cowpuc
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Posts posted by cowpuc
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Hi Braun and welcome to VR. Here are some questions to pick away at that may (or may not) be of assistance to the club MK2 guru's who hopefully will be here shortly to assist you..
1. What type of "serious issues with the starter" did you have on your ride home = please expound in detail? Is the starter you got from Ebay a new OEM Yamaha starter? How did you ride it home with no fuel pump? Did the volt gauge on the dash show the charging system functioning properly? Do you have a clamp on Amp Probe you could test amp draw on the starter lead? Hows the battery? is it new and/or been load tested? is it fully charged? if its older and lead/acid how is its water level? did you try boosting the battery at start up with a jumper box or jumping off a car battery? How are the cable ends of the battery and connections at the starter solenoid?
2. were you getting any over flow of carbs when riding it home? have you checked your oil level for fuel contamination? what does the oil level in the sight glass read at this time when standing the bike upright? Did you spin it up fast enough with the plugs out to know if there may be raw fuel in the jugs?
3. what plugs are in the bike? are they NGK DPR8EA-9 and are the fire rings on all the plugs? Do you have a compression tester/gauge? Did you test each jug with the comp tester with the plugs out and tester in one pot? Is there any chance you have a engine endoscope that you could look in the pots and see how much carbon has built up internally?
Stick around and this gang of lop eared VR MK2 guru varmints will help you get er figured out I betcha..
Puc
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1 hour ago, COWBOYBILL said:
THX AGAIN PUC !...THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE WITH YOU IN IT !....PEACE BROTHER....COWBOY !
You are more than welcome Cowboy,, as always, its a true pleasure to be of assistance any way I can. If you have any others questions feel free to contact me. Peace to you my brother of the wrench. Puc
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53 minutes ago, COWBOYBILL said:
THX EARL
I WILL CHECK OUT AND SEE WHAT DANO HAS TO SAY !...IF HE IS MIA OR DOES NOT HAVE WHAT I NEED {GEN 1}....I WILL GIVE YOU A HOLLER...
MUCH OBLIGED..... BILL KING AKA...COWBOY BILL
There you have it @COWBOYBILL, this is exacty what I was hoping for.. I had a hunch someone like @skydoc_17 would hop in and expound on the matter. No doubt about it Cowboy, poking around VR will definitely yield good results whether spinning wrenches or figuring out what ice cream to have after dinner... lol..
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2 hours ago, COWBOYBILL said:
FYI.... I ASKED COWPUC ABOUT MY STARTER WOE'S AND HE BEING ONE OF THE KINDEST AND MOST INFORMATIVE MEMBERS ON VENTURE.ORG.....TOLD ME WHAT TO DO. I BELIEVE THIS INFO IS TO BE SHARED WITH EVERYONE ELSE ON THE WEBSITE.....THANK YOU COWPUC !...YOU ARE THE BEST.....COWBOY BILL
HOWDY COWBOY!! Always a pleasure hearing from you my brother! On the starter question... Years ago Yamaha produced a bike called the 750 Virago,, do you remember them? The 750 Virago design with its "bendix" was a huge failure for Mom Yam because of the noise you are hearing and my shops backroom made good money fixing the noise by grinding relief on the mating gears of the bendix to quiet them down (something Mom Yam approved of for warranty repair but never did a recall on,, made me mad - I should have been rewarded HUGELY for that lol). After regrinding those mating gears all that was left was for the owner to ALWAYS remember to use a GOOD battery and to keep the starter cleaned internally so the starter would not let the engine backfire on start up, ruining the gears. Mom Yam DID make a new design for our Ventures, thankfully, called a Starter Clutch as shown here:
https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/yamaha/motorcycle/1983/xvz12tk/starter-clutch
As you can see, our Ventures do not have a Bendix. Instead there are idler gears that transfer the power from the starter to the starter clutch and that "clutch" has 3 spring held engagement devices that engage when you spin the starter up. It sounds to me like your starter clutch has failed, cracked where the pins set in it that hold the engagement arms. Bill,, this is actually very common because most owners do not know that they REALLY need to keep the interior of the starter clean from carbon dust created by the brushes and to always keep a good battery employed - basically the same maintenance I ALWAYS explained to the 750 Virago owners I had done my repair to to quiet their bikes. The hardest part of fixing/replacing the starter clutch is removal of the flywheel to get at the starter clutch. If