Semi-retired

Ah, gotcha, Neil. Just seems a little funny that the "non-sliding" parts (valve faces) would wear faster than the shims or cam lobes, but I guess if we're changing our oil as often as we should () that's entirely possible!

Hey, Bob......thanks for the info....and for your invitation to meet up. Unfortunately, when we woke up near Lockport this AM....wifey proclaimed immediately: "We're not going to Letchworth today!" Something about rain and contact lenses not making good riding partners! :-) So, I have to report that we're not still in the Great State of New York. We came home first thing this morning....the boring way......WITHOUT getting to Letchworth. Not sure if we'll be making it down later this week or not, but will be sure to let you know if we head down. Thanks again for your mapping guidance, Robert. Hope to see you soon. m

OH YEAH......there'll always be a difference between hot and cold........and usually (as someone else mentioned) it's ALMOST equal to the gap you actually want.....minus a couple of thou for safety. On older equipment, with tappets (am I dating myself)...things were ALWAYS "tighter" when hot and looser when cold. Mind you, that was on engines where the gaps got BIGGER (i.e. LOOSER) as things "wore out". It seems strange to me that the shims on the Venture reportedly get TIGHTER as they wear. Doesn't seem to make sense....but, I guess I need to see a diagram. (Any other "old" guys out there who can explain this to me in 25 words or less? )

Thanks, Robert! THAT's the kind of answer I was looking for. SIMPLE.......like me. Now that I see where you're located......maybe you can do me one more little favor: Wifey and I are visiting friends at their camping resort near Lockport tomorrow and we're thinking we'll stay overnight, then head for Letchworth park on Tuesday AM. Do you know of any "must ride" roads in the area, either on our way into the area from Lockport......or on our way home toward Niagara Falls, once we LEAVE Letchworth? Thanks for any "tourguide" info you may have up your sleeve! Michael

Too bad you're 2095 kilometers away! I'd rush my baby right over! Thanks for the offer, though. (You'll probably get other "takers" who are within a little more reasonable range. Check your inbox...........daily.

You're absolutely right, dj: the dealer wants the bike to be cold when they start on it. (He did, in fact, ask me if I could drop the bike off the night before my "appointment" so it would be cold when they start in the morning. He quoted based on THREE hours of shoptime.....so, they must do LOTS of them.....and be damned good at it to finish that quickly. (Can't imagine they "fake" it, because it's a big dealership and they've got a lot of rep riding on the line.) If any of us could do it anywhere NEAR that fast, there's no question we'd do it ourselves, I'm sure!

Mine's at about 35K miles; I guess it's THAT TIME! I'd say my '03 hasn't blown a fuse in six years...but then, of course, I'd immediately blow one tomorrow......500 miles from home! Micrometers are one thing.....feeler gauges are another; I'm guessing the two ten-thousandths of an inch discrepancy wouldn't make a difference in "real life". If you were to do the job again......now......and everything went "smoothly".....how long would you anticipate it would take in total hours? (I'm contemplating doing my own....my dealer wants $284 incl tax......and needs the bike only one day.....and, as you say, if I did it myself, I wouldn't wanna have the bike out of commission for too long!) Oh, and by the way.....did you go ahead and replace any of the shims "while it was apart", as one member recommended?

Hi, John.......thanks for that link........but remember, I was looking for LESS math.....not MORE! :-) I'm trying to find an AVERAGE mileage figure for a tankful of gas on a Yamaha Venture. I realize, as Mike from Seattle says, that it's gonna rely somewhat on city vs highway, how much idling, how much uphill etc (he forgot to mention passenger load, tire pressure, trailer towing, barometric pressure, ambient air temperature.....and so on :-) ....BUT, all I'm trying to do is get a simple answer to the simple question. How be I phrase it like this: Does your Venture "TYPICALLY" get 100 miles to a tank, 200 miles to a tank, 300 miles to a tank or 400 miles to a tank. And by TYPICALLY.....I mean mix of city/highway (let's even say MOSTLY highway).....just me on the bike, no passenger, no trailer, no mountains. I'm only trying to get a rough estimate of how many times I'd have to fill up to get from Niagara Falls to Deal's Gap and home, for example. The main reason I ask this is, I'm just wanting to make sure my bike is "running well" (whatever THAT means!) I know when it WASN'T running well (i.e. one of my four plugs was almost completely fouled.....I was going through gas like you-know-what through a goose!) So, guys.......how far can you go on a tank? (Remember, only one-word, numeric answers allowed. :-) )

