Freebird

What year bike? If it's the second gen...'99 and up...it would be somewhere around a gallon...maybe a bit more. Don

VR-Exhaust Combiner Chamber Repair A.K.A. Fixing the Rattle in The Baffle by Robert Trim My second 1987 Yamaha Venture Royale Exhaust baffle began the 'rattle samba' a short time back. The devil is in the details and a picture is worth a thousand.... well you get the drift. Here's a way I did the surgery 1- You have to drop the entire exhaust system. a- remove mufflers on both sides first. 2 bolts on the rear of the chamber and 2 bolts half way down the mufflers accessible through the passenger's foot rest supports. b- remove the side panels, both sides. c- remove the lower fairing legs, both sides. The lower air dam and plastic cross brace. d- remove allen bolts holding headers to front cylinders. e- loosen 2 bolts in the clamps holding the combiner chamber to the front pipes. f- There are FOUR attach points holding the exhaust collector box to the bike. The TWO front attach are released by removing two 12mm NUTS located on a bracket near the front of the collector box which hold it to the bottom of the engine case. The TWO rear attach points are released by removing two 12mm BOLTS for the exhaust clamps at the bottom end of the rear headers; these are best removed by using a 10" socket extension angled up at a 45 degree angle on either side of the center stand. g- now the fun part... the chamber is not going to come easy. Use a pry bar on either side and work it lose from the rear headers. You will need to work the front headers lose and free so the chamber can drop down. 2- Cut open the chamber. 3- Remove needed baffle screen to get at the baffle. 4- Remove the baffle. 5- Bend opening shut. 6- Have someone weld it shut. It's stainless steel and needs someone with experience. 7- reinstall in reverse order. Make sure you put the chamber in place WITH the front headers attached. An extra set of hands is vital at this point. Here's some of those thousand word photos.... http://www.venturerider.org/baffle/StrippedSideSm.jpg Side plastic, mufflers and front headers off. http://www.venturerider.org/baffle/LowerSectionSm.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/baffle/BafUpperBolts.jpg It's easier to remove the parts with the bike on the center stand until you get to the rear header clamps. Put it on the side stand, use a mirror and drop light on the floor and look up between the frame tube and slightly forward. About the angle of the arrow you see above. The right side is easier to fine than the left so start with that one first. http://www.venturerider.org/baffle/MirrorSm.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/baffle/ScreenIn.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/baffle/CutoffToolSm.jpg The chamber is on it's back and this is 2 steps into the opening process. I used a cutoff tool to cut it open. WARNING... USE safety glasses and leather gloves when using the cutter. The above photo shows the left baffle liner screen already cut out and you can see the down pipe from the rear header connections. http://www.venturerider.org/baffle/BentUp.jpg Bend it open ONLY as far as you need to gain access to the baffle. I needed it 90 degrees open to get the cutoff tool in. If your baffle is flopping fairly freely (very common), open a little and grab with vice grips, twist and pull hard. http://www.venturerider.org/baffle/SideOpen.jpg Here both screens are cut out. http://www.venturerider.org/baffle/ECUbaffleSm.jpg My baffle had it's welds in place but was stress fractured along the bottom. I simply used the cutter to finish the break. http://www.venturerider.org/baffle/BaffleOut.jpg The rest of the bracket is fine so I leave it. It's spot welded top, bottom and in the front. With the chamber now open for air flow, this now exactly like the crossover pipes put between headers of a dual exhaust system on a car. The VR will now breath much easier. http://www.venturerider.org/baffle/DrillEndCut.jpg Carefully fold the flap back and work it as straight and as close to original placement as possible. Use a drill bit to create a termination hole at the end of each cut. Stainless will crack from any sharp point even after it is welded. http://www.venturerider.org/baffle/ReadyForWeldSm.jpg Ready for welding. A good welder will suggest that after welding the seam, a second layer of stainless be added over the seam. This will pretty much assure that the weld will outlast the bike. http://www.venturerider.org/baffle/CrackedBracket.jpg It is important to check for other cracks. This is the chamber mounting bracket on the top of the chamber. I did not see this until I gave it a good cleaning. This is a common problem. Get it welded as well. http://www.venturerider.org/baffle/BigWeld.jpg Big seam welded to perfection by the students at Salt Lake Community College's welding program. Good people to know. http://www.venturerider.org/baffle/BracketWeld.jpg Bracket crack all fixed. http://www.venturerider.org/baffle/ChamberReady.jpg Ready to go back in place. It's better to approach this from the right side of the bike. Slip the chamber back on the rear header down pipes and thread the bracket bolts on a few turns. Install the front headers into the chamber front inlets. This is a process of seating the pipes into the chamber and, at the same time, making sure the front header seats align flush. Soon as you get it dialed in, put the alan nuts on the front headers to hold them in place. Tighten the chamber bracket nuts. Then tighten the clamps to the front headers, then the header-to-head alan nuts. These are kind of a bear because there is a frame cross brace just 'almost' out of the way. You need a 5/16" longer length alan wrench to get it started. Install the mufflers. Replace the plastic parts and you're good to go. One additional tweak it to drill out the 2 baffles in the mufflers. You'll need a 1/2" drill bit welded to an 18" rod. Punch a few holes in the baffle on each end of the muffler for more air flow. Hope this helps if you need to do baffle surgery.

I have the Clearview shield with vents. Love it. Some riders also remove the lower wind deflectors in the summer.

