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Freebird

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Everything posted by Freebird

  1. Freebird
    Done. We'll see how it works out. I may cut it back to two full lines later.
  2. Freebird
    I think I would try the fire and ice first. It is a long established procedure for many things. When I was an electrician in a power plant, I installed hundreds of bearings to motor shafts that way. Freeze the shafts and heat the bearings with a heat gun or in an oven. They would slide ride on.
  3. Freebird
    I think that would be a lot of fun. That is only about 20 minutes or so from my house. Don't know if they would allow such a thing or not though. As for the burnout contest, I think I'll pass and just watch the rest of you.
  4. Freebird
    I changed to synthetic at around 2,000 miles and would do so again next time. Everybody has a different opinion on that though and I'm not saying that mine is any better than yours. I agree with changing the rear end oil at around 800 miles the first time. I would agree to change it again at around 2000 miles but after that, I change mine once a year. I don't use Yamalube in anything though. I use Mobil One synthetic in the rear.
  5. Freebird
    Have you ever repacked the head bearings? Yamaha puts about as much grease on them as they do on the rear splines. Too many people just tighten them but never go to the trouble to repack them. At 80,000 miles, if you have never repacked them then it's probably too late and they need replacing. I think if people would go to the trouble to repack them early on then they will last for many more miles than that. It's not a quick job but do it once and they will be good for a LONG time.
  6. Freebird
    I think that you may be right but I hope not. If that is the case, then the only NEW bike that will really appeal to me is the Harley Ultra. I think it would be music to the ears of our first gen owners though who never liked the cruiser styling of the RSV. By the way, I was driving along Route 33 just east of Weston, WV today and there was a Vision riding in the lane beside me. First time I had actually seen one expect in pictures. I really wasn't sure from looking at the pictures whether or not I liked the style. I can pretty much say for sure now that I honestly don't. Just not a bike for me.
  7. Freebird
    I'm not really suggesting that we should be riding that fast. It's just that I KNEW my bike was not running right. Acceleration was not what it once was and me trying to open it up was just sort of my final way of confirming that I was right that there was something wrong. Acceleration is MUCH stronger now also. Don't worry about the rubber caps. They will probably break up when you remove them if they are cracked. They get brittle over time. Most auto parts stores have new ones that work great. I've replaced mine a couple of times over the years. If they are cracked, you need to replace them anyway. You could be sucking air through them already.
  8. Freebird
    There is absolutely no reason to run high end gas in the bike. The manual calls for 87 Octane and that's what I've run in mine since buying it in '99. I've tried mid and high grade from time to time with no improvement of any kind, performance nor fuel economy. I change my oil every 3,000 miles. I run pure synthetic and could go longer but it's just an old habit that's hard to break.
  9. Freebird
    I see a problem there also. I've never had even a hint of front end shake on the RSV at any speed. I'm not sure about the Royal Stars. I know that due to the smaller carbs and restricted air flow that they were a lot less HP than the RSV and the newer RSTD. That may be about right on a fairly stock Royal Star.
  10. Freebird
    Last week, I replace a bad coil on my RSV. It was the right rear (number 3) coil. I was talking to a couple of other RSV owners today and they commented that everybody they know who has had to replace a coil it has been the number 3 coil. If you have replace a coil, which one was it that was bad? I'm just wondering if there is a pattern here and if so, why the number 3 is going bad.
  11. Freebird
    Over the years, I've seen posts from several people who have claimed that the top speed on their RSV is about 90 MPH. I've never understood that and am now wondering how many here have bikes that top out around that speed. What got me thinking about this was that over the past months my bike was not running well. A couple of weeks ago, I opened it up and found that 90 MPH was all it would do. Now I had had mine to close to 120 MPH in the past so obviously something was wrong. Unfortunately, I got frustrated and took somewhat of a "shotgun" approach to the problem and so don't know just exactly what corrected my problem. I changed plugs but had done that before so I know it wasn't the problem. I also changed my number 3 coil which I think was breaking down under load. I pulled the carbs and reset the floats. One was a bit high. I also suspect that the air box was not seated good on top of at least one of the carbs. The bottom line is that when I was done, I took it out again and it runs like I knew it should. Acceleration is very strong and I took it up to about 112 and it was still climbing pretty good. I have the Speedohealer so that is true speed. I was later talking to my friend Bob Dakin and he told me that his Midnight Venture has never run faster than about 90 since the day that he bought it. I am convinced that there is a problem with his and he is going to come over one day soon so that we can figure it out. How many of YOU have the same problem? If your bike tops out under 100 MPH, I am sure that there is a problem and I don't think it would be that difficult to figure it out.
