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frankd

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Everything posted by frankd

  1. frankd
    If you hear a slight 'thump' from the dead channel, the speaker is "probably" good. My 89 radio works good, and when I turn the key "ON", you can hear the amplifier come on with a slight 'thump' and then you can hear low level white noise from both channels. BTW, white noise is a hiss, kind of like an old FM radio use to put out between stations. When I turn on the radio and leave the volume all the way down I still hear the white noise, no matter if the radio is on FM, AM, or I have the IPOD input selected (I used the cassette input for the IPOD). When I bought my low mileage 89 three years ago, one channel was dead on the headphones, but I had sound from both speakers. I found that one of the previous owners had taken the speaker leads off of the 'bad' channel and connected the speaker in parrallel to the good channel. I found it was the control assembly (the volume control itself plus all of the other controls ==tone, intercom volume) that was the problem. How I determined this was to go over to my friend's house and borrowed pieces of the audio system from his 86. On EBAY I purchased a control panel and that took care of my dead channel. I'm NOT saying this is what is wrong with yours, but suggesting that maybe you can find another 1st Gen. owner that will help you this way. I just pulled out the whole control panel by instering the ignition key and releasing the latches in the other corners and plugged his into mine. The part that I changed was the smaller panel that holds the volume, tone and intercom controls==the rest is still original, except for the cassette deck being retired. Someone was talking about buying speakers for a 1st gen.....you can buy them anywhere that handles car audio equipment. For my 83, I've purchased them at Walmart, and also at a Pioneer dealer at a flea market. They are 4" round and I think they are 8 ohm (from memory). Just by a pair with higher efficiency, which you will see when you read the package and look for the sound output @ 1 watt input. If I remember correctly, you want a set with a rating about 97 db. Frank D.
  2. frankd
    No, it's definetly the very bottom of the left side cover. I chased the leak a couple of months ago, and found the left side gasket had a rip in it right where it was leaking. I replaced the gasket, and the engine was dry. It was fine on the way down to Mufreesobor, TN, but it was cool that day. The next day, I got stuck in traffic on a mid 80 degree day. The fan cycled a couple of times, and when I parked it I saw an oil drop. The gasket appeared to be leaking slightly in the same spot. It stayed the same, until we were climbing the steep grades in the Ozarks with a temperature in the high 90's, and it started leaking worse. Now it's back to where it was before I changed the gasket. My real question is why does the gasket get destroyed when the motor gets hot??
  3. frankd
    We got home yesterday from a great 2500 mile trip. Barb and I went down to Tn. to see our daughter and grandsons for a couple of days, then we came back up to southern IL (near Cairo), met our friends, and took off for the beautiful roads of Arkansas. After this we went to Beal St. in Memphis for Bike night (very few bikes there because of threatening weather), and then home. The 89 ran great, but came home with a re-occuring problem. A couple months ago, I pulled the left case and found that the gasket had split on the bottom around a bolt. That is what was causing my oil leak. I cleaned every thing as perfect as possible, and installed a new gasket. I 'reasoned' that I may have over-tightened the attachment bolts when I replaced my stator and starter clutch. After changing the gasket, everything was fine (dry)....until I got stuck in Mufreesboro TN. traffic on a hot day. When I got back to my daughter's house, the bike left a drop of oil on her garage floor. I inspected the area and saw a little bit of oil around that same bolt again. There were no other instances of oil under the bike the entire rest of the trip, so I was happy....until I noticed oil collecting on the sidestand spring and the front of the left saddlebag. Now that we are home, there is a lot more oil around that same bolt. It's leaking in the same spot again. The stator and trigger coil leads coming out are still dry. There is a chance I over tightened the bolts slightly again. I was converting inch pounds to foot pounds and used 16 instead of 12 as a multiplier. In the heat of battle I converted ounces to pounds, not inches to feet, and ended up overtightening them by 25%. I did install the new gasket dry no sealant. In an Email, Propps had suggested "The last thing I tried was an Anaerobic sealant from NAPA auto parts... I think it was by Loctite. It comes in two part spray with the sealant itself and an activator.... and it is EXPENSIVE! He fought with the same issue. But before I pulled it apart last fall, I don't think this cover had been off since the bike was built, and also I have had several different stator covers off with no problems with oil leaks. Propps also had installed a bad, new stator when his problem started. My new stator is fine (charges good at idle). Has anybody else had problems with overtightening cover bolts?? I wonder if Yammie hasn't started making gaskets out of a different material?? I may have to just use the Anaerobic sealer and deal with it being 'glued' on the next time I take it apart. Any other ideas?? These covers go on dry at the factory. Frank D.
