jasonm.

check out the new Michelin Commander2. They claim better mileage over 15k on most rear sizes. And I can say they handle much like the Avons which I have also had. And much better than any tire I have had to date. pirelli, avon, bridgestone, dunlop, mich commander1...michelin commander 2 is the best so far. I have 600 miles on them. Best description neutral, stable and easy steering. I'll see how the stand up to mileage. Rears I have had> Avons old series Elan 18k, Venom 12k, Mich. Commander1 10k, Dunlop 491 15k, Pirelli 10k. The Dunlop 491 pair was the worst handling tires. I like tires with a rounded sidewall with tread which promotes easy steering. By comparison the Dunlop 491 and others they make are like car tires...flatish profile. Great for mileage but resistant to lean/cornering

the head is NOT likely needing machining unless it happened due to overheating. You said losts of maint. just done. Did you change the coolant and maybe not fill it up ? Does the '99 have a temp gauge ? if it just has a warning light that you may have not noticed........... how many miles ?

Yes, on the 1300 there is a relay in the fairing. That triggers the solenoids. I simply put the ground wire on a switch. As I have had both 1200 and 1300 models. The 1200's the system is totally based upon brake pressure. Most find it does little to really control dive but weakens the actually braking potential. Some swap the brake hose bolts and eliminate it all together...which is something I did on my 1200. I could actually feel the brakes and the lever to front brake was more responsive.

DO NOT sand down the resistors in the caps. the shorter they are the higher the resistance. CHECK all the caps 1st. your issue is likely the EASIEST thing to fix....corroded caps. They can be carefully cleaned. Get a quility straight head screwdriver. There is a tiny brass washer. I have seen these corrode to nothing. FYI- NGK brand are junk and need to be swapped out every 3 years. Stick with OEM and clean them. you say you have over 22k total resistance. That is too high. It should be 5k spark plug + 10k cap. = 15k +/- 10%. Without taking care of this you are wasting your time. And high resistance causes CRACKED coils. ...seen it. Lastly...checking the stator disconnect the 3 white wire plug and the regulator plug red/black wires. Just to remove the R/R causing odd readings.

dielectric grease does NOT improve electrical connections. FYI-It is an insulator. As such it will stop corrosion but not improve connections.35 years on electronics...use it sparingly. Also you can buy a 6 oz. tube for approx. $6 at the auto chain stores

the "sag" is mostly determined riding solo...as a passanger puts 90% weight on the rear. If you still have the anti-dive active on your 86-93. Then my suggestions will get you close. The biggest hassle is adding or removing oil. Removing is easier..but not presice. You need to be careful putting the fork caps on. As cross-threading is very easy. I suggest "marking" the caps with a sharpie or paint. And watch it as you loosen the cap. At what point is the cap totally "free". That helps you find your starting point. I read some say a "light" feeling. That usually means not enough sag. The Venture has 5.5" of travel...so sag 2 to 2.5" gives plenty of available travel to handle the vast majority of roads...PS- I have my anti-dive on a switch. Only use it on the interstate.

Hello everyone, I have had my 87 Venture w/progressive springs for 20+ years. The info below can help everyone. But describes my 87. I see online the recommendation here , the recommendation of the 5.5" spec. w/o springs and compressed . This is the MAX. oil you should have. As this spec is given for 95% of their spring kits. And not all bikes are the same. The people at Progressive along with their instructions state, this is a MAX. spec. Again ...this is a maximum spec. The Progressive springs are so robust they take up much more volume than OEM. Using 10wt. the 5.5" or 409 cc resulted in a harsh ride and is way too much oil. Simply, if you do not weigh 300# solo. This is too much oil. There is no reaon to go to 15wt. because having progressives is similar to a higher air pressure w/stock springs. My '87, I toyed with 1/2 to 1" spacer size and 10 or 15wt oil. And different oil levels. I have an oil level suction tool. Which you can make w/small hollow brass tubing w/hose and a mighty vac. or buy one for approx. $20. Static sag with you on the bike is key. My goal 2.25" sag. Having just a 1/2" spacer required more oil and I could change the sag with oil volume... thus removing air within the fork and creating an "air spring" situation. Remember oil cannot be compressed...but air can be. And less volume of air results in a higher resistance to compression and less air means quicker resistance. Meaning you will not bottom and have some anti dive properties. But the ride was not best on rough roads. I now have 1" spacer with approx. 360cc of 10 wt.... 2 things...if your sag is less than 2" you need to remove oil or size of spacer. 2nd you should not be putting in 409cc oil. Others here will disagree about the amount of oil in 1st gen. But law of physics says you are starting with less available volume with the new springs. ...but check the "sag" with a zip tie and putting it on the center stand after, again sag is the key... Lastly, if you are not comfortable putting the bike on the center stand again and again...get a helper...Cheers

last 20 years I have used Avons. I just put a Mich.commander2 on the back. They claim better mileage than other tires. Wow, really good cornering tire like the Avon. My front is an Avon...but it is NOT round. Over 85mph the front shakes. I have had it on the spin balancer at 2 different shops and new wheel bearings. This is my last AVON. Also I was told the VenomX was not longer available, now it's the "Cobra". It's a crap shoot with the Avons. I got crap. Just looking for a front for next year because the commander2 is not available for the front on a 1st gen..

the proper way to check they are LEVEL is a SMALL level right on the carb itself. NOT a carpenter 2' level. I have a 4 inch level and I set on each individually. Remember we are talking millimeters here. This is a critical thing. Lastly are the floats new ? And are you using the PROPER mark in the carbs for your measurements? DO NOT use the mark on the float bowl. Are you following the YAMAHA service manual ? I think you are doing something improper...or different than what is described in the service manual. Use the marks on the body of the carb below the diaphragm cap. And set 16mm below that. FYI...if you have new floats...set fuel @17mm because over time they will sink due to ethanol. Do this all on a bench ...put the carbs in pairs in a "soft vise". I had issues and they were solved by getting new floats. But what you describe is more than just a bad float or 2.

