bongobobny

With larger wire! Upgrade both the minus and plus wires and be surprised at how much better it starts when hot! Someone was using welding cable at one time. Several members in the past made up kits for sale. I don't think anybody has made them since Heather (Yamagrl) did a year or two ago...

Hey Bubber, I miss you guys! I wish we could make it but I'm afraid both Becky and I have gotten just a little too old for long weekend trips any more. It is a great time there and we did indeed enjoy ourselves when we went! Who knows, maybe some year we will cage it up...

Well, since you asked, I am going to offer my personal feelings and experiences on the subject. I hope this thread does not get out of hand and/or banned as this is indeed a serious subject. I am a Vietnam Veteran. I grew up and became of age in the 60's. Yes, I was a "Hippy" back in the day and since (and including) the Vietnam days I was stoned on a daily basis. Did Marijuana make me a criminal? Only because it was illegal. It did not make me want to loot or rob or anything else to support my habit. I was able to keep gainfully employed. Did Marijuana usage lead me to other drugs?? You bet your bippy it did! Maybe it was not the drug itself but the desire to get higher and higher! I absolutely refused to try Heroin because I knew I would like it too much. As far as operating a motor vehicle I felt that pot made a person more cautious and less aggressive than alcohol, but now with a clearer head, I realize that reaction times and perception are out the window! So, how do I now feel about the subject?? I very strongly regret all the time I spent wasted!!! I often wonder just how much more I could have accomplished in life if I wasn't so stoned all the time! I want that 20 years of my life back!! What an utter waste that time was!! Sure, it was a fun (they tell me I had a good time) but like alcohol, it totally destroys creativity and productiveness. All of those cliches about "wasted" and "Why do you think they call it dope?" are so spot on!! From the 60's to the 80's my life went downhill and quite frankly I blame it mostly on my drug use! Instead of thinking about how to improve myself and things that really matter, all I thought about was getting stoned! It wasn't until 1983 that I realized just how much I screwed up my life and turned to Jesus Christ and asked Him into my life and become my Lord and Savior. He straightened out my thinking and my life. Does that make me a perfect person?? Of course not! Am I a better person than what I was?? Absolutely!!! So, am I totally anti-pot? No more than I am anti-alcohol. Those who know me know I do indeed have a drinking "problem" as every evening I drink, but I am retired now so it does not affect my career. I will be honest with you, if somebody offered me a joint I would still be tempted to accept it! To me, it's not the very occasional usage that is an issue, it is what it can lead to! If they legalize Marijuana not everyone will become an addict any more than legalized alcohol leads to an alcoholic. My concern is what it can and does lead to! It's just like legalized gambling, look what happens to more than one person who becomes addicted to gambling!!! OK, I'm getting off the soapbox now...

Oh, THOSE slots! I just walked out to the garage and looked at Goldie! Those slots are for the riser piece to "pinch" and capture the handlebar section so that they are more rigid...

