MiCarl

The gauge on my '89 typically only rises about 1/3 so long as I'm moving. Stop and go it can go all the way to the red line where the fan kicks in. I think what you're referring to is the posts about at which temp the fan kicks in, not where the motorcycle usually operates. It'll have to idle for a long time for the fan to kick on, especially on a cool day. When the gauge just reaches the red the fan should kick on.

It's not supposed to work below 30MPH. This is the classic system of a brake or clutch switch not closing. The computer sees the pulses from the speedometer reed switch and sets, but immediately detects that the clutch or brake is pulled and automatically cancels the cruise. This will happen if the brake or clutch pivots are worn - common.

Loose is open. While you might not need to pressurize with the progressive springs (many forks don't have a way to add air) the trapped air on top of the oil does act as a spring. You're right that the "air spring" might not be necessary. But if the system isn't sealed when the forks compress air will exit and air will re-enter when they extend. That will bring in dirt and moisture. I have yet to see a fork that is vented, which is what you're proposing.

You don't want to leave the equalizer open. Aside from getting dirt and moisture in the trapped air is part of the suspension system.

My original point was the cost of your healthcare is heavily subsidized. The government gets the money for the subsidy through taxes. I believe you have some form of Value Added Tax, which is a type of sales tax levied at each stage of production rather than at the cash register. Politicians like the VAT because the tax is hidden in the retail price so you gripe about retailers ripping you off instead of griping about politicians taxing you. When someone imports something the VAT (they probably call it something else on imports) is assessed at the border. That is a major part of the reason retail prices on most things (except health care) are higher in Canada than the U.S. We have our own hidden taxes in the U.S., but that is a different subject.

I'm sure a large part of it is the Value Added Tax, which we don't have in The States. Gotta pay for the "free healthcare" somehow.

I'd worry about the transmission. It's a bit like an automatic in a car where the engine turning pumps the lubricant through the innards. Either rent a trailer or pull the drive shaft.

To summarize: Your motorcycle is broken. It needs to be repaired, not re-jetted. Most likely you've got issues with the carburetors. There are a lot of parts that need to come off to get at the carburetors and the carburetors have lots of tiny internal pieces. With all that is going on at Maintenance Day I wouldn't attempt them there.

Insurance (other than health care) is regulated by state law. Any answer from outside Nebraska isn't probably worth much. If the policy was bought through an agent I'd work with my agent on the deal. I'm a bit surprised by the run around. In my experience insurance companies have blanket contracts with salvage yards where the salvage operator pays X% of the NADA value. So long as they're getting X (or more) from the owner I don't know why they'd screw around with the paperwork and transportation. I think it's most likely they got their internal communications screwed up and a few phone calls could straighten it out.

Some other things to look for: When pilot jets get plugged up it's not unusual for an owner to crank up the idle so the thing draws some main fuel. Then when the carbs are cleaned the idle is really high and needs to be turned down. Not a problem unless: 1) Owner adjusted the idle with the cable adjuster - making the cable too short. Make sure you have some slack in the throttle cable. 2) Owner adjusted the idle by turning the sync screws. This should be caught by a visual inspection of the synchronization while the carbs are off the motorcycle.

The XJ carburetors have a little link that the throttle cable attaches to. That link needs to be pointing up when the carburetors are installed into the boots - otherwise it catches on the head and holds the throttles open. The other thing that can happen on an XJ is the throttle cable doesn't drop down into the seat and that will hold the throttles open too.

The part number for the screw he is chasing is a 2nd gen drain screw. Quite a bit different orientation than the 1st gen screw. I'm not sure they can be accessed at all with carburetors on the motorcycle and certainly not easily replaced.

There are individual ports in the header pipes just ahead of the collector box. The ports are plugged with a hex head screw - 10mm head I think. Probably not going to be a fun task getting them out. Realistically you'd be less time and money with a digital tachometer and a set of vacuum gauges. The little bit extra you could get from a gas analyzer only matters if you need tenths of a second at the track or need to make the EPA happy.

