luvmy40

So, what are these many problems that I should be wary of? I know they are prone to losing second gear but that's the only warning I've been given. That and not to buy Chinese gaskets! Though I had to figure that out the hard way. Is it just the 83 that had frame rust problems? I thought that was the entire gen1 series?

I'd question the experience levels of the riders in this. Not that it invalidates the study in any way, but How many experienced riders drop their bikes often? I have dropped a few when I was very young and learning to ride the heavier street bikes, but it has been at least a 2 decades since I "dropped" any bike. I suppose they may be talking about drops happening when pushing a bike around in a cramped garage or such but I doubt it.

Sometimes just applying a little tightening force can break loose a stubborn screw.

I'm considering trading my '82 Yamaha Maxim 750 for another '83 XVZ12TK.. The guy selling it is asking way too much for it unless it's immaculate, but he said he'd be interested in trading for a smaller bike. There's also an '89 1300 Royale that is more reasonably priced and the guy is looking for a motor home to trade. My son happens to be the owner of an older GM based motor home that has been sitting in storage for several years now. He may be interested in the trade. We could wind up with three Gen 1s in the driveway.

I'm in the same boat as the OP. My '83TK feels perfect sometimes and other times I'm asking myself if I'm dropping a cylinder. The carbs are synchronized, the valve clearances in spec and the spark plugs and wires are new. Start's easy and idles clean. She'll hit 65mph in 2nd gear before red line and 95 in third. But, my fuel economy sucks and every once in a while I get that nagging little feeling like I just lost a piston.

If you're not getting fuel to the front carbs but are getting fuel to the rear carbs, you have a blockage in the fuel manifold on the carb bank or both front carb bowl valves are clogged.

OK, I do have the 26H CDI so it's plumbed correctly to the carb vac port. I'll have to strip some plastic to get at the boost module to test it.

I use Seafoam in every other tank of gas on all my bikes and cars and I do a flush with it prior to my oil changes on the bikes. Berryman B12 is good stuff. It's quite a bit more aggressive than Seafoam so be careful to follow the mixture recipe and never, ever add it to your oil. Some folks like to use B12 in the "shotgun" method carb clean. I've never tried that though

I actually never even thought to check if the numbers were right on the CDI. And, now come to think of it the vacuum line was connected to a sync port when I got her. I will definitely look into the videos. I went over the carbs in detail and everything is clean and the diaphragms are GTG. I'm not so sure about the jet block plugs and gasket. I had to replace the bowl gaskets as they leaked significantly after reassembling the carbs, but I didn't have the spare change for a rebuild kit.

OK, I'm going to preface this by saying that I am 3 bottles into a sixer of Commodore Perry so any stupidity on my part is all beer, right... My '83 XVZ12TK is running much better now that when I found her but my fuel economy still sucks. She had 2 dead coils and the carbs were in terrible shape. Parts missing, assembled incorrectly. probably typical of a35 year old bike that had been in Bubba's garage for years. The huckster I bought it from really laid it on thick about how he installed performance cams and tuned the carbs for more HP. We've all heard the talk. Having not been hatched the night before, I didn't fall for the hype but I did fall for the Venture in a bad way. Anyway, I replaced the bad coils, installed new spark plugs and wires(the caps and resisters all checked out),did the valve adjustments, cleaned the carbs up and replaced the missing parts(O-rings, washers and springs in the pilot screws and new bowl gaskets), set the floats and synchronized everything. With the exception of a bad life choice in head cover gaskets, everything came up rosy. She runs great and rides like a dream but I'm only getting 29-30 MPG no matter how I ride her. Would float adjustment have that drastic an impact on fuel economy with this bike? Would a bad vac advance(boost) module have any impact?... Is there a reliable test for the vac advance? Any chance this is a CDI issue? Now just be clear, I'm a tinkerer and will probably tackle the IGNITECH and COP mods at some point regardless. That in mind, is there a definitive DIY, How To and parts list for the COP conversion? And I guess I should ask, if my "boost" module is bad, will anything make any difference?

I can set up a collection point for your extra fuel.

And there in, more than likely lies my problem. I tend to piut her in 5th regardless of my cruising speed. Be it 35mph or 80mph! I took a short ride yesterday and kept her down to third gear for a 40 mile cruise at 35-55mph and just judging by the fuel gauge, she did better than 30mpg. Now I just have to order factory valve cover gaskets and get rid of the oil pour(not leak)! BTW, in case any missed it last year. Don't buy cheap chicom valve cover gaskets!

The windjammer in it's original configuration had a huge safety label that screamed "Do Not Attempt to Access Storage While Operating Motorcycle!" I feel for ya though. With my controls set the way I like them, I can hardly get the "glove box" open when I'm parked. And there's no way to manipulate the radio controls on the move. Not that the radio works on my First Gen.

