r_squared432

I am one of those "lucky" folks who had the nut snap off the middle shaft that is connected to the universal joint on the shaft drive. Nut and washer were still in the boot and make a few nice dents in the front of the middle gear housing. See picture. We got everything disassembled today. Looking at some earlier posts of folks who have done this before, anyone have thoughts of installing a used shaft vs buying new? The taper bearing on the shaft looks good - bike has 90K on it - can I get by with using it or better to go new? The bearing at the other end of the shaft in the middle gear housing has a pretty nice dent in it - presumably whacked by the nut flying around in the boot so that has to be replaced. New bushings and seals etc for the rest and hopefully all will be well again ,,,soon.

This just happened to me - almost end of the driving season up here but it still sucks. So before we get to the fixing part - if the nut and washer are flying around in the boot, how much danger is there to them jamming up the drive shaft and the wheel? What keeps the universal joint from moving back and forth on the middle drive shaft spline if the nut is gone? I first became aware something was not right with a higher than normal transmission whine, especially in 2 and 3rd gear. I checked oil and it was low so added a quart and drove home. Drove about 80 km total in that condition so was I at personal risk or not? Ok - now for the fix it part. Can you can get the broken middle drive shaft out without having to drop the engine and open up the case? Reading some of the threads earlier seems to suggest this is possible but never done anything that major on the bike so can someone who has been there help me out on this? I have 90K on the bike (a 87 VR ) and all the rest of the stuff is still working so reluctant to give it up but not sure I was willing to pour a lot of bucks into parts. Any thoughts?

Thanks. Big Dude -Original configuration has the Nav headset connection wired to the CB/Radio controller socket If you make the connection under the seat, as you suggested, does that line carry both audio/intercom signals or just intercom? Cheers Ron

I have a 87 VR and the female 5 pin plug for the passenger headset cord has gotten chewed up through overuse (abuse). The plastic is breaking up and the pins are hanging on,,,barely. I disssambled the rear sound control assembly box (on pasenger left hand side) and it looks like you should be able to wire in a replacement but the female end of the 5 pin plug looks like it is pressed into a metal flange that in turn is connected by two tiny Philip screws to a stamped metal plate. Even if you could even get an original, according to the Yamaha parts manual it looks like you would have to buy the whole module. So, if anyone has an rear assembly box for a First Gen at a reasonable price, please let me know - then I don't have to worry about trying to figure out an alternative. I have to think someone else has already had to contend with this already. Any advice or known solutions? Thanks and Happy 4th to our friends south of the border. Ron

:confused24:I suspect that I may wind up feeling sheepish for asking but this spring when I replaced the battery, I got the battery warning light too. It's my first full season for owning the bike so I am still learning...... Last fall when when I pulled the battery out of the box, there was no resistance and I did not disconnect anything. There is a sensor wire on the battery but I can't seem to another wire to connect it to. I though there would be another lead. There was mention in this thread of a wire going to the indicator panel. Before I yank the false tank cover over and go fishing among the wires again, can someone confirm that this is likely the source of my problem? Thanks Ron

Thanks for all the anecdotes and experiences with dropped washers and missing springs. Now I don't feel quite as bad. But I got over my sluggard ways and went back out and took the plate off so that I could put the spring back in. Up here in the North country, it was getting time to put the bikes to bed for the winter and I figured if the spring was in its rightful place, I wouldn't have to worry about remembering where I put the dang thing for safekeeping over the winter. Got a two hour run in yesterday and a hour today and the bikes are now safely stowed till next spring. And come this Christmas, maybe Santa might just drop one of those Rivco spin-on adapters under my tree. Happy biking to those of you who still have warmer weather. Ron

Just did the first oil change on a 87 Venture Royale that I bought this summer. I put the new filter on and in the process of cleaning up the oil drain pan afterward, found a compression spring on the bottom. Duh! No mention of the spring in the user manual or the service manual but I did find it in the parts manual that is posted elsewhere on this site. The oil filter cover is tight and doesn't leak after starting and runup, so my question is will the absence of the spring in the filter cover impede the flow of the oil through the bypasss valve assembly? Being somewhat lazy, if I don't have to drain the oil and start all over, I'm just as inclined to wait until the next oil change. Any thoughts? Thanks Ron

A Newbie to this site with a recent purchase of a 87 Venture Royale with only 55K kilometres (32K miles) on the clock and in fine shape. On a ride yesterday, my headsphone/speaker switch failed with it in the speaker position. I did some disassembly last night and got to the point where I found the small micro-switch soldered into the audio control board. The switch has movement but the internal connections seem to be gone since the LED light indicating the position does not illuminate either. Does anyone have experience with replacing these switches? Can it be done or am I looking at trying to replace the whole audio control module? Alternatively, maybe the switch is fine and the problem is a frayed wire/loose connection elsewhere . Anyone had thiis problem before? Thanks Ron