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V7Goose

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Everything posted by V7Goose

  1. V7Goose
    Very rare to hear the fan, especially if you wear a helmet. In fact, it is relatively rare for the fan to come on at all. You should NEVER have the temp light come on unless something is bad wrong. Even when kneeling by the bike doing a carb sync or mixture adjustment, I rarely hear the fan come on from extended idling - I do notice the sudden blast of hot air when it comes on, just cannot hear it under most conditions. Goose
  2. V7Goose
    Just look it up in the parts breakdown on the Star web site. Goose
  3. V7Goose
    The low fuel light comes on at the same time that the trip odometer first switches to "F" - but it is dim to begin with and takes a while to get up to full brightness. If they did not ride for a while on reserve, it would not be surprising if someone did not notice it. If the trip meter is never switching to the "F" mode, then there is a problem with the fuel gauge sender. This is all documented in the owner's manual. If the OP rode 40 miles on reserve and still could not see the low fuel light, it does sound like there is a problem. Goose
  4. V7Goose
    Stumble or surge - I guess it all depends on what you view as the baseline. Anyway, what you describe is classic for too rich idle mixture - very easy to cause this by just having the choke a tad bit on when it is fully warm. Goose
  5. V7Goose

    Tires

    V7Goose replied to goatturtle's topic in Watering Hole

    There is a difference. The tread pattern is usually a bit different. The direction of the tread grooves is reversed. The direction the belts on the carcase are overlapped is reversed. Often the same tire size is a lower weight rating for front tires. Goose
  6. V7Goose
    Those brackets do not rust unless they are already broken by the flexing from the wind pressure. As I stated in an earlier reply to this old thread, those rubber bumpers are critical - they MUST touch the fork covers. If they do not, the brackets will break from flexing before 20,000 miles. The more space between the bumpers and the fork covers, the sooner they will break. If they do touch the fork covers, the stock brackets will last forever. Goose
  7. V7Goose
    My 05 did that with stock pads after doing a lot of slow speed stop-and-go riding where the brakes would be used a lot but never really get USED, if you understand my point. As soon as I would get it out on the road and up to speed so I could do one or two good hard stops it would completely clear up until the next time I did some hot weather stop-and-go riding. Just going from memory, it seems to me that I only had that problem through the mid-life of the stock front pads (between around 10K and 25K miles) For the last 20K or so on those pads I never experienced it again. Goose
  8. V7Goose
    Seafoam is a fuel system cleaner and fuel stabilizer. There are a number of cleaners that have a good reputation, such as Techron, but many of us here feel that Seafoam is one of the best. From our experience, it is quite effective and seems 100% safe on the bike parts. Unfortunately, it is fairly expensive at around $8 a can. Some folks like Berryman's B-12 Chemtool, which is MUCH cheaper, but from the label information, it seems much harsher and potentially less safe for the bike with long-term usage. Another highly respected cleaner is BG 44K, and some anecdotal evidence indicates it may provide significantly better cleaning than the others, but is is much more expensive than Seafoam and quite hard to find. Goose
  9. V7Goose
    What you describe is not normal for this bike. It sounds like you have partially plugged pilot jets. If it is not too bad, you can probably clear it all up by using Seafoam in the next six tanks of gas (I suggest 1/3 can in each full tank). If everything is in good shape and proper adjustment, you should never need the choke unless the temps are below 70, and there should be zero noticeable warmup period. Goose
  10. V7Goose
    I believe you absolutely do have air in the line. I have occasionally run into this when changing the fluid and the master accidentally runs dry. When that happens, you have to bleed enough fluid to fully change it all again before the air can be pushed all the way through the system. And rarely, that air bubble seems to stay trapped in the master piston, so it takes some extra work to bust it loose. I always change my fluid with a vacuum pump that never requires me to touch the lever, but when this problem pops up, I have found that quickly working the lever while sucking out fluid from the bleeder valve often dislodges the bubble (no need to put the cover on the master when doing this). Goose