Boats.net and Partzilla are the same business (Outdoor Network). For some reason they offer Yamaha motorcycle parts on their boat parts site. When you get parts the box they're shipped in have both names (and a couple others too).

Your new plates are dragging a bit. That torque tends to lock the transmission in gear. The extra force you're using to move the shifter causes you to shoot right past neutral. Did you soak the new plates in oil before you installed? In any case, once they get a little wear it'll probably go back to the way it was.

That one just gets capped.

I agree with you on the techs. The Yamaha certification doesn't necessarily mean anything.

Don, here is what I think can happen even with treated fuel. The fuel will eventually evaporate from the carburetors and since there is no new fuel available the floats drop, lower than they do in normal operation. Then if everything isn't perfect a float can stick in the low position. Tapping should cure it.

There are two seals back there. One on the pump side to keep coolant in the pump and one on the engine side to keep oil in the engine. That drain is between them so you find out you have a bad seal before filling the crankcase with coolant. You need to replace the seal.

I assume you're talking about your 88. Upper bushing: 3JJ-23125-00-00 - METAL, SLIDE 1 Lower bushing: 3JJ-23171-00-00 - PISTON,FRONT FORK Partzilla has them in stock. If the shop you're dealing with doesn't know how to look them up it's time to find a new shop.

We've got one at our vacation shack. I was worried about it being hot because it is a summer place and there is no AC. I haven't had a problem with it. We use a quilted mattress pad so that probably makes them all feel similar temp wise. BTW - I love that one too. It's an 8" memory foam from Walmart sitting on a rigid base (no box spring). You absolutely cannot feel the other person move which I really like. I'd consider using one for a replacement at home but the wife isn't sure she'd like it for every night (something about her knees being sensitive to the bed....). Last weekend we stayed over at friends' place that had bought a 12" memory foam for their shack and temporarily put it on the bed in their guest room. I found it very comfortable with the box spring under it too. No idea how long they hold up though........ One thing - memory foam stinks to high heaven first few days after you unwrap it. I think they also recommend letting it have some time to expand before using it. Don't plan on sleeping on it first couple nights.

I've got to strongly 2nd this. They sold my parents on their quality big time and they pretty much insisted I get a set. I went into the Fairlawn Ohio store 21 years ago and ordered a queen set sent here to the Detroit area. My wife and I have been sleeping on it for 20 years and we're not small people. It's just starting to show some wear. As I recall it was pitched as a 20 year mattress so that would be about right. I expect in the next year or two we'll be getting another one.

The Pirelli is the MT-66. The 777 is a Shinko tire. Both have their fans. The active topic on the Shinko 777 is HERE.

I've got a friend that used to be a MSF instructor. He likes to say "Any damn fool can ride 70 MPH, you got to be good to ride slow". I wouldn't practice picking it up either. Better to try and avoid it ever being on its side. Watch the instructional videos on how it's done. Don't overlook the importance of putting the side stand down before you lift if the bike is on its right side. You could always go take the MSF BRC. They provide the bikes and you can drop theirs instead of your Venture. The skill does transfer to a large bike. One tip for you: A couple years ago someone showed me a video of a sport bike doing a figure 8 inside the MSF box (which I believe is 16'X30'). Kind of interesting to watch because I sometimes have to push those things around the shop and they will not turn tight standing up straight. To do an 8 in the box the guy had to have enough speed he could really lean the bike into his turns. I'm pretty good at slow speed turns on my 89 and I tried doing the box a little faster (at a the pace of a brisk walk). I found that a little speed makes the job much easier. Now when I need to do a really tight turn I take a deep breath and execute it with a little throttle. Of course you don't want to do that on a loose surface........

Pirelli and Metzeler are under the same roof. I do business with three tire wholesalers. Two of them handled both Pirelli and Metzeler. Last year Pirelli changed their distribution strategy and each wholesaler got to carry either Pirelli or Metzeler, but not both lines. Both of my wholesalers ended up with the Pirelli line so no I can't sell Metzeler unless I get involved with another wholesaler. I put MT66s on a friend's RSV last summer. He's thrilled with them.