jasonm.

I hear riders say on many of their rides. " the bike weaves, wallows in fast corners". Now, I am almost at 100k miles. Got new tire to be put on and I had decided to repack my swing arm bearings "again". Yes this is the 2nd time for me. 1st was @30k year 1992 and there was no serious wear and very little grease from the factory. Glad I repacked them then. Now the past 20k I have been having somewhat of a wallow that can last only 1/2 a second or so on back roads after hitting a bump mid corner...significantly leaned over. And when going straight on the interstate I needed to concentrate too much. Was not relaxing. Feeling like the "flex in the middle" at times. I have gone thru many tires, new or old same thing. So now, I took swing-arm out. Both sides were still loaded with grease. But cleaned them(solvent)as recommended and regreased anyway. Yes there were "dark spots" showing some minor wear. But I was not up for the Bearing races to be replaced just yet. ...they are a pain to replace unless you have a special tool or more patience than a nun. FYI- I replaced and set my steering head bearings 6 years ago, plus I have a grease fitting in the steering neck. Now after PROPERLY setting up the bearing/swing-arm bearing tension. It's on RAILS at all speeds thru the worst rough roads in corners, tight turns or sweepers. I have been aiming for cracks, road snakes, dips, rough pavement , etc. Nothing deflects my path on back roads all corners and bends no matter the road's condition . These speeds I am speaking of are ridiculous by sane standards. I have rode FJR1300s. And now my old VR feels stable as one of those . I'll just say my 87VR speedo now spends much of it's time pointing at "2 to 3 o'clock" position on the interstate. And the ride is relaxing at any speed vs. previously. Seriously consider this next time you are replacing your rear tire. FYI- the manual does give specs. and states tighten left 1st, then preload the Right bearing to 4.3 ft/lbs before the lock nut is done @72. What it does not say is that as you tighten the locket nut, that 4.3 is actually significantly decreased due to the tread design of the lock nut pulling the tensioner pin away. After a few tries for the proper "tension". I set mine to double this 4.3 aka 8 then torqued lock nut. I used an in/lb. torque wrench for the right side to be precise. ..then locked it down. I truly have an 800# sport handling bike.

correct me if I am wrong. The twinkie you call it with fittings. That's an oil line. .. not Coolant. I do know coolant travel in the same general area. thank you for making me read slower

2.5 turns is the average of my carbs after total go thru. My richness was need of NEW floats and float needles. Setting the floats is NOT simple. Should be done with the left and right pair separated. Many do it quickly and not "leveling" the carbs on the bench. You have the manual I hope... it's a process....to get it perfect. ... and lots of patience.

if leaking at the thermostat.? .......in the thermostat itself CAP there is an o-ring. If at the by-pass valve(between header pipes) there is an IMPROVED o-ring they came out with 10 years ago. It's standard round type but ORANGE get it and end the leaking. Also drain coolant before proceeding . Make sure bypass housing is not corroded inside...check with flashlight and finger.

hello ...after nearly 100k on my '87. I have had Avons for a many years. But started experiencing on the last set, low mileage from the rear and the front just not giving me a good feel. I am 190# with gear on, rear suspension @ 23#(5# higher than recommended) gives smooth and controlled ride...+ I ride scraping the saddlebag trim... No slouch. Yes I have progressive front springs. I have found the best set up to be the E3 in Front(32psi) an Mich. Commander2(38psi). The commander aids in turning with it's "more rounded" profile compared to the Dunlop E3 rear. My front has 8k on it with at least 3/32 before the wear bar. The rear has 12k and just about 3/32 left before wear bar. This is the best overall set up I found with my 28 years.

here's a bit of a follow up from my previous post. I had my chamber replaced in the early 90's due to the rattle when rolling off the gas. Nothing had come out.... at least I can remember. Yamaha national rep. gave me parts no cost even when warranty was past. Obviously in 1991 this was their big bike competing against the GoldWing. Good reputation and service is everything. I am loyal to Yamaha. Now 70k+ later the rattle is THERE BIG time when giving it the gas. I suspect the welds are broken @internal divider or a piece is floating. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will come into the muffler after a few more rides. AS I heated the bike up when 1st noticed the rattle, it got a bit quieter rattling. Could be something expanded or wedged deeper into muffler? As stated earlier. I have a spare parts bike that already spit the piece out and hopefully quiet.

