Great White

Not necessarily. It depends on the hitch. My husky centerline (http://www.huskytow.com/product/husky-center-line-towing-system/) is a weight distributing hitch with sway control built in to it. The Equ-i-lizer brand hitch (http://www.equalizerhitch.com) is a wd hitch and also has sway control built into its design. Hensley arrow hitch (http://hensleymfg.com) does it with geometry. There's another one (name escapes me) that mounts a larger pivoting plate under the truck and effectively simulates a 5th wheel setup by loading the rear axles and offering increased turning radius. There's lots more of those types on the market, but they tend to just be copies or reharshes of the same designs above. These all tend to cost a fair bit more than the Reese though and people starting off in trailer towing often tend to go...errr, "cheap". Sometimes they just don't know any better. It's just a hitch right? It's only got to attach the trailer to the vehicle right? Nope....ya gotta do your homework. Even more so if you're not experienced. Usually, after buying a $30,000-50,000 trailer, most people want to not spend any more money than they have to and (unfortunately) go cheap on the rest of the kit. This is a mistake. Big one. White knuckles on steering wheel Big. Much like motorcycling where you still have another 41000-2000 to spend on helmets and gear after buying a bike, the hitch is definitely not the place to economize. People should plan on $1500-2000 for a good hitch. My Husky came out right around $1500, a Hensley can run $2500-3000. But Hensley is purported to be the last word in WD and sway control hitches and without the noise friction control hitches can have. Meh, dunno. Never had a Hensley... Reese is kinda the bottom of the market segment. The low cost also means almost every retailer and hardware store out there carries them so people see them everywhere. If its everywhere, it must be good...yes? Not necessarily... Reese hitches have sway control as a separate add on and that's how they get more money out of you. Their sway bar is effective to a point, but not as good as one that has it as part of the design. Like everything you buy, You just have to do your research and know what you're buying. I will say this: after towing with my Husky Centerline, I will never tow without one again. It's just that good. Semis or sidewinds, it just never moves. The hitch head is one heavy mother though and if you're going to be making sharp turns while backing its best to remove the weight bars to prevent binding. You also need to have the trailer and truck straight inline to remove the bars, so they have to come off if you're backing into a tight spot. All friction bar designs are like this though. My truck gets an easy 4-5 MPG better than my friends gassers when towing on flat. Head into the mountains and the difference is even greater as I get around 12-13 MPG and they drop to 5-6 MPG (if they're running the big engines like 454's, anything smaller just falls behind in the hills). I also walk away from them on grades. More power in my diesel is a simple "more boost and more fuel" tweak on the maps. Only Gasser that comes close is one of my friends with a f-150 ecoboost with max tow package. That thing is a beast for a Gasser! Diesel is cheaper than regular here also.....even when its is more, is only a few cents per liter. Right now its 5 cents per litre cheaper. Diesel isn't without its drawbacks, but I'll never tow with another Gasser ever again (if its my choice that is).

Only significant differences are what coukd be considered "options" really. Royales got things like radio, CLASS suspension, etc. Otherwise, same bike. Some might say the standard is a little quicker and faster, but if true, its probably beciase the weight a little less. Main things to be concerned with on an 83 is not interchanging between standard and royale, bit that 83 had a number of unique to that year parts. Things like the tci... 83 are also reported to have failures in the frame at the rear suspension points and are subject to the second gear issue like all ventures before late 85. I have an 83 standard. Great bike, love it.

Nope, i was just posting a pic I made of a model I made up, a little tongue in check add type writeup and then it went all sideways with specs and " I don't like this" or "3rd gen that". Guys can say this is or isn't' a "venture", but they're' all labelled XVZ1300, which puts 'em all in the same line in my books. Like I said, was just meant to be a fun little thread.....I guess that's over with.

