saddlebum

What all did you do to the carb when you had it off?

where ever they can save a penny even though they charge more.

Never did use it. I find the site works just fine as is.

I tend to be a fan of Prestone but any aluminum friendly silicate free antifreeze is fine. If you use concentrate I highly recommend buying distilled or de-ionized water to mix with it. tap water will just start to introduce scale and mineral build up. If distilled or de-ionized water is not next to the antifreeze in the store try the drug or grocery stores. Some may suggest potable water but don't use it. All potable means is that it is safe for human consumption. Even potable water can have high levels of sulfur and minerals which can build up in your cooling system. It is if you have a scale build up but choose carefully. Some can be very aggressive and require a thorough rinsing. Some come in two parts. Part one is the flush part two is a neutralizer again flush thoroughly. In either case choose carefully and make sure it is compatible with the parts in your cooling system such as aluminum and plastic. Some flushes are not aluminum safe and can actually eat away at the aluminum.

Keep in mind how much compression leaks off is related to how much the valve leaks. Too little to zero clearance can keep a valve from seating properly or allow for a longer open time of the valve allowing some compression to escape during the compression test. I have seen this occur on many engines with mechanical valve adjusters, were less experienced techs that work under me were ready to condemn an engine, only to discover that compression was fine once I had them reset the valves to proper clearances.

All too often too much rake is added into the bike with conversion kits. May look cool and is great for straight highway driving but can be brutal on turns. One friend of mine had so much rake that not only did he have to strongarm the handlebars to make the turn but every turn was so wide it was as though he was taking an 18 wheeler around those corners and he often scarred me with worry that a he might get clipped by a car coming the opposite way.

Plus learning to wrench on your own bike puts you in a better position to know what to do, should you have an issue on the road.

Never apologize in the search for answers. Situations like yours as well as camaraderie is the reasons this site exists and those of us that are able to help are only happy to do so. As far as your fuel consumption goes two of the more common causes are stuck enrichment valves (often referred to as the choke. A common sign of this but not always the case, is that you never need to choke your bike to start it even on very cool mornings. You can try observing them for movement as you move the choke lever as they are mounted on the outside of the carbs and manipulated by levers too which the choke cable runs. Another issue is the float levels set to high which sadly is not an easy thing to check on a 1st gen and is easier done with the carbs removed and on the bench. If your valve set is so far out that you are loosing compression this could cause an incomplete or inefficient burn resulting in low power and higher fuel consumption. Also when draining the Rad there is a hex valve near the oil filter housing. marked drain. make sure it is set in the on position when draining or filling the cooling system and turn to the off position for normal operation.

That is odd I have used permatex's the right stuff for years and never seen it separate in the tube were I have had tubes of silicone separate and come out of the tube ether watery or grainy.

Sorry pressure testing and looking for pressure drop, or running the engine with the pressure tester on it and looking for excessive pressure build up were two items I meant to include but the Grand kids showed up so I cut myself short. There are more aggressive chemicals you can use but at the shop were I work dishwasher detergent is all we ever use when we get engines with cooling systems contaminated with either oil or diesel fuel. The more aggressive chemicals we only use if we feel that their may be a build up of scale in the cooling system.

You might want to check out https://www.vmaxforum.net/members/dingy.3541/#recent-content This guy Dingy used to be a member here and has done a lot of playing around with vmaxing a venture and may be of some help.

Too thick of a gasket specially were narrow edge gasket surfaces are concerned often cut in half or squeeze out as you tighten the bolts. (Permatex's The Right Stuff gasket maker) or Loctites Gasket Eliminator are perfect for totally replacing gaskets were gasket thickness is not important for clearance issues. when using lay a 1/16 inch bead down the middle of the gasket surface and around bolt holes (Do Not spread out specially important with gasket eliminator as it is anaerobic) this eliminates air pockets as it will spread out as you bolt down the part. High temp Red or Grey silicone work well too but I find the above product superior to silicone. Also never patch a gasket it is better to completely remove it. The exception to that is if a gasket comes away in one piece either completely or stuck to one side then I will either add a tiny bead of gasket eliminator (again do not spread it). The other option is to lay a light spray of permatex high tack gasket spray to all surfaces including the gaskets then assemble when dry to the touch. In a pinch were gasket spacing is important and no gasket is available I have cut thin spacer strips and used them with the right stuff embedding small strips on each side of the bolt holes and being careful not to over tighten the bolts. In some cases when using this technique lay a slightly larger than 1/16 inch bead but do not go bigger than 1/8 inch and again do not spread out. let cure over night in this case.

