Brenner

Well to each their own, and I have never known anybody to pour that much mercury into a stationary object and use a time lapse camera to see the effects. A running engine being set up by a competent mechanic that knows how to setup and use a tool correctly really has not to worry about this concern. How many bikes have been set up using these tools over the years? How many reports of damaged engines due to this procedure? I know how to use the tools that I own correctly without adverse effects, have done so for years in a licensed trade and am competent enough to be able to set my carbs close enough to not have a problem using my manometers and it is not my fault many others may not be skilled enough to do the same. I did not post my experiences a to be put down by others that feel they are superior or know better. I see many things on this forum that I do not believe are right but I am respectful enough to keep my opinion and negative comments to myself. Just because one person may not have the skill or talent to use a tool correctly does not mean that others have the same result. Now if I was instructing someone to do something dangerous to hurt themselves call me out on it but do not judge my competence due to your negative experiences or inadequacies. EVERYONE has an opinion and having an opinion does not make a person right. I really do not appreciate the judgement and take it as an insult. It is my mistake as I was under the impression this forum was supposed to be friendly and positive but I am now corrected. I will gladly back up my claims efficiently, effectively, and far faster than most. Flat rate competition as shop foreman for over 20 years has made me what I am.

Carl, I may be wrong but I do believe my engine is tuned right and can tell where the power band of the engine is. I do totally agree 4000-6000 she screams but today I was thinking maybe mine is not as quick as I am running the second gen transmission? It does not matter as it is not a bad bike and I am trying to determine if it is right for me. Today was not a good day and I am saddle sore so I will try to switch out the seat for some more support. I did make an oops and the weight did catch up to me on a gravel hill in a cemetary as I was paying my respects with strong winds and I did lay it down while stopped. My mistake but I admit it and am learning and do not plan that to happen again. No major damage aside from a few scratches so I will touch it up when I repaint my bag as it is the same side. Green has not been lucky for me and I am considering a color change. I have been making small changes and the bike is better and better but I did make a mistake of riding a Anniversary Softail Deuce today that I am servicing for a customer and it made me really miss my Harley. No matter what I intend to ride the venture another month to get it the way I want and to see if it suits me or not. Again I do strongly believe in what I have heard and read before " If you do not make mistakes you really are not riding" or something along that line. I admit my faults and short comings and hopefully in time will become a better rider. By the way it was a chore to get it off the ground and back on two wheels alone.

I personally use the old school mercury filled manometers. My unit has 4 tubes so it is perfect for the venture application.

Puc, my first and only Harley. One previous owner, very clean and almost all original. Nothing but Harley on it even plugs and oil. It was loved and kind of rare to find in the condition it is today for its age. Only thing I have seen different are the screaming eagle slip ons (original mufflers and carb jets in boxes on shelf) screaming eagle ignition module with no rev limiter, a badlands signal canceller, and it sounds like it has a cam. Original owner told me I would enjoy it and be surprised but did not go into details and the factory service manual has all the services performed since new. Original paint, seats etc... Not molested. Every where I read they call them "The best Harley ever made" and have a cult following. I bought it as I wanted a bike that could handle to make up for my lack of experience but found out it was quite a bit quicker than I thought. Rubber mounted big twin, hand made frame, narrow front end. It is a 1985 Harley Low Glide FXRS Evo, 5 speed belt drive. Here is a article I found in a quick search. Low glides were 2 years only and when they changed rear shock position in later years were called low riders. http://www.hotbikeweb.com/bikes/separating-men-boys-history-fxr

Ain't it fun chasing the lift across the shop while trying to ride the bike on? I gotta say I have done this a couple of times during my resurrection.

I just wanted to update for those who have given me advice and support with my project. I now have roughly 200 miles on the bike since resurrection and am still making adjustments and setting it up to where I am comfortable. After one tank of fuel and a can of seafoam and one carb adjustment the bike starts and runs well. Adjustment to the progressive spring spacers and a repair to the CLASS system and all is as good as it can be I suppose. Two adjustments to the handle bars trying to find out where I am most comfortable and where my hands don't go numb. I have to say this bike in my opinion is NO WAY near what I was expecting from all that I have read. I was unsure after hearing the stories of loads of power and heavy weight that came from these bikes which gave me a nervousness of the bike. I find this machine very tame, forgiving and easy to ride. I am finding it docile, non threatening, and feel that it will be a ride my wife will enjoy on the rear and after reading the owners manual for recommended shift points feel that it is not the rocket I have heard that they are supposed to be. All this is good news to me and I enjoy that where I prefer to shift is where it is recommended and not "lugging" as some have said it would. I am learning and feel it is a total difference in power I am used to and even though I still prefer the torque of a long stroke motor I can feel the reliability of this engine design. My next few changes are to drop the tire pressure to make it ride a little smoother on tar strips and road bumps and maybe see how it rides without the trunk so it looks like a bagger. I have had a few other riders of larger bikes stop by and give compliments to the looks and color of the bike and been offered to join in ride alongs. Everyone says I will grow to like it more and more and I am becoming more eager to try new things with it and maybe after a month I will start pulling a trailer to see how that feels on a bike. So what I am trying to say here is thanks to all who gave positive support and even though I am not currently jumping up and down excitedly I can see this makes a very practical machine that is easy to be confident with. I have fully rolled the throttle from a stop and put it up through its gears to highway speeds but do not feel it pulls harder than my Harley but apples to oranges and I realize this bikes power is best at higher rpm and my Harley is best at low rpm which makes it my highway bike and my preference for long trips and exactly what I wanted it to be when I built it. I have NO complaints as of yet and do not intend to go looking for any. My trips are getting longer and longer and my faith in the bike is growing with the distance I travel. I hope to see many of you in the future and on the roads. Hopefully you don't miss me as I have been told my bike is easy to spot. Thanks again, Cheers and ride safe.

