CaseyJ955

There could be tinkering on a decades old bike, but it is hard to match the comfort without spending big $$. It is the most ergonomically correct (for me anyway) and comfortable bike I have owned to date. I might add that these bikes handle much better than they have any business too. As mentioned we'll need to see some pics! Congrats on the new steed!

If all MKII are 14mm then an 86+ should work or did they not go to 14mm until later on in MKII production?

When I delinked I left my MKII MC alone, it's enough, even with the R6 calipers, if you get all the air out it should be about perfect. I have insane stopping power. If I could have fit it into the budget for this bike I would have used Skydocs brake delink kit which inludes new lines and the other bits but I ended up reaching into a box of lines and robbing a splitter off a parts Vmax for the front line split. If I had to do it again I would buy the kit though honestly. I say try it first, then if you cant get it right the MKII MC should work great. Now is a great time to throw on some EBC HH pads too!

She seems to be holding, I made the 3 hellish miles of my driveway and another 75 in the hills, then the 3 mile driveway again. If the seals were about to fail my driveway would beat them into submission in pretty short order. The 10w fluid works pretty well, seems to work with the progressives nicely. I'm still aiming to get another fork upper and hopefuly lower, I cant help but feel I have not heard the last of the fork issue. I will tempt it, in a couple days I'm going to ride it to southern Colorado to search for land and explore the region. This summer has been far too short!

It looks great. Nothing brings piece of mind like knowing how to field strip your scoot!

Thats a little different than what I used, but Plastex sounds pretty solid. I used up the last of mine so I'll snag some Plastex when I head to town. I like to keep plenty of stuff handy to avoid trips to town. Not sure why I didnt think about drywall tape, awesome idea. I have a couple rolls of the mesh tape, which I always preferred to the paper tape when doing drywall work. Since I rarely ride 2-up I suspect it will last awihle. Thanks!

I decided that while my bike is up with the forks being almost done I would try and find the leak in the trunk, and while I'm at it I might as well reassemble the trunk light correctly and put in a LED bulb. The light worked but it was all loose and rattling around in there. When I took the mirror box/light assy off the inside of the upper lid I found about an 8" split horizontally about an inch above the rear edge of the case. It actually runs between the two hinges and was enough to see daylight through the split. Somehow I feel like I'm not the first one to have this issue. There were also some stress cracks almost through just above that where the seat back hinge assembly mounts. I'm guessing this happens if a large passenger throws/leans their weight against the backrest causing the plastic to stress. I thought of reinforcing with a plate, rivits and sealant but I decided to take a stab at this Devcon Plastic Weld stuff I had laying around. It's a 2 part, like JBweld for plastic. I cleaned the split and surrounding areas with alcohol, also got into the stress cracks and generously slathered this plastic weld stuff into the crack. I flexed the trunk lid to open the stress cracks and worked some of the plastic weld stuff into those as well. Now that it's drying it feels pretty damn solid! I used this plastic weld to fix a water cooler once and I was impressed by how good it is. I'm wondering if anyone else has successfully done these repairs in other ways? When I reassemble the backrest and mirror box I'm planning to dab a little RTV or 2B around the bolt holes for a better seal, even though the rubber gaskets are still intact, they are old as dirt. I'm going to put up a pic or two after I get my phone charged.

If a GS boxer fell into my lap and I could justify the purchase I would do it in a second! Not sure where else you can find a full size competent touring bike that does not fear the end of the pavement. Lots of nice middle weights out there but there is really nothing on the market like a GS. It's in a class by itself. Thats not to say that I would sneeze at a KTM 990 or 1190 Adv bike. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY does a Vtwin like KTM (or Ducati for that matter) If your used to the soul crushing weight of a Venture then a GS should be doable. From what I can see, most of the folks that ride them are height challenged relative to such a statuesque steed. Lowering kits and seats abound on the aftermarket. I would love to have a boxer, even in an RT. I'm biased, I prefer parallel and flat twins to Vtwins. Although Vtwins seem to run fine if the jugs are spread out to 60 or 75 degrees, but there is nothing like a boxer. I cant tell you how many times my wallet was circling the drain as I stood before a GS12 ADV, it has happened more than a couple times in the last 10 years. If I had to choose just one bike for the rest of my life it would likely be a GS12ADV. I totally think you should do it if it fits within the budget! We should be taking our bucket lists seriously.

Congrats!

If you have a known good upper for a MKII, Im in! PM sent.

