Venturous Randy

Scott, I thought about you today. I had an eye appointment where the Dr sticks two different needles in my right eye. Sounds like you got a ways to go, but at least you are on your way. Keep us posted and anytime you want to talk, please give me a call. One other thing, be careful picking up the grandkids. Your eye won't like that. RandyA

I got the MKII drive shaft and swapped out to the V-Max rearend. I did as suggested and checked alignment without spacers. I first removed the tire/wheel and used the axle on my original rearend alignment and the axle went in and would turn with a little resistance. I then installed the V-Max rearend and the axle slid in and would actually turn a little easier than the original. So, I then took the rearend off and put the correct drive shaft in and re-installed the V-Max rearend. I took the bike for a ride and I can tell a difference. The first thing is where did fifth gear go? Actually, the difference seems to be between forth and fifth. At 60 mph, I think I am running about 3,800 rpm's and at 65, I am running a little over 4,000 rpm's. But, the good part is when cranking it on, I need to watch the tach a little closer as it gets to 8,000 rpm's real quick in 1st gear. Now, I need to get my butt motivated and get the other engine installed that has the 02 Venture gears installed. With those gears, 1st will be about the same as now, or about 10% lower than before, 2nd will be about 4% lower, 3rd and 4th will be about the same as before and 5th will be about 5% higher than before. To me, this will be a good setup and will be the same as a 2nd gen Venture with a V-Max rearend installed, except in a 1200 engine. I do have to say that is more fun to rip it through the gears with the V-Max rearend and shifting at about 8,000 rpm's. RandyA

OK, was it half full or was it full in the sight glass and this should be with the bike on the center stand? RandyA

Is this a two for one special(double post)? RandyA

The "PERVIOUS" version? You old pervert! What have I missed? RandyA

I picked up a Royale left side switch and put on my standard and used the PPT button to activate my garage door opener. It works great. I just used the two wires from the PPT button and took the opener apart and bypassed the connection made when I pushed the opener button. I then used Velcro on the inside fairing beside the headlight to hold the opener. This keeps the opener dry. Ever year or so I will put new batteries in the opener and I am good to go. RandyA

To get on center stand, pump up the air in the shocks and run the rear tire up on a board, maybe an inch thick. Or you can do what I did and cut 1/2 inch out of the center stand. Interesting story on your kidney. RandyA

This is sad and he was born four days before me. RandyA

Linda and I are thinking about you buddy. Hope everything goes as good as possible. Please keep us posted. RandyA

I was in Ubon, Thailand in 72 in the USAF and every time I went off base in a taxi to go to town, I wondered if this was where I was going to get it. Right-of-way was determined by who blew their horn first and horns were going all the time. It did not seem like there was any speed limit and to get the most fares in a day, they were wide open. It helped to be about half crocked to get in a taxi. RandyA

Jason, I have dealt with the broken frame and will say, my frame looked a lot better than your's does. With that much rust in the frame, I would be scared to ride it. If it collapses, I hope you are going straight as it will drop down so far that you will scrape if you try to turn any. You might want to think about a frame replacement. RandyA Link to my frame fix. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1521

Now it makes me wonder if I could mount a trailer hitch on my 4X8 trailer I haul my bike on and hook my little camper on to it that I usually haul with the bike. RandyA

The other day I saw a pick-up pulling a big 5th wheel camper and connected to the camper, he was pulling a trailer with a Harley on it. This is the first time I have seen this and was wondering if it was legal? I know that it is common to see the tandem trailers being pulled by a truck, but not sure about this set-up. With all the rear view cameras and monitors available, at least the MC trailer could be seen. RandyA

When I look at a bike that I am being told is really low mileage, the first thing I do is look at the rotors. If there is a very noticeable lip on the rotors, I suspect the bike has turned the odometer over at least once. Sure, the rotors could have been replaced, but most likely, they haven't been. RandyA

And with Gary, we also get a world of knowledge and help to go along with his unit. RandyA

Thanks, that's what I was thinking also. I got an MKII driveshaft off ebay last night for $19.99 and about $12 shipping. When I get everything together, I will try again. RandyA

How will I know if I need a shim and if I do, how much shim will I need? RandyA

I painted mine Twlight Royal Pearl, which is a soft purple/pearl years ago and still get a lot of nice comments on it. RandyA

It looks like the V-Max rearend I have has the same coupling that the MKII's have that has the machining for the seal. At least the MKII drive shafts should not be as rare as the MKI's since most of them are worn out from lack of grease on the splines. Thanks Dingy, for telling me that the MKI and MKII swing arms are the same. Dingy, I was thinking you had a V-Max rear end on Tweety RandyA

Happy Anniversary to two of the best people I have ever known. Hope you have many more. RandyA

Before I put the engine in my bike that has the 02 Venture trans in it, I thought I would first try the V-Max rear that I have, which is off an older V-Max. I have run into a problem with my MKI driveshaft being too short. The coupling on the V-Max rear is recessed where the splines are and with the driveshaft I have, there would be very little, if any engagement. Do I need an MKII driveshaft, which I know is a little longer, to make this work? I know there are guys out there that have a V-Max rear on their 1st gen, but I don't know if they are a MKI or MKII. RandyA

To disable the cancel, pull the strip on the back of the speedometer that has the two wires running to it. This reads the magnetic impulses to do the cancel. I don't think I have heard anyone wanting to disable the cancel before. RandyA

Now that is funny! RandyA

Hey Barry, good to see you on here. Yes, Barry picked up a nice 98 RSTD that needs a few parts and I told him he can get a lot of help on here. I have known Barry about 25 to 30 years and he is a good guy and will fit in with this crazy bunch well. We went riding over the mountain last week to Asheville, NC and coming up the mountain I had a chance to play around with his brother-in-law's Harley V-Rod. I was right proud of my old Venture. RandyA

Wow Scott, I sure did not want to read this, especially with you being told there is little hope of recovery. Do you have any vision at all, or is it completely black? I can say that it is a bit of an aggravation at times, but you can adapt and go on with your life. Riding is different in that the depth perception seems a little tricky, but you will get used to it. I have probably put about 15,000 miles on the bike since then. My vision loss in my right eye started Sept 23, two years ago. I had a Vitreous hemorrhage and then a detached retina. At this time I have no usable vision in this eye as I can only see a small area and it is very distorted. I do better when I use a patch or black out the right side of sun glasses. Please keep us posted as you know more as there will be a lot of us praying for you. RandyA