Dude, no need to get yer panties in a wad. 96-98 had the 28mm carbs and I've seen numbers quoted from 73-78 hp, although I would think 73 is waaay too low. All I was saying is that's probably where the impression of it being "neutered" came from. This was just meant to be a nice fun thread, not a drag out of specs, posturing and whatnot. I'm just here to have some fun!

Likely from the years they choked 'em down to 28mm carbs and something like mid to high 70's for BHP. That's kinda "neutered" compared to the 98 BHP of the Gen 1 engines.... In all fairness, I do think they bumped 'em back up to the 98 BHP in the early 2000's somewhere....

Dunno bro, mine is 32 years old and all the plastic is in the same shape as the day it was cast. ABS is super easy to repair if you learn how to plastic weld. You can even modify and build with it. Like so: http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/Interceptor/image_zpstkryxlrv.jpg http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/Interceptor/image_zpsrhpebj8l.jpg http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/Interceptor/image_zpsir5vjra1.jpg (Euro spec CBX750F headlights grafted into a VF750F fairing) No chemicals, not resins no real fumes. Just a littel heat and some abs rods. Strong enough to do the job and less than half the weight of comparable fiberglass construction.

Grab yourself a couple pics off the 'net, then grab photoshop (or Gimp, it's free) and start a thread with some concept pictures. Ya just never know when some corporate search engine is going to pop it up on a screen somewhere that matters. Heck, If I was a designer at Yammy, I'd be surfing the 'net in my down time for ideas too! I am also a "mature" rider and it's hard to argue that the early to mid 80's were not a golden age for "motorcycles". Sport and touring bikes were light years better than anything before them. Long distance tourers had the Wing, Venture, Cavalcade and Voyager. Sport bikes were going out of the stratosphere with VF's, FJ's, GSXR's, FZ's and Ninjas. Sporting tackle seemed like it came straight from the paddock to the dealer floor those days. Magna's, Madura's, LTD's, VMax's, Specters, Maxims and Eliminators ruled the boulevards and stop lights. Feet forward pipe scrapers was the Virago's, Vulcans and shadows. Two strokes even had their time in the sun with the RD500LC and Suzuki RG500. Even a clean sniffing RZ350LC was pumped out that could take down the hottest 500/600's of the day. And the Turbo bikes. Oh Gawd the Turbo Bikes! GPZ750, XN85, SECA Turbo and CX500/650 Turbo's. They were all "roll on kings", but the CX650 was a monster. Bikes sporting nearly twice it's displacement would have fits trying to outrun it in a roll on contest. It took (at the time) hyper-bikes like the FJ1100 and VF1000R to best it. Even today's Hyperbikes would have a hard time at besting the CX650 in roll on. The GPZ750 Turbo has a cult following these days. Turbo torque rules when it's on the boil.... Except for a few standouts like the RD and XS series, bikes before the 80's were competent at best, stellar at nothing. The 80's relegated everything before it to merely "quaint" and interesting character pieces. Hopelessly outgunned in all arenas. Golden age, plastic and all. Years of my teenage youth. Well worth a revival! Unfortunately, they also sparked off the motorcycling equivalent of "mutual assured destruction" as each manufacturer had to out do the other in every aspect, every year. Started and arms race that gave us 600's that even experienced riders couldn't tap their full performance and spiraled prices right up and out of the stratosphere. Then there was the collapse and glut of previous years models choking the dealer warehouses...golden years to dark times turned on the head of a pin. But I still remember when I bought all my bikes (new or used) with cash from summer jobs. Loan? for a motorcycle? North of $15,000 (CAD) for a 600 CC supersport? $20,000+ for a cruiser? WTH? Not a chance when I was 16 years old. But a summer of two of hard work would put a new $4000-5000 pocket rocket within my reach. $3000-4000 would put a hot 550/600 under me that I could do some serious rockin' on. had an GS550ES, man that little bugger would book! Wish I still was able to fit on one. But I'm a little older, a little slower and...ahem, a "little" heavier..... I still remember my buddy rolling up on his new 84 V65 Magna, 4,000 bucks and instant king of the high school parking lot.... Ah, better times......

