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greg_in_london

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Everything posted by greg_in_london

  1. greg_in_london
    I've had bikes up to 500lbs on a bike trailer behind my 83 VR without too much trouble, but then I'm mad - or rather the VR has got a large sidecar on it (is that the same thing?). That was before I put a sidecar brake on, but in any case I have to leave a lot of stopping space. I still wouldn't consider putting a VR onto a trailer behind the outfit unless there was an over-run brake fitted. I'm not sure that I'd be happy pulling a braked trailer behind a solo bike. Don't do it. Go onto Ebay, buy a cheap truck, then sell it again.
  2. greg_in_london
    Hey Christo, that looks like quite a good tent - or folding camper, as it would be described here (the difference is that it looks as if justs folds out, whereas a trailer tent needs to be pegged down), but it occurs that it has the same problem as our last trailer tent. The picture at the top of the homepage shows the wheels an awful long way back on the trailer. Even without the extra luggage box on the drawbar (and how many clothes could your missus put in there ?) it might be a lot of nose weight - enough to take all the movement out of your back shock, perhaps ? Could the suspension be moved forwards a few inches ? Would you want to but new and then have to make changes, though ?
  3. greg_in_london
    Well I've won it - I'll see if the system is airtight with it (the pump and all are still connected)v-if it is I might try it out with a stiffer spring, but I'll carry the GazShocks one as well to be on the safe side. If it still leaks I'll just stay with the GazShocks, but get a stiffer spring again. Has anyone ever tried to fiddle with the electrics to go over the 65psi limit ?
  4. greg_in_london
    Hi Pappabear, Indyventure and TopV, Do you know which model you have ? or if you don't, can you tell me the chassis/engine number ? There were at least four different models in 1989 (and maybe more) and we're trying to find if certain models had better fuel consumption than others. Between the three of you there is 20% variation in economy and other people have more variation than that - if you can tell me the model we can see if certain carburettor configurations or market specs lead to different results. Thanks
  5. greg_in_london
    I had a 1cm spacer which was okay with the standard spring, but not with the heavier spring I bought. I should have just bought a heavier spring.... I did like the air suspension, but the leaks kept getting worse and I was never sure if it was the CLASS or the shock itself.
  6. greg_in_london
    Well I've bid, but the shipping looks quite hefty.
  7. greg_in_london
    Thanks BJB, Oldgold and Jimbob5 for the posts - I've added you in. At the moment the table is on the previous page. What do people think I should do as this thread continues - periodically add the updated list to the thread (would that be spammy ?) or let people jump back to page 11 to find the table ??
  8. greg_in_london
    You might want to check the carb sizes, I have a suspicion that 1300 carbs are dia 34mm and the early 1200 carbs dia 33mm, but I'm not 100% sure on that.
  9. greg_in_london
    Check the earth again. I don't know what a modulite is, but do you have a separate earth through the tow plug, or does it earth via the chassis and tow ball ?
  10. greg_in_london
    I have a first gen, not an RSV - it pulls a hefty trailer, probably 350kg or more, but I have a sidecar as well with a braked wheel. It pulls it, but I try to avoid hill starts wherever possible ....
  11. greg_in_london
    Sorry - it would have been better if I'd checked the exact details before posting - but I was just giving a general warning as I used a heavier spring with a spacer I'd used with the standard spring and shattered the spring seat on a bumpy road while touring in Ireland - not helpul. The TK has a longer spring, but the TDK has a 162mm spring (6 1/2") spring which is compressed to 115mm (4 1/2") to fit. The stroke is only 40mm (1 1/2"). When the shock is fully compressed, the spring is compressed 87mm (3 1/2"), so a total clearance of about 4" minimum (or 87 + 10% = 95mm absolute minimum) is still correct. The TDK spring weight is 7.25kg/mm (406lb/in). [the TK spring is 481lb/in, 8.44" long compressed to 7.15", so it is precompressed by about 625lb force, compared with about 800lb for the TDK. The L/DL models are the same as the TK. I couldn't say why there is such a large difference. It will take about 1400lb force to fully compress the standard TDK spring, but only 1250lb force for the other springs. The mechanical advantage is about 3:1, so this equates to only 50lb difference on the back of the seat. The XVZ13DS has the same spring as the TDK.] I still have that spare 6" 650lb/in spring. Apologies to anyone bored by the detail.