I know I am 6 months late in replying. But I found the exact same piece lodged in the right muffler easy to get at.... from a parts bike I purchased a year ago. I thought the previous owner was trying to quiet the bike down. Now I know the center chamber internally modified itself. Learn something new after 27+ years with Ventures

with all my gear on..(1)I am 190#. I have tested my VR for 25+ years. So I have experimented. (2) With caps removed and on center stand I measure down from the top with springs in ... . (3) 10w40 is WAY TOO HEAVY for forks. You are passing oil thru damping holes, Flow is the key.. If it's too heavy it's just too stiff. Yamaha calls for 10wt which flows like water compared to 10w40. I did a complicated orifice test and found 0w20 Mobil1 does work very similar to 15wt. I have used 0W20 with good success. Sounds odd but true, motor oil will foam in forks as it passes thru the damping orifices at the bottom due to air in the oil until you have done at least a few hundred miles. Sounds odd but true. Fork oil has anti-foam additives that really work. For many years my wife was always been on the back. Now she cannot(bad back). Presently I now ride solo 99% of the time I have gone with traditional oils....10wt or 15wt. BUT I have done something no one else has. After removing the caps 20 years ago I proceeded using a drill press ... I drilled and tapped my caps for an allen bolt> 6mm- 1.0, and using 25mm long bolts like the engine case bolts. And sealed with copper washer allows me to replace oil quickly and set height with the "sucker tool". Yes, holes must be dead straight and centered. I have the big allen like the manual calls for, but now I never need to remove caps for normal oil change service. One of my best mods. Along with standard brakes ...not unified and FJ1200 calipers and a dozen other little things....I have no reason to sell this ever. Next mod is increasing rotor size. Doing test rides at Americade I realized even with other people saying put on R1 calipers and stronger pads... the slowing power is not there when you are past 75mph. You need Mechanical Leverage. Our bikes front rotors are only 282mm FYI.... 298 mm R1 pre-2004 and 320mm FJR 1300 rotors fit. Just need to make caliper bracket. Which I have experience at....cheers

I do the exact same as MiCarl on bags guards but lower.The passenger handholds bend more easily that you would think. They are made to hold a person, not the 800# bike

Always glad someone tried what works for me. Having one of those fork oil level "suckers" now(both being the same level). I measured my oil level completely assembled on the center stand after a ride and sitting for 30 minutes. Both sides at 15" using the sucker. I suspect yours is similar. Only changes I have made since the last post was 70/30 10wt. - 15wt. oil . I know it sounds odd. REASON> Honestly with my bike once in a while over mild changes in the surface feeling a VERY slight pogo...meaning only lasted a split second. And rebound damping slightly less than perfect. Someone said add oil . I did not do that as that would raise ride height and harshness. 15wt would totally eliminate this but this also causes compression damping go up and ride would be harsher than I like. Thus the result I have listed 70/30 10wt/15wt. works to my liking. Unfortunately no one makes a 12wt. oil I am not a putter as my saddlebag trim will testify. I have also done a "fork alignment". Which has resulted in minimal fork stiction. I presently have a commander2 rear tire with Dunlop E3 front. Handling is razor sharp and stable at all speeds. From 2 to 112mph

Those threads are not my issue. It works fine but ALWAYS starts on CH9. So I pulled both the CB and back up fuses as the manual says to do. Tested both ohmed out "0". Then I pulled the whole fuse block holding them. The wires seems twisted all together 360... maybe normal but not like my parts bike. I think it's at the CB itself.........UPDATE: using a spare CB with it's own issues HOLDS last channel set.... confirmed I have a minor problem with my original CB. Just need to remember to set channel after start up. I took it apart....just more than I want to deal with now.

when a Royale is delivered with CB installed from factory. The fuses I do not think are by that turn signal. I know there is a filter there. I already checked(ohmed out) the ones right of the battery. I am sure it's a fuse thing. But where ? Any pics of where else to look ?

NO stock bike will run properly w/o the air filter and air box not assembled. Put it all together and give us a shout. FYI- you do not sync the carbs that way. You need a carb sync tool...aka vacuum tool..,..Manometer of sorts to watch the vacuum of all 4 carbs. Morgan carb tune I found to be the best made in UK. Since the mercury ones are hard to find.

