Venturous Randy

Several years ago, I got the set of four diaphragms from Serius or something like that for about $70 and they are still looking and working real good. RandyA

Wow, I love this place. RandyA

Great to hear that Larry. I'm sure that going to a 2nd gen is nice, especially a trike, but if you have ever had a good running early 1st gen, they are hard to get out of your system. RandyA

You may also want to look at what type pads you have on the bike. If the PO put EBC HH pads on, they are a lot more aggressive and may increase your lock up tendencies. You may want to pick up some organic pads and maybe someone on here will have some suggestions. From what I have seen, this is pretty common on the 2nd gen of having the rear brakes lock up, especially when it is a panic stop situation. I was lucky many years ago with a 2nd gen behind me that locked the rear brakes up and all I saw was the bottom of the bike coming at me after it went down and I was able to move forward enough. Oh, one other thing, you were very smart in doing what you did and at least get a feel for how your brakes react. Keep in mind that it is not an if, but a when that you will jump on the brakes to avoid some idiot. RandyA

Puc, I can sure understand your thoughts on putting that combination together on a bike with about a quarter million miles on it. As good as the bike still is, you have to be logical about it. With my old 83 having 167,000+ miles on it, I also have to consider if I am on the last hoorah or do I want to do one more. I have had this bike over 18 years and have put about 144,000 miles on it myself. My bike fits me better than any other 1st gen I have been on, mainly because of the scooped out Corbin seat. If I were you, I would be on the lookout for a low mileage MKI with 2nd gear out that you could pick up as a parts bike and do all the things that we have just discussed here. While I had the engine out, I would also do the frame repair that is noted here. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1521 I would highly recommend this for you as you tend to get a bit off the beaten path and for sure, this will strand you. If your frame is not broken, this would not be a hard fix, other than turning the bike upside down, if you did it like I did. You know that we would love to see you in Asheville and it may even get some more people motivated to come this way (trying to put a guilt trip on you) to enjoy Asheville. Also keep in mind that if you ever take a hankering to come to this part of the country for some mountain riding with trees, you know you and Tippy are welcome here. You can either sleep in a nice comfortable bed, or if it would make you feel any better, you can camp in the woods behind my house. RandyA

Let's start with the basic things. Do you still have power as in lights and everything else. When you said it won't start, does it still crank over? Is the TCI still under the coils behind the battery? If so, you may want to take it loose and move it on top of the air box. I will need to look at the schematic, but I believe if you cut the black wire coming out of the TCI, you disable all the safety features. If any of them are at fault, the bike should start. One other thing that I know can be a problem is the tip over switch. It is mounted in a rubber strap and if the strap gets rotten, it can let it hang crooked and keep the bike from starting. RandyA

A little more info; The thread has some more on the differences on the various years and bikes; http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=81284&highlight=gear+ratios As far as the clutch slipping, many years ago I replaced the clutch discs with new ones, even though the old ones were within spec. The biggest difference was I replaced the six springs with stronger ones. It made the clutch lever a bit stiffer, but I got used to it. I have never experienced any slippage since and that is with running the bike hard and also pulling a 450 pound camper. RandyA

OK, I do have a 1200 engine that has about 30,000 miles on it that I do have a 2nd gen Venture transmission in it that I am trying to get motivated to swap out. The original engine is still in the bike with 167,000+ miles on it and still runs great. I currently do have a V-Max final drive in the bike and would love the gearing if it just had a 6th gear. But, running around the mountains here I still get about 43mpg's. Compared to a stock trans and a stock final drive, going to the 2nd gen trans and V-Max final drive will give approximately 10% lower 1st, 5% lower 2nd, 3rd and 4th will be identical and 5th will be about 5% higher. I have the exact numbers on my locked up other laptop, but these are very close. The 2nd gen RSV trans ratios start about the same as a 1st gen, but are wider spaced. What you would have is the same thing as the 2nd gen guys going to a V-Max final drive and most all are very happy with it. They just moved all the ratios down about 10% and it especially made 5th gear a lot more useable and can help the gas mileage along with making the bike a bit more quick. As far as us doing the job, you could have anything you want shipped here and we could stage it. The only down side is the local Yamaha shop carries very few parts even though it was recently taken over by Jim's and you know Jim's. As far as gaskets, it is according to how they were put on. I usually put Permatex on one side and usually the whole gasket will come off with it and not tear. We can put our heads together and try to figure out what we will need. As far as parts, I do have a lot of spare parts and also have an 85 venture that I am trying not to make a parts bike out of, but parts are there if I need them. I have not talked to Linda about this yet, but she adores Tippy and I know she would love to have you here. I think it would be fun and we have some other VR members that live around here and we may have some of them over. I hope this all makes sense. RandyA

