bongobobny

No, the broken frame issue is only with the '83. What happens are they rust from the inside out only at the area of the rear shock mount. They redesigned the shock mount in '84 and beefed it up. One of the other issues is the oil cooling of the stator. There was a kit made which replaces the center bolt with one that had a hole and a pin to spray oil over the stator better to cool it more. There were a couple of other minor '83 only issues as well but I can't remember them at the moment. You already know about the 2nd gear issue that was corrected mid '85 production. Although IMHO the 1200 engine was a better engine than the 1300, the MK2 is a superior bike, mainly due to the improved braking system. The MK1 system is anemic at best! The MK2 stops a lot better, but even then there are a few improvements you can do with them that you can't do with the MK1 without changing the front fork lowers and changing the rotors, and converting the swingarm to an MK2 and replacing the rear caliper and caliper mounting bracket. Another sorely needed improvement with the MK2 was the headlight. You can improve the MK1 headlight greatly by just painting the rubber bezel WHITE and put in a Silverstar bulb. There are other minor differences with the MK2 but brakes and headlights are the major biggies along with the Electric Antidive which replaced the hydraulic ones which robbed from the front brakes which are inadequate, to begin with... But hey, even with their issues the '83 was far superior as a touring bike than anything else out there at the time and still are great motorcycles!!!

Cell phone and membership in AAA+ RV AND the motorcyclist attachment...

OK, if you speak schematics, the cruise control circuit can be found in the upper right-hand area. Start looking for proper grounds, voltages, and continuity with the "on" circuit. The first thing I would check is the vacuum line for the solenoid... http://www.venturerider.org/wiring/83%20Yamaha%20Venture%20Royale%20TDK%20Wiring%20Diagram%20Rev%20C.pdf

Jeff, it's an MK1, no blue light or amber light!!!

NOPE!!! Stay away from the '83 as there are too many problems with them! You either want a late production '85 or an MK2...

Hmmm, if you are selling it to Freebird, then ship it to one of the Southern Ontario members, and they will bring it to the Western New York North East Regional Rally, and that will force Don to come back to the Rally again this year...

Bald Mountain ad he points to his head, geez!! How did you ever manage to get a picture of a missile silo??? Were you sneaking around on Government property??

Don't think we will make it due to my recent surgery, but we will see them when they stay at Big Tom's...

Not necessarily a weird vehicle, but I once drove my '69 Firebird home about 1 mile with 4 flat tires while stoned...

I buy it by the gallon so it comes out to around five bucks a can...

I've read in the high 200's and an occasional very low 300...

Yes, these bikes run amazingly well on 3 cylinders!! When was the last time you replaced the plugs?? What brand and type did you use?? Regular NGK's should be replaced yearly, the Iridium ones 2 to 3 years. Are you using Seafoam regularly?? When is the last time you serviced your air cleaners?? How about the fuel filter?? Bad gas?? Questions, questions...

For myself, and ONLY for myself, my opinion on RV's and 5th wheel trailers have been for the money in the initial investment and the operating costs, I can buy a hell of a lot of nice hotel rooms for the night... Jay, I have a nice bottle of Carribean Rum waiting for you to come over...

To my knowledge, they are still an excellent place to buy from...

Yup!! $500 MAX if I was in a super good mood!! My response was according to the title of the thread, "SUPER NICE!!" A good running VR should bring fifteen hundred to a couple thousand depending on the year. A super nice one could bring $2500 to $3000 depending on how much modifications were made and just how super nice it is!! Keep in mind there are a few 1st Gen Ventures out there highly modified/updated that some of us may have spent several thousand dollars on improving them (Uhhh, I think I'm up to around 10 grand on everything so far on the rebuild...)

Using a blow torch comes to mind...

Keep us posted on the info on the M&E, there is a good chance Becky and I will come up in the cage...

Disassemble the controller and carefully clean both the rubber pad and the PC board contacts with rubbing alcohol. Be careful not to demagnetize the black contact thingies. The copper gridwork on the board can be polished up with a clean pencil eraser. If you have little or no soldering experience, and you want to try the bike out with a 2 to 3-hour ride you are welcome to come over and I'll do it for you. I used to be a NASA certified solderer as well as being an electronic technician for over 35 years, other than my eyesight not being what it used to be and the peripheral neuropathy from diabetes, I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing! I can dig out the controller from my '84 that was working fine back in '09 and we can swap it into yours to test the system out...

Yup, to me a super nice VR means EVERYTHING works properly, nothing is missing, no broken plastic and all the maintenance is current and documented. It should be clean and shiny with little or no corrosion or pitting and no discolored clear coat... Mileage is insignificant unless it is in excess of 200,000 miles.

You're lucky you are not speaking in a high pitched squeaky voice right now if you would have tried putting your feet down to stop...

Getting back to your first post, yes you can install Schrader valves to air things up as that is exactly how the air suspension is operated on the Standard model that does not come with the CLASS system. A word of warning though, especially on the front forks, only use a hand operated pump and never use a compressor to air them up unless you like to replace blown out fork seals!! It has to do with the VOLUME of air delivered, not just the PSI! I even think a bicycle pump might deliver too much volume of air when pumping! I am also leery of using a compressor on the rear shock as well for the same reason!

OK, I dug out my old owner's manual to remind me how the system works. Yes, the controller may be bad, or maybe not! So, when you press either the "FRONT" or the "REAR" buttons, a "zero" shows? Does the display show either Front or Rear on the right side? Also when you press the auto/manual does the display read either MANUAL or AUTO? You could try reseating the multipin connector on the controller, or the connector for the solenoid and pump unit which is located under the trunk under a black plastic cover under the trunk frame. You might want to pull your seat off as well, just 2 bolts hold it on, so you can see the wiring better, and also re-seat the big connector that the rear lights as well as the pump assembly. The fact that the controller even reads a zero is actually a good sign that it may be good, but probably the switches for the controller are bad...

Ahh, my bad, it's the PSI that is painted on, sorry, haven't worked on one in many years! I'm looking for a copy of the owner's manual...

I see you are only a few hours away from me, unfortunately, I am recovering from foot surgery, otherwise, I would have been tempted to take a ride over there and help you out...