  4. frankd
    Well, I bought my 83 brand new and rode it until 3 years ago when I found a low mileage 89 Royale. My brother wanted a bike and couldn't afford one, so now he's riding the 83 with 150,000 miles showing and I ride the 89. With all the mileage on the 83, I would have a hard time selling it, yet it runs so good!!!! Also, there is no other make or model bike like a 1st. gen Venture. Frank D.
  5. frankd
    I have used motorcycle chain lube to cure this problem. It sprays on thin, so it soaks in, and then the thinner evaporates and it gets heavier, so it stays put. On my 83 it used to scream pretty loud when it got cold out. Frank D.
  6. frankd
    Yes, it is an amazing motorcycle. I didn't try any parking lot turns, but I didn't notice that it's top heavy. But then I've been riding a 1st Gen for 28 years. The throttle is real touchy and the bike has very little flywheel mass, so taking off from a stop is something else to get used to. I killed it several times, although we were 2 up. The bike is quiet. There is some whining at idle, but at speed I didn't notice any. My 89 has stock mufflers, and the BMW is slightly quieter than that. I didn't object to the sound of the motor at all, but Barb didn't feel that it sounded like a motorcycle. For reference, I don't like the way an 1800 Gold Wing sounds--to bland. This doesn't sound bland. Brakes.....Yes, I'm comparing it to a 1st. Gen, but I do ride other bikes and I don't feel the brakes are too touchy on them. My son in law has a Suzuki cruiser, and the brakes don't feel too touchy on that, and neither does a Gold Wing. The BMW's were touchy, real touchy. I am also 6' 2''. My inseam is only 32'', and I'm long in the body. The adjustable windshield moves, but the air never gets still. If I forgot to answer any questions, please ask them again. Frank D.
  7. frankd
    Barb and I are down in Murfreesboro TN at our daughter's house. My son-in-law and I got to talking about the bikes he has test ridden, and the topic of the BMW 1600GTL came up. He'd gone to the Nashville dealer (Bloodsworth) and looked at it, but it was raining that day so he couldn't go for a test ride. Today we went up there and Barb and I went for a ride. It sure is a lot different than a MKII first Gen!!! The luggage is pretty small. The travel trunk is real big on the outside, but it's 2 layers, so the inside is way smaller than the MkII. The sadle bags have a real neat mounting system. They go on and off the bike in about 2 seconds flat. The motor is fantastic. Super smooth and unbelieveable power--everywhere. I ran it from a 3000 rpm run in 1st gear. You could feel the computer cut the power back whenever it would start to lift the front tire. Even in 6th gear from 55 mph, the power is great. Barb says it doesn't souind like a motorcycle though. The transmission shifts good, but there is a lot of gear lash in the driveline---way worse than either my 89 or my 83 with 150K on it. It turns great. Really great. I think it's because of the front suspension. The brakes are way too touchy. If you are old enough to remember getting into your friends early 60's Olds. or Pontiac and coming to a screeching stop while just touching the brake pedal, that's what the BMW brakes seem like. Even when I was trying to stop real gentle, it was an abrupt stop. There is some time delay between the throttle by wire and the motor responding, but it's not too bad. The passenger portion of the seat comfortable, but it took Barb some time to get used to it. She liked the seat heater, but says the back rest was terrible. I hated the front seat, but it had the shorter one. The dealer says he thinks he'll get a higher seat in soon. The wind protection from the fairing is no where as good as the first Gen. You have to use a bluetooth if you want communication with your passenger. I didn't play too much with all the toys, except I did switch the damping on the suspension. In the comfort position, it rides smoothly, and it gets stiffer when on normal or whatever they call the higher position. There is a lot less passenger room compared to either a 1st. or 2nd gen. If I left anything important out, please ask away..... Frank D.
