camos

Pretty much as MiCarl said, just purchase the shims you need. I would not classify myself as an expert but I did this job on my 90 VR about a year ago so if my memory is correct here are some points I recall. Working in dribs and drabs, it took me about a month to complete. Mostly because I walked away when I became frustrated. The valves need to be measured twice. Once to record what is in there and determine the correct replacement shim and then again to put them in. Some of the original shims can be reused if you are lucky. I had to purchase 10 new ones. Getting the shims out can be difficult and set of mechanics picks and a magnet on a stick was a necessity. I found getting to TDC on the power stroke by counting engine revolutions was problematic so opted for just getting the lobe pointing up to measure the clearance. You will notice the shim cup will rotate as the tool is compressing the spring. The cup slot will move to an inaccessible position unless it is setup prior to applying pressure. Make sure the shim number is on the down side when inserted otherwise the lobe will wear the label off. When installing the gasket, be very particular about checking that it is properly in place before tightening it down. I thought I had been but managed to not notice a small inconsistency in an almost impossible to see position resulting in a leak. Fortunately the gasket was not damaged. As I discovered when trying to find the leak, a strong light and a mirror are needed to properly inspect the gasket and the cover. Hopefully my memory is correct and this will be of help.

86-93 Specs page [TABLE=class: TFtable, width: 739] [TR] [TD]Engien - Total oil capacity[/TD] [TD]5 US qts/4.7L/4.1 Imp qt[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

Good find Kevin. So to continue on that note, some lamebrains in Cold Lake Alberta desecrated a Mosque in retaliation painting "Go Home" on its walls. Many of the neighbours turned out to help clean up the mess. They also brought signs with them saying "You are Home". Now that IS truly Canadian.

I like it when you get firm. Put your foot down....so to speak. Let's keep on topic.

First thing to check is the battery connections. A good battery may not be able to put enough through a corroded connection. The terminals do not have to look corroded to block enough amperage to start the engine. Ditto for the terminals to the starter and the frame.

I've never done it but isn't there a fairly simple conversion that uses HD pipes which can often be had for a reasonable sum when that crowd goes for the Screaming Eagle or similar very loud pipes?

For a long while I have read on here that Big Bike Parts has replacement lenses for the original after market trunk light bar and that it was necessary to call to order them because they were not listed on their web site. Due to time constraints relating to time zones and my lack of access to a phone at an opportune time I had not been able to follow up on ordering these lenses. To get around this issue I tried several times to get an email response. A couple of weeks ago I was successful and found someone who responded to my inquiries. I made a suggestion that it would be a good thing if these lenses were be listed and I just received a note to say that they now are up on BigBikeParts.com. If anyone is interested, the links are here: http://www.bigbikeparts.com/templates/product.aspx?ProductGuid=900100RL&GroupGuid=674 http://www.bigbikeparts.com/templates/product.aspx?ProductGuid=900100LL&GroupGuid=674 http://www.bigbikeparts.com/templates/product.aspx?ProductGuid=900100L&GroupGuid=674 By the by, these lenses should fit the OEM reflector bar on the Mk II's which is just a little bit shallower. I haven't tried to put them in yet but they are the same dimensions which means there is enough room for LED's instead of the original incandescent bulbs. Pretty much the way we all would want to go anyway. Oh yes, a set of these lenses cost substantially less than even broken reflectors available on eBay.

Very good advice except don't think the national brand products are going to be any better or healthier than any of the others. Whoever is tasked with buying the food needs to learn what the nutrition labels and ingredient lists are telling you so you can make an informed decision on whether you actually want to or even should eat it. Diet stuff is junk food and so is low fat stuff that will only fool your mind and/or your body into thinking it is good for you. Choose real food, as in the foods that are grown or raised, and never choose ultra refined or highly processed foods. After that all you need to worry about is how much to shovel in. As for totally eliminating sugar, it can't be done. Everything you eat gets turned into sugar by the body's digestive process. Aim for reducing the amount of extra sugar which also includes fake sugars. To put it into perspective, the recommended max daily dose of added sugar is 8 teaspoons. One soda contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar. Alcohol is almost pure sugar... Sorry guys.

This thread is likely worn out but I just came across this collection of dietary comments and thought it put this whole very important thing into an anecdotally human perspective. Thought someone might be interested in reading it. How to Eat Your Way To 100.

