Venturous Randy

Many of us that "tinker", as you are describing it, do it more out of need than for kicks. Many times we can not afford the OEM stuff from Yamaha. RandyA

While you have the guard off, grind about a 1/4 inch off to give you more clearance and remove the sharp edge where it is near the elbow. Also, if it is bent from the bike being dropped, you will need to pry the guard away from the engine some more. I think those elbows new now are about $50. Another one of those "fifty cents to make" parts that are outrageously priced. RandyA

Also check or replace the spark plug caps. These things get corroded inside and will definitely cause a misfire. RandyA

Two-lane blacktop isn't a highway - it's an attitude. The road is only open when you ride alone. If it can't do some dirt, why bother? In the end, it's all about the stories. You never see a motorcycle parked in front of a psychiatrist's office. Enjoying life one ride at a time. Destinations are merely excuses to ride. You might ride fast, but never ride in a hurry. Confused and Prone to Wander Everything works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out, it isn't the end. Life is short, and best savored . . . every day, hour, minute. Especially when motorcycling is involved. -- Clement Salvadori Never do less than 40 miles before breakfast. You live more in a few seconds at 150 miles per hour than most people do in a lifetime -- Anthony Hopkins in The World's Fastest Indian They cannot be built any bigger or faster without leaving the road. -- Thomas Krens Remember... It's not how FAST you get there,... It's how FAST YOU GO, getting there. I always slow down if my riding buddy in front of me disappears or launches skyward unexpectedly. My theory, you only get one chance, go full throttle all the way, all the time. When life throws you curves, aim for the apex. I come from the era when you ride for an hour, and then you wrench for three hours, so the idea that you have a machine where you just ride, well, it's not an alien concept, but I just feel I'm missing part of it.--Jay Leno

Mike, it looks like we are going to be in room 113 for Monday night. We will see how the weather is doing and may bring the cage. We will try to get out of here early enough Monday to have lunch together. RandyA

But I have to lead, because I'm very allergic to dust! Ride a GS, it makes your butt look smaller. It takes less time to do things the hard way than to be too nervous to even start at all. We hang around people who think these activities are normal. Turns gasoline into noise without the burdensome byproduct of horsepower. Ride hard or stay home. The car driver population sustains substantial mental stress from the continuing “lane weaving” antics of typical motorcycle riders. When I was younger I was afraid I'd die riding. Now that I'm old and falling apart, I'm afraid I won't. Money can't buy happiness. But... it can buy a motorcycle. And you can't be sad on a motorcycle. I ride a bullet. A 2-wheeled, multiple-explosion powered machine with enough moving parts to remove entire fingers. Surfaces hot enough to cook flesh. It propels me at neck-breaking, bone-snapping flesh-tearing speeds, over and through obstacles I can only see as blurs. It's a sport that kills the careless, maims the best, and spits at the concept of mercy. Regular maintenance is the key to reliability; irregular maintenance is the key to great exercise. Ruts are like side-panel screws: just when you think you're in the right groove, you get cross-threaded. A ride on a summer afternoon can border on the rapturous. The sheer volume and variety of stimuli is like a bath for my nervous system, an electrical massage for my brain, a systems check for my soul. The 3-percent rule: If you want to go faster, ride with people who are 3-percent faster than you. The other 3-percent rule: If you want to have fun, ride with people who are 3-percent slower than you. Happiness is finding you still have more throttle. I rarely think of motorcycles without a little yearning. They are about moving, and humans, I think, yearn to move – it’s in our cells, in our desires. We quiet our babies with cyclic movement, and we quiet ourselves by going. A good rider can overcome marginal equipment. However, even the best equipment can't overcome a marginal rider. There is nothing I won't ride on your bike. If you want a motorcycle just because of the way it sounds, do yourself (and us) a favor and find a different hobby please.

Ether that or it was mesmerized by your and Dan's good looks.............................NOT. RandyA

Several years ago I had a bobcat step out in front of me while up on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Spruce Pine, NC. I saw it step out and was able to slow down. It stood there looking at me and then casually stepped back into the brush. It was neat and a lot bigger than a house cat. I was also close enough to see the fuzzy ears. RandyA

Mark, first of all, welcome to our crazy bunch and we hope you join. It will be the best $12 you will ever spend on your bike. And, you might learn something. Also, given the significant difference between these bikes, it helps if you note the bike you are talking about, either in your comment or in your header at the top. As far as your bike and RPM's, on the engine I just swapped out of my 83,that had 167,000 miles on it, it has seen 8,000 RPM's many, many times and it was running great. The engine I put in the bike, that I had put an 04 2nd gen transmission in it doesn't run as strong, but still working on that. With the trans change and a V-Max final drive, I am running about 4,200 RPM's at 80 mph. RandyA

Woody, there are several ways to repair the plastic. I have had good luck with the Plastic Weld epoxy and also with the glue you use on ABS piping (brain fart on name). If it is done right, it will be as strong as ever and it is not hard to do. I'm sure there will be others that will chime in with good advice and this is easily doable. RandyA

Come on down, we'll see what we can do with it. RandyA

Finally took an 80 mph run on my 83 and with the V-Max final drive and the 2nd gen trans, I am running about 4,200 RPM's in 5th gear. At 60 mph, I am running about 3,300 RPM's. This makes interstate speeds a lot more comfortable now. RandyA