the flywheel has never been removed it can be a bugger.. You will need a GOOD 2 or 3 jaw puller and, I suggest, a GOOD impact rotary. Put a bike strap over the flywheel to catch it when it finally lets go so it dont get ya. Also take a REALLY close look at your bikes stator assembly while your in there, look for burned coils. Make sure your bike has had the update to the stator installed consisting of a splash plate to toss oil on the stator and a wire that goes into the flywheel nut oil orifice. You could also look into locating a 4 brush starter (as used in the MK2's) as many Venture owners have found them to not be so dependent on keeping the starters clean internally, at least that is what I have read/heard. Personally I have never had need to replace my starters with the 4 brush or ever had a starter clutch fail in any of my 6 MK1's covering over 1 million miles. I am pretty sure that has to do with the fact that I always kept my starters clean and maintained a good battery. Hope this helps my friend! If you have ANY other questions do not be hesitant to ask! Your brother of the wrench n saddle. Puc
P.S.. - it might not be a bad idea to repost your exact question to me in the Watering Hole and I will copy/paste my response to you there. It may produce other ideas (always a good thing) and help others in the future. what say you?
Perfect @COWBOYBILL and THANK YOU,, not just for following up on this but for the kind words my friend. Hopefully if I missed something here in my response to your P.M. the sites guru's will jump in with other thoughts that will make your repair even easier! Puc
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3 hours ago, circa1968 said:
While I no longer ride in heavy commute traffic and try to avoid as much heavy SF Bay area traffic as possible these days, especially on the motorcycle, I have to weigh in on the 'crazy CA' lane splitters. So first, yes, there are the occasion crazy (young) idiots who weave in/out freeway speed and they could be ticketed for that as a judgement call by the police if its unsafe for them or surrounding vehicles (although law enforcement in CA is essentially non-existent these days....but that's another topic so I'll stop there).
Second, I spent many years safely and easily splitting lanes during rush hour commute traffic - yes, even on my original '99 Venture, back in the day. It can be safely done and I can assure the reality on the bike is much different than the perception.
The safe way (perhaps only way) is when traffic is at a crawl or stop. For the most part, I typically would be 'in' traffic, moving at the same pace and when it slows to a crawl or stop, is when its safe to move into the space between lanes at a slow, safe speed. If traffic came to a sudden stop, so would I before proceeding to split.
I can't say how fast, but definitely not 25+MPH. It takes slow speed handling skills, respect, patience and diligence and a sincere commitment to safety first, for you and the vehicles around you. Going at an appropriate pace, it was never unusual to see drivers move over and give me even more space, as they saw me approaching. As soon as traffic starts to flow is when its time to stop splitting and re-merge back into a spot in traffic. The only 'close call' I can think of was when a driver one car ahead of the one I was currently passing opened his door to dump out coffee. I was going at a slow enough speed to safely stop and neither he, nor I was in danger, but perhaps might have been different if he waited longer & didn't look first. I've never seen an accident from safe lane splitting either. As a driver, the worst part are the "hey, wanna hear how loud my pipes are' jerks. They will jump right next to you & blast it, fortunately, they are few and far between.
I'm not a daredevil or a big risk taker and I would still split lanes today - when its safe to do so, as described - if needed.
Tweeks, Tip and I spent many many years "lane splitting" in Cali and I gotta say I always thought lane splitting there was a wonderful attribute to traffic control and encouragement to ride a motorcycle in those endless 5 lane traffic jams. It made the beauty of riding a motorcycle in California and in such congestion not only doable but fun. In all those miles of doing so we also never did have or even see an accident as a result of doing so. I would be very careful if I were still riding/touring of lane splitting in a State that has just approved the action though because California is a "seasoned" State of the practice and, very similar to new traffic lights or other changes in traffic flow causing issues, I bet it will take time for all riders/drivers to get the hang of it. Just like doing away with helmet laws, I am in total support of lane splitting. Anything that makes riding a motorcycle a little closer to true freedom is good by me..