I have only one comment hopefully that may help rather than hinder. I have the set of mufflers shown above on my bike and I am not a fan of the sound. I am looking at replacing them with harley mufflers as they make noise rather than a nice sound. I do have friends who find them very nice to listen to but coming from a vtwin and harley to the venture it just does not do it for me. So my advice is try to find a sound clip online before you buy so you know what you are getting. If you cannot find one PM me as a reminder and I will do a video of mine with those same pipes so you will know what they sound like in advance. Once I swap mine out they will be passed on to someone in need but I am unsure of when I will be replacing them. Good luck.

Thanks for sharing, it is something far too easy to overlook. As you mentioned one can only guess what a previous owner has done to a bike of this age. Now I have to go check mine.

Anybody out here having problems with their clock losing time after a night or two on their first gen? I haven't gone through the wiring diagram as of yet but I thought I would ask before tearing down to do some voltage checks. Clock seems to be the problem as voltage is correct and it happens when sitting over night and resets to 2:30 on more than one occasion. Gonna look through service manual wiring tomorrow if there is a memory lead.

Thank you all. I am sorry I have not been attentive to this site as I firstly thought about what value this bike has to me. Then secondly considered my options or repair or replace. Thirdly looked at my financial resources for this project. This is how it boils down. I honestly have exhausted my resources on this bike (looking for employment) and do not want to put any more into it even though this was my mistake and not the bikes. I have taken a down payment and agreed to sell my Virago to a buyer who came from north of Toronto to purchase it. He was unable to have full payment and looked sincere and respectfully in need so I agreed to wait for full and final payment of remaining balance the first week of May. He really was afraid to touch or sit on the bike as he honestly looked like he was in love with it. What this means is that I have ear tagged this money for my insurance premiums. I wanted to be fair with him as others have been fair to me in the past and he reminds me of myself a year ago when I was new to bikes, time to pay it forward or lend a hand. So that left me with wondering how I really feel about this bike and to decide to replace or repair. Well I can honestly say I am not in love with this bike yet but I have to give it time and to get to know it. So after some thought my final decision was to repair the damaged bag and look for a pair in better condition than what I have to replace in the future. I would like to hold off till I have a few extra bucks in hand so I don't waste anyone's time over the bags. Currently I have two sets if bags available to me, one set I have seen real nice condition and one set sight unseen needing work. The real nice set are from a guy I bought a parts bike off of and he has asked for all my chrome pieces, and foot board etc... off my original project and cash (no number yet) for the bags. I have seen what the prices of the chrome are and I feel he whether intentional or not might be taking advantage of a situation. I don't want to create a problem as he has been decent but I realize almost everything has been in his favor and to me that is getting old quick. The other set I have not seen but do not want to show up until I have coin to lay out. I do not expect anything for nothing and my independence keeps me settling debts before they get to deep. Now I am attempting the repair (already have materials) so I can hide my mistake and then I can approach the seller with the great shape bags where I am not in need of them (and he does not have me over a barrel so to speak) but would be willing to purchase them at the right trade, or price, or cash in hand to the other seller with bags needing work. Why you might ask if I have a set that look okay would I replace? Well honestly my original bags were heat damaged and cracked when I got the bike. I am REALLY anal about details and the way something should fit or work. I was so anal it took me some time but I ended up finding and paying a small fortune just for the year correct owners book and factory tool kit. As far as the chrome and accessories I mentioned earlier these have no value to me and I would rather find a home for them with someone more deserving. I do not want coin for them but rather to know someone who may not be able to afford them could have them and be proud to use them on their ride. Again a Pay it forward as I hope the karma sometime down the line will return to me.

