VanRiver

Hi @SilvrT....So Sorry for not being clearer and putting names to faces, but @cowpuc nailed it......I'm the good looking "follicle challenged" guy on the Left......the lovely and charming lady in the middle is Pat...and the "Silver Haired Fox" on the right is Dave. Hey @cowpuc.....that is no random Venture in a parking lot! That is of course "AZZI"! Although she is still kinda sick and only running on 3 cylinders right now, she is still pretty and loves to pose for pictures! With Dave's brains and my good looks I'm pretty sure we can get her feeling better again and running on all 4 cylinders, and stop her from dropping tears of 15w-40 like she is now! Unfortunately my AZ Easter vacation is over, and I'm back to the regular grind up here in Canada....AZZI will now have to wait until July for more medical attention.

Hi @cowpuc.....Nice coach gun and great story to go along with it! You are such a lucky man to have a loving wife that appreciates a fine gift like that! Unfortunatly my wife does not appreciate such gifts or finer things in life that go BANG! One other suggestion for Tippy if she needs more then 2 shots to scare the poop out of a "bad guy", is to get her "The Judge". Shooting 6 rounds of 410. shotgun shells from a handgun is a very "different" and "interesting" experience both for the shooter and possible recipient! But "The Judge" won't fit in Tippy's purse unfortunately...here is a pic of my "Judge" next to my Smith and Wesson Model 10 police special to show a size comparison.

Hi @Condor , Love your new Rossi! I'm very jealous as I have a soft spot in my heart for leaver action guns, especially in stainless, wow she is pretty!!! Lately I have been adding the "Mare's leg" variety to my gun collection. Just like Steve McQueen used to carry in "Dead or Alive" TV show. Imagine trying to wear one of these in a hip holster like he did on the show! Here are a couple of my latest lever additions, a Henry and a Rossi. Also for fun I built a nice little "Gopher Sniper" rig over the winter.....nothing beats a simple day of plinking with a good ol' 22LR Ruger.....but with a few upgrades of course! As you may know, I'm Canadian:63:, and our gun laws are a tad bit different then what you American's have:325:.......takes a lot of jumping through hoops to be a responsible and legal gun owner up North...... especially if you want to own and collect "Restricted Weapons" which is fancy language for (hand guns or a firearm with a barrel length between 4.134" and 18.5") and it requires me to have an additional license, additional training, and qualification exam prerequisites. No such thing as a "Carry permit" up here, let alone "conceal" for a civilian. Also @Freebird, no possibility of owning a small "purse gun" as anything under the barrel length of 4.134" is classified as "prohibited" in Canada and you go straight to jail for being in possession of one. But I believe it is worth going through all the Canadian red tape and being in compliance, as I enjoy a day at the range almost as much as a long ride on a motorcycle on a nice sunny day. Thanks for sharing your gun pic's!

I had the real honour of meeting member @videoarizona today....my new buddy and "Venture Technical Advisor". Thanks Dave for taking the time to stop and have lunch with me today (and for picking up the tab - the next meal is on me!!!!) Thanks for bringing Pat along too, she is one special lady! I have had the great pleasure of meeting 2 fellow members face to face this year so far (Ray in Toronto and Dave in Phoenix). I see a common trend in all my "meet and greets" thus far with forum members.....they are all Awesome, Friendly, and Incredibly nice people!!!!!! I think this is the best motorcycle "gang" anyone could be a member of! Mr. @videoarizona, thanks for the advice for getting my bike "AZZI" running better, and hopefully AZZI will get a chance to meet your bike next time we meet. By the way @cowpuc, your name and adventures came up several times during our lunch meeting. I found out that Dave's Venture is currently living without a name of her own. I mentioned that you are the best gosh darn motorcycle namer around these parts, and that it was a crime for a beautiful Blue 89 Venture likes Dave's to be nameless. You might want to float some expert name ideas his way! Thanks again Dave and Pat, it was so great to meet you finally in person! Here are a few pics from our visit today. A Selfie is also mandatory for all Meet and Eat sessions! (I'm the bald guy sneaking in on the left side)