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16 hours ago, skydoc_17 said:
In my opinion, the HARM is the fact that with the crankcase overfilled, if you do have a float sticking in a Carb; you would never be able to detect it because the window is already overfilled with oil. If one day the sight glass is in the middle with oil, and a week later the sight glass is full, then according to Marcarl, there is half a quart of gas in your oil! Risky business, if you ask me. Crack the drain plug into a clean container, refill the crankcase to the proper level, and sleep better at night! Also keep in mind that "newbees" with their first Venture read these posts also! Let's not steer them down the wrong path.
WOW! I feel like I am channeling the Pucster!!
Hey Michael, I'm not trying to be a dick here, but I would hate to see you end up with an 800 pound paperweight because you scalded the bearings out of that motor because you didn't take 15 minutes and correct a simple mistake! I have a bike in the shop right now that the little brass washer on the middle gear cover was removed, and not replaced and the engine ran out of oil which caused the motor to seize up!!
Now this bike is a "Parts Bike" as a result. Simple oversight, causing catastrophic results. If I didn't love ya' brother, I wouldn't say a word!
Earl
Yep,,, me thinketh thou haseth some basque Gypsy blood in there somewhere @skydoc_17 cause I felt the channeling thing going on! Wouldn't have said what you said when you said any differently ya lop eared Gypsy varmint.
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9 minutes ago, Ronbo83 said:
I need a breather box and pipes
What model/year @Ronbo83?
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2 hours ago, ReinyRooster said:
Dang.....tried Cowpuc's suggestion with the lead.....didnt work....and yes, I am pushing the key in when trying to lock it.......no joy.
RATS! Oh well,, at least your ignition tumblers got some lube.. Next I think I would look under the neck (notice I would try lubing the tumblers like you did 1st so I didnt have to bend over lol) and locate the lock mechanism and bump it with a punch and a hammer,, not hard, just a light tap or too to see if it free's up. Then try to shoot some WD40 around the cylinder that is suppose to pop out. @ReinyRooster, can you look under there and see what position the bars are suppose to be in to allow the cylinder to pop out? Maybe your not getting the bars in just the right spot and when you push down on the key the cylinder is hitting on the stop and not letting your key go to full lock..
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2 hours ago, PastorCurt said:
Now Puc, you have gone and done it. I laughed so hard at this post that it interfered with my nap time!!! I will never look at lane splitting the same again!
LOL ya lop eared Preacher varmint @PastorCurt.. Here is some inside info that may help ya get back to snoozing after saying a short prayer for Tippy (my wife of 42 years next month) cause its kind of sad.. The story you read above is, as all my stories are,, TRUE, real things that actually happened. Can you imagine what my precious GOD LOVING wife has put up with thru the years? Now say a quick prayer for my bride and go back to tender slumber brother.. LOL
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12 hours ago, BlueSky said:
If you are concerned about it, stick a tygon tube down the fill hole and syphon a little out. Or use one of those hand held mity vacs if you have one. I used a long tygon tube to syphon trans fluid out of my car when the dealer overfilled it. It was easy to do. My car has as dipstick tube, no dipstick came with it but it still had the tube. Of course the after market came through for me with a dipstick.
2 hours ago, BlueSky said:Yeah, Puc has enough worn out MK I's that he could supply most anything I bet..
True that!!! Wearing out 6 of them since 1987 and keeping the left overs for parts DOES have its advantages LOL.. Of course, having a wife like Tippy helps too cause she has put up with A LOT thru the years!
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Take a pencil, bare some of the lead in it and scrape some pencil lead dust over the key switch.. blow the dust into the key slot with compressed air.
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3 hours ago, flyday58 said:
That was it, big old jets to compensate for cone filters. Runs like it's aspose to now. Something to look for when acquiring an unknown history bike.
