camos

Thanks for the . I've been moving away from shopping on eBay, mostly shop on Amazon.ca and never thought of looking there. Found some for US$25 with free shipping in the lower 48. Thanks again for the heads-up.

Well, I don't have lovers hanging around my speakers either so I'm assuming you meant louvers. So, all you 1st Gen experts, are the louvers beside the speakers on MkII's not found on Mk I's?

I'm a big fan of Amazon and it is the first place I look when pricing out parts or other products.

My brake pads have perhaps 1000 mile left so I'm thinking of ordering some new ones. Anyone in Canada recently found a good price on EBC FA123HH pads? The best I have found so far is US$28.55 with free shipping to the lower 48 and CA$46.70 with free shipping in Canada. The USA one works out to be the best price delivered to my porch.

I've only owned two 1st Gen MkII's and neither of them whined. Is it a MkI thing?

I have seen an almost similar one for a Honda F6B. I really like the idea and if I were to ever get an F6B I'd get one. Here is the one you referred to for a Roadstar which is called a rumble seat.

I know style is a very personal thing but why do you think putting a batwing on a 1st Gen would be better? Doing anything is always possible but often it boils down to is it worth the cost of accomplishing it. Replacing a 1st Gen fairing with a batwing would also require making mods to the side covers which is likely to be more difficult than actually installing an aftermarket fairing even if you could find one that looked any good to you. I have never seen a batwing that looked looked good 360 degrees around. Some look OK from the front or the side but all that I have seen look either awkward or down right fugly from some angle. If you are just interested in changing the look of the dash, then that would be more in the realm of possible. The Kawi dash that Ay_Dee posted certainly is nice looking and would look great installed on a 1st Gen. It looks to me that the 1st Gen CMS would fit in the center area of the Kawi panel with only minor modification. Assuming the gauges will work with the Venture then the hardest part of the project would be creating a decent looking surround support for the panel. Working with ABS plastic is relatively easy but like everything else, takes some knowledge and skill to do a nice looking job. Just think, you could be the first. Remember to take lots of pix for the write-up you will have to do.

It's great you have solved the handling issues but Yamaha did not introduce the whine until they made the 2nd Gen. Hate to say it but something is not right.

Me too!!! About 30 years ago I managed to break off a stud in the intake manifold of an older Jeep. Broke off an easy out, tried drilling it with a carbide bit,,,broke that, tried drilling with a diamond bit and broke that too. The solution that worked was to take the manifold to a larger machine shop and they used what they called a nibbler. Now the common term for a nibbler is a tool that is used to cut sheet metal so it is possible the term was used loosely. Didn't see them do the job but the best I could tell their nibbler was more along the line of a adaptation of a welder that could take out small amounts of metal. Anyway, if you have run out of easy options perhaps have a chat with a local machine shop about your problem.

Perhaps the problem is rather than twerking your neck bearing you should have tweaked them. If the forks do not react in the same manner you will get a weave. A leak on one side could be reasonably be expected to be the cause. The other thing is if the head bearings are still loose after twerking them you could try snugging them up a bit more. Do you know if the bearings have been greased in the time you have owned the bike?

When you were experiencing buffeting and back pressure did you notice if the vent louvers by the speakers were open? My 90 VR has a stock sized windscreen and my 89 has one that has been cut down about 5 inches. I always ride with those vents open and find there is no buffeting on the 90 with some minimal buffeting on the 89. Not enough to be a bother to my head but when doing 65 mph or more the face shield on my helmet has a tendency to get pushed partially closed.

In my opinion the OEM screws are substandard and should be replaced with a harder version. Hex would be better than Phillips. As Bob said, a little heat on the aluminum, not on the bolt and then some WD-40 or Liquid Wrench and a vise grip. Don't force it. If the screw doesn't move the first time, wrap a freezer pack around the bolt while heating the case a second time.

When I did my renovation about 5 years ago I had what they called a leaf guard installed in the gutters. This consisted of a perforated aluminum plate screwed just inside the top of the gutter. It definitely stops debris from collecting in the gutters. However, debris can still collect on top of this plate. After this was installed, don't ya know, I saw another version being sold at Costco that looked like a far better design. The Costco version was essentially a little roof over the gutter so debris would be shed while rain would dribble into the gutter. My only question with this design was how effective it would be in a heavy downpour. I suspect in a downpour situation it would likely be a moot point that all the water being shed from the roof needs to go into the gutter. I did not do a cost comparison but regret not getting the Costco one which I believe will work better than what I have. I still have to clean the gutters but they still work reasonably well in ordinary rain when partially covered.

If the LED's are coming on in the damp then there is leakage on the positive side because LED's only work one way. If the projectors are incandescent and glow dimly in the damp they could be getting power through the negative side. The driving lights that appear to be working properly could possibly be also getting power through the ground but it may not be enough to be visible. When the bike is damp check for voltage between the frame and the negative on the battery. Ideally there should be none although realistically there will be some but very low, under a volt. Any significant voltage in the frame indicates leakage from a positive source elsewhere. Also at the LED's with the switch off, check for voltage between the positive lead and the negative on the battery. Anything here likely indicates a bad switch or possibly leakage from a positive source. The most likely cause of leakage other than damaged wires is dirty switches and oily connectors. The oil collects dirt and the dirt holds moisture.

For some reason Pandora does not seem to be available in Canada. There are a lot of free radio stations available on iTunes. I run it on my PC because it's connected to my stereo system. My preference is classic rock but there is pretty much all the music anyone could want for free.