Written by Fred Vogt, submitted by HDHTR. Thanks. To start remove the engine guard on the left side. 1.Remove the shifter and peg or floorboards. 2.Remove the oil 3.Remove mid-gear cover, (the case cover on the left to the rear) this will drain more oil and free the wiring to be removed. 4. Now remove the left front cover. NOTE: this cover is hard to remove because of the magnetic pull on the stator. Note: the position of the shifter shaft as you remove the cover. 5.Place the cover on a suitable work aria so we don’t scare the case. 6.Remove the retainer for the wiring. Remove the retaining ring [This is where you need the Impact Driver] Reverse the above steps to install Thanks to Fred Vogt. He has a picture for everything!!

Mic-Mutes Installation Mic-Mutes is a product designed and marketed by VentureRider member Bill Morphy. This is a fantastic product and one of the best things I have done to my audio system. The one thing I have always disliked about the intercom system on the RSV is the fact that the mic is always on. In order to communicate with my wife, I need to set the IC volume on at LEAST 14 and that is borderline if you are in a noisy area or running at freeway speeds. Any higher though and the wind noise picked up by the mics is really a bother, not to mention that it severely degrades the music quality. Mic-Mutes solves this problem with a totally integrated system which allows you to toggle the mics on and off by using the push to talk buttons for the CB radio. Operation is very simple...just press and release either button (front or rear) to turn both mics on. To turn them off, just press and release either button again. To use the CB...simply toggle the mics on and then press to talk as you normally would. After using this system, I can honestly say that no RSV should be without it. This is a quality product at a fair price and not difficult to install. The hardest part of the installation is stripping the bike down and getting it ready. This is not difficult but a bit time consuming. You will need to split the fairing, remove the seat, remove the gas tank. The Mic-Mutes comes with a small black module that will need to be placed either under the seat or near the battery area. I placed the module just behind the battery. Look carefully and you'll see it in this picture. http://www.venturerider.org/micmute/pic10.jpg The wiring is pretty simple and mostly plug and play. Under the rear seat, on the left side, you will see a 5 pin din connector. Simply unplug the connector and plug one of the included headset adapters in line with the separated plugs. http://www.venturerider.org/micmute/pic1.jpg Now you will do the same thing with the 5 pin din connector inside the fairing. There are 5 of these connectors inside the fairing, you want the one that is marked with the red tape. Simply unplug that connector and plug the other headset adapter in line as you did on the rear. http://www.venturerider.org/micmute/pic2.jpg Integrated into each headset adapter, you will see the telephone type jacks. There are two control module cables that come out of the black module. You will want to run the long one to the front jack and the short one to the rear jack. The best way to run the cable is along with the other wiring going to the front of the bike. As you can see in the following picture, there is a guard over the top of the wire way that you will want to remove to run the wires to the front. http://www.venturerider.org/micmute/pic3.jpg After the wires are run, just plug them into the jacks. http://www.venturerider.org/micmute/pic4.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/micmute/pic5.jpg Now that the headset adapters are installed and connected to the control cable, we have to connect the module to the passengers audio controller. This too is done under the rear seat. On the right side of the bike, near the trunk, is a 6-pin connector. Mic-Mutes supplies a tap slice connector to make an easy splice to this wire but I prefer soldered connections. Whichever way you decide to do it, you want to splice the yellow wire from the Mic-Mutes module to the green wire of the bikes connector. http://www.venturerider.org/micmute/pic6.jpg The next picture shows my connection soldered. Then just tape it up well and this part is done. http://www.venturerider.org/micmute/pic7.jpg The last step is to connect the power to the module. Most of you know that there is an unused power circuit under the seats of these bikes. It is located on the left side of the battery on the left side of the bike. It is simply two wires with a white connector which is not connected to anything. This is the easiest place to connect the power to the Mic-Mutes module. Again, Mic-Mutes supplies tap splice connectors for this splice but I chose to just cut the factory white connector off and use butt splices to connect the power. Very simple. http://www.venturerider.org/micmute/pic8.jpg That's it folks. Just put everything back together and test. Mine worked perfectly and does exactly what it is advertised to do. Try it, you will like it. For more information or to order, check it out at http://mic-mutes.com/

Submitted by bbstacker: ok, actually it was easier than I thought it would be, if you just jack up the front of the bike so the wheel is off the ground it is easier. first the front half of the fairing comes off, you have the small chrome strip on top with 2 screws, then you have 7 more for the front half of the fairing, 6 on the back and 1 under the headlight, then the windshield, 8 small screws holding that on. Once you have the front half of the fairing off, you may have to unplug just a few of the cables, I did the bigger round ones, because once you take out 2 nuts that hidden behind all the cables, once you get those off, you can pull the other half of the fairing away from the triple tree. Now you need to make sure you have a good pad laying across your tank for your handle bars to rest on. There 2 allen bolts on the front side of the triple that hold the bracket on for the fairing, take off the handle bars, then the big nut and washer holding the top of the triple tree. Just loosen the 4 bolts (2 on each side)used to clap the top part of the triple tree to the forks, take the top part off, you then can slide the 2 top fork covers off, there will be a big washer and rubber gasket inside. Before you loosen the 4 (2 on each side) bolts on the bottom part of the triple tree, make sure you mark where the forks are set, so you can measure up 1 inch from that mark down to top side of the bottom of the triple tree,once all the bolts are loose the forks will probably slide on you. All you have to do is either slide the forks up or down to get your 1 inch, lock one side then measure and lock the other side, put the covers back on making sure you put the washer and rubber gasket in correctly, put the top of the triple tree back on,then the washer and nut, tighten that then reinstall the 2 allen bolts, everything is just in reverse putting it back together. All this may sound complicated but trust me it is not, it's about a two hour job, that is unless you get it back together and forget to put the two forks covers back on like I did and have to take it apart again. I didn't take any pictures, I should have. As far as the kickstand, no problem, bike still leans on it the same just shorter, I will say the bike comes up on center way easier also. If you find you don't like it it's easy to change it back, myself, no way will I change it back. I have 40 lbs of air in the shock, I ride 2up and pull a trailer, (one that I made)and no the pipes don't drag. Hope this explains it well enough, if not send me an email and I'll try and do a better job. I would find a hard time believing you won't like the new ride. Good luck, any questions be sure to email me, I've been riding for over 40 years and do most of my own maintenance and all of my own mods. Hey I know this isn't for everyone, but that's what choices are all about. Take care and ride safe. Picture courtesy of Rosebud.

