V7Goose

You should NEVER need to touch the choke unless it is quite cold out. If you need to use it to start in warm weather, that is a primary indication that you probably have some blockages in you primary jets or other problems with your fuel mixture (such as vacuum leaks). Properly set up and tuned, with clean carbs and no other mixture or ignition problems, that engine will ALWAYS start with just a momentary touch of the button and nothing else. A hard acceleration at 60 MPH does call for a downshift, at least to fourth, and maybe even third. But even in 5th gear, that engine should not "chug", it just won't take off very fast until you finally get the revs up where they should be (of course, your definition of "chug" may be different than mine). If you are really getting a "chugging" with significant increased vibration that indicates the classic lugging of an engine, then I'd be more inclined to believe you are only running on three cylinders, or your carbs are way out of sync.

New Mexico is probably too far away from where the bike is now, but I have the space here if you can use it. Goose

Well, I am late to this game, and I only quickly scanned all the posts after the OP - but just based on the initial information (started fine and died when put into gear), it seems to me to be almost certainly an issue with one of the interlock switches (clutch, sidestand, neutral), or the starter relay (which actually contains three relays related to the interplay of those three interlock switches). There are also a couple of diodes in those circuits. One big disclaimer here - all this is just from faded memory - I have not pulled out the schematics to refresh anything! I have never seen one of those diodes go bad, and it is very rare for the relay to go out. Smart money here is on either the sidestand or neutral switch. Goose

I have absolutely no idea what the "shotgun method" is or if it would work for a 2nd gen - I was simply making a joke about how much damage you would do to any engine if you shot it with a gun. I'll admit that I also editorialized a little bit by indicating that I think some vehicles deserve to be shot. None of that was actually germane to the OP's request for help, so I apologize for the short side trip. Goose

If you fire a shotgun into that engine, I'm pretty certain that you will have more (and different) problems. I would not do that. Although I can certainly see it having a wonderful benefit for an ugly V-Max. There are about a billion threads on this site dealing with the carbs and general tuning issues. I know that finding those might be a bit of a challenge for new members, but spend some time in the tech library . . . You have mentioned doing a temperature check - problem is, there ain't really any places on a water cooled bike that you CAN actually check individual cylinder temps. You could try the exhaust header bolts, but I do not even find that reliable because you cannot get consistent aiming on the identical spot for all four cylinders. The only reliable way to check for cylinder firing on startup is the fingertip test, where you have to reach in UNDER the header pipe to touch the real pipe near the exhaust valve in the first 30 seconds or so after the engine starts from COLD. That pretty chrome pipe you see is just a heat shield, so any test there is of zero value. I have never seen a 2nd gen that actually needed a carb "rebuild" (in the old time sense of that term), but virtually any one of them that hasn't been ridden daily DOES need the jets cleaned. Seafoam is a wonderful product, but it can do absolutely NOTHING at all if the idle jets are totally plugged. The jets do NOT sit submerged in fuel, so if there is not fuel actually being pulled through them while the engine is running, NOTHING can clean them. The ONLY way to be sure those jets are clean is to pull the carb assembly and pop off the bowls to spray a strong carb cleaner directly into the jets after you remove them. Again, this is covered in great detail in the tech library. Find my tech article on adjusting the carbs - follow it to make certain the idle air circuits/jets are clean, then set those air screws to about 4 turns out - that is a good static setting IIRC, but I think I cover that in the tech article. Last comment is about the vent hoses - that engine will NOT run correctly if those vent hoses are not open and properly routed to the opening in front of the air filters (AND those lower fairings MUST be in place). Goose

Just going on old and weak memories, but I do not recall any stock relay in that location. From your picture, it looks more like an aftermarket horn relay that someone did a very poor job of installing. The obvious answer is to track down the wires that connect to it. IF it is stock from yamahaha, the wires will go into an existing wire bundle, if aftermarket, they will probably just be flapping free as individual loose wires. I THINK the fuel pump relay is part of the starter relay, but I am REALLY NOT sure of that - those memories are old and dusty, and I don't feel like digging into the schematic to find out! I do know the starter relay has multiple parts and diodes, and one piece is for the side stand cutout; other than that, I have only sketchy memories.