So you want a cruiser style, not a touring bike. Only problem is Yammy would just end up neutering it to appeal to that market. Same as they did with the Gen 2 models. Personally, I want it "space age" (I am in the 50 age group by the by!). And since I made it, I get to decide! I wrote it up "tongue in cheek" for a little fun to be a new market segment: Power touring. It's not meant to imply a 3rd gen of the current cruiser models. Plus, Yammy already has a power cruiser, it's called a VMax. That's cool, to each their own. Anyways, lets not turn this into another "gen 3" thread. That's not what it is. It's just me having a little fun with photoshop and I thought I would share.

There's a red light going off somewhere deep within Yamaha black ops section right now......

Checked, it's good. I had my feet up on the highway pegs at the time which also messed up the chassis dynamics. I've felt it before on other bikes, it's wobble from a somewhat less than "rigid" design. My RD350/400's were evil the same way at around 110-115 mph....full on tank slappers if you didn't handle it properly.

Battery light is common. The sensor is either missing or it's U/S. Mine was U/S so I just removed it and installed the resistor to "trick" the computer. You'll need to do it anyways if you elect to install a newer AGM battery. Roasting the legs? It's a characteristic of the breed. As mentioned, cover the holes in the sidecovers or learn to live with it. Highway pegs on the front crash bars allow you to get your legs up out of the heat zone when on the motorways. I get some relief by opening the air ducts on the lower fairings and directing them at the side covers. Doesn't help if you're in low speed around town riding though. You may be able to find a lower temp fan switch for the cooling fan. This would keep the engine a little cooler by bringing the fan on sooner in traffic. I was going to follow the same route until I elected to change the wiring on my 83 to an 86 model (for cruise control and other options). It uses a different thermo switch than the 83 that can be substituted with a Honda car switch that comes on at a lower temp. The other option is a manual switch to turn the cooling fan on sooner and may even help around town. Unfortunately, "roasted thighs" is just part of the design. Sucks in the summer, God send in spring and fall when it's cold and damp......

Nope, Bernoulli principle would only suck the fluid out of the cup on acceleration anyways....

Extra cost option, but available.