I'll continue using Mobil 1 MOTORCYCLE SPECIFIC. Thank you...thank you very much.

Gas Tank Removal Removing the gas tank on the RSV or the Royal Star Tour deluxe is very simple. The question does come up here from time to time though so here are some simple step by step instructions. RSTD may vary slightly. http://www.venturerider.org/gastank/tank1%20(Small).jpg Step 1: Remove the cowling around the gas cap. http://www.venturerider.org/gastank/tank2%20(Small).jpg Step 2: Use a pair of pliars to squeeze the tabs to unplug connector from metal tab. http://www.venturerider.org/gastank/tank3%20(Small).jpg Step 3: Unplug the connector. http://www.venturerider.org/gastank/tank4%20(Small).jpg Step 4: Remove the vent hose. http://www.venturerider.org/gastank/tank5%20(Small).jpg Step 5: Remove single bolt on rear tang of tank. http://www.venturerider.org/gastank/tank6%20(Small).jpg Step 6: Remove push pins that hold bib in place. http://www.venturerider.org/gastank/tank7%20(Small).jpg Step 7: Rubber covers just pull off front mounts. Remove covers and then allen head screws. http://www.venturerider.org/gastank/tank8%20(Small).jpg Step 8: Turn fuel petcock to "OFF" position and them remove gas line. http://www.venturerider.org/gastank/tank9%20(Small).jpg Step 9: Simply lift tank off and set it aside. You are done.

Pictures are working. What problem are you having?

VentureRider.Org was started on July 21st, 2004. The object of this site is very simple. To bring together folks who enjoy friendly discussion of the Yamaha Venture, Venture Royale, Royal Star Venture and Royal Star motorcycles. What started as a very small group of owners has become the most active site on the Internet dedicated to these bikes. Though most of us share a passion for these particular bikes, we welcome all riders who enjoy the company of a friendly community of riders who have a desire to lend a hand when needed, share a cold drink when possible and simply enjoy the company of other riders. On August 15th 2006 there was a major server crash and we lost two years worth of messages and member information. At that time, we had over 3600 folks registered here. After a total rebuild of the site, the numbers are still coming back and the great technical information lost is being reposted as we continue on. This is a very informal group. We don't feel the need for a lot of club officers, rules, regulations. We do have some basic guidelines for our organization though. These are guidelines that the majority of the members reached a consensus on long ago. Edited by V7Goose: The original intent of the founding members was that this site is, always has been and always will be free to all. Don Nelson, Freebird, spends almost unimaginable time and effort personally creating and maintaining this site for the benefit of all members, and for five years he personally covered 100% of the costs for software, hosting, bandwidth, etc. A few members donated to Don in an effort to help out, but they were only a small percentage of the members here. In 2009, Don and his family were beset by some unexpected health issues and large medical expenses that forced him to make some hard decisions about continuing to spend his own money on this site. As a result, the members here were quite vocal that we needed to implement some form of membership fee so that those of us who enjoy this site would all begin to share in the cost. At this time, the forums are open to all to read but registration is required for posting a new message or replying to an existing message. Registration is just $12/year, is easy to do and helps to protect us against spam. Just as important is the fact that this site is PG rated. There are a lot of sites on the Internet where people can look at pornographic materials, use vulgar language, etc. We do not need that here. By keeping this site PG rated we are able to reach a wide range of people. Please respect this simple guideline when posting here. Although we do not have many rules, keeping the PG rating in all things would be Rule #1. We have also tried to keep political discussions to a minimum here. Many people have very strong political opinions, including me. Again, there are a lot of places on the Internet to discuss politics and I've never seen any good from mixing politics with motorcycle discussion. What starts off as a rational discussion always seems to turn into a heated debate and it usually gets personal before it ends. All of the same things can be said for religious discussions. Rule #2 would be that politics and religion are two subjects that will not be tolerated. The last rule, Rule #3, is that all discussions need to remain civil. That is not to say that we do not expect disagreements, and even some "lively" discussions where it is clear that opinions are held strongly by some individuals. It does mean that personal attacks and insults are not acceptable. Our primary focus here is motorcycles, motorcycle touring, technical discussion, etc. This site would get pretty boring though if no other discussion was allowed. We have become much more than a website here. We have become friends and many of us have met in person as well as here on the site. It was the motorcycles that brought us together but it's the friendships that keep us together. As in face to face meetings, conversations other than motorcycles will often come up. We have specific areas for just that type of discussion and we encourage folks to please try to post in the appropriate areas. If a mistake is made and something is posted in the wrong area...it's no big deal...we will either overlook it or move it. The main thing folks is that this site should be not only helpful but fun as well. I hope that we all remember that first and foremost, we are friends. This is the kindest and most considerate bunch of folks I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. There are no cliques here and no secret groups within our group. If you are new here, simply introduce yourself and you will be warmly welcomed.

