Brenner

Okay thanks to all that have helped me along the way of my project. Today I was asked again for pics but was not ready to show this bike. You all have been patient so I decided to put some time in and put the bike together enough to get the idea of my paint scheme. When I first got the bike it was brown and full of chrome. My wife felt it id not suit my age so I decided to try to make it look a little newer and to try to reduce most of the chrome. All in all it is still a venture royale and nothing I do will change that. I tried to be tasteful and the upgrades or mods I have made have been the result of this community as a whole. Now bear in mind the pics I am going to show you tonight are not the finished product but rather for me the light at the end of the tunnel. I have to repair and dye the seat all black, put my shiny black trim on yet, install rear plate bracket, install the blacked out grille and side panels, install the drivers backrest and mold my windshield to better shape the bike. I also need to install my handle bar heaters, led side lamps, led underglow and remove the tape deck so I can install a pocket and use my cell phone through the system for my choice of music. In other words I am halfway there. I have decided that if I like the bike I will repaint the bike so my imperfections are not as visible. Now remember I am a newbie to motorcycles and not a body man or painter and this has been my second paint job in my life and the largest to date. Constructive criticism is welcome as most of you know these bike better than I do. I believe I am in at less than $2000 on this project and have almost enough parts to put another bike together and for that price probably would not have been able to find a bike with the upgrades like these that might suit my needs better. Excuse the mess in the background and the poor lighting as it was snowing today and I wanted to get the pics in the sunlight as natural lighting but the sun was setting. Here you go pics of the bike in the classifieds and currently under construction less than an hour old....

Thanks all, it really is appreciated and I am listening. My original plans to take her were not until I had a few months and quite a few miles under my belt and yes on roads that I already know well. Even with me moving up to this larger bike I plan to start to learn to ride and test this bike the same way I did my first ride. I start out on short rides and gradually make the trips a little larger and larger until I feel I can trust myself and the bike as I honestly believe we have to be as one (the bike and I). I do want to take a long trip but I really do not think it is in the cards as I feel I would prefer to take the time to learn so much more. I would like to learn this bike well this year and attempt to pull a trailer. I am assuming it is different than pulling with a 4, 6, or 18 wheeled vehicle. Yes I have my truck license and have driven many different vehicles and combinations but I do really feel a bike would be different. Remember this bike I have has been a junk yard dog or so to say as it is made of multiple bikes and the conversions or upgrades will effect the way the bike handles and or the characteristics and reliability of the bike so I do believe I need to learn this bike and its quirks and or shortfalls. I express my concerns on reality and like to think I realize that anything can happen and at times does. I prefer this approach rather than thinking I am above these concerns and chance myself on having an accident or causing injury. Look on the roads today too many people think they are above the possibility of this and the accident and death ratio prove this. If people took responsibility, educated themselves properly, and were accountable for their actions the world would be a much better and easier place to live. This is my belief.

Ain't it the way? I tried so hard to do a perfect job on my paint and bodywork. Fighting it for some time and finally it wins. I walk away and give up and then tell myself just to get it together and have it decent looking so I can get some miles on it then I can comeback to the battle and redo the paint more to my liking with the inspiration from liking the bike. Well with that thought I walk into my shop today and do a quick sand and spray a new coat of base and it lays out decently, and I think "Should I press my luck?" so on goes the clear. Dang it!!! It looks better than when I was fighting myself and trying to do a professional job. Don't get me wrong it has some imperfections as it is shot in a garage but from 5 feet away it will look fine. So now to let it dry so I can start reassembly and once I ride it and am sure I like it I will make another paint set of reuse these panels and use the existing paint as a sealed base to work on top of. I find I am coming so close to using cowpucs idea of stickers but I know I will not be able to travel and gather them as quickly as he does so I need the base paint to look somewhat presentable until then. If things go along decently I will need to post pics next week. Wednesday is my deadline and it needs to be ready to be plated and insured then. Wish me luck and lots of patience.

Dang!! Same one that gave me trouble on my rebuild. I got lucky and stretched the threads and with a little spray I walked the screw out. That long bore is an awkward place to work in. I feel for you.

