larrydr

Thanks...... Would adding a aluminum set of clamps around each fork below the tree do the job

Has any one ever moved the forks up through the steering head ...Up high enough to install the air fittings above the triple tree on a 1983 XVZ1200

.l I have been riding since 1964 and have always done my own work .. I need to take the bike for first time registration ..safety inspection ...They tell that they will fail the bike if the mechanic sees the fork setting changed .. Any settings I want to make , I have to do after the inspection ..This is my first Venture , and I am not up on how this bike should handle or perform ..We are not allowed to change any tire sizes or have the tire psi off from the factory specs are ..Sometimes I think that we live in a free country as long as we do what the government says we are able ...WE live under a iron fist .

Does anyone know what effect it would have if one would slide the forks up through the steering head clamps about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch on a 1983 XVZ1200 Venture

I pulled the forks and found that the one leg was sticking .. I know that I will have to re do both legs anyway , along with bearing in the steering head ..I also have a noise in my transmission in neutral ...Which goes away the transmission goes into gear .. Another local guy here has a VMAX with the same problem , and after 6 months of a parts back order ...I see no point in ordering any new parts as not now , before all this COVID stuff clears up

I noticed some strange handling problems ...I will be replacing the steering head bearings and the fork seals next week .. Then I need to head to the shop and have a safety inspection done ...I found out that in Manitoba , Canada ...the mechanic has to spend time and check for the smallest changes anyone has done to the bike and at that point the bike will be reported to the M.P.I insurance and the will be taken of the road and sent to the scrap yard . In Manitoba M.P.I insurance is standing there at ready with a big stick and you don't do anything to make the bike fit your size . ( no lowering kits allowed )

Thanks for your info I found two XVZ1200 Venture that are not running , not sure what I will do about extra parts .... Rather than to buy the exact same for parts , I would like to one with some the upgrades already made to take some the needed parts from .. I am a 73 year old country boy is not used to buying any brand new , so I go out and look for parts bike . Has anyone built a trike from a Venture , if so what would the best wheel base .

I have a XVZ1200 that I been working on to get ready for the road , for the most part runs good ..Getting ready for the Manitoba required safety ( the C.O.1 inspection is very precise and is followed closely ) ... Does anyone know when Yamaha made changes or improvements to the transmission and if the parts would into change for an upgrade .

Well I am 5ft 6 , I have riding bike all sizes since 1964 ..Here in Manitoba we have to do full mechanical safety inspection ..I took the venture for a 10 minute spin today and found that great was running straight down the highway , but as headed back home I noticed it was a bit difficult in tight corners ... I wants to keep going straight down the road at any speed over 10 kilometers ...Reminds of an old GLWING 1000 in 1980 ...have measured an checked all measurements of steering head and chassis .. I would like to find out I missed something simple ...It seemed to work in a lean type turn , but not in a steering turn ... It does great u-turns on a parking lot ,

I am new to Venture size of bike , had almost any size of bike but never the XVZ1200 ....Anyone can tell what I should expect in how the bike should handle in general and cornering

( larrydr , I like to apply the Common Sense rule ) I am 73 , born in 1946 and have 3 grand kids ...I grew up on a farm in Southern Manitoba , Canada ...I as think back of the stories I heard form my grand parents and what I have seen happen in my life time ..I want the say that the world as we know it has come to a place in time some times out of control ... I have been riding a 1995 XV1100 Virago since 2006 , have recently sold it and purchased a 1983 XVZ1200 Venture ...Looking forward to a new style of riding because the Venture does not respond like the XV1100. I have been riding motorcycle of road since 1958 and on the road since 1964 ...I have been riding a touring bike before , but put this me 5 feet 6 inches tall on a Venture ...Makes me realize that I have re-think all my riding skills .

Many thanks to all who did reply to my post ..my 1200...I found 3 problems ..1 was bad connection at the voltage regulator connector ... 2 found bad connection at the fuel pump connector ...3 found badly corroded wire at battery terminal .. I have the bike running fine now

Did find a few bad connections in the wire harness , and have changed the fuse block to a newer automotive with the small blade type fuses

You are right on that one ....I have riding motorcycle since 1964 and have some times forgot about the kill switch

I replaced the cable from the battery to start relay ( short cable ) , then longer cable to starter to the start relay .

The Venture has been to east coast of Canada from Manitoba to Nova Scotia ..3 month trip pulling a camper trailer , and been on the road every year with a total of 160000 kilometers ...Engine runs great plenty of power ...The bushings on the clutch basket have .002 gap to shaft ( the noise was there before repaired the clutch basket )....I made my bushing driver ( line up driver ) in my metal lathe . I have riding a XV1100 for 12 years , so this bike ...XVZ1200 is a big change for me ..

Sounds like the same problem I had on my truck ...I would suggest pull all the spark plugs and then crank the engine ,,,I the plugs are wet check to see if it gas or antifreeze ...I do know that antifreeze can create what is called a hydraulic stop and lock the engine . Head gasket ...

This slow that when warm is common issue ...I have old 83 that did the same thing . After replacing the start relay and all start related cables I pulled the starter and found that the bearing on the armature at the brush end of the starter was not turning freely ( sticking at times ) ..I set the bearing end in penetrating oil for while and then set it in some 5 --20 synthetic oil for while , then the bearing freed up ..Then assembled starter and it works much better when engine is warm

I just finished a starting issue like that ...Ended up replacing the power cable from the the battery to the start relay and the cable to the starter ...It got better but it still poor with a warm engine ... I pulled the starter and found a bad bearing at the brush end of the starter .I set the armature in penetrating fluid ( bearing) at the brush end of the starter for about 30 minutes ... The set the starter armature bearing end in light motor oil for a hour ....Problem solved .

I purchased an older Venture and have started repair to about everything I see that is not working and I hope I can get it ready for the 2020 riding season . Had a bad clutch noise ...I replaced the bushings in the clutch basket and added newer springs in the pressure plate . I still have what sounds like a bearing noise in behind the clutch basket . Before I pull the engine out and start a rebuild , I had hoped that someone out there had run across this before and what it took to fix this . If all goes well I want to have this Venture ready by mid may .

Bought a older Venture as no not repairable ...Got it running , installed a new battery , new charging stator , clutch basket , new spark plugs , oil & filter change and it runs great . I have noticed a bearing noise behind the clutch basket and the starter does not have enough cranking power when the engine is warmed up

I found out long time ago , that there are somethings you can nothing about so why worry about them . Just because there some things happening does not mean that you have to stop living

What I can do very little about , i do not worry about

Hi.. I just purchased a 1983 Venture ..I am 5 ft 6 , I have extended and lower several bikes in the past and I do not see that this Venture will be any harder than the ones I have done in the past ..I will custom fit the seat and build a kit for the rear wheel . When sliding the fork tubes you have to remember that rake angle will change and will effect the handling . Have always found that small changes is better than to make radical changes at once . larrydr

I will try adding fuel to the tank. this all took place over 20 minutes. I rode it into my shop , turned the key off. Changed the battery , repaired the main power cable ( about 6 inches) . It would not run . I hope that I did not break a connection somewhere on the harness