skydoc_17

Hey Everyone, I will be traveling to Don's Maint. Day by car this year due to my recent back surgery, and I will have replacement Clutch Diaphragm Springs for anyone that purchased a Clutch Spring Upgrade Kit over the past few months. I will also have complete kits with the new spring for First and Second Gen. bikes as well as a Clutch Spring Upgrade Kit for the MKI VR, which uses a set of 6 compression springs instead of one Diaphragm Spring. Because of my present physical condition, I WILL NOT BE WORKING ON MOTORCYCLES! But I will have many of the Items I have listed in the Classifieds with me for sale. I will mail a new spring to anyone that I miss at Maint. Day or anyone that doesn't attend. Thanks for your patience and understanding, it will be a pleasure to see everyone at Maint. Day again this year. Also, thanks for the kind words and prayers from everyone while I was down, and most of all, thanks to the people that helped Jean while I was down, she was very grateful, as was I. Earl and Jean

Hi Guys, Jean Here, Earl has taken Stainless Steel M4 Cap Screws and machined the fluting off and polished them to a mirror finish. (See pics Below) $12.00 gets you 4 screws and the shipping. I hope this is what you are talking about, Jean

Hi Everyone, Earl machines a set of Nylon Needle Shim Mod Spacers that takes all of the guess work out of doing the Needle Shim Mod. Here is the Link: http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=2711&title=needle-shim-mod-nylon-spacers-21&cat=6 If you have any questions about the mod, please feel free to ask! Jean

Gee Beeve, The last time I took a woman on a 800 mile motorcycle ride, I ended up kissin' her on the lips and the next thing ya' know, I was married! Good thing Jean likes to ride! I'm glad you had a great time, My dad used to say,"Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then"! You youngsters stay outta' trouble! Earl and Jean

Hi Rick, This is Jean, Earl's wife. I read your post to Earl this morning, his ears perked right up! Earl had his 87'VR to the 1/4 mile track this last fall, he said it was very exciting/scary at the same time! Here are a few things he mentioned, in no particular order of importance. The biggest decision Earl had to make was, "am I going to "slip" the clutch off the line, avoid braking traction at take off, or "drop the hammer" smoke the back tire, and hang on! He personally found that it was "almost" against his human nature to rev his bike to 3500 RPM's and let go of the clutch lever, so the first few runs he slipped the clutch, leaned somewhat forward to move his body weight over the front of the bike to reduce the chance of a "wheelie". His first three runs were high to mid 12's. Back at the pits, there were three "kids" in their early 20's, racing their Yamaha R1's, that took an interest in Earl and his bike. They thought it was "awsome" that an "old timer" with his full bagger scoot was out on a Sunday afternoon, burning up the track with the kids. If I hadn't seen this next thing with my own eyes, I would not have believed it. The three kids "swarmed" over Earl's bike and basically taught him how to "drop the hammer" at the start line, and not slip the clutch. One young man stood in front of Earl's bike with his hands on the front fork tubes, the other two young men stood on each side of Earl's 87'VR and held the passenger grab rails. Rear tire air pressure was increased to 45 PSI, (this is adjusted according to weight of rider) a small amount of regular water was placed under the back wheel, Earl braked the bike using the right front hand brake only, (no rear brake) the first two times Earl let the clutch go at 3500 RPM's his butt was off the seat and he was standing flat footed. This was to let him get used to the bike braking traction. Try number three was with him setting on the seat, both feet on the ground but NOT supporting his body weight, he let the clutch go, front end braked, (he has the de-linked R1 brake system on his 87'VR) and those three young men held the bike up so it would not fall over and Earl ran thru three gears with the back wheel smoking like crazy! He did this a few more times, working up to a launch RPM of 5000 RPM's, and by the end of the day, he ran an 11:86 ET! I was impressed, and Earl was acting like a school kid. Here are some Tech details Earl wanted me to point out: Make sure your air filter is clean! The needle shim mod is great for an MPG increase, BUT starves the engine at wide open throttle (WOT) He suggests reinstalling the stock Main Jet Needle Shims for your trip to the drag strip. ( if you don't have the stock ones any more, we can help with that) Set the Idle Mixture Screws to 21/2 turns from bottom with the stock needle shims. Because Earl changes items in the Carbs. depending on what he is doing, (riding two up, towing a trailer, snacking on the safety chrome of a HD, etc.) he uses this kit to make changing the items in the Carbs. a snap: http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=1643&title=first-gen281983-1993-29-stainless-carberator-cap-screw-set-with-washers-21&cat=6 If you would like ONE Nylon replacement shim for each Carb. Diaphragm instead of a bunch of S.S. washers to adjust the height of the Main Jet Needle Shim Mod, Check out this link: http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=2711&title=needle-shim-mod-nylon-spacers-21&cat=6 Earl shifts at "Red Line" regularly and has never had a valve float, or had the bike miss or sputter. The top end, Carbs., final drive and exhaust of Earl's bike are not stock, and he keeps his bike in first class condition. At the track, he ran ZERO air in the front shocks, and medium air in the rear shock. This allowed his feet to be flat on the ground. He ended up with 43 PSI in the rear tire for the "drop the hammer" method of take off. He ran 36 PSI in the front tire, any more then that and the front wheel/brakes locked up to easy on the decell. I am SURE I didn't explain this as well as Earl could have so if you have questions, please feel free to PM us and I will pass on your questions to Earl. The last thing Earl wanted me to mention was to have fun, wear your safety equipment, know your limitations, and be sure to let us know how this turns out. This was fun, Jean