Thank you all for the concern and advice. My comment on my inexperience is that of not having a passenger on a bigger bike like my venture. I have had some experience with my smaller bike with having my wife on the back on a few trips of 2 hours or more so I am not totally blind going into this. I would just rather be over prepared and worried for no reason rather than ignore it and take a chance and someone get hurt. I noted today that my god daughter was playing on her bike so went out and I had my her climb on my venture today to see how well she will fit on it and was pleased to note that she can reach the foot rests comfortably and she fits the seat where she can use the backrest properly. After that I took a roughly 20 block walk with her while she rode her bicycle beside me. Mom and dad did their own thing as always and we went on our way. We are working on where to look on the roads when crossing the street and where to stop and wait for cars so we do not get hurt even on a bicycle. She is listening well and I have spoken to her parents about my need to trust her and that anything can happen when the time comes. I honestly can say that I will not attempt this until I feel comfortable with my abilities of this large bike. The recommendation of the "Ride like a Pro " are those that I have sought out earlier as they sell the videos on ebay. I am lucky enough to have found out that my neighbour who rides a goldwing is apparently part of a group or chapter of a goldwing club and he tells me he is an instructor on teaching skills of slow maneuvering. Last year I asked for some advice to try to build my skill set but was not able to set a date to try to learn. This year he has been watching my projects progress and has made a few more suggestions that I will attempt to practice and learn. I have been in attendance at a few Harley "Test our Metal" events and participated in the "How to lift a dropped bike" tutorial. I do not think there would be any major difference between manufacturers. All in all I am not irresponsible as some might think and I listen to all recommendations even those that I already have considered. I will build my skill set as I truly believe you never stop learning and often those who think otherwise are those who put themselves and others at risk.

Thanks all. Many points have been brought up that I have considered. I do have consent of both the parents as honestly as sad as it is they prefer to not have to watch her. She has been asking to go for a ride and is tall for her age but I have been telling her only when she is bigger. Thank you about the foot peg reach as it was something I have not considered fully yet and will definitely look into. I am her god parent and spend more time with her with new experiences than her parents do. I put her on her first bicycle, and the first to put her in a pool. Will they turn on me in an event? Yup you never know. taking time to learn to ride and handle the bike with my wife first? Well yes as mentioned in my original post is absolutely necessary as I will not attempt this until I am comfortable that I can hold the bike with a passenger who does not work with me. I am not one just to throw a child into something like this and expect it to be okay and as mentioned earlier I have gone through this with 5 other children over the last 20 years on snowmobiles, atv's, and mini bikes. Each time I let them get comfortable on the machine not running then start off with baby steps as I do recognize together we need to walk before we run. I am a little more concerned with the street bike only due to my limited riding experience. I have taken as many steps as I can think of including proper fitting gear and will be educating her to the best of my ability about the does and don'ts I expect of her. The link shown for the child harness is something I have not seen before and it is something I will research further. I also understand the concern of harnessing a child to the bike in case of an accident and will not attempt it. With the input I have received here I believe I might test her by allowing her to ride behind me on my atv in a field to see if she will listen and hold on to me. With this test I might be able to see if I can trust her in a lower speed scenario. If she can adapt and listens well after a few successful rides later in the summer I might be more confident in taking her on my bike. I am not foolish and expect to take her for a long ride the first few rides as I will slowly take longer and longer rides to see how she reacts to the trips. I am happy to be able to bounce ideas off the members of this forum when I am unsure or inexperienced in something and find it a great resource. I take all recommendations in a serious manner and think them through thoroughly. I believe I will be successful in the end but do not know when we both will be ready to take a trip.

