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what di you find inside your CMS? Steve

Check through all of your grounds. There are a bunch of them. When I took care of my cold joints, I also had a bit of a problem getting the large connector to the CMS seated into position. I think RandyA made the suggestion to add a wire tie as a strain relief to that harness and next time I am in mine I will add that. I have done some repair work on boards before, (Been a few years) mine still showed a fault in the headlight so I opened it up again and found that I had not gotten a good job done on one of the pins, made that adjustment and all is now good. Is your high and low beam indicator working on your dash, I also had a blown bulb for low beam and had to get that in before the blinking woulsd stop. I find it amazing that these things work as well as they do after all these years! Just tell everyone that "blinking red light" lets you know that you have reached the max speed on the speedometer - that will shut them up. Steve

If you just diconnect the large connector in the center to the CMS, after you disconnect the speedometer cable you can roll the console toward the front of the bike face down. Pad the metal bracket with a towel and not undo the other plugs. Steve

So do you get lights working and all the "false" warnings stopped. Great job on the right up!

Yes the CMS is the thing in the middle of the dash with the blinking red light. Remove trim, windshield, and top cover for gauges. There are 4 nuts/washers that secure the gauge housing to the bike, you may need to remove the headlight trim and bulb, to remove these. Tie off with a piece of wire the cable for the speedo, it will try to drop down and disappear, unplug the large wire connector in the center of the dash. You now can seperate the dash from the bike. Right in the center of the backside of the dash you will see 4 phillips screws holding the CMS unit in the dash - remove these (outer set of four) Now the entire CMS unit will left out of the dash, go easy mine had part of the internal wire harness sticking out from the side and had to wiggle it around to get it out. Lay the CMS unit face down and remove the 4 phillips screws, the unit will now seperate into two halves by lifting the piece off. Now guess what you are almost to the point of beginning the repair! 4 more phillips screws to remove and the second level of the CMS will lift off, this is the board you are trying to get to. With good light and maybe a magnifying glass take a very close look at the solder point on the back of this board - any that look like you can see even a partial circle around the solder joint you need to resolder. Using a pencil type solder gun is best - it allows you to go slow and careful. If you do not know how to solder thats okay search the web for basic ideas. My bet is you will see circles around your connections - which isn't that bad when you think of the age of these bikes. Both my High and Low beam where out - the previous owner did all kinds of crazy things getting power for the headlight high beam. My number is in my profile, call if you feel you need to Steve

who has a good reserve unit !

somebody would have an answer !!!!

I mapped it and seemed like it was almost in Maryland ....

Just doing some advance checking. It seem excessssssssive to me too. I think I'm going to order one tomorrow - waiting for the ole paycheck to hit

Took me two days to track mine down. If you have the wiring diagram you will see that all the power for the headlight must past through the CMS, it has input and output for the headlight. I too thought the reserve unit was at fault, RandyA had one and was kind enough to even deliver it. After tearing the right side (sitting on bike) fairing open just to find the unit, I found the easy way. Pull the right side front turn light, loosen the top fairing bolt and it will give almost enough play to remove the air tunnel, with a light look in the hole and you will see a black encased unit about 3" lond and 2" square - that is the reserve unit. Now that you have gone to the trouble to pull it out, unless you have a known good one to check it with you still do not have lights unless you bypass the reserve unit. Once you do the bypass my bet is you will still be going into the CMS to resolder the "cold" joints ( this is eaiser than getting to the reserve unit so why not try that first? That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Let us know because we can all learn more! Steve

I see how the compressor for this horn mounts on the bike - but who is making the mounting bracket for the horn itself?

look here: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=489 Easy to do and cheap way to kill the "blinking red light"

I called the number shown on their website and talked to a gentlman name Stan. He said they had worked group sales and that the order would need to be all of the same type and all would ship to the same address ONLY. He did mention that the quantity would need to be no less than fifty and they would ship by truck - a loading dock would need to be avaiable for unloading. So if we try to put this together that is the big details. No mention of the price or shipping in our talk. He ask that we respond to him via email at : stan@batterymart.com So after you have a chance to test yours we can make a decision if we want to go ahead. Steve

http://www.bigcrank.com/graphics/00000001/125/BIG-ETX20L.jpg Big Crank ETX20L Battery Code:BIG-ETX20L Price: $72.95 Quantity Condor, They are in West Virginia and have a link on their site about quantity sales: BigCrank.com 2159-A Winchester Ave. Martinsburg, WV 25401-5023 Tel: 540-665-0065 Fax: 540-665-9623 Toll-Free: 800-405-2121 Sales: Order Status: Webmaster: sales@BigCrank.com service@BigCrank.com support@BigCrank.com BigCrank.com Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00am-6:00pm (EST) If you think I can help put the group deal together after your testing let me know Steve Neal