  12. greg_in_london
    Thanks Oldgold, I've changed the cut off for 'excellent' mpg (was 50mpg UK) as both you and the Cycle mag were around there, si I've put you down as 'very good' mpg and CYCLE as 'excellent'. So far there aren't enough results to show anything other than the scatter.
  13. greg_in_london
    Fine Dragerman, BUT WHICH MODEL DO YOU HAVE ??? Yamaha made several models some years - and some were carbureted differently, even without allowing for preparations for different markets. If you don't know the model, tell me the engine number and I'll try and check (though how, I don't know)
  14. greg_in_london
    Yeah the spark plugs are a bugger to get out without a thin wall socket, but once you've got one (or ground one down) then they are quite easy to get out. Someone else with a double adult sidecar - you must be as mad as I am:cool10:
  15. greg_in_london
    Hey Viperpash - new suspension will usually be better than 25 year old kit, but air assistance should make for a much smoother setup if it is working well. I had to upgrade my suspension because of lots of extra weight - sidecar and trailer. The standard system may be pretty soft, but the original spring is preloaded and often left sitting withut much air and may be prone to 'sag' - so even if it was okay, years on it will be that bit saggier. Just be aware that you will need at least 4" of clearance between the spring coils (total). If (as I did) you go for heavier springs, the coils will be thicker and there may be less clearance and they can go coil bound on full travel. [Why 4" ? Well you'll need to work out the figure for yourself, but you will want to preload the spring by 1/2" or 1" (you work out what you need to replace the force provided by the air - 500lbf at 65psi I guess, plus standard preload of about 250lbf) and then allow for three inches or so of movement (check manual or your old unit). After this compression, DFaulkner say that the free space left should be a minimum of 10% the space you started with. If your spring has eight windings, there must therefore be more than 1/2" clearance between windings.]
  16. greg_in_london
    Hi Oldgold - was the Cycle test specific about which model they were testing and can you let me know your model so I can add it to the list ? The differences between different riders are so big that exactly which petrol pump was used don't really matter - we want to know if any of the particular models tend to better mpg than others as the manual states that there were variations in the jetting.
  17. greg_in_london
    DFaulkner springs will sell you a replacement spring for about £30 plus postage. Their site is www.dfaulknersprings.co.uk/ They make a lot of performance parts (why has this turned green ?) From memory the standard spring is about 500lb/in and has an internal diameter of about 2 1/2 inches and is 6" long (free length). I think that you can check this in the manual, though. By the time I tried a heavier spring my air assistance was toast - so I may have a heavier spring (650lb) lieing around. PLEASE DO MAKE UP A SPRING COMPRESSOR AND BE CAREFUL WHEN CHANGING SPRINGS, THOUGH.
  18. greg_in_london
    Makes a change - it used to be that Sony made nice stuff but with really awful software - like their minidisc recorders that don't let you upload your own music (that you've recorded of yourself, live) to your computer through the USB port you bought it for - or the spyware that tries to disable your music software. Now their hardware is getting worse too - seems like their management is determined to go out of business - good riddance. There are plenty of others out there to take our money.
  19. greg_in_london
    You may want to ignore this information, as I don't know what the implications are, but Yamaha quoted different parts for different models in the workshop manuals (ie needle, needle jet, pilot mixture jet etc) but then give the same part number on the microfiches for these different model parts. I don't know if Yamaha changed their collective minds about the 'best' jetting, but I would suggest that if you replace the needle (for example) you get the needle jet at the same time, or at least check that the new one has the same MIKUNI part number as the original. I posted some of the different carb specs on page nine-ish of the 'what gas mileage do you get ?' thread.
  20. greg_in_london
    Lots of parts lists and technical manuals here: http://www.yamahaventureclub.co.uk/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=178 but no owners manual - what would you want that for though ???
  21. greg_in_london
    The level specified in the manuals depends on which model you have. Yamaha state that the fuel LEVEL should be from 14 to 17 mm plus or minus 0.5mm below the mid point of the carb centre (marked on the side of the carb) depending on which you have. I posted some information on page 9 of this thread: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=20950&page=9 I tend towards the lower level (ie 17mm). This is more accurate than setting the float height and can be checked without splitting the carbs, but for what it's worth, on my VR setting the float top horizontal or sloping fractionally upwards, with the height 20-21mm above the central casting puts you in the right ballpark. [NB this is measuring the float height vertically above the central casting, which may not be the highst point.] Your model may be different, though.
