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timgray

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Everything posted by timgray

  1. timgray
    Here's my experience... 83 venture standard. I changed to Mobil 1 20w50 for trucks to make sure I did not have the Energy conserving Starburst that will mess up the clutch. Shifting ended up far FAR better. and they typical whine at 55 in 5th was reduced. No leaks, and it is running great. my next change will be to the same Mobil 1 because it made a huge difference in shifting smoothness. That is where it will make the difference, in your transmission.
  2. timgray
    I have put a LOT of miles on the bike lately. I haven't driven a car for 3 weeks until this one plus a couple of 6 hour rides etc... I noticed that the rear diff at the fill plug I have seepage, is this normal? Should I worry or simply wash the bike and get get back to riding.
  3. timgray
    Actually I helped a friend put a tuned LS1 in a fiero. 425hp in a car like that is scary fun. Just tinkering with an idea, It would be really simple, but I'm unsure of how to tweak the ignition box on the venture for boost.
  4. timgray
    I'm a big gearhead. changing the engine in a car is not hard for me. Even changing to an engine that is not supposed to be in there is only moderately hard for me. I have a nice tiny IHI RHB31 turbo sitting here that would fit nicely on the 1st gen venture. Has anyone ever tried turboing a venture or Vmax?
  5. timgray
    Wow they robbed you. I typically get most any cap that is under 6000uF for about $1.95 at the electronics place here in town. Radio shack has turned into a den of thieves if they are charging that much. One of the best designs uses a Choke+cap. the cheapest I have seen is on amazon.com at [ame=http://www.amazon.com/PAC-CSS12-Passive-Filter-Capacitor/dp/B000CEDZBA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1246394984&sr=8-3]Amazon.com: PAC CSS12 Passive Noise Filter, 12 Amp, Choke And Capacitor Design: Automotive[/ame]
  6. timgray
    Alternator whine can be caused by 3 things. 1 - noisy voltage from your regulator going bad. only way to check is using a oscilliscope or frequency counter and check the voltage to ground with it. 2 - Bad ground causing a ground loop. If the system is getting the ground from the antenna then it's looping around the bike, clean and fix all ground wires to the exact same location to prevent this. 3 - the bike is radiating so much interference it's getting into everything. This can be checked with a battery powered FM radio. start up the bike and run the radio around the bike to find the source. Most of the time it's a bad regulator, bad coil, or bad ignition component causing RF interference. If it's any of the above problems, no amount of filters and capacitors will fix it. Caps can minimize it, but never eliminate it. Capacitors used to be called filters in the olden days. if you use 3 different sizes, 1uf, 10uf and 100uf you filter out 3 different frequency ranges. From positive to ground they will short out the noise to ground if they can handle it. If there is a major problem it will simply overwhelm the capacitors or even make them pop and spill their guts. The easiest thing is to check ALL the grounds for the audio and radio system. make new ones, make sure all are clean and a solid connection. Oh make sure the ground to the radio and amp is good, that means removing the screws they mount with and cleaning them up, I use a conductive copper paste on them to further make a good connection. I knew those 6 years in Electronics Engineering college would be useful someday
  7. timgray
    An electret can work. they need power and you need to block that power from going to the stereo and intercom system. you put a 10uf cap in line from the mic in to the microphone. then you put a 9V battery across the mic and ground. the 10uf cap keeps the 9v battery from frying the intercom and stereo by blocking the DC while letting it power the electret microphone capsule. I also add a 10K variable resistor to adjust the mic level as electret's generate far more signal than a dynamic mic does. you wire the 3 terminals from the variable resistor to ground, mic in on the system, and the mic line from your above circuit in that order across.
  8. timgray
    Nope. there are no low level audio outputs on the unit. you could get inside and find where the AMP chips are and splice in a preamplifier circuit to then drive a modern amp, but it's a major surgery job. Easier to cannibalize another amp for the parts needed.
  9. timgray
    Take a realllly close look at your statements, Most credit card companies are doing a 15 day grace period now to try and get more money. if there are any finance charges, you are paying interest on that money that you got your 3%-5% cash back from which makes it a loss. If there is one fact in life, it is that you never EVER trust a bank or a banker. They are starting to make the loan sharks look honest.
