84VentureMatt

hi guys n gals havent posted in a long while life things happened hopefully im posting int he right place so its been a hot minute since i posted last .... so i picked up an 84 VR with 10thousand on the clock ran great after about 800 miles the brakes seized while riding left front an rear almost caught fire like they were hung up after leaving a light so i managed to safely get off the road an not catch fire ...i removed the front calipers and managed to limp back home ..so since then shes been parked so can the stock calipers be rebuilt or is ther an availability to purchase them ? can i safely disengage the linked brake system ? Also is there any kind of replacement shock my rear shock refuses to hold air and i looke d around heard something about progressive shocks but they said discontinued ..... i really wanted to enjoy this bike but it keeps looking like if i cant find some solutions its gonna have to go an i really dont want that any help is more than greatly appreciated also sorry for my terrible typing skills was never my forte

@saddlebum I am located on the North Carolina coast ...by the way i think your cold weather is down here LOL snow flurries at the beach is just not right ........ I really appreciate the the advice an the pics I will take all the help I can find so I do the things I need to do properly to keep this classic rolling

@uncledj & @saddlebum thank you for your response an idea's saddlebum the de linking of brakes is coming for sure they locked up on me thats why its parked at the moment evidently something in the factory brakes clogged or the calipers needed rebuilt ( the bike had a full service brakes an all before i bought it so i really am puzzled by that event ) so i read an picked up an entire R6 brake system just need the correct length lines for the front and single for the rear ..I had a R6 an always enjoyed the feel of the brakes so this should be an amazing upgrade ...do you have any advice on a certain brand of fuse block to replace the factory one to go to blade fuses or just what i can find ...i figure i will get one with an extra terminal or two for lights or any accessory i want to add ..... hooking up a manual switch to the fan is something i had not thought of but sounds like a good decision to make Again just want to say how kool it is to have a site with so much knowledge and people who are willing to help out the new kid ( I'm 49 going on 16 if you ask the wife ) I have read an read through an don't feel like i have barely scratched the surface of the knowledge about VR bikes on here

OK got my Unicorn 84 VR 9500 on the ODO garage find .... it was serviced new tires oil lube brake job battery even located the factory NOS battery monitor for it so no blinky dash light ... thrilled with it 5 to 600 miles on it and brakes lock ( already talked and asked thank you all for advice ) ....So bike is parked R6 brake system has arrived but i have 84 forks so either FAB a bracket to mount to stock or locate good 86 an up complete forks or at least the lowers is the next option ... had a few suggestions to buy entire new front end like a harley dyna or the likes an replace the aged out yamaha hydro controls with HD units ( very undecided on this option im a brand whore an Yamaha is my drug of choice ) ...also very very curious about a Vmax rear end an fabbing up the dual standard shock mounts on the VR totally dropping the air ride ( mine is failed wont hold air more than 5 mins cannot find the leak see extreme head scratching ) ...annnnddd since I am down that single carb thing creeped into my head using a 34 pict3 VW bug carb or a two barrel webber setup ...I met a guy in Columbia SC with one using the VW getting mid 70's mpg hwy an i just cant see where that wouldnt be a good move ......as you can tell i ask alot and my thought process is kinda scattered but life is not doing great an thinking an doing bike things calms me down ...So good people of the VR Universe advice opinions options all welcomed for the moment my VR is safe but come better weather the wifey is gonna want to take trips or sell it ......thanks in advance ........Matt

I have seen 1 bike in the Carolina's with a single carb setup an it ran like a scalded cat ..... the carb was a VW carb 34 pict 3 if i remember correctly snappy throttle response and excellent highway MPG's in the high 60 to mid 70's mpg 40 to 50ish around town he had to wire in the electric choke but pretty much said it was a day or so worth of work seriously considering a mod like this for the MPG alone ...

@MoonShine now thats a really kool and clean install right there looks great

OK here's the question buddy of mine an a few drinks over dinner he asked if the FJR1300 shaft drive rear would bolt up to the Venture giving it the 17'" rear rim ..and if that was possible could a FJR1300 front fork assembly bolt up also giving a 17" front rim then use a FJR rear shock It sounds interesting to me but google has not provided any answer if it has been tried or is possible .. I have mounted different forks and rims or swingarms on different bikes with slight to no modification example I had a Hawk650GT swapped a CBR600RR forks assembly and the rear rim from a VFR ( 8 spoke ) rear rim Ohlin's suspension really made the bike a knife like handling machine so now it has the creative mind going round in circles about the what ifs the biggest limitation i see is in the rear figuring out a way to get that 17" wheel I have seen a Vmax with a wider rear rim but i did not ask the gentleman about the build list at that time ( wish I had ) I know these bikes had a reputation for great handling ... but the idea of bumping the full suspension and tire area to a more modern set up has me wondering I love my 84 but what if my 84 could have a serious upgrade like a retro/modern build old skool looks classic reliable powerplant but modern suspension an tires .... would have to be cheaper than dropping 20+ grand on a new touring bike sounds like a crazy guy but has anyone else thought it or tried it .....my bike being down with the Brake issue has me looking around for lots of options to make something happen

