Freebird

Removing the cassette player will in no way affect your CB, Intercom, etc. I removed mine and replace it with a small amp/equalizer. There is an article in the tech library that explains that procedure very well. It was not written by me but I used it when I installed mine.

So sorry to hear this. Thanks for letting us know. If anybody can find a picture of Dave and either post it or send it to me, it would be appreciated. He did not have one in his gallery.

I just don't see the AIS being a problem. Heck, mine has been plugged since 1999 and then completely removed in '05. It never affected the mileage. I will check the LEDs for the TPC and last case scenario, I will pull the carbs this winter and go through them.

Of course not...uh....not really...I mean...hmmmmm

A while back, somebody posted a link here for a site dedicated to Road Star riders who are adding fairings, bags, etc. to their bikes. I'm usually pretty good at searching and finding old posts but have not found this one. Can anybody help?

I checked it last weekend after changing the plugs and filters and got a whopping 26 MPG. I use to get in the high thirties and low to mid 40s, depending on the type of riding I was doing. Now I have added the speedo healer so with that odometer correction there would be a 7.5% loss but this problem started long before I added the speedo healer.

I posted this last night but accidentally posted it in the read only tech library, sorry about that. I mentioned a while back that my gas mileage has gone way south. This started over a year ago, long before installing the VMAX rear end. I recently changed the plugs, removed the K&N filters and tried stock again and neither of those things have helped. Today I will remove the Dyna 3000 and re-install the stock ignition module. Now the Dyna did not originally cause the problem but I'm just trying to rule out that something might have gone bad with it. Bike runs good, idles smooth, has great power. This is really baffling me. There is no fuel overflowing that would indicate a stuck or high float. So...I'm still looking.

Not that I've ever seen.

I can't answer your question but I sure have the springs. Every time I bought a first gen stand to build my second gen stands, they came with the spring. I've probably got 60 or 70 of those springs around here. If you need one, just PM me your address and I'll get it to you.

No, I can't really say that I've noticed any difference but my gas mileage is BAD right now. It started before the change though. I'm still trying to find out what has happened.

Nice looking bike. I hope it brings you many miles of smiles. Don't be a stranger here, we don't care what you ride.

Not bad...I've seen them a BIT cheaper though. I'll bet he would REALLY like to move those '06 RSTDs though. By the way, where the heck have you been? What, you think you can just come and go as you please around here?

The second gen gearset with the VMAX rear would put you almost exactly where you want to be. I am running the VMAX rear in my second gen and those numbers are VERY close to what I'm getting. I think it's perfect. Pretty much splits the difference between stock first gen and stock second gen.

You know...I actually LIKE that bike. Wouldn't mind having it to scoot around on those short trips.

Why would ANYBODY ruin catfish by putting it in a stew. The only way to eat catfish is simply to roll it in corn meal, a bit of salt and pepper and deep fry. Geezzzzzzzzzzzzz..................

Of course it qualifies. Any member here is qualified, regardless of what they ride. Do not send it to me. I posted a link in the first post here that will explain where to send the pictures. Thanks.

Well folks, I do not have any more at this time. I am undecided if I will make any more or not. The problem is that I have to have the brackets fabricated in lots of 30 and don't think that I can find 30 first gen stands to use all those brackets. I will also warn you. There have been a couple of reports here of the Rivco stands breaking and people dropping their bikes. I don't know if Rivco has corrected that problem or not. Diamond R used to make a stand and may still have a few left if you are interested. You will have to contact Allen to find out. He is also considering a new design based somewhat on the one that I build. Nothing firm at this time though. I really think that the one I made was the best out there in regards to strength.

I've tried YamaLube. Tried it ONCE in my '88 and ONCE in my '99. Will never use it again. I found that it seems to break down very quickly, especially when it's really hot outside. I lived in Texas at the time. Within less than a thousand miles I found the engine to be very noisy and it became hard to find neutral. Sorry, I'll never use it again.

