V7Goose

The Neutral and OD lights are controlled by the same switch. The circuitry for the neutral light is a bit complicated due to the interaction with side stand, clutch and starter switch interlocks, including several diodes imbedded in the starter cutout relay. That is a long way of saying that blind advice over the forum is actually pretty hard on this subject, but real troubleshooting of the bike should be pretty easy if you have an ohmmeter and can read a schematic. Start by finding the switch plug and disconnecting it, then testing with the ohmmeter to see if it opens and closes when you shift out of neutral.

Nope - never did make any videos - just always had better things to do with my time. And what do you mean by "Shame it's hot out..."? What better time to ride than that???? goose

May simply be normal. While the answer above is absolutely correct, the real key is just how much dripping you see. If it is only the occasional one or two drops, this is absolutely normal, especially for any 2nd gen that has been ridden fast and long. Normal crank case venting will always contain some oil vapor, and after enough miles and hours, this will condense out and slowly work its way out the vent drains. Don't worry about oil level too high unless there is no air bubble visible in the sight window when the bike is standing straight up. And if the engine ever was overfilled, but is not now, the effect of dripping oil will linger for a long time. The check valves in the tubes make that slow draining even worse over the long run, since any excess oil that collects in the air plenums cannot easily drain completely out. Goose

Highly unlikely, but if the wheel bearings were pressed in wrong or the axle is not true 90 degrees to swing arm, either could cause that problem. Goose

I do not know what an "early smell" is, but there should not be any smell at all from a car AC. Two possibilities - if the smell is sweet, then it is possible that your heater core is leaking (the air runs through the same place). But you should have been smelling this anytime you turned on the fan with the temp turned up for heat. Second possibility is more likely, especially if the smell is musty - drain is plugged up in the air box where the cooling coil is located. This is fairly common and leads to lots of mold and mildew. Unfortunately, once that stuff starts, it is quite hard to totally clean out. One clue to the drain issue is to run the AC during a humid day and see if you get the normal water puddle somewhere under the front of the car - most often it is on the passenger side near the inside rear of the front tire. If you see water dripping after the AC has been on for a little while, then the drain is open - no drips and you have a problem. Goose

This happens if you do not get the pressure plate properly seated in the teeth of the clutch basket. Goose

I had a CCL in Texas, but carry was an extra pain because of the law against open carry - that makes it illegal for anyone to see your gun for any reason, such as your coat flapping in the wind or just riding up when you bend over. Love it here in New Mexico now - also have my CCL here, but since we are an open carry state, there is no worry about taking my jacket off or having my gun exposed for any reason. In fact, I often just open carry when the weather makes it more convenient, and nobody ever gives you a second glance. Guns are an accepted part of life out here, and seeing one on someone's hip doesn't send anyone into a tizzy. Goose

It is not common for the windshield screws to vibrate loose - many of us with 100,000+ mile RSVs have never seen that (there ARE other screws on this bike that you need to watch, but not those). There are two contributing problems that you should check into - first, make sure the metal bracket into which they screw is properly secured in the center - it seems that it is common for the factory to ship the bike with only a zip tie in the center holes, and many shops skipped replacing that with the proper bolts when they did the initial assembly. There was a rash of these reports for a while, and I personally saw this on two different 2007 RSVs. Second, the two screws that secure the ends of that metal bracket to the inside shell of the fairing have only the tiniest of stupid little tabs for attachments, and these are certainly broken on every single RSV! While I am know to sometimes exaggerate for emphasis, I am NOT exaggerating here - those tabs are broken on every single RSV! While the prevalence of this problem on all RSVs (but they do not all have the problems you report) makes me hesitant to suggest it is the cause, it is still worth fixing. The repair is not terribly difficult, just see my detailed tech article in the tech library. Goose

Yeah, there is not much in these carbs that could cause the problems you describe with leaking gas beyond bad floats or bad float needle valves and seats. I have never seen one of these plastic floats go bad, but I guess it is possible. More likely though is that someone used some really harsh carb cleaner that damaged either the neoprene tips on the needle valves or the o-rings on the seats. And, of course, the float levels need to be properly set. Goose

Two points - first, RTFM. Your owners manual specifically states that this is normal. Second, the oil level is not nearly as critical as some people make out. While it IS important to NOT overfill this engine, that simply means to make sure the oil in the site window is not above the upper mark while the bike is standing straight up. It is absolutely fine to fill it above the mid-point in the window, so long as there is any air bubble visible above the top of the oil. That is why the factory puts the maximum and minimum marks on the engine case to the right side of the window! Goose

