VanRiver

Wow, great story @kevin-vic-b.c. ! That lovely lady of yours sounds like a pure gem! Glad you kept the girl and sold the bike was for the right reasons.

Thanks @flyday58, yes popping the cover off and looking inside is probably something I should do....As for oil I'm using the regular dinosaur 15w40 Rotella that other members have recommended on the forum. Not sure what the previous owner used as I've only had my 2 ventures for a few months and they have not hit the street yet so the Rotella is still fresh in them aside from running in the shop during my restoration process. I have been thinking about putting some Seafoam in the crank case for an initial cleaning just to clear the sludge out of the bikes. I guess Seafoam might help unstick stuck clutch plates too, right?

Thanks Randy, I will need to wait for the weather to get better before I can ride it (snowed again tonight here is the great white north). Good advise for cold starting and preventing the first gear "jerk". As for the Carb sync, no that has not been done yet, I'm still waiting on my CarbTune Sync tool to arrive in the mail from England. But as soon as the post man delivers it I will be in the shop syncing carbs.

Hi @Venturous Randy, Thanks for the insight....I think you are on to something with the sticking clutch plates concept.....I did a reverse flush and bleed as suggested by @Condor (thanks condor!) but still no improvement. But I did notice tonight that the the engine noise that I'm experiencing (which I posted about in a different thread) gets better when the bike is in gear. So the bike is quieter in gear with the clutch pulled then in neutral and the clicking noise is coming from the righter clutch cover. Randy do you believe I should just wait and run the bike "like I stole it" when the weather gets nice to see if it gets better or the plates free themselves up, or should I take the couch cover off and see whats going on inside? I don't want to open it up if I don't have to as she is running and very drivable in it's current state.

I personally use Sena Bluetooth smh10 units on my helmets.....I don't waste my time with the CB's on our bikes....they are mainly for show in my opinion, kinda like having a antique floor model radio in your living room.....great conversation piece but nothing I would rely on for everyday communication. Plus with the Sena units you can answer and make phone calls handsfree, have Siri on your iPhone send txt messages hands free, hear turn by turn directions from your GPS, and listen to your tunes on your phone. Plus it is all voice activated when your talking to you buddies with other Sena units. No pushing buttons to distract you while driving......It is distracting enough for me just to speak and drive let alone remember to hold down the PTT button on the handlebar every time I speak.

Thanks @Du-Rron for the troubleshooting help!.....I bled the clutch as maintenance as soon as I bought my Venture's from the previous owner. Both bikes had sat for many years so I did a replacement of ALL fluids include brakes and clutch on both of my Venture's as soon as I picked them up. To be honest, I'm not sure if the clutch on the Brown bike was working properly when I got it as it was in a non-running state when I picked it up and began the restoration process without being able to do a test ride. I have no, zip, zero leaks on the clutch connections or lines. Yes I have bled many hydraulic clutches in my time, but I do make mistakes (just ask my wife :-) )......as per your advice I will re-bleeed just to be on the safe side.....and yes I have a vacuum bleeder tool which is what I used originally for the first bleed.

Thanks @Peder_y2k.......Yes both of my Venture's are in heated storage. My Brown Bike is having the clutch issue but my Black bike's clutch is working fine. Long story short I believe it is mechanical and not environment related.

Hi Guy and Gal experts. Was able to take my Brown 1986 outside the shop today as the weather was beautiful here in Calgary. Anyway, I'm finding that the clutch on this bike is not full disengaging with the handle pulled completely. The system is fully bled and has new fluid. When it is cold and I try to start it while in gear and the clutch pulled all the way, she wants to move forward. When the engine is cold but running and I drop it into gear with the clutch full pulled it will stall the bike. When the bike is warm it won't stall but while testing on the centre stand the rear tire still spins with the clutch fully pulled until you rev the engine a couple times and then the tire finally stops turning. The clutch handle feels normal (not soft or hard). Where should I start to troubleshoot this? Do I have a bad slave cylinder? Or should I start at the clutch Master Cylinder? OR is it just gummed up from many years of sitting, and try to purge and flush it again with new fluid? Any troubleshoot advice would be greatly appreciated.

@eusa1....Nice bike, and even nicer to hear that it is back in your collection! As my Grandfather always said "Set her free, and if you were meant to be together she will be back!"