  12. Freebird
    Geezzz .... the first gens had their share of little quirks also. Frames breaking, 2nd gears going out, cooling problems on the early models. Yes, SOME of the RSVs do have some quirks also but most are frustrating but not serious. I've owned my '99 as long as I've owned any type of vehicle and though have thought about trading it a few times, have still not found anything that I like well enough to do so. There are thousands of these bikes on the road and you hear complaints from a very small percentage of owners. Spud, that is a nice bike and I hope you are very happy with it. There is not much worse than owning something that you hate. As for comparisons though, it is a far cry from being equipped anywhere near the Venture. No stereo, intercom, cruiser control, had bags, travel trunk.......I could go on and on. That's not to say that it's not as good a bike and a better choice for some folks but sure wouldn't cut it for me. I love all the extras that came with the Venture. I don't plan on doing anything until I see what Yamaha does with the 2010 Venture. If they go with the 1700 engine and keep the cruiser stying, I'll finally think seriously about trading but otherwise, I'll probably be riding my RSV for a while.
  13. Freebird
    and you just let that be a lesson to you.
  14. Freebird
    The TSB on the rear end is posted right here: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1705
  15. Freebird
    I would never recommend this except as a last resort but it sounds like you are about there. I would be contacting an attorney. The rear rotor is questionable but everything else on your list should absolutely be covered. At the very least, get an attorney to send them a letter. That may be all that it takes and shouldn't cost you much. I know for a FACT that they DO respond when you get an attorney involved.
  16. Freebird
    I had seen it and it does make a good point and NO...I did NOT see the bear the first time I watched it.
  17. Freebird
    Well, you've SEEN those pond monsters. Do you REALLY want to catch them?
  18. Freebird
    I can't honestly say because I've never had any issues with the chirping on my '99 or any problems with the rear end. If you have a noisy rear end, then it would likely help. I don't see it doing anything if you have the chirping problem except possibly moving it to a different RPM range.
  19. Freebird
    Jack, I wouldn't put up with that nonsense for a minute. A woman who mows he yard, repairs the gutters...heck...with just a bit of training I'll bet she could polish chrome and sync carbs too. I think it's time that you just cut her loose. She can come to my house for a while if she needs a place to stay.
  20. Freebird
    I agree with him. The Honda Moly grease has been recommended many times here and greasing the splines with every tire change is just routine maintenance. Unless there is indeed some damage, your problem will likely be solved.
  21. Freebird
    I've got to agree with Jeremy on this one. I've never had one return to center either. They way I adjust them is with the bike on a stand so that the front tire is just barely off the ground, I gently swing it so that it bounces off the left or right stop. When it bounces off the stop, it should gently come to a stop without swaying back and forth either direction.
  22. Freebird
    You folks can be happy that Firestik discontinued the fold down mount with the wing nut. It was JUNK. I had those on my '99 and lost two antennas because of them. They were made of a cast or pot type metal and could not take any stress. I now have the fold down mounts with the spring slides that I picked up at a truck stop. Yes, there is some wiggle but they work great.
  23. Freebird
    Ron, I just happen to have a spare. I was saving it for a rainy day but hey, sounds like you need it worse that I do. PM me your address and I'll get it shipped. I'm out of town right now but should be home on Friday and will get it shipped no later than Saturday.
  24. Freebird
    I would suggest that you check: Spark Plugs Carb Sync Make sure carbs are seated correctly not only at the bottom but also at the top in the rubber boots from the air box. Harder to check but also possible causes are: A bad coil Possibly the carb float levels. One may be too high.
  25. Freebird
    Where did you find the info that it is adjustable, unless I missed it, the service manual just says that it must be replace if it's out of spec.
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