If you would like larger sizes of the drawings, download the attached zipped files. Don

I have small VentureRider patches available for anybody who is interested. Price is $3.00 each and that includes shipping to the USA and Canada. Payment can made via PayPal to: PayPal to: dnelson@venturerider.org These are oval and about 3 1/2" wide and 2 3/4" tall.

If you have not had the opportunity to check out Roadrunner Magazine, you don't know what you are missing. It is a publication that is truly dedicated to motorcycle touring with fantastic photography and a great ride map in each issue. They also over VentureRider members a discount so check them out. http://www.rrmotorcycling.com/ Club discount code - vencr5

We appreciate the vendors who offer us discounts. These vendors differ from our Gold Star and Silver Star vendors in that they do not officially support nor link back to the VenturerRider site. They are not contributors to our contests and rallies. The decision to offer us a discount is a business decision. It is a win-win situation. We certainly appreciate these vendors but encourage our members to first try and support our Silver Star and Gold Star contributing vendors. If you are a vendor who wishes to be listed in this section, please contact me at dnelson@venturerider.org with your proposal.

Noooooo....not my bike. I still have my '99. I wish I would remember who sent this to me so that I could give the proper credit.

Yes...they should work.

A big thanks to Cougar for his excellent work on this article. ETCHING the 6 gal RSV tank First of all this Job Sucks. I had purchased my 2K mm RSV last year with only 5k on it. You would think that the tank would not be rusty inside of it. (WRONG) The Previous Owner apparently never topped his tank off during our very cold winters in Iowa! That was one thing that I always did on my past bikes and never had a problem with RUST! So this is how I went about doing this project if you ever decide or have to do it. Here is a picture of my first Filter change about 4 months Before the ETCH Process http://www.venturerider.org/kreem/thumbnails/1.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/kreem/thumbnails/2.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/kreem/thumbnails/3.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/kreem/thumbnails/4.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/kreem/thumbnails/5.jpg #1- Drained all of the fuel #2- Remove tank #3- I brought the tank down to my local car wash put my Quarters in and flushed the tank out for about 5 Min's. BOY did a lot of rust pour out then! I figured that I had Over a full cup of RUST in my tank from the start. #4- Remove tank and place it on a towel up-side down #5- Remove the Sender (most likely it will be rusty) http://www.venturerider.org/kreem/thumbnails/6.jpg Mine was always reading (NOT FULL) every time I filled it up.... should have been my first sign! So I order a new one at Yamaha the part # is 4XY-85752-00 and the cost is around $56.00 . #6- Take that old sending unit and HACK it up! with a dermal and a pair of cutters http://www.venturerider.org/kreem/thumbnails/7.jpg what you want to end up with is this http://www.venturerider.org/kreem/thumbnails/8.jpg this will be your first (PLUG) Then you will place that part (the old sender) over the hole http://www.venturerider.org/kreem/thumbnails/9.jpg and bolt it on! #7- Now remove the fuel pet-cock and make a plate and bolt that on with the same screws that hold the pet-cock on. Use some gasket sealer or make a rubber gasket.. http://www.venturerider.org/kreem/thumbnails/10.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/kreem/thumbnails/11.jpg NOTE::: DO NOT USE DUCT-TAPE (it will NOT work) Now that all the EASY stuff is done! http://www.venturerider.org/kreem/thumbnails/12.jpg OK the FUN PART! , I used product called KREEM You will probably hear horror story's about the product , but I have always had pretty good luck with it.. Its far better then paying $1200 for a new tank. or I guess you could eBay one for about $125 and have it painted. What I did was WAX the tank real well, then I put a good amount of VASELINE all over the tank.. this will save your paint job. as it worked excellent for my project! (when all done with the project I went back to the car wash and washed the VASELINE all off with the high power soap and water) THE RSV Tank took TWO bottles of KREEM. My results are awesome and the Kreem Stuck Real well I also bought a minnow battery power pump at Wally-World for about 6 bucks and had the air line in the tank for about 3 days or so. Another NOTE: after I took off the Plastic and the Bib. there was also RUST around the top part of the tank where stuff bolts onto, I used some Auto Touch-Up Paint to stop the rust after a I cleaned those parts off to be rust free again. the bib and plastic Cover will cover the mismatched color anyways. ---------- these are some other people that have done this ----- Coating Your Gas Tank Interior: The kit is a 3 solution (bottles) program. Before you start, first degrease the tank with your own dish washing soap. I used regular liquid dish soap, then did it again with Simple Green. You would be amazed at the amount of rust and crap I got out of the tank just by doing this. This is a good time to drill out the breather hole in the tank neck. With all the gas fumes gone, I increased that little hole to almost ¼ inch and added another one, opposite, on the other side. This was discussed here many times. Now the hard part is to seal up the tank for the acid bath. These chemicals are NOT paint friendly and you have to be extremely careful using them. You cannot pour them in and out without getting some on the tank. The tank has to be covered with plastic & plastic tape to prevent contact. The pickup tube hole is easily plugged by taking a small piece of metal and drilling a couple of holes to line up with the ones in the tank. A rubber gasket under the metal plate does the trick. The hard one is the tank filler hole. I tried a few different methods with not great results. I even used an automotive expansion plug in the hole. Everything leaked. Finally, I took a double layer of heavy plastic bag and pushed in into the hole. Then I forced the gas cap in while holding the key open and slid it into position, released the key and wiggled the cap it to set the locking prongs. That worked. I was ready to start the kit. The first part is an acid bath that I kept in for about 24 hours with agitation every once in a while. Tilting it this way and that got the solution to all interior parts. There was still rust in the filler hole area, so I used an old toothbrush to get that clean. Dumping this out revealed a lot more gunk. This stuff must have grown in there because I was very careful with what went into that tank. A good rinsing out and draining was next. There was still a lot of water sloshing around in the tank even after through draining from both holes. I used an aspirator and some oxygen tubing to suck the rest of the water out. The next bottle is a conditioner/water remover. This was sloshed all around the tank to absorb the excess water and coat it with solvent to receive the tank coating. A couple of minutes of this and it was dumped and aspirated out. Finally, the white paint like, Kreem coating was dumped in the tank, and the tank sealed. The tank was rolled every direction possible to get this stuff all over in insides. The tank was opened up and aired per