I am virtually positive that the only changes between an RSV and same year RSTD involve just the luggage, seats, tank, fairing, paint, and some electronics (radio). The easy way to verify that the shock and struts are the same is to just look up the part numbers on Yamaha's parts breakdown. You can access this for free from either the official Yamaha web site or most online Yamaha dealers parts pages, such as boats.net. Goose

As I stated in my original tech article, the shop manual clearly states that the float needs to be measured with the needle valve touching the float but not depressed, and this is very typical of all carbs on both bikes and cars. Unfortunately, that cannot be done on this particular carb when it is laying flat upside down. Even though the shop manual shows that method, they are just flat wrong! It is not possible. Measuring how much the plunger in the needle valve moves gives you nothing - the tang that touches the plunger is not under the float, so the float will actually move a lot more than the tang does. I'm sure it is possible to properly set the float as I describe, then lay the carb down to re-measure (the number will be smaller), and that would give you a new spec to use with the carbs laying flat. But I never did that and do not advise it. The spec that anyone can look up is in the shop manual, so they best know how to properly set the float to that spec. As soon as someone begins advertising their own spec that is different than the published one, you have more possibility of confusion and problems.

I have entered some answers and comments in your quotes below (see the blue text). Goose

Visible external cracks on the rubber intake boots are very common on this bike, but having the cracks go all the way through is not. I have worked on hundreds of these, including lots and lots of the older ones, and I have never found one that actually needed them replaced. It does look bad, and especially so when you can see the boots flexing with each vacuum pulse at idle, but if they aren't leaking, the issue is only cosmetic. I suggest you spray starting fluid or carb cleaner around the boots while the bike is running to look for a change in engine speed. If you find one, you have a vacuum leak, but if the engine stays at same idle speed, all is fine. Changing the valve cover gaskets is a big job - once you have everything off needed to remove the covers, you really need to just finish the job and check valve adjustment at the same time. See the detailed instructions for this in the tech library. The rear cover is the worst - technically there is a way to get the cover off without pulling the carbs, but I just can't see it - even with the carbs out it is a little touchy to get the cover back on with the new gasket properly placed. I would never consider doing the job without pulling everything identified in the tech article. You absolutely need to use a contact cement to hold the new gaskets to the cover to install them. I used to just put some silicone gasket material on them and let dry for a few hours, but the contact cement works lots better and is much faster. It is also safer since you do not run the risk of having some excess silicone globs squeezed out inside the cover where it can eventually come loose and clog oil lines. Goose

As others have said, you should turn the engine in the normal direction of rotation, as stated in the manual - I didn't bother to look it up, but I had to state a direction to turn for measuring 90 degrees in my example. You will not hurt anything to turn it in the reverse direction some as needed to get the cam set right where you want it or get the tool in and out, but you cannot measure the degrees between cylinder TDC unless you are turning it in the direction specified in the manual. Do go through the process of checking all valves before you decide to do anything - it doesn't take much extra time, and it will give you a "double check" for any measurements that you find out of spec. And if you are using straight feeler gauges, you will find it helps to get a few tests for comparison since you will need to push the gauge down in a bent arc to get it straight through the clearance, and that pressure on the gauge changes the way the "drag" feels when the gauge happens to be at exactly the same as the clearance. Also, if you change any shims, I strongly suggest you do another complete run through the measurements after you think you are all done, just as a final check that everything is now in spec. Every once in a while I can find that one of the shims had not totally seated when first measured, and after turning the engine completely through several times in those re-checks I catch the difference. It just gives me extra piece of mind that all is right before I close it all back up. Goose

A bike that sat for several years could also have a problem with one of the rubber hoses. Even good rubber hoses allow air molecules (and the moisture) to pass through the pores in the rubber, so if one of the hoses is cracked or otherwise deffective, it could be really exacerbating the problem. Goose

You have to just watch how far you turn the crankshaft. For example, if you put a wrench on the shaft with the handle sticking straight up, then turn it clockwise so it is pointing straight back, you have turned the engine 90 degrees. Similarly, if you start with the handle pointing forward and turn it clockwise until the handle is point to the rear, you have turned it 180 degrees. Goose

