Smokee
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Posts
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Peace Officer since 1976. Last 32 years as a firefighter/arson investigator, currently Fire Marshal in the bluebonnet and ice cream capitol of Texas!
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Valve noise on a 08 Rstd with less than 1000 miles
Smokee replied to live2ridejp's topic in Watering Hole
My '07 RSV has had the "tick" since I bought it with 1 mile on it (28,000+ miles ago). I've used Yamaha oil, Amsoil and Mobil 1 and the tick has remained. It fades away after the bike is fully warmed up though. -
Betcha the 2nd Gen as part of the Star line-up won't be around much longer either, considering accessories are getting hard to find and the only 2010 model choice is the beautiful black with silver flames on it (gag!). I had a friend fabricate a toe shifter for my '07 but it turned out bad so I kept using the stock shifter.
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I bought a RS Silverado new in 2005. Loved that bike...very strong, dependable, big enough for me (I'm 6-2/250) and gorgeous to boot! But after 2 years, we decided we wanted a touring bike, so I sold the Roady and bought the 07 Venture. I love having cruise control, fairing lowers, sound system, intercom, etc. I miss the Road Star sometimes...but then I go ride the RSV and it all goes away. In a perfect world, I'd have both bikes!
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Recent Installed Risers Members
Smokee replied to rumboogy's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
I installed at set of 2" Baron's risers on my 2007 RSV right after I got it. All I did was removed the caps from the bars and laid the bars on the (well padded) fuel tank, slid the risers into place and installed the caps and bolts. The throttle cables don't have any extra slack in them now, but it's been 3 years, and not a single problem yet. There's no binding anywhere from lock to lock. -
Two years ago on my 2007 RSV, I installed a heavy duty (30Amp), marine grade, sealed toggle switch in the little hole where the OEM passing lamp push button switch goes right next to the 12VDC outlet in the fairing. I cut and spliced the switch into the Hi beam circuit, using soldered connections with double heat shrink. The idea was to be able to switch off the headlight when cranking, or when stopped on the road at night with flashers on, or just to help charge the battery better while idling (leaves only the tail light, spoiler light and front "park" lights on). I used that location for the switch because I didn't like the push button switch for the passing lamps (can't tell when it's "on" or "off" by feel) and I chunked it. I installed another similar toggle switch in the inner fairing, just left of the 12V hole, to operate the passing lamps. Could have used either location for either switch...doesn't matter. Anyway, after finishing all the wiring and mounting of the switches, I applied liberal dabs of Dupont clear silicone sealer on the switch screws and on the switch bodies (inside the fairing) to keep things from vibrating loose...sort of "welded" the switches to the inside of the fairing with the silicone...a technique that came to me in a blinding flash of inspiration and works great. The switch for the headlight is rated for way more amps than the light draws, so I didn't see the need for a relay (used 14GA wire with soldered connectors). I chose to switch the Hi beam rather than the low beam so that if my switch circuit craps out and the Hi doesn't work, I can still run at night with the low beam on and get home. So, now when I flip the switch to "off" and push the Hi/Lo switch to Hi, the headlight is disabled. I realize this may not be totally "legal" but I don't run it that way on the street. Also, if I hit the Hi beam switch and the blue indicator light does not come on, I know I've forgotten to flip the toggle switch on. It works great for me.
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I have over 5,000 miles on my Venoms and I'm just starting to see a little wear in the center of the rear tire...no visible wear to the front tire at all. Great traction and handling, too.
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Yep, 1-1/16" fits fine. I got mine at Lowe's.
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We check on our mount the night before and make sure she's well shod, well fed and that the saddlebags are evenly loaded. Then, early in the morning we strap on our leather boots and chaps, a good warm jacket and our gloves, and most of us pull our hats down low and solid on our heads. Then we ease our mount out of her stall and let her warm up slow as we head for the trail...then it's off for a day of riding as free as the wind! At the end of the day, we feed our hungry mounts, wipe 'em down and put them safely back in the stall. We kick back with our feet up and sip a cool adult beverage with our compadres while we talk about all places we went and the things we saw...and about our mounts and how each of them ran that day. Sometimes we do that under the stars with a nice fire burning or maybe in a cozy cabin with the fireplace lit. Then finally we drift off to sleep with those visions of today in our heads, mixing with anticipation of what tomorrow's ride will bring. No, there's no similarities there...I must have been mistaken.
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My 2007 RSV has done it a few times in the year and a half since I bought it...always when hitting a significant bump at highway speeds. It won't turn off, it just disengages. I hit the resume and everything's fine. I ride a lot with 2 fingers covering the front brake lever, so I sometimes wondered if it was me accidently bumping the lever when I hit a big bump... but it happened this week and I know my fingers were all on the grip, so that theory's out the window.
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I just replaced my original plugs at 11,000 miles ('07 RSV). When I took out the original plugs, i was happy to see that they looked great. But, I have to say that the bike starts easier now with the new ones in place...needs less (or no) choke to start it cold.
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I had the OEM passing lamps installed by the dealer when I bought the bike, so they had the little push button switch mounted next to the 12VDC outlet on the inner fairing (as per Yamaha's instructions....no relay...just tapped into a hot wire with a splice connector). Since you can't tell if a pushbutton switch is "on" or "off" by feeling it, I installed a 20 amp sealed marine quality toggle switch in a hole I drilled in the left side of the inner fairing to the left of the 12V outlet. I used a 30 amp relay from Auto Zone to power the lights from a fused 12 gauge wire I ran from the battery, under the fuel tank, up into the fairing. I wire-tied the relay to an existing bundle of wires under the fairing in an area where I knew it wouldn't rub against anything hard. This set up has worked great for a year and a half. I can tell the lights are "on" by feeling the switch position. I run them at night and a pair of Moto Lights mounted on the calipers in the daytime (installed same kind of switch and relay for the Moto-Lights also). As a side note, I used the hole where the push button switch had been and installed yet a 3rd 20 amp sealed toggle switch there that turns the high beam headlight circuit on and off (no relay used). I did that so I can turn off the headlight when starting the bike, or at other times when the bike is running but I don't want the headlight on (parked, warming it up, etc.). Works great!
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Man, if I got 18,500 out of Michelins I wouldn't even look at another brand!
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I picked up a dark colored foam rubber ball in the toy section at Wally World that was about 2-1/2" in diameter, cut it in half and wedged each half in between the bars and the fairing, just outboard from the riser clamps. It's been a year now and no cracks or other ill effects. The stock bumpers are still right there where they were...haven't fallen off yet! As for the bars now hitting the plastic shroud around the ignition switch, it hasn't been a problem at all.
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I tried Amsoil 20W-50 MC oil last year because my Amsoil guy got it by mistake (instead of the 10W-40 I normally use), and I needed to change oil before a long trip and didn't have time to wait. I put it in and ran it for about 7,000 miles and that was several thousand miles ago...no discernable problem (although, it puzzles me how you'd know you had an oil problem unless the engine locked up or something). Anyway, my '07 RSV has always made the "tick" when it's cold, and it's usually gone in about 30 seconds or so. With the heavier oil, it lasted a little longer, but still went away as the oil got circulating. Contrary to what some have said, I think RSV engines have hydraulic lifters...and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong....but that would account for the "tick" as the pressure in the lifters come up. Wouldn't it?