the instructions and then re-agitated for another coat. The Kreem was dumped back into it’s original container (about half came out). There was still some liquid inside and the tank was rolled around every hour and placed in a different position so the coating wouldn't puddle in one place. After a day of drying, this process of coating the tank with the white liquid was done a second time. After a good drying, the holes can be cleaned out and the petcock reinstalled. I have a nice clean white interior now. These tanks are bare metal. The only manufactures that coat their tanks are Harley and BMW. Go figure. Chuck C. ----- MORE----- I have used Kreem w/ v good success, but as with most things in life, the preparation is the most important part. Four important fine points to consider: #1 - Tank preparation: The inside of the tank should be completely free and clear of all loose particulate (i.e rust, dirt and sludge). Even more importantly, it must be totally devoid of any and all hydrophobic (oily) substances, including any and all traces of gasoline, oil and grease. To achieve this, I drop two 8" lengths of medium size linked chain into the tank, then pour a small bottle of liquid degreaser full strength in and slosh vigorously with all the openings capped off. Do this good and long, and don't forget to invert the tank and get all of the surfaces degreased up around the filler neck, as well as the very top of the inside of the tank. Next, add about 1/2 gallon of the hottest water you can get, and add this to the degreaser and the chains still in the tank (don't pour out the degreaser yet... leave it in there) and slosh it around again. The degreaser will emulsify (turn milky white) and hold all of the oils in suspension... this is a good thing. After you are quite certain that you've degreased all surfaces... give it one more slosh just for good luck. Then, pour out the entire mixture and fish out the two chains. After that, pour about a TBSP of hand dishwasher detergent and about a gallon of very hot water into the tank and slosh thoroughly (note: you can use automatic dishwasher detergent here, but as it is formulated to be very low sudsing, it is more difficult to determine when all of the residue has been removed via rinsing.) If you degreased properly in the last step, this wash should produce mongo volumes of suds... also a good thing, as suds are an indication (in this case) that the oily residues (read gasoline) have been successfully removed. Follow by as many cold water rinses as necessary to remove all traces of detergent. Only now are you ready to phosphate etch the metal in the tank with Kreem kit bottle #1 (Phosphoric acid). Although the directions call for a specific quantity of hot water to be added to the quantity of acid provided, IMO it is better to have a FULL tank of etching solution than to have the exact proportion of acid to water. In the case of an XS650 tank, this amounts to adding perhaps 3.75 gallons of HOT water (3.25 for early tanks) to the acid, as opposed to 2.5 gallons, which (I believe) is the quantity specified in the directions. Again, as in the degreasing step, it is vitally important to have the etching/phosphating solution come in intimate contact with ALL inside surfaces of the tank, including up and around the filler neck. Seal all the tank openings and slosh that bad boy around, but after you're through sloshing, don't forget to slightly crack open the stopper on the filler neck, or the hydrogen gas evolved from the chemical process will blow it out of the hole and across the room, probably splattering phosphoric acid solution on your nice new paint job (don't ask). #2 - Dewatering: The small bottle of solvent (Kreem kit bottle #2) is MEK (a close cousin to acetone) and is a very good water remover. After you have thoroughly rinsed the phosphate solution out of the tank, it is time to get things dried up and ready for the polymer coating step. Actually, "Dry" may be a bad word to use here, because the intention is NOT to get the inside of the tank dry from all liquid residue, but rather only to get all WATER residue out. The inside of the tank will still be wet when you are done with this step, but it will be wet with MEK, which is perfectly fine, because that is the same solvent which is used in the polymer to keep it dissolved. Caution: do not dawdle after using the dewatering solvent. IMMEDIATELY go on to the polymer coating step. If you wait too long before you go to the next step, you may "flash rust" the inside of the tank, which will require starting over. If the inside surface of the tank begins to physically dry out, you're taking too long and are in danger of forming flash rust. Get you ass movin' boy! #3 - Coating: Conservatively speaking, there is enough polymer in bottle #3 to do AT LEAST two (probably three) XS650 tanks. What this means is that, unless you have two or three tanks prepped all at once, you are going to not use all of the polymer provided in the kit. You must remove the excess polymer from the tank that you are working on. Follow the instruction very carefully here, rolling the tank around for a few minutes, then letting it set on one side, followed by rolling around again and letting it set on another side, repeating until you are secure in the fact that all interior surfaces have been thoroughly coated. After that, you MUST pour out any remaining polymer, or you will have a puddling problem. Even after you pour out the excess, you must continue the process of rolling the tank and then letting it set on alternating sides, while the remainder of the polymer still in the tank forms a non-moving film. #4 - Drying/curing time: Probably the one most crucial mistake leading to premature failure of Kreem coatings (after improper degreasing) is insufficient drying or curing time before putting the tank back into service. After you are satisfied that the majority of the polymer in the tank has skinned over, follow this procedure: Remove all stoppers from all openings, both top and bottom (filler & petcock holes). Turn the tank upside down (preferably on a hot surface like your black asphalt driveway at noon in July (January if you're in Oz) and block it in place so the filler neck is facing vertically straight down. Then, rig up a small air pump and hose and stick the hose into the tank from the underside through the filler opening, being careful not to allow the hose to touch the inside surfaces. An air pump from a fish tank fits this bill perfectly. Turn on the pump and let the forced air dispel the vapors from inside the tank, which will aide drying and curing. After a few hours, you will no longer be able to smell vapors coming from the tank. It is then safe to move the tank, but DO NOT use the tank yet. Move the whole rig up into your hot, oven-like attic and allow the air pump to run for another two days minimum, with the hose still in the tank. One day is probably enough, which is why I always do it for about a week just to be sure. It pays to watch the weather and plan to Kreem the tank on a day that is going to be sunny, hot and dry, if at all possible. If you add the above tips to the (already pretty good) instructions included with the three part Kreem kit, you will end up with a well sealed, carefree fuel tank for many years to come. Good luck! Bill in Yardley, PA I really hope nobody has to go through this Yucky Job,. but at least now some will have some idea of what will take place if ever you need to do this job! Jeff

