cimmer

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.

Yes.. no air pressure in the front and air pressure in the rear depending on how much load you have on the bike is how I have mine. Rick F.

On these bikes, with the petcock lower then the carbs you dont have the possibility of overflowing the carbs by leaving it on plus we have an electric fuel pump that pushes the fuel to the carbs. I personally have left mine in the reserve position for the last 10 years or so and have never had an issue with doing that. Bottom line is you should be just fine with leaving it as is. Rick F.

Couple of things here, when you replaced the springs, did you pull the clutch pack apart at all? When I replaced the spring in my 89 VR, I removed all the disk and plates. I soaked the disk in an oil bath and cleaned up the plates and then lightly sanded them to knock all the glazing off of them. I used a cross hatch pattern on them and when I reinstalled them, all my slipping has gone away. I also replaced the half disk and plate with a full height one in the pack. If you look in the tech section, you should find a write up on how to do this. It might be in the gen 2 section but for the most part other then the springs being different, most of the rest is the same. Hope this helps Rick F.

I am not sure what your 84 Venture has for front forks, but if you can add air pressure to them then you might want to try it without any pressure. I have an 89 with the onboard compressor for the front forks and rear shock and since I have installed the progressive springs in the front forks, I dont add any air pressure to them so it would get too firm on me. Just a thought. Good luck.. Rick F.

The only issue with the old clutch hoses is that they will expand when you put them under pressure. I ended up replacing all the hoses on my 89 a few years ago due to the fact when I applies the brakes I could feel the hose swell in my hands as I held it. I went with SS lines for everything but left in the hard lines since they shouldnt wear out. It made a big difference in how much quicker I could stop. I also rebuild the master cylinders and calipers as well and the clutch master and slave cylinders. if you are just rebuilding the slave cylinder for the clutch, make sure you get some new washers for the banjo connectors as you it is good practice not to reuse them. You will also need a Crankcase cover 2 gasket, 3JP-15461-01-00. You can do this without changing the oil as you will only loose a little bit of oil when you pull the cover. You will also notice a washer on the bottom bolt of the cover, if you remove this, it is also a drain for the oil in the transmission area. It will take a little time to get the slave cylinder out but it does come out, you just have to work with it and it doesnt need to be forced. There is one way it comes out and goes back in. Good luck. Rick F.

Sorry, I was thinking you were looking for the drain screws for a 1st Gen Mk II, they do have an o-ring above the screws threads and are located where you can access them while the carbs are on the bike. Looking at the parts diagram, it appears these screws are located on the float bowl covers that face each other when mounted on the bike. Good Luck... Rick F.

I think I would not go higher then $500. There is a lot of work there and your time has to be worth something, specially if it takes you away from riding the hills. You are going to have to buy parts for the forks, carbs, ignition, battery, tires and who knows what else. Add it up and a low estimate is over $700 in parts for everything. This would be doing the job correctly in my mind so that I would feel comfortable taking it on a long trip.. If you want it to part out, saving some parts for yourself to add to your bike, then it might be worth a little more to you. Hope this help you out.. but in the end only you know what it is worth to you. Good luck Casey... Rick F.

Personally, since they are not available now, I would clean up the old ones and use those. These are accessible when the carbs are on the bike and could be replaced at a later time. With the drain hoses connected properly, all you would loose when changing them is the fuel in the float bowls. I am working on a set of carbs also with questionable drain plugs, but plan on using them and replacing them later if needed. As long as gas doesnt seep from around the o-ring, you can always just plug the drain line temporarily. Just a thought.. Rick F.

Check your local Uhaul as they have them available. I haved used them a few times. Sounds like a fair price for the VR to me. Rick F.

Welcome to the group and that is a nice looking blonde you have there. And you can bring all da Bears stuff you want to the rally.. Rick F.

Sounds like it could be a great deal for you. Offer him the low money and see how it goes, as you might be the only one that has contacted him about it and he might just want it gone. I did that for a friend on a bike, guy said no at first and called me back couple days latter and accepted the offer. Good luck. Rick F.

another thought on this issue is to check the vacuum lines and make sure they are tight and no holes in the lines. Might be possible a mouse got hungry and took a bit of one. Also make sure the vacuum port caps are on tight and not cracked and leaking. I have done the shotgun cleaning in the past and it does help to clean up air passages that can get clogged as well as fuel passages. Good luck and let us know how it goes. Rick F.

Yes trailer it home as you hate to back down between Wall and Murdo wouldnt you. And you know it would happen there in the middle of no where. It looks good and has a lot of Ventureline Chrome on it. I see it has the passenger arm rest with it plus all of the rear end chrome goodies. You might be able to recoup your cost on it fixing it up and selling it, but you know what the cost can be to fix the carbs. I would offer him less and go from there. When running properly with all the major issues resolved, I would think you could get $2000 or better with it all cleaned up and shiny. Good Luck Rick F.

Those ports are used to vacuum sync the carbs and should be capped at all other times except for carb 2 which should have a vacuum line running up to the TCI box. Also in that line is a restrictor with an arrow on it that I believe points to the TCI box. http://www.partshark.com/oemparts/a/yam/5107f835f870022108d65769/air-filter Check out items 11,12,13, 3 and 4. Let us know if you have more questions. Rick F.