GaryZ

What did you do the install?

I was coming home from Kansas and when I stopped for gas and deployed the kick stand it went sliding across the parking lot! The hinge bolt had sheared off. My local Ace Hardware is the go-to for nuts and bolts. I found a good replacement bolt that I could double-nut, I added a shim to stop the slop and it has been working great. BTW: I use the kick stand briefly when getting off this 800lb beast, then I put it on the center stand.

I am thinking about converting my VentureMax into a trike and searched the web for rear axle ratios. For the record: 1985 Venture = 3:33 1985 Vmax = 3:66 The rear end that I am interested in is 4:54 and should do the job. I will be able to accelerate about as well as on two wheels.

These two bikes are in different categories of riding. The fj has always been a sport-touring bike while the zx11 was more sport bike. It is true the later versions of the zx11 have become viewed as sport-tourers, they still offer more sport when compared to the fj. More cramped riding position, harsher ride, physically smaller and lighter. The zx has more bottom end grunt and an incredible top end charge. The fj is supposed to be smoother with its power delivery. I own a ‘93 and a ‘99 zx11d and have never owned an fj I also own an ‘85 and a’ ‘92 Yamaha venture royale A zx11 with 24,000 miles is easily worth $1000 My 2 cents

I have not been on this forum a lot the past year and I just found your post. It would seem others here are not impressed with your custom. I am very impressed. It looks very cool! I am really interested in if you found a way to put a big tire on the back. I have an ‘85 that I call my Beast. A bobbed rear fender and fat rear tire would be nice.

Still alive and kicking. The Beast has not been ridden in a couple of years. It is waiting for me to build a single carb manifold. The '92 hasn't seen a lot of use this year due to lots of other demands for my time. I have a heater for the shop and I hope to get stuff done over the winter. Safe riding to all.

Never use the front at low speed or you will go down. Just my imput. This is simply not true. There are exceptions, of course. Poor traction conditions are always a potential problem for the front brake, especially on a heavy bike. If this were true, the linked brakes would regularly put VR riders down.

This is also the rare occasion when loud pipes can actually be good. I know this from personal experience with my rather loud Ninja and my very quiet VR. I have decided to make my VR a little louder, but, not too load.

It is my habit to change the brake fluid and clutch fluid at least every two years. The difference with fresh fluid can be surprising. The fitting that you asked about is equal to the fitting found on the brake caliper. I use a simple method to bleed air from the system or replace the fluid; A short piece of rubber hose (3") that is tight on bleed fitting, a clear plastic hose that is tight in the rubber hose and long enough to reach a clear bottle or jar on the ground. Place the rubber end on the bleed fitting and the other end (plastic) in the jar with enough water or old fluid to keep the hose in the fluid. Remove the master cylinder cover, open the bleed fitting, and slowly squeeze the handle (slowly or it will squirt out!). You will see the dirty fluid coming out of the clear tube. Repeat until the master gets low on fluid. Do not allow the master to suck air!. Add fresh fluid to the master. Repeat until fresh fluid is coming out of the tube. Close the bleed fitting, top off the master cylinder, and reinstall the cover. Done.

The swing arms are different because the Vmax has a dual shocks and the Venture has a single rear shock. The exhaust systems will not swap. The Vmax intake system is too tall for the Venture's stock air cleaner. There should be a thread here that discusses adapting the Vmax rear wheel to the Venture.

That is a beautiful bike! What mufflers are on it?

We have renamed the baby skunk "Lily" The wife didn't think she looked like a "Cookie"

Here is what I have heard you say; Popping during deceleration Poor running when cold Best MPG ever This list is all pointing at a lean closed throttle condition. With the vacuum idle set perfect, the needles on the slides are possibly too low. Add spacers to the slides and to raise the needles. See if that helps . . .

