Venturous Randy

For many years I have been running the cheap harbor Freight air horns. I have bought several sets over the years and with extra compressors, I use one for each side. I have them run through a solonoid to the battery, so they get good power. They have lasted very well and when one quits working right, I just replace it. I painted the orange horns black, so I just switch them. I only live a mile or so from Harbor Freight, so stuff like this is easy for me. RandyA

As part of my brake upgrade to MKII forks, rotors and R1 calipers, I want to do something with the antidive system. It is my understanding that if I block off the antidives, it only affects the fork travel at the very bottom of the stroke. I already have Progressive springs and even with no spacer at the top, it eliminated any bottoming out problems I had before. I know the MKII antidive solenoids would be easy to wire up, but if not needed, I don't want to add any more electrical draw while stopped. For those that have blocked off the antidives, is there any negative concerns? RandyA

I am in the process collecting parts for converting my 83 to MKII forks, rotors and R1 calipers. I am currently running EBC HH on the bike, but with the changeover, I don't think I want the grabiness of the HH's. I think I may have better control and suffient braking with something less agressive, especially if I delink. Good question. RandyA

I think it is doing very good with all the tweaks you have done to it. I like the map being back, but I did like to be able to look at the Members List by state as it was before. RandyA

I had a guy looking at the various louvered vents on the bike and ask me if it had air conditioning. I told him "yeah" and always wondered what he told his friends. RandyA

This happens a lot. When posting and something pops up similar from the archive posts, some people just run with it. I always try to look at the starting date of the post, but sometimes I miss it too. Some posts are not that date sensitive as they may still pertain to current issues, but one like this, not so much. Maybe if more original posters would do a better followup on their questions, it would help. It does surprise me sometimes how many posts can go on before someone mentions the original date of the thread. RandyA

My suggestion is to go with Progressive front springs and you can leave the air pressure at zero for the front forks. RandyA

Wow, this one of those things that you can't do a lot of planning for. So sad. Since this happened over two months ago, Oct 1st, what happened to the truck driver? Was he charged with anything that has him in jail? RandyA

It's offical then, don't log out! RandyA

Oh, one other thing. If you have not replaced your fuel filter in a while, now is a good time to do it. RandyA

It should work, but you will also have to use the 83/85 driveshaft. You would also need to do a good lube job on the shaft splines everytime you change the rear tire. RandyA

You will get some rattle while on the centerstand with the bike running in gear due the the u-joint being at a higher angle than normal. RandyA

Since you already have the rear wheel off, it only takes a couple of minutes to take the four nuts off the final drive and pull it off and then you will know. RandyA

I have a concern you are lugging the bike. RandyA

You just described the conditions of a broken pinion nut. If this is the case, you will do better to pick up another final drive, which you can find pretty cheap on ebay. There are also several V-Max final drives as low as $89 with free shipping. I have never heard of a broken pinion nut on an MKI, but I have seen sevaral on an MKII. I have also never heard of one on a 2nd gen. RandyA

Do you mean you want to disassemble the final drive or remove it? Unless you have a seal that needs replacing, I would not take it apart if I removed it from the bike. If you have the bike on the center stand with the front wheel off, make sure you have a strap or something pulling the center stand forward so it can not collapse on you. The driveshaft does not go into the transmission, it goes into a U-joint. Unless I missed something, what is the problem with the bike other than replacing tires? Do you think you have something broken? RandyA

I joined the other site before I found this one and was on for a couple of years. At that time, it seemed they were more down than up. Not sure exactly when I joined this one, but it was a couple months before Vogal I. I was here before the big crash and have been happy ever since. RandyA

I would not do a rebuild on a MKI 83/85 engine. For what it would cost you, you should be able to find a good MKII engine that will fit. This will also eliminate any future 2nd gear issues. If I were going with a used MKI engine, I would split the case and put a 2nd gen Venture transmission in it and then a V-Max final drive. I think you would be very happy with the results. RandyA

I painted mine many years ago and it is Twilight Royal Plum. I still get a lot of compliments on it. It also has lighter colored ghost flames. This bike has about 170,000 miles on it. RandyA

Obviously, the biggest problem with using a wrap is weathering. Given that probably 95% of the time, your trailer will be stored in a shaded, dry environment. Given this, it may be a good candidate for a wrap. RandyA

I used to have mine in the left side, but moved it to the top of airbox. RandyA

In the process of trying to download a free Word program, I ended up getting infected with BoBrowser. It will try to take over the operation of your computer. The symbol for it looks like Google Chrome, but it has nothing to do with GC. It even rearranged my favorites list. I also lost IeSpell. I think I finally got rid of it and in the process lost my wireless ability for awhile and had to use an ethernet cable, while my other laptop worked fine with the wireless. After many restores to earlier dates, and other things, I finally got it all back. I would still like to have a good word program, but I'm afraid to try again. RandyA

I have swapped out used shims both from the local Yamaha shop and an independant shop. both times they never charged me anything. RandyA

This has been on the national news several times and the rider that posted the video has been found and charged. This ain't over yet, they are going after these guys. Cops don't like to look as if they have no control of a situation. With the right people looking, there is not as much anonymity on the internet as some people think there is. RandyA

One more thing about mileage on these engines. I just replaced the 167,000 mile engine in my 83 with another 83 engine that had 30,000 miles on it. The old engine was strong, it would scream, and did not use any noticeable oil. The main reason I swapped the engine was I had put a 2nd gen Venture transmission in the new engine that had wider spaced gear ratios. The problem I am having now is the lower mileage engine is not nearly as strong as the high mileage engine. The point is, just because the engine has a lot of miles does not mean it necessarily needs overhauling. My suggestion would be to take the valve covers off and check the valve clearances and then put a starter on it and do a compression check. If this turns out pretty good, I would fix the oil leaks and put the engine in the bike. This could give you years to find a lower mileage engine. RandyA