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Good Morning Brandon, Welcome to the forum! With the veritable "laundry list" of items that you have accomplished on your first XVZ, it doesn't appear as if "Mechanical Skill" is going to keep you from putting your second XVZ in tip top shape in short order! I complement you on that! It's a pleasant surprise to chat with a "newbie" that has your skill level, and has picked up on pretty much all of the major flaws with these fine machines. I will try to address some of your concerns and share some of the ways I have overcame them. Please keep in mind that I do lean towards the "Performance" side of upgrades, so for a bike used for touring mostly, some of my suggestions might be a bit aggressive, but solid. Front Forks: I find that the front forks on both the MKI and MKII's (because they are identical) are a bit "Light Duty" for an 800 pound motorcycle, In my opinion. So they must be maintained regularly. Considering that the shielded front bearings on your #2 bike are 39 years old, even with only 17K miles, should be replaced. I'm sure the grease is more like "snot" then grease at this point. Replacement S.S. Brake/Clutch Line Set: The line set I currently offer has adjustable, replaceable swivels on the ends of the brake lines. This will allow you to add the line set to your stock calipers, forks and rotors, and when you upgrade ANY of the above items you simply adjust or replace the swivel ends, NOT the entire line set! This line set in it's current form WILL De-Link the front brakes from the rear brakes. I too enjoy the braking system on both of my First Gens. to function in a "traditional manner", right brake lever controlling BOTH front brake calipers, foot pedal controlling the rear brake. Many find this De-Link upgrade useful , some do not. I can supply a stock S.S. line set but if you plan to upgrade to the De-Linked system at a later date, NONE of these lines from the stock set can be reused. As always, it's your bike, you get to choose! Replacement of the right front brake M/C: What we are talking about here is volume vrs. higher pressure. There is some debate over which is better. The stock M/C provides more volume with the larger bore, the Virago M/C provides more pressure with it's smaller bore. So for the "Teckno Geeks" we are talking about the stock 5/8" bore at .6250" (volume) vrs. the 14MM bore of the Virago M/C at .5511" (higher pressure) I personally find the Virago front M/C just a bit too "grabby" for my liking. Especially because both my First Gens. have the larger diameter front rotors and 4 piston progressive engagement R1 Calipers. The stock front M/C works just fine for me, your mileage may vary. Replacement of the rear M/C: The MKII rear M/C has a larger bore, (more volume) than the MKI rear M/C (higher pressure) The outside dimensions of BOTH M/C's are identical which means that either one can be mounted in the stock location. I prefer the MKII rear M/C over the MKI rear M/C because I use the low speed riding method of applying a slight amount of rear brake only and raise the RPM's of the engine to a constant value. By releasing or applying the rear brake only and leaving the engine RPM constant, this has greatly improved my low speed handling of my bike. This method is easily seen in the "Ride Like A Pro" DVD series of vids and on YouTube. Clutch Basket Noise: Because Yamaha chooses to use straight cut gears in the transmission of ALL of the V4's it produced during this era, (1983 to 2013) and the clutch basket acts as an amplifier for the gear noise, it's pretty much, "It Is What It Is" as far as the gear noise is concerned. I have personally found that they are either noisy, or more noisy in my opinion! I will say that there has been more than once that a GOOD Carb. Sync has quieted down a "More Noisy" engine in my experience! Keep this in mind Brandon. 1983 MKI Plastic Water Pump Impeller: The early MKI VR's came stock with a plastic water pump impeller. Later models were changed to a metal impeller. It would be wise to find out which you have (by removing the water pump) BEFORE you have an overheating issue! Also your coolant could be 39 years old as well!! Something to think about. These are MY thoughts, for what they are worth! Again, welcome to the forum!! It will be a pleasure to have you share your skill level with all of us in the future! Good luck on your journey. Earl (skydoc_17)