frankd

Does the right-front cylinder run on the original TCI? Are you certain that the Ignitech is setup correctly? A year ago my 89's TCI started to get a bit flakey after I washed the bike. I got all paranoid about it leaving me stranded while we were on the road, so I purchased a new Ignitech kit. Mine arrived setup for a VMax. I tried the program for the 83-89 Ventures that was on the CD in the kit, but with it the engine would be hard to start-hot or cold. You could tell that the timing was advanced a lot because even with heavy duty battery cables, a relatively new AGM battery, and a 4 pole (aka 4 brush) starter, it would barely crank and you could hear the engine fighting the starter. With the program I selected the option to not provide spark until the engine cranked over a couple of times and the hard starting was cured, except the bike always had to crank for a bit before it started. Then I noticed that my mileage was down bit compared to the OEM TCI and the bike felt and sounded different when I was riding at a steady speed. I disconnected the vacuum hose to the new MAP sensor. It only had a small effect, as compared to the OEM TCI. We were leaving on a trip so I re-connected the OEM TCI. I intended to remap the advance curve, but I haven't gotten to it yet. I've got the Ignitech mounted to my air box so it's ready in case I need it. I figure all I'll have to do is to pull the battery and battery box and reach down and get the plugs for the TCI and bring them up to the Ignitech. I'd also have to connect the vacuum hose for the new MAP sensor. Better than being stranded in Podunck. Make sure you have correctly timed spark for that dead cylinder before you pull the carbs. If there is any chance that moisture has collected in your spare TCI, put it in the sun and dry it out and try it again.

The cotter key keeps the nut from loosening so the axle can't come out even if the pinch bolt is loose.

Lewis, Barb and I enjoyed both of the Vogels that we have been to. I agree that a different restaurant would be better for Wednesday's meal. A place that could set up a long table or two so that we could visit would be nice. The rides, Saturday's meal, and everything else was perfect. We liked no registration fee, but also understand that sometimes you might need the fee to cover costs. You did great. Frank

On my 89, the vacuum advance is locked out (by the tci) until the engine is revved up somewhat. If I apply vacuum to the vacuum advance line with my mighty-vac with the engine idling, nothing happens. If I have somebody hold the throttle and keep the bike @ 3000 RPM with no vacuum applied, when I apply vacuum the engine speeds up considerably. It appears that your TCI has a problem.

The bottom steering head bearing race might have a detent worn into it. Every time you hit a bump, the lower bearing gets pushed into the race hard, and because the front wheel position is usually in the same position (straight ahead) the race is jarred in the same position every time. Eventually a pretty big gash gets formed, and this causes the front wheel to want to stay pointed straight ahead and it takes a lot more force to get the bearing to move when you want to correct your course. As result of this, the bike wanders. To prove this, you'll have to remove the steering bearings and inspect the race.

OK Joe, I added them to the first message........

A couple of us that were staying at the Seasons Motel (near Vogel) were talking about the fact that Barb and I intended to go to the Wheels Through Time Museum after we left Sunday morning. Well, it is fantastic!! I'm terrible with names, but the Venturerider that has the beautiful black Victory Trike mentioned that Dale Walksler often starts up bikes in the museum. Dale was at the museum Sunday. I first saw him at the front door talking to people coming in. Something that we'd talked about at the motel was that his show was cancelled. When I asked him about that, he said that "It's gone like a puff of smoke". He went on to say that they're working on a new show, but he's not as enthused about it. The new show will be on the History channel and it will about restoration, not driving around the country finding bikes. He said that he really has no input to the show. As you walk through the museum, you see that there are a lot of narrow rubber streaks on the floor, probably from Dale and his son entertaining themselves when the museum is closed. Later I saw him getting into a V-12 Lincoln. He hit the starter and it cranked (very slowly) and started. He backed it out, and drove it into a trailer that he uses for storage. He brought another older car inside and moved it into a display. This car was a crank start and he tried to get it running. It did hit a couple of times, but didn't start. He looked and saw that there was a bolt missing from the throttle linkage, and later I saw him going back to the car with a 1/4"-20 nut and bolt in his hand. If you're in the area make sure you stop here! http://www.wheelsthroughtime.com/

We went to the "Wheels Through Time" museum in Maggie Valley and then headed for home. We made it here about 6:00. There were a couple of brief sprinkles, but nothing to worry about. Lewis, you're right, it was a great time!!! Frank

Thanks Cowboy for a great ride!!!!! Frank

Barb and I will be there!!! It's not packed or gassed up yet, but it did get a bath.

Harbor Freight has their motorcycle lift on sale for a great price ($300). Has anybody ever tried one of these? How rough is it to get a 1st Gen. up on it's center stand when it's on a lift like this? http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lb-capacity-motorcycle-lift-68892-8495.html

Heck, the trip to Vogel IS getting shorter. Two years ago it was 670 miles, and now its wilted away to 170. The bike will hardly get warmed up this year.

