Barnacle442

Just

I had about 3,000 miles of tread left on my Metzlers this spring, when I broke the Sofaglide out of cold storage. Whatever shall I do with that, I thought. Can't switch out tires with tread still on them. I know! I'll go to the Johnson Space center in Houston. That's about a 3,000 mile round trip. So, I changed the oil, installed new rear brake pads and off I went. It was a wee bit chilly when I left the NW burbs but, by the time I hit St Louis, it was warming up nicely. Down I went, through Arkansas to Texas. I have never driven in the eastern part of Texas before. I was lied to by all my John Wayne movies. I was expecting flat and desert and tumbleweeds, but here it was all hilly and tall forest almost all the way to Houston. Luckily, the Lord of Hosts saw fit to restrain his rains,... mostly. There is nothing quite as sphincter tightening as getting caught in a sudden downpour while cresting a hill in the Ozarks at 75 mph on a road covered in clay dust. Friends who live in the Houston area took me out on a couple rides, first through the Sam Houston National Forest and then through the surrounding countryside. I could easily live in Texas if I wasn't trapped in IL. Apparently, late April was the perfect time to go, temps weren't super hot and I was right in between storm systems. All good things come to an end, however and eventually, after visiting the Johnson Space Center, I had to leave. On the way home, I decided I would come up The Pig Trail in Arkansas. I overnighted in the town of Ozark, AR and started on the trail in the morning rather that trying to navigate it in the dark. That was when God decided he hadn't blessed me enough and insisted I ride through the mountains in the rain. It rained on me all day. The Pig Trail looks like it would have been fun in the dry but it was pretty scary in the rain and cold. On the plus side, my Frog Togs work perfectly. Somewhere along the way my GPS decided it did not want to be on the Pig Trail anymore and it took me onto AR-412. Not knowing where I was I just followed the Garmin. Eventually, I ended up on a back road that was not paved, WPA N I think. This is an access road, made for tractors and farm equipment, (I call it the cow path.) By the time I realized the GPS was trying to kill me it was too late. I had gone down a hill that I was never going to get back up. I couldn't turn around so I had to continue for the rest of the 8.8 miles to AR-65 North, in the rain. At 1,000 pounds, me and my Venture were now on a hill climbing adventure! I was a muddy trembling mess by the time I got back to the highway. Lessons learned, never trust the Garmin and the RSV is an impressive hill climber. I rode in the rain all the way up to Hannibal, MO. where I overnighted again. In the morning it was cold, (45 degrees!), but the sun was shining and it was dry. I ate breakfast at a little place that was full of farmers and then made for The Flat. The Flat is what I call the middle portion of Illinois, that vast featureless prairie. Coming out of Missouri on I-74 is not so bad at first, it's hilly and the sun was shining. Eventually, though, it flattens out and then, Blah. I hung a left at Springfield and rode I-55 the rest of the way home, fighting the GPS all the way. As a punishment, I guess, it tried to take me off the highway and through every little town we passed. Stupid Garmin. I set it to avoid tollways and gravel roads and on this trip it put me on both. The bike ran like a champion the whole way. 400+ miles a day every day for a week. you'd never think it had 70,000 miles on it. I think I'm gonna head to Deadwood, SD next time I get a few days off. Cheers!

Somebody here said something about eBay, so I went and looked. Sonovabirch, there they were. eBay is different than I remember it. I also hadn't considered going directly to the Yamaha dealer, though I suppose I should have. Thanks, everybody! B

I assume this is a meet-n-greet. Don't know if I can get the time off, but it might be worth making the trek down from Chicago to get my mug in a couple pics.

I was on every tire selling website I could find, Dennis Kirk, J&P, all the other sites under the J&P umbrella. I even went to my local mechanic who told me he no longer sold tires because of J&P. My problem was as I stated, I could find either a front or rear but not both. The only exception was the Shinko 230's, which I bought from Dennis Kirk.