Hi @Donvito, I believe most current GPS units support charging via the USB port...but to be honest I'm not certain about your particular model. How do you charge your GPS in the car currently? Did it come with a special cable for the car? If you already have a cigarette lighter installed on your bike, then you could simply get a converter to plug into that rather then removing it and needing to buy a special unit like I did. These converters are very cheap now a days.....even your local dollar store might sell them:

Here is a pic of my "Velocity Clip" on my bike.....it has a quick release so you can detach it and lock it in the truck without needing to take the device out of the holder. The other pic is the bracket that stays behind on the handle bar. But I also really like @videoarizona idea of the go pro mount which seems to be becoming a standard platform now in the market for many cases and gadgets.

@Donvito, I use a product called a "Velocity clip" on both my 86 Venture and 84 Goldwing to hold my GPS or Phones. I located it on my left handle bar and it is tall enough to clear the audio control on the Venture. It is a universal mount so your not just restricted to a single application, I hold my GPS, big iPhone 6plus, camera's etc.. I picked it up on Ebay directly from the manufacturer for around $40. Here is a picture and link to the manufacturer: Link to Manufacturer website: Velocity Clip Link to Ebay auction (they were flexible on price when I bought mine by using the "make Offer" button): velocityclip | eBay Pic of the mount: As for wiring....I don't like movable accessories hardwired into my bike.....so I picked up a waterproof USB jack off of eBay and installed that on my Venture....right where a previous owner had installed a cigarette lighter. Most electronics use USB to power them now a days so I can have universal power to all my phones, GPS, or to charge my Sena Bluetooth helmet system. As the guys said no matter what you do, please wire it to the ACC on your bike so it will be switched power and not constant to prevent battery drain.

Hi @dna9656, I just pulled the reflectors off my two 1986 Ventures last week. They were both held on with double sided automotive tape....actually one also had clear silicone behind as well from a previous owner trying to make it stick better. I also used 3m double sided automotive tape to re-install them. I just took my time with a putty knife and flat screwdriver and pried them off being careful not to break or crack them. The front red lens separated from the black back of the reflector while it was being removed from the trunk. Just go slow and don't use too much pressure. I totally recommend the reflector LED conversion....works great on both of my bikes. Here is a video from my install: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/first-generation-venture-tech-talk/97734-reflector-conversion-led-easy-recommend.html

Found a pic of the first bike of my very own. I was in a pretty bad farm accident when I was 5 years old that significantly messed up my right leg, so my Mom made me wear knee pads to protect my grafted skin and surgery locations....no helmet or shirt, but as long as I wore my kneepads I could ride in the yard. 1980 z50....50cc of pure adrenaline! Good Times! I unfortunately don't have this one in the collection, my Dad traded it in at the Honda dealership for a Honda push lawnmower. Upgraded to a 1980 XL500 in the late 80's....I was such a bad a$$ in my sunglasses and no helmet! I still have this one in my collection. By the way @cowpuc, great story and pictures. Thank you for sharing! I wasn't aware that Sears had such a sweet ride available in their catalog. I would love to see your scoot once you have married your original frame with the donor cycle appendages! Also glade to hear I'm not the only one who holds on to their old motorcycles over the years! I'm really good at buying, but not the selling part.

I was going through some old pictures and found the cause of "my motorcycle addition" or "illness" as my wife calls it. Thought it would be great to hear from other members how they got hooked on bikes and maybe share pics of you're first ride if you got one. That is me in the red Helmet and matching red boots circa 1975 or 1976....with my Dad taking me for a spin on his 1971 Yamaha 175 Enduro. I still have that bike in my collection, it is still mint with only 3000 miles on her but so many great memories. Looks like my Dad is wearing one of his Police issue helmets and there is still snow on the ground...typical riding in Canada! Good Times....probably scared my Mom to death!!!!!! But I blame my Father for my bike addiction. Got my first Bike at age 6, 1980 Honda z50.......Thanks Dad! Hope to hear other peoples stories on how you got hooked too!

