GeorgeS

Dunlop E3's --- Front and rear, They will run about 16 to 20K, depending on how you drive, My 4th set is sitting in the garage, ready to be installed when the time comes.

There are a few items on the 1st gens, that are best replaced with OEM parts. The muffler gaskets are one of those items. I fought with them, tried to make some myself, to no avail. Did not try the copper wire trick though. My advice is bite the bullet and order the OEM parts. This also goes for the Clutch, SLAVE, cylinder. If replaceing it order the OEM part. Also the gaskets for the crank case Side Covers. Both left and right ! Order the OEM gaskets. Also, if rebuilding the front brake Master , Order the OEM. Also, if rebuilding the Clutch, master cylinder, Order the OEM . Also, the Carb, Diaphrams !!! Forget the various GLUE, type repairs, Order new ones while they are still available, I know, they are expensive, BUT???? Anyway, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it !!

Also, the Air Ride, Control Head, Cable, about 3 inches from head, is a Pull Apart Plug. Check the Pins in those plugs for being LOOSE. You might have to RE - Solder the pins, with a " Small Soldering iron " . While you are working on your bike, Open, and Clean, EVERY Electrical PLUG, you can get your hands On !! If your bike still has an Lead Acid, old style battery, get a new AGM type Dry Cell !!! Money Well Spent !! Clean ALL the Electical Switches in both handle bar units, with Electrical Contact Cleaner , ( Its a good thing to do )

14.2V is considered about normal charging voltage at running RPM. That lead Acid Battery, is probably history. If its over 3 years old, best get a new AGM type Dry Cell. Cost more, but will last much, much, longer then the old lead acid types !!! DO NOT, get the AGM type, that comes from CHINA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The good ones are made in Penn. Even Harley is using them.

Thanks for that information !! I will open it up, and rig a by-pass hose, or whatever is needed and carry the parts with me. Better to work it out in the garage, then on the road, if the situation rears its ugly head.

As to the front forks " bottoming out " . After you install the progressive springs, and Replace the fork oil, with a heavier Weight fork oil, you will find that you do not, even need any air pressure up front. Also, the High Speed, handling on curvy roads, will be much Improved !!! Also, if you install the Aftermarket, Fork Brace, this will IMPROVE, front end handling. Of note: the stock Front End Set up on these bikes, was NOT, the best, actually it was Very Poor. I bought a new 89 model, back in 93. I did not like front end handling from the first day on the road. The Progressive springs, aftermarket fork brace, and heavier fork oil, MUCH Improved the general Driving, and cornering ability of the bike !!! All these mods, Well Worth!! the money and effort. As far as your rear , new tire leaking, you better pull it off, and clean up the rim, or get another rim. They are not hard to find " Used " As to installing a Tube, not a good idea. I highly Recommend the Dunlop, E-3 rear tire !!! Also, add a dose of " Ride - On " Sealer, It works great !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And-- if you have not done so, next time you pull the Rear, be sure to pull the drive shaft, and Hand Greese the Splines on the drive shaft.

OK, that's the first time I heard of a 2nd gen. blowing the water pump seal. ??? Hmmmm OK , so that means, around the 70K mark, I should rebuild the water pump, wether it needs it of not. Nuff of that. Got to get back to working on the house projects. ( Paint, today ) I think I'm having fun ???

Meant to ask, what was the cause of the overheat , ( Leak ) up at Yreka ???

2nd gen fuel pump failure ?? I have always wondered, IF??? fuel pump failed on a 2nd gen, is the tank high enough above the carbs, that the engine would keep running, until the fuel was Lower then a "" certain "" level in the tank. ?? Hmmm Anybody ever experimented with this question ? I suppose I could disconnect the electrical plug to the pump, fill the tank and give it a try ??

Well, that's true, can't argue with that. But, I don't think it will hurt anything. On the ride yesterday, ouside temp was about 82 deg. However did not have to do many Red light stops. Ride was all in open country. ( as compared to 3 days ago, in Heavy City Traffic. ) Anyway, the bad plug is in the trash can, that's the important part.