When Spring is in the air a young mans thoughts turn to putting new rubber on his bike. I have been looking all over the place for new tires to put on my '08 RSV. Five years ago I went through two Dunlop D404 rears in a 5 month period. Four years ago I put on a set of Dunlop Elite 4's. I then rode all over the place. Two years ago I could not find a set of Elites so I put out the money for Metzler 888's and I had to dig around to find them. This year, I have been unable to find a matched set of front and rear tires. I can either find a front tire or I can find a rear tire but never both. Except for Shinko 230's. I found a set of those. I don't know how good they are. I have heard that they have longevity issues. I plan on putting on some mileage this year, starting with a trip to Texas in April. The Metzlers should get me down and back but I don't expect much after. Are any of you all having trouble finding tires? Where do you get yours? I love my bike, it runs great and I hate to think of having to replace it because I can't find tires. Any suggestions?

I thought I remembered a topic in here called "What did you do on your Venture today?" On Saturday I rode 576 miles from Palatine, IL to Norton, VA. On Sunday I rode 586 miles from Norton, VA to Palatine, IL. Got a hair up my fanny to go and I went. This may be the last time I do something this stupid but I enjoyed the heck out of it. I rode the interstate mostly as the question was, "Can I make it there and back in two days?" Kentucky 15 through the Cumberland Mountains was beautiful, 55mph and no potholes or traffic. Not sure how many miles but I was in the hills from 8am til noon. There was a big yellow dog on one long sweeping left hander that was just standing in the road staring at me. My '08 RSV, the SofaGlide, handled it perfectly. I couldn't have asked more of my pretty, gray Yamaha. The whole time in the mountains that I wasn't stopped for gas I was in 4th gears doing 55mph. The whole time I was on the prairie that I wasn't stopped for gas I was in OD with the cruise set at 75. Simply fantastic. What did you do on your Venture today? B The SofaGlide on Bart Campton's Mountain Parkway 150 past the Welcome To Virginia sign on Rte. 119

I have a question regarding the 2nd Gen clutch system. You all seem like learned men of science. I have done four clutch replacements, so far. I have installed that retaining wire four times, (If you have ever worked on one of these clutches you know the wire I am talking about.) What is the purpose of that retaining wire? That last plate isn't going anywhere. It is a royal star pain in the ass to get back in there but it has to have a purpose, right? I am tempted to leave it out but I have developed an allergy to stranding myself hundreds of miles from home.

I am currently running Metzler 888's on my bikes. They're quiet and handle great in the rain. God help you if you find a tar snake in the road though. I went through an intersection in Dubuque the other day that had lots of tar snakes and I nearly ended up in someone's picnic.

I have an 08 RSV. I replaced my stator two winters ago. While I had the whole left side of the bike off I thought I would take care of a pesky oil leak, so I replaced the shift shaft seal. That did not fix my leak; It actually made it worse. Last winter I replaced the shift shaft seal with a new one that was recommended by someone on this list. Still leaking. I know that the original shift shaft seal was leaking. I know that the OEM replacement seal was also leaking. I know that the new seal is not leaking. I suspect I exchanged the original oil leak for a new oil leak. When I was putting the new stator in, the rubber bung that wraps the wires and sits in the back of the engine cover did not feel like it was the tightest fit. I am not 100% certain but I am suspicious of it. It's hard to put eyeballs on and thus I have not actually observed this leak. It is next on the list. Do any of you have experience with this? If that rubber seal is the culprit, is there any remedy for it? Thanks Ben

I have two Royal Stars, currently, a venture and a boulevard, and the left rear carburetors are always wet. I can find no reason for this on either bike. I suspect that it has to do with the left rear carb being the lowest as the bike sits and cools down. As to the oil, the Royal Star takes a smidge less than 3 1/2 quarts. If there is more than this, the engine will suck the excess out of the crankcase through the breather into the airbox. On the Boulevard the air cleaner/air box is right on top of the carbs so I got to see this first hand when I pulled the carb bank. I haven't bothered to look on my Venture because I have not had cause to pull those carbs, and the air filters are up front in the cowling.