You are correct, the noise is only at idle rpm's......I have checked the exhaust and everything seems to be sealed up and only coming out the back. I did notice while running on the centre stand that the clutch doesn't seem to be fully disengaging with the leaver fully pulled in and in 1st gear....there was slight vibration and wheel turn as if it was trying to engage while the leaver was pulled fully....but after a few turns of the throttle and revs then the tire and vibration would stop but there was no change in the noise coming from the engine. The clutch was bled a few weeks ago so would this be a sign of a wearing clutch slave that needs to be replaced? Thanks for all the help guys!

Thanks Randy, you are correct the carbs have not been synced yet as I'm still waiting for my sync tool to arrive in the mail. I'm really hoping something simple like that could be the cause and nothing mechanically wrong. The engine only has 45,000KM on her (28,000 miles).....but as we all know sitting is a bigger killer for these bikes then riding hard.

Thanks @mralex714 and @Marcarl but unfortunately there is no change in noise when the Bike is running on the Centre stand or when the clutch is fully engaged....... or both at the same time.

I just finished my rear reflector conversion to LED and I'm really happy with the results. Big Thank You to @Donvito for his guide on how to do the conversion. Here is the link to Donvito's original post and guide: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/first-generation-venture-tech-talk/88438-installing-leds-bag-reflectors.html?highlight=strip If there is anyone on the fence about doing the conversion on their bike....I say go for it......Stay Safe and Be Seen! Here is a youtube video showing what it looks like all lit up on my bike:

Here is the Video of my Black Venture that is much quieter for comparison: [video=youtube;-IwNI3rMEf8]

Hello Experts, I'm currently restoring Two 1986 Venture Royals and today it was finally nice enough to take them outdoors and let them run for an extended period of time compared to my test runs in the shop. Long story short my Brown Venture has a much louder engine clicking noise compared to my other Black Venture. It sounds like the Brown bike's clicking noise is not tappet or valve train related but rather sounds like it is coming from the general location of the right side clutch cover. Being that I've never owned a Venture before and have no idea what a normal engine should sound like I thought I would reach out to the experts...but compared to my black Venture this Brown one is considerably louder when it comes to mechanical engine noise. I have attached links to two youtube videos showing the Brown Bike's noise level as well as the Black Bike which I'm comparing it with. The Black bike has Jardine exhaust on it, so it is louder at the pipes but I'm focused on the engine clicking noises not exhaust tone. I would much appreciate getting the opinion of the experts on whether or not I should be concerned or try to investigate further based on the sound. Video of my Brown Bike with the loader engine mechanical noise:

Thanks Freebird I received my decals today. They are great! You also solved a problem for me....the previous owner of my bike drilled holes in the dash cover......Your domed decal did the trick of covering the damage as well as now I can proudly display venturerider.org through my windshield for everyone to see. These decals are not only pretty but also multipurpose!

I did my second set of 4 Diaphragms this weekend for my other 1986 Royale.....with practice I started to get pretty good at it. I was scared stiff doing my first one, but by the 8th slide I had it down to a science. Words of wisdom to other newbies out there; take your time, be careful and you can get a new Diaphragm installed in the right position, with no wrinkles, and no lube, grinding, pounding, or glueing required compared to the many "advisors" and "Procedures" you see on Youtube. I used the super secret Yamaha tool...the round part of a standard paperclip..with great efficiency to push the new diaphragm in-between the two plastic washers on the slide with no risk of damage. I think the Yamaha tool part number is YBK-PAPER-CLIP-345-DIA also available at your local stationary store in a pack of 100. :hihi:

Was changing the spark plugs on one of my newly acquired 1986 Venture Royale's over the weekend and found something that is perplexing me....one of those WTF moments ("What the Fig-Newton?" this is a G rated forum). The bike was running fine but rich. When I pulled the plugs, one of the plugs looked like the previous owner had gapped it with a claw hammer! My questions to the experts here.....A. I'm really surprised she was even sparking on that cylinder....but B. How could a plug get shaped this way?...I don't think a sensible person would do such as a thing, so was it mechanical forces? The plug side electrode is expanded 2-3 times the size of gap spec plus it is twisted to the right. Any ideas? I've seen plugs compressed due to hitting a piston but not stretched before. By the way the bike is now purring like a kitten with new plugs, new diaphragms, and new fluids. It was a good weekend turning wrenches.

Looks like a nice project! Hope you like turning wrenches and dirty finger nails.