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Have you check the vacuum pump and the vacuum line to the vacuum activator? The pump is located in the right side of the fairing and the activator is in the left side. The activator is what controls the throttle cable to change speeds. The vacuum line runs a long the front of the fairing to connect the two. It is possible if there is no vacuum, the system will not set and activate. Make sure you are getting a vacuum from the pump and that you see it at the activator end of the line and also check to see if the activator can hold a vacuum also. Also make sure the pump is getting proper power. I would do all of this before changing out the Control unit assemble again. There is a troubleshooting guide in the service manual, least for the 86-93 Ventures and I am sure there is for the 83-85 ones also. Let us know how it is going. Rick F.

I talked with Mark today about some items I would like to buy and we also talked about a kit for the front calipers of the 86-93 Ventures. He didnt realize that the front calipers have different size caliper piston in each caliper. There are two 34mm and two 32mm piston in each one on the front. The rears have the same size for all 4. I told him I had a front one here that I can disassemble and double check measurements and forward him the information. Sounds like with that he will add the kit to his line. I also have new factory seals from Yamaha for the piston that I can also measure for him to ensure the correct parts in the kit. Rick F.

I have to agree on the v-twin.. too much mention of it in the videos for it not to be that. Will be interesting to see but I have a feeling I will be sticking with my 89 VR for a while longer. Rick F.

There is a metering valve on ebay right now for an 83-93 Venture "http://www.ebay.com/itm/1983-1993-Yamaha-Venture-XVZ1300-XVZ1200-FRONT-BRAKE-JOINT-METERING-VALVE-/381996200626?hash=item58f0bf72b2:g:oN0AAOSwdGFYwZb5&vxp=mtr" Looks like they are the same for the 1st Gens no matter the year. Good luck. Rick F.

Can you let us know who the previous owner was so we can go back and check on that he has done or asked us about? This might save us some time in troubleshooting it for you. Thanks Rick F.

I see that there is a manufacture that is now offering brake kits and pads for the Yamaha Venture line from 83-present. The link to their site is https://brakecraftersusa.myshopify.com/ . Right now I see they have complete caliper kits for the 83-85 for the front and rear that even include the o-rings for separating the caliper half's. This is something that Yamaha doesnt supply in the parts catalog. For the 86-93 they are only listing the rear caliper at this time but still include everything needed to rebuild the rear caliper. And for the 2nd Gen bikes, the have numerous parts also. Check it out as it is another option to keep the bikes on the road. Rick F.

Hi ya Casey, I measured the tube for the float bowl vent and it is 8mm. I am not able to access the ones on my bike at this time but should be able to this weekend. I am not sure how long the lines need to be but I plan on pulling my carbs this weekend for a rebuild. I can let you know more then. Rick F.

Looking at the wiring diagram that MiCarl supplied. You will see that there are 3 switches labeled for the Clutch, front brake, and rear break. They are connected to the signalling fuse by a Br (brown) wire and are in series with each other and supply voltage to the cruise vacuum pump and the cruise control unit. Also in series with the above 3 switches is the cancel cruise switch on the right handle bar control assemble. It appears if any one of these switches is activated, the connection to power is broken and the cruise disengages and then would have the resume light come on. I would turn on power and make sure that the fuse is passing power and that it is seated tight in the fuse block. The fuse block has been know to loose it tension on the fuses over time. It is one of the items that a lot of use have replaced. Next see if you get it at the connector to the cruise controller and the cruise vacuum pump. If no power then start working your way to the fuse. Hope this helps and let us know how it is going for you.. Rick F.

Sounds great.. Congrats.. now get out and ride the tires off that VR. Yea a M&E would be great out there.. And maybe it is something that could be arranged as it is a fabulous area to ride for days on end. It is one of my favorite places to ride that is for sure and I do hope to get out there this summer for a nice long weekend ride so maybe we can set up something then. Have a blast riding and just for the heck of it you should try for a 40+ ride one of these days.. Rick F.