Thanks to everyone for the odometer "tuneup". I've got a better handle now on how to track "everything"........EXCEPT for one..... Is there a chart or table on the site anywhere that shows the AVERAGE mileage/kilometerage that can be expected from a full tank on a Gen 2? Just for comparison's sake, and, rather than get into all the formulae for dividing gas receipts by odometer settings (yikes, the math!!!) can anyone point me to a post where some gracious member has figured this stuff all out for us? P.S. I don't care if it's INCLUDING or NOT including the reserve.....just after some full tank mileage "expectations". Thanks!

I was gonna be a real smarty pants and use my #1 trip odometer as my "whole season" record to keep track of the total number of miles... Sorry, kliks, I put on for the entire summer. BUT, the first time I got into reserve, and the odometer started saying how many kliks I'd put on while IN reserve, it never came back to my "season total"! Pisser! Went back and started over at zero! Is this Standard operating procedure?

The Hagon is the only one I can answer about, cause THAT's the one I bought: No height adjustment available OR required. What you order is what you install. If it doesn't seem the "right" height.....I think you're looking at a "lowering" kit. (Not many people want to RAISE this bike!) If you're researching several different potential suppliers of your new shock (and it sounds as if you are.....), PHONE them, have a little chat, and include this (very good) question in your conversation. They're all happy to chat. Good luck, Mike

Hey, no problem, buddy; that's why the site exists! Here's the link to the Hagon folks. Give them a shout. They'll tell you exactly which models you can chose from. (I'm a cheap bugger so I opted for the less fancy...non-remote-control one). http://www.hagonshocksusa.com/index.htm They don't always have everything in stock, but production turns them around pretty fast, and as I recall, I had mine at my doorstep in about 10 days. Lemme know how you make out talking to them. (Don't forget the time zone difference when you call them!) Michael

Hi, Dave. I replaced the shock on my 03 Midnight with the Hagon about 3 years ago and have had zero problems since. It has no air adjust and, as I recall, you have to take a "guess" at what the mechanical preload adjustment should be BEFORE you install it. I did that, and have found no problems with changes in load (luggage.....passenger, etc). It's like Mac vs PC, though; everybody's got an opinion. The Hagon was a few hundred less $ when I bought it. Replacement was a snap. Lemme know if you need any more info......or want to call. I'd be happy to come over and do a little hand-holding, too, if you're not totally confident about doing the install. Regards, Mike.

Thanks to everyone who has responded........especially YOU, Mike. I appreciate that many Venture riders have found a "technological" answer to making the "twig and berries" more comfortable.....but I actually tried Mike's suggestion yesterday (coincidental and unprompted, since I'm only reading HIS solution today). I had just visited a buddy in hospital an hour and a half away and the trip there was no picnic. So in preparation for the trip home, I decided I'd loosen my belt, reach down low, grab a handful of manhood....and just "park" everything as high up as I could before hitting the road. (Sorry to be graphic.....but don't imagine too many women are following this thread!) Low and behold, things went much better with this "re-positioning" exercise. I'll continue to do this (being mindful of audience) until I know whether or not it might suffice. (Somewhat curious about the Exofficio shorts comment from max10. Is that a reference to the spandex-style racing shorts used by bicyclists?) Thanks again for everyone's contribution. I'll 'favorite' this post so I can try other 'tricks' as need be! Cheers.

