camos

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?

Galfer only lists a kit for the MkI which may mean there is no SS line available in their kit for the head bleeder. Know anything about that?

A bit late with this comment but just in case it will be useful later, I've got a bit more than 15,000 miles on a front E3 split between my 90 and 89. Would venture to say it is a little more than half worn at this point. Have E3's on the rear of both bikes as well but they have less miles and because of the switching back and forth I don't know how many. The Virago has E3's all around and has more than 20,000 miles and just past half worn. Way lighter bike though. The thing with the E3's is there is a harder compound in the centre with a softer one on the edges which gives good wear straight lining it on the highway and good traction when dancing through the twisties. Riding on wet or dry roads I have never felt a slip in the corners or on the tar snakes. I've read some posts on here that claim there are grippier tires than E3's but I can't imagine how fast it would be necessary to go to get these tires to let loose. Also of note, the E3's have a thick sidewall that will somewhat support the weight of the bike with about 10 lbs of air in it. Found that out on the Virago after getting a nail in the rear tire and hardly noticed it. Some of my observations for what they are worth.

There were no instructions with mine so I wired them into a relay powered by the accessory circuit so I could see if they would change mode sequentially when powered up but they didn't. When turned on, with the ignition, the lights have stayed in full power pencil mode which is what I wanted to begin with. I have a switch for them but did not want to go to the trouble of installing it to begin with and since they don't draw much having them on all the time does not appear to be a problem. These LED's make pretty good DRL's with low draw and bright light. Only wish I had found the ones in the link before purchasing as it would have been a far easier install.

I put a pair of those on my 89 VR, from a different seller but look about the same. I found mounting them was a bit of a trial because there is no lateral adjustment. Had to file the clamp mount bolts in order to point them in the right direction. Didn't want them outside the guard area. The pix show the lights without the top cover, left it off to make adjustments easier but will probably put them back on. I have the lights set to illuminate a little bit nearer than low beam and a bit to the outside which works quite well. Really wanted fogs but they come as a pencil beam. Apparently these lights have 3 modes, hi-lo-strobe, but I don't see how to change between them. For the price, I'm happy with the lights. Just looked at the photos on your link and those mounts appear to have lateral adjustment which will make them way easier to install.

I too had an Arai, it was a full face and now have an HJC IS-MAX-BT modular. The Arai was quieter but it probably has more to do with the full face VS modular design rather than the construction material. Seem to recall that some of the more expensive modulars are purported to be quieter but the noise I experience is not bad enough to warrant any big buck alternatives. The HJC IS-MAX-BT modular has stood up well to what probably could be called extreme wear as the helmet is worn about 9 hours a day 5 days per week and I've had it for about 5 years, can't remember, got it at VW Cody. Web Bike World has a lot of reviews of helmets where they assess wind noise, among other things.