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I remember being in Oshkosh, Wi at the EAA convention back in the early 80's and on their warbird day, they had 3 B17s in the air, a full squad of P51s and numerous other war birds flying about. I was quite the show to see and hear.. The Ga show would be very interesting to see also. Rick F.

Another thing to consider is that a dirt race track can also get slick, I wonder is the young driver had realized he was too far down and while trying to get out of the way, slipped on the dirt and then got struck by Tony. With a lot of dirt tracks, water is put on the track to keep the dirt down and to make a hard surface. I havent been around a dirt track in about 25 years but I can remember how they get so slick after some races had been ran that it would reflect the light off the surface. Just my thoughts. Rick F.

There are aftermarket options but one of them, Progressive has been discontinued but can be found at different sources still. It is a Progressive Suspension 465 Series Rear Shock - 850/1200 Spring Rate (lbs/in) - 465-1114. Dennis Kirk still shows 1 on hand but cost is $461.23 but some do still show up on ebay from time to time also. You can always get a used one with low miles as they show up on ebay also. Good luck. Rick F.

I am planning on going with the PIAA LP530 LED fog lights for my 89. http://www.piaa.com/store/p/188-LP-530-High-Intensity-LED-Fog-Light-Kit.aspx they list at $300 but found them on ebay for $165 delivered to my door from ebay seller mvpautoparts I like the idea of the low power of the LED and the idea of pointing the LED backwards and off of a reflector to better control the light pattern. I already had a set of mounting brackets that a VR member made years ago. They mount where the horns mount and move the horns onto them and have a hole for the lights to mount. It really boils down to what you are looking for and what you want to spend but since I do a lot of fall riding I want to light up these Minnesota ditches and not blind on coming drivers. Good luck.. Rick F.

Has anyone tried the PIAA H4 Star White Antivibration Halogen Bulb or the H4 Night Tech Single Halogen Bulb. Sounds like they only use the stock wattage but put out 110/100w of light. http://www.piaa.com/store/c/44-Powersport-Bulbs.aspx?Attribs=38 Also something to consider is their line of LED driving and fog lights, LP530 as they focus the light back to a reflector that they creates the light beam. http://www.piaa.com/store/p/188-LP-530-High-Intensity-LED-Fog-Light-Kit.aspx http://www.piaa.com/store/p/187-LP-530-High-Intensity-LED-Driving-Light-Kit.aspx Just curious if anyone has tried any of these on the Ventures yet? Thanks Rick F.

They are still available new from Yamaha. 71 REAR VIEW MIRROR ASS (LEFT) 26H-26290-30-00 (replaces 26H-26290-11-00) PartShark has it for $65.04 but you can also find them on ebay but who knows the condition they will actually be in. If the bike is show room condition I would suggest a new one. Rick F

here is a link to the Rise-on web site. http://www.ride-on.com/motorcycle-formula-mot.html

On greasing the drive shaft, all you need to look at is the spline end that slides into the u-joint as the other end in the rear diff is greased by the oil in the rear diff. There is a seal on the drive shaft and I would look at it to make sure that there is no leaks in it and if so you can still get that from Yamaha and replace it. I would look at taking the whole swing arm out and the relay arms and grease all those joints. You might also think about adding grease zerks to the joints so that you can grease them at every oil change. I believe there is an article on do that. Yamaha liked the idea so much that I believe they started adding them to the 90-93 VRs. I would suggest greasing the drive pins in the rear wheel also as this gets overlooked a lot it seems. I have done this to my 89 VR and it rides nice and smooth compared to before I did all of this. Good luck. Rick F.

I am also using Ride-On in my 89 VR in the front and rear and have a very smooth ride and like the idea of sealing a nail puncture if I get one. I installed it last summer and had no issue on my first ride of this season with it settling in the tires. Rick F.

I have a buddy who used Testors Candy Apple red model paint to get the red back in his lenses. Works great and is translucent also. Rick F.

I checked my stock 89 Venture Royale antenna and it does fold down when you unscrew the chrome knurled barrel just about the black plastic base. Once unscrewed up just pull it up and there is a swivel inside that lets the antenna fold down. Here are some pictures of it.

When I flushed my cooling system last year I installed a little bit of Purple Ice and that helped lower my cooling temps I was seeing on the gauge. Might be worth a try. Rick F.