There are only two vacuum lines on an RSV - one goes to the front AIS valve near the radiator, and one goes to the rear AIS valve below the right rear of the engine. these lines are very important, as the high vacuum shuts off the air induction into the headers when you close the throttle, thus eliminating popping and after-fire on deceleration. You must make sure that these hoses are not cut or nicked at the intake nipple, as well as making sure the other two vacuum caps are soft and have NO age cracking when you bend them. It is common for ham-fisted mechanics to nick those lines with pliers when taking them off to sync the carbs, and the caps need to be replaced every 3 years or so due to heat and fuel contact aging.

This makes no sense to me at all (pushing in the slide? leaking air?), but it does hint at where you problems probably are. First of all, the issue IS your carbs, not the spark. While there are certain conditions that can cause a weak spark to fail good ignition (including low-RPM loads), this is so unlikely that I would personally totally ignore it at this point. Your description of bogging on an open throttle until the RPMs build is a classic carb problem; typically low fuel availability, but also can be air related. CV carbs use differential air pressure on each side of the diaphragm to raise the needle and supply more fuel as the butterflies open. This differential air pressure comes from the carb vent lines that run to the front opening of the air filter. If those lines are plugged (can you say mud dauber wasp?) or kinked, the slides will not open correctly. And obviously, any damage to the diaphragms or seals around them (watch that little o-ring under the cap on the air passage) will certainly cause problems. Despite your insistence that the carbs are clean, this type of problem can just as easily be caused by plugged air passages in the idle circuit. Do the RPMs drop off at idle as you close each air screw in turn? If not, they you HAVE a problem with the idle circuit in that carb. If the idle circuit does not work correctly, then the carb cannot provide the needed extra fuel in the transition to main jets as the butterflies are opened to let in more air. But the effect is rarely as bad as you describe, so although it might be a contributor, I doubt that it is your main problem. Before you do anything else, you need to get that bike to idle properly at 1,000 RPM with all air and enriching circuits working well and the carbs synced. Then you have a chance of actually finding your real problem.

You DO have a fuel supply problem. If all is normal, the pump will never click when the key is turned on soon after the last shutdown (the carb bowls will remain full until enough time has passed to allow some fuel to evaporate out).

Pull the petcock and clean the screens. Then rinse the tank to get other debris out. Then change your fuel filter.

You say the clutch issue is resolved - not sure I follow how you came to that conclusion. The large nut holding in the clutch basket should NEVER come loose - that is why there are lock tabs on the base washer! Finding it loose is a huge problem, and I strongly suspect it was the original cause of your issues. My only assumption is that some incompetent goober was in there changing the clutch basket, and the boob never bothered to properly torque and lock the nut?? Hopefully nothing is damaged. At this point I would remove the basket and carefully and slowly inspect EVERYTHING for any scratches or other wear marks as a clue to what damage MIGHT have been done. If the clutch lever hit a hard stop, SOMETHING was hitting that should not have been. The clutch rod does NOT need to move far to release the clutch pack - if you measure any movement at all, I'd bet all is fine there. There is a rather complicated interplay between the side stand switch, the clutch switch and the neutral switch (there is also a diode involved in that circuit if I remember correctly). It always takes me a while to trace out the schematic wires to each of those switches and and logically put together the multiple states that all have to be tested to determine the exact problem (in gear, neutral, stand up, stand down, clutch in, clutch out - make a matrix and you see how complicated this gets). Start by using an ohmmeter (with key OFF, of course) to check the function of all three switches. The best thing to do is locate and pull the plugs to each switch and measure there - that totally isolates the circuitry to anything else on the bike and gives you the only really positive test of switch operation. Note that the neutral switch is also the OD switch, so you need to make sure you are measuring the correct wires there. With any luck you will find that the problem is simply a mis-adjusted side stand switch! Good luck, Goose

Yes, it would take a LOT of pressure to push that rod to move the pressure plate - no way to do it by hand. I cannot really tell from your pictures, but something doesn't look quite right on the bottom left one - almost like the end of that rod is bent down? Be sure to carefully check the parts breakdown for all the specific parts and the order before you re-assemble. Goose

