Venturous Randy

My memory of San Antonio was in 69 while I was at Lackland AFB doing basic training. I did go to town once and saw the river walk, which was very nice and I did go to the Alamo. That was interesting, but with being homesick and walking in the door and seeing a picture of Davy Crockett's birthplace did not help. His birthplace is about 15 miles from my house. RandyA

To go along with what Puc is saying about high vacuum, the way you attain higher vacuum is to be more concerned about throttle opening and not RPM's. The best gas mileage I have gotten is where I will downshift rather then lug the bike some and not make the torque pull harder at a lower RPM. Basically, it is more about how much throttle you are using, rather that what RPM you are running. Short shifting is fine if you have the time to accelerate slowly with little throttle. In my current situation, I am running a V-Max rear on my 83. With riding thru the mountains, I can easily lug the bike a little and it does fine, but if I pay attention, I can get as good of mileage or better than a stock rear. The downside is running at 65mph, I am running close to 4,000rpm's and that can bring the mileage down some. In my last several fill-ups, I have ranged from 44 to 48 mpg's, 2-up. A good rule of thumb is if you are running along and downshift one gear and without changing the throttle, you increase speed, you are not running at the most efficient throttle and you are lugging the engine some. RandyA

Well, at least you got a pic with him holding on to the handlebars. Maybe that 2nd gen is a sign he is maturing a bit.....not!! Looking good guys and hope you have a great trip. RandyA

How do you intend to go about fixing the transmission, replacing parts, undercutting gears or replacing whole transmission? There are several of us that have done this and will be glad to talk with you about the details. If you will check my profile, you can get my phone number and you can call me at anytime, as I am retired. RandyA

I know you said same brand front and rear, but if you want good handling on a 1st gen, the Avon Venom on the front and Dunlop E3 on the rear is my recommendation. This is my second time with this combo and I think it is the best for me. RandyA

Welcome to the forum, Mr & Mrs Jetson. Neat bike and great color. RandyA

Really neat, but with a cruising speed of 35mph, you're not going to get anywhere fast. RandyA

Also, make sure you do not fill the reservoir too full or when your brakes warm up, they may bind and stop you. Always carry an 8mm wrench with you. RandyA

If you have never read it, go to a used book store and see if you can pick up a copy of Blue Highways, by William Least Heat Moon. It is a very good read and he did about the same thing. RandyA

Good luck G I Joe, this post is five and a half years old. RandyA

I would love to have a bike like that, but I would be afraid to ride it. That one is just too nice for the age. It must have never been stored out in the weather. RandyA

First thing, is the slave cylinder leaking? If not, that may not be your problem. How does your lever feel? Is the pressure normal? Sometimes it is difficult to get the fluid going on the master and you may have to loosen the bango bolt on the master. Another problem I encountered was the metal part of the clutch line that goes under the engine got stopped up. One other thing, do not let ANY brake fluid get on the plastic or it will be ruined. RandyA

That is the exact color we are looking for. I see where there is a latch problem, but could not tell what it would take to fix it. Is there any way you could see what it would cost to ship it to TN 37604? My son's is fixable with all the damage on the bottom. It is just I thought I would see what is out there. Thanks for your help. RandyA

I had a feeling that was what you were going to do. Hope you can enjoy it and maybe we can get by and see you sometime. RandyA

That is one of my favorite colors. RandyA

The trunk bottom on my son's bike is in really bad shape. It is cracked and has several big pieces missing. Just thought I would give it a try on here. RandyA

Well, we went from a long drawn out winter to a very short spring into summer. Our part of the world here in the mountains of east Tennessee is usually pretty moderate compared to other places. That being said, we are to be in the upper 80's all week and to me, that is pretty warm. But, I know that if we are hot here, it is really hot in other places. Our problem here right now with all the flowers and trees is pollen. I have a black Infiniti that I cleaned up real good a couple of days ago and with it sitting on the carport, it is almost yellow. RandyA

I would not want to use the one at a service station. You don't know if it has 60 or 200 pounds pressure and it is difficult to do the quick on and off and then check the pressure. To me, this would be a quick way to blow seals out. RandyA

I have seen these comments about which pump to use and how you should not use this or that one and I want to share what has always worked real good for me and my 1st gen standard Venture. Many years ago I bought one of the cheap Harbor Freight compressors that has the gauge on it. It is the yellow one that sells for about $9 or is on a coupon in Rider magazine for less than $6. This thing clips on the air fitting and does not appear to off seat the valve. When you turn it on, and it does have a roller type switch, the air buildup is slow enough that it is easy to monitor and when you get to the reading you want, turn the switch off. I have also found that the reading on the gauge is identical to the reading on a digital air gauge I have had for awhile. I have also used the compressor to air up a rear tire that I had to plug out in the middle of nowhere. I was able to air the tire up plenty enough to get me to a service station, but the little yellow pump did get pretty warm. Anyway, you guys can spend the big bucks for the pumps or you can try one of these and I have used one of these for at least the last 15 years. I also have Progressives in the front so for me, I don't need any air there. RandyA

I must admit Mick, that is one 2nd gen that I would love to have. It is a really beautiful bike. Did you get you something else or are you getting out of biking for awhile? Hope you and your wife are doing ok. Mick, I just looked at the ad and my only suggestion is to show some pictures that are more close up of the paint. That is the most beautiful flame job I have ever seen and I have seen a lot. RandyA

Just got in from a ride this evening and still had one bar left and had put 178 miles on the bike. Usually, when I have one bar left and getting ready to start blinking, it will take about four gallons and that would be about 44mpg, which is about right. Most of the riding was 2-up on two lane twisties and like that, the V-Max rear doesn't seem to hurt mileage. RandyA

Hope you have a great Birthday on a beautiful day!! RandyA

Yeah, I thought the same thing. Also, when he stopped, not a lot of people clapped. I know I would have. RandyA

The auto paint store we have here carries a special two sided tape to hold emblems on. Not sure what the name is, but it is not as thick as most two sided tapes and is made to handle the various weather conditions. If you have an auto paint store, it may be worth checking out. RandyA

I did something today that probably very few people have ever had the opportunity to do. My son, my grandson and I got to go for a ride today. What made it even more special was we were all three on 1st gen Ventures. My son on his 87 Royale, my grandson on his 83 Royale and me on my 83 std. We rode to a general store established in 1902 that is now a country restaurant and had a great meal. We did do one little run on a straight country back road, but both my son's and grandson's bikes were not running that good, but it would not have mattered anyway. I do have to admit that I think I had a smile on my face the whole time. I felt it was a really neat thing for us to enjoy a ride on a great bike, ranging from 27to 31 years old. RandyA