BANG SHANG ALANG you dah MAN brother!!! GOOD ON YA!!! Thanks for the update!! Puc
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2 hours ago, RDawson said:
Don’t know what’s there after the accident but I don’t have a parts bike. Having Yammer parts Is history. 😄😄😄
and if you can get DanL's son to toss in any left over Tent Poles in on the deal you will REALLY have some historic fire side chat material Ronnie LOL
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I ALWAYS enjoyed lane spitting back when I chewed tobacco. Get er up to 100 mph, stick my naked head out into the wind, turn my head so my ears didnt fill up with spit and let er rip. It was a whole lot better than swallowing the stuff which always gave me heartburn. One time, back in the 1970's when I was Tigging tube (thought ya had me didnt ya @flyday58, thought I was gonna say tigging pipe didnt you?) for the Boilermakers I was up at 290 feet in the Power House tigging a wall of Super Heaters and had a mouth full of Days O' Work chew and had to spit. There are no lanes when your up there, just you, your "Pimp" (helper who does all the leg work like fitting walls for you), a Tig torch and a gorgeous view of the boiler activity below. I saw no one below so I let er go.. That great big wad of spit headed down and instantly filled with air and took on the shape of a tobacco chew spit umbrella. The umbrella moved from side to side in "the hole" below as I and my pimp watched it in amazement.. It suddenly caught an updraft and headed toward the boiler walls below us and disappeared into the east wall at about 140 feet down. I looked at my pimp and we both starting laughing and laughed until we heard a crew of Iron Workers down there scream "Stop spitting!!!". Back to work.. The end.
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4 minutes ago, RDawson said:
I might be interested in the ‘99
ahhh ohhh,,, look out world,, Corporal Newkirk is retired and got the bug!! LOL
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@skydoc_17,,, THANK YOU!!
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WOWZY WOW WOW WOW Corporal Newkirk!! THAT is FANTASTIC! Tip and I congratulate you and wish you nothing but the FINEST of retirement years my friend!! That is AWESOME Ronnie! God Bless! Puc
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1 hour ago, uncledj said:
Yeah...moving forward, I think I WILL disconnect the battery in the Winter. Would still like to know what's draining it.
@uncledj,, hi Unc!! I agree with you,, I would definitely want to know whats causing the drain too, I dont trust Murphy and KNOW he would get me at just the perfect time so here is what I would do. I would turn off the ignition and pull the fuses one at a time and do an amp test with my multi meter across the open circuit where the fuse was. Any amp draw higher the 30 or 40 milliamps I would be concerned with. Dont forget to check ALL fuses including the main. I would also look closely at the voltage regulator/stator system in the same way. I had a regulator allowing AC thru slightly that ended up being the cause of what your dealing with. I also had a similar experience with a fried terminal where the 3 wires from the stator connect to the wire harness on the frame of one of my MK1's. If your riding a 2nd Gen, which I believe you are, another cause could be the ignition switch itself. If memory serves me correctly (getting old brother,, memory lapses are not that uncommon these days) the 2nd Gens are known for ignition switch issues? Maybe even do a amp test at the battery leads while flicking the ignition on/off and watching the meter. One thing for sure,, it dont take much of an errant draw to drain a bike battery and it is really NO FUN when Murph takes the slight draw and turns it into an instant dark in the middle of the night while crossing the desert 2000 miles from home lol.. Love ya! Puc
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Oh,, by the way,, I am going to hold you to some pics of that MK1 my friend!! You KNOW me and bike pics!! THANKS!
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1 hour ago, skydoc_17 said:
Hey Pucster,
You Sir are a lifesaver! PM sent!
Thanks, my friend, Ill post pics when I get this bike finished!
Earl
and it is on its way! See you lop eared varmint,, chicken lips arent that hard to find LOL... @skydoc_17, the caliper was still mounted on the bike and the pads were not on it but I was smart enough to have pushed the pistons all the way back in after I had stolen the pads out of it years ago (probably to keep in my bikes maintenance department for an emergency, you know how it is). The brake line was still attached and when I pulled the banjo I got brake fluid out of the caliper so I am fairly certain the internal area's of the caliper should make for a fine rebuild. I most certainly hope it helps in your situation my brother. I will jump over to the PM you sent me and send a pic of the tracking number for it. Keep the faith and YOU are welcome Earl! Puc
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9 hours ago, skydoc_17 said:
Hey Rich,
Thanks for the reply! Trying to find one of these calipers is like trying to find "Chicken Lips"! They are just not to be had.
Earl
@skydoc_17, I am sure I can come up with one. It will definitely need to be gone thru though cause my parts bikes have been sitting a good while. Does $35 shipped sound fair? I will ship USPS flat rate so it should be there in a couple days. If that works just P.M. me your shipping address and I will go out back and pull one for you. Puc
P.S. THANK YOU for keeping these amazing MK1's on the road ya lop eared varmint!
