camos

Meh... talk about denial... and that's not the river. The Brits are a polyglot Heinz 57 group that over the centuries have been invaded by almost everyone. Starting with Heinz then Sven, Louie, Ahmed and Cordoba... before inviting half of Asia and Africa in. Canadians are almost the same starting with the Brits and French before inviting the rest of the world in. The Victoria area where I live is full of displaced Brits and the East Coasters still talk funny just like the Brits or Scots, if you prefer. Multiculturalism has its ups and downs but for the most part is a good thing. I know,

I wish I had lovers with adjustable openings. Well.... actually what you meant would be louvers which is the American version. The Brits, ergo Canadians, would make it louvres You can thank the French for the spelling of that word. Couldn't help putting on my vocabulary police hat. Shortly after getting my very nice condition 89 VR I found one of the side vents had a broken attachment point so rather than fixing it I removed both vent covers. In any case, I think it looks better that way because it shows off more of the engine. During the winter there was not enough heat to feel but it probably helped to keep my legs a bit warmer. Now that the temps have gotten into the 70's F I can feel the heat when at a stop but not in a way that is uncomfortable. If it gets into the 80's here and people are dropping like flies it might be necessary to re-think the situation. Have to wait and see.

There is no "but", go with your first thought. So I think Cowpuc and GW are both referring to the same condition. Other tires probably have similar construction to E3's which is a harder compound in the centre and a softer compound on the shoulders in an effort to maximize both wear and traction where it is needed on a touring tire. Not that I actually know what I am talking about but it makes sense to me that the carcass is made first with a fairly soft rubber compound then the shoulders and centre sections would be added later in either one or two pours. Once the riding surface wears close to the carcass it would likely not take much to go through the carcass to the cords. Something like a few normal applications of the brakes would likely do in the tire as midnight's pic shows. This thread is a good heads up for all of us to pay more attention to the state of our tires. Thanks to all for sharing.

This is how I do it as well. Without the pliers, it might take one try or 20 tries to get the threads started. I keep the hose in the OEM tool bag which will give you an idea how long the hose is.

There is no sight line to the crankcase on these bikes so it is impossible to see the oil level through the filler. The oil level in the window is not that critical,. Anywhere from 1/4 to 3/4 is good. Above 3/4 and there is a chance for the oil to be drawn into the air cleaner or a cylinder. If the window is fully covered then there is no indication that there is way too much oil. Allowing the level to get too low is not a good idea for fairly obvious reasons. Assuming the oil warning light works, it will come on after the oil disappears from the window, at least that is what it does on my 90 VR. Have you looked at the window after the oil has been drained? While the window might be yellowed as you have stated, on my bikes a yellow window shows clean oil. You also stated there is a darker line across the window. Right after an oil change the oil should be all yellow not dark. The important point here is that you are aware of how the window looks with no oil and then with oil there should be a line across that indicates the current level. With the sidecar and a generally vertical ride there is probably less likelihood of an overfill getting drawn out of the crankcase but it is still not a very good idea. If I were you I would drain the oil into a clean container, check the window then put about half the oil back in before checking the window again for a level.

Oh that, she is just a bit of a flirt and likes to shut down hogs and those who ride them. Nothing wrong with having a good sense of humour even if it is a bit bent.

Yes they are US miles and I do think I was getting better mileage on a tank before so I had better check to see what's up. Thanks for the heads up.

Humph!!! Are you suggesting my one true love is loose? Not sure if I should be jealous or seek revenge.

No doubt about it, its love!!! I feel the same way about my 1st gen. Nothing could be better than that. Good thing we all don't fall for the same girl.

You mention "expectations" and "excitement" but don't actually say what is missing for you to feel either of those so that makes it a bit difficult to address. The 1st gen VR's have good performance for a full dress touring bike but if you are going to compare their 850 lb with 90 hp to a crotch rocket with 500 lb and 180 hp then your expectations have indeed been set rather high. I too moved from a Virago to a VR and find the seating position to be not so very different, although the Virago is a bit more relaxed. I'm 6'3" with a 33" inseam and also find the VR seating to be a bit cramped but I've gotten used to it so it is no longer a pressing issue that needs to be addressed. However at some point I will move the foot pegs and controls forward on my 90 VR. It took me about a year and 20,000 km before I felt really comfortable in commuter traffic with the weight of the VR. Travelling at a slow walk and stopping on roads with various angles and surfaces was quite daunting to begin with and it still takes focus but has become almost automatic. Fortunately for me that kind of stop and go traffic makes up only a small part of my daily commute. The VR is not a great choice for piddling around town but get it on the highway and it is awesome...solid in the wind, powerful enough, even two-up and fully loaded, to get up hills at speed and soooo comfortable. The fixed fairing, besides being good protection, positions the mirrors always in the right spot to see what is behind you and also makes parking lot maneuvering easier than it otherwise might be by taking a great deal of weight off the steering. It appears to me that you have made some good mods to your bike in both styling and operation and should be happy enough, for now at least, with the results. What is it that you think you are missing out on?

Dreaming about going back to a real touring bike?

Not only what you said but the tip require the mufflers be raised up which led to having weener bags. At least BMW did not mount the mufflers way up high so the bags have to be mounted outboard. Regressive engineering giving way to styling. Can't beat the 1st gen Ventures for practicality and usability. Given full sized saddlebags, a proper back seat with trunk, a real windshield and this would be the best looking BMW tour bike on the road.

Not that I know anything much about anything at all but it seems to me that regular gas with alcohol probably works better in these old bike than premium gas without alcohol. Particularly if you ride regularly so water absorption does not become a major issue. That's just my untested opinion which is likely not worth CA$.02 never mind US$.02.