I inadvertently posted in the wrong forum I wanted at first but here it is corrected. I am not a seasoned rider as of yet but am learning quickly and those I ride with tell me that it looks as if I have been riding for years. I am constantly trying different options on my rides and different setups. This year I plan on learning how to tow with a motorcycle. I do not have a lot of experience with passengers and have only had my wife on the back of a bike with me. My next few weeks are for me to get to know my venture project bike and to learn it well. Once comfortable I will take my wife and again learn how the bike is with a rear passenger. Now comes a question to those who have had experience with your children as a rear passenger. I have a god child who has no experience on anything motorized aside from some time on my atv with me last year. Her parents are very inactive and do not spend time with her and it shows as I find she can easily be distracted and it shows she is not observant enough to recognize the dangers on a motorized vehicle. Her parents do not let her play outside or explore nor ride her bike as they would rather put in a dvd for her and do their own thing. I am not saying they are bad I am saying that the have no ambition to let her learn new things and in my opinion "grow". I have no children myself and have spent my time with my nieces and nephews and learned that the things we have done and experienced is something they have always remembered even better than I can. So what I am getting to is that I would like to try to teach her to ride with me and introduce her to things her parents never will. She is 7, very tall for her age, and has relatively no experience aside from the time I have taken with her whether riding a bicycle or atv. If I am outside she usually finds her way to come see what I am doing and usually it takes some time for her parents to notice her absence. I own a couple of houses in a row in the city and her parents are my tenants and live next door so it easy for her to find me. I really am not embellishing this and want to involve her with my riding hobby as I have in the past with my nieces and nephews. My fear is that bikes do not have a seat belt and have been considering coming up with something to keep her in the seat just in case she tries to move out while I am riding. She learned quickly on the atv and was comfortable but I had her in front of me in case I had to control her but the rear of a bike is a new thing for me. I just want safety until I can trust her and know how she will act. Any recommendations?

So you delicately throw it at the wall to get that delicate impact sound? LOL I only love this as I fully understand your point. I have seen so many people do greater damage trying to use impact drivers and yes my hands have experienced the effects of glancing off the top and usually when heavily driving to attempt to remove a large screw. As far as removing the pilot screw I find that stretching the threads has worked for me many times and I usually regret it if I don't try that first. Just remember that brass is soft. I have done this on my own project with success.

If the rear caliper has a seized cup in my opinion you will never get it to bleed correctly. Noting that you rotor is rusted on the inside shows it has been a problem for some time. If it were me I would repair or replace the caliper then attempt to bleed again. Those cups need to move to provide proper braking and not just applying pressure to one side of a rotor. The advantage of speed bleeders is that they have a check valve in them so when you bleed the system they will close on brake release to draw fluid through the system and open on brake application to push out the air to make bleeding easier but in my opinion if you have prior experience they are not needed. With you mentioning using a vacuum pump it shows me you have a good idea of how to bleed. Again free up the rear caliper then rebleed and you should build proper pressure and remove the air from the system. I have seen this problem on other vehicles besides bikes. Keep us posted.

Chaharly I PM'd you in regards to your request.

Flyinfool just keep all that white stuff on your end. I saw the first official sign of spring today, actually two street sweepers cleaning up the roads. What a beautiful sight and I think it's telling me not long before all the dangerous stuff for us riders is off the road. I am actually getting ready to loan out my atv and snow plow to someone to use to level their lawn after having to dig it out to install a new line set for their pressure system from their house to an artesian well.

Puc, I am experienced in alternative fuel for vehicles but not an installer or HVAC repair expert but one thing I do know and that is in my area if a board burns like your shown it is to be replaced and not repaired. Also in my area if a board in a furnace has been submersed due to flooding even if it still works fine it is recommended to replace. I am a landlord and am liable if my tenants are harmed or lose their belongings due to not following these recommendations. I personally have installed 3 furnaces and passed all inspections. I do know that if your heat exchanger was heated and did manage to crack the danger would be carbon monoxide poisoning. When furnaces are older it is one of the items that are inspected in my area. If it was me I would be looking for a new board and run the new capacitor. Even though the damage was in the fan control circuit the newer hot surface ignition or spark ignition controls are best not chanced for the few dollars that they cost. Your call, you will not always be there to keep an eye on it.

Thanks guys. Yes I have been wanting to install the modulators and know I have to work around the CMS and headlight control. I also recognize that a modulator cannot be used on a ballast HID or LED unit. This is what I am trying to decide on, modulator or brighter lighting? I think my questions were answered best when noted that most do not run the modulators due to our finiky monitoring systems. I have a Kisan Pathblazer with the photocell feature that will work for the front but am unsure of what to run on the rear. I like the different options mentioned and will have to make up my mind sooner or later.