We all know the Odyssey but what about these? http://www.bigcrank.com/ Code: BIG-ETX18L Price:$74.95 Premium quality absorbed glass mat technology (AGM) is ideal for ATVs, motorcycles, personal watercraft & snowmobiles. The Big Crank Power Sports AGM Battery was designed for more than performance; it was designed for the enthusiast. Completely spillproof and leakproof; frequent replacement and high maintenance are over! The AGM technology increases power while improving rider and environmental safety. The key to this technology is the highly porous microfiber separators, which completely absorb and trap the electrolyte. Molded top and side connection terminals provide versatility, increased strength and durability. The Big Crank Power Sports AGM Battery provides the most advanced power and value in the industry. Specs: Length: 8 1/8in. Width: 3 9/16in. Height: 6 3/8in. 12 Volt 20 Ah @ 10hr rate 300 CCA Replaces: YIX50L-BS, Y50-N18L-A-CX, Y50-N18L-A-LM, Y-50-N18L-A, Y50-N18L-A3, SY50-N18L-AT ETX18L equivalent Features: Sealed, Maintenance-Free Leakproof/Spillproof Ships fully charged ready to install Environmentally friendly, 100% recyclable Vibration Resistant Design Fully Charged out of the box 1 Year Warranty Made in the USA

Maybe we should continue placing orders so they know how many they need ....

On my 83 the headlight was also dead - high and low beam. Cold soilder joints inside the CMS was the main problem - the headlight circuit runs through the CMS. Just a thought .... Steve

My 83's previous owner had run a switch to the headlight. In working through some electrical issues I decide to tackle the headlight. I have low beam but when I use the switch for High beam nothing, no light or indicator light. What I have done so far: All connections have been taken apart and cleaned with contact cleaner making sure they are tight. Solder cold joints on CMS (this got the low beam working) and CLASS. Gave the handle bar switch for high beam a shot of cleaner but did not take it apart. Looking at the wiring diagram and reading in the service manual it is looking like I need to check the reserve lighting unit - if I just knew where it was and what I looks like. CMS show no fault codes now so I'm getting closer. Anyone have a clue as to what to check next. The information here on the website has been wonderful in bringing this ride back to life. Thanks All, Steve

The year was 1978 and I had just purchased a new Suzuki GS750 (after having put 80,000 mile on a 74 Kawasaki 400). I had wanted a bigger bike and the Suzi was it - the bike of my dreams - fast, good gas mileage and easy to work on. Then a fate many of us have had happen in our lives - divorce and the Suzi got parked and sat there alone and tired, while I picked up the pieces of my life. Well time passed and a new love and marriage, the bike bug took a hold and the old Suzi was setting there and after a lot of work it lived again. Then another life changing event, the adoption of my two girls, once again the Suzuki was parked and then given away. And as they say - the bike bug you never recover from. 1985 - Sitting in the local bike dealer was a very clean and beautiful "83 Blondie", perfection on two wheels! The only problem was wife, two kids and low paying job. So I went home without it and had many dreams of life on two wheels. Now jump forward mid-summer of 2007, and the bike bug had been chewing hard and long. With the two kids out of the house and on their won and the blessings of a loving wife the search began. As I drove home from work my wife calls and says, "You will not believe it but I found you a blonde on Ebay and the buy it now price is right with in the budget." driving like a demon I hurried home and to the computer - in just a few minutes I was the proud owner of a dream - now how to get it from Dothan AL to Kingsport, TN ! First I called the ebayer and tried to get detailed info - the guy had no idea what he sold, never even been on a motorcycle he said. (I know if you have gotten this far your thinking this old boy just bought a "pig in a poke") Well next option get it shipped, that is a story in itself - after a few calls found a friend of a friend and $$$ later it's on its way! The day has come and the bike is in Chattanooga, night is falling and the driver says can you take delivery tonight! With no more thought I said yes, and make arrangements to meet him 2 miles from my home. (Can’t turn his rig in my driveway and no place to unload) Then what should happen, no rain for weeks and the bottom falls out of the sky, rain, wind, lightning just a terrible night. The driver calls and it’s HERE. So my wife and I go to meet and wow did it look good sitting in that trailer, all snug and dry. Now keep in mind I had not ridden in over 25 years and knew nothing about this bike. Signed the driver’s paper work and cranked the bike, it sounded good seemed to run fine. Eased her down the ramp into the driving rain, wind shaking the trailer a short run in the parking lot and I was ready. Now for our first date. She ran like the wind, all 5 miles an hour. I was scared to the point of terror, did I mention it was raining? All of the sudden I found no brakes on the foot pedal, brakes on the front but no rear. Sheer terror, that engine felt like you could fly like a B1 bomber, did I mention the rain yet, how was I going to stop and if I did stop would I still be wheels down. Two miles of fright, soaked beyond wet, hands shaking like leaves and my knees weak and it’s in the basement. A new home, a place to be loved and cared for. My wife has said she thought she was going to need the belt sander to get the smile off my face and that I would sleep in the basement with a blonde that night! She wasn't in as good a shape has I had hoped, I had already found this website and knew I was going to need help, little did I know that it would arrive in the form of a guy riding a purple Venture with ghost flames. A day of work and some spare parts and we got brakes, RandyA to the rescue! Still working through small stuff that I would expect from a motorcycle of this age and I still like it as much as the one I saw in 85. The information I have gained from this website and the interaction of its members is as much of a gain as the motorcycle. Long post but you asked for it, the door is open and a Dairy Queen is not far away! Let's ride Steve Neal

