SpencerPJ

Thanks guys, I'll be back. Digging in this afternoon.

Is this something I can clean? What part might I be looking at?

Seems I have narrowed it down to the middle gear driveshaft seal. Sneaky how it drains down the frame. 2 cans of brake cleaner, then a good wash, surprising how well leaks show there starting point. I will post a new thread for advise on what I need to do with that. Right now, I have a rear brake issue that is more pressing, lol.

So, I've been having some rear brake issues. First it started as air introduced in the rear system. Bled the top at proportioning valve, fixed it. Couple days later, bled again(not much), really had nice rear brake again. Today, left for a ride, 5 miles in, I did hit rear brake harder than usual, but not terrible at all; at my next stop (2 miles) I noticed the rear caliber was dragging. I immediately pulled off, and I had to release the pressure with the bleed screw to take it home. (Could have been much more ugly than it was). So I get it home, cooled down, figure I'd start by a thorough cleaning, took rear caliber loose, and I could move pistons back and forth, cleaned up well, but for the life of me, I could not press them both into their innermost rest. I had to loosen the bleeder to allow fluid out. Is this normal? Seems whenever I've changed rear pads, little prybar and each would move back. Tomorrow I plan on a flush whole system with brake fluid, assuming the mityvac is acceptable. Any other suggestions or things I should look for? Thanks, I'm not the most knowledgeable around bikes. My other thread about air in rear lines. I felt I should get this under Tech Talk and not watering hole.

I agree with checking and cleaning the fork seals, I even carry a 35mm film in my glovebox. Also, make sure you are running a small amount of air in the forks. If I run zero air, my seals leak.

Thanks Earl, Last time I was in the rear master cylinder, topping off, I dropped that stupid washer around the bolt, and replaced it with a rubber washer. Could that cause issue? It seems sealed and does not leak there. I did notice the inner rubber was collapsed down from the lid. Should I actually remove lid and investigate?

I have a mity vac, any problems sucking it through the system, FL then RR keeping the rear reservoir filled? I thought I read once that you can suck crap into your system this way, should I first check / clean Rear reservoir? thx

I've done a thorough cleaning, and think the fluid is coming off a rubber boot where the drive shaft mates to the engine. I'm guessing there is a seal inside there. It drips to a spot on the frame, pretty sneaky how it runs. Anyways, how difficult of a job is it to fix? I have never had the rear end off, or driveshaft out, I did change the diff fluid a few years back.

So, I have an 83, 51k miles. Rear brakes, bled the notorious high spot under the handle bars, perfect, air gone, perfect brakes again. A week later, 300 miles, and they are going soft again. Brake fluid is fine, no visible leaks anywhere. How can air get into system? I always clean up pistons when I do a brake job, never have seen pitting, they are remarkably clean. It has been a good while since I've done a flush / fluid exchange. Any thoughts are appreciated, thx.

I did my 83 last year. No, I did not take fairing off. One trick that helped me get the lower race out, was a long sharp punch, and I used a Dremel to make a notch in the race so I had something to snag tapping it out. This was the punch that did the trick for me.

If I had a starter issue with my 83, and I had it out, NO WAY would I rebuild it or put another 2 brush back in. Totally go 4 brush. If you are super frugal, there are places on the web and I'm sure a search on this site would show you how to take apart and cleanup.

Figures they would say that, but I kinda understand. Something I've learned, I have a local cycle shop that mounts my tires, but I also order through them. They easily match online prices, and they cut me a break on mounting because I bought through them. I like better to do this, as I tell them do NOT mount a tire over a year old on it, plus now with your circumstance, warranty work would play out easier. Just a thought, again happy you caught it.

On auto tires, Firestone claims that is normal and acceptable. I agree with you, just sharing my experience with car tires. Firestone says sidewall cracks are a problem, but the rubber between the treads is very thin and does not impact the treads stuck to the belts.

Sig P365 is my carry as well. That's a nice addition, like the wood.

I'd send them an email with pic, and express your disappointment. https://shinkotireusa.com/contact

I have always been good with the Shinko 230 tour masters. As you said, his has left a bad taste left. I had similar experience with Firestone Destination tires on SUV, I'll never buy another Firestone, although they certainly make some good tires. Glad you caught the problem before it potentially failed you.

I sometimes struggle getting good search results on this Forum. Maybe Google 'replacing the U-Joint venturerider' There are plenty of links to articles in our Forum. Good Luck!

Might not be the best way, but I slide my old school brake adjustment tool (or prybar, screwdriver), but anyways, I'd put the caliber and loose brake shoes back over the rotor and use the rotor and brake shoes as my pivot point. Actually I do this before I even take the old ones out. I'm sure they also make a tool to spread them, maybe AutoZone loans one out?

Thanks very helpful . I do not get a trail of fluids, seems to only drip out when sitting. Unless it gets worse, I'll probably save it as a winter project, right now a piece of cardboard keeps the oil off the garage floor, lol. I do plan to order that cover gasket first, it's a must see behind there.

I'm sure it's tough as I believe he has given up riding. I wish him the best and thank him for anytime and every time he has helped me. His extensive knowledge will be missed. Just like another older Great, Dingy, I saw on a Facebook Venture group that he recently sold his yellow Venture / vMax ride.

Did the shock hold air? Mine holds air, so not thinking it is the problem. I will check though, thx

when you jumped straight to the starter, was it the bikes battery, or another known good one? My 83 starter is the old 2 brush junk, but still works fine with a decent battery and some connection mods. Personally, I'd start with a solid jump from a known good battery that is fully charged. I'm sure you need a new battery, just hate throwing money at it until the bike seems known to be salvageable.

Thanks alot David, After another ride, and sitting a bit more level, it is forward a bit from my above picture. My rear valve covers seem dry, It's been dripping a large drop after every ride for a few months now. Oil level not noticeably down. I really need to get some engine cleaner, purple stuff, and get the area clean. It's really tough to see, even with mirrors, because the exhaust collector is in the way. Not to appear super stupid, but the cover you have off, isn't that the crankcase cover? Maybe I should start by ordering the gasket for that, it sure seems that opens up a lot more for viewing purposes. ps: it's Paul, not Ronnie, lol.

Not losing any brake / clutch fluid, seems like oil. Kinda hard to see above exhaust, hoping others have had similar drip and suggestions. I know I need to start off with a good cleaning. ps: it's a 83.

Have you checked the starter relay, similar to old Fords, just to the left of the battery?