Thanks @Yammer Dan You are right on my friend about "Bleed, Bleed, and Bleed it again"! I actually caused my own problem (brain fart by me) as that R1 Calliper was not designed by Mother Yamaha to be bolted on the rear of a Venture. As a result, when bolted in on the rear the Bleeder value is located on the low side. I had some air trapped in the high point that would not find it's way to the much lower bleeder valve location. Long story short I simple needed to tip the calliper up to a position it was meant to be and 3 pesky air bubbles popped out. I now have a firm brake peddle. Yippie! Here is a pic of the R1 front calliper installed on my rear Venture location and showing how the bleeder valve is on the low side which caused my bleeding problem and trapped air even though brake fluid was running clean and clear while I bled it. Thanks for the support, and insight into BerryMans Chem, I will give it a try!

Hi Guy and Gal experts, I had another frustrating day turning wrenches on my Arizona 1986 Venture Royale. AZZI is still fighting me compared to my other Venture's which have been happy to be fixed up and tuned. Anyway I have 2 questions/issues that I would like to get your advice on: 1. I attempted to sync the carbs today with my trusty Carbtune meter. I have synced my other Ventures many times and it is usually a piece of cake.....but AZZI threw me a curve ball as usual. The front left cylinder does not appear to have consistent vacuum, and that happens to be the cylinder that does not have an adjustment screw and is usually the baseline to align all the other cylinder to. For the life of me I can't seem to find a vacuum leak that would be an easy cause for this behaviour so I'm worried it is something bigger. All remaining cylinders show proper levels on the carbtune and adjust just fine with the adjustment screws. What the heck could be causing this????? Here is a youtube video showing what my carbtune meter is showing with the front left cylinder being the trouble maker. Any insight would be much appreciated! 2. While attempting to replace the leaking valve cover gaskets I got the very bad surprise that the previous owner had broken one of the valve cover bolts off and simply glued the head of the broken bolt into the rubber bushing that surrounds these bolts in the valve cover. Now I know why the valve cover gasket was leaking so bad on the rear cylinders!!! How the heck can I extract the broken piece since I can't access it while the motor is in the bike and I don't want to have to pull the motor if I can avoid it. Can I simple unbolt the bracket/cam retainer that the bolt is snapped off in so I can work on extracting the broken bolt at the bench, or would this cause me more problems by messing with that while it is in the bike with limited access and ability to torque it properly upon reinstallation? Sorry I don't have a picture of my broken bolt situation, but here is a pic of the head and the bearing bracket I'm thinking of removing so I can work on extracting the broken bolt without removing the engine. I'm really surprised that the PO could even snap a valve cover bolt as they actually have a thread limit to how far they can actually be turned in before they bottom out!

I had a chance to buy one of these Seca Turbos last year up in Calgary AB Canada for $350, but passed on it since parts were so hard to find and the seller said the Turbo was inoperable and needed to be replaced. I thought I would be getting in over my head with the mechanics and cost to restore it, but as usual I still kinda regret not taking the chance since it is such a unique bike. Thanks @videoarizona for sharing!

Hey @videoarizona , yes I thought about reaching out to you sooner but didn't want to bug you. I'm in town until Friday. Are you around on Thursday sometime for maybe a "meet and eat", my treat? Would be great to finally meet you in person! If not, no problem we will definitely do it in the summer while I'm down here for a longer period of time. I'll PM you my cell phone number if you want to chat about a place and time. Yes I would be interested in the windshield if the price is right. How much you asking for it? The wife is already complaining that my $250 bike is turing into a much bigger investment! :8: Cheers!

Hi @KIC....we are located in Litchfield Park AZ just west of Phoenix. Looks like you are in Tucson, howdy neighbour!

