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6m459

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Everything posted by 6m459

  1. 6m459
    What does it look like inside your air filter box? Is there coolant residue in the bottom, coming up the breather vent from the oval shaped "twinky" between the cyls? I don't know what this means but it might be worth a look to see whats going on in there. I had this happen once and concluded it was a leak in the "twinky". It went away when I used some SeaFoam. I never did get to understand what was going on. Good luck with it and keep us posted. Brian H.
  2. 6m459
    Hi, Glad to hear it all worked out for you. I think you did the right thing trailering the bike home. Thanks for the wake up call! I have already changed the front wheel bearings on both bikes and at 60k and UNKNOWN mileage, I worry about the 26 y.o. rear ones. When I did the fronts, I came across a generic (IE non Yamaha) part number here on VR.org that my local bearing supplier stocked. I got SKF's or similar for about half what Yamaha wanted for the ones they sell as a Yamaha part number. I have no indication that anything is wrong with the rear bearings but I like to sleep nights and stay calm. I also like to stay safe, well as safe as I can on a m/c. How big a job is it to change the rear wheel bearings once you have the wheel off? Are any special tools required? Is there a generic rear bearing part number known? Thanks, Brian H.
  3. 6m459
    I used PayPal to pay for mine. It seemed the least difficult way to transact in Euros and it all worked out fine. They sent the invoice and I used their invoice number in a PayPal transaction. Two weeks later, the goods were on the doorstep. Hope this helps. Brian H.
  4. 6m459
    My package from Ignitech arrived in my hands yesterday, so I will be reviewing this thread carefully for best practices as I install their device in my blue bike. I think I'll get it running first and get some baseline data, then follow up on the map sensor facet. Seem logical? Thanks for leaving the foot prints for me to follow. Cheers, Brian H.
  5. 6m459
    Have you checked the generic offering at Canadian Tire ? I bought some from there, selected by desired gauge and length, and all has been fine. Only cost a few bucks and was close to home. Worked well for me. Brian H.
  6. 6m459
    I had a wobble that went away when i changed the front wheel bearings.
  7. 6m459
    Hi, A member here, DonB if memory serves, looked into this quite extensively a few years ago. He is a retired electrical engineer and did an analysis of TCI internal component parts availability. The conclusion he came to apparently, was that while most components were readily and generically available in the market place, there were two Yamaha proprietary IC's (large 40 pinners mounted underneath a sub board? memory hazy) which were not available and never would be again. Hope this is of some help and interest. Brian H. PS BTW, I have an ignitech unit on order for my blue bike, who's TCI still works but is rather grumpy much of the time and really hates cold weather. I have been inside it, replaced all the diodes and reflowed all the solder joints but its still grumpy at best. I have a spare TCI unit that makes the bike run perfectly when its installed, so I know the problem is in the blue bike's TCI. Relying on that spare though which is 26 years old too seems like a limited time offer, so I committed to ignitech last week.
  8. 6m459
    Aren't there two lock positions, one with lights on (front and back) and one without? Turn key one way for one and opposite for the other, or one click and then another click in the same direction? I have always rationalized that the lit position was to allow you to park the bike locked but lit, so as to be secure yet not a hazard to other traffic in road side emergency unattended stop situations, like going for gas or similar. The unlit position, in my world at least, is for everyday use. Likely the owners manual would explain, but I have never had one. Frankly on 26 y.o. bikes, I don't think I have ever locked the steering head in the field. Heck, I sometimes even leave the key in the ignition over night. Who the he11 wants to steal one of these old boats? Any other theories on this? Hope this helps. Brian H.
  9. 6m459
    Ditch those wimpy OEM horns and go with some loud air horns. Brian H.
  10. 6m459
    I think your first picture is of an '83 dash. My standard '84's both have the clock at the bottom as per your third pic. Brian H.