It had to happen, a simple mistake that makes you put your tail between your legs. My first motorcycle "accident" or "mistake". I have been so preoccupied with this project bike about if I was going to like it or if it was operating as it should I simply overlooked the obvious. Now I assume this could happen to any rider of a 1983-1985 MKI Venture. All you other riders really do not have to worry about this dumb mistake. Today my first "real" ride and time to learn and answer all the questions I had on this bike. I start off slow, start to understand what this bike feels like and to know what to expect from it. I shift through the gears and think "what a dog" and as I get used to it I realize my speedo is lazy and slow. Well time to make a list, clean and lube speedo- check, Bike rides a bit harsh then I prefer - remember to pull spacers out of forks from progressive install- check. Try the cruise control, a little too much slap in the cables remember to adjust - check, Might want to adjust the handle bars a little higher - check, so I start to ride like I have always owned it and start enjoying the ride. A little tight fit for my height but I fit WAY better than my last bike so I am looking at the positive. I am still uncertain about how it sounds at certain rpm and gear positions and I force myself to ride a nice road that makes me ride in fourth gear at low speeds so I get used to the sound of the bike. I adjust and am comfortable after 1/2 hour and all my concerns are being whittled down to a few adjustments so I start enjoying the ride and listening to music I drift off to where I have no worries and then it happens, after 100 km (60 miles) I hit a bit of a bump and I feel the weight change on the bike and hear a bang and scraping. I instantly adjust and check my mirrors, can't see anything yet so I pull over to look behind. Well I guess one of my side bags did not enjoy the ride as much as I was and decided to go it's own way. I simply forgot to lock the bag to the bike. I checked the others and they were fine I just simply in my build and pulling them on and off forgot to lock that one. I will never do that again. I put the bag back on the bike and it is heavily road rashed and it bugs me but I do know that they were rough and cracked when I got them so it is no major loss and I have decided I will try to acquire another set and repaint to match my bike. Once back in place I rode another 35 km (22miles) with no noticeable concern other than the bike in my opinion needing to be run in and the carbs reset again to try to dial it in perfectly. So there it is a Stupid Noob Move that makes my bike wear its scarred up bag for all to see. I do not want to post pics as it is a little embarassing.

It's like you are poking me with a sharp stick. Man I want to ride a little more but I have to learn to trust this bike ( unsure of it since it was tore down to bare frame) and have had setbacks with insurance ( they didn't make an 85 venture 1200 I was told) and weather ( cold rain and some wind), and repeated adjustments (want it to be overly perfect and possibly inadvertently trying to correct normal functions of the bike) that I am sure most normal riders would not fuss with but I am overly picky (analyzing EVERY noise I hear). I am hoping the weather gives me a break and I am able to familiarize myself with this ride so I can take it further. I am not lucky enough to have anyone close to ride with so I MUST be cautious and analyze everything to try to make sure the bike will operate correctly and not leave me stranded anywhere.

Got another vin, build date, location, and colors for you that I have promised for some time. Finally got to a friends and collected his numbers on another 84 today.

Mike, if that is the case and I do end up with another set of body panels in a different color I will be sure to post pics so you will know them too. I promise it will be another color that will stand out. By the way maybe shoot me a line sometime if you are looking for someone to ride with. Once I am more familiar with this bike I plan on putting a few miles on her. More often than not I am through the Hamilton area.

Thank you, bike is assembled aside from some electrical add ons I have bought and plan to install. I had posted pics earlier under another thread but will include one here and now. I rode roughly 5 miles yesterday with no insurance on back streets in town and am learning the bike and it's noises and quirks. Today I was able to insure it and I went in my cage to see a friends 84 and listened to it to compare the sounds, how it starts etc... to mine. I ended up trading lower seats for an all black one that will match my bike better so I do not need to dye the one I had. It is coming together and am no way near as concerned about handling or it's weight as I was earlier now that I have learned what it feels like. My confidence is high and I am taking it in baby steps and gradually running it faster and faster as I learn to trust it with its noises and the way it feels. Once I am satisfied with it mechanically I will most likely repaint the parts I am not happy with and am in the process of finding a few more body parts as I want to paint another set in a different color so I can swap the panels and change the color of the bike when I feel like a change. Quite possibly it will always be a work in progress as I would like to make it as perfect as can be or atleast as perfect as I can for my needs.

Payment sent for mine as was requested.

I had the same concern on one of my carbs so I pulled the slider cap and removed the spring and o ring and use a can of air intake cleaner with a straw and blew into the pilot orfice and turned the screw all the way out and repeat and once I felt it was clear I put it back together and my pilot required only 1.5 - 2 turns as per spec. YMMV

Late to the party but for some time I have been using green and my profile page is customized in green and black the same colors as my venture.

If after taking care of Midicat you still have a silver one please PM me the price to Canada also. This could cover the front and my venturerider decal from Freebird can cover the back.