Printed with the permission of Mark Lawrence For a LOT of other good information, please visit his site at: California Scientific http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/FilterXRef.html

Repairing Broken Windshield Trim Tabs The great things about this forum is the fantastic ideas that we get from each other. This one is so good and so easy that I sure would like to take credit for it but the fact is, the idea came from expanding on a post made by SteveO where he used these type clips to take the slack out of the holes that the tabs actually snap into. His post gave me an idea for repairing the tabs that were actually already broken. The tabs on the back of the plastic chrome windshield trip break very easily. Most people who have ever had the piece off, have broken at least one of them. The following is an easy way to repair them to better than new condition. I had a couple of them broken off and this is so much better and stronger, I actually broke the other two off and did this on all of them. Here is a picture of one of the broken tabs. At most auto parts stores, you will find these clips. They were called "Speed Nuts" at Autozone and I believe these were size 14. It was the smallest ones that they had. Here is what they look like when you take them out of the package. Now...as the top picture shows, there is a center "bar" or "Support" in the center of what is left of the broken tab. In order to slide the "speed nut" over the broken support, you will need to cut the center out of the back of the clip. Also, because the clip is just slightly too wide, you'll have to shave just a bit off each side of the back side of the clip that you just cut the center out of. I used a Dremel tool with a thin cutting disk to do both. Here is what you end up with. Now, simply slide the clip over the broken support and you have a brand new clip that fits right into the slot where it should. It fits pretty tight but just to be sure, I filled the grooves with two part epoxy. They aren't going anywhere.

Thanks to Cougar for this excellent write-up FYI- Picture's of Rear Tire Removal Well, With all the searches and Folks Changing out there REAR TIRE. I learned A Lot today from you guys! And I said to myself ** SELF ? ** why not try this and takes some pics for other folks? Ok, here go's... I did what most of you said ! I did remove the Bags Because I had a hard time getting that little part out for my new Bag Rails. So they were off and Thats when the light went off and figured I have these Brand new Michelin Commanders laying around so I went to work on this project today.. With a Few emails to Mr. FreeBird! I got the Job Done! (thanks) Then I went Ahead and removed Both Mufflers (tell ya why in a bit) http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_029.jpghttp://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_007.jpghttp://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_025.jpg Then I Used a 1 1/16" Socket and took the main bolt off http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_019.jpg Then Remove the Rear Brake Caliber and place it on the passenger foot rest. This is also a good time to loosen the pinch bolt on the right side. The axle will NOT slide out if you don't. http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_014.jpg Then undo the bolt for that swing arm thingy. http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_011.jpg Now this is were I was glad I did remove the Left side bag and Muffler Cuz I could not for the life of me get that darn MAIN AXLE BOLT out with out having to take my socket extension and hammer it out.. http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_003.jpghttp://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_010.jpg Here she comes! http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_005.jpg KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU PUT THIS WASHER BACK IN THE RIGHT ORDER WHEN PUTTING BACK TOGETHER! http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_008.jpg After the Shaft gets about half way is when I could pull the rest of they way on my own. http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_005.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_027.jpg Note: My bike was on a Lorin Lift. So What I did was have that rear tire about a half inch off the ground when I pulled that Axle. (worked great) http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_018.jpg Then I lifted just a bit more and pulled from the right side until the tire kinda fell on its own. http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_016.jpg Now the FUN PART! I just kept lifting http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_024.jpg MORE http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_026.jpg AND MORE http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_015.jpg AND MORE http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_017.jpg Man it was getting Scary! sheesh! http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_021.jpg Even with more room left the lift on my jack the tire Came right out! *VBS* PLOP! http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_004.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment.jpg Put back together in reverse order ~S~ I also did this as well. Took the main rear Diff off and there was no grease on the Splines. http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_013.jpghttp://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_020.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_002.jpghttp://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_022.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_009.jpghttp://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_012.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_028.jpghttp://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_006.jpg This is what my Rear Brake Pads look like at 5,100 miles. http://www.venturerider.org/wheel/thumbnails/attachment_023.jpg then I did the Front! (easy) And the lift kept the bike very stable even after the front Tire was removed.. I am impressed with the lift. When my tires get done being Mounted and Balanced I will go into the HUB and get that all greased up as well! (this was very simple after I got it all figured out and the help from reading what you Pro's had to say. Its just sometimes I need to SEE a picture to make me understand more *LOL* I hope this will help folks if needed.. I know I sure could have used something like this. ( this is on a 2K MM with 5,100 miles on her) Jeff P.S. PLEASE add any comments in case I made a mistake ! Thanks! NOTE: this Job could be done in 30 Min's with Pictures *LOL*file:///C:/VentureRider/wheel/showthread.php_files/rasberry.gif PLEASE READ ! OTHER NOTE'S BY, Denden, When you're re-assembling it... After you put the driveshaft in, put the differential on but leave the 4 nuts only finger tight. Then install the wheel and axle. Torque the axle nut to 110 ft/lbs. After the axel is torqued, THEN tighten up the 4 nuts on the differential. John Drummond, "Wrenchman" When you go to install the drive shaft a small diameter wire like an old antenna mast works great for holding the yoke up so you can slid the driveshaft in. Once the shaft makes contact with the yoke you can pull the wire out, and slid the shaft in to the yoke. This might take a try or two to get it in but works pretty well for lining up the yoke. Buz Rutan, "Naturbar" The author of the article says "I could not for the life of me get that darn MAIN AXLE BOLT out with out having to take my socket extension and hammer it out.." here is my addendum: On my 07 RSMTD - at the end of the axle shaft there is an place to use an Allen Head wrench - if you will turn it counterclockwise (loosen it) the axle shaft comes right out with no hammering (clockwise - or tightening to replace shaft)- also if you have slight pressure on the wheel assembly (i.e. tire resting on floor)while removing the axle it makes it much easier to remove.

