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MiCarl

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Everything posted by MiCarl

  1. MiCarl
    I don't believe the air shock system operates unless you have the key in the "ACC" position and have pushed buttons. In any case, it shouldn't leak down when you turn the motorcycle off. More likely you're holding the brake when you're trying the front suspension. It has electric anti-dive units which don't work unless the ignition is turned on. They make a big difference in the feel of the front end. Before you tear stuff apart try setting the rear to low and turn the damping dial by the passenger floor board to "1". If somebody stuck a progressive spring in there low pressure is plenty for 1 up, even a large guy.
  2. MiCarl
    I'm not clear from your post - If the idle drops back when you push the throttle closed you probably do not have a vacuum leak. Just a throttle cable problem. On the throttle cable it could be adjustment, lubrication or bad cable. - Do you have free play at the throttle? You should be able to rotate the grip back and forth a bit without the RPMs coming off idle. If there isn't free play it'll tend to bind. - When were the cables last lubed? There are 4 of them. - If free play adjustment and lubing doesn't resolve the problem then you probably have to replace a cable. Figure a couple hours labor plus the parts. I'd be tempted to have them replace both "open" cables while they were in there. The "close" cables don't normally have any load on them and are less likely to wear out. The "close" cables won't likely strand you alongside the road like the "open" ones will. If you have a vacuum leak it's most likely to be the 3 vacuum caps on the sync ports or the vacuum line to the pressure sensor. If you're at all handy you might want to do those yourself just to rule them out. The caps and hose can be acquired at your corner auto parts store for well under $10. If the carburetor holders are leaking you are looking at a very large expenditure. There is a lot of labor involved and the parts aren't cheap either.
  3. MiCarl
    Mine has a progressive sticker on the hitch receiver so I assume it's got a progressive rear. I've had the front apart and can tell you it's not stock and not progressive, it's a very stiff linear spring. One up I ride 0PSI in front and 14 rear. I'm not a little guy either. 2 up (heavy!) I still run 0 in front and 40 rear.
  4. MiCarl
    It's a job that takes 2 1/2 hours to do right. I wonder if some of these real cheap places are taking the time to torque everything to spec or if they're just slamming them through to get to the next one. Of course that can be an issue at the dealer too.....
  5. MiCarl
    Good point. Here in Michigan, all six people that have jobs know how to drive.
  6. MiCarl
    I hope you're not doing paperwork while driving your truck...... I'll agree that most people are surprisingly competent drivers and often go out of their way to accommodate my motorcycle. There are a small percentage though that really make me scratch my head. I will disagree on the rush hour thing. It seems to me that at rush hour the drivers know which lane to be in, where their turn is etc. And while more congested the traffic and drivers seem more predictable during rush hour. It seems to me like from 10-3 a fair portion of the drivers neither know where they are or where they are going.
  7. MiCarl
    The Kruz is not available in the 130-90-16 size. I'm not sure what mistake I'd made earlier that made me think it was available. Sorry
  8. MiCarl
    I've got the Kruz on my 89 and am happy with them so far (only about 2,000 miles on them). If you decide to go that route buy them from me! Thunder Valley Powersports When you enter the coupon code "VentureRider" at checkout it knocks 15% of which will save you a few bucks over the price in your post.
  9. MiCarl
    THIS should get you started. Looks like it works from just under 1" to about 10 feet.
  10. MiCarl
    Those kind of voltages will take forever to replenish the battery for what you used starting it. Another thing to look at is where the gauge is connected, there may be some losses. You really need to know what the voltage is at the battery, and it should be in the neighborhood of 14V when you're rolling.
  11. MiCarl
    DOT 3 and DOT 4 absorb water. The idea is to change it before it becomes saturated and the water precipitates out. As the brake fluid absorbs moisture it's boiling point drops. Brake calipers can get hot enough to boil contaminated fluid. Boiling = gas bubbles = no more brakes. DOT 3 and DOT 4 also darken as they absorb water. If it's honey colored it's time to replace. 2 years is the recommended maximum. You're correct that some older fluid will be left in the slave cylinder. If you change the fluid frequently enough it gets diluted to where it's a non issue. The system is sealed, that diaphragm in the reservoir is meant to separate the fluid from the (wet) atmosphere. Without it the fluid would be moisture laden in a hurry. The moisture gets into the system by migrating through the seals and hose walls.
  12. MiCarl
    Phosphoric acid will remove the rust. Home Depot sells it in a gallon jug. You should dilute it 3 parts water to 1 part acid. You should first remove any loose rust by putting some water and dish soap in there with a handful of small nuts and shake vigorously. Count the nuts so you know how many should come back out. I always remove the fuel cock and plug the hole. The acid probably wouldn't hurt it but the nuts banging around could damage the screen. Unless you line it it'll eventually rust again. You can slow the process down by making sure you always store it with a full tank.
  13. MiCarl

    Deer

    MiCarl replied to Kirby's topic in Watering Hole

    Only thing you can tell looking at the forks is that they're not bent "real bad". The only way to know for sure if they're straight is to disassemble them and check them with v-blocks and a dial indicator.
  14. MiCarl
    Gary, sure looks to me like you're missing the spacer.
  15. MiCarl
    Are you sure it needs a starter? If it sounds like it's grinding marbles it's probably the starter clutch (very common in early Viragos). If it is the starter it's likely repairable.
  16. MiCarl

    Speed wobble?