I believe Prairiehammer is correct as I have a friend who tried lowering his venture to his preferred height and it was noted the air collar had to be removed to do this. On another note if anyone wants the Progressive Suspension installation instructions I can supply them. I personally ran the spacers as I prefer a stiffer suspension and higher ride height.

Thanks guys sometimes all I need is a little reassurance that I am headed in the right direction when I am in the dark of a project and can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am second guessing myself as again I do not know what to expect but with these replies it gives me a little spark of inspiration. If I was able to ride it down the road and size it up for myself I would be able to answer my own questions but it will not be insured until April and until then I have to finish it so it looks respectable. I am not happy with the paint as I have had a few issues and made a few mistakes but I am no painter and teaching myself as I go along. Some of my intended add ons will have to wait until I have more patience and made a final decision to install them. I will still be looking for a low priced set of harley pipes as I honestly love the sound of them on this engine but who knows once I get this beast on the road and open them up maybe I will change my mind. I really do not know what to expect with the different gear sets I have run.

Thanks that is what I was looking for. I did not know if the pros of using the color tune outweighed the efforts and inconveniences trying to use on the venture application. Also thanks as I simply forgot the venture has the 12mm plug and I have the 14mm so I would need to invest in another plug to proceed and it might not be feasible for me to do so if I am only going to use it a few times.

Scanning through the forums and searching for the right headlight upgrade for my needs a I noticed a lot of members upgrade to units that have ballasts. I have a Kisan headlight modulator on the shelf I was considering using but if I chose to run a HID kit or LED conversion I will not be able to run the modulator. I am also considering a brake light flasher for added safety so I ask do any of my fellow forum members run modulators? Be it brake or headlight? I know it is hard to say but might you feel there is a difference now that you have them installed? Thanks to all that may reply.

You are so correct as that is the most common way to set up and one I have used often. I inquired specifically about the color tune due to the mixed reviews on other forums. I whole heartedly feel any tool is only as good as the person using it as I have seen my share of those trashing a tool or product when results are not achieved due to lack of understanding, patience, or proper procedure. Color tune was a tool used prior to gas analyzers and a tool not everyone could use successfully and you are correct the running condition plays a critical role in the ability to use the tool to its benefit. Many just try to use it without considering other conditions and then claim it did not work correctly. It takes time and proper operating conditions and honestly with my virago I find it easier to read the plugs to make my final adjustments which in the service manual dictates use of gas analyzer to set pilot screws.

I have read many times on here that many of the members use the carb-tune product. I just thought I would ask how many have used colortune and do they find it effective on these bikes. Just happened to cross my mind as I was reading earlier posts. I personally do not own a carb tune but rather a 4 vial mercury manometer ( old school) to set my carbs for air and have used my color tune on british cars and a few bikes to set the pilot to get the proper fuel mixture.

The antidives will fit and bolt up either electric or hydraulic as I have upgraded 85 to 1300 forks in the same fashion but with the progressive springs your front forks will not compress as stock ones do. This is why many knowledgeable individuals will tell you on this forum once you have progressive you will not need the antidives or need to run air in the front forks. I had one individual tell me the antidives will not bolt up or interchange but in my application it fit with no concerns found. My brakes feel great with the R1 gold dots and my suspension is nice and high as I like it. I have had people tell me to remove my hydraulic antidives or upgrade to the electric, or to block off entirely but I have chosen to run the originals in place. You might find others will recommend speed bleeders while you are upgrading and some find them easier to use but if you know how to correctly bleed the brake system they are not needed. Also now might be the time to decide if you want to delink the brake system as it was recommended as an option when I inquired on my brake upgrade. Currently I am still running the linked system and have yet to decide if I will delink or not. A lot of options, I look forward to reading you future posts of you upgrades.