Talking about diets is somewhat like talking about bikes, everyone has an opinion about it whether stated or not. Could even be compared to a discussion of politics or religion. A diet usually means one of two things to people. The majority seem to think a diet is what you eat when you are trying to lose weight. The reality is though, a diet is what you eat whether it be a good one or a bad one is the only important distinction. Between 20 and 40 I weighed 195, very lean with no fat and the BMI of the time placed me as borderline obese. Total nonsense!! Today I'm 67, 6'3" and weigh 215. Two years ago I dropped down to 190 and was told I looked emaciated, I thought so too. At that point I decided to hell with calorie counting, just eat healthy and see what happens. Well, that turns out to be not so easy because you essentially have to learn to be a dietitian. So at best it is a work in progress. There is a lot of info available on what foods are good for you and what are not. Find out what they are so you can eat nutritious food and your weight will stabilize at a healthy level. My diet consists of small portions of meat (25%) and large portions of vegetables (50%) and small portions of carbs (25%). High fibre foods such as whole grains and legumes are very good for your diet because they take longer to digest and therefore keep you feeling full longer. Many of them also contain protein which also takes longer to digest and give you energy later on after the carb energy rush has passed. Low fat and "diet" foods are as good as poison to you body because they supply nothing that is good and trick your body into thinking there is a high level of sugar so it turns the food in your gut to fat in preparation to handle the perceived sugar level which is not there. This triggers a sugar hi and then a sugar low which mess with your insulin level which will cause nothing but grief in the long run. When you think of sugar level you must think of all foods because when the body digests something it turns it into sugar. Eating carbs such as pasta and white rice are almost the same as eating a tablespoon of sugar because they digest quickly to become sugar. Eating whole wheat pasta and brown rice is not quite the same. Look at food labels. The ingredient list will tell you whether you should eat it or not. If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it. If sugar or salt are in the top ten ingredients, don't eat it. Home cooked food is by far the healthiest option because you can control the ingredients. In the obverse way, eating at restaurants is not a particularly healthy choice, which for you is a real bummer. Being on the road a lot makes controlling your diet rather difficult. I hear you. As mentioned by several others, grazing (5 meals a day) is a good way to keep hunger at bay. There is a learning curve to eating often in order to prevent overeating. Europeans have been eating that way for, shall I say, centuries. It's a good method. Learn what snack foods are healthy and which ones are not. EG: a handful of almonds is a good snack with fiber and protein to keep you satisfied while also providing essential nutrients. Here is a slideshow article that I read this morning that is very general and sometime anecdotal but it is a beginning to understanding what you should eat and what you should not. There are a lot of similar or better ones out there that will eventually help you to make better choices and hopefully stave off the !!! HUNGER !!! This turned out to be a rather long post. Sorry if it got boring but everyone should pay more attention to what they eat. OK, that is just my opinion but I'm standing behind it.

I don't think the bolts will be a weak point. When I disassembled the OEM brace it lifted out with ease. To get the new brace in I had to loosen the axle, line up the brace as close to horizontal as possible and then tap it into place so it does fit very snugly. The new brace is not cast as the OEM one is but machined from the same aircraft grade aluminum the Super Brace is. I did check with Condor about his brace before choosing this alternative but, as he has stated, his version is no longer available. If cost was not a factor, the Super Brace might have been a better choice but I did not think it would have made enough of a difference to warrant the extra $$$.

Put a new fork brace on the 89 VR last week. The one I bought is 7/8" thick which is half the thickness of the Super Brace but it is half the price. I guess in this case you do get what you pay for. In my opinion, however, the extra thickness would provide diminishing returns and since my VR will not be doing any racing through the twisties the possible tiny amount of extra performance would not justify the higher price. If you are interested the brace can be found on eBay [ame=http://www.ebay.com/itm/261203137975?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT]here[/ame].

Just had to ask: "How long have you owned the Victory?"

I experienced a clunk when the head bearings were loose. Tightening them made the clunk go away.

I've been thinking about that too. Something similar in design to the ones for the Honda ST 1300 paired with the one for the V-Strom might work. Keeping the OEM engine guard would be a plus as well. There are a few pix here of both types. This would of course be a custom venture for the Venture.

You are dating yourself Puc, 83/84 VR's can hardly be referred to as modern day motorcycles. Those 10 grand machines produced in 83/84 would be 30 grand today. Anyone got a time machine? I agree with you in principal though would personally include all 1st Gens in the mix. The 85 to my mind was the best design with it's larger trunk but would have been even better if the MkII bags were added while still keeping the removable feature. If that were so then a smaller set of side bags could be substituted so this bike would have true sport or touring capabilities. Besides the tweeks you mentioned, revamping the frame to a modern exoskeleton style would have stiffened up the bike substantially and might have even made it possible to lower the centre of gravity a bit. Speaking of which, CG that is, modern electronics would also be likely to lighten the top end substantially. Drop a V-Max engine with multi-function computer controlled performance options with sport, cruising and touring settings. Then we would be all set to go places whether it be short or far or fast. When it comes to touring a fixed fairing is far superior to the bat wing cruiser style. That is, of course, just my not so humble opinion. Lets not forget to put some real lighting up front with dual LED driven projector headlights and brighten up the stern with the already invented trunk light bar accessory instead of just a reflector, using LED's of course. Ain't dreamin a fun way to pass a few hours.