    MiCarl replied to a topic in General Tech Talk

    That makes me wonder if we understand what the motorcycle is doing. When I hear wobble I automatically assume "head wobble" where the bars oscillate wildly left and right (tank slapper). "side to side" wobble sounds like something different. As far as wheel run out you can check it without any special tools. Just lift the front end up and place something next to the wheel to serve as a pointer. Rotate the wheel and watch the gap. Of course you need to turn the bars fully right or left to keep the steering from swinging. I believe the spec for both lateral and radial run out is 2mm.
  17. MiCarl
    Supposedly you're should change them at the same time because tires with wear don't have that nice rounded profile of a new tire. Presumably that causes handling problems when one has that rounded profile and the other has some worn shape. That's the same reason I've heard for not mixing tire models (different shape). When I had a ME880 begin to fail on the rear I bought a set of Kendas to replace them. Put the rear on right away but didn't get around to the front until after the season. Rode about 1000 miles that way. I've got another 1000 miles on with the Kenda on front. There wasn't any noticeable handling change in any of the combinations.
  18. MiCarl

    Late emails

    MiCarl replied to TEW47's topic in Watering Hole

    Sometimes I get emails from the future. I think if the sending computer has the date/time wrong they can look that way.
  19. MiCarl
    I'm only aware of two types of regulator/alternator systems: 1) Field Coil. The magnets in the alternator are electromagnets. The regulator adjusts the alternator output by changing the power to the electromagnets, thus increasing/decreasing the magnetic field. The regulator typically does not generate a lot of heat. The Venture does not have this type. 2) Permanent magnet. The magnets in the alternator are permanent magnets (like a bar magnet from your science class). The power produced is only dependent on the RPM because the magnetic field is constant. Voltage is regulated by the regulator shunting excess power to ground (converting it to heat). Cooling fins may be used to dissipate the heat. This is the type of alternator on the Ventures. You'll notice that I did not use the terms volts or amps when discusing the alternator. I used the term "power" which is measured in watts. Alternators produce power, the voltage is dependent on the load which is measured in amps. We sometimes get lazy and talk about amps because we assume the voltage is always 12 (more or less) when talking about motorcycles. In reality your alternator is rated at roughly 360 watts (12 volts X 30 amps). It'd quite happily produce 20 amps at 18 volts (20 X 18 = 360 watts). If you're up in the RPMs (the alternator peaks in the 5,000-6,000 RPM Range) the alternator is producing 360 watts. If you're motorcycle and it's accessories have a load of 20 amps it's consuming 240 watts. That leaves 120 watts unused. That can't happen because electrical systems have to be in balance. In reality the alternator would push the voltage up to 18 volts so that your 20 amp load is using 350 watts of power (18 volts X 20 amps). To keep the voltage down the regulator adds a 10 amp load by shunting power to ground. Since the load is 30 amps (using 20, 10 added by regulator) the system balances at 12V. Anyhow, it's the amps you DON'T pull that are converted to heat by the voltage regulator. I haven't heard the word "linear" in use with a regulator. Modern voltage regulators use zenier diodes which I suppose are linear in nature. Old regulators were electromechanical and switched rapidly between no load and infinite load (the battery acts as a damper). This can all get confusing because the rectifier is contained in the same box. It performs a separate function though, and on older motorcycles it was often a separate component. Incidentally, this is why you should not jump your motorcycle with a running motor vehicle. Car and truck alternators are capable of driving 60 amps or more at 12V (720 watts). Your poor little regulator could burn up trying to shunt the extra power off.
  20. MiCarl
    Not on a MKII (86-93). On a MKII the bucket is locked down tight and the adjuster pivots the mirror inside the bucket. Don't bother with the pictures either, the 89 will be quite different than your 84.
  21. MiCarl
    There should be 2 screws in the top. If it's not snugged down there it'll point at the ground. I think they're M6. The bottom of the lamp assembly has two protrusions that go into grommets on a steel bracket attached to the fairing. The wire ties don't necessarily mean it's been wrecked (although I'll hazard that there are few 1st gens that have never been down). They should raise concerns about the level of care someone was using while working on it. I'd do a thorough go over on the brakes, tires and wheels before riding it anymore.
  22. MiCarl
    Not so. The alternator always runs at max capacity. Excess is shunted to ground by the voltage regulator. If anything, extra load reduces the work of the voltage regulator. If you run the compressor for 2 minutes you'll use .533 amp/hours. Equivalent to running a pair of 55w driving lights for 3.5 minutes.
  23. MiCarl
    I pulled the radiator surround off mine last week. I found the rubber o-ring that goes on top of the fork when it fell out of there. It must have rode in there all last season.
  24. MiCarl
    You need to get ahold of the service manual and check out the charging system. The stator may not be your problem. Could be a bad rectifier, poor battery or other problem. You also need to have a look at the connector where the stator connects to the wiring harness. It's notorious for failing. Most of us just remove the plug and solder the connections together.
  25. MiCarl
    I forgot about the spacer. Good save Carl.
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