Hey Larry, Earl Offer's an excellent AGM battery for the First Gen. VR's. Here's the link: http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=2742&title=deka-etx-18l-sealed-agm-battery&cat=6 The battery comes fully charged, and is shipped right to your front door in just a few days. Jean

Hey Brian, Check out these options: http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=2713&title=first-genmki281983-1985-29-stainless-steel-de-link-line-kit-21&cat=6 http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=2710&title=first-genmki281983-1985-29-stainless-steel-anti-dive-lines-21&cat=6 Hope this helps, Jean

Hi VR.ORG members, It's Jean, Earl's wife again. Earl has been scheduled for sugary first thing Monday Morning! It seems he really screwed his back up and the doctors don't want to wait. They said the rupture had put a tremendous amount of pressure on his spinal cord. He will be staying in the hospital for a few days after the operation. I am grateful he will not be in pain any more, but concerned about the sugary and the length of time they want to keep him in the hospital. Does staying in the hospital after this type of sugary sound normal? I thought this type of operation was usually an in and out thing? I am very worried. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers, Earl is such an active person, this has been very hard on him. He has been very touched by your comments. Please continue to pray for him, Jean

Hello to all the VentureRider Members, This is Jean, Earl's wife. Earl injured his back a few weeks ago while working on a motorcycle for one of the members of the site. We had a really bad rain Friday, May 7th and he fell down the front porch stairs during the storm. I took him for a MRI on Monday, May 10th and he has ruptured a disk between L4 and L5 in his back. He is in a lot of pain and on some heavy duty pain meds. right now. If he is supplying parts for you, please be patient with him as he is bed ridden right now. I will be checking his emails daily, and will try my best to make sure that parts he has ordered for anyone are shipped in a timely manner. At this time, he is not able to sit up at the computer, but I will relay questions to him and return answers as they come. Everything in the classifieds for sale will be shipped until supplies run out. We have plenty of the batteries for the First Gens. and Second Gens. as well as most of the other items. We are hoping he will have a corrective surgery in the next few weeks and he will be back on his feet very soon. I have been following the problem with the Clutch Spring and as soon as the new springs arrive I will do my best to ship everyone a new spring as soon as I get them. If your bike is at Earl's shop for repairs, please contact me and I will let you know where he is in the repair process. We are both very sorry for this disruption in the services he provides, and I will do my best to continue to be of service to the members of this site. Your thoughts and prayers would be most helpful during this time, He so enjoys the friendships he had made on this site. It breaks my heart to see him in such pain, and to be deprived of the joy he receives from helping the members of this site. Please take a moment and say a prayer for him, I am so worried. Jean