Second Generation Torque Specifications

FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH Temporary Repair A few weeks back I stopped for gas, and when I turned the key on there was no electrical power, except for the radio. There was no lights on the dash, no headlights, or any other power, except for the radio. After checking all the fuses, which were okay, it was suggested the ignition switch could be the problem. To get to the ignition switch wires you will have to remove the seat and the top cover by the key (two Allen head bolts), and then remove the Fuel tank, by first removing the breather tube on the top of the tank, the electrical connection and the fuel line (under the tank). There are two Allen head bolts at the front on each side of the tank, and one bolt near the seat, before you can remove the Fuel tank. After removing the fuel tank there are two plastic covers on each side of the switch, which are held on by a small Phillips head screw and a plastic plug. http://www.venturerider.org/switch/image001.jpg Referring to the manual, Section 8 page 2 stated that switches could be tested for continuity. The manual states, on the main switch there should be continuity between the brown/blue wire and the red, and between the blue/yellow and blue/black wires, when the switch is turned on. I used a multi meter and started checking the wires for continuity. This should be done on the backside of the plug, to prevent damage to the plug connections. I found that I had continuity between the Blue/Yellow Wire and the Blue/Black Wires, however I did not have continuity on the Brown/Blue Wire and the Red wires. I used a 10-gauge wire and inserted it on the backside of the plug between the Brown/Blue Wire and the Red wires and then I had power on the dash and fuel pump started clicking. Therefore, I spliced the Red wire and the Brown/blue wires and connected a 10-gauge wire to the spliced ignition switch wires. I ran this new 10-gauge wire to the handlebars and connected these to a 50-amp single pole toggle switch, which I taped to the handlebars. Please note the 50-amp switch is most likely much larger than required. http://www.venturerider.org/switch/image003.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/switch/image005.jpg New Switch http://www.venturerider.org/switch/image007.jpg Wires (on new switch) http://www.venturerider.org/switch/image009.jpg When there is no continuity between the Brown/Blue wire and the red wire there will be no power, except for the radio. These wires close the circuit to the main fuse, battery, starter relay, starter motor, and the Start Switches (including the clutch, neutral, side stand, and stop switches).

