Barnacle442

I hadn't thought to listen for the fan to be running. I think I'll let her run 'til she's hot and see if the fan is coming on. The coolant is new as of last June. I had to disassemble most of the bike to get that stator out last year. I opted to put new coolant in. :O) She's only got 60,000 miles on her. She purrs like a kitten when she's not sick. I keep the tires fresh and properly inflated. I admit I have not changed the plugs. I'm pretty sure it's not the carbs. Throttle response is crisp with no stutters. I ride throughout the year as long as the streets are snow-free, so the gas never sits in the bowls. I suppose I shall have to give her a tune-up. once the cooling thing is settled.

I have a 2008 Royal Star Venture S. Spring 2021 I replaced the fuel pump. Last spring (2022) I replaced the stator. This spring I replaced the leaking shift shaft seal (with a part I found here, thank you very much.) While taking my victory ride she made the "I'm not getting fuel" noise and came home on a flatbed. I could not replicate this problem at home. She started and ran fine. When the weather warmed up I took her out again to see if it was maybe just bad gas. I stayed closer to home this time. After 10 miles, maybe less, she choked and died again. After 45 minutes or so, I rode her up on to the flat bed. Caveman brain says that she's overheating and vapor locking the pump. So, I am once again riding one of the backup bikes 'til my baby is healed. Before I go through the ultimate fun of replacing the thermostat and temp switch and associated seal rings, does anybody have any wisdom to share? Anyone have similar experience or words of encouragement?

I have a frame rail adapter that I bought on eBay. It works wonderfully with the HF hydraulic floor jack I bought to keep from crushing my oil pan and trans. I recently bought a HF lift table because I'm tired of crawling around on the ground in my tiny, tiny garage. I have been looking at the small scissor lift with the saddles to use on top of the table. I was not sure if it would work without my adapter but you all have allayed my fears. Now I remember why I joined this group. You guys are the best. Thanks! P.S.: If anybody wants to see that adapter I can take pics and dimensions and send 'em. I have also seen a video about it on youtube, (probably one of us made it.) 😁

Thank you to everybody that replied to this. It was indeed the massive amount of crud caked in there that had me stymied. Once I understood it the clamp came right open and I did not need to remove all the stuff I removed to get at it.

Are there any of these left?

So, what you are saying is that if I can get my flat blade screwdriver in there somehow, I should be able to pry it open? I have been hesitant to do that from concern that I will tear up the other cable sets but, if that's how it works I will give it a go. Thanks!

I am replacing the stator on my 2008 RSV. There is a clamp (or a binding or some damned thing) that holds the stator wires and a bunch of other wires to the driveshaft housing. It's in a spot I can barely see. Is there some trick to opening this clamp? It feels like its a solid piece of whatever. Before I disassemble the entire back half of my motorcycle, is there an easy solution? Any help would be appreciated.

I feel I must apologize. I had been making plans to fly down to Houston, visit friends and rent a bike to go riding around on. I had no idea that God would utterly smoke all you Texans in order to stop me. Sorry.

Hold my beer,... Just a word of warning here regarding fuel pumps and fuel pump points. If you decide to go the $17.00 Fuel Pump points route: The package does not include instructions. There is a black wire that requires both unsoldering and re-soldering. Make sure that the points assembly is all together in one piece because there are no instructions. Do not remove the old points before you have the new points because there are no instructions. Take many photos because there are no instructions. If, after you learn all these lessons, you decide to give up and go with the $215.00 Fuel Pump Replacement: The package does not come with instructions. The OEM pump is neither marked "Inlet" nor "Outlet." The OEM fuel pump replacement, when installed upside down, looks almost identical to the OEM fuel pump when installed right side up. The OEM pump is neither marked "Inlet" nor "Outlet." (This is important.) With the OEM fuel pump installed upside down the bike will run only until the float bowls are empty after which it will not run at all. The only way for the OEM fuel pump replacement to be upside down is if the points are installed upside down. Reversing the inlet and outlet fuel hoses is much easier than rotating the points. I took neither photographs nor video. Had I done, it could not have passed the censors. My baby now runs like a champion. I hope this helps.

I had the front fender of my royal star painted Yamaha black and discovered that there are different shades depending on the year. Just a heads up.

I say it appears to be a case of too much free time and a guy in a ghillie suit.

I was having a similar problem. Turned out one of my intake boots was loose. While you're rebuilding those carbs check you manifolds.

This bulb has a passive heatsink. Do you have any problems with overheating? do you need to have an anti-flicker device?

I like a nice tank bag but, I have found that when I tried to put a tank bag on my RSV the intercom plug is right in the way. It is the most inconvenient thing ever. I don't think I will will ever use it and it can't NEED to be where it is. Has anyone ever moved/removed that mount? How do I get it off without ruining my paint?

That's a result of my Kryptonian blood. 😁

I am trying.

