lsutley

Kurt, Great read. Thanks for the inspiring article! It is fortunate or perhaps providential that you were not badly injured, or worse. Good luck with the repairs to your ride. I think I know how you feel about the bike, your mark eventually is on everything and it becomes personal.

Thanks for the advice. What I did not realize was that the discoloration on the covers is aluminum oxide. Very hard stuff that would not come off in the blaster using soda as a media. The sandpaper removed the layer of oxides, turning everything one color, and the rest was a matter of polishing to an acceptable level. I used aluminum wheel clear coat to finish the piece and it does not look too bad from ten feet.

I would like to pick the brain power of the members as to the cleaning and polishing of the aluminum motor and trans case covers. I have replaced the clutch and rotor and before replacing the covers, would like to clean, polish and re-cote them. The laquer had pealed in places, exposing the castings to the normal crud. It seems that the porosity of the aluminum in places has imbedded some crud that is resisting removal. There is also a general color change in portions of the surface. I have stripped the lacquer, washed with acetone, detergent and scalding water, and soda blasted. The surfaces are smooth as a baby's butt but not suitable to re-cote and replace. This is holding up the installation of the new stator and R/R. The general rewiring project is stalled untill the wires from the relocated R/R to the stator are rerouted. Any ideas as to how to bring the surfaces to a consistent color and polish?

Duane, I have a harness from a MK II that is mostly complete. Since I began the rewiring of my 86 I no longer need the spare. If it would help you, send me a PM an I will get it out to you.

I believe that the Spyder group would fit in nicely with the VentureRiders. I would hope that the extra burden, of planning for the additional size of the gathering, does not fall on your shoulders.

I have a set of nearly new wires and caps from my 86. If you are interested send me a PM.

When replacing the rotor the key in the crankshaft does not always stay in it's rightful home. I have had to remove the rotor a couple of times to make sure the key was properly seated.

In our house the five second rule would apply. If it is not on the floor for more than five seconds and the dogs don't get it, put some ice cream on it and grab a fork!!

Mike, It sounds like these folks are more than willing to offer anything one might need for a great time. It is just shy of 800 miles for me. Maybe a weeks vacation in Alabama would be a good idea.

Here are some pictures of the Progressive rear shock control on my 86.

The unit that I have has an adjustment knob on the canister to change the dampening effect of the shock. The spring is held in place with a large nut that can be moved to increase or decrease the tension.

I replaced, mine with a Progressive, about two years ago. My sidecar puts more loading on the rear than most any passenger. The canister, that contains the air over oil cushion, is pressurized to 400 psi, if my recollection is correct. I needed to buy a high pressure pump to even check for the proper inflation. The pump has to be of a zero pressure loss design as there is such a small amount of air in the canister. The Progressive spring, that is available separately, probably has more positive effect than the shock. It is much stiffer and brings the bike up to a level position, with the car attached. I do not believe that the dampening ability of the shock is any better than an OEM in good condition.

1986-1993 Venture Side Cover Rubber Straps http://www.ebay.com/sch/Other-Parts-/10064/i.html Here are a pair for sale.

If you are traveling on Rout 90 through Erie PA, I am just south of there 40 miles. I have a working stator and OEM R/R from my 86 that may fix the problem.

When I replaced mine I loosened the bolt that holds the wire bracket in place, dropped it down a couple of inches and the slave came right out.

I have had problems with my selector indicator since I bought the bike. The PO included a new unit with the bike that I just recently installed. When I removed the old unit I found that all three of the mounting screws were loose. This caused a small oil leak and I believe was the cause of all the problems in the first place. Put the new on in (while I was in there) but the old one sure looks good on the inside. I can't see any way of determining what problem may be plaguing the switch without removing it for an inspection and cleaning.

It is located on the left side behind the secondary gear cover.

Michel, There is room in the sidecar for a small car battery. This would require constructing a strong bracket above the auxiliary fuel tank. That option is still on the stove, just not on the front burner. What sidecar do you use? The frame design looks familiar but I cannot place the manufacturer. Thanks for the input, it is much appreciated,

Finished the starter (four pole) and the clutch slave cyl. replacement. While I was in there it would be obvious to anyone (thanks Jeff ) that the covers need to be stripped, polished and re-coated. New stator cover showed today and is in good condition. It still contained the pickups and the stator. Worked some on the rewiring, getting a better handle of how the finished product should look.

The stock clutch lever does not pull very hard, at least as compared to the brake. Replaced the stock clutch with a complete Barnett setup and the pull is much more firm.

The Ignitech was the most expensive portion of the conversion. I don't remember the exact amount, maybe around $265.00. The COP's and harness are ebay finds at $50.00. The TXL wire $25.00 and replacement terminal pins for the Honda connectors about $5.00. If You already have the crimper and stripper, that's about it. Gary provides the Ignitech setup to properly match the COP primary impedance. Out go the coils and OEM TCI , #18 wires from COP connectors to the new TCI plug and off you go. I chose to relocate the battery to make more room to relocate the R/R, new fuse panel and reduce the cramped space for all that wiring. I believe that a considerable amount of the wires can be eliminated through the use of a 12+ bus and a 12- terminal block. Move ALL fuses to the new block and eliminate the hidden splices in the wire loom. There are more of them than I imagined there would or should be. I want to offer a special thanks to Gary for his patience with my many questions and the value and accuracy of the information he provided!!

:sign yeah that::sign yeah that::sign yeah that: I learned, all that I know about the COP's, from Gary. I intend to install the Ignitech TCI along with the COP's. The ones that I am using are from a 2008 Honda CBR1000. From 2008 on they have a metal case and are shorter. The Honda wiring will be scrapped and new TLX wire run from the COP connectors to the TCI connector. I will post a picture of the OEM Yamaha wires for the coils, you won't believe the whoop-t-do they take to get the job done.

I guess that I like to tinker as much as ride. I enjoy finding out whether the modifications work as expected. I am probably worse than Jeff when it comes to "while you are in there". The clutch is in and the gear indicator switch is in. Wire for the COP connections came yesterday. Bad karma with the rotor cover as the shifter bushing tab had been welded and the bushings were toast. New cover coming from ebay.

Pete, You are correct. After I took the picture I decided to relocate the box to the front lower portion of the right saddlebag. I am still waiting for the welding cable and ends to make the connections. Thanks for the input, it is greatly appreciated.

I amassed a pile or parts over the winter and have finally decided to install them. This all started by watching Dingy modify his rides. Now I have a new TCI, coil over plugs, battery relocation, rotor and stator replacements, gear position indicator switch, clutch slave cyl, new clutch assembly, and fuse box replacement under way. More parts are arriving every day for the fuse box rewiring, which will be extensive. I may be nuts but it's too late to turn back now!