Running my 4th E3 now on rear, NO problems, Wet roads in Seattle, I have no problems. I do a lot of Rain Rideing E3, #5, is sitting on my rack, ready to be installed if need be. All of them have run 18000 miles and over. Also have them on front, No problems. Ran them on my 89, and now the 08 RSTD

Yesterday, went on a 250 mile ride, after the Above Repairs. All Seems Normal again. Running like a Swiss Watch, as they say.

The Engine " MISSING " only showed up when Stopped at a red lite, Started along Oregon coast. Lots of small towns and stop lights. After I got onto a highway, up to speed, Seemed to be running just fine. But Every Stop point until got back home ( About 250 miles ) it would be idleing bad, and want to just Stop running. So I agree, with your point, as to a bad plug might be causing overheating, ???? But, Hmmm not sure on that. Yesterday, I changed the plug, Re-Synced, and changed the Anti Freeze, and added the Lucas Super coolant, all at same time. SO, can't be sure. Might have been better to do one thing at a time, then test drive. Anyway, going for a ride today, will see how it goes. As to the Orange Stuff. I been using it in 2 Chevy's and one Ford, for over 10 years, Hmmm. I did replace the radiator in the 03 blazer this year, it was leaking. But its been on the road, for almost 12 years, so ??? Not to concerned. The Ford radiator went about 18 years before I had to replace the radiator. Still have it running on the road, a 93 T-Bird, V-6 . I used the Orange stuff in my 89 Venture for about 5 years before I sold it, never had any Coolant leaks. ??? 90K, and 18 years of on the road service on that bike.

I really love good bread !!!! Always have, though I do not cook or bake myself. But ------------ Since making it past 65, and still alive, I have noted, that Wheat Products, seem to Quickly add to the waist line dimensions. So sadly, I have Stopped, eating Bread, ( and potatoes ) It seems to be helping control the waist line. I have replaced the Carbs. with a lot more " Steak " and " Hamburger" and eggs!! ie: more protein products. Its not easy, passing up all those Pastry Shops!!! ( Especially on long Bike Rides !!! )

About 5 hours into return trip, when stopped at stop lights, ( in towns along U.S. 101 ) ( air temp only about 70 deg F along coast road ) engine started " missing " and actually stopped running couple times. However would Re Start, immediately. Problem continued all the way back to Seattle. Hmmmm ??? says I . At Speed, on Highway, there was NO sign of a problem. Only when stopped at stop lights, waiting for light to change. Added some SeaFoam, next day, problem, got better, but problem back a few days later. OK, yesterday went to work on it, decided to hook up the " Carb Tune " . First look, showed the 4 bars, were still almost aligned. However, as engine warmed up. the left, forward Cylinder, showed, a deffinate!!! Missing, about once every 5 seconds. It was Audible and the bar on carb tune, Jumped !! each time cylinder miss fired. Moveing throttle to just above Idle speed, and problem went away , Hmmm ?? Decided to pull the Spark Plug, and change it. Fixed the problem. There was now more, miss match in the SYNC adjustments, but was easy to get them all back into adjustment. I had replaced all 4 plugs, with New NGK, Iridium plugs back in April. ( New Set ) they have about 5000 miles on them. Anyway, morel of story, is again, Spark Plugs, can " Fail " whenever they decide to. !! And, they can fail, Intermittently Also, the " Carb Tune", is a good tool, to spot, Intermittent Missing, of One Cylinder, when trying to Isolate an Ignition problem, that is only effecting One Cylinder !! --------------------------------------------- Another item: Two days ago, ( Before fixing the above problem ) I was rideing around in the Seattle Metro area, for 2 hours, in Heavy , City Traffic. ( ie: Lots of stop lights ) Air temp was about 85 deg. Hot for Seattle. I noticed that the Engine temp, was getting Hotter then normal. After returning to home, and parked in garage, Engine OFF, Left KEY " ON " so the Fan would keep running, and I " Noted " that the Fan kept running for about TWO Minutes until finally Shut down. ???? Hmmmm ??? says I . Normally when parking in garage, the Fan might run for about 15 Seconds, until it shuts down. Something is NOT Right ???? Got to thinking about Anti Freeze, of course ???? Remembered, when I changed it last time, back in Sept. of last year. I Used the CHEAP Stuff, that I got from O'Riley's Auto parts. Had some left over from work on one of my cars. I had bought 2 gallons for the car, and had about 2 Qts. left over, so I used that in the bike. ???? So yesterday, in addition to changing the plugs, I replaced the Coolant with the ORANGE, " Dex-Cool " Expensive Stuff. I also Added, the Reccomended Dose, of " LUCAS, Super Coolant " I put in about 3 Oz. of the stuff, with the New 50/50 mix of Dex-Cool. Outside Temp was 85 degrees, After having engine running for about 30 min. in driveway, doing the RE-SYNC of Carbs, engine was HOT, as it would get, at Idle speed, pushed into garage, and on shut down, I noted that the Fan only ran for about 10 Seconds. Today, looks to be a HOT day here in Seattle, so will go for a ride, and try to Duplicate, the Overheating Condition. My point, here is to try to prove, one way or the other, IF!! The more Expensive Orange Stuff, is any better then the Cheaper GREEN Stuff !! Note: On the bottle of Lucas, Super Coolant, Additive. IT CLAIMS ??? that your cooling system will run 20 Percent cooler with their Stuff Added. ????? Who knows?? anyway, if it does work, that is a Good Thing, for your Engine, in Hot summer weather. Anybody, have any comments, as to the Validity of the Claims for these products, I think there are about 3 of them on the market.??? Ride safe folks!!! See you all " down the road "