Just got back from my first long trip on my 2008 RS Venture. I went from the NW suburbs of Chicago down to the southern tip of Illinois, dipped into Tennessee by way of Kentucky and then back home to the top of the Illinois. The North-South portions of the trip were all highway and unremarkable but the loop at the bottom was on some of the prettiest, twistiest roads. I stayed in cheapish hotels (not cheap but not good either) and ate in some iffy restaurants. It was fun. I was concerned about how I was going to hold up on this trip when I started out. I have made long trips on other bikes including another Royal Star, but this was the first on an actual "made for travelling" bike. IT WAS AMAZING! I packed a big fat motorcycle suitcase on the back seat so I could lean back against it, set the cruise control and just went. I was riding with friends and I hung with their Goldwings and Harleys easily both in terms of pace and fuel economy. Plus, unlike other trips I've taken, when I was done I didn't feel like I had been beaten up. My hands weren't cramped, my legs weren't stiff and sore, my back didn't hurt. Amazing. Simply amazing. I am so glad I bought this bike. The cassette deck kinda sucks. I plugged my fone into the Aux jack and shuffled my music collection because it was easier than trying to find radio stations. As a result I didn't get any pictures. A friend sent the one below taken in Metropolis, IL.

If at first you don't succeed, keep on suckin til you do suck seed. ~ Curly Howard

I checked the coolant level and tried to decide what is the best way to pack 3 days of clothes and a My Pillow.

My experience has been that in order to get at anything on the Gen 2 you must first remove the exhaust.

Thanks for all that. I printed out the Carburetor section of the manual and have it in my garage next to the bike. The boulevard is essentially a stripped down version of the Royal Star. There are no bells and/or whistles. It has a flashy paint job and a custom leather seat. I'm pretty sure the idea was to cruise up and down the street because the 4 gallon gas tank is pretty pointless for travelling. After I had the carbs done I rode it all summer and into the fall. Sometime in October is when it went down. It sat for a couple months before I got it running in February. I don't think that is the problem though. I have the carbs off now. I have been inspecting the Manifolds to make sure there are no problems there. everything is nice and pliable, no cracks or holes. I think I have a vacuum leak somewhere but I am not certain where. I have a video of it on my fone and on Youtube but I am not sure how to get it on here. I checked the TPS according to the manual, (or at least I tried to.) I need to either make a better connector for testing or make a friend to hold everything while I work. It all seemed to check out. I will next dig into the wiring schematic to decipher the ignition system and if/where the TPS figures into it.

I have a 1999 Royal Star Boulevard, XVZ13AL, and I am having issues. Last fall it died; left me stranded on the side of the road 90 miles from home. I used this as an excuse to buy a new bike, (new to me,) a 2008 RSV-S. Love that Yammie! But I still love my big, heavy, Royal Blue sled and I want to fix her. I have her in the garage, now. She'll start. She'll idle, but when you twist the throttle she coughs and sputters and dies. Everything and everyone says fuel problem. Last spring I had the carbs rebuilt and the 20 year old manifolds replaced so I don't think its that. I have pulled the fuel pump (which works just fine). I have replaced the fuel filter which was a bit of a pain. I replaced all of my hoses, (even the ones which are no longer made.) I hung an Auxiliary bottle and tried running it on gravity. The problem remains. Yesterday I removed the Carbs from the manifolds. That was when I noticed the Throttle Posistion Sensor. I did not realize there was a TPS on my bike. I don't have fuel injection and I don't have cruise control. Can anyone tell me about the TPS on the Royal Star? What does it do? Could it be causing my pain? Do I really have to pay 200 buckaroonies to replace it if its bad? Is it somehow tied to my ignition? I have tried searching through the forums for info on this topic but have been unable to find any answers. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

I have a 1999 Royal Star Boulevard, XVZ13AL, and I am having issues. Last fall it died; left me stranded on the side of the road 90 miles from home. I used this as an excuse to buy a new bike, (new to me,) a 2008 RSV-S. Love that Yammie! But I still love my big, heavy, Royal Blue sled and I want to fix her. I have her in the garage, now. She'll start. She'll idle, but when you twist the throttle she coughs and sputters and dies. Everything and everyone says fuel problem. Last spring I had the carbs rebuilt and the 20 year old manifolds replaced so I don't think its that. I have pulled the fuel pump (which works just fine). I have replaced the fuel filter which was a bit of a pain. I replaced all of my hoses, (even the ones which are no longer made.) I hung an Auxiliary bottle and tried running it on gravity. The problem remains. Yesterday I removed the Carbs from the manifolds. That was when I noticed the Throttle Position Sensor. I did not realize there was a TPS on my bike. I don't have fuel injection and I don't have cruise control. Can anyone tell me about the TPS on the Royal Star? What does it do? Could it be causing my pain? Do I really have to pay 200 buckaroonies to replace it if its bad? Is it somehow tied to my ignition? I have tried searching through the forums for info on this topic but have been unable to find any answers. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

I know this post is old but did you ever figure out where those vent tubes connect? I have the carbs off mine right now and could take a pic for you.

This was a very interesting thread. I am beginning to shop for new tires for my 2008 RSVS and having the devils own time finding the sizes. The rear tire is the worst. I don't want to go with OEM. Bridgestone has a bad rep even in the Formula 1 community. Dunlops are not bad tires but I have had seasons with a previous bike where I have gone through multiple sets in a summer. The majority of these posts seem to be from 2008. Are there any more recent tire offerings that people are liking?