Thank you all for the kind words and positive comments. I was unsure of how it would be taken by some of the hardcore venture members of this community. I hope it hits the target of respectful, tasteful, and hopefully it "pops" with its highly visible color. This was a bare frame up rebuild and all along I had the green in mind but it was too over powering and when staring at it one night and the aluminum trim the black came to mind as a solution to break the paint and yet to give it a fresh newer look. I do have one other color scheme in mind and am collecting another set of skins and may paint them so I can switch them out from color to color on a whim. Time will tell, and if I do I will post it here also.

The chrome vents are on a shelf waiting to find a new home and the ones on the bike are from a parts bike. The only chrome I covered were the side covers near the engine, the crash bars and the chrome venture line grille. I am aware of how much this chrome is loved so I coated them in plastidip so if I ever choose to replace or return to chrome I can pull the coating off and it will be as it was prior to me coating it. I tried to respect the bike and the followers of the bike but wanted something that looked newer and yet different than the norm. If you know of someone who is really deserving of the chrome vents let me know in a PM as it may end up as a pay it forward. I want to share with and respect those who have shared with and respected me.

Insurance will be on next Wednesday and I will need a little time learning this bike before I trust it or myself on a trip but I will come sooner if you don't mind me bringing my cage.

Gary, sorry to say I no longer have that chrome piece. I bought a parts bike off an individual who ended up becoming a friend. Well he had a motorcycle drive on lift that he was not using and knew of my project and was kind enough to loan me the lift. His bike is all chrome but did not have that piece so I ended up giving that part to him in appreciation for the use of the lift. If I still had the trim I would have given it to you for nothing as I have no need for it so someone else should benefit from it. A few have helped me and I want to pay it forward to others. My bike has been put together on a budget and the exhaust is high heat paint on the stainless pipes and the original seat was recovered but I am going to try to dye a factory seat I have black and prefer to use it so the patterns match up in the seat and two backrests (drivers and passengers). Maybe once I know I like it I will have them all recovered in matching fabric. The color is synergy green from the camaro ss models and was chosen for high visability as well as trying to make the bike look newer and for a younger man. I broke it up with the brilliant black ( green metallic in sun) from the chrysler hemi models as I found just green was too much alone and with the black I am able to leave some items silver and chrome. I am unsure at this point in time if the exhaust will remain as I have found out that the harley pipes will give me a respectable sound that I prefer over these pipes. I also am second guessing myself on the 4 inch fender chop, the harley windscreen, and on the color and might change it up on the next paint job depending on how much I like the bike. I just want to enjoy it, be proud of it, and to be happy with it, so having it look noticeably different than stock does that for me. I do not like butchered bikes and even though mine is a frankenstien it in my opinion still retains a somewhat factory look.

Puc, thank you for the sound advice. I never had any intentions of day trips but rather a trip maybe an hour or so long. Yes you are 110% correct on the way the world sees things and that the interest of the child will not be the same as mine. I understand the bathroom situation as I have been there waiting outside for my nieces to come out and yes it might not look right. My nieces and nephews from both my wife's sisters never had any father figure and I suppose in a way I stepped up to try to fill that role. I have been lucky and successful so far but all that could change. Believe it or not I do babysit my god child when asked and have had her in my car for a day at a time and no one looks the wrong way when I drive my car but yes they might not be so understanding on a motorcycle. I think you have set me straight and will limit her rides to around the city when mom and dad are at home and close at hand but not until I am comfortable with my new ride. No point in trying to be nice when you can be in trouble for it. I just feel the child deserves more attention than she receives at home. I hope when she grows up she does not turn to drugs or pregnancy due to her parents lack of attention. I remember the day she was born, her moms water broke and when they tried to go to the hospital their car would not start so I drove them in and stuck around. Her father was a stranger to me 10 years ago and I helped him a lot through tough times in life and we became like brothers which resulted me in being a god parent. He has no family locally (newfoundland) and I keep to myself. The mother came from another province (quebec) so none of her family is around so we kinda have our own family together all of us. I want to do for her what I have done for my wife's family as she always makes her way to me when she knows I am outside. I grew up without friends and from a broken marriage and lets just say things were not nice so if I can make her world a little brighter why would I not try. I fully understand and agree with what you have stated. Lots of sick people out there and I do my best to keep her safe. I treat her as if she were mine even though I chose not to have children myself and try to keep a close eye on her even more so than her parents. Paperwork and lawyers stipulate that if her parents are lost my wife and I are guardians. She is always around me and not like a parents friend but have been uncle since the day she was born. She comes home from school with mom and if she sees me runs right up for a hug. It is a nice feeling and I do not want to jeapordize that. Food for thought for me...

I have posted a new thread for those that have asked for pics and were patient enough to wait. "Ask and you shall receive"