saddlebum

Plastifix is my preferred. Used it to rebuild my entire bike back in 2007 and have sworn by it since. Upper fairing on the left side I actually made up of two good halves splice together and no one was ever able to tell. Even held together when the bike fell of the work table 2 years ago, Don't ask You never need to use spot putty because it sands beautifully and you can continue to add as needed until you have a flawless surface. For extra strength you can inlay fiberglass cloth, fiberglass drywall tape or some form of wire mesh (preferably stainless or aluminum). Aluminum is easier to form. Body shops supply aluminum expanded mesh which works great.

Pull the connectors off the TCI and give them a good cleaning with contact cleaner and tiny straps of fine emery cloth and compressed air. Be carefully cleaning the female terminals so as not to spread them. A male terminal identical to the ones in the connector works great to clean the female terminals and to drag test the female pins for loosenes. I like to follow up with a good dose of ACF 50 spray and move the connector in and out a few times and a final leave in dose when reassembling the connectors. I almost replced my TCI for no spark when I decided to give this a shot and the bike has run great ever since. That was 5 years ago.

Another issue with over tightening is that since your threading into aluminum, too much force can tear the threads. A lot of times these bolts get over tightened due to insecurities. If not confident of your sense of feel you can always invest in a quality inch/ lb torque wrench, and tighten the bolt to the proper spec. This would apply to the drain plug as well. It is a worthwhile investment since each time you over tighten anything threaded into aluminum you distort and eventually damage the threads.

Nice looking bike.

Go to vmaxforum.net and check out a member known as dingy. https://www.vmaxforum.net/members/dingy.3541/ He used to be a very active VR member and was very instrumental in introducing this product to VR members. As far as I know he is still active over there and is very knowledgeable on the ignitech system. He used to make them available to members here complete with a plug in harness and already tuned for plug and play instalation. I actually have one but my bike is running so well that I just never got around to installing it. Being one not to fix what ain't broke.

Was thinking of doing the same thing but could not get hold of him. Any other time he would be underfoot LOL. Glad someone was able to do it.

I have the lift table and use a modified automotive scissor jack when I feel the need to raise a wheel off the table.

Thank you for sharing. Like wise we wish you all the luck. Having gone through a similar incident our family fully understands the trauma you went through. Some years back our previous Airedale Jake, got into a box of chocolate when nobody was home, only to be found lying on the floor shaking severely. He also had to be taken to the vet, were his stomach was pumped out and he was fed charcoal. Fortunately he survived and recovered to his full normal self and lived another 3 years passing away at 14 years of age which is the normal life span for an Airedale. We did know that chocolate was bad for dogs, but we then learned this threat also takes in grapes, raisins and onions.

The white and blue wire does not give a positive signal. It grounds the neg side of the relay. So if you take a test light the one small terminal should be live all the time. If not you need to trace back to see why. If it is, jump the other small terminal to ground or bat neg. The engine should crank over, if not relay is the issue. If it does relay is OK and you need to trace the wire back to the starter switch. there are a series of relays and switches on that ground circuit that under normal conditions complete the circuit to ground if any of them or open the relay will not get ground and will not operate. These switches are your clutch switch, kick stand switch, neutral switch and panic button. Also a dirty start button can be at fault it is not uncommon to have to take the handle bar switch apart and clean the contacts etc.. I recomend tossing an old carpet under the bike before taking this apart. There are springs and other little things that can go flying when you take this apart (very carefully) or bounce away if they hit the floor. To help you understand a lot of the above I have attached a schematic for the starting circuit I retrieved from the tech section. 86-93 Yamaha Venture Starting Circuit.pdf

I agree with all the others. This is a decision only you can make. You ride for your own reasons because that's what you want to do and not because others say you should. On the same note its your decision and yours only, for your own reasons, when you decide its time to give it up. You really don't even need a reason if you feel its time then its time. However stop gracing us with your presence and you darn well better have a good reason because ya can't just up and walk away from family. Plus You know you can still attend M&G even if its by way of 4 wheels.

To answer that question I believe a big part of the next generation prefer to live in a Virtual reality, versus reality. When we were young, we talked about the things we went out and did or the sports we played. Now all I hear is talk about what they watch on the boob tube. or the wins and losses they endured on video games. There are times I have listened to them talk about something, only to suddenly realize they are not actually talking about a real life situation but an online pretend one. They talk about a fight, as though it was real, only they did not come home like we did with a shiner , we won in real life scrap, because they were actually sitting at home, the whole time in front of a PC. Cost wise, like everything else pricing is a big factor but than there are always good deals if one looks around on used ,to be found. The other cost factor is insurance. Insurance cost in Canada is ludicrous in comparison the US and forget about adding an extra bike to your stable. Canadian insurance company's want as much for each additional bike, as the first bike, even though you can only ride one at a time. Their justification for this cash grab, is you might let a friend drive it but in reality, how often would that actually happen?

The problem with trying to compete with HD is that your not just competing with the bike. Your competing with a brand name, a following, a mentality, a culture, an ideology, so strongly ingrained that even ford and dodge built HD edition trucks. So no matter how much better you build the bike you cannot compete and hope to come on top. The only way to gain is listen to those who already prefer the Yamaha brand keep them happy instead of trying to win over the HD clan. You may even win over some of the HD owners indirectly through currant Yamaha owners, instead of trying to appeal to them directly. If you combine all the none HD touring bike owners you still have a big market to appeal to. I also believe if along with performance and handling one placed a lot of emphasis on the joys and flexibility of economic MC traveling, like outdoor outfitters do when it comes to canoeing, backpacking and wilderness camping. There is a chance of creating a whole new following. JMHO.

I test rode the new venture and though it was nice, unlike some I was not overly impressed and was more than happy to climb back onto my 1st gen. I have never ridden a Harley so I cannot really compare. Not being a jump on the band wagon sort of guy, and go for something just because it's popular I lean towards what I like for me not what impresses others. Am I bit curious to take a Harley for a ride once in awhile? On occasion I am but that's about it.

I have always wanted a venture since the day they came out. Now I have the 89 and love it. Think I will always own a 1st gen as long as I remain riding. I would also love to own a Ural with side car as a second bike. If I could have afforded it. Guess I am not much on flash but more about what suits my riding style.

Those rear master cylinders build up with crud if fluid is very old and contaminated with moisture so yes rebuild is likely but don't be surprised if they are corroded inside meaning full replacement. So before you invest in a kit pull it apart clean it and thoroughly inspect every piece. Including the proportioning valve.

OK once I dig it out I will send it on its way.

That is great news

Sounds like good news to me. Glad things are looking up for you

Once l find them they are yours for whatever it cost to ship them. PM me your address. Do you need both sides or just the one side? You can also try Zdeno in kitchener for forks.

To change the main jets you do need to remove the carb set and separate the cabs. To shim the needles you need only to remove the diaphragm and sliders which can be done without removing the carbs.

I may have some spacers and possibly other spare parts that you may be looking for.

Happy New year all. May this year be the 1st step away from all the turmoil, and unsettling events of the past couple years so we can all look upon one another as brothers and sisters rather advasairys.

On top of that some of those, not all however, that were key behind putting it together are no longer with us.

That goes for me as well.All the best.