BlueSky

I think I read that the curb weight of my 89 is 785lbs. 900 may be correct for the Gen 2s.

You probably know the 83s are prone to loosing 2nd gear before 50k miles. It's not a problem if you don't mind going from 1st to 3rd. Some have been repaired. It's something to ask about though.

I have an 8' utility trailer that I hauled my 89 VR home with. It had to be parked diagonally to make sure the tailgate could be latched in the upright position. I would suspect that it will fit diagonally if you don't have a tail gate that has to be latched in the vertical position. With a tail gate up, I suspect it won't fit. But, I am just guessing.

partzilla and boat.net are the same company, but partzilla lists some parts as available that are listed as obsolete on boat.net. things like screws and rubber grommets I've noticed.

I understand. I was just:stickpoke: All in good humor! No offense intended. I think if I could modify my ZN700 seat to make it wider it would be fine for a trip. The engine would rev more and I'd have to use my extra foot pegs to stretch out occasionally but it would be workable. The 1st Gen Venture windshield seems to be too far from the rider and I get too much wind buffeting behind it. My ZN700 with the full National Cycle plexifairing III windshield is very close to me when I ride it and it is actually quieter around my helmet than the 89 Venture.

Well then, it must have been my imagination that my butt ached after an hour or so riding the 5 smaller bikes I've owned over the years! I stand corrected.:rotf:

I met a guy at the Honda dealership in Miami who was from Sweden. He flew over to Miami, bought a 2003 Honda Shadow 750, loaded up with a duffle bag and a backpack and toured the USA for 30 days. He was there trying to sell the bike to the dealer. I also saw photos posted on the Voyager forum of two guys who rode the annual FL to Alaska ride. One was riding a 250 Suzuki and the other was riding a 600 Honda Scooter pulling a trailer. So, you don't have to have a big bike to tour, but bigger is more comfortable for sure.

My second bike is a ZN700 Kawasaki. It's fun to ride around town. I bought it with only 1,058 miles on it in 2009. Carb rebuild, fork seals, plugs, signal lights, rear shocks, tires, and a windshield and I have about $2600 in it. It's been reliable so far. It's not the most comfortable bike with it's short frame but okay for not too long rides. It has the King/Queen seats with a padded sissy bar like the bikes of that vintage, 1985. I just want a small Ford C class with a gas V10. Something that will take me into all of the National Parks.

The shop in Homestead FL charged about $150 to install a rear tire on a shaft drive bike.

Just had a hairy idea. Maybe cut some short 2x4s with a curvature on one side. Nail several together and put it in the trailer close to the entrance. Run the front wheel up on your "ramp" until the rear wheels get to the trailer floor and if you make them right, the front wheel will be just off the other end of your new ramp. Pull the ramp out. Reverse the procedure to get back out. Just a thought. If you could attach some longer ones to the trailer ramp so that the rear wheels ride up on them after the front wheel is in the trailer, that might work too.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/lgwF8mdQwlw

I admire your optimism, buying a 27 year old bike and riding it thousands of miles around the country and back home. I hope the bike is as reliable as you expect and you have a very safe, enjoyable ride.

I buy too many manuals, but one I bought on ebay was a disc of all the Yamaha V4 bikes for about $15. It covers all the Ventures, Road Stars, etc. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=yamaha+royal+star+manual&rmvSB=true&_sop=12&_fspt=1&_mPrRngCbx=1&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.Xyamaha+road+star+manual.TRS0&_nkw=yamaha+road+star+manual&_sacat=0

I have bought a lot of hand tools there and I am happy with them. I even have a couple of $29 1/2" drive impact wrenches that are decades old that still work fine. The 3/8" drive impact ratchet didn't last many years with my home use. Replaced it with an IR. Hydraulic jacks and electric motors, not the best. A few days ago, I needed a ball joint press for my old 02 F150 and I planned to buy HF, but many reviews talked of the press which is a giant c-clamp bending. So, I bought an OTC press made in the USA from Tool Topia. It worked great!

You're a good brother!

I bought my first bike when I was 27, a CB350. I rode it about 2k miles in 6 months and sold it. A year or so later, I bought a bigger bike, CB750 that I rode about a year and sold it. I had just bought a house and was trying to clean up my finances. I also had several close calls riding. Went without a bike for about almost 20 years and I have had a bike ever since. I rode very little but I always had a bike. The last few years, I've been more serious about riding that ever but i still have not ever been on a long ride. that is something I intend to remedy at age 71!!!!

Nice looking Venture!

I worked at the Turkey Point Plant from Jan 11, 2010 to August 29, 2013 as a temporary engineering contractor. A billion dollar plus modification was going on to allow the two nukes to make 15% more power. During the last two outages to install all of the new equipment, I worked 14 months of 6-12s, or actually it was two weeks of 6-12s and one week of 5-12s giving us two days off in a row every 3 weeks. I love the warm weather down there and I love the keys. My wife and I did a lot of fishing and doing the tourist things on the weekends before the long hours started. This helped me a bunch in sending me off to retirement.

Handing tobacco for 10 or more hrs/day for $3 when i was about 12. It was bending over, picking up several tobacco leaves from a sled and handing them to a woman who looped a string around it on a stick. at the end of the day, the sticks of tobacco were hung up in a barn for curing. When i got older I broke tobacco, stooping over breaking off several leaves that were ripe enough to cure and going to the next stalk. Cold in the morning from getting wet from the dew and hot as blazes midday and covered in tobacco gum. $7/day. I had to spend the money on school clothes. My first regular job at 15 yrs old was working at the local grocery store 13 hours on Saturday for $7, 8:00am to 10:00 pm with an hour for lunch and didn't get off for supper and later also 3 1/2 hrs on Friday afternoon after school for an additional $3. This lasted the last 3 years of high school. i suppose there were no child labor laws back then or at least nobody cared.

Wow! Just Awesome!

I remember reading an article recently about a Walmart that was closed for plumbing issues. there had been protests about wages and the plumbing problem just happened about the same time so the store close for repairs and the workers didn't have a job for a while.

If it is 20 yrs old, it's about had it. That's about the life of a central AC unit. Check the freon pressures and temperatures going in and out. should be about 18 degrees difference as i remember. You might need a new blower motor on the air handling unit. And it contains freon 22 which isn't allowed any more. I think they have a substitute for freon 22 for the old systems but you can't buy a system that uses freon 22 any more. I had both my heat pumps/ac units replaced in 2008 with Goodman units that uses the new refrigerant. They don't advertise and you may not have ever heard of them but when I was doing my research, I found out they were the 3rd most popular units behind Carrier and Trane. I found a business that installed them for 2/3s of what everybody else wanted for a Trane or other brands. Mine have worked without any issues since 2008 which is a big change from my original Rheem units. they were almost constant trouble. Just make sure the units you buy have scroll compressors. The cheaper compressors don't last as long. My information was valid in 2008. Systems may have changed since then. You will notice a difference in your electric bill because the new systems are much more efficient. I think my old units had a SER of 10 and the new ones are 13. I noticed a difference in the elec bill.

Lots of smart people have been predicting a serious crash/recession/depression and advise you to keep a stash of cash and enough food and water to last at least a month. If it does happen you may need some gvns/ammo.

I remember seeing a youtube video of speedo lubing. Do a search.

You're a Good Man, YamahaLarry! I salute You!