Great White

My 83 hovers right around the 34-36 mpg mark around town. Roughly around 38-39 if all highway at around 60 mph.

I only do 4-6 hours at a time and that's infrequent. But it sounds like a backrest is pretty much universally supported by the riders here. I may start looking for a bracket to make a removable one something similar to what Dingy has on his. I've got a spare seat to hack on. All I would need to do is buy/build a removable bracket mount under the seat and then re-upholster the seat itself to allow for a pass through. Then it's just build a backrest to suit my needs. Maybe put a little grab bar on the back of it as my missus is so light she tends to catch a couple inches of air on even the smallest bumps/dips no matter how easy we hit them.

Go here: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?71406-83-87-Technical-Training-Service-Bulletins Look at the pdf for low speed misfires. Read the first few paragraphs and they give you guidance on things to check. I had a "lugging" issue between 2000-3000 rpm and a set of NGK iridium's and new plug caps cleared it right up. The plug caps have a bunch of little bits in them (resistor, spring, bras discs, etc) that have been known to corrode and cause issues. Your 86 will already have the "upgraded" ign wires, but they're also 29 years old now so....

That's flyinfool IIRC....

Personally: de-link the front and rear brakes if you're anywhere near being an experienced rider. Heck, I even think they're bordering on dangerous if you're a new rider too: jamming the rear brake and having the front wheel wash out is going to make you all kinds of confused! The front brake calipers off an r1/r6 will bolt right on to the 86+ fork tube lowers. Sadly, you have an 83 (as do I). you will need to swap to 86+ fork lowers if you want to use the R1/6 calipers. I also believe the 83 front brake MC is the wrong diameter piston to de-link the front and rear brakes. You need (IIRC) an 86+ MC as well.

I've got a forest river product myself. They're epdm roofed and fiberglass wall sided. Pretty good product overall. BUT.... You need to maintain them and here is why: Mine is a 2011. Every spring I have to get up an inspect the roof and windows. Not the membrane of the glass, but the Dicor sealant used to seal the edges, vents, skylights, wires, etc. The Dicor does it's job very well (remains pliable to keep the seal on a shifting object) but it seems to need to be sealed in small spots here and there where it cracks. This is important to do because if water gets in around the Dicor/EPDM, it gets into the wall. Since the wall is fiberglass faced, if the wood it's bonded to gets wet, the fiberglass delaminates. Once the fiberglass delaminates, the wall usually has to be replaced to fix the delam. As in:the whole side of the trailer! The fiberglass isn't just a weather seal, it's is part of the trailer structure. That's how they get newer trailers so "light". here's a quickie vid on the fiberglass/delam/maintenance thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RWJktGufYM Since it's assembled like that in the factory (ie: one piece wall panel), that's how they replace it. If you go over to the Forest river forums, there are some people that have had to do just that. Ship the trailer back to Elkhart (In) on their dime, even if it's warranty work. The tarps he has on there would have me looking very closely given that it's a fiberglass sided rig. The pic of the Lh rear almost looks like it's got a fiberglass delam ripple: But it might just be dirt lines or a shadow, hard to tell in that low res pic. If that is a big delam: don't walk, RUN away! The other thing to remember is the wood used in these things is cheap and very light. The big downside is that water does damage to that structure very fast. It's usually some kinf of "tinder dry" softwood and it just soaks water up like a sponge. Then is starts to rot very quickly. Unless the owner has replaced the original tires, the ones on there are probably junk just by the date code. Lots of people have bought brand new trailers only to find they TX on them within a year. I suspect the OEM's buy them in bulk and just use the pile until they run out, then buy another pile. As far as cleaning, I've tried lots of the retail stuff available for cleaning trailer/awnings and even some commercial stuff. Varying degrees of success. Then I hit upon something that was fast, easy and worked the best of anything I have ever tried: Mr Clean Magic erasers. I just buy a bulk package and then go at 'er. Works great. Guys are always Asking me how I get the dreaded "black streaks" off. I tell them it's magic! But the trailer you're looking at looks like it hasn't seen any maintenance in a while. Look very closely if you consider buying it.....