How many miles are on this bike ?? Do you know What , if any, maintenance has been done to the Steering head, fork seals, and have the fork springs ever been replaced ??? Have you, done a TEST, for front end wobble??? ie: On straight, level road, at about 40 mph, 50 mph, and 60 mph. carefully remove hands from both handle bars, BUT, be ready to grab them !!! Does the bike keep going straight?? Or does the steering head start to Wobble back and forth ????? If it does, you deffinatly need to work on the steering head bearings, and possible fork springs, and seals. ALSO, Check settings of the TORQUE, nuts on the swing arm bearings, ( and of course greese those bearings ) You have an OLD, BIKE, how much do you know about the Maintenance History of this bike ??? How many miles on it ??? Without this information, all of us here are just guessing, as to what may or may not need to be done to it !! HEAD WOBBLE, was a very common problem with the 1st Gen Ventures !!!!!

Have your checked ALL of the Air Inlet passageways, and Be Sure, the Air Filters are clean, ( replace them ) Any chance of a Rats Nest, in Air Intake passageways ??? ( Or plugged for whatever reason ??? ) Possible, a Bad Ignition Coil, is cutting out, at a higher RPM. Coils on these bikes, are known to fail ??? After you get it too the RPM where it cuts out, try to keep it running for some time. Then Shut down, Then Pull All 4 spark plugs. and let us know if One or more of them, Does Not Look, Correct. If one is Wet, or more highly carboned then the others, then I would start looking for a problem on that cylinder. ( If this bike has been parked out in the weather for some time, ( ie: the junk yard ) I would suggest you pull the tank, and panels, and start, Opening Up. ALL OF THE ELECTRICAL PLUGS, ON THE ENTIRE BIKE. Clean all the contacts, Inspect all connections for corrosion !! Start with the Ignition Unit, Its located UNDER the Radiator, and Get Wet down there, front wheel will throw crud up onto the unit. A Corroded Plug on this unit can cause a lot of problems. I also suggest a new set of plugs, if you have not already replaced them, INSPECT THE PLUG WIRES FOR DAMAGE FROM THE ACCIDENT!! They are not replaceable, you have to buy new ignition coils. I also, suspect Damage Wireing , Somplace due to the accident. Check Every Inch of every electrical wireing cable, and ALL the Plugs !!!

