BlueSky

You just need to find some other parking arrangements and keep your old friend.

Cowpuc, I don't suppose you have a video of removing the driveshaft and lubing the front end of it? I suppose that should be done occsionally too, correct?

This Yamaha video covers carb adjustment on the Gen1 and should be the same for the Gen2. In the video, it is stated that the idle mixture adjustment and the carbs sync should do done concurrently.

I would ride it until I was sure the carbs are clean after sitting for a long time before syncing the carbs. Change the rear gear oil.

How many turns out are the idle mix screws? You might try turning them in a little as you watch how the engine runs. They are harder to adjust on these engines than on the old carbed autos, but they should be turned in until the engine speed starts decreasing and then unscrew them slightly. The carbs will need to be synced after adjusting the mixture screws. These carbs also have enrichment circuits that may not be working correctly.

I don't mean to upset anybody but the guy who does the "Living Off the Slab" videos stated that the fit and finish was not up to Harley or Indian standards. See attached video.

I've never heard of a warranty depending on buying the manufacturers brand oil. Must have something to do with how hot the oil gets.

If I remember correctly, the OE pump won't let fuel pass if it isn't running and some of the cheap pumps that can be used will. This could be a safety issue in an accident. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

deleted

What year bike?

According to his profile he was 68.

I'm shocked! Dan was so full of life. I don't know what to say. The forum won't be the same without him.

The water cooled Ventures have a coolant temperature gauge. Does the new Venture have an oil temperature gauge?

All big bikes produce a lot of heat no matter how they are cooled and that heat gets transferred to the air flowing by one way or the other. My 89 Venture is uncomfortable on a hot day and it is water cooled. My air cooled Kawasaki is not uncomfortable from engine heat, maybe because it is smaller. It still produces 74hp. My objection is related to concerns of engine longevity. If you are aware of the stop and go heat up potential with an air or an air/oil cooled bike and take precautions it shouldn't be a problem. I know a guy who put over 180k miles on his Harley by never riding it over 65 mph even when touring out west and taking good care of it. With a water cooled bike overheating in stop and go traffic isn't an issue because the fan prevents the engine from overheating in traffic. At my age 74, I don't intend to buy a new bike of any kind. I won't say absolutely not but there isn't much potential there to cause me to buy. So my opinion doesn't count! Rock On!

Puc, Yamaha should have bought Tweeks from you and put her in a Museum for all to admire!

Member Steve Rosemans Road King pipes on his 90 Venture.

I think if an individual anywhere in the USA sells a gun to a felon, that individual just commited a felony. I would not sell a gun to someone I didn't know without doing it through a dealer who could make the call. I bought several guns from co-workers and sold one to a co-workier at the nuclear power plants and we didn't worry about that because we were all back ground checked to get an access badge to the nuke plant. And the back ground check was much more extensive than the check to buy a gun.

Yeah, it should last long enough for most people. Personally, I think Yamaha should give one to Cowpuc to test by running it 100 mph riding double with a huge pack of camping gear on the back across the southwest desert for hours on end. If it holds up to Cowpuc and Tippy for a couple of summers of touring, it may be worthy of being called a Venture.

The point the way I see it is a fan is needed for stop and go city riding. Most water cooled bikes have fans that come on when needed. If an air cooled bike had a fan it might stay as cool in traffic as a water cooled bike but it wouldn't look "right". The air cooled autos of old had big blowers that kept them cool in city driving.

I miss FL. I got a carry permit in less than 2 weeks, ex-military no class needed. With that, I could buy a handgun which I did from budsgunshop.com and had it delivered to a dealer who charged me to make the call to check my record before I could take possession. There is so much crime in southern FL that I think the authorities want people who don't have a record armed so they can take out some of the criminals. In NC I have to fill out a multi-page form, take a class, and list 3 people who live in the same county who aren't relatives who will vouch for me and wait for the Sheriff's office to process the application to carry. Just to buy a handgun, it takes a form with people vouching for the applicant too. When I toured Wyoming summer before last I was told you didn't need a permit to carry a weapon open or concealed! They don't have the buttholes and criminals that other states have I suppose. I believe it is the least populated state in the country. If it wasn't so cold, I think I would move there.

It looked like a couple of those accidents were caused by sand on the road because the bikes shouldn't have lost grip. Then they could have running Cheng Shin tires!

You could use a thicker viscosity fork oil. This will slow down the action of the shock absorption of the front forks. And Progressive or another vendor may offer some stiffer springs.

For the rear tire, spray it with some water that has a little dish soap in it and look for bubbles. With the bike on the centerstand, slowly spin the tire while you spray and inspect it. Don't forget to spray the fill valve. And I agree that if the fork tube has drained completely, just fill with the specified amount. The stroking is to get the air bubbles out of the oil but that seems to me will happen when you start riding the bike. Getting the air bubbles out is needed if you depend on measuring the level.

It doesn't have to 90 degrees. No air flow equals overheating. It's as simple as that. Whether is overheats to the point damage is done is anyone's guess but it will heat up the oil. There is a 2009 Los Angeles county review of potential police bikes on the internet that I read. A couple of air cooled Harleys and an air/oil cooled BMW Boxer were included in the comparison. They did a thorough review and one of the things they tested was oil temperature. They did not state what the oil tempertures were for the bikes but they did list the manufacturers maximum allowed oil temperature. For the Harleys, the manufacturer's maximum allowed oil temperature was 410 degrees F. For the air/oil cooled BMW Boxer it was about 300 degrees F as I remember. For the water cooled bikes tested the maximum allowed oil temperature was about 260 degrees F. So, evidently Harley considers oil temperatures of 410 degrees F are acceptable.

If the oil cooler had a fan, it probably would stay cool in stop and go traffic. But without it , it has to heat up the oil to higher temperatures than would be seen with water cooling and a fan. Longevity has to be affected but lots of air cooled motorcycles have run over 100k miles reliably. I would think it depends on how much time it spends in stop and go traffic. When I get stuck in traffic on my air cooled Kawasaki, I turn the engine off at the stop lights just in case. It starts immediately so this is not a problem.