Cdnlouie

Thanks for the good input on this topic as we start the "battery" season again. I appreciate Saddlebum posting that info which kicked off some good discussion. I also appreciate OB-1 weighing in with his experience in the battery world. I do believe his comments are right on the mark and very reality based. Bear in mind, mine was not a name brand battery a Mega Max (who knows what), so maybe better brands do work great. I would have to concur with other observations that battery maintainers may not be a good idea for the AGM's. Just when you start practicing good battery maintenance practice (ie. maintainers) along comes a curve like this that may indicate they are not so good for all batteries. I can't believe mine died while on a maintainer all winter and it happened for two successive seasons, so that may indicate a relationship. I also found that the AGM started the bike two weeks before it died perfectly, and then it just checked out the next time I went to give it a spring warm-up. The comment that AGM's die fast when they die is perhaps warranted. They are there 100% and then they are not (0%). Not a comforting thought. More research into how to maintain an AGM is definitely needed here. I would suspect they need a controlled steady 14.5 volt charge (not more or not less) on somewhat of a regular basis (like running in the bike) to keep them at primetime. Maybe someone can verify that down the road. And they probably do better with no maintainer and just left alone as a lot of people do (except for the careful ones). I do know that I would not lay (at least some AGM's) in any position except upright as I found that during the unsealing phase of my inquiry into its demise I noticed that the individual cell tops are a rubber cap that does release gas (if overcharged) by expanding the cap until it releases into the air. Also if overcharged the battery will balloon out with the pressure with the potential to explode. The caps don't look completely spill proof to me so I would keep them in the upright position as they are not necessarily a truely sealed unit (at least the brand I had was so). I have upgraded my RR to a Mosfet version which really enhances the charging of a regular lead-acid battery, so I think I will go back to this type as it seems to make the biggest difference to my overall system performance (including upgraded battery cables). I have the original stator and it works just fine with the new RR. It really enhances the low speed charging which improves the starting when hot of the old Ventures. I find that it keeps a lead-acid battery well over 13.0 volts quite easily so I don't see any real advantage of the AGM. Nice idea and it may work great for some fellows, but it seems to be a risky venture money-wise. Like OB-1 said "it's your money."

You know, I love the idea of an AGM too. Now, my first AGM was a Magna Charge off of ebay and it was sold as new but the manufacturer date was about 3 years old. It worked great for the first season, but then went dead over the winter while plugged into a battery maintainer (basic type). I boiled the heck out of it in the spring (nothing to lose) and got it working again for one more season (worked great as long as being used in the bike regularly). Did the same thing again the next winter so just decided to recycle it. Maybe I got a bad one here so I can't say that it it is the norm, but it is a bad experience so just tossing it into the ring. So far I prefer the lead acid with a good maintainer and I get lots of years out of them, at least five and usually more with basic Walmart specials.

My 85 Royale is aluminum and I have an 86 VR front end that is also aluminum. Jason, I don't think one slightly lower spot on the aluminum triple tree is going to allow the bearing to tip once it is properly tightened into the race. You are definitely going overboard with perfectionism.

This is an awesome job. I just picked up a Garmin 760 and these should work with it. Will give it a try. Many thanks, this will continue to be a valuable database.

Has anyone found a good emulator for the first gen. Venture forks or done it yet? I am rebuilding a set this winter and would love to add an emulator to provide some control over compression damping. A cheap source wouldn't hurt either. I thought I would ressurect this post to see if anyone here has gone down this road. Louie

As an add-on to the cold tire syndrome it is a good idea to remember that as our tires wear they change the profile of the contact patch and the corner section develops a more pronounced edge (hope that sounds right). It means we have less rubber when we lean over into that edge zone, then when it was new. The edge gets sharper and is just waiting for a cold day to surprise us. Even when we get to 50% of our wear we have lost the nice curve and developed a slip-prone tire scenario. I have an 85 VR and when I am enjoying myself down a country twister I frequently run up to the edge (and maybe over, who can tell, since there is no more tread rubber there) on my Dunlop Elite II. My next tire is going to have a bit more tread around the side just in case, because these VR's can really put the sport into touring. There's a time and a place to have fun and for the cold I sit up a lot straighter and 'mind my manners'. P.S. if us Canadians don't drive in cold weather, we don't drive at all

One thing that really affects tire wear is the type of pavement you typically drive on. Certain categories of roads use a rougher asphalt that really reduces the rubber life of a motorcycle tire. The ones we typically enjoy riding on. This is something that a rider needs to take into consideration when he purchases a particular tire type because some tire compounds will do better than others for wear depending on where they are being used. Been there done that,

I have a whine while turning corners to the left (85 VR) only and it comes on while leaning off centre and then quiets a bit if you lean it really deep. It occurs at the same 45-50 speed and not under or over. I feel it is the rear tire scalloped profile that started after about 25% worn. One more season and it's gone whether it's worn out or not. A new Avon is the plan. I just replaced the front tire this week and it is light years ahead of the old elite II's.

Yes, "moan" is a good description of the sound. I was trying to think how to describe it and that does it well. Everything is in good shape on my bike including a fresh driveshaft lube so I am thinking it is tire sound. I am due to change out my front one right away so that will knock that one out of the equation. It may take a while to do the rear one yet, but depending on my level of patience I may change it out sooner than later. Good thoughts,

Hey fellows, Just wondering if anyone might have experienced a rear wheel whine while leaning left at 80 Kmh (or 50mph)? It has been around for the last couple of years (at least 10,000 km) and I have not paid much attention to it. You can't really hear it below 80kmh or above 90kmh (55mph). It is just in that one speed zone and only when leaning left. Changing tire pressure does not seem to make any difference either. My gut feeling seems to think that the rear tire might the source of the sound. My Dunlop Elite II is about 40% worn and I can't remember if the sound was there when it was new or not. I am wondering if the cupping from wear is making it do this sound when leaned into the transition edge zone (Ie. between normal straight up running zone & the rarely used corner zone)? I can't remember if I read somewhere that the Firs Gen Venture rear wheel is slightly offset from the front (due to engine design, etc. - I could be wrong here) which could also accentuate the tire sound when leaning to one side more than the other. Another thought is that there may be a rear wheel bearing that might be showing some wear, but I don't have any experience with that on a Venture so I will have to throw it out to you all to see if you have had a similar experience . Thanks for looking, Dr. C.

Thinking about you both as found your post today: 1 Peter 5:7 ...casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. This scripture is often a comfort to me and I hope to you as well. Dr. C.

I've put about 500km on the job so far this spring and everything seems pretty nice . Here are the part numbers for the pieces necessary to do the "retorque" of the driven pinion shaft (and the same for a seal replacement). Spacer expansion (collapsible collar) 2H7-17571-01-00 $15.99 Cdn. funds Oil Seal 93101-35085-00 16.99 O-ring 93210-71360-00 5.99 Got about 25000km and still going strong (2012)!