If you are referring to cars smoking while Seafoam is still in the gas tank, well that is the whole idea!! That smoking you observe is all the crap in the engine getting burned away!! That is quite normal and to be expected. Once the Seafoam is all gone the smoking will go away! Most members here swear by Seafoam and use it often to keep carb problems from developing or to fix some problems that may have developed. Well, we need to analyze and troubleshoot your issue with the number 1 cylinder. Most likely it is an issue with the carb but other possibilities should be eliminated first as properly rebuilding these carbs is a complicated and expensive process to do it properly! These carburetors are very complex with several "circuits" that come into play depending on conditions. They also have to be properly balanced with each other for proper engine performance and fuel efficiency. There is an excellent DVD out there by a guy named Damon Ferrulo (sp?) that describes the proper way to rebuild them and set them up complete with the theory on why they need to be set up the way they are. So, I strongly suggest doing a spark gap test on all the sparks, I believe the actual factory spec is 0.109" minimum to eliminate the possibility of a bad spark plug cap (there are parts inside the cap that can get corroded and weaken the spark) or possibly a weak coil or corroded output cap. A good thing to do is physically inspect the coils by removing the wires and look for the dreaded green disease, and before reinstalling the wires snip about 1/4 to 1/2 inch off of the end of the wire so that you make good electrical contact as once the end has been disturbed it will not make a good contact anymore. A proper compression test is also important to help determine if you need a valve adjustment or if you have issues with bad rings, etc. With these engines, as the valve clearance wears, the valve clearance actually gets tighter, not looser! This would mean that a valve is not completely closing which can and will cause problems but it usually manifests itself with poor starting. The valves need to be checked about every 40,000 miles give or take. I am just suggesting you check out these other issues first before getting involved with a complete teardown of the carbs. Run a can of Seafoam per tankful for a couple of tanks and drive it hard first. As I mentioned, try the "Shotgun" method on the suspected carb as well to help expedite its cleaning. Inspect the diaphragm very closely for any pinholes as these can cause improper carburetor operation. You mentioned that the diaphragm became separated from the slider. recheck it and make sure it is still attached properly. Also, make sure the slider is not binding and is working properly. With the airbox cover off and the air cleaner removed watch all 4 sliders as you rev the engine. All 4 should "do the dance" evenly and smoothly. Word of warning, the bike runs like crap with the airbox open as the airbox is crucial to proper air/fuel ratio. Also, check all of your vacuum lines, and pay special attention to the caps that plug the sync ports as they have been known to crack and cause leaking. Another possibility is your YCIS plastic box that equalizes the vacuum on the carbs may have a crack on the seam of it. Although in theory the YCIS system works, in reality, it doesn't do much. Yamaha eliminated them with the MK2 model...

Yup! One full can in a tank of gas and drive it like you stole it!! As preventative maintenance, I add a can to the gas tank at every oil change. If your carbs are really gunked up, you may want to try a second treatment after doing the first tank of gas or do a search here about the "shotgun" method of cleaning the carbs, but if they are really bad a complete overhaul of the carbs may be in order. Have you looked at your plugs yet? A fact of life is these bikes are rough on plugs and need replacing every 10,000 miles or sooner. Also, invest in a spark gap tester which costs around $15 at most auto parts stores and evaluate the condition of your spark on each plug. You should be able to draw a minimum of 0.100 inches of spark on each cylinder. Also, do a compression test...

Can you take a picture of what you are talking about and post it? If you mean the riser part of the bars, there is a cover that goes over the outsides that hide the throttle cables, wiring harnesses, and hydraulic hoses. If you mean the joint where the risers and the handlebar parts bolt together, there is supposed to be a rubber plug hiding the nut. On a side note, there is a member here who designed a pair of short posts that are threaded and take the place of those nuts and provide a place to bolt on a GPS, cell phone mount, or whatever you want to put on those posts. They are called "Snagglepus Studs" after member Snagglepus...

The battery probe bypass is a real simple one!! The logic circuit is looking for a logic level around 6 to 8 volts, which is why the probe was placed in the battery cell that it was. So, to get the proper voltage level, get a resistor that has a value of around 2,000 to 4,000 ohms (I believe the "recommended" value is 2200 ohms) with a wattage rating of 1/8 or 1/4 watts and wire it in series with the battery probe wire and 12 volts accessory. You want the resistor to go to the accessory line and not directly to the battery as you don't want it to draw current from the battery when the bike is setting as it will over time drain your battery. There is a complete step by step procedure someplace in this site, probably in the 1st generation technical library, but all you need to know to do it has just been described to you...

Your TX500 looks identical to my old XS500 right down to the color! I sold it and bought a Honda CX650 which was a lot more comfortable and water cooled but not that great 2 up. After several years and an accident I bought my '84 Royale and the rest is history!

The center bar does a 90-degree turn at the bottom and it just clamps onto the crash bar...

Yup, them critters!

Auction it off next year!

Becky's sister is up from Florida so we can't make it this year either.

Find a pair of the optional lower fairing "wings" that bolt onto the crash bar and in hot weather point them in so air gets scooped up and on your legs. In cooler weather flip them to the "out" position and they provide additional deflection of air away from your legs. Option 2, move north away from the hot southern weather...