My air gauge is only out a little bit so a 5 pound hammer would be overkill. I think a silver hammer would be more appropriate. I only do junk food once or twice a year so the McDooDoo and JB menus will have to wait. The jalapenos were a significant upgrade though. I may never know if they make it to Canada unless I see an ad posted in their window. Back on topic, I am somewhat surprised there has been so little interest in this gauge. I must be one of the few who have trouble getting the usual chuck squarely on the valve stem so there is no great whoosh of air escaping. Oh well, I guess I have more challenges than the average person.

Thanks for the offer Peder, next time I'm in your area I'll be sure to stop by for test comparison. After that we can go out for another one of those delicious jalapeno burgers.

Was going by my local tire shop and managed to remember the tire gauge. Stopped off and did a comparison with their rather expensive looking digital gauge. Mine was one pound low. Not unhappy about that. Not a scientific or conclusive result since who knows if their fancy looking gauge is actually accurate. If I can remember, next time I'm going by a different tire shop I'll stop off and do the comparison again.

Quite true and always a good idea with any gauge. Of course, how does one know which gauge is accurate to begin with. Anyway, unless the gauge being used is way out I doubt that precise accuracy matters much. There is the pressure recommended in the manual and then there is the 40 psi we mostly seem to recommend using. I did say "close" which is about as true as one can get. The amount of air in the gauge is very little. The amount of air I manage to release on a regular basis when removing the gauge connector is often large. The screw on connection on this gauge is very similar to the air hose connector on the Slime Top-Up pump I have. Using this pump is what made me want to get a gauge with a similar connector so I could check the pressure without almost guaranteeing that I would have to pump the tire up afterwards. It took me a long time to find a gauge with this feature so for anyone who can see the benefits, it does exist and can be had for a reasonable price.

It was a long time coming but I just received the tire gauge I ordered over a month ago. I really like it and think it is worth sharing. Why is that? Funny you should ask, I was going to make one just like it and then there it was on eBay. What's so special? It has a screw on connector so a ton of air is not lost every time the tire pressure is checked. One might call it 0 loss which would be close. Seems to be well made, in China no less. The hose feels solid and can be bent to 180 degrees without kinking. The dial goes up to 100 psi which puts the preferred tire pressure in the middle where it is most accurate. Cost = $9.32 with free shipping. That's why I did not mind the wait. It's not particularly inexpensive but about what most mid-range air gauges cost. Here is a link to some pix of the gauge. The guy I bought this item from is bigger-ant (eBay name). The reason I mention it is he is the only seller ever to have contacted me to see if the package had arrived. Admittedly, he did ask that I give him 5 stars. And I did. I did not link to his items for sale because they expire so if you are interested you will have to search it out on eBay. Hope you find this to be of interest. I'm tickled pink.

The important clue here is the tach does not work at idle. That is a known issue that I cannot remember the solution to at the moment. The problem is most likely caused by a poor electrical connection that is overcome once the RPMs get high enough to get full output from the stator.

Goober or not, I agree with it being on reserve. My 90 VR had no knob or cover and so to find out I did ride it until it ran out of gas.... literally, since it was already on reserve. I did have the foresight to carry a can of gas with me at the time. Without the cover it is possible to see the valve's stopper tab which points forward when on reserve. Turning the valve stem clockwise turns the valve to off (reserve off) and the stopper tab points aft. Had a look at my 89 which still has the knob and it has the same orientation as gogi's. This knob would not turn with finger pressure so I didn't force it. Even though it is a useless appendage I still want to keep the knob whole. Condor's advice is best practice, reset the trip gauge every time the tank is filled and learn how far you can go until the reserve light comes on. At least once run the tank dry and note how far that is and you will be set to "Venture" out and about with one less unpleasant surprise to be concerned with.

Not likely much chance of the mount being bent outwards since any crash would bend it inwards. My shifter looks offset as well. Have you tried lubing the linkage? Put some engine oil on the pivot pin and open the rubber cover and squirt some under it. I've found the linkage needs to be oiled every couple of months when riding in the rain.

I wonder if the choke enrichment circuit is plugged. I had a situation last winter with the Virago where the choke didn't seem to be working very well. I ride all year round so when I occasionally added Seafoam to the tank I would start the bike and leave the choke on for about 10 km so the treated gas would go through the choke system. It seemed to make a difference.