Seen here as a test mule but very close to final form, drawing heavily on the revolutionary 1983 Venture touring model and the awesomely powerful 1700 Vmax, Yamaha engineers have created a new model and new "Power Touring" market. Enter; The TourMax! http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/nnnnur2g%20copy_zpsbesmzq1h.jpg Details are limited at this point, but it is reported to use a modified 2015 VMax frame specially stiffened for sharper handling with touring loads. Body work is chosen for its excellent wind protection, ground clearance and a nod to Yamaha's original heavy weight touring powerhouse. Engine power delivery has been tuned to increase low rpm torque to get heavier loads moving while also providing pavement rippling drives out of corners and at your local stop lights. Yamaha's special "active" intake system simulates the Vboost of 1st generation VMaxes starting at 5000 rpm, but is reworked significantly to make 25% more peak HP/torque output than the 2015 VMax while still providing improve low end "grunt". An extended swingarm was required as early testing revealed a tendency for the bike to rear up the back tire under heavy throttle application with a passenger or luggage loads on board. An unexpected benefit of the extended swingarm confirguration was the fitment of a larger capacity fuel tank for extended cruising range. Quick handling characteristics are retained though aggressive steering geometry and special profile tires front and rear. A trailer hitch option is not provided nor recommended due to the extended swingarm configuration. Top speed is expected to be in the 175 MPH range (due to the aerodynamic concessions necessary for a still air touring motorcycle), 1/4 mile is reported to be in the low 10 seconds with a passenger on board. Cruising speed in top gear is reported to be an easy 80 mph at 2500 rpm. Fuel mileage is reported to only be 40 MPG due to the prodigious power production. Native bluetooth connectivity for engine parameter monitoring, audio systems, phone connectivity, intercom and 1 mile "bike to bike" communications are standard, as well as a 150 Amp alternator and multiple USB charging ports. On board navigation is handled via 7 inch touch screen with TomTom and voice nav via included Bluetooth helmet headsets. A special 20 Gig "solid state" hard drive is fitted for music storage and playback. "On board" service and owners manuals can be displayed on the navigation and entertainment screens. The system runs on Android os with a proprietary voice command function for hands free dialing and searching while underway. A separate "fold out" touch screen is provided for passenger access to the navigation and entertainment system. Wifi connectivity and its own mobile hotspot allows checking email and internet information searching while away from home. Yamaha has employed a special team of "enforcers" who will roam the country side and, in accordance with the ownership contract purchasers must sign, severely injure anyone found fitting a trailer, sidecar or "farkles" to the TMax. Owners will be given 24 hours to remove the offending items, non compliance means beatings will be administered. The unit will then be retrieved , returned to factory specs and passed on to a more deserving owner. Front and rear 1080p HD wide angle cameras allow for trip and accident recording via micro sd media. Any 4+ wheeled vehicle operators found to be liable for severe accident damage or loss of the TMax or TMax riders will be visited by the Yamaha "Enforcer team" and severely beaten. Special power ports in the rear trunk allow the installation of defibrillators for older riders and passengers that have heart palpitations on heavy application of throttle. Special seat pad inserts can be ordered that allow for containment and easy disposal of unintended fecal and bladder release. Yamaha engineers, mindful of potential theft attempts of such a special purpose motorcycle, equipped the TMax with an active alarm system that first warns intruders away with voice prompts. It then activates the alarm and immobilizer. If the theft attempt has not yet been deterred it pepper sprays the area , followed by a tazer shock if the theft attempt is continued. Tazer shock deterrent also automatically activates a two way paging system to the owner, activates an on board facial recognition camera and simultaneously dials local police with street location and GPS coordinates. Tazer shocks continue on a 45 second interval until the owner deactivates the system or police enter a special code via a dedicated phone in line for each TMax. A special proximity sensor opens a concealed compartment and makes an aluminum baseball bat available to the owner on approach. Yamaha's target audience is reported to be the mature rider that still has that evil glint in their eye, a distaste for social conformity and isn't afraid of the global implications of slowing the rotation of the earth under the mighty onslaught of the TMax's rear tire. Expected release of this hand built "Arliegh Burke class" heavy touring model is spring 2017 and only in limited numbers, expected to be no more than 1 unit per dealer. Industry insiders have commented that Honda is considering pulling it's Goldwing off the market after several riders reported their bikes jumping off clean off the road and into the ditch as the Yamaha test mule rode past. Pricing has yet to be released but it is expected to be in the equivalent range of one pound of unobtanium....

Pretty much how I think I'll end up going. Brake and running lights.

I think you're right. Also, I noticed a stamp that I missed before on the underside of the brace in one of the pics: http://pic.onestopoutlet.net/pictures/5173xzv34.jpg Looks like "S.T.D Ent." Still, it's a significant chunk and worth the 12 bucks it's starting at. As long as it fits properly that is....

here's our rig: http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/TTS%20Trial%20return%20final%20failure%20again/1237d529-1.jpg http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/TTS%20Trial%20return%20final%20failure%20again/1755ee92-1.jpg That's 9000 lbs on a 98 GMC K2500 with a WD hitch. I use a Husky Centerline Hitch. The trailer sits level and the truck has a 1" squat as per the instructions for setting up the hitch. It' not over the trucks rating, but it is snugged right up to it!