Hey, if you come down, we will find some place to put you two and you will have the most fun you will ever have at any rally you have ever been at or going to be at, period. Now, if you really want to do some good fixing on that blonde of yours, there is a V-Max final drive on ebay right now for I believe less than $100 including shipping and I have a spare 2nd gen and a MKII transmission that if you and tippy wanted to come thru a few days earlier, we could swap out the trans and final drive. That would fix your 2nd gear problem and I believe you would be very happy with the results. It sounds like you have a good running engine and this would really help things. Think about it and you two can stay here while we are doing the changeover. It's not too bad here as I have had Aussie Annie and Alan, Rocket and Eck and I think they all survived. RandyA

Yeah, don't you forget Trina or the........water!!! RandyA

Hey Puc, this reminds me, I am looking for some entertainment for Asheville, are you going to be available? RandyA

We don't care what you are riding, we just want to see you. Damn, I can't believe I just said that. RandyA

I am so happy for you Eck. I do wish you could slip out for a day or so and stop by Asheville. You know you will be too wound up at that time and need some distraction for a while. We will find somewhere to put you Best wishes for everyone involved. RandyA

OK folks, we have about five weeks until the Asheville Rally and it is about time we start getting serious. For those that have never been to an Asheville rally, it is a bit different than most rallies. To describe it, it is probably more like an extended meet and eat. There are no registration fees and if you want a door prize, you will have to bring one. We do not have any collections for worthy contributions. We do suggest that if you want breakfast or some of the other meals we put together, you make a buck or two contribution to the pot just to help out. In the past, we have usually had a breakfast of pancakes and meats and this is when most will get together and decide what they want to do for the day. There are so many great rides and places to see that you could spend several weeks and still not see everything you want to see. In the past, we have gotten group discounts to go to The Biltmore House and to the top of Chimney Rock Park. We have also gone to Grandfather Mountain. This is also where the Lynn Cove Viaduct is and it is an engineering marvel. The Blue Ridge Parkway is near by and going north takes you toward Mt Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi and going south takes you to Cherokee and also has the highest point on the parkway at over 6,000 feet. The BRP ride to Cherokee is the most magnificent parts of the parkway with many open vistas where you are not looking through trees. From Cherokee you can go through Maggie Valley, where the Wheels thru Time museum is located. As far as rallies, this is about as cheap as you will see. If you tent camp, we have never had anything said about doubling up on any of the large sites. There are several motels in the area and you may want to see where others are staying and maybe share there also. There may also be some cabins available, but I would not want to wait much longer. Another thing some of the ladies have done that have gotten a little tired of riding is some have taken the cages and gone shopping at near by Black Mountain, which has a bounty of little shops and antiques. These are the days the guys may go to someplace like Highway 80 from Marion to the BRP and it is a lot more fun than The Dragon and is not held to 30mph. Anyway, whether you can stay for Wednesday thru Sunday, stay for the weekend, or just stop by for a visit and ride, everyone is welcome. RandyA

I have campsite #20 reserved for Wednesday thru Sunday. RandyA

So, now that you are the "Director of Engineering" or "Senior Engineer", it may be time to go job hunting. I have been down that road where the writing was on the wall and I guess I just did not read the writing well enough and got caught up in a mass layoff and company being sold. I was about 51 at the time and it was not fun looking for another job. I wish you the best and there are still a few companies out there looking for good experienced people. You just have to find them. I wish you the best of luck. RandyA

Not sure how the memory on speedometer on the RSTD works, but I don't really understand what you are asking. So, you want to take a bike that has 2,068 miles on it and make it look like it has 48,000 miles on it? RandyA

I like the extra lighting dna and have been trying to find something that will fit the trim near the radiator. Another one I added that really helps from the side is LED lights mounted on the side bags where the reflectors went. They cost about $7 each at Walmart and I just drilled holes for the wires to go through and ran the wires down the inside of the bags and put tape over them. I then put some quick connects near the top to unplug them when I remove the bags. Where did you get the lights you put on the radiator side covers? RandyA

Sounds to me like brake fluid is getting to them. Are you carrying a can of brake fluid in the bag that may be leaking a little or do you have a leak on your rear caliper? RandyA

Actually, the day the hurricane was on the Outer Banks of NC, we had one of those perfect days. Low humidity, temps in the valleys of about 80 and in the mountains about 70 and visibility of 50 miles and crystal clear. My grandson and I rode over the mountain just shy of Asheville and he treated me to Chinese for lunch. We had a great day. RandyA

I just filled up my Infiniti for $3.08. It was $3.38 with $.30 off per gallon using Food City card. RandyA

I got three!!!!! Actually, I only got two. RandyA

I can come down and help him. RandyA

I have a problem with my 83 getting wet around the area where the wires come out of the stator and it will misfire. I think it is the igniter wires breaking down. I carry a small can of WD40 in the bike and if it does not clear up pretty quick, I will pull out the rubber plug where the clutch bleeder is and spray down in the hole good and it almost always takes care of it. RandyA

Hey Arthur, how are you doing? I hope you got through without any damage. We were thinking about you and your family. RandyA