The day before yesterday the fuel warning light came on about 5 km before I got home from work at about 120 miles (just a guess). Planned on stopping at my favourite gas station but managed to forget and flew by it in the wrong lane before it dawned on me. Figured there was enough gas left to get to get to work and back the next day so did not bother turning around. The next day I'm half way home when the tank ran dry at 144 miles. So, once again I was wrong, hope this is not going to become habitual. Did I tell you my memory is not all that good? Or else something is out of wack. It's also possible I've mixed up the numbers between the 90 with kilometres and the 89 with miles. The other possibility is over the winter I usually traveled at about 90 kph but with the great weather lately it's closer to 120 kph. What happened was no sputter but lost acceleration, likely dropped two cylinders. Was in the fast lane with heavy traffic all around and it was a bit dicey getting into the curb lane to pull over. Fortunately my separate reserve tank was in the right saddlebag, left over from my last day trip into the toolies. Like you often say, "It's a free country" and all that but the reserve switch really is pointless if you know your ride and particularly so when the reserve area gets crudded up with old particles of whatever falls out of gas and whatever water manages to collect in there. Seems to me the better method is what we both already do, to monitor the trip gauge.

I've done around 15 repairs to both my VR's with absolutely no affect on the paint what-so-ever when using straight MEK and/or a putty made with ABS and MEK. All I can say is "Huh??" In any case, I don't want to change your mind as its better to be safe than sorry.

Should be OK as long as she doesn't have to do it, the laundry that is.

My experience is that MEK will not strip the paint on an 89 and 90 Venture although, perhaps other paints are affected. I've used MEK as a crack patcher and solvent bonder on hairline cracks and clean breaks and as a primer before applying a putty made with MEK and ABS. Never had an issue with paint being affected ever. Methyl Ethyl Keytone should be available at any fiberglass supply outlet. Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide is a very different product that acts a a catalyst for the polyester resins commonly used in fiberglass products. They are quite different so don't mix the two up. Fiberglass suppliers also should have a small hypodermic needle type squeeze bottle that is perfect for dribbling MEK into fine cracks which is very useful partly because MEK evaporates quite quickly.

If the tape idea fails try a monkey wrench. It might deform the filter can but won't be spilling oil everywhere like a screwdriver would.

With the calipers off it is not necessary to fiddle around separating the brake pads to get the rotor(s) in. My preference is to put the axle in just finger tight then mount the calipers to snug. Then torque the axle first followed by the calipers. Finally torque the axle pinch bolt.

Not trying to argue either your training or your opinion but from my experience occasionally adding a few ounces of Seafoam to a tank every so often does make my Ventures run better. My uneducated take on this is that these bikes were designed to run on gas rather than a combination of gas and ethanol. My riding is probably similar to what you describe, daily commuter and shopping trips. Haven't driven my car for 6 years and haven't insured it for 5 years. For me, taking the carbs apart is so far down the list of what will happen that an occasional dose of Seafoam is by far the most practical option. Again, just my opinion, the reserve switch is a completely useless feature because the reserve gas is not separate from the main tank. Running out of gas on the highway is not a recommended thing to do even if you can stop and tun on the reserve switch. As most on here do, I leave it turned to reserve all the time and monitor both the gas gauge and the trip meter. When I first got my 90 VR I carried a gallon of gas in a side bag just in case. Paid attention to how many km the trip showed when the fuel warning first came on and filled up at the first convenient stop, noting how much fuel was required to fill up. On average it went about 140 km and took about 16 litres. After a few weeks I ran it out of fuel to see how many km it would go to empty, about 220 km and took about 20 litres to fill up. When I started riding the 89 VR, it got much better mileage, about 140 miles at the fuel warning and a little over 200 miles at empty. Unlike Prairiehammer, I don't keep records, just use my rather faulty memory so those numbers are approximate. The actual numbers are an indication of the state of tune but otherwise don't matter much since it is how far the bike you are riding will go before needing fuel.

This is an ancient thread but Freebird might still be able to find a pic of his old Venture.

I have been considering what you have stated regarding the windshield for a while and have not come up with anything positive to say about the changes you are thinking of. Thought I would chime in anyway and possibly break the ice...so to speak. Not being critical of your intent at all, just a personal opinion I guess. I have been riding my Ventures for about 4 years and came from a cruiser before that. The 90 VR has a full height shield and the 89 has a somewhat shortened one and I can look over both of them. Wear a modular helmet and never close the visor but do lower it a bit in rainy weather. Living in the Camelot of North America where extreme weather is against the law, can't say I have ever experienced an issue similar to the one you describe. Been down to The Dalles and Wyoming and have run into prairie wind conditions and never had an issue with excessive pulling. Certainly a large touring bike has more wind resistance than sport bikes and will be affected more by wind anomalies. Getting backdrafted by a semi flying by is noticeable but not the least bit unnerving. I can't say I like the shape you have come up with, it's just wrong for a touring bike, kinda like the shield on the F6B is wrong too. Sitting upright and totally protected is the way I like to travel. Hope you find something that works for you.

Does that mean there was no popping before blocking off the YICS ports...seems that might be what you are saying? Or, did you block off the ports because it was popping? Popping is usually a sign there is a lean condition which is why spraying carb cleaner on potential leak areas is an effective test. Any leaks will draw carb cleaner into the intake and make the REV's go up.

OK, thanks. Stainless hose is probably not necessary there anyway as the line is most likely steel back towards the master cylinder.

Besides the pins that have been mentioned, perhaps the shift difficulty is due to a lack of lubrication in the shift arm pivot. A few drops of engine oil just might make a difference. Always try doing the easy things first.... right?