  8. frankd
    I don't have a Venture speedometer in front of me, but this is how all analog speedometers work. The speedometer cable connects to a steel cup. It spins close to but not touching a magnet. The magnet is connected to the speedometer indicator (needle) as is a linear coill spring. When the steel cup spins, eddy current is induced in it (because of the magnetic field) and force is applied to the magnet that applies a force that is linear to speed. The force that is induced pushes the indicator in the direction of rotation, or upscale. The coil spring pushes the needle downscale. Say your going 10 mph. The cup is spinning pushing the needle upscale, and the coil spring is pushing the needle downscale---they balance @ 10 on the speedometer face. When you speed up to 20 mph, the eddy current induced doubles, which douibles the force applied to the magnet. That pushes the needle upscale, and the spring gets wound tighter. They balance each other @ 20 on the scale. The magnet to cup distance can't change or the amount of eddy current induced (and therefore the force applied) will be changed. If the metal chips you found are from the cup pivot bushing, wear would change the distance between the cup and magnet, effecting the accuracy of the speedometer. Also, the needle has to move smoothly, and can't bind anywhere. If it binds, the needle may not move. If you had chips in your speedometer, it may be time for another speedometer. On my 83, I used motorcycle chain lube on the cup pivots, and it stopped the noise and it's still working @ 150K. What I liked about chain lube is that it's thin when applied, then the thinner evaporates and it gets thicker and stays put. Frank D.
  9. frankd
    You need 6-8 volts on the wire to turn off the low battery alarm. On my 83, I used a 1K ohm resistor, but on my 89 I went a bit higher, I think about 15K. If I went above that, the alarm came on. Frank D.
  10. frankd
    Well, we're really not leaving from Mufreesboro--just visiting the Daughter and Grandkids there. We've done Cherokee, the Dragon, and the Blue Ridge Parkway several times and it's always great. The friends we're meeting live in the southern tip of Illinois, so we'll be leaving from there, or maybe we'll just meet in Indiana somewhere. Really, I was asking about Penn. and WV. I know both states have tons of nice motorcyle roads, but which ones are the greatest. Also special things to see there. Frank
  11. frankd

    Too much oil

    frankd replied to tz89's topic in Watering Hole

    I just put in 3 1/2 quarts (although I have the stock oil filter), and then next time I use the left over 1/2 quart and 3 fresh quarts. After running the motor to fill the filter, my oil level is a little above 1/2 on the sight glass.
  12. frankd
    Next week Thursday, Barb and I are heading down to see the Grandkids in Murfreesboro, TN. Sunday we're meeting friends near Cairo, IL, and the 4 of us are heading towards PA, WV, & OH. for a week of sightseeing. If you know of some roads or scenery in this area that shouldn't be missed, please let us know. We have nothing planned, just wearing out some tires.... Frank D.
  13. frankd
    Bobby, Are you the type of rider that uses the KILL switch, or do you leave it alone?? 3 years ago I bought a low mileage 89, and it started to do the same thing. Then I was driving down the interstate and I pushed the "cruise on" button. The motor quit firing, the tach went to zero (the motor was still turning over), and the cruise light did not come on. Then a couple of seconds later, the light came on and everything was fine. I looked at the wiring diagram and noticed that the kill switch also switched the power to the cruise control. I rocked the KILL switch about a hundred times, and never had the problem again. I do use the kill switch regularly. Frank D.
  14. frankd
    Seeing as you're not discharging the battery enough to worry about, it looks to me that you may have charging issues and the battery never gets re-charged. You said the battery voltage was " north of 13.5 and went up when reving the engine". The voltage should be way north of 13.5V. The 1st. Gen spec. is 14-15V @ 2,000RPM, and the 2nd gen. should be about the same (same type of battery--lead acid). This test needs to be done with a fully charged battery. If you're not getting to 14 volts, you've got a stator, stator to regulator plug, or regulator problem. Any of these can cause low charging voltage. Another test that's not in the book, but is important is to check from one of the stator leads to ground with an ohmeter. It should read infinity. If you read a short, you have a grounded stator and that causes low charging voltage. Frank D.
  15. frankd
    What everybody has told you is absolutely correct. Mk 1's temperature gauges read a bit higher than Mk II's. If it's 100 degrees out, any First Gen (I have no idea about 2nd Gens) would run a bit hot. I have an 83 also, and before I did the 2nd gear repair it would run almost up to the red line if it was over 90. When I put it back together, it ran much cooler. The only thing I could think of that would explain this was it was much cleaner. Before I took it apart, the motor was a bit grimy, and I cleaned everything while it was apart. Clean yours engine as much as possible, especially the front and bottom and yours will cool down a bit. Frank D.
  16. frankd
    When it 'cuts out', does the radio display go blank or does the display normal and the sound just goes out?? This will let us know if we're dealing with a power problem or a radio problem. Frank D.