Randy, yes I remember you very well and still have your number. On my current bike (virago) if I choose to ride the speed limit at 100 km/h = 60 mph my bike revs at 4000- 4500 rpm depending on load, wind and terrain. My torque curve is very different on that bike and I would prefer it run at 3500 rpm so it is not "buzzing". This is what I mean about high revving for example if I run 60 mph and the venture is revving 6000 rpm or up then I would be unhappy and consider it a problem as I am hoping it will rev at about 4000 hopefully no more but I won't know until I ride it to test it out. I have not had the advantage of riding this bike before the build so I really do not know what to expect. Just by riding it in the driveway I can feel the torque difference and realize I need to wind it out more to get the power than what I would in a long stroke motor. I do not think I will lug the motor but rather find where it it is comfortably pulling itself with no stress, running efficiently, and not buzzing it as it comes naturally to me with my mechanical skills. I see crotch rockets cranking up the rpm and tuner cars screaming their engines and this is something that I really do not like the sound of. Yes I see Harley riders and big block cars do it too but I want to enjoy the ride and not have to wind it up to get where I am going. I do not care how fast ones ride is as they can only go so fast before they are violating the law and endangering lives. I chose motorcycles riding to calm myself and an engine revving at 6000-8000 rpm cruising will not calm me.

Food for thought and thank you from all who replied. Yes I am aware that this engine will not sound like a twin and not foolish thinking mufflers will change that. No I am not used to the short stroke rpm limits as they remind me of a tuner car which I prefer a muscle car. I like heavy flywheeled engines which make torque and I like the pull at low end not having to crank up the rpm to get that pull. I like cable clutches that you can feel the clutch and not the soft feeling of the hydraulic clutch. I like road feel so I ran progressive springs as recommended to reduce the cloud feel. Will I adapt? Time will tell and I guess this bike will dictate what choices I make in the future in regards to motorcycles. Am I knocking these bikes? Not a chance they are great at what they are but I suppose I am trying to make it suit me. I will never ride a crotch rocket and I honestly like the looks of a second gen much better but I build what I find and what I can currently afford. I had a choice of Honda or Yamaha and I chose the venture over the goldwing and have no regrets as I prefer the higher ride height, the v4 over the flat 4 and in my opinion the venture is more to my taste than the goldwing. Rosie1965 has posted a video of his bike with roadking exhaust in first gen tech talk forum. I am so pleased as I was considering customizing a harley muffler to change the sound to my liking and with his video I truly feel I was heading in the right direction. I really love the sound of his bike, it gives the inspiration that I am looking for. It sounds tough and not overly loud that can be ridden respectfully but when rolling the throttle you hear it coming. I am not trying to impress others with sound or paint or not jumping on the "I own the fastest bike" bandwagon but rather trying to come up with a ride that I can be happy within legal speed limits that will do what I want it to, and that does not look like every other bike that rolled off the same assembly line. This is not knocking the product or anyone who finds the stock form appealing, just that if there were a line up of bikes together I would be able to spot mine without even trying. Customization is like beauty in the eye of the beholder, dare to be a little different. Lots of different people on this forum and different mods to their bikes. I think that over the months I have been reading and noting other peoples customizations I might have expected too much from this project in regards to suiting me. I can only blame myself for possibly setting the bar too high in my expectations of this machine. I will know in the near future if it will work for me or not as it is just about ready for the road as I have signed my safety certification and am ready to plate it for this upcoming season. I just need to finish some difficult paint issues and final assembly then I will post pics of the final product. This is a learning curve in motorcycles for me as it will be my second bike I have ever insured and rode.

Thanks for posting this. I am not happy with the my sound of my Jardine/Mac exhaust on my 85 project and was considering Harley pipes and now I know they are what I want. I have upgraded my transmission to a second gen and also have the v-max final drive for the purpose of pulling a trailer. I really enjoyed the parts of the video that was able to show the sound of the bike with the radio off. The COP was a thought for a future upgrade and now I know I will follow. Again thanks as if gives inspiration of what my bike could be.

I am so jealous.....

Nice new scoot, now you gotta list it under your username to make it official. I really like the looks of the second gen but at this time can't afford one. Maybe if I really like my first gen I can move up to one like yours in time. By the way good on you for taking payments and helping another I currently am doing the same thing for another rider also.