  22. greg_in_london
    Hmmm - one more entry in the table (and each one has been a 'new' model to add to the list). We need a few more posts/PMs if this table of information is going to tell us anything,
  23. greg_in_london
    Squeeze - yes for a scientific 'fair test' we'd need to have everyone riding together at the same speed, but that's not going to happen. Even then, in the same situation, different people have more or less mechanical sympathy. The differences people report are quite marked - it could be that these bikes are hyper sensitive to maintenance, but no-one has reported that they bought a poorly maintained VR that did 25-30mpg and then tweaked it and got 55mpg. In the technical updates it mentions a mixture screw replacement - I don't know if that had an effect. The aim of this thread (from my point of view) is to identify exactly what does make a difference and the different carburettor specifications just might be a clue. I really don't know - this is a fishing expedition to see if anything interesting crops up. The figures that you report could be under either 'medium' or 'good' under the scales I suggested. I've put you in the 'medium' column because that seemed to be what you got most often. If that's no good, maybe I need to look at the values again.
  24. greg_in_london
    code:year:very low:low:medium:good:very good:excellent:28-35mpg (UK)33-40mpg (UK)37-45mpg (UK)42-50mpg (UK)>48mpg (UK)23-29 mpg (US)27-33mpg (US)31-38mpg (US)35-42 mpg(US)>40mpg (US) >9.4l / 100km:10.2-8.1l / 100km8.6-7.1l / 100km7.6-6.3l / 100km:6.7-5.6l / 100kmXVZ12TK26H00*1983 - Oldgold CYCLE mag XVZTDK Has CLASS 31M00*DA1983- XVZ12L V Royal 41R00*EA1983-XVZ12DL 41V00*EA 41V00*EA1983-greg_in_londonXVZ12KC247R00*DA1984 ?- XVZ12DKC247T00*DA1984 ?-XVZ12DN59J ??1985 XVZ131986-7XVZ13DS1NL00*GA1986-7esaffleyXVS13DSC1UN00*GA XVZ13DTC: California eec 1UN00*HA1986-7Gearhead XVZ13DU1NLEO*JA1988-89XVZ13DUC1UNCO*JA"XVZ13U2LWEO*JA" XVZ13UC2LXCO*JA" XVZ13DA1NLEO*LA1990-93 XVZ13DAC1UNCO*LA“Jimbob5 XVZ13DA (Canada) 1UMNO*LA“BJBXVZ13 Germany 3JT1993:SqueezeWell this is a start on a table. The model code is in bold. I suspect that there are a few more model numbers that I need to find, so if anyone has others in manuals etc and can say which years they are for then that will help. As to the headings for ranges of fuel economy, I'm sure that everyone else would have chosen different ranges and that are perforce slightly randomly chosen. From seeing people's posts, most people would rather give a range that they get ~ when I go fast I get this when I get slow I get that. The idea of the range is for people to choose a 'best fit' description, which is why there is some overlap. I haven't got an easy way of collecting the data, other than people posting or PMing the data and I enter it. Comments ???
  25. greg_in_london
    Hi Monwa, have you got the engine number so we can check which models we're comparing ? We're getting what specs we can from manuals/microfiches so just the year of registration may not tell us that. Hi Squeeze - happy to use your figures - I think the differences are mostly in rounding as I started from UK mpg, but I probably use 3.8l and 4.5l for the gallons. Either way - how does Monwa get 40(US)/48(UK) mpg all the time ??? Is there a list of model numbers somewhere else on the site so I don't have to go through all the microfiches I can find ? and correlate models to years as well. Well we've just got back from our camping weekend, but I only filled up once while we were out and about. I had to put in 12.55l after 76 miles. That's 27-28 mpg (UK), 10.25l/100km or 23 mpg (US). To be fair, though, there was a lot of traffic and there was a bit of faffing with some hills and the bike was pulling a lot of weight - luggage in the sidecar and in the trailer - and I forgot that the choke was on for a little while. The bike is ready for more petrol, so when I fill it I'll see how much it used when I was able to drive more smoothly. Annoyingly enough, the float needles and jets arrived in the post after we left and were waiting when we got back. I'll start putting the table together. Would people find it easier if it an Excel spreadsheet or if I paste a table into the forum ?
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