allwx

These bikes usually have a mild odor of fuel around them, but usually you don't notice it until you get the snout right up next to the carburetors. If you don't see liquid fuel anywhere, either on the floor, or collecting somewhere on the motor regions, then there probably isn't anything to worry about, assuming that your inspection has been very thorough. BTW don't light any matches! I'll be interested to know what you find.

Just by way of comparison, my 97 RSTD still had it original clutch in it at 75k miles when I sold it. I had heard that these clutches were a bit weak, so when the bike had around 50k on it I went ahead and bought new spring and plates, and then waited for it to start slipping. It never did. When I sold the bike, the new clutch parts went with it to the new owner. He kept the bike for three years and when he sold it, those clutch parts went to the third owner. I realize the Venture makes a lot more power than the older Royal Stars, so maybe that is the difference.

Very true. I saw (until I retired, yuck yuck) this almost every day at work. Because I had to be at work at 0600 the bike would be nice and cool by the time the sun got high enough to make heat. Sun comes up, heats the tank, etc. Under these conditions, mine will drip a silver dollar size mark under the tube every day, almost without fail, even with the tank closer to half full than full. I have observed the fumes both with and without condensation of fuel drops. Two days ago I rode 120 miles, topped off my tank up to the tank flange, parked the bike in my driveway, and an hour later had that silver dollar size mark under the tube. The bike was already quite hot all over, but the fuel I'd just put in was cool. Thanks for that explanation, now I know the why. But it still seems like a crude set up to me. this is the only bike I've noticed this on. I'd think the EPA would have made them close up the system better. Maybe they do in CA.

I just happen to have my faring off today. I had no trouble running a 5mm x 0.80 tap into one of the holes. My .90 was too big.

Me, too.

On a hot day, with tank full or near full, it is typical for some fuel to be forced thru the overflow line and drip out just aft of the kickstand. And, the tank doesn't have to be full. Anything over around a half tank of fuel, and some of it will dribble out the overflow line when things heat up, such as after a ride, or the bike sitting parked in the sunshine. The fuel dripping onto the floor should be noticeable to you, though. It isn't enough to be of concern, though I've often wondered why Yam allowed this to happen. Seems more appropriate to bikes from the 1930 era. Still, nothing to worry about.

Thanks, I will look into the dyna beads. Seems like a good idea.

I haven't looked at the No-Mar balancers yet. I've got one that I bought from Aerostich many years ago, and it still works good. Once, though, I had a rear wheel that was too big for it. No-Mar makes a larger balancer that looks like it could handle just about any size of wheel. Momma's not going to let me spend any more money, though. It's going to take me a year to work off what I just spent!

I don't believe it, either. The decel wobble around 40 mph is present on other bikes, too. It had been present on just about every bike I've ever owned, large and small. That is why I seriously doubt that it is anything other than a tendency of the design. The arms and hands on the grips act as a dampening device. As long as I keep my hands on the grips during decel, I get no hint of wobble. Take the hands off, wobble most of the time, not all the time, so there are other factors, too, like uphill, downhill, road surfact, etc). I usually snug my head bearings up just a slight hair tighter than spec. This makes the bike a little harder to handle in slow speed maneuvers, like parking lots, but it makes it a good deal more stable in straight line and sweepers, IMO. Most importantly, to me, it makes the front end a lot less tending to wobble with hands off the bars, which I prefer because I like riding for long stretches not having to keep my hands on the bars. Cruise control, after all.