I don't know what other people do but I have recently made a resolution to always clean the pistons when changing the pads. In the past if the brakes seemed to be working OK I just replaced the pads without cleaning the pistons. Dragging is not good. If the rear or left front brakes heat up to the point they seize then there is a problem. If the fluid in the rear reservoir is 1/8" lower than the bottom of the filler hole that should be fine. If yours needs more room than that indicates there is also a problem. Whether you can feel it or not, a dragging pad will at best wear out faster and at worst, seize up.

This is probably a hijack but your question is regarding why 5 gallons? When the oil I use (Rotella T 15/40) is on sale I buy the 5 gallon bucket and hope it will go on sale before it is finished. If there is no sale on I still get the 5 gallon bucket just because it is still less expensive in bulk and save me having to go and get some when I decide to change the oil again. I'm a bulk shopper and buy everything I normally would use in quantity particularly when on sale. Not only is bulk normally cheaper per lb/gal but it's even better when there is a sale. I love Costco for the about 15 to20 things they sell that I use. Buying in bulk not only saves dollars on the items but also at the gas pump and saves time for more interesting endeavours. Plus one on chest freezers and pantries and buckets of oil.

To get back on topic, it is rarely necessary to actually have to pull the pins or sockets out of the body of the plug to clean them. A liberal spray of contact cleaner followed by several insertions should be enough. If there is a lot of corrosion then sure, pull the pins and clean them using something like Scotch pads that will do minimal damage to the metal. When reconnecting the connector it is not necessary to put dielectric grease on the pins although, as has been mentioned, you can. Where you want to put the grease is on the back side where the wires go into the connector as in fill it up. As well, a bit of grease on the male part of the plug body will help keep water from wicking into the plug and also make it easier to disconnect it in the future. This is almost good advice if you really do want a watertight connection. A layer of good vinyl electrical tape with a half overlap then a layer of silicon caulking. After that sets up another layer of tape covered with silicon will make a connection that can be submerged for about a year. After 30 years fighting with bilge pumps and other hostile wiring issues on boats I can say that will work.

Since you are messing with the horns, consider installing a relay. That is, of course, if you have not done that already. As bongobob mentioned, an empty sight glass looks about the same as an over filled one which is why I like to leave at least 1/8" at the top. When doing this the bike is always on the centre stand on level ground. I like to buy my oil by the 5 gallon bucket and never measure it. Just fill to about halfway up the sight glass then run the engine for a few minutes to circulate the oil and check for leaks. Particularly after a filter change. After sitting for a bit check the level and top up to about 3/4 of the glass which is my preference.

I really like the looks of the F6B and sticking with one brand means you already have a leg up on maintenance. For a one up bike, have you looked at the 2016 FJR 1300? It's almost perfect with ABS, cruise control, adjustable suspension, 127 HP, 635 lbs etc... except for limited storage and no adequate room for a passenger.

There was a group buy of the Shindengen Mosfet R/R done by Dingy quite a while ago. Unfortunately I can't remember which model it was. I bought two of them and put one on the 90 VR and one on the Virago. They have both worked without any problems for years. I have also installed 2 HO stators from Rick's, one on the 90 four years ago and one on the 89 about three months ago. They also have never had any problems.

Over filling will likely result in oil being blown into the air filter box. Easy enough to check. I always fill the oil to within 1/8" of the top of the sight glass and have never had oil blown into the air box. So there is a bit of leeway when it comes to over filling. Half way up the sight glass is a good enough level unless the engine tends to burn a bit of oil the it will have to be topped up prior to the next change. The smoking is most likely due to oil leaking out and getting cooked on the exhaust. My 90 had leaks around the valve cover gasket before I did the valves and replaced the gasket. It used to smoke for a while after starting until the leakage got burned off, although it never left a puddle on the floor. Anyway, might be a good idea to do a close inspection of the valve cover gasket with a good light. It is really easy to misalign the gasket when installing.

About 10 or 12 years ago I read a post about a crash. There was a pic of this young couple riding by on a sport bike. He was wearing shorts, a T-shirt and helmet and she was wearing a bikini and a helmet. About 5 min later the gal was dumped off the back of the bike at 50 mph. She ended up having one breast ground off and part of her thigh but the helmet saved her life. She swore she would never ride as a passenger again. The gal had serious guts though. After she regained her health she bought a bike and learned how to ride. There was a link to her website that she set up after the accident describing her accident and recovery process and giving testimony to the value of ATGATT.

I know the TCI is prone to getting water in it because of all the posts I've read about it. I do not know how the water gets into it though. I have ridden my 90 VR for eight years in the rain with no problems such as you describe. I have ridden my 89 VR for three years with only one problem that happened when I was not riding it. The 89 was parked on the side stand for the day while at work in the rain with a 30 mph wind blowing onto the right side and it would not start until after the battery had run down and I got a friend to jump it. My theory is the plug recesses got filled up but I'm not absolutely positive about that. The bike I am riding is parked under cover while at home but out in the elements while I'm at work. I don't think water being thrown up from the front wheel is likely to cause a problem with the TCI just because it has never happened to me and I ride in rain a lot. Other than the one time, I have never had a water problem with everything pretty much stock. If the bike was running properly before the rain then the first place I would look is at the plug wires and then any other parts open to the elements. My bike is ridden pretty much every day rain or shine and has never had any indication of corrosion in the electrical system. It's my theory that most corrosion of connectors and the TCI is due to condensation from sitting around in damp conditions. That's just a guess of course.

The dipstick was for the MkI's, 83 to 85.