  10. timgray
    I find that using cold hard cash and they cant mess with your money. I'm tired of banks, gas stations and companies in general as their property. Whenever I ride, I carry a card but we carry that day's expenses as cash. I also dont like how they are selling your information to other companies. My vacation last summer I started getting offers for the areas we traveled to, I only used the credit card for fuel and food. The bank has no right to sell my personal information like that. When I confronted the bank manager at 5th 3rd he said, "sue us or close your accounts. We own your information." I closed my accounts. I'm a cash only guy when I travel now.
  11. timgray
    Well I cant find replacement parts for the Amp Chips unless I buy 1000 of them. So It's cannibalizing the other amp I have that has problems with it. I am still in search of dead or failing radio parts for the 1st gens. I really would like a dead CB unit to take apart to get more info on them. A simple test to see if your amplifier chips are good, take a voltmeter and test ohms between the speaker + and - on a channel. If you get a low reading that goes away to show infinite ohms, it's good. If you get any ohm reading at all it's burned or damaged. This is of course off withno power or speakers attached.
  12. timgray
    Note: most shops have never touched one of these bikes. if they get the spacers in wrong it will damage the bike. Pay close attention to how easy the bike moves forward and back by pushing it in neutral, and how the brakes feel to you. When you get the bike back if it does not feel identical they messed up the spacers and you need them to pull the rear tire and reassemble it again. Not getting the spacers in right will mis-adjust the tire and the rear caliper will rub on the disk causing caliper and disc destruction.
  13. timgray
    I don't use a fold down radio antenna. I use the rubber flexible ones for a car. I replaced the antenna and 24 year old cable with the new one for $9.96 from Autozone, now I slap the cover on the bike without having to lower or adjust anything. It actually pulls in radio stations better than the tall stock one I had on there.
  14. timgray
    I typically run at 4200 rpm at 70-75 mph is that a good indication that I may have a vmax ratio on my 83? I just though that all 1st gens could pull the front tire off the ground.
  15. timgray
    Now that is INTERESTING... The FJR guys might want to know hat our old cruiser pumpkin will fit theirs to make the rpm's drop at highway speeds and give them a ol' caddilac cruise ride I'll have to post that over to the FJR forums. Maybe when I get mine I'll swap the two so I'll have a fjr good for long rides and less scary. and a Venture that is scary as hell :-) it's fun to teach the kiddies on those tiny 750cc sportbikes a lesson by the old guy on the geezer glide
  16. timgray
    That's dealer prices to get it fixed, and that was the lowest price I could find. One locally said $4800.00 and 2 months, I think that was a "our mechanics are not that good, go away" price.
  17. timgray
    Way too much. 2nd gear repair will cost you $2500US so reduce it by that if they cant prove it was fixed. check for rear frame tearing by the rear shock, any crack is BAD and needs fixing now. Have they replaced the springs in the forks? Those need it every 15,000 miles. if everything is perfect, I would not pay more than $2100CDN unless it has expensive custom paint on it.
  18. timgray
    Update after having it a few days. Nice difference. It's not a "how did I ride this thing without it" change, but it was a change that really made me notice when I had to do some emergency avoidance maneuvers. Plus I dont feel the road snakes as much when leaning on them, it really tightened up the front end so when you slip/grip/slip/grip over the snakes it does not feel like you are on ice anymore. Second best upgrade I have done so far really happy with mine!