Keep in mind also that even though she made the attempt she did have the strength to pull back, come forward and express that she was so very sorry and told her Mom what she had done. Always a good sign for hope of better days ahead. I once did renovation work for a young women who hung herself only days after my last visit. I had been doing work for her off and on for a little more than a year and she was always a spunky lively person. On that last visit I could see something was wrong . She had that look on her face that I could tell something was really off but could not put a finger on it. It wasn't anger or sadness it was just as though there was a great distance there and now feel had I been more aware I might have realized that look said this is the last time I may see her. That was roughly ten years ago and still to this day I wish I had caught on better and sat down and talked to her. Maybe it would have made a difference and maybe it would not but it still haunts me at times that maybe, I could have made a difference.

Most do not know how to properly use silicone and use way to much or apply it incorrectly.

From the picture it looks like rust mud. Has this bike been run with straight water in it by chance. In any case before tearing the engine down, I would do a thorough flush. A bit of automatic no suds dish washer powder soap and water for the first run and run engine up to temp about 15 to 20 minutes allow to cool drain and fill with clean water and run up again. Continue until relatively clean water drains out. Then fill with clean aluminum compatible antifreeze (STAY AWAY FROM GM DEXCOOL). Don'the forget to was out the overflow tank. Ride the bike and keep an eye on it. You can also do a cylinder leak down test and/or combustion gases test. You need a special tool with test fluid for this most auto parts stores carry them as does amazon. The later will tell you if the head gasket is leaking by detecting combustion gases in the rad.

Very sad situation. I hope and pray all continues to improve.

I have used the ones from JBM several times and have no issues with them as well. The only thing is once you use them you can no longer go back to the OEM style. You will see why when you go to their link. delivery service by them is excellent BTW. http://jbmindustries.com/Yamaha650.html

I have used them several times and they work great. But the stainless metal piece still have to be secure in the plastic slider even with JBM's diaphragms. Here is a note from JBM's web site with regards to the sliders: Yamaha Venture Notes: The 73 mm Mikuni Diaphragm fits the Venture models even with plastic slides. Remove the short metal tube from the plastic slide if loose, and remove the rings. Place the JBM Industries diaphragm on the metal tube, and then push tube into the plastic slide. Use Super Glue on metal tube. If metal insert tube is not loose, just cut the rings off plastic slide with side cutters as shown.

Check all your redundant switches. clutch lever front and rear brake switches for secure contact. These switches are meant to switch off cruise control anytime you activate your clutch or brake pedal and can kick off your cruise control if out of adjustment or if the pivots on your control levers are sloppy. Make sure the speed sensor switch is working properly (it is also used to cancel your turn signal and is built into the speedometer housing). Check all your controls and related wiring connections and wiring for corrosion.

If memory serves me right 1154 is a 6 volt bulb.

That is my Idea of a road trip as well,,. Glad you had great time even if I am a little green with envy right now, since I am currently grounded and cause I love northern Ontario. Hope to still squeeze in a few rides before summers end though. Great pics by the way.

I have heard of some have some success with crazy or super glue but for the most part my experience has followed along the same lines as what Marcarl mentions.

Commonly in a dual filament bulb when one filament sometimes detaches at one end it shifts around and touches some where else in the bulb. This can cause anything from erratic light behavior to actually blowing fuses, leading one to believe they have a wiring short, when there actually isn't one. I would try another bulb and see what happens. Also check the rear signal bulb if it is burnt out it can cause the front signal bulb to flash faster than normal due to the nature of the signal flasher design.

I found some are unsure as to were to go to renew their subscription. I have had to talk a couple members through the steps. After I finally figured it out myself.

I updated my previous post and added a PDF as well to assist checking your ignition system. Check it out.