  17. frankd
    The first thing that I'd do is to pull the control panel---you unlock it with the ignition key and then move the corner latch clips so that they release the control panel, and then lift it up by the handles. THen I'd reach inside and make sure everything is plugged in completely. Then put the control panel back on, making sure it's seated properly. If this doesn't do it, you'll have to take a left side of the fairing off and start moving or wiggling connectors until you find out what's not seated. Frank D.
  18. frankd
    If your bike is a 2006, isn't it still under warranty? Frank D.
  19. frankd
    If you combine what Jason and Barend do, you end up shifting perfect. Preload the shift lever slightly just before you shift, pull the clutch in briefly and also let off the throttle briefly at the same time. Also, make sure the engine is rotating slightly faster than it'll be when you let out the clutch. What I mean is---if the engine is spinning a little faster, when you let the clutch out all the driveline play is gradually taken up and things are smooth. If the engine isn't spinning fast enough, when you let the clutch out, you pull all of the free play to one side, and then when you open the throttle you take it all the way the other way and you get a "CLUNK". If you preload the lever and shift quick the motor doesn't have time to slow down too much. As for the engine not being smooth enough---make sure your carbs are synchronized and that your diaphrams don't have any holes in them. These engines are pretty smooth, although not quite as smooth as a Wing. Frank D.
  20. frankd
    Is there any chance that the main idle speed had been set way too high when the thing was gunked up? On the left side, look and see which carb. does NOT have a syncronizing screw (I think it's the rear one). Underneath of that carb, there will be a little (a little bigger than a dime) wheel with notches all around it. This is the master idle speed adjustment screw---it moves all 4 carbs. Take a long flat bladed screwdriver and turn the screw counter-clockwise. As soon as you move it, you SHOULD hear the motor slow down. Another posibility-----you said that your idle vacuum was low? Could you have a vacuum leak? Make sure the carbs are in the boots properly, and that the vacuum advance hose is on the left front cylinder (I think you said you have a MkII). Crimp the hose near the port with a pair of pliers to verify that you don't have a leak downstream. Frank D.
  21. frankd
    I guess I didn't proof read my previous message well enough. I wasn't talking about the resistor color code---I've worked in electronics for 50 years so I know Violet quite well. The color code I was refering to was the battery probe wire color code. I figured the prevous owner left it laying near the battery and tried to give some info on where to find the wire itself. I will proof read better. I will proof read better. I will better proof read. I will.... Frank
  22. frankd
    Dano here on this site makes a great kit to fix the starter clutch permanently. I did mine last fall and the only problem with this project is getting the rotor off the crankshaft. If you want to use OEM parts to fix it, they are available, but cost about 3/4 the price of Dano's kit and with the OEM parts the problem will probably re-occur. Frank D.
  23. frankd
    Dingy, Doesn't he have to change the pickup wiring connections on the new Czech module wiring? Frank D.
  24. frankd
    Actually, you connect the 1K ohm resistor from the battery probe wire to a 12 Volt source. I connect it to the accessory screw on the fuse panel (it's the left hand screw at the front of the fuse box). You will probably find the battery probe wire laying loose in front of the battery (Off the top of my head, I'm not sure of the color code, but I 'believe' it's white or light yellow with a red stripe). BTW, you can get the resistor @ Radio Shack, either 1/2 watt or 1/4 watt. The reason your battery alarm is on is that the original batteries had a hole for a probe. When the probe was in the battery electrolyte (the liquid) it created a battery and put voltage on the probe wire. A lot of new batteries don't have a place for the probe. The alarm was designed to come on when the fluid in the battery got low. Frank D.
  25. frankd
    These kill switches become intermittant when they don't get used much. When I bought my 89, it had sat for a long time, but ran great. When I first got it, I noticed that sometimes it would go dead briefly. Heck, a couple of times it stopped running, but restarted fine (just like yours). Then I was driving down the interstate and decided to play with the cruise control. I pushed the 'on' button and the motor went dead and the cruise 'on' light didn't come on. The tach dropped to zero, even though the engine was still spinning. About a second later, it all came back to life. I looked at the print and saw the cruise was switched by the kill switch. Then I excercised the switch for a couple of minutes. Problem gone. Now I never have done this to the kill switch, but I wouldn't be surprised if you could take it apart and clean the contacts---most of the switches on 1st Gens. can be opened up. Or do like I did 3 years ago, turn it on and off a couple of hundred times and the wiping action of the contacts will clean them up. Now that you've found the cause of your trouble, put everything else back to original.
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