camos

Here is a pic of the connector jumpers on my 90 VR. Got camera problems so it's kind of crappy. Hopefully the white wires can be seen against the white plug. It looks to me that one of your jumpers is not going into the right hole. On second thought, after rotating the images so they have the same orientation, it looks like yours is the same as mine. Any chance one of your wires is not making a good connection in the plug?

Rather than cutting off the RLU connector and then soldering wires together, it is way easier to just poke some jumper wires into the appropriate slots. I did this on my 90 VR. There is a thread that explains which wires need to be connected but so far I have not been able to find it.

It is not difficult to adjust the clearance of the shifter to fit a bigger boot. It can be a bit of a PITA when frequently changing boot sizes. I sort of went through that when occasionally using felt packs in the winter. Eventually decided to leave just barely enough room for the rubbers and adapt my shifting style to accommodate leather boots. Basically just have to slide my foot forward a little bit before rocking back.

My preference is chaps for year round riding protection. Not because they offer the best protection but because they are the most convenient way to get reasonable protection. It only takes a minute to put them on or take them off so after riding to work it is not necessary to get changed. Chaps are not particularly hot in summer because the body core is not covered. They are not at all warm in the winter for the same reason but do cut the wind. Can't see any point in getting lined chaps. They are not water proof and are particularly annoying in the rain because water running off your coat is funneled to your crotch. To handle dampish weather a pair of splash pants under the chaps works well enough. For drizzle or light rain put the splash pants over the chaps. For real rain use rain gear for waterproofing over the chaps which still provide good abrasion protection. If the weather is hot enough to require shorts then chaps will also be a convenient and useful choice. Chaps are great for commuting or short trips because they are easy. When on a trip perhaps the better protection of dedicated riding or mesh pants might be the preferred choice. To me, there is no difference between short trips or long trips when it comes to wearing protection because the unthinkable can happen at any time and is more likely to happen around town than on the highway.

Not that it matters for the purpose of this discussion, but there is nothing inherent in the design of a V-twin that guarantees it will have lots of torque, assuming that is what you mean by power. For example the Virago has a V-twin that performs closer to the Venture than to the other V-twins. [TABLE=width: 385] [TR] [TH=align: left]Make Model[/TH] [TH=align: left]Yamaha XV 1100 Virago[/TH] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Max Power[/TD] [TD]61.7 hp / 45.4 kW @ 6000 rpm[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Max Power Rear Tyre[/TD] [TD]57.9 hp @ 6000 rpm[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Max Torque[/TD] [TD]8.7 kgf-m / 85.3 Nm @ 3000 rpm[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] The red line is around 7500 rpm. An inline engine can be designed to develop the same kind of torque commonly found in the other V-twins. The V engine configuration has a coolness factor that other engines does not have. Losing two cylinders has the advantage of allowing a larger displacement per cylinder without making the engine too wide to be practical on a motorcycle. Displacement also seems to have a coolness factor to many people. A V-twin engine then has the possibility of being twice cool versus the poor old Venture V 4.

Debit cards are safer than cash but they cost per transaction rather than pay back per transaction. They do not offer a 30 day buffer nor do they let you use the banks money for free and, to your point, they don't build a credit rating. Can't stress it enough, you gotta know yourself and anyone else who might have access to your credit card.

Good to know at least one person got it. @Snyper: Not really in unison. More like in sequence.... of the firing order. The important thing is the amount of movement should be equal across all of them.

Well, it's a sideways bounce. Coulda said in and out but that probably woulda been considered rude. :guitarist 2:

Keeping in mind that credit is like quick-sand, the deeper in you get the faster you sink. The best way to build a credit rating is to get a credit card with no fee if you pay it off in full by the due date. If you can't qualify for a credit card you can probably get a department charge card by purchasing an item over 90 days. After paying off the item, on time, you may qualify for a credit card. Hard to say these days if that will be enough so it might be necessary to use the card for longer. Essentially you need to establish a credit history. If you are a Costco or Walmart shopper it might be easier to get one of their cards. There is one hard and fast rule that must not ever be broken. Just to be clear, that means never, not even just once. Always pay of the credit card in full by the due date. If that can't be done then your purchases are not in your budget. If you are not positive that can be managed then credit is not for you. I use a credit card to pay for everything and have been doing this for decades, quite a few decades. It's very convenient and much safer than carrying cash and I get money back. Plus, there is a record of everything purchased so it is easy to track where your whole paycheck went.

If the plugs are working with a decent spark and there is fuel and air it should be firing in which case the exhausts should heat up. If all cylinders are not firing there is no way to sync the carbs. Check vacuum hoses for cracks. Checking the diaphragms is not on your list. Looking down the carb throats, all the diaphragms should be bouncing about the same if all cylinders are firing.

I'm at work right now so I looked at an online manual that I found, but did not find the 6.8" height level mentioned. The reason I ask is that I have been setting the oil level to 5.5" with the fork collapsed and no spring installed. Kinda wondering if I have been doing wrong.

Hah, never heard of Menudo before. Looks good, looks spicy which equals very good. Googled it and found quite a wide variation in ingredients. Some used tripe or liver, pork loin, hominy or corn and pig feet or weiners. None mentioned chicken. Most used chilies but some not. Most differences were between Mexican or Filipino versions. Will your mother share her recipe or is it a family secret?

No pressure to share but at least tell us what we are missing. Of course, if it is that good then you must at least share the recipe.

I don't think they compare very closely. The ATF is quite runny but it is oil and it does trap dirt. Probably the most important aspect of the filter sponge is there is no direct route through it so air will be bouncing off the cells and changing direction as it passes through. Olive oil might work just as well.