  11. 6m459
    I have two of these old boats. Earlier this year, I had clutch problems on my blue one, where the friction point was perilously close to the bar. My red one seemed to have lots of lever travel by comparison. I had a spare master cyl / clutch lever assembly (from a younger donor bike) in the parts box so I swapped it in on the blue bike. This made quite a difference and now I have bags of lever travel surpassing even that of my red bike which now seems deficient. Blue's lever travel almost seems too much now, as my hands are only so big! I am thinking of doing a similar operation to my red bike now. All I'd like to achieve is a reasonably common friction point on both bikes so I don't have to re learn where it is every time I change from one to the other. Are there any adjustments to be made in the system, that might help out in this regard? When I did a postmortem on the failed master cyl / lever assy, I found that the linkage from the master cylinder to the lever was horribly worn. It was a wonder it worked at all! Likely, I suspect anyways, the master cyl was leaking fluid past the plunger internally too. Blue has almost 60,000 miles on her an it surprised me that the linkage would be so worn in only that distance but she's also 26 years old so I guess I can't complain. Thanks & hope this helps, Brian H.
  12. 6m459
    Hi, I get consistent avg of 50 mpg imperial on both my '84's. FWIW: Mostly I just commute on these bikes. I ride 2/3 of the way on 80 km/h roads like Hwy 47 (at up to 100 km/h ) mostly in 4th gear with the remaining 1/3 at 120 - 130 km/h in 5th gear on Hwy 404. (Google calc tell me that 50 (miles per Imperial gallon) =~ 42 miles per US gallon) Now I am such a surly old goat that no one will ride with me so its all just one up but still I think your 34 miles per US gallon indicates a problem. Are you sure all 4 cylinders are firing? Hope this helps, Brian H. Uxbridge Ont
  13. 6m459
    The oil level sender on my red bike came to me with similar issues. I had just done an oil change when I concluded that the problem was the sender unit. I didn't feel like draining the oil again, so I unplugged the wire going to the level switch and jumpered the free end of the bike side of the connection to ground near my left foot to stop the alerts at the dash. I plan to take the sender unit out for repair / replace at the next oil change and have been riding the bike keeping extra vigilant visual check of the oil sight glass. I am sure it would run forever this way if I get lazy. Hope this helps, Brian H.
  14. 6m459
    I have '84's, so of course don't have electric anti dives but you never know, I might have a younger one join the fleet some time:innocent:. I have to admit that am surprised to hear that the electric anti dives are full time current hogs. These bikes are so well engineered generally, that it surprises me that the anti dives aren't de-energized again a short time after the brakes are applied. Much like the fuel pump is when the ignition is first switched on. If this really is the case, I'd be tempted to modify mine (if and when) so that they are only energized for say 20 seconds per brake application. That should be long enough to take care of sudden stops but short enough to spare the charging system a coronary in traffic. Have I missed something? Brian H.
  15. 6m459
    Evan, where did you buy these? Did you buy them locally in Toronto or did you get them shipped in? I like to use local vendors if possible. Thanks, Brian H.
  16. 6m459
    I fixed, well replaced, my blue bike's false tank cover hold down tab with a piece of spring steel. I cut an L shaped piece from one of those spring clips that hold table cloths to picnic tables in windy weather. It has worked out great as it is springy enough to flex a bit but rigid enough to keep things in place. My red bike was fixed similarly by the P.O. using a piece of aluminium angle extrusion. It works well enough but I intend to re do it my way eventually as his holes don't line up very well and its a b1tch to get the screw in and started. Hope this is of interest. Brian H.
  17. 6m459
    Hi, I recommend replacing the entire OEM fuse panel. Yamaha should be ashamed of itself for those original ones. Here is a pic of my solution using a couple of little fuse ATM blocks ganged together. http://home.powergate.ca/~bjh/pix/P0002238.JPG I have done this to both my Ventures now and many hundreds miles of trouble free motoring has ensued. Looks bulky but fits nicely under the false tank cover like it was made for it! Its an easy job. There is JUST enough wire to cut off the wires as close as possible to the old fuse panel and crimp on a quick connect and route the wires as shown. I recommend doing one wire at at time so you don't get confused about which wire goes where. Hope this is of interest. Brian H.