Here is the official Avon site. Maybe he can find the info he needs there. http://www.avon-tyres.co.uk/motorcycle/?page=tyres&method=listtyres&cat=2

Cleaning and Repairing a First Gen Tape Deck Thanks to Red Baron for this excellent article A few weeks ago I did a tour of the northern US and put about 7000 miles on my 1990 Yamaha Venture Royale. During this tour, my tape deck "ate" one of my tapes. I like to listen to the tapes while on the road when out of range of local radio stations. I have several tapes of classical music as well as my favorite vocalist, Babs, Barbara Streisand. Not being able to determine the cause of this failure while on the road, I waited until I returned home to affect a repair of the unit. I inquired of this group for advice. Thanks for the responses. Most of you thought it just needed cleaning. I went a little further than that. Since the unit was 18 years old, and I use it often, (I have 82K miles on the old girl) I suspected the belts may be worn or had failed as well as needing a good cleaning and lubricating. As I do all my own maintenance, with the help and advice from this and other web sites as well as service manuals, I thought you might be interested in a short "How to" of what I did. This unit now seems to perform as it should, i.e., doesn't "eat" tapes anymore. First thing I did was research belt availability. I found belts on the web at a place called Vintage Electronics in Corvallis, Oregon. I needed three belts. Part # SCQ4.0 --- $3.10 Part # SCQ6.5 --- $2.10 Part # SCQ10.0 --- $2.55 I ordered them, used PayPal to affect the payment and received them four days later. Great Service http://www.venturerider.org/tapedeck/image001.jpg Next thing I did, after receiving the belts, was to remove the unit from the bike. The tape deck can be removed from the radio/tape deck holder by removing one hex nut from the bottom of the unit. You will also need to unplug the power cord. http://www.venturerider.org/tapedeck/image006.jpg After freeing the unit from the holder, remove the top and bottom cases. http://www.venturerider.org/tapedeck/image009.jpg After removing the cases, the belts can be seen. http://www.venturerider.org/tapedeck/image013.jpg The "V" shaped piece must be removed to expose the belts for changing. This can be accomplished by removing three screws and lifting the "V" shaped piece very carefully. There is a spring on the right side that will impede removal. Just lift around the spring leg. It's easy. You can do it. http://www.venturerider.org/tapedeck/image016.jpg OK, you're there. Remove all three belts. You will need to remove the large wheel on the left to access the belt beneath it. Note their position carefully before removing. A sketch may help. Now, before installing the new belts, lift the large wheels straight up and put a drop of oil on their shafts. They will lift straight up and out of the unit. Just one drop of light oil is all that is needed. 3 in One oil or equivalent. Reinstall the shafts/wheels into their respective positions. Now install all three new belts. The belt under the left wheel will have to be installed before reinstalling that wheel. When satisfied that all three belts are tracking correctly, reinstall the "V" shaped piece with the three screws removed earlier. Turn the unit over. Now we want to clean the rubber wheels and the pickup "head". I used a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to affect this cleaning. Dip one end of the swab in alcohol and use it to carefully clean the head and wheels. Use the clean end of the swab to wipe off residue the alcohol loosens from the wheels. Remove any excess oil from the ends of the shafts oiled from the other side. http://www.venturerider.org/tapedeck/image020.jpg Now we can reinstall the top and bottom cases. http://www.venturerider.org/tapedeck/image023.jpg After installing the case pieces and making sure that all the screws are secure, install the assembly back into the radio/tape deck holder and reinstall into the bike. Unit should function like new. No more "surging" from loose or worn belts. No more tape "eating" caused by dirty drive wheels. Hope this has been of some value to anyone doing their own maintenance. Red Baron Addendum: Do NOT over lubricate. ENSURE that "belts" are NOT "twisted" . If the belts are "twisted" the speed will not be correct. These are square cross section belts and MUST have the same "flat" of the belt touching in the groove on the wheels. Just look closely at the belt. If there is a twist in the belt between wheels, it's not going to work correctly.

I KNOW we don't have the money required to pay somebody to keep up with THAT guy.

Now here we have some confusion. The hot wire to a switched ignition source is only applicable to some bikes. It was not necessary on the Royal Star Venture. Are you SURE you needed to do that?

I'm running curve 3. I don't think I've ever tried 4 or 5.

If you haven't read Lewis's post about the ride to St. Jude, please do so. This will be a great experience for anybody who can make it. As some of you know, or Tail of the Dragon rally that has been organized Lewis for the past 3 years has always served the dual purpose of not only allowing all of us to enjoy getting together, riding and eating but even more importantly, to raise money for St. Jude's. The amount of money has grown each year and I am very proud to be a part of any group that is a part of such an event. It would be great if as many of you as possible could join Lewis at St. Judes to present them the money that was raised. Not only would we be very proud to have any of you there to represent us but you will probably get MUCH more out of it than you can possibly imagine. It truly is an opportunity that you will feel good about afterwards. Please see this thread for all the details. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=14760

Thanks to a great idea by Eck and his willingness to manage it, I am pleased to announce a new topic area dedicated to free or cheap parts for all our bikes. Please visit the area and read the sticky post there by Eck. Please note, it is a read only area in order to keep the parts lists organized. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=101