I'm from Kingsport - up I-81 to state line RandyA is from Johnson city

Bobbie, Maybe the highest donor wins the right to now the art and location first? Could raise few extra dollars !!

boy may spelling sucks

If you don't now me it is my fault. In 07 I purchased an 83 VR "Blondie" from an Ebay seller. The desire for a motorcycle finally won and after over 25 years I was again on two wheels - almost! The 83 needed a lot of tlc and just plain was road worthy. That's where Venturerider.org enters the picture. Through the fine postings of many of you, I begin to get the hang of my "new" ride. The one thing that was slowing me down was the braking system, actually it wasn't slowing me down! In what I thought would be a last result I found a member that lived close by and asked for help. This is how I came to know Ranya (Randy). He came to rhe house one fine Saturday on that purple beauty bringing not only parts and knowledge but friendship My wife and I could hardly believe that a stranger would give so freely of their time and talent. After a few hours my ride had brakes and more! Working through other problems it is now road worthy and is proving to be a great amount of fun and enjoyment. While the bie can stand for itself, part of the real enjoyment has come from this community we call Venturerider.org. Even though I did not ride my bikw to Asheville, upon arrival for dinner, I was made to feel "right at home". I can not rmember each and every persons name I met, but I do now this. Each on acted as if they had known me for years. Each on never teased me about caging to the event. What a great time I had! Even got to watch a stator replacement, in the dark and dirt. For those of you lie me that lurk and do not post, find a member close by and go meet them. You might just meet a new friend like I did! Thans to all of you at Asheville and to all of you here in the forum, your help and encouragement have made my renewed intrest in motorcycling an easy "comeback". Each of you ride easy and safely, my address and phone is posted on my profile, the door is open and the welcome mat is out. Steve Neal 83' VR - she may be an old blonde but she still has fun!

Get some - lets all say it together - Seafoam! dose the bike with abouthalf a can and enjot a short ride. If you can restrain yourself let it sit for a day or so and then ride! Don't worry about using to much seafoam - if the bike smokes it will stop as the Seafoan gets burned away. I have found with my 83 that air pressure in the tires is the most important thing to control the wobble - my front was down to 25 psi and it wobbled lie a drunk with a cane. This forum is the best source of info on these bikes. Take some time and get to no yours, work out the little things and you will find for a bike that weighs in at nearly 800 pounds these things rock with the best of them! When you have questions or problems the folks here are always glad to help. Ride safe, ride happy! Steve

the mountains of upper east Tennessee - as a native of metro Atlanta, this is heaven! Great people, beautiful land and fairly low cost of living - riding is the best! Second jobs for retirees are to be had - we have a below national average jobless rate. Miss my family in Georgia - would not move back - even though we have members from my home town (Newnan) Look at Kingsport, Johnson City or Bristol - the Tri-Cities Come for a visit and stay for a lifetime!