I used to get 38 to 40mpg's years ago. I replaced the diaphragms and did the needle shim and I have got as good as 50mpg's if I am careful not to lug the bike too much, and this has been 2up in the mountains up to 6,600 feet. I wish you well with the E3 plugs, but to me they are just a gimmick. RandyA

Are you saying you are going 110 miles on 3.4 gallons? If so, that is only a little over 32 mpg. If that is the case, you have a lot bigger problems than the brand spark plugs you are using. I am routinely getting from 42 to 46 mpg and the higher number is 2up. RandyA

This is probably one of those injuries that will stay with you the rest of your life. I hope she had good insurance and you have good underinsured motorist. Dealing with an insurance company can be about as painful as a broken pelvis. Glad you are still with us and wish you the best. RandyA

That brought back a memory. Years ago one hot summer afternoon on the way home from work, I was following a car as we topped a hill that I was going t pass if clear. All of a sudden the car passed over a possum that was very swollen up and I centered it. It was so bad that I had to stop on the way home at a spray carwash and wash me and the bike off. Yep, I will never forget that one. RandyA

The worst pictures I have ever seen was of a teen in a small car that had drifted over in front of a truck while texting. I don't know what happened to that link, but it showed everything and there would be no denial of that one. I pulled up beside a young woman at a red light last week that was sitting there texting. Since I was sitting right beside her and her window was down, I asked if she was texting. She just looked at me and then I told her that the number one killer of motorcyclists was distracted drivers. She laid her phone down. RandyA

I use it in my bike, my I35 Infiniti and my riding lawn mower. RandyA

Yep, the YICS being open will definitely do what you are describing. To check for a vacuum leak, get a can of starter fluid and spray it around the carbs and manifolds while bike is running. If you have a leak, you will know it as the engine will rev some or die. Here is you a good fix on plugging these ports: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=86100&highlight=Plugging+YICS+ports RandyA

One thing these bikes are sensitive about is spark plugs. Once you have run a good dose of Sea Foam through them and had problems like you have had with the TCI, you need to replace the spark plugs. Unless I missed something, I saw where you replaced just one spark plug. RandyA

So, it sounds to me like you are trying to move the bike around, not running, in gear with the clutch in, and this is without the bike previously running and warmed up, correct? If this is the case, these bikes tend to drag a bit on the clutch in this situation and sometimes are a bit hard to "break loose". What I do is start the bike in neutral and before I put it in first gear, I will give it a quick rev on the throttle a time or two and then put it in gear. This mostly eliminates that big clunk putting it in first gear when I just start the bike. RandyA

When you did the carb sync, did you first check to make sure there were no vacuum leaks associated with this carb. With a bad vacuum leak, you can still be way off on your carb sync and still get good numbers. RandyA

So far, I have put about 2,300 miles on my 83 after putting the 2nd gen RSV trans in it with the V-max final drive. To me, the gear ratios are about as perfect as you can get. As I have noted before, in comparing this setup to a stock 1st gen, 1st gear is about 10% lower, 2nd is about 5% lower, 3rd and 4th are the same and 5th is about 5 % higher geared. I love the lower 1st gear as it is so much easier to pull out on some of these roads that are a bit steep and going slow around some of these hairpin turns going uphill. It also is simply quicker out of the hole. But, I believe the biggest change I am enjoying is the slightly higher 5th gear. Now, 65 to 70 mph is very comfortable and I don't have that desire to have one more gear. I actually enjoy running on the interstate some, compared to before, especially compared to when I was running the stock engine with the V-Max final drive. I was also able to help the aggravating whine I was getting between about 2,500 and 3,200 RPM's. I pulled the clutch basket that I had used from the 187,000 mile engine and put in the one from the 30,000 mile engine. It is not as quiet as I would like, but it is a lot better than it was. With this being the same setup as the 2nd gen Ventures that have the V-Max final drives, I can understand why many of those that did this setup swear by it. I am still a little down on top end power on this engine compared to the old engine as in 1st gear where the ratios are about identical. This engine is more linear in power and starts dropping off slightly at about 6,000 Rpm's. That RPM is where the old engine started pulling harder all the way up to at least 8,000 RPM's. I am planning on doing a compression check to see if it sitting for as long as it did may indicate a problem. Anyway, just wanted to again suggest the 2nd gen trans as an option for a 1st gen with a V-Max final drive, especially for those 1st gens with the 2nd gear issues. RandyA

Well, at 10:29 tonight EST, summer for 2014 will be over. It feels like fall is already here as our low for tonight is supposed to be in the upper 40's. It has been a pretty good summer for me in that I got the other engine in my 83 that I put the 2nd gen trans in, even though I wasted too much time doing it. We got in some good summer riding this year and other than one time dumping the bike in a ditch, we have done good. It has been a joy riding with my grandson on the 83 blonde that he bought from SGN, Steve Neal. My son Brian also rode his 86 with us a couple of times. I really did enjoy our Asheville Rally this year as there were great friends, great riding and great weather. I can not think of anything that would have made it any better. I enjoyed everyone that were able to make it and was so glad that everyone made it home OK. Unless something pops up, Linda and I are planning on taking off Wednesday to Pigeon Forge for the night and coming home Thursday, which is my birthday. I would love to get away longer, but she is working part time and I have a Dr appointment at the VA Friday. I still hope to get in some good riding this fall as it is beautiful around here that time of year. RandyA

I can tell when my Attention Deficient Disorder is getting bad when someone asks me why I did not button the bottom three buttons on my shirt. RandyA