I bought the bike an have been riding it put about a 1,000 miles on it since purchase the temp was 70 degree my average ride is just relaxing is about 150 miles the entire brake system was done just before i bought the bike at a shop I have receipts for full flush brand new fluid an pads rotors looked great of course now there is blueing from the heat of seizing .... the dealer I bought it from is having me bring the components to him he wants his techs to inspect an check them ( his shop is not the shop that serviced it ) the previous owner took it to a multi brand dealership who evidently has a history of having older bikes have failure after being in their shop ( not putting names out there without 100% positive proof of shotty service ) but i am hearing from a few people they would never return after bad experiences ....so hopefully the dealer figures something out but currently searching out the items needed to do the R1/R6 brake swap an delinked front an rear i know i need the MKII forks or at least lower fork legs ...i really enjoy the bike an seeing it has extremely low miles i should get years of good riding out of it ... just glad there is a community full of knowledge i can ask questions an learn from

@saddlebum there are blued areas on the rotors ...whats crazy is there was no brake smell well i guess at my speed would not have smelled them ...at least the rear was fine an worked well enough i could ride home .. currently looking for the R6/R1 calipers a MKII either full front end or at least the lower legs just finding what i need to get my Venture back into the wind

alright here I go so far I understand I need these Items to do an updated Brake system MKII ... front end 86 to 93 ... I assume the rim an spacer / bearings and steering bearings are the same ? R6 / R1 calipers either Gold or Blue ( gold would look great on my bike ) but what year models am I looking for 14mm master cylinder ? or R6 / R1 master cylinder ... ? rear caliper I read Gold R1 but also saw FJR ... ? steel Braided lines ( seems like Skydoc is the man with the plan there ) I think thats all just trying to put together a list to make it simple for me and then there will be a exact parts list for future questions for new members and to help keep these MKI and MKII bikes rolling So can anyone help me put together the swap list ( after my recent Stoppie action this is happening to my 84 ) hopefully picking up a straight great condition MKII front end in FL while im down for the Daytona races this coming weekend 7 to 9 Jan 22

Thank you for the warm welcomes ..... I'm sure some of you have noticed my scary Brake gremlin post ( think it tried to kill me ) and yep I am confused there ...and again I apologize for my sporadic ADHD posting my mind works faster than my typing hands so I get lost in my own way so to say but eventually I get the question out LoL ....But all that aside I am seriously stoked to ask and learn as much as possible and hopefully be up an running so I can tour around an maybe meet some fellow Venture riders

ok I will give that a try . Looks like I have some work cut out for me with the sudden mysterious gremlins that are presenting themselves to me

I apologize for lack of clarity .....I was traveling at 60 mph when with no application of lever or brake pedal the front brake calipers locked ...by locked i mean they literally locked down on the rotor stopping the front wheel .....i had to remove the calipers from the bike to ride it home having only the rear caliper functioning barely .. ( Hazzard lights and low speed with engine braking mostly and lucky timing on red lights got me home safe )...no not Ideal but tow companies in my area do not have the best reputation for towing bikes so i did what i had to do ....removing the caliper was unbolting them and having to take a wood block an hammer and tapping till they finally came off the rotors ...YES left and right both seized up ... ( more confused about that than anything ) since I posted I contacted where I purchased the bike and they are going to give me the receipts for the complete brake job that was done before i purchased it ... the system is still linked ( serious questions about that ) ...but it stood up on the front wheel lifting the rear tire considerably off the ground ( i do not recommend 0 stars ) also once removed the calipers are frozen they will not move the rear caliper functions just lots of pedal travel ( i expected that ) but it had what i needed to get home ...again sorry for the sporadic nature of my post but this incident is one that defies the possibility of happening it should not have at all .... no sign of drag on the brake system no lack of feel i had been riding the bike often nothing no tell tale signs of any issue perfectly normal operation but when they locked it was if someone grabbed an squeezed the brake to full stop yet i was not touching the lever or the pedal sooo I have no idea??? only solution i can see is replace the system rotors , calipers , master cylinder , lines , everything front an back .... I have heard of calipers dragging with age or master cylinders failing but never heard of a LOCK UP situation such as i just experienced

@Saddlebum I tried the soapy water and got zero bubbles or signs of an air leak so frustrated

Much as I dislike Ppal I am now a supporting member ..... just wanted to give thanks for the enormous amount of knowledge in the site .......Also I apologize for my run on sentences and endless questions I will search for answers but i also never hurts to ask .....Matt