Du-Rron, I do not doubt that you have experienced the problems you state - no reason to try and prove it to me. But if you HAVE experienced them, I DO believe there is something wrong with your bike. It is not where you live (I lived in Texas also for the first 100,000 miles on my RSV), and it is not how you ride (I rode to work daily in all weather, and I did lots of distance touring, including at least 3 different 1,000+ mile stretches in under 24 hours where the engine spent MANY hours straight pushing my loaded bike at 85-95 MPH). All I am trying to state is that you are not doing anything that thousands of other owners have not been doing, yet we do not experience the same thing. I do, however, believe that you have made a couple of misstatements and wrong assumptions about brake and clutch fluids. AFAIK brake fluids are absolutely NOT "toast" just because you hit the wet boiling point one time. This used to be a very common occurrence in the mountains, especially before DOT4 fluid was introduced. The significance of the "wet" figure is that old fluid that has absorbed moisture (that is what the "wet" means) will have the moisture convert to steam at that temp which basically makes your brakes totally unusable UNTIL the fluid cools down, then they behave normally again. I am not saying that heat cannot hurt brake fluid, just not the way you state. My last comment for you to consider is that there are many many riders who NEVER change their clutch fluid, even very high mileage riders, and despite the fact that it is called for every two years in the manual. And those individuals, despite having really nasty fluid in their bikes, STILL do not experience the problems you have stated. Just more evidence why I personally suspect you have a defect with your bike. If you want to ride out here to the southern mountains in New Mexico, I'll be happy to try and help you figure it out - and it is just possible I can give you quite a bit more info about this particular bike that you have not yet absorbed from this site. No mater what, I wish you the best of luck in resolving your problems. Goose

Interesting post, but something just doesn't "smell" right about your problem. I have over 100,000 miles on my 2005 RSV, and I have never seen or heard of the problem that you have stated. And I can comfortably say I have worked on well over 100 of these bikes for various friends and associates, so I am pretty sure I would have run into the issue if it was typical. All clutch and brake fluids need to be changed every couple of years - that is even in your owner's manual. All systems have some vulnerability to moisture intrusion (primarily humidity in the air), and that is what causes DOT 3 or 4 fluids to turn brown. The more the master cylinder is actuated, the faster this contamination happens, so the clutch is more vulnerable. Normal use does show the clutch fluid on the RSV gets darker faster than the brake fluid, but never to the extent you claim within a two-year period, and CERTAINLY not 4 months and 5,000 miles! I cannot diagnose your bike remotely from this post, but I suggest you probably have a bad seal somewhere - most likely a problem with the gasket and fluid cover under the cap on the master cylinder. Goose

This reply is mainly for other relative newbies on this site that might get the wrong idea from this new thread... First, the AIS NEVER causes exhaust popping or after-fire. A properly setup and tuned 2nd gen will never do this, so there is something significant wrong with your bike. By disconnecting the AIS you have simply chosen to hide it instead of fixing it. You are also causing pointless and unnecessary pollution. For anyone who actually cares to lean more, I have covered all of this in great detail in older threads, so do some research (but you will have to go back several years). Goose

Interesting information - thanks for posting it. But in reality, many ABS repairs are MUCH more simple. This has been discussed in numerous threads here over the years, so I won't go into too much detail, but if the break is a clean break and no pieces are missing, simply using an ABS solvent, such as a plumbing pipe solvent, will chemically weld the pieces back together and make a repair that is 100% as strong as the original plastic. In many cases, this is even possible with such precision and minimal damage to the original surface that you may not even feel the need for paint repair. Goose

I can't say that I ever recall you posting negative stuff about any bike, but then again I guess it is possible I just missed it. I do not read much of anything anymore that does not seem to specifically pertain to 2nd gen tech issues. I must say, however, that none of his complaints sound valid to me. Just keep on keeping on... Now I've gotta move some of that #$^%& snow so I can do some maintenance on my truck. No chance at all to get the bike out in the winter here like I always did in Texas - I'm beginning to forget I even have a bike! Goose

You MUST bolt the RR back in place - the unit has to have the frame ground to function. Goose

You sure about this info? I thought all the Rotella was 15w40, not 5w. Goose

I have a lot of experience with the 2nd gens (over 100,000 miles on my 05), and I think you are being misled by most of the comments on oil level in the above posts - it is NOT that critical! First, let me state very clearly that it IS important to not overfill this engine. If you do a lot of oil will get blown out the crankcase vent into the air plenums above the carbs (and start dripping from the vent hoses near the kickstand tip). And once this starts, the dripping will continue for quite some time. Look for older posts by me for details on why this happens. But I completely disagree with people who keep saying that the oil level must be at half or below in the sight window. Any air bubble at all above the top of the oil level in the window is just absolutely FINE! Yamaha put high and low level marks on the case just to the right side of the window - trust those! The high mark is very close to the top of the window, and this engine does NOT have any problem at all if the oil level is at or below that mark. But I also want to emphasize that you MUST make sure the bike is LEVEL (meaning it is standing STRAIGHT UP and on level ground) before you look at the sight window. We occasionally hear from someone who mistakenly checked the oil level while the bike was on the side stand, and that will absolutely cause the engine to be way over-full. So whatever other issues you might have going on with your bike, quit worrying about the oil level - just make sure the top of the oil level is visible anywhere in the sight window, then move on to other things. Goose