Venturous Randy

Well, after it getting worse and stuff running down my legs because of it oozing, I went to the VA emergency room and they gave me two shots, one in each butt cheek. And man, the second one I got that was in my right cheek really hurt. They also gave me some Hydroxyzine Pamoate capsules and some prednizone pills. So, we will see where this goes. Randy

One other thing, if you have a dead battery, you need something better than a trickle charger. Randy

A couple days ago I decided to do some weed eating before it got hot. I had on shorts and decided to put on some sweat pants I had hanging in the garage that I had worn earlier. So, I spend a couple hours on this and cleaning up my mess. The area I was weed eating actually did not have any noticeable poison ivy, but I know that when I used them earlier, there was poison ivy. I then pulled the sweats off and did some other stuff and later on took a good shower. Evidently the sweat pants I wore must have had some ivy oil in them because now from about my knees down to my socks, I have poison ivy that is driving me crazy. I have put some Ivarest on and some anti itch stuff, but so far, nothing is helping and it is getting worse. Does anyone have any suggestions on anything that will help. Randy

I thought it was where you tucked the baby while you used the toilet. Randy

Well, after a quick review from the technician, I was released, as there was not anything that jumped out that was obvious. Now, all the data will go to a doctor and we will go from there. This all started because I was assigned a new primary care doctor and as part of our first visit, she ordered up and EKG. At that time I was told that everything looked OK, but after it was compared with an earlier EKG, she wanted me to take more extensive tests. So, now we are in the waiting mode. Thanks for the well wishes. Randy

Well, at 7:45 I am scheduled for the second part on my nuclear stress test at the local Veterans Administration. Yesterday, I took the first part, which was the at rest part, where I was given an injection and then went to eat lunch and then spent about 20 minutes under this rotating camera. Today, they will put an IV in me and inject more stuff and I will go thru two more camera sessions. This is all related to a comparison between a recent EKG and an older one. I don't think they are going to put me on a treadmill, just give me some injections. Just part of getting old I guess. I will be 65 in September. Randy

Two things puc, on water for the cooling system, I always use distilled water. On the picture of the bypass valve, that looks backwards to me. The top of the letters should point toward the 5 o'clock position for the run position and not the bypass position, if my old memory is correct. Another thing on the TCI is if it is a 26 series, the vacuum hose connects the the side of #2 carb and if it is a 41 series, the vacuum hose connects to the nipple on the #2 manifold. Randy

Hey Ed, have you got your bike yet, or you just still researching? Randy

That ebay brace looks just like the one that was on a set of MKII forks that I bought last year that I just put on my 83, along with R6 calipers and SS lines. The forks already had Progressive springs and I also put in all new head bearings and seals. Now, all I have to do is get all the plastic back on and get it going. I don't know how much better the brakes will be, but the lever and the foot brake now feel like stepping on a brick. No sponginess on either at all. Randy

When I put Progressives in my 83, I did not use any spacers and it worked out perfect for me. I did not want to raise the front of the bike any and with no spacers it still raised it some. It's not that big of a deal to go back and add spacers and without spacers it may be just right for you. Randy

No wonder you slid off, that's not a bridge, it is a waterfall. It only looks like a bridge if I turn my laptop up sideways. Glad you did not tear things up worse. Randy

I posted this on another thread and for me, removing the YICS made the bike run better and I DID get better gas mileage. I have put about 150,000 miles on my 83 and am pretty familiar with it. When you take your YICS off, throw the whole thing away. Then you will want to plug the ports coming out of the heads. The YICS system is the cause of a lot of problems on these bikes and even when working good, have no real value. This is a good way to plug the ports. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?86100-Plugging-YICS-ports&highlight=YICS Randy

When you take your YICS off, throw the whole thing away. Then you will want to plug the ports coming out of the heads. The YICS system is the cause of a lot of problems on these bikes and even when working good, have no real value. This is a good way to plug the ports. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?86100-Plugging-YICS-ports&highlight=YICS Randy

Glad you are getting it Ed and looking forward to seeing it. Once you get it, maybe I can help you go thru some of the things to help you get comfortable with it. Randy

Thanks Eck, I needed that. volmann, email sent. Randdy

First of all, welcome to VR.org and we hope you join. If you do, it will be the best $12 you will spend on your bike(we come along for free). Freebird is right about the performance of these bikes and a properly maintained and running 1st gen Venture does not usually get complaints on how they run, especially in the higher RPM's. Given the lack of running for a period of time, I would start out by baselining the bike and making sure it's where it needs to be. These bikes seem to be a bit sensitive to sparkplugs, and with putting about 150,000 miles on my 83, I have found that cheap plugs work fine. I use cheap Autolites and change them out every year or so and especially if I have run a heavy dose of Seafoam. Also, the sparkplug caps have a resistor that can get corroded and may work under light load, but may breakdown under heavy load. As far as the carbs, you need to pull the covers off the sides and check the diaphragms. Pinholes can definitely affect the performance. Another thing, especially on a bike that has been sitting, is the pilot jets can get plugged up and Seafoam can help, but sometimes a good carb cleaning is in order. Also, do you know the last time the fuel filter was changed? Anyway, hope you get everything worked out and you will get plenty of help on here. Randy

If I can get my bike back together by then, I may want to try to meet you somewhere. I am upgrading the forks to MKII with R6 calipers and SS lines. Got lots of stuff going on so can not make plans just yet. I have only rode my bike about 80 feet this year and that was from the carport to the garage. Randy

No, it was not the Colonial Inn that was torn down. I believe it was the Franklin Motel and the people running it were real nice. I will have to check on the Colonial the next time I am in that area. There is also a good restaurant above town called the Sunset, I believe. Randy

I have a 41R on my 83 and as Dingy stated, I plugged the carb port and moved the hose to the #2 manifold. I still carry my old 26H TCI with me as a spare if I ever have to use it. Randy

One other thing about the oil light is when I am changing the oil, I will occasionally try to remember to turn the ignition on when the oil is drained just to see if the oil level function is working. Ranbdy

It is not an oil pressure switch/indicator, it is related to oil level. Many 1st gen owners have mentioned the light coming on during hard acceleration, but I have never seen it. At what level are you running your oil in the sight glass with it on the center stand? Randy

I find that most Miata drivers will wave or nod to each other, especially if they have the top down. Yes, I also feel it is an expression of camaraderie. I might show a little more concern if I had passed someone that acknowledged me earlier and then were in need. But maybe not so much if it was obvious that they saw me wave and just ignored me. Randy.

When my bike got knocked over by a truck while parked, my fairing frame was pushed over so far that the steering was rubbing the grills very bad. To fix it, I ended up taking the fairings off both sides and straightened each side separately. That was a lot easier that trying to bend both frames at the same time. I have an MKI, but I have a MKII headlight and used MKII upper frames. Randy

Very good analogy VanRiver. Randy

Yeah, that is an 85 and what is the last four of the serial number. Hope it is above 1413 and that will resolve the 2nd gear issue. There is a lot on here about a resolder on the CLASS controller and that usually fixes it. Welcome to the forum and hope you join. Like yammer said, it will be the best $12 you will ever spend on your bike and we come along for free. Randy