  11. V7Goose
    Just for future reference, you can get suitable replacement bolts at any Ace hardware, but those chrome pieces that attach to the rear crash bar are unique - the only place you will get those are from another Royal Star with destroyed saddlebag guards. Goose
  12. V7Goose
    The bolts are easy, but I have no idea what you mean by "spacers". Can you be more specific? Goose
  13. V7Goose
    You absolutely need to change the fluid - any discoloration at all indicates old fluid that has absorbed a lot of moisture. Personally, I'd stick with any DOT4 fluid. If the fluid is changed at least every two years (and you use a new can and change it during a normal or low humidity day), you will NEVER have a problem with boiling the brakes on a street machine. Nothing wrong with DOT 5.1 except the increased chance of making a devastating mistake and mixing DOT5 with it. I do not think it gains you a single thing, and you do get more risk. Goose
  14. V7Goose
    Your problem is a blown "Backup" fuse in the main fuse box under the left battery cover. Goose
  15. V7Goose
    Crankcase vents are very important on ALL engines, no matter if it is a big single or small V12 (the term "small" would be relative for any V12, of course!). In general, all of the modern factory engine vents are designed just fine and doing anything different is a total waste of money. AFAIK, all engine vents are routed to the air intake, primarily because it is just stupid to unnecessarily blow the pollutants directly to the atmosphere when you gain virtually nothing by doing it. If you have a bike from the early 70s or older, there may be a valid case for such an external vent filter, but not for modern machines. Goose
  16. V7Goose
    That, and the shop manual is available for free download on this site. If you actually need help with something you do not understand, we'll be happy to jump in and help. Goose
  17. V7Goose
    This has been discussed here numerous times (bot not too recently). Here is one thread: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=45560&highlight=input Bottom line is do not do what you are doing without an audio isolator. Goose
  18. V7Goose
    It's the same thing. Goose
  19. V7Goose
    Yup, another dishonest dealer refusing to stand up for his customer 'cause he thinks his lies will get him billable service work. Run form that crook. Goose
  20. V7Goose
    No, it is not. If you just replace the spring, you will find very little difference from the stock setup (other than no slipping). If you replace both the spring and change the half plate to a full plate, then you will find the friction zone is smaller. Not a problem at all for most people with good clutch control. The stock half plate and wave washer (a kind of weak weenie spring) cause the stock clutch to start engaging and slipping very quickly when you begin releasing the handle, but the full engagement does not happen until near the end. When you remove that weenie spring and put in a full plate, the entire friction zone is near the end of the lever throw as you release it. Anyone with poor clutch control is better off leaving the half plate and weenie spring in the stock setup. Goose
  21. V7Goose
    And at the end of the day, that is really the only thing that matters. That is why there are options out there, and why I at least like to mention them, even if they are not worth the money to me. Glad you are happy with it. Goose
  22. V7Goose
    No, that is not normal - how it feels when you get done changing/bleeding is how it should stay (ignoring changes from the fluid aging, since that will take many months or years). It sounds like maybe you had a small air bubble trapped in the master cylinder plunger that worked its way into the reservoir. That is just a WAG, as I have never encountered that exact problem. But as it relates to your problem of clutch slipping - it is highly unlikely that it could be related. There is no adjustment on a hydraulic clutch - the spring pushes back on the fluid in the slave until it is totally relaxed. Any slipping can only come from three possibilities: The spring is no longer strong enough to push all the clutch parts together for a solid lock-up. The clutch parts are worn so that the spring has to push them further to get solid lock-up. Note that this is actually pretty rare on a wet clutch in less than a gazillion miles. Something has changed the friction between the clutch parts so that they are more slippery. This can be the use of an improper oil, overheated clutch from too much feathering or riding the handle, oil additives, etc. Also note that any combination of the above can cause the problem even though no one thing is bad enough by itself. But IMHO, unless this problem started within 1,000 miles of your