Hey Craig, First off, WELCOME to the site, you have come to the right place! Here is another link to the replacement of the Carb. Diaphragms: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=32052 While you are in there, you may be interested in the Needle Shim Mod Which will increase your gas mileage and make the bike run leaner. http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=2711&title=needle-shim-mod-nylon-spacers-21&cat=6 This kit comes with complete written installation instructions and I also have a link to pics of the install. To give your Carb. Diaphragm Replacement a nice finishing touch, check out this link: http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=1643&title=first-gen281983-1993-29-stainless-carberator-cap-screw-set-with-washers-21&cat=6 Don't forget to check out the VR.ORG discount from Sirius Consolidated that we get for the purchase of the replacement diaphragms, It's a great discount! I also offer slider assemblies with the new Diaphragms installed as well as the needle shim mod installed if working with small tedious items is a problem for you. If you have any questions about parts you need, more pics for the install, or the slider assemblies please feel free to PM me, it would be my pleasure to help you with this project! Earl

Hey Gary, Great Job! Glad to hear you got it all back together! I bet she's a runner! As far as the front brakes locking up goes, try backing off on the air pressure a few pounds, the slight bit of tire flex will keep the brakes from locking up the front tire. Great Idea, disconnecting the anti-dives to the rear brakes. I hope to see your bike at Maint. Day, Earl

Hey James, Welcome to the site! A few things to check would be the Air Filter, A dirty Air Filter will cause the Carbs. to run rich. You might want to pull the Carb. Diaphragm Caps and make sure the Slider Assemblies have not seperated. This is a fairly common problem with the MKI First Gens. Here is a link to the Needle Shim Mod which will lean out the Main Jet Needles: http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=2711&title=needle-shim-mod-nylon-spacers-21&cat=6 If you have questions about the Needle Shim Mod, or if you would like pics of the Idle Mixture Screws and their adjustments, feel free to PM me. Earl

Hey Rlyons, Here is a link to the Owner's and Service Manuals for your new to you bike. http://labs.trunkful.com/vrmanuals/index.cfm Welcome to the site. If you find these manuals useful, Join VR.ORG and enjoy ALL of the benifits of membership. Earl

Hey James, Here is the link to the Crankcase Vent Filter: http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=2333&title=first-gen281983-1993-29-crankcase-vent-filter-upgrade&cat=6 Earl:thumbsup2:

Hey Jack, You are correct that the FRONT brake calipers are two piston calipers on the Second Gen. bikes, (who's Idea was THAT!) but if you take a closer look on your new to you Second Gen. you will find that you have a two piece, 4 piston caliper on the rear of your scoot that is basically identical to the two piece, 4 piston caliper on your First Gen. VR. This is the caliper that Seaking was talking about in his post and this is why I said that the rear brake caliper on a Second Gen. was 25 year old technology, because it is. I'm sure you have been so busy riding your new scoot (as would I) to investigate this and it would only be a matter of time before you would discover this for yourself. Earl

There may be some confusion here as to the statement that HH sintered pads will decrease the life of brake rotors on Second Gen. RSV's and RSTD's. The First Gen. VR's had brake rotors that were made from an alloy that was MUCH SOFTER than the Stainless Steel Alloy the Second Gen. Rotors are made from. Because some of the stock rotors are no longer available from Yamaha for the First Gens. any more, using HH Sintered pads increased brake performance but shortened the life span of the First Gen. stock rotor significantly. Since the Second Gen. rotors are made from a tougher alloy, You will get more miles from the rotor before it becomes to thin to pass inspection but any time you have two friction surfaces coming together, you are going to have wear. When you increase the abrasive content of the brake pad, (better stopping power) you decrease the life of the rotor. If this increased stopping power means the difference between stopping one foot behind a car in front of me or going thru the back windshield, I will deal with the thin rotor when the time comes. I have one more comment to make about uneven brake pad wear, there is NOTHING inside a brake caliper that retracts the pistons after you apply the brake. If you have uneven brake pad wear then the pistons on that side of the brake caliper are sticking and leave the brake pad in contact with the rotor. PERIOD. This kind of neglect causes more damage to brake rotors than any HH Sintered pads ever will. After all, you RSV owners along with that high tech. Cassette deck, are running a rear caliper technology that was designed over 25 years ago! (two piece caliper body) and every other decent sport bike on the planet has gone to the one piece, multiple piston, progressive brake calipers. Sad, but TRUE! Earl

