camos

I keep hearing that too but on both my Gen 1's I have always filled to the top mark when changing oil and then make sure it doesn't go below the lower mark. The air filter box on both machines does get a little oil film but nothing of any significance. My experience does not support the contention that the oil level should be kept below halfway. Seems to me Yamaha would not have put the upper mark there if it was a problem. Perhaps engines that blow oil when over half filled have some other issue that is raising the crankcase pressure. If there is oil getting blown into the air box than it is logical to reduce the oil level until it stops. Perhaps at some point you won't be able to put any oil in it without it getting blown out.

You are right, I don't have a Gen 2 and I am surprised they are so different from a Gen 1. So the Gen 1 wins again since it's faster to check the oil as well as faster on the road. At least those who have a Gen 1 can stop fussing about how to easily check the oil.

I'm sure this works but it is way too awkward and quite pointless. It is hard to understand why anyone would make a simple oil level check so difficult. As I mentioned earlier, once a level for full when vertical is established when on the side stand there is no need to do anything other than look at it. For example, on my Gen 1 when the oil is at the top mark when vertical it is about halfway up the glass when on the side stand. Easy peasy check which should work just as well on a Gen 2. Presumably when changing the oil on a Gen 2 it needs to be held in the vertical position in some manner if nothing more than to let all the oil drain out the bottom but also to properly set the oil level. Whatever level you prefer, will then be quite apparent when the bike is put back on the side stand.

I like the look of gaiters, they make the front end look more robust by hiding the skinny forks. The big benefit though is protection from dust and debris. When cleaning the seal, use a toothbrush with some dish detergent to remove any oily, dirty residue. Cut a tool out of thin flexible plastic to clean inside the seal area of the fork. Use silicon spray on the seal to soften the rubber and help lubricate the insertion of the tool. Spray silicon does a reasonable job of rehabilitating old rubber and seems to help make the seal work better.

I did find it of value if nothing more than making me feel better about checking the valves on my Gen 2 VR. Not that I would consider owning a BMW due to reliability and maintenance costs. I really like the Star Venture but will probably never own one because it is way above my pay grade. There is also the enduring sadness that Yamaha chose not to make a 3rd Gen V4 Yamaha Venture. I like the red one best too. Welcome to the Asylum. Hope you enjoy yourself here.

Would that be a jack on the right side with a propped up side stand on the left? Seems like a good idea to me.

What I do with my Gen 1 is set the oil level to the upper mark with the bike on the center stand as per the manual. When it comes off the center stand and is then on the side stand the level is about at the halfway point on the sight glass. Now when checking the level it is no longer necessary to put the bike on the stand to get an accurate enough reading. With a Gen 2 that did not come equipped with all the necessary parts to easily check the oil level it's probably better to get some help to get the reading with the bike level. After that it isn't necessary. To address the commonly held urban legend of keeping the oil level at or below halfway, I have always filled both my 89 and 90 VR's to the top mark when level on the center stand and have never experienced an issue with an excessive amount of oil getting blown into the air filter area.

No idea what you mean by DS. Looks like Photo Station is meant to access photos stored on a NAS but should probably work with a Windows system. https://www.qnap.com/en-in/how-to/tutorial/article/managing-photos-with-photo-station

When I was fishing during the summer off the west coast of Vancouver Island we fished from dawn to dusk so we put the gear out at about 5 am and pulled it about 9 pm. There were times though when we fished for several weeks in Dixon Entrance which is the strait/boundary between Haida Gwai and Alaska. Still fished from dawn to dusk but it was about 4 am to 10 pm and sometimes until 11 pm. Made for a really long day. Most of the northern fishermen were anchored up by 8-9 pm which gave us southern boys a lot less competition for the night bite. The lack of sleep made for pretty tough going though so it was a relief when we followed the salmon on their way down the west coast of Haida Gwai and then jumped across to northern Vancouver Island. Working a 17 hour day was again was far more civilized than trying to keep up with a 20 hour day.

So 30 wt hydraulic oil is about half the price of "fork" oil so I thought I would give it a try but, yes it is a bit too heavy. Looked around for some lighter weight hydraulic oil but couldn't find any lower than 30 wt. It isn't due to be changed until next year but I might try taking a little bit out this summer and see how that works.

