BlueSky

Wrong size. Stock size is: 120/90-18 front 140/90-16 rear You also need to make sure the replacement tires will carry as much load as the OE tires.

I did a search of this site and a lot of reading on the subject of clutch whine. One poster cracked me up. He said he knew exactly what it took to get rid of the whine. 1st you install the i basket and when that doesn't work you change the type of oil and when that doesn't work you sell the bike on craigslist and buy a Goldwing! A guy on the F150 forum who works in an oil co. lab, said that synthetic oil won't stick to the engine parts and it drains to the base leaving the engine unprotected on cold startup. He said that an additive has to added to synthetic oil to make it tacky. This is a quote, "It's tackifier just like those used in most synthetic oils. The synthetic based oils doesn't like to stick to the parts when the engine isn't running. They use a tackifier to keep a film on the parts so there isn't a dry start condition.". So, perhaps dino oil would be better? I remember Flying Fool posting that he doesn't use Valvoline because it drained to the base leaving the top of his engine to rust. I don't remember if he was talking about valvoline syn or dino.

Now you may have to rig up a seat for her on the Venture!

Sounds like you are going to have to give your friend a few bucks for his half and keep it!

For maximum power an air/fuel ratio needs to be about 12/1. For maximum fuel mileage, the ratio can be as high as 18/1. Excess oxygen shows up in the exhaust at 14.7/1. So cars with oxygen sensors detect oxygen at 14.7/1 and that is the control point. An engine will produce CO below 14.7/1 which is considered a pollutant and it will produce more and more NO above 14.7/1 So that is a compromise setting with cars that will produce a reasonably clean exhaust and a fuel efficient engine. Engines are designed to go rich for best acceleration and lean when cruising for better fuel efficiency/economy.

Running too lean can cause it to pop back. I recommend you put a bottle of Chevron Techron or Gumout with PEA in the gas tank to clean the cylinders (and carbs). Those compression numbers are not all that high in my opinion. When I bought my Kawasaki, it had 1k miles on it, not enough miles to build up a lot of carbon on the pistons. The compression checked 178 to 180 psig in all four cylinders with a cold engine. We are also assuming the gauge is correct. I would be happy with those compression readings. The V4 does have a high compression ratio.

Congratulations! Learning to ride on a Venture is a tall task.

Welcome! I can't help you with the mods. Sounds like you want to turn it into a RSTD Yamaha. The early RSTD has detuned V4s but the 05 and up have the same hp as the Ventures.

Back about 1990, I looked at a 1985 Honda Magna that was for sale at the Honda dealer. It's a very similar bike. I wanted it bad but couldn't afford it at that time. The Magna V4 engine had some cam oiling issues I think. The Suzuki may have a better engine than the Honda. It would definitely be a blast to ride around town.

It looks a lot like my Kawasaki ZN700. About the only differences I see are the Kawa has dual front disc brakes and a rear disc brake instead of drum and has a sissy bar.

The spark plug caps on my 89 checked 9k ohms and my manual says 10k plus or minus 10%. The NGK replacements I bought are 5k ohms. I just bought copper core wire from O'Reillys. I have not installed the new caps or wires yet though.

Yep, the centrifugal force would bend them, not straighten if the wheels spun that fast. These old Ventures are one heck of a buy for someone who likes to work on them themselves, fast, comfortable, reliable after you get it up to snuff. And they strike terror in the hearts of all Harley riders! Ha!

When were the valves adjusted last time? Do a compression test. If the compression is low, adjust the valves.

Nobody wants to lock up the rear brake. That is why I was shocked to find out just how strong the rear brake is on my newly acquired RSV. I'm sure it could be easily locked up. We drive our cars/trucks for decades using our right foot to stop the vehicle. The quicker we want to stop, the harder we press the pedal. In a panic stop we press the brake pedal for dear life. Even though we know we are riding a motorcycle, in a panic stop instinct and decades of training our right foot will most likely cause us to push the rear brake pedal too hard and we will crash. It has happened to many RSV riders. In an old post I read today, Rick Butler said he personally knew two riders who died after locking up the rear wheel and crashing. Blame it on inexperience if you want, but poor engineering has as much or more to do with it than inexperience. Yamaha should have known and done better. Like I posted previously, I would prefer my RSV to have linked brakes, a poor man's ABS.

My new to me RSV has an angled valve stem on the rear tire and I was able to check the pressure with a minimum of difficulty. Another vote for the angled valve stem.

On dry pavement, the responsive rear brake may not be a big problem. But, in slippery conditions, it could cause problems so quickly you can't save yourself.

So, I went out to the garage and tried the mirror method of viewing the sight glass and I was indeed able to see it this time. Thanks VA!

Not me! The bike would fall on me for sure!

Did you unscrew the plug cap and look at the end of the copper core spark plug wire? The copper core wire tends to corrode at the cap end and clipping off a half inch or more usually cleans it up. Happened to mine. The OE caps have about 9k ohms resistance.

Well, I've been on a few short rides on my 2007RSV. At first, it felt awkward, heavy, and difficult to adjust to and I wasn't liking it that much. But, I'm getting more used to it now and I think I will like it just fine. It doesn't seem to be that top heavy to me. I'm used to riding my 525lb Kawasaki with a folded up riding position. So, the feet forward riding position and the heel/toe shifter is a lot to adjust to. It does have the gear?/clutch? chirping whine that makes it sound like a crappy bike and there seems to be a lot of drive line lash. I like the low seat height and the comfortabe seat. Overall it's a good ride. I'm liking it more every time I ride it.

If the starter has to be replaced, do yourself a favor and get a 4 brush starter. The V4 Ventures came with weak 2 brush starters through 90 or 91. After that they have a 4 brush that is supposed to fit the older Venture V4s. The RSTD V4 and newer Venture V4s are good donors for the starter. Check ebay. I bought one for about $50.

Check for corrosion at the spark plug wire caps and the caps.

I had a bad battery in my Kawasaki. It checked 12.5 volts like it was fully charged but would not carry a load at all. Had it load tested at Autozone and confirmed it was bad.

My old Kawasaki manual specs SAE 10w20 motor oil for the forks. Probably can't find that viscosity any more. I used 5w30 in it but it was too stiff. And I don't know if the additives in modern oil will sneak by the fork seals. Recently when I replaced the seals, I used 10w Belray and it seems to be about right.

A friend who was easily stressed had a stroke that disabled his left arm. One day he was working on a ladder and almost fell but caught himself with his good arm. But it pulled his arm out of his shoulder socket. So, for a while he couldn't use either arm. I suppose he was very dependent on his wife for a while to take care of stuff like when he did #2 . Shoot me now!