I just got into what I call a chassis wobble on my last trip. Front wheel started it and the "flexy" chassis merrily jumped on board for a good ol' sashay. Basically, emergency maneuver at highway speeds because some car decided he needed my lane more than i did on an outside turn. Just a low amplitude wobble that makes you mess your shorts. If you're not ready for it or experienced enough to deal with it it can turn really bad, really fast. I almost ended up in a concrete divider. Only thing that saved me was having enough head to hold 'er on, force it over, accept the wobble and ride through it. My usual tap the rear brakes (as I would normally do to help settle the chassis) was useless since I couldn't trail the rear brake without getting front brake too (these linked brakes are soooooo G-O-N-E this winter!!!!) Anything you can do to stiffen chassis or suspension moves/alleviates this tendency. A hefty fork brace that doesn't flex helps prevent your forks from getting into a separate movement thing. Chuck in gyroscopic precession with the wheel tilting even the tiniest bit and you front wheel can get into a wobble. Doesn't happen to everyone (depends on how you ride and what happens on that ride) but it's not something I want to ever get into again on this big bruiser. It's not like any of my sportbikes where you have to be jammin' pretty hard to get into it. I was just feet up on the highway pegs and doin' the speed limit....well, maybe 10-20 K over at best.

Diesel pusher is the only way to go on a bigger motorhome IMHO. Heat and noise is behind you, diesel torque for on-ramps and mountainous roads and better MPG than a gasser. Makes it easier to tow something as well. Some say it's harder to find fuel, but I've never had an issue.

I swear, it's like natural selection has taken a couple decades off or something.......

Sure looks like one: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/1986-1993-Yamaha-XVZ1300-Venture-Royale-Front-Forks-Stabilizer-Bar-5173-/311408406544?hash=item4881633010&vxp=mtr Might be someones chance to grab one cheap since they're no longer available. I've got no interest in it since I've just bought a different fork brace.

True. Maybe it's just regional differences dictating what people will (and will not) buy....

I've yet to see a toy hauler in a bumper tow where the garage wasn't up front. Rear garage would just mess with the tongue weight like crazy. Most manufacturers I've seen compensate for it with water tank placement. But then you have to know when to run with full tanks and when not to. Personally, I don't think I'd be pulling a toyhauler anything with less than a 3/4 ton diesel. Preferably a 1 ton. Toyhaulers are usually heavy sumbatches, mostly because they need more structure to haul the weight of "toys". Here's what I've got: http://www.rvguide.com/specs/sites/rv/images/data/floorplan/2011_ForestRiver_FlagstaffClassicSuperLite_831RLBSS.jpg 2011 Forest river RLBSS. It's just perfect for two people to be in for extended trips. The walking areas are all linoleum, which is nice for easy clean up with the dogs bringing dirt and sand in on their feet. The couch folds out and has an air mattress on it for guests. Mother in law says it's very comfortable, but it's more just a PITA. It's really a two person trailer, which is what we wanted. I tow it with a GMC 3/4 ton ECLB diesel. Nothing new, it's a 98 6.5 diesel. But it's been worked over quite extensively... But if I had to do it again, I'd probably trade in the truck, get myself a modern 1 ton diesel, grab a 5th wheel toyhauler and slide the Venture and FJ in the back. Given an unlimited budget (and time to travel), I'd prob buy a Prevost conversion and tow a big enclosed trailer behind as my garage/workshop. Something like this: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BAkA6HGC63g/U-rVQzi9jeI/AAAAAAAAHo0/OclT8VQhYJw/s1600/DSCN2697.JPG work area and tools in the front, bikes on a top level lift platform and some kind of sports car/roadster on a bottom. OOOoooOOOO yeah baby! That's the way to see NA!

Just for giggles, grab a meter and check the resistance of the spark plug cap. I had a similar problem with a #2 miss and it was the cap.

Unfortunately, nothing like that close to ns. Border isn't like bc where its close, bay of Fundy messes that up. While I would like to have the lenses, I think I'm just going to have to give it a pass and settle with just a red running/stop light on the trunk.