Hey Rick, Since they stopped ALL production of the First Gen. VR's in 1993, it just means that it is a left over 93'VR. Not really a big deal. The European parts lists do show a listing for the 94'VR but everything is the same as the 93'VR, including the color. Earl

Hey Dan, The part number for the second gen. valve cover gaskets is: 4NK-11193-00 I sell the set for $40.00 plus $7.00 to ship USPS Priority mail. I have them in stock and could send them first thing in the morning. If interested, let me know, Earl

Hey Rick, Yamaha stopped the production of the First Gen. Venture in 1993 and in the United States 1993 was the last year that the Venture Royale was offered. All of the remaining Venture Royales were sold in Europe and Canada as a 1994 Model but none were produced after 11/93. So to answer your question, 1993 was the last production year for the VR in the U.S. and 1994 was the last year for the VR in Europe and Canada. I hope this helps, Earl

Hey Curtus, I have seen this problem on two other bikes that have taken a hit in the front end! The first time I saw it, I banged my head on the garage floor about 2 weeks before I found the problem. I both cases, the "stem" that holds the upper and lower steering head bearings had been slightly bent, moving the front wheel closer to the frame of the bike. Because the steering head bearing stem and the front forks create a "right triangle" it takes very little movement at the steering head stem base to change the angle of the forks all the way down to the end of the forks where the wheel mounts. If your forks have been replaced, then you need to swap out the triple tree which includes the steering head bearing stem. This should return the front wheel to it's proper position. If you need parts, or have other questions, please feel free to PM me. Earl

Hey Brian, Because of the position of the lock assembly, it is prown to collecting moisture. The fact that the lock is over 20 years old doesn't help matters either. Usually once a month, I give the ignition switch, the kill switch, the starter button and the turn signal switch a shot of WD40 and this has solved the problem for me. It only takes a little shot, and a few minutes of my time to keep all of those switches working. I tried the graphite lock lube in the ignition switch and found that because this switch collects water like a bowl, the graphite "clumped up" and really didn't do as good of a job as the WD40. Hope this helps, Earl

Hey Kevin, The fact that you fouled out your set of plugs when using Seafoam means that the Seafoam did EXACTLY what it was supposed to do and that was to remove the varnish and carbon deposits from the fuel system and combustion chamber. When you do the math, $12.00 for a set of plugs and $8.00+/- for a can of Seafoam is a LOT LESS money than a Carb. rebuild. I would suggest that when you Seafoam the Carbs. again, try a half can of Seafoam to a FULL tank of gas. Also, riding your bike like you "just robbed a bank" will burn off the deposits from the spark plug ends instead of having them collect on the electrode and fouling the plugs. As Rocket pointed out, the brass plugs are in fact covering the Idle Mixture Screws, not the Carb. Sync. Screws. Use a 3/16" drill at low speed to remove those brass plugs and set the mixture screws to 21/2 turns from bottom out. I squirt some WD40 in the screw hole BEFORE I try to turn them, bottom each screw GENTLY, (turning clockwise) If you over tighten the Idle Mix Screw, you will damage the screw seat and that Carb. body will be junk. Then turn the Idle Mix Screw counter clock wise the 21/2 turns. As far as your 86'VR being a "money pit" look around your house and try to find ANYTHING that you own that is 25 years old and has not been maintained and I would bet that you have had to put a few bucks into that item as well. The mere fact that your bike will start and run after 25 years is a testament to the quality that Yamaha put into these bikes. Once you get your bike "up to speed" as far as the maintenance items are concerned, It should be like any other vehicle, oil changes, tune ups, tires, etc. Be patient with yourself, and your VR until you catch up with the maintenance issues, and you will be surprised how dependable this bike will be. I have attached a few pics and a link to get you in the right area for the Carb Sync. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=35274 Good luck with your project, If you have other questions, or need more pics, please feel free to PM me, Earl