From what I read here, the problem seems to be either a frozen slave cylinder (very rare if not a bazilion years old and sitting long time) or something stuck in the clutch pack/pressure plate. I have seen the exact thing happen if the pressure plate is not properly engaged with the clutch basket after replacing the clutch plates. But I cannot think of any way that could happen gradually after the clutch was already working properly unless something broke in the clutch. I would start by making sure you have good resistance at the lever (if not, you need to get more air out). Once you are back to the point where the clutch lever stops moving without reaching the bar, then pull off the clutch cover and pressure plate. The rod that sticks out through the center of the clutch is what the slave cylinder pushes against the pressure plate and spring to move it out and release the clutch. With the pressure plate off, it is a simple matter to put your finger on the end of the rod and see if it is moving in and out with the clutch lever. If it is, then the problem is in the clutch pack or pressure plate. One caution, however - do NOT just keep squeezing the clutch lever with the pressure plate off! After each squeeze, you need to push the rod back in, just like the clutch spring would do normally. If you just keep squeezing without pushing the rod back in each time, you are liable to push the slave cylinder piston clean out of its bore (just like you could do with brake pistons if you tried to activate them without something in place to stop them from being pushed out. If the rod does not move, then the problem is your slave cylinder or the rod itself. Goose

The tap up & down function has always worked perfectly on my bikes. I regularly change speeds up or down 5 MPH with 5 taps when adjusting to speed limit changes. Goose

This is not a significant issue. I have noticed on all three of the RSVs I have owned/used, that the cruise switch does not always self-center (two of the bikes were brand new, so not a contamination problem). It bothered me not knowing if that could cause some sort of problem, so I took a look at the cruise schematics. Just going from old vague memory here, but I recall that the cruise system uses a self-latching relay when you turn it on. This means that the power is only momentarily supplied by the switch, and then when the relay activates, it disconnects from the switch and provides its own power loop to stay activated until the power (or possibly ground) is removed. Uh, no, it does not. Step 2. says to press "SET/DEC" to activate. Period. The "SET" indicator light comes on at this point to show that it is "SET", not that it might become set if you do something else. End of sentence and end of step 2. Step 3. then describes how to set the desired traveling speed by either pressing "RES/ACC" to "increase the set speed" OR press "SET/DEC" to decrease the speed. By definition, you increase the set speed AFTER it is already set. Goose

Just as an aside here on the technical workings and how our system is different than a car system that also runs from vacuum - big multi-cylinder engines with an intake manifold have gobs more vacuum with very little pulsing (plus they usually have a big vacuum canister to "store" excess vacuum for future need), and typically auto cruise systems use this to hold the throttle in place. The reason there is no lag on that type of system is because the vacuum is always there, so the set button simply opens a solenoid to apply it. Engine vacuum will not do the job well on a typical motorcycle; that is why our bike has an electric pump for this, and that is why the slight delay in building needed vacuum - I do not believe the electric vacuum pump is running until the system is "set". It is natural for us to expect any switch to cause instant action - technology has conditioned us for that for well over 100 years. We flip a light switch and our hand instantly moves away as we move on to the next thing, and we tend to react this way to pushing the cruise button also - that is why any lag at all is so noticeable, even if it is only one second. So anything at all that we do that holds our throttle hand in place even an instant longer causes us to perceive less lag, and that is why I suspect it is the only thing happening when you set+tap up. HOWEVER, I can speculate that possibly the tap up actually does change the lag time slightly (notice here that I am being very careful to differentiate between stating facts I believe about the bike and guessing). I have never analyzed the finer points about how the cruise system modulates the needed vacuum to hold the throttle in a fixed position - clearly it cannot be applying full vacuum unless it is trying to accelerate, so either the system bleeds off excess vacuum or modulates the speed of the pump. When you hit the immediate tap up, you are actually changing the set speed from where you tried to engage the cruise, so I can see the possibility that the system may actually apply full vacuum to the actuator for just a split second longer to accomplish the call for acceleration. This could effectually cause a more harsh pull on the throttle cable to get it set a tiny bit sooner. Since the lag is so slight in a properly working system, I doubt we could ever devise a way to accurately test any difference. But if the process works for you and makes your ride more enjoyable, then I so no reason to change it. Goose