I respectively disagree. Although your logic about the cars and right foot seems reasonable at first blush, it actually points to the lack of experience as the main issue. The linked brakes are not an advantage, they are a placebo for the rider that does not know how to properly brake a motorcycle in an emergency on dry concrete or asphalt. I say this because our linked brakes could be very dangerous on wet or slippery surfaces. The linked brakes on the Gen 1 and 2 apply more force to the front wheel, correct for upright and dry conditions. The front wheel needs to be modulated under less than ideal conditions to prevent the front wheel from locking. The linked system on our bikes does not know the conditions and cannot make judgements. You have mentioned a couple of riders that have locked the rear wheel and crashed. How many have locked the front wheel because of the linked brakes and crashed without ever knowing why? I am very aware of the linked brakes of my '92 every time I go down my daughter's driveway.

It seems to me that this thread has too many folks worrying about the rear brake. My de-linked '85 has about the same wooden feeling as both of my ZX11 Ninja sport bikes. Maybe the rear brake is not supposed to lock up? As has been said two or more times, the front brake is the primary and delivers 75% or more of the needed emergency braking on a motorcycle. The rear brake stabilizes the bike under very hard braking. Many of my sport bike friends are proud to say they do not use the rear brake under normal riding conditions, because it is not needed. The very fact that Yamaha, and others, have "linked" the brakes speaks to the fact that many riders do not know how to properly stop a motorcycle quickly. With this idea, why would any experienced rider be interested in locking the rear brake on purpose? Just askin'

Our skunks have a musky odor, not as strong as a ferret. As was said, they are very clean and are constantly grooming. Our 60 lb dog helps with the grooming! The only issue is they can accidentally drag their tail through their pooh and pet/wet wipes are really handy.

What!!? She told me they were EuroCats . . .

Ladies and Gentlemen, Our first polecat, Miss Kitty, is now two years old and 14 pounds! Yes, we have her on a diet and exercise program . . . I want to introduce you to the newest member of our family, her name was "Cookie", wife didn't like it. Now we call her "Lily" She is only 3 weeks old in these pictures.

The Gen 1 is a real hauler!

The toy hauler is new, well a year old. My wife gave me "the look" when I suggested drilling holes in the floor. Really interesting idea, using the engine as a brake when backing out. Thanks!

There are nice folks out there that are absolutely convinced the synthetic oil is better than dino oil. And these same folks will likely be upset with me. It is my opinion that once you drill down through all the hype, synthetic oil simply lasts longer. This means that if you are changing oil every 3,000 miles with dino oil, you can go 6,000 miles on synthetic. The odd thing is the folks that are sold on the synthetic still change every 3,000 miles! My experience: I tried synthetic oil in my '85. It leaked. I went back to dino oil. It stopped leaking. I have been using a name-brand diesel oil (dino) for all four of my bikes for the past 10 years. Supposedly the diesel oils do not have additives that can damage the clutch of a motorcycle that has a "unit" design. A unit design has the same oil flowing through the engine and transmission. No complaints yet.

We bought a 30' toy hauler last summer and towed the '92 to Missouri for a family reunion. The garage area has a queen size bed that stores on the ceiling and a table with 6' benches on each side. The benches fold against the wall for carrying the bike, flatten into beds, or are benches for sitting at the table. I mounted my Harbor Freight wheel chock on a 2'x4'x3/4" piece of plywood with rubber matting on the underside (to prevent damage to the floor). The nice thing about this wheel chock set up is that it fits under one of the 6' benches. I tied the bike securely to tie-downs on the floor and took off. The trailer seemed to be "loose" on the road. Previous experience told me there was too much weight on the tail. I moved the bike forward about 2 feet (the garage area is 12' long) and the towing got better. When we got there I found the bike had laid over onto the kitchen counter. Inspection suggests the wheel chock and plywood rotated and turned the front wheel of the bike enough to unload the tie downs. I tied the bike down with more straps for the trip home and made it without any trouble. My next trip will have out-riggers on the wheel chock to prevent it from rotating. I am also looking at making a pair of "training wheels" to use when loading and transporting the bike.

I was told, or maybe I heard it here, that bikes built before 1990 did not have gaskets and seals that stand up to E10 gas. My experience with my 1985 VR seems to support this assumption. E10 gas has been the problem with all of my carb'd bikes, especially the '85. I now use 100% gas as much as possible, and I put Sea Foam in the tanks for the winter. When you buy a carb kit it should be E10 rated, however, you might look for a date code later than 1990.