Finally got some time to escape the Canadian winter and head down to our place in Arizona where my "new" 1986 Venture Royale I picked up at Christmas for $250 has been waiting for me patiently. Her name is AZZI (professional named by my "brother from an other mother" @cowpuc). Well I came prepared to turn some wrenches and get AZZI in shape since she had been sitting for a while and the previous owner had lost interest. So I have been cruising Ebay for parts and preparing to get my hands Dirty (should have named her "grease ball" instead!) Here is what I have done thus far: 1. Replaced Seat 2. Added a Ventureline drivers back rest 3. Replaced broken speedometer and cable 4. Upgraded all dash bulbs to LED 5. Replaced leaking and cracked valve cover gaskets 6. Replaced 4 diaphragms and got rid of those stupid philips head screws the slide covers 7. Replaced 4 spark plugs 8. Replaced very weak 2 brush starter with a V-max 4 brush starter 9. Upgraded to R1 "yellow dot" brake callipers front and rear 10. Replaced and moved TCI to top of air filter housing. 11. Replaced all fluids (oil and filer change, brake fluid, etc...) Although I've been trying to help the old girl and get her in shape, she has been fighting me at every turn!!! Every bolt that could break has....Every gasket that could start leaking once I touched it has....and at every turn I find more that needs to be fixed. AZZI needs to get with the program and help me out as I have skinned every knuckle and said every swear word I know at least twice over the last 2 days of working on her. Plus I don't have my usual assortment of tools down here in the dessert, so I have been making many trips to the local Harbour Freight store each day.....In the mornings I buys the tools that I need at HF....in the afternoon I break the wonderful China made tools ....In the evening I go back and get free warrantee replacements tools to hopefully finish the job! This is what I still need to do: 1. Fix Thermostat housing leak....(need to locate a new plastic housing top and o-rings) 2. Waiting for V-max differential to be delivered and then to install it (first one I purchased had a broken pinion shaft - seller gave me a refund) 3. Sync the carbs with my good old carb-tune meter 4. Fix soft rear brake pedal (not sure what the problem is as the entire system has been bled properly (I think) but still requires 2 pumps to get full rear brake pressure) 5. try to polish scratches out of the windshield 6 Cylinder #3 is not firing while it idles but kicks in when you crack the throttle...It has spark so I think it is a dirty carb issue not TCI or coil related...not sure if I need to rip the carb apart or if my friend Seafoam will help. 7. Need to get new exhaust gaskets for the rear cylinders. 8. Put her all back to gather again!! I'm getting tired of turning wrenches and I just want to ride......but without the much needed gaskets and assorted parts on order old AZZI will be staying in the garage.

Happy B-Day @paysaw!

Hello @ceneremusic. We would all love to see a picture of your new "Queen". I hope you really enjoy cruising the highways on your Venture, I love mine. Ride safe buddy!

Hi @Doug royal86 The left grip is 7/8 and the right grip requires a 1" to fit over the throttle sleeve. Lots of good grip options on Ebay for good prices compared to the Yamaha shop. I picked up a couple pairs for my 86 Ventures and really like them....plus they only cost $18 with free shipping....here is a link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/7-8-Motorcycle-Chrome-Handlebar-Hand-Grips-for-Honda-CBR-600-900-1000-RR-929-/131733917373?hash=item1eabf40ebd:g:XUMAAOSw0HVWDc96 Hope that helps!

Get well soon Buddy! Time to try out the "voice recognition software" on the old computer so you can still post here during your recovery!

Some "Non-Venture" eye candy from the corners of my Garages....

I personally love "Auto Art"! I'm currently building a 1958 Cadillac bar in my house.....wife was not a big fan when I was pitching the idea, but is slowly warming up to it as I get closer to finishing the woodwork and putting the Granite in. Still lots of work to do!

Had the great honour of meeting a fellow VentureRider Member today here in Toronto Canada . Big thanks to member @paysaw for taking the time to meet at my hotel to do a quick "Venture parts exchange" and showing me some pictures of his sweet 86 Venture Royale all decked out and chromed up. Cheers Buddy, wish we lived closer so we could take the bikes out and go for a ride! Here is a pic (sorry for the blinding shine off my bald head!)

Thanks @ronnie Sent you a PM.