Hey Don, I think you may have slightly missed two points I was trying to make (and I do see we disagree on one). I know you have at least as much experience on these bikes as I have (actually more), and I have no problems at all with your differing opinions. My own knowledge is based only on my personal experience with three RSVs with total miles well over 100,000. I have no way of knowing facts from any other bike without actually working on it. Of course everything is predicated on the system being in proper mechanical condition and adjustment. First of all, the speed setting when I hit "SET" is always dead on - there is no drop of any type. If the speedo is indicating 70 when I touch the set button, then I get 70. Period. And I do not need to play games with other buttons to get those results. The slight drop in speed I mentioned of 1 or 2 MPH is only temporary while the vacuum actuator gets positioned, and then the bike settles in at the original set speed - I do not need to touch anything else to get it to run where I originally intended. And if I wanted to totally avoid that temporary drop, all I need to do is just keep my hand on the throttle 1 second longer after hitting the set button. I suspect your "trick" of playing with more buttons than just the "set" button is simply doing just that - slightly delaying how fast you let go. And the reason I find all of those various tricks "comical" is simply because my experience has shown me that on MY bikes, they do nothing at all to change the way the system operates. They simply change the perception the rider has about what is going on because they do not understand the technical facts about the actual operation. I might be convinced that thumping the gas tank, or maybe touching my right elbow helps too, but I'm pretty sure somebody else would find that comical. In the end, we all have our rituals in life, and to the point they make us feel better, then they all have value. I just personally find that by understanding the technology, I have a much better chance of keeping it operating correctly. As these bikes keep getting older, more and more folks are going to find the rituals don't seem to work as well as they used to! Goose

There has always been a slight lag in cruise engagement on this bike, but "slight" means just about 1 second. If your guess of around 6 seconds is anywhere near accurate, that is absolutely out of line and means something is wrong. Most likely it is simply old rubber hoses that have gotten harder with age and heat and developed slight cracks. this system uses an electrical vacuum pump to hold the throttle in position for cruise, and if there is any slight leak in the system at all, it will take longer for the pump to build up the necessary vacuum (and it will tend to not hold speed well on hills). I personally have found that all the common advice to play various games with the buttons to attempt to "solve" the less than instantaneous engagement is just pointless (and somewhat comical). I put over 100,000 miles on my RSV in five years, and the cruise always engaged just fine with no drop in speed more than just 1 or 2 mph, depending on just how instantaneously I let go of the throttle after hitting the button. The bike is now over 10 years old, and the cruise is showing me it needs attention to the hoses! Goose

Either bent choke mechanism so all the plungers are not operating equally (very common, but unlikely to cause your symptoms), or plugged idle jets. Goose

Oops! Good catch - I did make a mistake there - all pilot jets same size, but main jets different. I am very sorry for any confusion. I will correct the first post. Goose

I do not have any specific recommendations, other than to make sure you get one that works properly! I have discussed the technical details of our ignition system and what type of tach works in great detail in older threads (several years back). Here is a very brief recap: We have a 4-cylinder engine, but our ignition is a bastardized mess - while we have four separate coils, each one has a waste spark, so it fires once every revolution, like a normal twin cylinder engine that uses a single coil. Sooo, if you want a tach that fires from a direct coil connection, it must either have a two-cylinder setting (if adjustable), or it must be specifically made for a two-cylinder engine with single coil (think stock Hardly Davidson ignition). If you have a tach that uses a pickup wire wrapped around the spark plug lead, you have exactly the same issue, since it will still sense one ignition pulse during each revolution (without a waste spark, a normal four stroke engine only fires a spark plug one time for each TWO revolutions, but our coils fire TWO times for each TWO revolutions). That means that a cheapo lawn-mower type tach that you might want to use in the shop for carb tuning will probably read the correct RPM on this engine (single-cylinder lawnmower engines are typically fired by a magneto that is triggered on every revolution). I have a 40 year old RAC brand shop tach & dwell meter that actually has a 2-cyl setting, but I have no idea if you can ever find something like that now. For permanent mounting, I prefer old-style analog tachs, but a digital works just fine too, so long as you have one that reads properly when getting one pulse for each revolution of the engine.

