bongobobny

That sucks, John!!! Wishing you the best of luck finding a new job!

OK, you have gotten a lot of good advice already! RR is pretty spot on with his advice. Here's my slant... Popping on deceleration is indeed mostly an issue with the AIS or Air Injection System, but improperly synced carbs can also contribute! Yes, you can just bypass the AIS but for best efficiency and emissions you should repair the system. A bad exhaust gasket can also cause the problem as well as non-stock mufflers. High-speed handling usually is not an issue with these bikes, before I triked mine it felt rock solid at 100 MPH plus! One of the key issues is a proper torque on the steering head. There is a specialty tool out there to aid in setting the steering head bolt to the proper torque, but that usually causes strange oscillations in the handlebar. I would more so suspect a bad front tire or possibly the rear tire, or it could be a swingarm issue. As pointed out, improper air pressure on the front forks can also cause an issue, especially if they are not the same psi on both sides. Yes, please, please, please do NOT use anything but a hand pump on them unless you like replacing fork seals! As mentioned, the cracking of the rubber on the intake boots is not necessarily an issue as the centers are metal. If you do decide to replace them, please make sure you replace the rubber "o" rings as well, as they have aged, and thoroughly clean the mating surface as you will find a lot of crud built up there! The stock horn leaves a lot to be desired, so a lot of us have converted to air horns! We use the WOLO Bad Boy or the Steibel which has the same OEM and a relay connected directly to the battery for power. You can use the original horn wires to trigger the relay or contact member Carbon_One who makes a wiring harness and bracket for the conversion. Now, seeing as there are two stock horns and one is protected under fairing pieces, I would suspect the issue being with the horn switch. All it does is supply a ground through its contacts. With the cruise control, one of the primary reasons for it failing is slop in the clutch lever! There is a secondary set of contacts that turn the cruise off if you touch the clutch, and if the one bushing has slop in it that will shut off the cruise. Of course, there may be an operator error issue here, so make sure to read the owner's manual for proper operation. There are other possible reasons for failure, but the clutch lever seems to be the usual issue. As far as running on all 4, when firing up a cold engine, use a heat probe on all 4 exhaust pipes to monitor for uniform heating up. If you find one that is out, there are a few reasons for this, but most of the time the issue is electrical! There are elements inside the plug wire caps that can go bad. inside the caps are a resistive disc and a spring, and corrosion can set in hindering the spark! Invest in a cheap spark gap checker, available at most auto parts stores for around $10 to $15 that will tell a tale as to how good your spark is. You should be able to draw a spark at least 0.100 inches on each plug. Also, Ventures have a tendency to eat spark plugs and yearly replacement is not out of the question! Using Iridium plugs is worth the investment as they do indeed last longer. NGK's work best! Yes, add a bottle of seafoam to your next tank of gas and drive it like you stole it!!! BTW these V4 engines like their rpm's and are totally unlike a V Twin! 1st gear is good to 25, 2nd maybe 40, third 50 or more, and forget about 5th under 60 -65!! Actually, redline for all gears is much higher than I recommended, I'm just offering a guideline as to when to shift, the power band starts at around 3500rpm and redline is over 7000! They actually perform better and get better gas mileage at higher RPMs!! You should be getting around 40mpg. Also, only run regular gas, high octane does not help and actually can impede performance! Seafoam is our friend, initially run a full can but after that 1/2 can is good to say every 5 tanks or so. Keep us abreast of your progress and feel free to ask questions, it's part of the reason we're here!! We are also here for friendship and fellowship, we are more than a website, we are family here!!

Looks absolutely beautiful!! Congratulations and enjoy!!!

Great!! Early June, please...

Yup, cash talks, bull**** walks...

And to answer your question about the newer RSV pillow top, they are plug and play...

Hi! My name's (fill in the blank) and I'm a hoarder...

Just so you know, all 2nd generation Ventures from '99 to '13 are basically the same bike, just different colors and a couple of minor differences, the '99 had some lower trunk issues which were corrected with the '00, and the newest versions had a modification to the audio system, something to do with using an iPod or something like that, and the optional CD changer became standard equipment.

It makes a huge difference! Black absorbs all light, white reflects all light! Don't be fooled by silver, it is sort of a very light black...

I can't say anything else that hasn't already been said! It's nothing to get more than 200,000 miles out of these, and at 50K it's hardly broken in! Yes, they are top-heavy at low speeds but there area few cures for that, running a 130 size tire in the front and lowering by shoving the front forks further up the triple tree are two of the most effective things to do. Yes, the rear shocks are known to rupture and leak, but there is a guy on this site that rebuilds them for a very modest fee. The clutch wine can make the bike sound like a George Jetson special but the noise is harmless, just turn the radio up louder! The clutch can start to slip, but there are a couple of different routes to take, depending on how involved you want to get and how much money you want to spend. BTW these bikes are, for the most part, very easy to work on! The carbs occasionally need service, one of the most important things is to periodically sync them! You will find this site loaded with technical information and great and helpful friends as well!! Welcome aboard, spend the $12 per year for membership, it is well worth it!!!

I know how THAT goes, Dan, I've experienced it many times...

Does it do any other weird things and is there any dash warning lights lit at the same time??? As mentioned, we will be glad to help you troubleshoot this! There are many here knowledgeable in electronics and quirks with the electrical system of the 2nd Generation Venture... It's probably the thermal switch, which is located on the right side sort of under the seat. You will have to remove the gas tank as well! Find page 2-38 in the electrical document here... http://www.venturerider.org/wiring/99-09%20Yamaha%20Royal%20Star%20Venture%20electrical%20info.pdf But this picture is a little confusing! The thermal unit screws into the Thermostat housing. Once you remove the gas tank you will find the radiator fill cap, just follow the hose down to the thermostat housing. It's section 5 of the downloadable service manual found here... http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?1828-Download-the-Owners-and-Service-Manuals

I saw that on FB the other day! Is the guy going to join here or is that from our only 3rd gen owner??

Try@Carbon_One Puc! ​HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LARRY!!!

Do many of us a favor and see if they make a kit for the 1st Generation Ventures too!! Looks like a very nice kit...

Ooh!! They have Bison burgers!!

I'm thinking it WAS sick, and you done killed it! Take it out back and shoot it...

A word to the wise told to me by a former member that made the mistake when he installed his, supposedly the kickstand has to be up when bolting the kit on (or was it down?). Anyway, there is something about the kickstand that has to be dealt with. I'm thinking it has to be up, not down before installing as the piece of the frame prevents it from going up once bolted on. Maybe somebody who has already done the installation can chime in...

Oh, to be a kid again...

And this was one of my favorites way back then in 1968...

...or THIS classic!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2Cfh8ThiFg

What a blast from the past, Puc!!! Yes, I remember it well!! How about this one??

Not the kind of news I want to wake up to my friend! We've known you personally since way back at the Asheville Rally in 2007 and took an immediate liking to you, and when we finally got to meet Kim we felt the same towards her! We are saddened to hear of this, and you will be in our prayers!!! We wish you all the best and as Don said if you need anything at all let us know.

OK, I think I found your trike and the previous owner. Screen name kensattitude... http://www.venturerider.org/forum/dbtgallery.php?do=browse_user&userid=16965&gal=gallery&id=5724&type=albums

PM Earl, Skydoc_17, he might have some info or buy from him, I'm pretty sure he has them in stock...