A long time ago, better brakes would have saved me from hitting the back of a car with my 83. No matter how much I bled the brakes at the calipers and fork anti dive valves, both the front and back brakes were spongy, and the pedal and levers would run out of travel before I had good braking. When I fixed the bike, I decided to fix the brakes once and for all. I replaced the brake lines with braided lines, but I kept the linked braking intact. I had Progressive Fork Springs so I eliminated the brake line connection to the anti-dive valves. When I bled the brakes, I also used the junction just behind the steering head bearings to purge the air from the left front disk line. With the stock calipers and plain jane regular brake pads, my brakes were now great. It felt like just the right front brake (the one applied with the lever) was stronger than the entire system used to be. The brake levers now only went down a little bit and had a lot of travel left, and both brake actuators were FIRM. If you already have Progessive Fork Springs, this is an effective, easy, inexpensive upgrade.

Where on this site can I find the calendar and register? What is the name of the motel that us non-campers use? Frank D.

Also let us know if it causes and RFI (radio frequency interference). Assuming your radios work, please tune in a weak FM station with the key in ACC, and then turn the key to ON and see what happens. Then tune the CB to CH 19 and do the same test. You can turn the key back and forth to turn the headlight on and off to tell if there is any difference. I had the Cycle Gear LED on my 89 and when I moved to Tennessee I really noticed how the interference kept me from hearing the weaker stations. I put a stock headlight bulb back in for now.

Consider the Museum of Science and Industry. It's at 5700 S. Lake Shore Drive, or just south of I-55. I know it's not just cars and motorcycles, but every time I've been there I spent the entire day totally engrossed in all the displays. It is a huge museum, you can't see it all in 1 day. It's not cheap, the minimum ticket is $18 and I think you pay for parking also. http://www.msichicago.org/

I've had the Cobra on the back of my 1st Gen. for a year and a half now, and for the most part it's been great. I've got about 12,000 miles on it, and the wear looks good, but I'd guess it'll be a little shy of the Venom. I used to get 22-24,000 miles on my Venoms. The Cobras have a lower maximum pressure, only 42 PSI. as compared to 50 PSI for the Venoms. Running @ 42 PSI, I'm beginning to notice some blocking, but it's not bad. Wet traction is good, as is the feel in the turns. I'd buy another one.

Does anybody know anything about the new Ariens rider mowers with 'automatic' transmission? Reverse went out on my 17 year old Murray rider and forward was a bit weak. I pulled the transaxle and changed the oil, but it only helped foward. Now forward is much better, but reverse is still dead. I need a new/rebuilt transaxle, but I could only find 1 new transaxle for over $700. Way too much for something this old. Parts are not available for the Peerless 205-024C transaxle used in the Murray. So I'm cutting my grass without reverse, but that's a bit inconvenient. it's time to look for a new rider. Home Depot has a real good price on a 46" Ariens mower, but they have what Ariens calls an automatic transmission, not a hydrostatic anymore. Anybody have any experience with these? Frank

Now we have a place to stay in middle Tennessee. YEP!!

I pulled the LED headlight from the bike and put a SilverStar back in. The led headlight caused RFI (radio frequency interference) bad enough that only local FM stations could be heard. There was also medium interference to the CB, and a little bit to the AM also, but the FM was by far the worst. I'm going to try to contact the manufacturer to see what they have to say. The unit is not FCC compliant so they may do something.

I haven't even read the VentureRider site for the last couple of months because we have been busy!!!. Barbara and I decided to sell our house in northern Illinois and move to Tennessee near to where our daughter lives. Well, our house sold in 9 days after a bidding war between 2 buyers that wanted it. We never thought it'd go that fast, but we got our act in gear and moved. We've got a 15 passenger Ford E-350 van and a friend loaned us his enclosed trailer, so we moved ourselves. It took some time, but it saved a lot of money. We moved to Manchester TN., about 1/2 way between Nashville and Chattanooga along I-24. The house we bought has a heated/air conditioned 28x50 work shop so I've got plenty of room for the Venture and a nice Ham Radio shack and a lot more. We're not finished moving in yet, but the big things are done and we can start enjoying the beauty of the area. There are 3 relatively big lakes nearby, so I guess I need to buy a fishing boat so I can enjoy them. There are a lot of great ridin' roads in all directions from here. Frank

You can buy a decent JIS phillips screwdriver at Harbor Freight for about $2.00. You'll be amazed at how much better the JIS phillips works as compared to the U.S. version on metric screws.

I put similiar LED driving lights on my 89 almost 2 years ago. I paid a lot more for mine, and they have a little less light output than the ones you've selected. If I had to order another set, I'd probably go a bit brighter, so in that aspect I think they're great. I didn't see any reference to the light pattern though. Mine listed the angle of the beam, and I chose between a wide flood and a narrow spot. Decide what beam angle you want.

Herb, You probably know by now, but yes, the LED will fit, and mine has a fan built in to it that cools the LED. Doug, I think that 84 and later CMU's are similiar, but 83's are way different. LEDs do make some heat, but no where near as much as an incandescent bulb. Frank

If you're talking about the black component that is partially in the circle, it's a .047 microfarad, 400V capacitor. That TCI has been wet---the transistor mounting screws are rusty, and there is a section in the middle that has a lot of crud on it.