allwx

For those considering waiting to do a valve adjustment, allow me to relate my own experience with this motor. I owned a 97 RSTD, bought new, put a total of 75k miles on it before I sold it. I did the first valve adjustment on it right at 26k miles. Most of the valves were tight against the lower limits of adjustment range, .004 for intakes, .006 for exhausts. However, one intake was so tight I couldn't even get my .0015 feeler into the gap. With that memory, I decided when I bought my 07 Venture that I wouldn't wait until 26k to do the first valve adjustment. I reached 21k last week, and tore the top-end open at that time, and found essentially the same situation as with the Late, Great, RSTD. Most valves were snug against the minimum clearance, and one intake was at .003. On the old RSTD, when I opened the motor for its second valve adjustment at 52k miles, I found so little change in clearance that I didn't have to replace any shims. I sold the bike about 20k later, and so never did a third adjustment on it. Based on this experience with two different motors, I would say that the first adjustment MUST be done, on time. I would also suggest that it is probably a good idea to do it before 26k. Myself, I put the valves in the middle of range, .005 for intakes, and .007 for exhausts. Once the motor is broken in, I doubt things move very much. If I set it in the middle of the range, then it has plenty of room to tighten up in case I decide to wait 30k or longer for the next adjustment. A valve adjustment on this bike is no small task. It is a huge amount of work. I can't imagine a professional mechanic doing it for less than $800-$1000. A price of $400 tells me that all they're doing is listening to the motor run and declaring it AOK, which, as Goose knows, is a waste of everyone's time and money.

Thanks to all for the information. Hope I never have to use it, but it's nice to know it's there if I do. Someone had asked why the ignition swich is so hard to remove. My understanding is that the factory does it as an anti-theft measure. The bolts that hold it in are designed to break off their heads at a predetermined torque, which makes them hard to remove. Patrick

Hi speedy. Where can I find this video about bypassing the ignition? I like to be prepared for the inevitable, LOL. thanks. Patrick

Hi waterbug, congrats on the new Venture. I bought a new 07 at the end of May, and have just passed 1700 miles on it. Seems like I'm having a similar problem with the radio controller. Mine does different things at different times. Sometimes, it will simply not come on. Other times, while on, it will "lock up" so that there is no control except volume. I have also noticed the lcd display flickering on and off. This is only a minor annoyance for me, though, because I really have little use for a radio on a motorcycle. About the only thing I use the radio for is listening to while I'm working in the garage. I have read that reseating connectors inside the faring may cure this problem. First time I open up the faring, I will do that and see. Usually, lockup of the controller is cured by power cycling the key. But not always. Usually when it locks up I just ignore it. Then next day find it working again. Try to identify the source of the coolant leak. It would be helpful if you knew where the coolant is coming from before you take it in for service. It may be nothing more than overflow from a slightly overfilled reservoir, which wouldn't be unusual for a new bike in hot weather. The gear whine is somewhat irritating, for sure. I deal with it by wearing earplugs at all times. Actually that isn't the primary reason I wear earplugs but is more like a side-effect of wearing them. I find the general noise levels on a motorcycle to be very high. Too high for my ears. The wind, the mechanical noises, the noise from traffice out on the highway, this is a lot louder than many people realize, 'cause they get used to it. So IMO we should be wearing earplugs whether our own machines are whining or not. The earplugs completely elimiate the whine for me. There are supposedly some things they can do for the whine to reduce it, but I have my doubts. I think this is a characteristic of the motor, and not worth digging into the motor to try to fix it. It doesn't represent a problem. So my advice would be to take the cheap fix, wear earplugs while riding. Keep posted about that coolant leak, though. I'm interested in it.

Sorry about the crash, glad she's OK. What kind of parts do you need? I don't have any Virago parts lying about, but I've repaired a few dumped motorcycles over the years. One thing I've found is that some damage can be difficult to see. How did the crash transpire? Any frontal impact?

I live in Albuquerque. Do not envision going thru or near Farmington anytime soon, but if you happen to get over to Abq, send me a msg and I'll meet you somewhere for lunch or something.

I've been there, know how it feels. Hopefully you won't have a panic attack when you start riding again. I did, and man it was hard getting back into the swing of it. minor accidents seem to go with the territory. Almost everyone eventually has a tipover or lowside. Even when the bones break, they make for great conversation pieces later on, after the wife fixes your duff ya, LOL.

Never tried the beads, but have seen plenty of them on other bikes at gatherings. My vote would be for the sheepskin. I had a fitted sheepskin cover on a Goldwing saddle and it was great. I still got buttburn in hot weather, though. I'd say the sheepskin delayed the onset of the buttburn, but did not completely prevent it. Once my buttburn was SO bad, after dark I pulled my jeans off and rode in my skivvies, man that was heaven. Too bad nude riding is such a bad idea.

I didn't read thru this entire thread, so maybe someone else posted the same info. For the past several years I've been using a Weathershield cover for bikes as well as my beloved Miata. One of the best things about this cover is it compresses down to an almost amazingly small form. The bike size, even the largest for a tourer, would compact down to about the size of a lunch pail. The material is very soft, and is one piece, ie there are no laminations or layers. It is very water resistent, breathes, machine washable, and they last a long time. My Miata cover is now 8 years old, and tho showing some wear, is still in good shape. My son uses one on my VTX that is about 5 years old. I'm about to order one for my new Venture. Best source I've found is JC Whitney. Probably run you around $170 for the large size. Kind of pricey, but in this case I think you get a lot for your money. I wouldn't have anything else, and yes I have had some other covers, including the VERY bulky royal star cover that Yam made back in 1997, that only last two years before it started falling apart.

I've bought a ton of stuff from Ron Ayers. I think they're over in NC. Their prices are the best I've ever found, though I can't guarantee there aren't lower anywhere. Their service is terrific.

I had an 03 1800, and two 1500s before that. I liked most things about the Wings, but when the 03s came out the ergos were so changed that I could no longer live with it. Yes the footpegs get in the way. I'm sure the major cause is the motor layout. six cylinders is nothing but a marketing gadget, there's no need for six cylinders on a motorcycle. A four cylinder is perfect for smoothness, and for that matter 2 cylinders makes the most sense. But Honda went with the sixer, and they're stuck with it. Result is a bike with very poor ergos for most people. They lock the feet into a tight space. If you want to move them forward, you have to spread your legs out to gynecological proportions, which IMO isn't very manly, LOL. This is the main reason (alongside the overheating and frame cracking in the 1800s which finally worried me to death) that I sold my 03 and went to cruisers. If you ask me, the Venture is the perfect combination of things. Cruiser looks, great ergos, smooth, powerful, and even costs less, and didn't have to pay an extra $600 for the CB. Hard to beat.

Anybody know the VIN range covered by this recall? Or is it all the 07's? I just bought a out of crate 07 with a manufacture date of April 2007. No problems yet, but if there's a recall on it I'm not waiting for the failure, I'll just take it in. Thanks.