I am having the "RUTT" problem. I just looked and an R1 caliper that will fit . But the correct caliper is R-F, for the rear. So it follows the rotor . Just the bleeder will not be ideal placement, requiring removal for bleeding. Would need pics no prove me wrong..

if it revs slowly to 4500 and just does not pull. Then the carb diaphragms are the issue. I had the same thing on my '83...my 1st venture. If it revs in the 1st 3 gears quickly...then shutters...the TCI is bad or the multiple slides have seperated from the diaphragm. Look thru the air box filter removed and rev it slowly. any slides not moving ?

The whole issue was the needle bearing removable race, that can be damaged with a strong side load. Here is what I did. You must always remove the seal and c-clip. Note: the C-clip is a pain. The manual shows. So I know I did this bearing removal before somehow 20 years ago. I could have used the OLD needle race. But I wanted something that would not be as hard. I found a socket the same size as the inner race. I heated the area around the ball bearing. And "smoothly" hammer w/3# sledge at the inner race of needle bearing w/socket which pushed out the ball bearing and spacer. The race of the needle bearing was not damaged at all. I then inspected and greased the needle bearing(no signs of wear). Since the rotor was face down. I used two 4x4 blocks 2' long each to allow me to do it on my work bench. It went very smooth.The grease I used on the needle bearing over the years was worth the work of jamming it in between the spacer and the bearing at every tire change. Results NO WEAR. Thanks for the ideas. I now have the seal and ball bearing on order....cheers

clear, oil feel but not oil...that's brake fluid...or leak from slave cylinder for clutch which also uses standard brake fluid. As it might just have dribbled over to the right side under the engine..that would explain weak clutch

after a few hours sitting and me attempting to wiggle the center of the ball bearing...the roughness came back. The bearing does not have any looseness ....just rough. For removal, it seems you just hit the center of the roller bearing (race) with a socket or my old race from years back. And that drives the ball bearing out. So I guess I will order both seals and bearings. Unless someone else has a different idea...?

My '87 I replaced both rear bearings @35K. Actually only the ball bearing was bad. But I whacked the needle race and thus changed both. Now again @ 86K only the ball one seems to be bad, a bit rough. I did remove the C-Clip and seal. I did use a heat gun on the wheel to help. And a punch with a rubber hose to protect the needle race. But I cannot get it out . Is there a trick to keep from damaging the needle bearing. FYI, I regrease the needle one every tire change. It's rather easy. Thus I do not think I need to change the needle one...it's smooth and tight. Lastly , after I heated up the wheel, near the bearing...the ball bearing got smooth again ??? Any guesses as to why ? Note- the heat was not escessive. Less than 160F showing with my I-R temp gun on the wheel. The bearing never too hot to touch . Wish I could have got it hotter, say- over 200F may made it happen. But there is so much aluminum sucking the heat away. So, how can I change just the ball bearing w/o banging on, damaging the needle bearing ?

my last AGM lasted 10+ years cost less than $100. It was a Westco. I think that overall is cheaper than a Walmart battery every 4 years

there is "nipple" or pointer..to locate the proper positioning of each intake . the pointer sits between two cast plastic protrusions on the air box. Remove the air box and LOOK

no matter what battery you buy new. You MUST charge the battery before use. These Venture size batteries state 10 hours on a 2 amp charger. I have an AGM YUASA. Just got it

the new drain cock o-ring is orange. Yes the thermostat cover can warp. Mine did but not leak...what happened was the bike thermostat seal was no longer sealing and it ran cooler lots cooler. when cold

as everyone knows Yamaha only had the 42.5 in '83...then they realized they got better overall performance with 37.5...when properly tuned. Get your bike on an EGA machine . I did...don't need 42.5. Using 37.5 the low speed screws only need 2.5 CCW +/- 1/2 turn.to get the proper CO. at all speeds below 3000rpm.no hesitation in any gear...EVER.

starting upgrades. Some are easier and simpler tan others. You decide 1) solder all ends @ starter and battery leads 2) add ground wire inside starter 3) upgrade wires as listed on previous post 4) 4 brush starter

i may have posted this too late. but the needle bearing can be regreased. Remove the seal...center sleeve comes out... They rarely fail. .ask yourself> How many miles does it have. Did the original owner always ride with a passenger? they were designed to avoid the issues the goldwing had in the 80's.

the only time any sealer should be used is if your surfaces are oxidized. Which is common in aluminum. I found yamabond 4 to be great. And to be re-torqued after one or 2 heat cycles. Everyone has an in/lb torque wrench... 86 in/lb...I think is side cases specs.

look at the location of the bleeder. I believe left front is simply rotated 180 and is used at the rear on the venture. so my answer is L-F. Correct me if I am wrong

something for the future...I see you replaced the fuse block. Many of us have done this, good. but i soldered the wires at the block and sealed with RTV silicone. RTV acts as a strain relief and sealer from corrosion. Simply sounds like you service guy did not check his work. You will need a VOM to check what's connected or not connected. Ask yourself, what area did the service guy have his hands into the bike ?