Thanks @Flyinfool and @bongobobny for the confirmation! Guess I have to keep looking and hope one comes up on Ebay that I can afford. Jeff I see in the forum history that you made a receiver type hitch for your MKII back in 2012 but all the forum pictures are missing.....do you happen to still have a pic of that great configuration you fabricated up? Would love to see it!

Hi Guys and Gals. I'm currently on the hunt for a trailer hitch for my 1986 Venture Royale and have been finding it rather difficult to locate one for the MKII. My question is, will a Hitch for a MKI (1983-1985) bolt right on to my MKII (1986) or are the brackets different? Is there a place that would still sell them or is eBay my only option? Any insight would be appreciated......Or if you have a spare you would like to part with let me know. Thanks!

I found this to be rather interesting, hope you do too.....the July 1986 issue of the "Venture Road" Magazine. The Official publication of the Yamaha Venture Society. According to the article they had 5000 members back in 86!!! This was back when we didn't have all this fancy computer stuff. It was Venturerider.org but delivered to your door by the friendly mailman! Great articles and ads.....back when you could walk into any dealer and buy new Venture Line accessories....dare to dream! http://mtariders.com/magazine/VR_1986-07.pdf

Hi @edtheguy - Yes I have 3 Venture Royale's in my stable and unfortunately they all have cracks and repairs in this area.....must be a week spot or all the Previous Owners abused them in the same way. I'm not a big fan of "Super Glue". These fairings (actually all the Venture plastic) is made of ABS. I personally use a 2 part epoxy that is specially formulated for ABS plastic (I pick it up at Walmart). Also I had a spare Inner fairing support which I have cut into pieces to glue on the back of these weak and cracked areas to reinforce them, any type of ABS plastic will work. This method of ABS epoxy and donor ABS hidden on the back of the fairing has allowed me to repair everything including rebuilding grommet mounts and bolt tabs which seem to be another area of weakness. Not sure how long Super Glue will hold on ABS with all the vibration these plastic pieces need to endure flying down the highway! If you do a search here in the forum, lots of guys have more experience and better ideas on how to repair the body panels.....this is where I learned. Would love to see a picture of your bike and the area of the fairing you need to repair!

Hi @Gdub - Yes they do, my R6's just bolted right on my 1986 Royale's using the existing brake lines and bolts (I used the Allen key bolts from the R6 just because they looked nicer then my old ones). Only thing is that the banjo bolt location on the R6's is on the side rather then top like the old calliper.......not a big deal as all the lines still fit, only thing is the Optional VentureLine chrome calliper covers I had no longer fit due to the side bolt location. Oh well, I like the "blue dot" look better of the R6's anyways. Nice and simple upgrade. Here are a couple of pic's of my "Blue Dots". I have an extra set sitting on my bench ready to be cleaned and installed on "AZZI" my other Venture waiting for me in Arizona. Hope that helps!

Hi #stickhandel2 , Yes I own both the Venture and GoldWing of that vintage. Sure I would be happy to give you some insight from my personal experience with the Wing. Things to look for (in my opinion anyways): 1. Make sure your head gaskets are OK on the wing. Check for White smoke from the exhaust and that she is not over heating....all indication of head gasket problems on the wing or warped heads. 2. Know exactly how long it was since they did the timing belts. I always have changed mine immediately after I bought the bike no matter what the owner said.....not worth ruining an engine due to a broken old timing belt. 3. Make sure it has all the plastic.....especially the left side cover (Battery side cover). These are common to fly off while you ride and as a result are REALLY hard to find in the right colour, and expensive to replace. 4. The Stator is rather weak on these bikes, so make sure the charging system is OK...or plan to put a "poor boy" alternator kit on it. 5. Listen for a clunk when engaging the clutch....have seen wings with driveline bearing problems (mine included) The rest is typical stuff that you should look at for any bike: clutch, brakes, tires, etc. The GoldWings of that vintage are good bikes (especially since this has a side car) but to be honest my First Gen Ventures still are my favourite when I pick a machine to ride for the day. Hope that helps! All the best with the purchase! Would love to see some pictures if you get it!

Congrats on the new addition!!!! Pictures please.