If I recall correctly the stock Venture Royal antenna does fold down. I would have to check and see when I get back home but I recall folding it down when I had it on. I have since upgraded to the Marshall Mod and included the fold downs for that set up. I still have the stock antenna so I can check later in the week. Rick F.

I will confirm that the VR 1st Gen MKII get their oil from the Rear Axle Gear Case Assembly as I had a tear in my seal and was leaking oil from that and out the connection of the swing arm tube and Rear Axle Gear Case Assembly. I am in the process of replacing the seal now and there is 90w in the coupling where the drive shaft sits. I did notice a couple of holes in theback of the gear coupling that would allow oil to be sent back to the driveshaft gears for lube purposes. By looking at the parts diagram, it appears the 2nd gens use the same seal arrangement and would therefore not need to have the drive shaft gears lubed but of course the spine end will need some lube. Also looking at the parts diagram for the 96 Royal Star, there is no seals that would stop the flow of gear lube from reaching the back of the gear coupling as the only seal (#9) I see appears to fit around the outside of the coupling to seal it and then the drive shaft seal (#33) seals up the inside of the coupling/shaft connection. Hope this helps. Rick F.

Check you vacuum plugs on the sync tubes for cracks and leaks. I have seen these cause issue with idle. I have also used a method of cleaning the carbs on the bike called "Shooting the Shotgun". http://vmax.lvlhead.com/tips/shotgun.htm The Vmax guys use it on their carbs. I did this to mine as I had #1 carb not responding to idle screw changes or sync changes, but after doing this, no issues. Hope this helps and good luck. Rick F.

I went with all new electrical connection for incase I wanted to go back to the stock setup it would be a lot easier and not look like the wiring had been altered. I have all the componets on order and have the COPs in hand. Might be a bit before I actually get it installed on the bike.. Rick F.

I been doing some researching and have located these new items that should work. Here is the connector for the present coil connection: http://www.corsa-technic.com/item.php?item_id=391&category_id=57 For the Denso COP connection: http://www.corsa-technic.com/item.php?item_id=236&category_id=55 For the sleeving for the other shell: http://www.corsa-technic.com/item.php?item_id=292&category_id=63 For the resistor, I located a 1.2 ohm, 50W wirewound power resistor on Ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-pc-1-2-ohm-1R2-50W-1-wirewound-power-resistor-by-Dale-P-N-RH0501R200FC05-/151316657303 Hope that helps. Rick F.

Interesting bike, looks like someone was thinking outside of the box for this one. Rick F.

I was wondering how the COP where working for you and if you have noticed an improvement in starting and performance with them. Thanks Rick F.

I think I should be able to make this one. I have it on my calendar.. Rick F.

My first and favorite was a 1970 Chevelle SS 396 350 Hp with a muncie M21. Had that car for almost 10 years and always had a blast driving it. Had 3.31 posi so it was quick off the line but when that big block got going, it would go.. Rick F.

Check the cap as it might have remained in it. I removed the battery and its holder and that allowed easier access to the rear coils on my 89. I ordered my wire and caps from Dennis Kirk as they sell the nonresistor wire. Hope that helps some. Rick F.

The horn button completes the circuit to ground according to the schematic. You could take a wire and attach one end to a good ground point and the other end to where the horn button connects to the relay and see if the horns work or if the relay clicks. If so then you can test the horn button with an ohm meter and see if there is an issue with it or the wires. I am not sure about the fuel pump but that could be its relay you hear or the horn one.. Hope that helps you. Rick F.

You will find most owners dont use the petcock. I have mine in the reserve postion and leave it there all the time as mine is almost impossible to turn. The gas gauge is accurate on mine and I also use the trip-odometer to keep track of my miles also. Hope that helps.. Rick F.

Sounds like you might need to bleed the brakes as the rear foot pedals operates the rear brake and the left front brake. There is also a metering valve at the top of the triple tree that needs to be bled also. Start at the left front caliper, then the rear caliper and then the metering valve. That might help your foot brake operation. If you havent yet here is a link to the Tech library that has a PDF of the service manual for the 86-93 Ventures and it will explain a lot of things in there for you also. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=3384 Hope that help and enjoy your 89 VR, I know I enjoy mine a lot.. Rick F.