  19. timgray
    I painted my 83 this past winter, here's some tips... Sand until your arms fall off. You cant have ANY shiny spots. I wetsanded all surfaces with 1000 grit for 4 days straight AFTER I fixed all nicks and dings and cracks. Take off as much as you can, If it's not painted, it comes off, emblems, fixtures, everything. I was unable to get the aluminum trim at the openings of the luggage off and I had to mask them, the paint in that area looks bad and I need to put pinstripe on it to hide it. Be paranoid about cleanliness. I wiped everything down 3 times with painters prep and wax remover. Touched that panel's paint side with your bare hands? rub it down with painters prep. The Pinstripes on your 83 have contaminated your paint. If you are going to razor them off like I did and sand everything down smooth, your first primer/sealer needs to be an epoxy type that will not react with anything. I had to wetsand everything down again because of the glue in the pinstripes soaked into the metallic coat under the paint and made everything pucker that touches it. FIX every crack and tab first. Get the plastic fix-it stuff and spend 2 weeks doing that. Fix EVERYTHING even the tiny cracks. They will show up big and ugly under new paint. When you are all done. It's time to sand your arms off again. I start at 2000 grit and wetsand until all orange peel is gone, then I cut and polish. If you use the new polyurethanes for clear the paint will look incredible.. Mine looks wet even when dirty. And honestly, that is what you need to shoot. the 2 part polyurethanes they have today. the paint will last 20 years. I spent $260 on clear for my bike but I have 6 coats to bury metal flake. most bikes need only 1 and that cant get any cheaper than $130.00 for a full gallon. If you get a cheap color you are looking at around $350.00 for the color, $130 for the clear, and another $100 in catylist. DO NOT SHOOT THIS STUFF WITHOUT A CANISTER MASK. The wet paint and fumes are deadly in your lungs. Painting is the easy part. The prep and finish take a really long time and a lot of work. P.S. If you never shot paint before, use a solid color. A metallic is a incredibly difficult thing to shoot and get everything even and look great. slight runs in a metallic show up big time as the metal in it will run as well creating a forever visible run in the paint even if you sanded it perfectly smooth.
  20. timgray
    Great info guys. anyone ride 2 up for a long distance on them? My wife loves the queen seat on the Venture, It will be hard for her to give up the luxury she is used to if it's a tiny cramped spot. All it's missing from the factory is a Decent trunk, and I see there are tons of options for it. The Corbin seat does not look like much of an upgrade to ride comfort though.
  21. timgray
    I spotted this beastie on the road and really like how it's a clone of the BMW touring bike. http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/products/modelhome/180/home.aspx Anyone know if they are comfortable to ride 6 hours at a time like my 1st gen is? it looks like my only choice if I ever want to buy a new bike. I love the 1st gen styling but dont want to ride a retro cruiser that seems to be all the rage, plus I want to stay Yamaha simply because the parts are dirt cheap compared to the others. I just wish that the 2010 Venture would be a return to the 1st gen styling, but that wont happen.
  22. timgray
    I'll trade you the Cycle Sound plate in great shape with all the hardware and mounts for a modern car stereo single DIN radio for your old radio parts. I have a Car CD player installed in mine that will be coming out very soon. You also do not need waterproof speakers. Any cheap car speaker will work as long as it's polypropolyne cones . I have 2 way speakers in mine and they are happy in the rain and washings. They are regular $18.00 car speakers without being rated waterproof.
  23. timgray
    Question: I just got it. Looks AWESOME! but I could not just tap it in place by hand. Even after loosening the pinhc bolts I had to tap it in place with a hammer and a rag. Lightly, not pounding like a maniac. Is this bad or is it OK? There is no way I can get it in by hand or separate the forks so it does without a pry bar.
  24. timgray
    How are parts availability. The 1st gen ventures have a huge amount of parts available in used and aftermarket. Did the voyager get enough made to have a huge parts supply out there?
  25. timgray
    If you are buying a Venture that is pre 86 there is a 2nd gear blow-out issue. Unless the Owner has documented proof the problem from the factory was repaired assume it's bad or will go bad on you in short order. It's a $2900.00 job to have it repaired at a dealer that has competent enough mechanics to work on older bikes and engine internals. So make that a part of your price. I got my really good condition 83 for $800.00 because 2nd was just starting to go out. The PO was asking $2800.00 for it, when I came back to him with the estimate for repair he was very upset but called me 2 days later asking what I would offer. You can ride the bike without 2nd. but you can also find an 86 or newer for not much more than the 83-85 and not have to deal with the major issues. I love my 83, but I knew what I was getting into and I have a full service shop available to me. I can tear down an engine and transmission and rebuild it. If you dont, pick a year that does not have any known very expensive problems. That said, I have yet to find a Goldwing that can keep up with me. Heck most harleys cant keep up in the twisties.
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