Short of modifications, have you tried, the Higher Lumen, bulbs, which are aviable at auto parts stores. Sylvania, has 2 upgrades. over the stock bulb. Not a huge improvement, but better then nothing. Get the most expensive Sylvania bulb, They are better then the stock bulb. However, if you do a lot of night driving, then add some driving lights !! as said in above posts. !!! IF you add lights, be SURE, to Power them thru """ ADDED RELAYS, TO POWER THE NEW LIGHTS """ DO NOT, just wire them onto the Existing Circuits !!!!! If you need advice on how to do this, many here will be glad to help !!

Well, don't ever do that again !!! nuff said -----

Plans not firmed up as yet. Might leave the 24th, and make it to Southern Oregon, maby Grants Pass, late Wed. night. I Usually stay at the 6, in grants pass on my runs to southern Calif. If so, will show up in Yreka, morning of the 25th.

We are " All " old guys !!! your in good company

Have not been on the site for 8 or 10 months, ( something like that ) Been busy, lots of car problems last fall. A lot of other projects, and for last 3 months been doing updates, and repairs to the house. Also a few family problems, which are all now past, ( hopefully anyway ) Anyway, logged on yesterday, and see that venture west, is on again this year. I will be heading down to Yreka, for the meet. Sent in my fee to renew the subscription today also, which was expired. I made a run to Los Angeles, and back on the bike, 2nd week of May this spring. Was a good trip, got lucky on good weather. Made VERY good use of the " Electric Vest " !!!!!!! It was still on the cold side. The RSTD now has 32K on it few weeks ago. 3 rideing seasons on the new bike, starting 4th this summer. Bike still running like a Swiss Watch !!! Knock on wood, as they say. Anyway, got my Res at Motel 6 in Yreka for June 25, 26, and 27th this morning, called it in. The other place is all booked up. So will be there Rain or shine, House projects last three months, believe it or not ( I can't ) New kitchen counter tops. ReShingled 1/4 of my roof, Painted living room, dineing room, entry way, hall way, and downstairs hallway. Removed, and Replace 8 pre-hung doors in the house ( All of them ) Removed the slideing door going into kitchen, and just framed it. Painted ALL the Closet doors in the house, 18 of them !! In the process of replaceing ALL of the baseboard trim entire house. Doing LOTS of Garage Cleaning out !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Still not done. Contractor comeing to replace ALL the rain gutters in a few weeks. Contractor comeing tomorrow to Estimate, Replaceing my furnace ! Its 15 yrs old, still working, but better safe then sorry, as they say. Contractor comeing this Sat. morning to Replace the upper deck double slideing glass door, and the bottom floor slideing glass door. ( Don't ask how much that is costing me !! ) The 80 inch wide units. With double pain glass windows -- --- And, YES, I did take out a home equity loan to pay for all the projects !!! ---- What else??? Hmmm guess I need to change the oil in the RSTD, before heading for Yreka !! Anyway, I'm back, if anybody wants to chew me out for anything, I'm all ears !!! And, the Sun is shining !!! In Seattle this week !!!---------- ITS NOT RAINING IN SEATTLE THIS WEEK ----- If anybody is headed this way.

First thing to do is sign up at the local gym, this will give you a couple hours a day away from " honey dew projects " !!! Also, keeps you well fit, for " Long Rides " !!!!! into the future !!!

Well, finally got back on the site today. The Answer to my " Two " Unique " Ride Destinations " !! Hoover Dam, and the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington state . Irreplaceable, Icon's, and two biggest cash cow business's on the planet !! Owned lock stock and barrel, by Uncle Sam !!! You cannot buy stock in either of them !!

Ok I just found out today, an interesting piece of information . What are the two biggest " cash cow " business's on the entire planet ?? And they are irreplaceable, and you can't buy stock in these two outfits !! But they are a neat " ride " to go take a look at !!