Adjusting Steering Head Bearings Today we are going to look at a very simple method of adjusting your steering head bearings. Loose steering head bearings are a fairly common problem on both the first and second generation Venture and probably the Royal Star also. At some point, you will most likely want to do a true service on these bearings. That is a much more complicated and time consuming job which requires completely removing the handlebars, top tree, and on at least the second generation Venture, the front faring..inner and outer. I've done that job and it takes several hours. It should be done at some point though because you will probably, at some point, want to repack the bearings and that requires the more complicated method. If your front end seems loose though and you simply want to tighten it up a bit, it's a very simple job that can be done in about 30 minutes. You will need a lift to do this job as the front must be completely off the ground. As you can see from the following picture, it does not need to be high in the air...just make sure the front tire is not touching the ground. Once you have the bike lifted, gently push the handlebar one way or the other and see how loose the front is. In my case, the front would fall to one side or the other without me even touching it unless I had it perfectly centered. That is too loose. The front should stay where you have it and if you gently push it one way or the other...it should gently come to a stop but not be binding or hard to push. If you gently push the bars so that it bounces off the stops, it should rebound gently and stop...maybe even ever so slightly oscillate back just a tiny bit but if it oscillates back and forth 2 or 3 times, it is definitely too loose. http://www.venturerider.org/steering/lifted.jpg The next thing you will need to do is slightly loosen the top nut just below your handlebars. An open end wrench works great for this but if you don't have the right size, you can protect the finish with a rag and use a pair of Channel Locks. http://www.venturerider.org/steering/topnut.jpg If you look just underneath the top fork brace, you will see two locking nuts. These nuts are slotted and locked together with a locking washer with a tab. You do not need to pry out the tab as we are going to simply tap and tighten both nuts together. http://www.venturerider.org/steering/lockingnuts.jpg Believe it or not, we are almost done. Simply take a long screwdriver and place the blade in the slots in the nuts. Tap lightly with a hammer to tighten the nuts. Be careful here. You will be amazed at how little you have to tighten these nuts to make a big difference. http://www.venturerider.org/steering/screwdriver.jpg After tapping, gently swing the front end. If you gently swing the front end to where it gently hits the stops, it should rebound slightly and come to a gently stop. It should not bind or be stiff but should not oscillate back and forth. If it bounces off the stop, and then rebound and hits the stop again...it is too loose. If it rebounds and gently stops....you are about right. Once you get it right....simply retighten the top nut and you are done. Very simple job that takes about 30 minutes.

http://www.venturerider.org/spoiler/image002.jpg INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Trunk Lid Spoiler w/ Light STR-4XY62-03-XX Royal Star Venture (XVZ1300TF) http://www.venturerider.org/spoiler/image004.jpg Please read and understand these instructions completely before installation to avoid injury to your self or damage to the motorcycle or accessory, Dealer: These instructions contain important information for future reference and must be given to the customer. 1.Parts List: Item Part Name Part Number Description Qty 1 Spoiler W/ Light Molded ABS 1 2 Wire Guide 24” rubber “D” extrusion 1 3 Screws Phillips head self tapping screws 3 4 Flat Washer Steel 3 5 Rubber Washer Rubber 3 6 Drill Guide Plastic Strip 4 7 Drill Template Paper 1 http://www.venturerider.org/spoiler/image006.jpg Fig 1 http://www.venturerider.org/spoiler/image008.jpg Fig 2 http://www.venturerider.org/spoiler/image010.jpg Fig 3 http://www.venturerider.org/spoiler/image012.jpg Fig 4 http://www.venturerider.org/spoiler/image014.jpg Fig 5 http://www.venturerider.org/spoiler/image016.jpg Fig 6 2. Preparation: a) Clean trunk lid thoroughly 3. Installation: a) Place spoiler upside down on workbench use a towel or soft cloth to protect paint. b) Center hole in drill guide with mounting stand off and attach to spoiler with a small piece of tape (fig. 1). Repeat for the remaining 2 mounting stand offs. Locate 4th drill guide under end of light with hole centered on spoiler (fig. 2). This will be used for wire routing. c) Mark the centerline of the lid with of masking tape using latch button as center (fig. 3). d) Center spoiler on trunk lid with back edge just above “Yamaha” logo approximately 2-1/4” from the bottom edge of the trunk lid (fig.4). Using a tape measure level the spoiler on trunk lid by measuring fro the bottom edge of the spoiler to the trunk lid edge at each end of the LED light. These measurements should be equal (fig.5). e) Using masking tape, tape the 4 drill guides to the trunk lid (fig 6). Double check location. f) Gently remove spoiler from trunk lid leaving drill guides in place on lid. g) Using 1/16” drill bit and drill guides carefully drill 4 pilot holes through the drill guides into the trunk lid. Remove drill guides and enlarge holes using 1/4” drill bit. Carefully debur holes. h) Feed the three light wires through the wire routing hole and attach spoiler to lid using self-tapping screws (#3), flat washer (#4) and rubber washer (#5). Tighten securely being careful not to overtighten. NOTE: DO NOT USE LOCKTITE ON MOUNTING HARDWARE. i) Remove passenger backrest, rider and passenger seats and set aside. Cut out drill template (#7) and tape it to the inside of the trunk lid as shown. Carefully drill pilot hole using 1/16” drill bit. Remove template and enlarge hole using 1/4” drill bit. Carefully debur hole. http://www.venturerider.org/spoiler/spoile1.gif Fig #7 j) using a piece of stiff wire (like welding rod) pull light wires through wire guide (#2). Clean inside of trunk lid using isopropyl alcohol. Remove backing from wire guide and adhere guide to inside of trunk lid along path to wire exit hole drilled in step J. k) Route wires through exit hole. Loosen face panel on front panel and carefully route wires behind panel. Tighten panel and replace passenger backrest. l) Dress wires along fender under seat to taillight/Turnsignal connector near battery box. Strip 3/8” from wire ends. m) Unplug the Taillight/Turnsignal Connector. The TRUNK SPOILER LIGHT WIRES will inserted into the “female” Taillight/Turnsignal Connector (fig 8) following the “wire color code below. http://www.venturerider.org/spoiler/image027.jpgRed Orange Black http://www.venturerider.org/spoiler/image025.gif Yellow Blue Black a) Reconnect Taillight/Turnsignal Connector being careful not to dislodge or “short” the wires to one another. Check operation of lights. b) Install seat. 4. Maintenance: Periodically check all fasteners for tightness and re-torque as required. 5. Care and Cleaning: See your Owners Manual 6. Customer Service: For further information see your Yamaha dealer. July 2003 PAK-4XY63-00-XX