saddlebum

Problem is when it comes to trying to influence your kids in one direction there is a whole twisted other world and media influencing your kids in another direction and you tend to be out numbered.

Really seems like a down to earth guy.

Sooo Bike starts in gear, Cruise works. If we see a riderless bike go by, I guess we can assume you forgot to get on

@Marcarlwon't be say'n anymore than he has on account of self preservation. You just gonna has ta read tween da lines.

So it likely is an areation line this is to assist removal of air pockets in the cooling system. The system holds about 14 PSI and though that hose may look flimsy it is still capable of carrying the pressure within the cooling system. If you plan on still using that hose I would replace the electrical tape with splicing tape also known as magic tape. this is a highly stretchy tape and is self vulcanizing. stretch it to about half its width while wrapping it. then cover with friction tape also known as hockey stick tape to protect and reinforce it.

They say you learn more from your mistakes then your successes. All I will say is @Marcarlhas had quite a learning curve

I would do as Marcarl stated with one exception I would avoid use of an impact gun using it as a last resort only. in my field as a heavy duty mechanic, I have seen far too many torx heads round out or round off because of the way an impact gun works. Use a hand tool and steady pressure is the the safest way using a longer handle if needed the bit may break but at least you won't round out the head. you can also try heating the head of the bolt (red if possible) then immediately and quickly quench the head with cold water repeat a couple of times then again attempt to back the screw out. Failing that use a hand impact driver such as https://www.grainger.ca/en/product/p/KDT1140D?gclid=Cj0KCQjwk4yGBhDQARIsACGfAetK2Sr16P1iz7MT8c9hl2d_b2ZpA_ZnABnq1GAe3wi5TAWt72ihl-MaAgg9EALw_wcB&cm_mmc=PPC:+Google+PLA&ef_id=Cj0KCQjwk4yGBhDQARIsACGfAetK2Sr16P1iz7MT8c9hl2d_b2ZpA_ZnABnq1GAe3wi5TAWt72ihl-MaAgg9EALw_wcB:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!3645!3!303422060307!!!g!296274828640! to try to remove the screw this tool twists as you wack the end with a hammer while twisting the tool in the proper direction which will supply both inward pressure and twist at the same time. If all this fails then try an impact gun as a last resort. by this time the screw may even have given in a bit and become a bit more cooperative.

Really not sure what it is since it was not used on the MK2 86 - 93. Where does the other end go? If tied into the cooling system it could be an aireation hose to allow trapped air to escape the cooling system or if going to the bottom of the air cleaner it could be a crankcase ventilation line. Since only electrical tape was used I would probably rule out it being involved with the cooling system. Someone with a MK1 83-85 may have a better idea.

here are some interesting options:

Fast clicking when you first turn the key on is normal. once the float bowls in the carb's are filled to there proper level the clicking should either stop or drop to an occasional click. If my bike has sat for a long spell like over winter I often wait for the clicking to stop or drop off before starting the bike. If the clicking continues for too long then you may have an issue such as fuel line leak. needle valve and/or float stuck in open position or low fuel tank. You say you have one bar left but if the shut off is in normal run position versus being in the reserve position the fuel could be low enough in the tank for the pump to suck air instead of fuel and thus continue running.

If that stated limit is per eye than you should be OK. provided they don't bend over under side pull tension. Some Aluminum alloys do not normally like to get bent as a rule.

No good for the Venture unless you want to tow it with the engine running in order to make sure the transmission is lubricated. Otherwise you could sustain transmission damage.

Also I find an ohmmeter used to check for resistance in a circuit not as effective to check for bad or faulty connections because as stated by @Flyinfoolan ohmmeter draws so very little currant. I have seen a circuit with a corroded wire test good by an ohmmeter because the green powder bridging the gap had enough conductivity to fool the ohmmeter into showing a good reading.

Not sure if this will work on a second gen but here is how I bench set the floats on my 89 I also made my own carb sync tool from junk I had laying around. Home made set up for wet setting floats on the bench.pdf HOMEMADE CARB SYNC TOOL.pdf

I have removed them one at a time and as a pair. Time wise I find little difference and therefore I prefer to remove them as separate units as they are less awkward to handle this way specially if you only need to remove one side. you do not need to remove all the chrome or the signal light either. STEP 1: From inside the box remove the 4 big screws (2 on the upper inside wall and 2 on the bottom) remove the nut at the back of the box which secures the reflector (one in each box) STEP 2: From outside the box remove the four small screws that hold the center piece of the pumper to the end pieces (2 screws on each end) also (the end pieces do not need to be removed from the box) From underneath twist out the turn signal bulb holders The box is now ready to lift off. Even though the brake pads can be reached without removing the box for the few minutes it takes to remove the one saddlebag it gives you handier access to the caliper.

Make sure it is neutral than locate the start solenoid left of the battery. Bridge the two big terminals on the solenoid (this bypasses all the safe guards and switches etc involved with the starter circuit) and you are putting power directly from the battery to the starter. If the starter still will not crank you likely have a bad starter or a bad ground. If it does crank over than you should be able to ride the bike home. Then you need to check all switches wiring and relays related to the starting circuit.

Your right my mistake You should still be able to find a connector from the fan and supply 12 volts directly to that connector to verify if the fan runs or not.

The idea behind progressives is to still give you a smooth comfortable ride while stiffening up as the load on the front forks increase such as in hard braking or adding weight to the bike. Linear do not have a variable spring rate in the same sense and tend to ride harder.

sign up as a full fledged member you will not regret it. As far as clueless goes your in the right spot to deal with that temporary affliction you will not find a more knowledgeable nor helpful group than the ones you will find here. Some may even show up on your doorstep to lend a hands on hand if they are close enough and you are in dire need of such assistance. Nobody here is perfect but the combined knowledge of all surpasses anything you you may need.

Have you thought about using arched ramps. Also I guess you needed the extra room on the trailer for the cases of Apple Pie

At least you know its getting their attention.

Sad to hear Rod but stick around just the same. If we can put up with a bikeless @Flyinfoolwe can put up with anybody

the thermo switch should be threaded into the thermostat housing. If the fuse is ok try the following. if a single wire goes to the thermo switch disconnect it and with the key on ground the wire if the fan is ok it should run. If it is a double wire disconnect it and jump the 2 wires together the fan should run. If it does you likely need a new thermal switch or in the case of the 2 wire set up a noise filter. if you can get to the 2 wire connector for the fan you can put 12volts directly to the fan to see if the fan itself works or not. if it does not and you can find no fault in the wiring going to the fan then you likely need a new fan. On my bike I installed a fan override switch so I could manually turn the fan on early if I want to or as a backup if the thermo switch should ever fail.

With my 1st Gen MK2 I actually went back to a PIAA hi output Halogen bulb after trying three different LED's. Although the LED was brighter I found it lacked projection, proper focus and definition of road objects with 90% of the light cast being directly in front allowing for much less reaction time. It is my belief that the reflector design is not well suited to the proper focusing of the LED bulb. On the other hand if you can replace the entire headlight with a self contained LED sealed beam as you would be able too with the MK1 83-85 and other bikes that use a sealed beam or were the headlight can be replace with a complete sealed beam unit, it would be very effective since the LED and reflector are designed to work together. some examples of sealed beam LED headlights. https://www.grote.com/white-light/forward-lighting/led-sealed-beam-headlights/