bongobobny

OK several of the issues have been already addressed, but I'm going to put my two cents in as well, just because I'm that sort of guy! My first comment, as far as the clutch slave cylinder I wish you luck with the rebuild, but, depending on just how pitted the cylinder wall is and how much you hone it, chances are the rebuild will not be that effective! Many of us have found through experience you are better off just REPLACING the slave cylinder with a new one, they are not really that expensive! Second, yes the brakes, even when new, are anemic at best on the MK1 Venture. You will be best served finding a good set of MK2 forks and rebuilding them and convert the front brakes to better 4 piston calipers instead of the stock 2 piston ones on the MK1. There IS a reason Yamaha changed them over!! The reason you need MK2 forks, or at least the bottom halves, is the bolt spacing for the calipers. MK1 is 87mm (?) as opposed to 100mm on the MK2. You also have to change the rotors as well due to different diameters, but that is a good thing as the MK2 rotors are slotted as opposed to the solid rotors of the MK1. Also with the 100mm spacing, it allows you to use more efficient calipers from a Yami R1 or R6. The best ones to get are the "Gold dot" ones from early 2000's R1 as the pistons are anodized aluminum and won't rust! The Blue dot ones are steel pistons. That along with the use of stainless steel brake lines (the braided ones) make a night and day difference in stopping your beast once you get it running to its full potential! The SS lines do not expand like the regular rubber ones do which wastes braking power. The other issue to address is the anti dive solenoids which are hydraulic on the MK1 (another hydraulic power waste) vs electrical on the MK2. Once again there IS a reason Yamaha changed things! Now I'm not going to get into an argument as to whether or not to even use the anti dive system or not, and whether or not the electric anti dives rob battery power (They are only on when the brakes are applied) nor am I going to discuss the pros and cons of "delinking" the brake system, that is all personal preference. As far as the anti dive I personally like them but prefer the electric ones. The anti dives are triggered by a relay which is triggered by the yellow "brake light" wire. There are pros and cons to delinking, I kind of like the linked system but have had an experience where it got me in trouble... BTW yes you can switch the rear brake over to MK2 but youy need both the caliper mounting bracket, and at bare minimum the pivot part from a MK2 swing arm or machine yourself a proper sized pivot. Granted the rear brake only does about 1/4 of the actual braking but yes there is a noticible difference, and yes the rotors need swapping out... As far as leaving the seafoam mixture in the bowls goes, well it won't do any harm but it also won't do much good either! Seafoam needs to make contact with the crud that may form in the jets, around the valves, etc. In other words, it needs to circulate to do anything! The REAL issue is good old grandpappy's corn squeezings, or ethanol setting in the carbs over an extended period of time! If you don't drain your carbs over winter then yes, by all means have some seafoam mixed in with your gas and/or another product called Stabil as well! I also invest in a tank of high test over the winter, the octane is going to break down anyway, so why not start out with a higher number! Last point, for now, the frame issue with the '83 only Venture. There is an issue with the mounting for the rear shock rusting from the inside out and breaking the shock mount off!! They modified the mounting starting with the '84 model year. When those mounts break loose it is quite the pucker moment when all of a sudden your rear goes down and you have no rear suspension at all!! There are several articles on this here on the site! Trust us, once you get your Venture running properly and all the bugs ironed out you will enjoy one of the finest touring bikes ever made! The 1st gen in particular also has a heart of a sports bike and you will be impressed with how well such a behemoth bike can handle!!!

Ehhhh, sounds kind of typical Yama'ish... Yes you will need to specifically program in the right response curve, AND come up with the proper vacuum advance or it ain't gonna accelerate properly...

Yup, it's the same story over and over throughout history! Every tine they raise the minimum wage the employers have to come up with the extra money to pay the higher wages, so the price of EVERYTHING goes up, and economically we are still in the same boat...

Looks like the aftermath of a collision!! Yup!! Just ask away, we will be GLAD to give you all the advice and assistance we can!! Honest!!

The $1500 is a very fair price IMHO. As far as springs go, ANY 25 year old spring is going to be weak just from age alone! A new set of Progressive brand springs will cost you around $75 - $80 and are relatively easy to replace! I would do the seals along with replacing the springs as well but use the more expensive official Yamaha seals as several of the cheaper aftermarket ones end up leaking almost right away. While you're at it drain and replace the fork oil and you will be good to go. There are some bushings inside the fork tubes that if you are careful will most likely be OK but if you want to do a complete job can be replaced as well...

Hmmmm, been a long time, but I think there is a bolt that holds it onto the inner fairing as well as the plastic fingers that go into the inner fairing that you lift out of...

Ehhh, a mere one or two only. There were chrome vent covers on the front fairings, side crash bars for the engine covers like the ones on the saddlebags, and a chrome chin with lights to protect the oil filter... Beautiful bike Heather, hate to see it go! Yes at $525 that is a deal!! You could more than double your money parting out the remains... The important thing is you are OK!!!

What Wizard765 said... There were some '83s, '84s, and early '85s that got fixed under warranty and have some kind of punch mark on them but it seems no one can properly remember just where this mark is, it has been discussed in the past...

And yet another link from this site... http://www.venturerider.org/history/index.php Oops, I see Steve beat me to the punch!!

Hey, it's around Christmas time, it may have been built around the same time! Everybody knows FL stands for Fa-La-La la la, la-la la la...

You DO NOT want to use an oven used to prepare foods!!!!!

Yup!! Want a complete set for the trike but it's BUX I don't have to spare...

We could all show up for the wedding...

Cool!! I will give you a 90% chance we will be there, or at least me! We haven't finished out our summer vacation plans yet as there are a couple of prepaid things that expire that we need to use up. We had a good time, and I will attest that the beds were indeed comfortable! Maybe not the Ritz but are fine for what they charge! Units have refrigerator and microwave!

Yup!! You may now use my secret mantra... "If it's snowing, I ain't going!!!"

OK I'm 69 and after reading it there were some brain cells jarred (yes, I still have a couple left) and I very vaguely remember hearing that a loooooong time ago, (maybe when it first came out??) but then forgot about it! Yes, it is something that few think about, and yes fall for the old wives tale about the Native Americans and Pilgrims! Thanks for printing this!!

Here ya go!! or this one compares normal speak with, like, Valley talk...

Gobble Gobble!!!

Hey Man, like, I beg to differ in like, what you said... Us Hippy Generation totally overused the word! Don't you remember the Valley girls??

You're the second person this week to mention that the oil cooler (twinkie) can cause this! Myself I can't remember hearing of this but yes I suppose it's possible. I just can't remember if there is a common mating surface for oil and coolant to mix, been too long! Another remote possibility would be the cylinder head water jacket joint if the o rings deteriorated, but Yamaha suggests only removing them if absolutely necessary, such as overhauling the heads. The usual source that I have heard is the water pump seals wearing as it is a dynamic seal, more prone to failure than a static seal. Of course, you can't rule out blown head gaskets either, but chances are the engine would run rough. A good compression test and leak down test would diagnose this... Blue Sky, the "Twinkie is the oil cooler that sits between the front and rear head and got its name because it sort of looks like a twinkie, and in a way has a filling...

Nope!!! I've had mine over 90 in 3rd more than once...

Yup!! What Steve said!!

OMG!!! Betcha he could still vote too...

Some day the machines will take over and revolt...

(clink) To STEVE!!!