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"HALF PIPE" LOL!! Hiya Flyboy, been a while,, how's the turbulence? I am not really qualified to offer advice on the 97 cause I really never touched one but until a real guru comes along we are, once again. stuck with each other LOL.. Common issues would be making sure the pipe(s) and air box(s) are open so she can breath. Speaking about it from a MK1 perspective I think I would take a close look at the carb slides/diaphram operations. Torn diaphrams and/or sticking slides are notorius for acting just as you describe. You should also double check those main jet metering rods hanging from the slides and slide springs. Another thing I would triple check is the timing advance module (if it has one). On the MK1 that puppy is mounted right beside the TCI and is vacuum operated. It could be as simple as a bad vacuum line so the timing is not advancing. Another thought you need to be aware of @flyday58,, those Royal Star Tourers were a different varmint than the MK1/MK2 and RSV's. They did not have a balance shaft, had smaller carbs and I am sure Mom Yam designed that motor to not spin up like the other V-4's she had produced. Maybe double check the OEM specs, drop a tach on it and see if its really only rapping out to 3500 R's. SOOO MUCH FUN brother,, I know you will figure out. By the way,, that red stuff you got your hands on for lining the tank is probably "Red Kote".. If it is you got your hands on the BEST stuff available for doing the job. I have coated many tanks thru the years and can verify, that stuff is AWESOME!
Good to hear from you ya varmint!! Half-Pipe Puc
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12 hours ago, COWBOYBILL said:
WOW PUC !...HAPPY TRAILS BRO !! IF YOU ARE CLOSE TO AREA 51.....LOOK UP AND MAYBE YOU WILL SEE SOME UFO'S ....KEEP US POSTED...THX PUC....COWBOY BILL
Unfortunately I am no longer able to tour on the bike @COWBOYBILL, this one is totally on @Pasta Burner.. I am just an innocent bystander offering advice that may assist him on what hopefully will be an AMAZING trip for him. On a side note Bill, you mentioning UFO's made me chuckle.. We have camped MANY times along the Terrestrial Hwy out on Nellis with hopes of just that. Never ever did find/see one though LOL..
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What's in Your Emergency Bag?
in Watering Hole
Posted · Edited by cowpuc
BINGO! ALL of the above only I also carry a small flash light that charges by winding the handle, hand impact w/bits, brass hammer, multi bit screw driver w bits, 16 inch Channel Locks, 1/4 drive socket set with 18mm plug socket, box end wrenches in 8, 10 and 12mm, needle nose, wire stripper/cutters w assortment of crimp ons n wire nuts, long handle allen wrenches, tube of E-6000, length of clear gas line long enough to hook to my tank vent line and be able to put pressure into the tank with my mouth while sitting upright and force fuel into the carbs if my fuel pump dies and I am 15 miles back in the mountains of Utah (had it happen), supply of screws/bolts/nuts, utility knife, xtra brake pad set, brake fluid, multi meter (freeby from Harbor Freight), tire gauge, (3) 12 inch tire spoons, I use to carry 2 C-Clamps for tire busting but then @VanRiver sent me a really cool tire buster for Christmas that works AWESOME so NO MORE C-clamps. A small bag of black tire bead solvent sealed up so it dont harden and I carry a section of 2x6 that I cut to fit perfectly into the bottom of Tweeks right saddle bag (Maintenance Department) that also fits perfectly under her center stand and raises her up just enough so I can get the rear wheel tire off without having to dig a hole in the side of the highway for the front end to drop into to raise the back end up for the rear wheel to clear.
I do carry the rope type tire plugs though cause they vulcanize best for me and I carry a can of rubber cement instead of trusting the little cement packs that come with the ropes.
I carry my extra clothing inside our tent that is rolled up tightly and then wrapped in a cheapy tarp so everything stays dry. Besides, my maintenance department tips +50 pounds with just all the repair stuff filling it that makes a 1 month long cross county summer trip increase in probability that all three of us will make it home under our own power and possibly be able to help someone else and their war horse do the same.. The End,, nooo,, The beginning lol
Puc