I've been wondering how much oil you had in each tube when you changed the seals? With the forks compressed and the springs not installed, fill to 5.5" down from the top. If that is too firm remove a little to 5.75" or even 6". A little more air makes the forks a little more cushiony. I read somewhere having too much oil can cause hydro locking or feeling like it bottomed out and or leaking out of the seal. Never heard of 0-30 oil, guess it's an engine oil of some kind. I'm not confident that engine oil is a good substitute for fork oil just because of all the additives that are usually included. Currently I am running generic 30 wt hydraulic oil in my forks. It works OK but is a bit too firm so next year when it's time to change the oil I'm going to try something lighter.

Just got my renewal notice due July 1st. Basic insurance: $1094 but according to ICBC that is after getting a 43% safe driving discount of $824. What a deal...thanks ICBC. Basic insurance includes $200,000 Third Party Liability, $150,000 Accident Benefits, Hit and Run Protection for the driver and passengers and Uninsured Motorist Protection up to $1,000,000. Vehicle licence fee: $33 Total: $1,127 If I ever retire I should move to Canmore Alberta and become a snowbird for the 6 months of winter.

Pretty is in the eye of the beholder. To me gaiters are tidy and look much better than rusty chrome metal fork guards. They also work better to keep dust and rain from collecting on the fork tubes and causing wear on the seals.

Wait a minute.... Are you sure you are not me? Hopefully not but in any case, me too.

A colleague at work has a $50,000 custom chopper that he would never ride in the rain because it took him a couple of hours to clean it up instead of only a half hour after each ride. I think he only rode it 2 or 3 times a year. Seems like such a waste, from my perspective at least. I ride my $1800 VR pretty much every day all year round. For me, it's not a sport, it's transportation.

Still too low. I personally like 40 better but keep the front at a minimum of 36.

You got that right, it's an insult to call a V-Twin a Venture. I think you are right in you above statement except for the pic is of a Yamaha Venturer which had not yet become the Venture. The fact that Yamaha made it a Star Venture means it is not a Generation 3 Yamaha Venture. The Transcontinental is as much a Venture as the Chevrolet Venture. I would also agree that the Star TC is most likely the best touring bike available today. If Yamaha had actually made a 3rd Gen Yamaha Venture with the V4 it would without doubt blow the doors off the Star Venture in the touring arena. It's just sad that Yamaha chose instead to pander to the Star cruiser crowd focus groups and serve up potato salad. It is an understandable business decision though since the cruiser crowd is far larger than the touring crowd. To finish off, I like the new TC even though it isn't a Venture.

Have you checked the fork tubes for rough spots? Also wondering if you are getting any sand on the tubes that might cause excessive wear on the seal. Do the forks have gaiters? My 90 came with them. It had lots of miles on it but the fork tubes looked brand new. Put a set on the 89 just because it seemed like a good idea.

Did you do the bypass the way my pix showed it? When I did it on my 90 VR the warning light did not come on. I guess there is something wrong with one of the fluid level sensors in the clutch or brake MC's.

Congrats on returning to the best Venture. I recall feeling the same way about the foot position and wanted to change it after getting my first Venture in '09 but after a few years my legs adjusted to it. Now it just isn't an issue. It's still good to have somewhere to stretch the legs while on a long trip though. I had the straight Yamaha folding foot rests mounted on the crash bars and found mounting them on the front vertical part worked the best for me. The biggest problem with that position is there isn't a lot of room for the foot. Kuryakyn makes a very adjustable highway peg that should work very well in that position. I never tried them because I didn't want them enough to spend the big bucks on anything Kuryakyn.

The CMS pix indicate headlight out and brake fluid low.

I think your front pressure is too low. When pressures get too low the front starts to feel squidgley. I run 40 and 40 although I think the manual suggests 38 for the front.

It is not necessary to jumper the CMU unless replacing incandescent bulbs with led's or other low impedance bulbs. The pix I posted previously of the jumpered RLU on my 90 VR did not cause the warning light to come on. It did switch the blue indicator to the white one but that can be resolved by pulling out the bulb sockets and swapping them.

Here is a pic of the RLU jumpers on my 90 VR. As I recall, the white light came on but the warning light did not. Switching the white and blue bulbs fixed that little issue. It's unfortunate white wires were used to jump the connections but I think the positions are easy enough to sort out.

If the bulb is an H4 and the RLU bypass has been done correctly then the warning light should not come on. I did this mod on my 90 and vaguely recall having to switch the bulbs from blue to white. No warning light came on. All the bulbs are white lights so you just switch the bulb sockets to make the blue come on for high. The bypass was done by removing the RLU and jumping the remaining RLU socket.