If you are reading an open circuit on one of the filaments then the headlight is no good!! There are three prongs on the headlight, a common for both filaments, and one prong for the low beam and another for the high beam! You did remove the headlight to read the resistance, right? To help you out, here are what the wire colors are on the connector. The Black is common and ground. The Yellow/Green should be your low beam, and the Green/Red should be your high beam. (I might have those backwards, but I'm pretty sure I have them right.) http://www.venturerider.org/wiring/84-85%20Yamaha%20Venture%20Royale%20DL%20Simplified%20Circuit%20Diagram%20Rev%20C.pdf To make absolutely sure the headlight is good or bad, take a couple of clip leads and hook the pin that corresponds to the black wire when the bulb is plugged in, and with the headlight unplugged clip the "black lead" pin to the minus of your battery. Take another clip lead and one at a time hook the plus of the battery to one of the other two pins. The headlight should light up. Then remove the clip lead and hook the plus to the other pin and the headlight should light up again! If either filament does not light up then the bulb is no good! From what you describe with measuring the bulb you say two pins had continuity but the third one is open. That is proof to me the one beam is burned out! Other than the white light not lighting on the dash (maybe that bulb is burned out too) it sounds as if the RLU is doing what it is supposed to, if one filament burns out it automatically switches to the other filament so you have light all the time! Try a new headlight...

Yes, it is hard to come up with a proper price! We all know how much we have put into the bike plus the conversion. Now, to the general public, the first obstacle you will encounter is "It's not a Harley!" From what I've seen over the last few years, I would start out with an asking price in the mid to upper teens and see how it goes. With the Baby Boomer generation aging as it is there is a market for trikes. Myself, if I were to sell mine, a '09 converted in '11 with around 40,000 miles on it and a lot of improvements and bling I would probably ask 20K but settle for less. Who knows, maybe in a couple of years I may very well be selling as I get older and the asking price would probably be lower at that time...

I have a quad vacuum gauge setup but I never really liked mine that much as the vacuum hardly registers on them. I just recently inherited a Morgan of my own but have used one of them in the past and prefer them...

Yeah, Carl, tell us what happened!! I must have been sick or something that day...

Quite frankly, I don't think it is your switch but rather either a defective Reserve Light Unit or a bad headlight! Do you have a white light come on with high beams on the dash?? If so it is probably your high beam filament burned out. Disconnect your headlight and with an ohmmeter read the resistance between all 3 combinations of pins. 2 of the 3 readings should be about the same and the third should be the sum of the other close readings. Any opens means the real issue is the headlight. You didn't try putting in an LED headlight, did you? The RLU does not work right with an LED light and has to be jumpered...

Well, the bags are sort of transferrable MK2 to MK1 but you also need the MK2 rear subframe and crash bars to fit them on the MK1. With the rear subframe, it is basically plug and play...

I was up in Niagara Falls today for an escort of the travelling Vietnam Wall representing the PGR and was parked next to a Midnight 2nd Gen! I asked him if he ever heard of us and he said no, but he was going to look us up this afternoon!! I also told him (and his wife) about the WNY Rally next month and he will try to make it! He knows exactly where Pioneer Motorsports is!

Good job! That is where most conversions end up getting mounted. The "Green" line is for the right turn signals. Maybe this can help you out... http://www.venturerider.org/wiring/90-93%20Yamaha%20Venture%20DA%20Simplified%20Circuit%20Diagram%20Rev%20C.pdf

OK, the very first thing to look at is are there 12 volts on the primary of the coils (the Red/Black wire) with the ignition on? I am ass-u-me'ing that the bike does crank over... Here's a little help if you are electrically inclined! http://www.venturerider.org/wiring/99-09%20Yamaha%20Royal%20Star%20Venture%20Simplified%20Circuit%20Diagram%20Rev%20B.pdf

Yes! The real issue is the LED's do not draw ample current for the electromagnet on the PC board they are talking about to create enough magnetic pull for the glass reed switches! The circuit was designed so that if even one bulb burns out it triggers the warning indicator...

Yup!! A known fact is the temp gauge on MK1's all read high. The bike itself is not really running that hot. They fixed the issue along with several others with the MK2...