changing to a new type of oil, or you were practicing riding in the "friction zone", your problem is just the very common weak stock clutch spring. If it is the weak spring, our options to fix it are three (in MY order of preference): Just put in a PCW spring - cheap and quick (I would actually do the half-plate upgrade too, but that only adds $10). Double up on stock clutch plates - actually better to use two old ones instead of buying a new one to add on top of yours. This will provide LOTS of spring pressure, but at a cost of a noticeably stiffer clutch pull. If you want to go this way, I can send you an old spring for $5 shipping. Spend great gobs of money to buy a pretty purple pressure plate and coil springs to replace your stock setup. It won't work a bit better than the PCW spring, but you can always carry a picture of it in your wallet. Goose
  23. V7Goose
    Sorry, but most of what you say is just wrong. To "bleed" brakes or clutch means to get the air out. You stop bleeding as soon as the system has full pressure on the first stroke. If you mean to change the fluid, then say to change the fluid. Air in a brake or clutch line will NOT NOT NOT cause it to either apply the brakes or clutch and allow slippage. The hydraulic system is specifically designed to let the fluid push back into the master when the lever is released - if it did not do that, you vehicle would never move again after you applied the brakes one time! So unless there is something damaged in your system, anything that increases pressure in the hydraulic system does nothing more than push fluid back into the master cylinder. Old brake fluid that has absorbed water can boil and create steam, but once again, this CANNOT activate the brake or clutch on a properly working system - it causes you to LOOSE THE USE of either your brake or clutch. Furthermore, it is virtually impossible for a clutch system to get hot enough to boil the fluid. This happens with brakes because the slave pistons are pushing directly against the pads, which do generate massive amounts of heat. But with our clutch system, there is no way at all for the plates to transfer any significant amount of heat into the slave, so the only available heat is from the lower engine block. This engine is water cooled and generally runs the coolant about 210 degrees. Even under the worst conditions of 120 degrees outside and stuck in stopped traffic, the fan will hold the coolant temp about 245 degrees (personal observation). In my opinion, the temperature of the lower engine case is never going to be hotter than the oil in the sump. There are different theories about how engine oil temperature compares to coolant temperature; I do not think it is ever more than about 40 degrees higher under normal conditions. But even if it is running 60 degrees over the coolant temperature, that would mean normal oil temps of 280 degrees, and worse case oil temps of 305 degrees. Now the good part - the wet boiling point of DOT4 fluid is 311 degrees. Just ain't no friggin' way the clutch system is EVER gonna get that hot. Finally, you keep harping about not needing to "rebuild" the clutch. Well, the only advice given in this thread has been to replace or upgrade the spring. You are the only person I have ever heard who feels that replacing or upgrading just the spring is "rebuilding" the clutch. Even replacing that one half-plate with a normal full size friction plate is not "rebuilding" - that would technically be called a modification. OK, that's it for me. If you think I have said something incorrect, then let's prove it and get it corrected so we do not spread bad information. Otherwise, I'm done with this subject. Peace. Goose
  24. V7Goose
    Yes, it is always a good idea to CHANGE THE FLUID on the clutch if it is more than two years old, but I personally think just bleeding it without a full change of the fluid is a waste of time. Besides, air in the fluid does not cause slipping, it prevents full disengagement because it compresses before the clutch spring does. Lots of moisture in the fluid could cause the problem, but not before the fluid got VERY hot - pretty rare for a clutch system. More importantly, however, is the fact that it is VERY VERY common for the Ventures to start slipping by 40,000 miles, even when all maintenance has been done appropriately. When this happens, the clutch plates ARE still good, but the spring absolutely is NOT. Goose
  25. V7Goose
    In my opinion it is simply a relatively poor spring design that looses some of its temper over time. PCW's replacement spring is stronger and used extensively in the Vmax with more power than we have. All you need to tell them is you want the clutch spring upgrade for the Ventrure. Goose
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