The tube is nice and consistently chrome with no streaking or abnormal wear showing. I am moving to a fork oil in 10w, thats the heaviest I could get off the shelf locally and I see 5w was OEM. Next time I think I'll try motor oil, I was hoping to try 15 or 20w. I replaced the bushings and pistons when I got the bike awhile back. Thats the part that sucks, it all looks so clean and proper. One thing I'll do differently is I'll get a proper fork seal tool. The homemade one only works with the upper tube off the bike. I'm also going to add a little less oil. Both sides were holding out fine until I hit giant pothole hard enough to cause the bike to bottom out, even with Progressives. After that nasty pothole is when the leak resumed. I was golden until then. It's already together, I'm going to get a proper seal driver to RO any issues with my homemade one. Next time it comes apart there will be pics of it all. My judgement is telling me to replace the upper in spite of any visible issues but availability is silly on Ebay. I'll go find an appropriate seal driver and get her back on her feet, and hope for the best. BTW, off the top of anyones head, what size seal driver do I need for a MKII (1989), I think it's different than the MKI. Also has anyone used one of those adjustable fork seal drivers and are they worth ordering or should I just get one in the correct size? Thanks again all. I'm bummed to see that I'm not the only one with fork oil on my hands recently.

I have to agree, thats a hefty chunk of change for an old bike. IMHO Ventures just aren't rare enough to command that price, regardless of condition. Ya never know though, the right buyer might just see it.

I decided to fix her and keep her, I have other priorities that trump replacing a bike at this time. I went and got a couple seals, only fixing the one leaky side and keeping a spare in the trunk, along with a few tools. I checked the upper with a straight edge, it appears to be straight as an arrow (using my daily cliche point right here) and smooth as glass (tomorrows cliche point used here) with no snags using the panty hose trick. Prices for uppers on Ebay have gotten silly, and most appear pretty knackered, so I'm going to try this again. New seal, different 10w fork juice and probably less by .5". I hope to have it assembled today with a test ride and then be on my way to southern CO on it tomorrow where I will spend several days looking for land and intently watching that fussy seal. I would sure feel better if I could see even something slightly wrong with the upper fork. Time to clean her up and try again.

G'mornin! Blue is indeed the fastest color. Enjoy!!

They are really no more expensive than a decent quality traditional lid. Which would prompt me to ask how they measure up in terms of quality. I like the AC idea, pretty co... er, I mean neat.

While I am disappointed that the new Venture was a very different bike than I thought it was going to be, I do get why folks rave about it so much. That being said I would never own a silly ol' Venture if I could have one of these. I guess I better keep on saving my coins or polish up my fabbing skills if I ever wanna be cool like this!

Sound like decent tires, I have not tried them on a bike but they do make a damn fine car tire. I have not bought a Pirelli product since I saw their 2016 wall calendar. For those that have not seen it be forewarned, some things are better left unseen.

Glad your okay, glad you had the gear, glad you have another great touring bike!

I'm pretty sure if we're all being honest just about all of us that have been doing this for enough years have a gravity storm or two on our resume. Glad it was slomo and no casualties other than pride.

I still think a set of downdraft baby Dells would rock for this application.

Congrats! Nothing in the world better than that new bike smell!

That is really cool, I have noticed some Yurts popping up on CL in some downright picturesque places. I'm taking my land viewing trip this coming week just as soon as the Venture is together. Southern CO just made the list. Darn this is exciting!

It has been commercialized a bit more over the years, It's mostly gift shops and mediocre restaurants anymore. There are a couple decent western clothing stores. The massive buffalo burger has waned significantly in both size and quality since the 80s. Save your $$ and get that buffalo burger elsewhere in the hills. The donuts that defied explanation they were so good are still pretty good with a nice cup of joe. Wall is a semi-charming fuel stop on the way to the Badlands loop or Pioneer Auto Museum, (either of which are well worth the time and $$). Wall to me is an excuse to ride out across the plains a bit. Either early spring or fall I might ride out, get a coffee and walk around a bit, look at stuff and then go home via the 244/Badlands. There is nothing there worth battling hordes of tourists for but on the off season it's a cool stop. Wall is absolutely a tourist trap but it costs nothing to go check it out so if your there, why not? Wall is conveniently located on the way to the Badlands Loop (MUST ride) and about 80 miles on this side of Pioneer Auto Museum (must see for car guys/gals). Wall's biggest claim to fame is it's proximity to the Badlands. Check it out if your there but don't go out of your way unless time is not a factor on your trip. .02c

You folks are great, where else can we ask such questions so unrelated to the nature of the forum and get so many valuable responses? I have been looking at all these alternative building styles. I'm still looking into hay square construction, also log/wood siding on a metal or stud structure. A real log home will probably have to wait until the rest of it is done. I decided to ride to southern CO to check out some acreages down there that look like they boast some crazy mtn views and higher elevation. Besides how much further south would I have to go to ride during the winter months? Anyways, it's looking like it might make more sense to have a builder come in, do the basement and get the basic structure. I'll have some math to do depending on where I actually choose to build. So many CO properties are great distances from electricity, so I should figure in some panels and a windmill but it would get me totally off grid! OFF GRID! I forgot how much I like rural CO, this will be a great week! I'm ready to buy the right property if I find it, this has been a long time coming. Thanks all for the great info!!!

Thanks, adding that to list of things to find out about. The guy I spoke with recommended a concrete foundation, and its pretty rocky earth in the hills, but I will find out how settling is handled for any kit I may end up with. Maybe the logs settle over time? I knew this might be a good place to ask this question. Glad to have this information. Thank you!