Hey Annie, Here is a link to the "Kit" I sell in the classifieds: http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=2445&title=2nd-gen281996-2010-29-r1-caliper-swap-and-s-sbrake-lines-21&cat=7 This is a complete "plug and play" kit with everything you need including new S.S. brake lines and the VMAX splitter and adapter bracket, plus 2 freshly rebuilt R1 calipers and EBC HH Sintered pads. Depending on the length, I could make up A S.S. brake line to run from the front splitter to the rear caliper. If I can help you in any way Annie, please feel free to PM me. It would be my pleasure to help you sort this problem out. Good Luck on your project, Earl

Hey Vern, Here is something to try. Put a cassette in the tape deck and go for a ride. If the music doesn't cut out then there is a good possibility that the FM antenna has a connection problem at the rear of the bike and you are actually loosing the FM signal as opposed to there being a problem with the radio itself. Welcome to the site. Just a thought, Earl

I had just finished the rebuild on my third Honda V65 Magna, a 160 horse powered, frame twisting "Monster" that needless to say, Jean was not to fond of riding on. At the time, I was riding with a small rag tag group of guys with different bikes. Our friend Bob had called and invited us over to unveil his new Honda Goldwing Trike, we knew Bob but had never ridden with him but had heard rumors of his dreadful "accident". We arrived at Bob's early Saturday afternoon, and there is the new bike, in all it's glory! (to the tune of $38,000.00) It was a beauty, but not my style. So we are enjoying the BBQ, tippin' one back and slappin' old Bob on the back and tellin' him what a nice bike he has when Jean tugs on my shirt sleeve and says, "what's that in the garage"? I peer into the garage and do a double take and sure enough, under a bike cover is the rear end of a First Gen. peaking out. Jean and I had a 1986 VR out in California and put over 110,000 miles on that bike before moving to Pennsylvania, where I got into muscle bikes and Jean stopped riding. Well I hooked old Bob under the arm and drug him into the garage to hear the story on this beast. Bob hung his head, and said he had totaled his Venture earlier that summer and he was so embarrassed, he couldn't even trade it in on his new Honda. Now old Bob was 72 at the time and I could understand him being a little "shaky" holding up an 800 pound motorcycle so the Goldwing Trike made perfect sense to me. I pulled the cover off and walked around the Venture expecting to see the front end folded up under the frame or the one side of the fairing broken like an egg from skidding down the blacktop. I saw none of this, in fact, I could find nothing wrong with the bike until I looked over at old Bob and he had the left side mirror in his hand as it was hanging down from the side of the fairing. Bob's eye's welled up as he told me the story of him riding into his garage and the bike had "gotten away from him" and he snapped the mirror off of the left side and the edge of the fairing had skinned down the sheet rock in the garage. He sniffed and said he never rode the bike again and went to the Honda dealer and got the trike. As gently as I could I ask him if he wanted me to get rid of the "remains" of the Venture and he said that for $800.00 I could haul it away, after all it was causing him such great pain every time he looked at it and he needed the room for his new bike. I spoke with Jean, hit the ATM and was back later that afternoon with my truck and trailer. Loaded up the "totaled" 87'VR and a $25.00 used mirror from Ebay later, was back on a VR again. And wouldn't you know it, Jean started riding with me again. I have since sold the V65 Magna to a collector in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, and that bike most likely will never be ridden again. (that's a good thing, too fast!) But I still have the 87'VR and hope to be riding for many years to come. Thanks for listening to my story, Earl