance weight down making the bike easier to learn from the left to right ( also found the radio is very heavy which adds to the lean problem ) ... I have tried all sorts of batteries , and that includes the GSM type which I will never buy again ..I have been riding since 1964 and have had the best result with a good Lead acid . The key is to maintain all connections ...

I have been riding since 1964 and had about any kind / sort of bike that is out there .. I have always had to check connections and control systems on any of the bikes I have owned ,,As soon a bikes reaches the 3 year old and older there is a need to check connections , contacts on some of the load bearing contacts and the devices them selves ... will show wear , and sometimes caused by heat .. I never throw out any parts I may need to re-use , simply because of availability ..

I can say much thing , i am turning 77 soon this year , and no matter that when my mind tells I can still do this my body wins the fight ... I have a 83 Venture 1200 I thought that I my 5 foot 4 body could get it done , not so I am going to ride something smaller this year ..

Interesting topic for me too ...From 1964 till 1970 I did ammo reload for most all law inforcement here in Southern Manitoba , and had a great time ...The only problem was my reloading equipement was a single stroke press where I had to change all loading dies for every process of the load ..I was loading atleast for more than 15 guys and was getting behind .I had to make a decission to upgrade my equipement or quit , I did quit ... My favorite rifle at that time was the Schultz and Larsen 7.62 Magnum ( I had to hand load all ammo , could not buy it any where ) which would carry a 220 grain slug at 2800 feet per sec at 300 yards ... When a moose was hiding behind a 6 inch tree it gave that moose a big surprise when that 7.62 went right through that tree and did the job well ... I have retired from all firearm activity ..My favorite pass time is motorcycles , forever ...

I enjoy reading quotes about all the you all are riding out there , and I can tell that all bikes are a lot newer than what I am riding .the latest / newest ride on my yard is 1983 ..I have often wondered what it would feel like to ride a bike not more than 10 years old ..There is some satisfaction in repairing a 50 year old bike and getting fit for the road .

There is route much like the one you have described here , it is called threading the needle about a days drive south of the Canada ,,USA border .I want to run the route soon , and of course if is a slow ride ..

A comfortable make all the difference on the ride ... For those who have had a spinal injury will know what it means to have a good seat

I have learned hard way , and I will only buy matching tires front and rear ...I will match the type of tire to the kind of riding I do , unfortunately here in Manitoba availability is the main problem in 2023

When you decide to stop riding after many years it comes hard ...I have been riding since 1963 and I still cannot make the decision not to ride ...I will ride a smaller bike , and if I don't feel safe then I will make the decision ....

I started to ride in 1963 , and have run about every brand of bike out there ...I been a Yamaha guy since 2008 , and only used bikes ...I belong to Antique Motorcycle Club of Manitoba and like most of the guys I repair or restore all makes ..I like the Yamaha and as of now I have 3 Yamaha's and 1 Honda and my ride has been a 1983 Venture chassis ID#000663 ..I am 76 years old ( 5 foot 4 inches ) and I will have to down size my ride to lighter bike because just like any one else sometimes the body gives messages to go away from a large ride .

There is one relay that works with closed contact .. A poor contact will cause a poor starting condition

Here is a electrical challenge , I have not found any wiring diagram that matches the harness ...the serial / frame # ends in 663 ...I ordered a replacement harness for it and it came and did not resemble any like the one that came off the bike ...Apparently Yamaha kept on making changes in the first 1000 Ventures that were built ...So I ordered another harness and when it came it different again but closer to the original ....I have to make changes to signal light wiring and the start relay system and the monitor wiring that works off the harness had to be changed ... There is more but I will stop here because it will be a challenge ...

That is some great looking iron ..I have not had anything new since the early 1970''s .. I repair and ride older bikes and when the bike does not fit me , I make it fit ...I day dream and wish for a newer ride , but unfortunately where we live it costs the minimum $13000, and into $25000...

Here in Manitoba it minus 20 and lots of snow .. Merry Christmas to everyone , it is a great time of year

In Manitoba we have /and had MTS and all was great ...Now that BELL is taking over and will be replacing MTS as of February 2023 ....The billing has increased 35% in the last 4 months and the service is less half of what we had before ...The customer care with BELL is at best poor and it seems they don't what happens east of Toronto ... When big money rolls in look out anything that was working well is wiped out and replaced with senseless red tape ... Bell at this point does not care if anyone east of Toronto continues stays on to be a BELL customer

God made each one of us and his Love is everlasting .. Rest in God's Love and Grace , Faith brings Hope .. in the Bible , the book of Mathew says God is waiting for us to come to him and ask for his help and we are to believe that he will help us