One thing to note on his carb rebuild video. It is a Vmax carb he is rebuilding and there is some difference between the Vmax and the Venture carbs. On the Vmax, #4 carb has the plastic cover over the coasting diaphragm, while our Ventures have the plastic cover is on our carb #1 . That is due to the way the choke is set between the bikes. That is one thing I did notice when I went to work on mine. It is an excellent video on the process of tearing down, cleaning and rebuilding the carbs. Rick F.

I have found that tightening the frame mount bolts for the rear subframe assemble can help with some rear end wobble. Also make sure the swing arm bolts/bearing are greased and properly adjusted also. Just some of things I have checked on my 89 anyway.. Rick F.

Another source for the Deka is Mills Fleet Farm as their Road Runner line of AGM batteries is also manufactured by East Penn Manufacturing who makes the Deka line of batteries. I peal a sticker off the Road Runner box to find a Deka label under it on the box just to make sure. Rick F.

I checked the part fiche and there is a different part number for the 83-85( 22U-14190-15-00 ) and the 86-93( 1FK-14190-15-00) needle valve and seat combo. So that does make sense that would would be a different size then. Yamaha has it available so you might just have to order the assemble from them to get the correct one. The way to remove them is to remove the cap on top of the carb above the needle seat assemble and the push up from the bottom of the seat and it will pop out. Now the issue is getting the cap out. You can drill a small hole into it and the thread a self threading screw into it and pull it out that way. It is only held in by an o-ring. The issue with the 83-85 carb is that cap is not available from Yamaha if you mess up and drill all the way thru it. You can also try and push up on the needle seat and use it to force the plug out but there is a filter screen that sits on top of the needle seat assemble and you will most likely crush it. It is available from Yamaha at about $10 a piece so that would be $40 for the 4 or just dont use them is another option. I would contact Carburetor Shop and let them know they have the incorrect needle valve in the kit and see it they can supply you with the correct one. Good luck Rick F.

I am curious on what you mean by the float valve didnt fit, was it too big in diameter, or too tall? Can you clarify on that just a bit. Looking at it, I would either clip part of the new wire retainer on it to match the original equipment one or just move the retainer over from the old one to the new. The float needle we need has the retainer slip over the float tab so it can move up and down with the float. As a side note, I did order 4 of these kits also as I figured that to use Yamaha supplied parts from Partshark.com would run over $50 without shipping per carb while this kit cost $31.00 shipped to my door. Also how long did you have to wait to get them? Thanks Rick F.

Hi Casey, The VR came with just one antenna on the bike but a lot of us have added a second antenna as this separates the CB from the AM/FM. The stock setup is there is a spliter located under the CB that the antenna line goes into and the one line to the CB with the other to the radio. The stock antenna does fold down with the turning of the knurled collar and pulling it up. This collar does thread on tight enough not to rattle loose. There should also be a rubber washer under the antenna where it treads onto the stud for its connection to the cable. The adding of a second antenna is called The Marshall Mod. There are some previous post about this but for our VRs, you need to check your travel bag rack and see if you have antenna bracket mount on the left side of it. If not, then you can try to locate a rack that has one on both sides. I purchased mine off of ebay when I did mine and I believe it came with the antenna bracket also. The brackets are the same so the will mount on either side. I have 4' firesticks on my VR but if I was to do it over I would go with the 3' ones. I personally like the looks of two antennas on the back of the bike which is why I did it but it did seem to improve radio reception also. I havent really used the CB much as I didnt have a mic for it but I did add an EDset to my helmet last spring. Hope this helps you. Rick F.

The hole has a plug in it and sits on top of the swing arm right above the U-joint. I found a photo of a swing arm and have circle the plug for you. Just pop out the plug and you have access to the U-joint in there and I have also had luck pulling bback the rubber boot and then taking a screwdriver or drift and inserting it between the u-joint and yoke and that can help to align the u-joint and the driveshaft for easier insertion. Hope that helps. Rick F.

