Stache

Oil change, general clean up. Went on a good check ride as I'm leaving on an out of province trip Wednesday, by bike weather permitting.

Gasket came in, completed the reassembly and test run. There's no more slip anywhere, not even 2 up with the trailer. Never would have had the nerve to try this without the write-ups here. Thanks all.

Put a Barnett clutch spring kit in. Almost done. Waiting on gasket.

More progress made. I got the clutch lever back in place, I think, by taking the pressure plate back off, loosening the bleed screw and pressing the push rods back to start position. Dry shifted into gear without clutch. Retightened the bleed, installed the Barnett plate and torqued. Now the clutch appears to move normally. I attempted to reassemble the cover, but the dealer sold me the wrong gasket. They're overnighting me the correct one. Right now I have a plastic bag covering the clutch assembly to prevent stuff from getting into the mech. More to follow when I get the gasket and cover back on and test it. Thanks for the help.

Thanks for the reply. I may have created a new problem. With the disassembly complete how do I get it into gear? the clutch lever doesn't want to pull in and in don't thing the shift lever is moving anything. Seems I need more help than I thought. How can I get back to a known state to retry?

In neutral, cover off, old gasket removed Placed assembly, trying to torque bolts. Wrench set to 35 in lbs. when I turn wrench clutch assembly turns before I reach 35 in lbs. How do I hold it in place while torqueing? I intend to sneack up on the designed 70 in lb by torquign 35, then 50, then 70. Do I need anything on gasket? shellac or similar, or is it placed dry?

Thanks for your thoughts. I agree the tongue weight might be an issue, but I don't expect it to have the leverage to cause a problem.. 80 lbs 2 ft behind the rear axle aren't going to overmatch my 250lb on the seat 2 feet in front of the axle. Net effect would be the same as a 170lb rider. I will look at the carrying capacity of the hitch mount though. that might be a concern. I've already ordered the Barnett spring conversion as I've noticed some minor slip at highway speeds. That'll be going in next week. I will have the trailer brakes and controller. I'm curious as to which controllers have been used on these bikes, and user impressions. Extended mirrors will be a must. Any ideas on sources?

I'm considering pushing the button on this http://www.roulotteprolite.com/english/mini13.htm or this http://www.roulotteprolite.com/english/cool13.htm . Essentially the same rig, one has built-in propane amenities. I'll be having electric trailer brakes so the weight isn't overly frightening. My thoughts are swirling around how to rig a brake controller into the RSV, and how to extend the mirrors further out so I can have better visibility to the rear. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

If out on the road I might trust a plug long enough to reach a service centre, then I'd replace. More likely I'd call CAA and have them haul it to the service centre. Only got 1 life.

When is a Venture not a Venture? When it's an air-cooled V-twin. 1800cc - good. Modern electronics - good reverse - good rest of it is a question mark. Its a Harley-lookalike price-matched to a goldwing because, I guess, that's where they expect it to sell. I'm retiring in 2 years and I've been thinking about what to give myself as a retirement gift. I'll look at one of these when my dealer brings it in, but brand loyalty only carries minimal weight.

The 'Lunchtime Loop" Once around the perimeter of the city. Got the 'office fog' out of my head, and the riding smile back on. Had a nice 30 minute visit with my 2-wheeled therapist.

Got it. Pressure on the pistons needs to be absolutely in line or they bind. Clamp I was using wouldn't line up square so I got creative. Used the old brake pads, one inside, one outside to provide a way to fit a clamp on either side and provide simultaneous pressure square with the line of the piston. Tighten the clamps evenly and the pistons slide back in one at a time. Easy peasy. refill reservoir, quick bleed, pump the pedal a few times, and I have brakes. Now all I need is some riding weather.

I dumped my Venture at highway speed in 2012. I found some scratch-and-patch road construction that wasn't signed that I saw. I here because I was wearing full gear. Still spent 13 weeks in hospital. After some extensive repair to the bike, BIG V and I are still on the road (still in full gear)

Got the old ones out. Pistons will not retract into caliper. Ive loosened bleed screw, tried a C clamp. wont seem to move. What am I missing?

Looks like the battery was at fault. Dropped the battery from my Tour Deluxe in it and it fired right up. I'll put thru bad battery on charge overnight just to confirm but I think I'll need a battery. Thanks for the help.