I'm only getting 29-30 MPG from my '83 TK I never did a true carb rebuild, just a thorough cleaning. I'd bet a true rebuild would help. Yes, she's hitting on all four cylinders and has plenty of power with great throttle response and engine breaking. It may be my riding style, I don't push the revs as I learned to ride on an 84ci Harley and have never gotten comfortable running over 5k rpm.

In an interview with the guy who recorded the footage, he said the car moved out of the HOV lane and hit the motorcycle. The biker recovered and confronted the car driver through the passenger side windows then kicked the door. This was when the videographer thought to start recording. The biker then backed off and accelerated on the left to start the what was seen in the video footage. This is all 3rd hand info from several different sources.

Y'all need to look into Air B&B if you don't want to camp. The wife and I just attended a memorial KSTG Match and conference in Manassas, VA and stayed at an AB&B home for $30.00/night+tax. Two private rooms and a dedicated bath with use of the kitchen, breakfast and snacks provided. The best deal I've ever gotten on a room anywhere. If the Achilles tendon I popped a couple weeks ago is letting me ride by June, I'll probably camp for MD.

Yes, the screw kits I got from Yamaha for a newer model worked perfectly. The ChiCom valve cover gaskets I got on fleabay are another story. The 30 year old gaskets didn't leak as badly.

Check with your local Yamaha stealership. Mine does free shim swaps for both my XJ and XVZ bikes.

I usually spend a stupid amount of time and $ on bring the older bikes back to stock rather than customizing them. My Venture was pretty much factory stock when I got her other than a cheap set of clamp on highway pegs(changed out for Kuryakyn ISO pegs). I am going to go to an after market ignition module this winter, but that's all I intend to change.

The only "right" way to set the idle mixture is with an EGA. The next best would be with a Color Tune(my chosen method). Some have good luck tuning by ear, i.e to RPMs, I've never had much luck tuning multi carb banks by ear myself. There are many Color Tune videos out there. It's a fairly simple procedure and easier on our liquid cooled bikes than on an air head. I found the extension tube and a small adjustable inspection mirror to work better than the mirror that comes with the Color Tune on the Venture engine. It's just not easy to get the plug extension wire and the Color Tune mirror situated in way that's visible and stable on these engines.

According to the reviews, they are labor intensive and require meticulous attention to detail, but work well if assembled properly. Just the kind of thing I love. As a kid I'd spend weeks sanding and painting each individual piece of my Revelle and Testor's model kits then painstakingly assemble them with as little glue as possible for a perfect reproduction. I quickly lost interest in them once they were finished and most were destroyed violently with explosives or launched into low orbit with rocket motors. I think I'd hold on to one these for a while though.

OK, just a little more empirical data. Here is what I have experienced with wobble and weave. 1984 Harley Davidson FXST, customized. 130mm rear tire, 4" overstock fork tubes, ape hangers and widened fat bob tanks. I never experienced any wobble or weave at any speed on this bike. Loaded up with 2 fully packed GI duffle bags, over sized saddle bags a medic bag on the forks and 2 up at 8mph on the highway and she was as stable as can be. 1981 Yamaha Seca 750, factory stock(except exhaust). I never experienced any head wobble at any speed. She did get a bit light in the front end around 65mph and was very unstable over 80mph. An after market wind screen( SlipStreamer Spit Fire) fixed that and she was rock solid up to 100mph. I never loaded that bike down heavily but the wife and I rode 2 up at highway speeds often with no issues. 2001 Suzuki GSX600 Katana, factory stock except for a bobbed rear fender. This bike had a constant slight pull to the left(probably due to frame damage from PO) but had no head wobble at all and never exhibited any weave at any speed. 1982 Yamaha 750 Maxim, factory stock. This bike has had a slight head wobble around 35-40mph since I got her. With firm hands on the bars, you don't even feel it. It's bad enough that I believe it would go out of control with no hands but it doesn't take any effort to control with even a light touch on the bars. The maxim was also a little light in front at highway speeds. Again, a wind screen made a drastic difference. She's not a 100mph bike but is quite stable with no weave up to 90mph and cruises comfortably at 80mph. 1983 Yamaha Venture XVZ12TK, factory stock w/optional rear skirt and trim. No air and (I assume) factory springs in front and 65psi on the rear shock, damper at 4. The Venture has the same slight head wobble around 35-40mph. Barely felt but there. No weave at any speed. She seems to get more stable as the speed goes over 85mph and is rock solid at and over 100mph. My longest ride to date is 150mi and about 60mi 2 up. No trip with any heavy load up yet. I have been told that my Maxim should not have the wobble at all, that it is likely due to worn head bearings or worn swing arm bearings. Evidently, some consider the wobble as design issue with the Venture?

That shroud went right back in on my gen one after pulling the YICS box. Is there something missing on yours? It doesn't bolt in, just kind of rests in place with the rubber sides.

Have you seen this one yet?

That might just be the best commercial I've ever seen!