The needle valve will remain closed, you just want to make sure the spring loaded plunger pops up and that the float tang is contacting the tip of the plunger without depressing it at all. You measure from the surface of the carb where the float bowl seats to the highest point on the float, making sure to hold the measurement tool exactly perpendicular to the flat surface of the carb. If you lean the tool in/out or sideways at all, the measurement will not be correct. And since you now have the carbs opened up, this is the time to properly clean those pilot jets. Take them out (but if you also remove the main jets for cleaning, do NOT mix them up - there are three different sized main jets in those four carbs!!!), spray carb cleaner in the jets and blow them out with compressed air - soaking the jets in a little of the carb cleaner Will help. Repeat this process until they all clearly show the same round point of light when held up to a bright light or window. Even though the pilot hole is very very small, the human eye can easily distinguish if the little point of light is actually round when compared to another good jet. Do not, NOT, under any circumstance, poke something into those jets to clean them! Only a piece of straw or the nylon bristle from a brush would be safe, but you won't find one the exact size you need, so no real value in even trying it. Basically, anything that is capable of actually cleaning out a bit of dried crap from your pilot jet WILL destroy the jet at the same time.

That is excellent advice. If your jets are only partly clogged, a gas additive cleaner such as Seafoam or one of the harsher ones will almost always EVENTUALLY get it all cleaned out again. And your description does sound like partially plugged, so long as the RPM actually drops at least some when the pilot screws are fully closed. But remember, any cleaner that is added to the fuel can ONLY work while the fuel is being pulled through the jets; that is why they can never work on totally plugged jets. The jets do not sit immersed in gas - they are positioned above the fuel level, and gas is only sucked up through them while the engine is turning over and creating intake port vacuum. So you must use the fuel cleaner in every tank of gas until it is fixed, and maybe at an extra strong concentration. You must ride the bike - letting it sit for extended periods does absolutely nothing other than make the problem worse as any remaining fuel clinging to the jets and carb passages evaporates and leaves new deposits. Many bikes with partially (or even totally) clogged pilot jets are made to run fairly decently by just cranking up the idle adjustment so that the partially opened slides allow the main jets to compensate somewhat for the lack of fuel through the pilot jets at idle. A sure sign of this is when your intake vacuum reading is below 9" Hg at a measured 1000 RPM (going from memory there - you need to check the specs to be sure, but I THINK I remember that this engine should pull 10" at 1000 RPM). That is why it is important to have both a real tach AND a good vacuum gauge that actually shows the measured inches of mercury reading, not just a relative level to sync carbs together.

From everything you described in the OP, it is tough to tell if all is normal or not. 79 degrees is not particularly hot, but if you were riding slow through a residential neighborhood before you got home, then it would not surprise me if the fan was on. Even if it was not on when you stopped, just letting the bike sit for 5 or 10 minutes could cause the heat-soak to trigger it, but since it cannot run with the key off, you wold never have seen this before under normal conditions. A little oil drip from the air plenum vent hoses (especially the left one) is totally normal, even if the engine has not been overfilled. Any long fast ride will send a lot of oil mist into the air plenums, and over time it slowly works its way down through the left vent (that is also why your left rear carb is always slimy and dirty on the outside). This problem is greatly exacerbated on older high mileage bikes and any bike that has ever been filled with oil ABOVE the max fill mark on the window. I have discussed this issue in great detail in older threads, but you will need to search for them several years back. As to the heat, you may or may not have an issue with the thermostat - best to at least take it in under warranty so that you will have a record of the problem if it happens again. BUT, I can tell you that if you only felt the heat on one side, it probably was nothing more than a gentle cross wind. A light breeze at the right angle is just enough to blow all the hot air coming through the radiator out directly onto the legs on the opposite side of the bike, and it can often be enough to REALLY feel the burn. I always ride with leather chaps, which mostly blocks the heat, but when I used to ride to work every day in a suit and dress shoes, I would sometimes have one foot and ankle fry from such a cross breeze. Goose

Without a picture it is difficult to be sure we are talking about the same thing, but it was pretty common for dealers to not properly set up these bikes when un-crating them. I have personally seen several that were missing the center mounting bolt from the windshield bar - usually they just have a zip tie in the hole for some stupid reason.