I can only say the FM reception on the factory radio has always been poor. I ditched the combo set up to CB. Obviously the trimming box also ditched. Have 2 separate antennas. A tuned 30" made from the original antenna(center coil removed) for AM/FM and a nice CB antenna opposite. Properly tuned antenna works better and I have an FM booster but still not as good as my car. But being behind the chrome trim I would not expect great reception from GaryZ antenna . Maybe GaryZ's antenna is way better for reception ? How much $$ ?

I have taken my front pipes off maybe 6 times. Disassembled the whole exhaust 2 or 3 times over the last 25 years. Being careful to do things smoothly with WD40 and patience. Never changed the seals or gaskets. I only changed the Copper rings rear head pipes when I pulled the motor out. Still don't leak the slightest anywhere. The seals at the collector are very good quality back then. Thus the Orange silicone may be overkill you do not need. And makes taking it apart in the future a bit more work.

First let me say. I have had this 1987 bike for 25+ years. Now I am using the CB radio again. And every time I turn CB on, it starts on Channel 9. But easily switches to the other channels. I do not remember this being normal. Or maybe my age is starting to catch up with my memory. FYI- the CH9 button is not pushed. I looked in the owners manual. Does not mention this being normal at all. Is this normal or is there something amiss I should be checking into ?

let's get something straight here. Some people are saying pressure...there is NO pressure. Vacuum is measured typically in inches of Hg (mercury) ability to defy gravity. This a VACUUM device at the manifold...measuring vacuum and translating to VOLTS out.

the design is always flush on top due to the air plumbing design. A clamp bolts prevents twisting and turning. Those clamp bolts are to be torqued 14 ft/lbs each to keep the forks stable and aligned. Loosening for the clamps and caps will not cause issue when doing this service. Yes getting a torque wrench in is a pain but doable with the forks all the way left or right and trim pieces removed. Do not ignore this. I have the factory manual and this bike 27 years...

the correct key cutter is known as a CURTIS key cutter the yamaha dealer by me used one for me no problem. That is the ONLY way using the number on the key. Also note Yamaha has at least 5 different blanks styles...meaning the length-wise grooves are different in each one. The blanks are LETTERED.... A thru E or F . Need original key to verify or the number code MUST start with a letter.

1st AGM lasted 10 years it was a WestCo.. and the newest expect at least 8 it's a Yuasa. They have a lot of reserve. and prices vary from $85 at Advance Auto to more than $120. My Yuasa was $100. NO matter who sells you a new one. ALL batteries need an initial CHARGING...even AGMs. My AGM with anti-dive active stays above 12v. Not much but it's above. With progressive springs I have my anti-dive switched off 95% of the time like some others mention the same idea.

keeping the outside edge of the diaphragm in place...use a little waterproof grease. It holds the diaphragm in place long enough to allow the cover to be put on and squeezes out w/o causing issues.

The clamps I speak of CLAMP the fork tubes at the top. 4 bolts in all. 2 by each cap. They must be loosened a little. The the caps come out easily..no resistance with 17mm allen. Otherwise you could be be damaging the threads. Yes ATF varies by manufacturers. Ford ATF may be different than Toyota. No realignment needed if all is done on the center stand and you are NOT whacking it about. Also fork oil is about $10/qt. no sense in being cheap, as all fork oil turns to crap after about 5 years

1st don't forget to loosen the top triple clamps...otherwise the caps can't come out. 2nd...400cc is too much oil. With this much oil...less air in the forks can be compressed due to the reason listed below, and you have unknowingly added a significant air-spring. These Progressive springs takes up MUCH more air space as because they wind down almost full length of the forks. Compared to the OEM "joke" springs. Thus less room for oil. Start out at 340cc. In each tube I have approx 340cc with one of the OEM washers on top of the spring and 3/4" pvc spacer . No air pressure needed, My stationary "sag" is ~ 2"....leaving 3+" for the big bumps. I found any sag less than 2" was just too stiff. I am 185#. This is 25 years with this bike and multiple adjustments to this set up. This works the best for me. Ideal oil is 12w if you can find it. I forgot who makes it.

MiCarl is correct. I have had 2 Ventures with the broken solder joints. I fixed one on the road, 2500 miles from home. It's EASY...if you are patient.

Gary- NJ, you state "running w/o air box." Everyone will tell you...it won't want to run worth a darn w/o the air box.