Prairiehammer

Thanks for your VIN contribution, Paul. Unfortunately, I have no further information about your Venture. Yours is the first submission to the database for this bike.

I sold my 1983 Venture Standard yesterday. I've had that bike since June 2002. Down to one Venture and one 1974 Honda CB750. The Venture was sold to an enthusiastic YOUNG man from St. Louis. I strongly suggested he join here (since the 1983 had not been started since 2003 or 2004). I included a cut down seat from my wrecked 1990, a new Yamaha oil filter, a XVZ12TK Owner's Manual, a Yamaha factory Service Manual and a Gremlin Bell. Congratulations, Justin Loy. Hope to see you on here.

I have created a couple of graphs reflecting the First Generation Venture production numbers. The numbers are based on the recorded VIN in my database. (If you haven't contributed your bike's VIN, please do so.) As one can see, the 1983 production was huge, thus explaining why there are still so many out there. Note that more than half of the 1991 production went to Europe. Also note the large decline for 1988 and later years, due to the introduction of the Honda GL1500?

Indeed there is a difference "visually" between a 1983 TCI and a 1984 TCI. One must be able to read the label applied to the TCI, though. The 1983 TCI Note the black label and "26H-*". The 1984-1989 TCINote the green label and "41R-*".

Your 1990 Venture (and the 1991, '92, '93) has a single pick-up coil. A faulty (corroded/loose) connection from the pick-up coil to the TCI will result in no fire for any of the cylinders. Pull the left side cover and trace the cabling (containing an orange and a black wire) from the stator cover to the white connector and on to the TCI. Inspector the connector.

There is no difference between Royale forks and Standard Venture forks. Yes, the forks have springs. All Venture forks have springs. Progressive® Springs for the First Gen Venture of all years are the same Progressive® part number: 11-1112 Factory recommends 10 weight fork oil. The "boxy" thing on the lower forks is the Electric Anti Dive solenoid valve.

:think: As I said: The VIN indicates that your Venture is a 49 state 1988 Standard Venture XVZ13U, (non-Royale, non-California).

Thanks for the VIN on your 1988 Standard Venture, XVZ13U. Not a real common rendition of the First Generation Venture. Yours is just the tenth '88 Standard in my database. The last year Yamaha offered a Standard Venture.

The VIN indicates that your Venture is a 49 state 1988 Standard Venture XVZ13U, (non-Royale, non-California). A 1988 Royale is XVZ13DU with VIN JYA1NLE. California Standard would be XVZ13UC with VIN JYA2LXC. A California Royale in 1988 would be XVZ13DUC with VIN JYA1UNC.

Your Venture's front brake switch should have four wires, green/yellow, yellow, brown, black/white. If your current switch only has two wires, then it is not the correct switch. The connector for the four wire brake switch and the connector for the two wire switch is obviously different and won't plug together, creating the needed correct circuitry. There is no brake relay. I suspect the click you are hearing is coming from the flasher relay. Try cycling the hazard switch a few times, perhaps it is bad or dirty. Check out this thread: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?22524-no-brake-light-on-front-brake

The radio fuse is located in the auxiliary fuse block.

Puc, the Second Gen rear shock IS substantially different from the First Gen shock. Here is a diagram of a Second Gen shock, courtesy of Rick Butler. Rick Butler Shock Diagram.PDF

The air and oil are in two separate sealed chambers, isolated from each other. Releasing the air should not have released any oil.

If you don't want the uncertainty of a used starter, you can still buy a brand new Yamaha starter from the worthless dealer. And it is only $494 MSRP! Yamaha part number 4NK-81890-00-00.

Thank you Franky for the VIN. It should be noted that you own a 1985 Venture Royale, not a 1984 as you believe.

I don't think I can make this any simpler:

There is NO electrical connection internally from the blue/white wire to the either of the big posts. The blue/white wire simply completes the circuit for the internal solenoid coil. The blue/white is connected to ground when the start switch is depressed. Do not jumper anything to the small post that the blue/white wire is connected to. Again, lots of smoke if you do. With the positive battery cable hooked up to the "IN" side of the solenoid (as I explained above) and the starter cable hooked to the "OUT" side of the solenoid, simply grounding the blue/white wire should cause the starter to crank.

As this wiring schematic shows, the proper wires on the clutch switch are black/white, blue/YELLOW, and black/YELLOW. Study this diagram and one can figure out what wires should be "jumpered" to bypass the clutch switch.

NO! I hope you haven't hooked the "ground" cable to the solenoid yet! That would let a lot of smoke out! The positive cable from the battery goes on the big lug next to the small "unused" screw. The cable that goes to the starter goes on the other big lug. As I said earlier, the MKII solenoid with the single blue/white wire should already have the jumper incorporated from the big lug (battery side) to the small screw.

The MKII starter relay (solenoid) has but one small wire, the blue/white. The second small screw is connected to the battery positive via a jumper strip built into the solenoid. Depending on the manufacturer of the solenoid, the jumper connecting the big post to the small connection may be internal or external (manifested by a visible conducting strip).

The Venture water pump elbow 26H-12446-00 is still available new for $37.43 from Boats.net. However, you can get the same elbow 1FK-12446-00 (painted black for the VMax) for $22.45 from Boats.net.

Thank you, Suds. Yours is only the second 1990 Canadian in my database.

Dennis, there are three 1986-1993 fender "Mascots" on eBay right now: http://tinyurl.com/y7qc24pj http://tinyurl.com/ycmdxvqn http://tinyurl.com/y98x4utf

Thanks for the VINs, Dave. You are correct, the 41W are both 1984 Canadian Royales. And the 31M is a 1983 US Royale. What color are the Canadian '84s? Mileage? Is the build date on the 41W----167, October 1983, too?

CB has been standard on all US destined Venture Royales since 1986. AM/FM/cassette has been standard on all Venture Royales since 1983.