It's not so much about vehicles that are already stopped, more for any vehicles that might be coming behind you in the left turn lane. The other thing is seeing if anyone is beside you or behind you "by the time" you move over could easily be too late. As for your mirrors relieving you of the necessity to shoulder check, if they are properly set up, I agree. The thing is, for the purpose of a test you must demonstrate that you checked. The examiner doesn't know if your mirrors are properly set up. For that matter, probably 80% of drivers don't know how to adjust the mirrors so there is no blind spot. I had a similar thing happen when I took my MC road test. Stopped at an intersection about four feet outside the stop sign. Got dinged for not making a right shoulder check for a cyclist. Did look over to the right mirror but that wasn't considered good enough. In fact I could see to the right of me in my peripheral vision and to the rear in the mirror. Be that as it may, I did not demonstrate a proper look to the examiner. Can't see the difference between merging from the right lane into the left lane and merging from the left lane into the turn lane. Both require a shoulder check or, in practice, good mirrors and the requisite attention to know the lane is clear. Unfortunately neither of those conditions are adequate during a road test.

The gen1's should not need a windshield vent, buffeting is mostly a gen2 issue. The two top fairing vents and the steering well vent should adequately prevent any low pressure area behind the shield. My 90 has a full height windshield that is at about my nose level and there is no helmet buffeting for me. My 89 has a shortened shield that is about at my chin and I do get a small amount of buffeting when I'm in a fairly strong cross wind. It does not affect the helmet but does occasionally make the visor almost close. Seems like a non-issue to me.

Huh....wow!!! Looked at it for a while but could not see any advantage to it. Must have missed something. Removes a left turn light but still got the crossing lights so looks pointless to me. The common cloverleaf seems to be a better idea. Perhaps it takes less space but not much. Thanks for the enlightenment.

I have an Emgo re-usable filter on my Virago and my 90 VR. It's similar to K&N but way less expensive. I use soap and water to clean it and ATF to oil the filter mesh. Seems to work OK although that is something that is difficult to be absolutely certain of.

Pretty sure it has always been the rule that a vehicle must be behind the white line. This is a good example of how peoples perceptions or misconceptions over time can affect the way they drive. A refresher course every so often will help correct those. A left shoulder check when changing lanes to the left is just as much of a necessity as changing lanes to the right. Just the other day I was riding beside a car, about even with the front seats, there was no traffic to speak of and the car started moving into my lane. A honk corrected it but by the time it was over, they had gotten half way into my lane. Obviously did not look. There is a road I often travel that has two left turn lanes and one through lane. For some reason the left side left turn lane does not fill up as fast as the right side left turn lane. It is not unusual for a stopped vehicle in the right side lane to change into the left side lane. Without a shoulder check first, that can be a problem for any vehicle coming down the left side lane, particularly a MC. You answered your own question as to why re-testing should be required on some regular schedule. Riders, the ones who survive, are very focused on traffic and doing things safely which for the most part include following the best practices that are taught in a road test. Yuppers, and you can go around as many times as you want, or that it takes, for you to figure out where your exit is. We have quite a few roundabouts in our area. Three of them near where I work. Two of them are classic circular roundabouts but one is an abortion of several circles combined. That one is just horrible, mostly due to too many signs too close together to see which circle they are actually part of. What's a diamond thing? Never heard of it. Me too. I remember when my boys were young, I would have a running commentary on driver's mistakes. My wife often got annoyed with me, probably because she was a lousy driver. In any case, both my boys are what I would call good drivers. I like to think it was at least partly due to the "education" they received when they were young.

Stopping before the white stop line is a good habit to get into, particularly these days when cyclists are getting away with riding on sidewalks. There have been more than a few times when having just stopped, look left then before I can look right a cyclist comes whizzing by in front of me. You guessed it, not on the road, on the sidewalk. Coming from far enough away that they were out of the line of sight. Don't know about the left shoulder check, perhaps it is to look for an opposing vehicle that is also doing a left turn but when turning right you should do a right shoulder check. Again, looking for cyclists whether riding in the bike lane or not. Not to forget, skateboarders. Perhaps after 50+ years of bad driving you have earned a few demerits. When I first got my license I was told that I would be re-tested in ten years. It never happened. At the time I thought great. Since then, however, I have often thought mandatory re-testing would be a very good thing but it never happened. Not sure but they might re-test at 85 or sooner if the old codger gets turned in. Perhaps a good thing would be to add a safe driving course and test in addition to the fine for texting. Oh yes, and for not doing a proper stop.

Is that a 2 gen thing? Don't the plug caps and wires just screw out? I thought they did anyway.

On my 89, the temp sits below half, somewhere just above 1/4, while on the highway in 60F ambient temps so about the same as yours. In "normal" city traffic, light stops etc. it gets to around half or a bit above. In heavy traffic/stops the temp gets to about 3/4 to the red. There have been a couple of times when idling on the stand for a long while the fan has not kept it out of the red. One time it boiled over. Nothing like the smell of anti-freeze cooking.

Yes, lightening up a Venture and lowering the CG would be an awesome improvement in handling. That battery is about half the capacity of the OEM one but probably works well with the reduced demand from all the electronics that were removed. After the big job of getting rid of all the extra OEM wiring, running a custom battery circuit is likely a fairly small thing. You did such a great job of minimizing your bike I keep thinking I should do something with the spare Venture sitting in my shop. Perhaps some day.

That's good to know. Did you do anything special about sealing the battery posts? Even with their very protected position, the Venture battery posts need to be cleaned occasionally. What battery did you find that fits down there?

Very civilized but I would prefer something between that and the flying raft video I posted. Following that video was a link to a boarder's dream... ... Waaay too much.