  18. 6m459
    If the battery charge is not up to snuff, (IE if the battery is old) it is likely that while the starter motor is drawing heavy current, the battery voltage will drop below the minimum level that the TCI needs to fire and run the engine. Its a catch 22 situation. Had you tried a new battery ever before? Hope this is useful, Brian H
  19. 6m459
    I bought one like that on Ebay a couple of years ago. I'm cheap so it was probably inexpensive. Stuck it on with an inch or two of particularly tenacious double sided tape I scrounged up from the graphics dept at work. Hope this helps. Brian H.
  20. 6m459
    As stated above, Plastex IS very good. I have also tried some other things over the years. Here is a post I did last year summarizing some of my work: Hope this is of interest. Brian H.
  21. 6m459
    My first XVz12 was a "parts bike" I nursed back to life, and have had 6 seasons from and counting. I was second highest bidder in an ebay auction where the highest bidder bailed. When it was offered to me as next highest bidder, I refused to pay beyond my last bid since the final price was artificially inflated by a deadbeat. Got that sucker for $500 in 2002. If ya really want that project, I'd be low balling the guy. By the sounds of it, I'd start at $400 and maybe go up to $500. I always haggle. Hope this helps, Brian H.
  22. 6m459
    Hey, The other day, as I was getting my riding gear on in the parking lot outside the Uxbridge Mac's milk store, I was approached by a guy who said his name was Doug and that he had an '84 Venture that was having overheating issues at highway speeds. He mentioned getting advice from an Intenet forum but I don't know if it was this one or the other one. I haven't read of such a recent post here but Doug, if you are reading this post, send me a PM and lets get together for a ride and or to put our heads together on your overheating problem. Cheers, Brian H.
  23. 6m459
    Hey, where are those pictures? Cheers, Brian H.
  24. 6m459
    Hi, Well, except for my garage space issues, for $250 Cdn I'd be all over that one second gear or not! Unless its a total POS otherwise, with a bit of effort and patience, you could soon make that money back parting it out, especially if the exhaust system is worth having. (put me down for the metric speedometer, if you get to that point.) (It should be said that where old Ventures are concerned I seem to have a substance abuse problem, so best not tell me where it is.) Failure of the following things seem to make people give up on old Ventures: Plastic bodywork.............A real PITA but repairs are possible with patience and determination. Second gear............ complexity of repair is off putting to say the least. All the more so for a 26 y.o. bike. Drive shaft......... improper / neglected lubrication and parts availability. (Design flaw) Engine electronics black box 'TCI' ............. OEM parts availability is poor and expensive but a reasonably priced aftermarket solution has recently emerged. In general, dealers still have, or can get many parts for routine service and ebay frequently has good stuff to offer. Shops are reluctant to work on old bikes I find, I suspect for insurance reasons, so being handy oneself is a pre requisite. Hope this is helpful. Cheers and keep us posted. Brian H. Uxbridge Ont.
  25. 6m459
    Hi, FWIW, when I got my red bike, I couldn't budge these screws on one of its reservoirs. Before I damaged the heads too much, I went out and bought one of those pin point hand held butane torches and heated the heads of the screws for 10 to 20 seconds or so. This helped shift them in no time as the steel of the screws expands at a different rate than the alu, which breaks the bond between them. Or so I understand. I found that my local Canadian Tire store had some very nice oval head phillips screws of the right thread that worked nicely and looked good. Before I installed these, I ran the correct tap down the holes of the res to clear out any corrosion and crappy age related deposits. I then used some silicone grease in the threads as an anti sieze. All seems good now and they looked so good that both bikes got a set. http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad39/UxHamby/vehicles/bike3/92b2996e.jpg http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad39/UxHamby/vehicles/bike3/aee35283.jpg Hope this is helpful. Brian H. PS BTW, I have to say that although the small butane torch worked well at first, it soon after stopped working and I certainly wouldn't buy that brand again. PPS I am glad to hear that metric screws are so easily obtained in the USA, I would have guessed that they would have been much harder to find down there. Good on ya, as the Aussies say.
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