I use Barnett clutch plates in both of my Royal Stars and have the clutch spring replacement in one of them, soon to be both. Never had a problem.

Have you checked your bell? Sometimes the clapper fails and the tinkle goes away. When that happens, the gremlins can get into your electricals and Hoo-boy you got problems.

Done.

Has anyone here ever replaced a Gen 2 front fender with an aftermarket part? Last fall some nice old man introduced the back of his Antique Buick to the front end of my 2008 RSV S. Of course this fender is no longer available. I have a ready replacement but, that will leave me without a front fender on my other baby, my '99 RSB. So, I thought I'd look into something sporty and aftermarket.

WE HAVE A WINNER! Its's raining here so what better to do after a sleep study than tear apart a motorcycle? Seriously, though, The pump is not that hard to get at and the weather is warm. I took apart the back of the pump and my points are indeed roasted. I will again make an attempt at replacing the points. My last foray with these points did not come out well and in frustration I spent the 215 dollars for a new pump. I have a question for you, since you sound like you have greater experience than I with this. How do you get the cap out of the way past that rubber seal that the wires go through? Is there a trick? I don't want to leave it open to the elements.

I pulled the tank collar to look at the vent hose and inspect the vent. The hose is old crusty but not brittle. I blew through it and it is open. I looked in the end of the vent stem and there is a little valve there. It is a one-way valve. This is an overpressure vent. Vapors vent out of the tank through that vent, not in. I don't remember if the shop manual calls out whether or not the gas cap is vented but that is what I will check next. I have experience with that as I have disassembled and reassembled the cap on my 99 Royal Star.

I replaced the fuel filter last spring when I replaced the stator. Not knowing how best to get at all the electrical connections I pulled everything out of that center cavity. I looked at it when I pulled the side cover off the other day to check the pump. It's still clean. There is no rust in the tank. I never let the bike sit with a low fuel level. The first time this happened, Easter Sunday, I had been out riding around town the day before and so I only had about half a tank. The second time it happened I had a full tank. I originally thought it might be the petcock but when I drained the half tank of gas after Easter, it came out into the gas can just fine on both positions.

Thanks. Yes I have experience with the points set. Not good experience, mind. It's part of the reason I had to replace the pump last time. :O)

I checked the fuse. It's good. I also got her hot and checked the fan. Fan is working fine. I hope it's not the pump. It's only 2 years old and I don't want to spend that $200.00 again.

I'm afraid to take it out lest I be stranded again. But, I got it good and hot and the fuel pump is pumping away.

Where is the tank vent? Is it a vented cap?

So, I stood it up on my scissor jack and let it run. It ran and ran and ran. Eventually it got hot enough for the fan to come on, which it did. Fan works. Switch works. After a little bit the fan stopped running. After another little bit the fan came on. On/off/on/off... Thermostat works. Coolant overflow bottle went from bottom mark to top mark. Coolant level is good. I took the gas cap off and felt for vacuum. I have little sensation in my fingers. I covered the opening with a piece of plastic film and used a glass to hold it against the rubber spill guard. No noticeable suction. I held the throttle at what I assume is about 2500 rpm for a few minutes. No noticeable suction. The fuel pump is only 2 years old so I'm hoping it's not that. I've put nearly 20,000 miles on the bike since I put the fuel pump in and it was working fine when I took it out in February so I know it's installed right. So, does anybody have a good method for testing a tank vent and/or fuel pump?

With the wonderful Northern Illinois weather warming back up I shall begin checking these things. How does one check the fuel tank vent?

I think 2011 is still gen 2 and if so then your answer is no. I replaced mine the other day and was not required to remove the exhaust.