My private parts just can't take it any more. I know there's a guy somewhere in the US who will custom carve the guts of a stock saddle....but I think I heard his price is in the 65-75 dollar range. It'd probably cost me that much again to ship my hunk of vinyl and rubber down and back from way up here in Canada, so I'm wondering if anybody's come up with a cure for the "joint jammin" nature of the Gen 2 Venture's stock saddle. Mine's an 03 Midnight...not that it's probably a whole lot different from many other vintages. Not meaning to brag or anything; there just doesn't seem to be room at the front end of the saddle for all THIS rider's bits and pieces. Anybody got a "poor man's" (read: cheap bugger's) solution to this (has to be) common problem? (I've got a trip to the Dragon in mind for July....so I REALLY don't wanna do 28 hours of riding in 7 days with Willy and the Po Boys cryin out in pain!) Thanks, Mike

Agreed! Mine hasn't fallen off, even with my SKINNY-ass butt!

Yeah, John. You got that "discrepancy" part right. For the price of ONE new Venture shock you can buy TWO entire MacPherson struts for most automobiles. Pathetic. Come onnnnnnnnnnnnnn, Spring!!

Agreed on the "cell phone interrupt" technology.......but until the FCC allows us that level of "privacy invasion"......almost any air horn is the next best thing. I for one got to try my Stebel out on day 1 of its installation a few years back: little old lady coming up the ramp and merging into my lane just kept coming........without looking or signalling. Normally, rather than make noise about it, I would have either sped up, slowed down or moved over. That day, of course, it was time to try out my new investment! Product concept immediately confirmed!! Little old lady and Buick did both the slowing down AND moving over.......back onto the ramp...where she THEN figured out she'd better LOOK AND SIGNAL before trying again to get into the flow. Loud pipes just piss off neighbours......but loud HORNS genuinely save lives!

Holy CRAP, Kevin....this is the first I've read about your crash. A POX on inattentive car drivers.....everywhere!!! I'm so sorry to hear about you guys being injured and the destruction of the bike and trailer; as others have said, I sure hope the insurance companies don't jerk you around. Ironically, the first DAY I installed my Stebel airhorn two years ago, an old lady in a Buick tried the same thing with me. I WAS LUCKY.....and thankfully she was merging INTO me from the RIGHT.....which was just where the trumpet on my horn points!! Thank goodness she wasn't deaf (on top of RUDE). One good blast on my new toy and SHE was running onto the shoulder! But, it could have been the same outcome as yours. The good thing is that you both lived to tell the tale. Be well my friends.......and hopefully the FINAL outcome is a generous cash settlement that results in some "happy hunting" for a new bike and gear. Hope you were't shy about hiring a good lawyer! Regards, Mike and Jackie

Anyone care to attach hyperlinks to any of the devices/services they're referring to? I'm searching for "Rick"........."Butler".........."Butt".........not finding anything on http://www.venturerider.org. A link would be most helpful. Thanks!

Many people (myself included) just LEAVE the two nuts off once they're off. After that, it's "gravity" hold. Doesn't stop anyone from stealing your seat easily.......but then, anyone who really WANTS your seat probably has the requisite 10mm wrench with them anyway! :-)

Thanks for the 'encouragement', Kevin.......but I don't think I'm alone when I say I get a little squeamish when I read instructions about "cutting, slicing and dicing" the upholstery on my bike (or the leather sofa in my family room!!) Call me chicken....I'd just feel a whole lot more comfortable if..... a) I had a FREE stock replacement cushion on hand in case I screw mine up b) there was a video I could watch that would put your words into pictures for me and I could have a little better idea what the heck I'm doing! I may get brave.....or maybe I'll just wait till another MD! (Do you suppose having a couple of beers first would HELP or HINDER the process?!?!)

Thanks for the tip, Jim. At THAT price, I'd be crazy not to give them a try. At worst, if it doesn't work on the bike.....I can always put it on one of my deck chairs or kitchen stools! I'll try to get my hands on one or two of these puppies asap and report back here. Thanks again, Mike

Been riding with a sheepskin most of the time....but, in truth, it usually feels better (although sweatier) with it off. Maybe I need to just have some material removed........on ME........or.......Bertha!

The theory is all good. It's when your back has more titanium in it than your bike does (see attached incision shot) that things get dicey!