If you have replaced any screws or bolts with allen head screws or anything thing else, make sure you have the correct size tool it will take to remove it. Dont ask how I know this. Plus everything else that has been mentioned. Sounds like a fun trip. Rick F.

Another good starting point is in the service manual as they have a troubleshooting guide for the cruise control. Here is a link to the forum with the URL to the site. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?3384-First-Gen-Service-Manuals But as Don stated, checking the brake and clutch switched on the master cylinders is a good starting point. When you pull in the levelers, it automatically disengages the cruise control, so if one of the switches isnt seated properly it will keep you from engaging the cruise. Also there is a vacuum line that can get chewed on or disconnected that can cause issues also. It is located in the fairing on the left side up my the headlight if I recall. Check the manual and it will guide you thur testing.. Hope that helps. Rick F.

I have a MK2, but it is my understand from the forum here that the grease zerk doesnt really do a good job of lubing the the differential end of the drive shaft. Yamaha must have thought so also as the MK IIs have an oil seal and use the differential gear lube to keep things lubricated on that end of the drive shaft. I know it is a lot of work but I think you be better off to do it now to be safe.. Rick F.

When you pull the drive shaft out of the u-joint, grease the spines on that end of the drive shaft.. Least I do that when I have my drive shaft out of the yoke as it does move around a bit in the yoke up there.. Rick F.

They go on both sides of the rear wheel. The one of the differential side is between the castle nut and hub, the one of the right side goes between the frame and the rear caliper support. The rear caliper support is next to the wheel hub. Also it is good idea to remove the Clutch Hub and but a little grease on the pins. There is a circlip that hold it in place and once you remove that is should pull off. Also on your 83, you need to grease the spines and gears on both ends of the drive shaft. Hope that helps Rick F.

I dont think you will have any issues getting 40-ish out of yours if you can get your wrist out of it.. I have gotten 45 out of mine on a long highway run of about 60mph average. I ended up installing my vacuum canister on top of the air filter cover along with the Ignitech unit. The wiring is long enough to reach there from the old TCI location and just get a long enough vacuum line from #2 carb to there. I did leave in the stock restrictor also. You and your wife will really enjoy riding this out there. Spearfish canyon is so beautiful when ridden on a motorcycle vs doing it in a cage. Rick F.

Hi Casey, it is actually both that helps the starting, I added the COPs first and that help, then I added the Ignitech and that helped even more. I am rebuilding the carbs next and I am sure that will help some as it starts dang quick now. I am hoping for some MPG in the mid 40's with the rebuild of the carbs. I am also added a 4 brush starter to mine this weekend to help with the hot starting issues. I will have to look you up next time I am in the Rapid City area. Enjoy the bike and the riding as you have a great place to ride around in. Rick F.

I just won an ebay auction on another rack of carbs off of a 86. I am thinking of rebuilding these and adjusting the jet sizes to see if I can get it to run a little better then the stock set up. Only issue with a rebuild is how much it can cost to do it. You can almost count on new diaphragms for all 4 carbs plus new main nozzles and some gaskets and O-rings. I also been looking at some of the carb kits from Keyster and K&L to see which one is the better for what we need. I also found a kit from Carburetor City that has a kit just the 1200 and another for the 1300 Ventures. http://www.carburettorshop.com/contents/en-us/d380_Mikuni_BDS_carburetor_parts_and_rebuild_kits.html This kit seems to be more complete with all it offers for $28.00 USD. It seems a little more aftermarket items are showing up for our old rides.. Rick F.

I was cruising ebay and saw this listed in an auction. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-Venture-1300-V-MAX-1200-CV-Carburetor-Slide-Diaphragm-1FK-14940-00-00-/172382909617?hash=item2822d274b1:g:UCAAAOSwcLxYCoRH&vxp=mtr Looks like someone is producing the slides with diaphragms installed for $55 plus shipping. I was curious if anyone has tried these yet and if so can let us know how they good they function. I am not looking for any at this time but thought I would share with all of you as we know they are very expensive from Yamaha. Still more money then paying the diaphragms by themselves. Rick F.