I've never had a drivers backrest. Just looking for some opinions on whether or not it's worth getting one. What do you like about it? What don't you like? When do you need it and when do you not? How does it change (improve or not improve) your comfort level? That sort of thing.

Yeah, ummm....No.

Chopsaw....then run!

Lol! So true. My daughter is only 12 and the same way.....

http://i18.servimg.com/u/f18/11/01/88/32/dsc00110.jpg http://i18.servimg.com/u/f18/11/01/88/32/dsc00011.jpg http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=38299&highlight=royal+ventureventure Gent did a pretty decent job I think! Not exactly my thing, but interesting none the less.....

I've never spent more on my race helmets than was necessary when i used to race. I'd by good quality stuff, I just wouldn't go fancy and pay more for gucci paint. Heck, I'd have bought them in plain primer if it would have been available and made them cheaper. Reason I didn't put big money into shiny helmet finishes was that I knew I was going to eventually go down in it. It was just going to happen sooner or later. I was of a mind that if it even got a scratch in it during a get off I'd be replacing it. Not worth risking compressed foam inside. Compromises the energy absobtion qualities. And given my particular riding prowess (or lack thereof) I knew I would need all the energy absobing I could get! Stickers were my helmet paint job of choice.....I was particularly found of pj1, agv and any other brand Roberts had painted on his helmet. Made me feel like i was King Kenny. Didn't make me any faster and didn't make me better, but I sure felt cool! Probably intimidated my competion some too!

Ah, gotcha. That's a much better picture than it happening on the street. I heartily endorse running as fast as you want on a closed road course. As long as you're willing to "pay to play". I've had many a long slide on my butt when I was younger, cheerfully inventing new curse words and contemplating exactly what I did wrong on that last corner. I'll take a low side over a high side any day!

Given the scenario you've described, I'm thinking she should be grateful she go off as easy as she did. 115 Mph get off is no joke. I'll also be "that guy" and ask the question; Why was she doing 115 Mph?

Woowee! Thats somw serious bar "grindage" in pic #2..

thanks, i'll keep an eye out. Meanwhile, a very generous forum member has offer to pic up a set of the lenses and usps them to me.

First thing I'd do is pull the caps off that side and check the diaphragms. They may not be damaged, just separated from the slides. As far as showing vacuum on the gauge, even a non firing cylinder will show vacuum if its mechanically sound. As the other cylinders drag it through the cycle, it still pumps air. The vacuum signal is (primarily) determined by the throttle blade opening and that's what you are adjusting when you synch the carbs. More open blade, less vacuum signal and vice versa.

We never let the electricians at work live it down when they brought this stuff into the shop: http://www.kleintools.eu/sites/all/product_assets/catalog_imagery/klein/51000.jpg Almost too easy....

Service manuals: http://www.yamahaventure.nl/en/servicemanuals.html sensor bypass: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?489-Battery-Warning-Bypass As for a lower temp fan switch, I don't have on for an 83-85. 86+ can use a Honda accord switch that brings the fan on approx 15 C cooler than oem. A manual switch is easy on the 83-85. You just need to provide a ground in the circuit to activate the cooling fan relay. Does the same thing as the temp switch.

Looks like it's steel. Just pound 'er back in to shape. If you have the tools and ability that is. As long as there's no "kinked" spots in the tubing sections from the initial damage, there's no worries about strength. Steel is good that way.

Would have been a white knuckle drive for sure....

4000 lbs and 20 lbs tongue? Yipes! Recipe for disaster!

Yep, I've seen guys do that also. Every one of them wished they had my power jacks.....

Dingy has a thread on Vmaxforums.net Not sure if he's still working on it or not....

To the OP: the discussion on hitches has cue'd me to suggest something else you should look for in your trailer - power tongue jack and power stabilizing feet. Nothing sucks more than cranking those damned things up and down when you could be just pushing a switch.....