Here's a report of my experience so far with the No-Mar Jr Pro. First, I have to really rave about the level of customer service from this company. I ordered it last Saturday, online, and received it via FedEx on Tuesday. That is two business days from St. Louis to Albuquerque. Assembly is pretty straightforward. I assembled it in one of my upstairs bedrooms and then carried it alone downstairs and into the garage, so it is not so heavy that a 62 year old can't carry it alone. Maybe about 100 lbs, I think. After the job I pulled the entire thing out of my receiver hitch and carried it to a storage place, without help. The model they sent me is different in two respects from the one shown in the company videos. The upper arm is now a box frame rather than tubular. The beadbreaker is different, using four scratch-proof slugs that appear to be pressed onto the bar. The beadbreaker gave us some trouble in that it wanted to slip down the side of the tire. The breaker has a nice flat area on it that appears designed to give a push point so that you can guide the working end down into the groove. I had to chase the threads on one setscrew hole for the tire holder, no biggie. Everything else is near perfect in terms of build quality and attention to detail. Yesterday, my friend Jeff brought over his VTX1800 front to give my new changer its inaugural event. This is a gleaming chromed front wheel that had a Dunlop D250 150/70-17 on it, which we replaced with a Metz ME880, same size. Not a huge tire, but one with a very tight fit. We struggled with it, and both of us are a bit sore today. However, all of our struggles had to do with this being the first time using an unfamiliar machine. I have changed out dozens of tires on the floor using the monkey-f**king-a-football method, so I am familiar with how tires come off and go on. I will say that, without this knowledge, the job yesterday would have been much more difficult. The videos show all wheels with brake rotors removed. We tried doing Jeff's with the rotors on, but ended up removing the rotor facing us on the tool, as it was in the way. Rotor removal is the best way to go, just to be safe. I got mine with the hitch mount. Although the hitch mount allows a fair amount of side to side wobble, this doesn't seem to interfere with the process. I would prefer the floor mount, and maybe later I'll buy that ($99) but for now the hitch mount will serve my purposes, and give me some mobility as well. Besides, it will be awhile before momma lets me spend any more money on any toys. The tool works as advertised, but one needs to watch and re-watch the videos, because there are several holes to fall in. Positioning of tools, where to put the lube, when to use a spoonbar instead of the MD bar, etc. I had bought one 16" spoonbar but after yesterday I realize I need at least one more, so this morning I ordered another 16" and a 21" too, because these are necessary for the larger wheels like our Ventures and other large cruisers. My Venture also uses 150 tires, with a little higher sidewall, but I know that some tires, like the Dunlop E3, have very stiff sidewalls. The spoonbars will be essential for these. Heck, I wish I'd had these spoonbars for changing out tires on the floor. They are really a fine tool for prying a tire off, and on. No need to use rim protectors. The action end of all these tools is hard enough to pry like hell, but no fear of scratching the rim. Even if I wasn't going to buy the No-Mar changer, I'd like to have three or four of these spoonbars to use instead of the much smaller tire tools I've used for years on the floor. All the no-scratch ends are lifetime guaranteed by No-Mar. The videos on the No-Mar site are very helpful, but they give the impression that the job is easy. I know it gets easier with familiarity, but it is still a pretty heavy job because there will always be a lot of bending, lifting, pushing, etc. There is nothing automatic about this. It takes a lot of muscle, and is probably best to involve two men rather than be something a single person could do, except on smaller wheels. This is a very well-built machine. The company appears to be a very good one that stands solid behind their products, and is constantly upgrading things to make them better. So far I am very happy with the tools.

You mean you don't "moderately" repack your steering bearings every 16k miles like the book tell you to? Neither do I. I agree that to pull all that stuff off "just" to properly torque the head bearings would be dumb. But I'm doing other things, too. My faring has to come off anyway because I want to change out my shock oil. I know, the book doesn't call for this as a regular maint procedure, but I like to do it every three years anyway. Top clamp and both forks coming out. While that is off, torquing the bearing nut is easy. I'll also be spooning a new tire onto the front wheel, so the wheel was already coming off. Plus something is banging around inside the fariing, I'd like to locate it. I don't plan on pulling the head bearings, though, even though I'm way past 16k. Pretty sure that is all about liability for Yam. I just don't think that is necessary. I wait until around 50k and then just replace the bearings and races top and bottom. Bearings are cheap.

Good ideas on the homemade tools. I wish I knew how to weld. I'd be making all kinds of groovy tools. However, I went ahead and ordered a No-Mar Jr Pro "plus" off of ebay. The ebay price was cheaper by about $80 because they paid shipping whereas if I'd ordered off their direct web site I'd have had to pay shipping. They shipped the thing out yesterday from St. Louis, and it is arriving in Albuquerque TOMORROW. The "plus" refers to the inclusion of the posi-clamps. I decided to get the posi-clamps because of the size of these wheels. Plus, I can also change out tires on my Miata and even my big truck. Wow. I got the hitch mount instead of the floor. Price out the door was $995. Lotta money, but I think this will be a handy tool to have not only for my own wheels and tires, but for friends as well. First job will be to put a new front on my friend's VTX1800. Thanks for all the input. I'll let you know how the tool works out.

I'm about due for a new set of tires. While I've got the wheels off for the tire install, I plan to go through the book torque procedure for the head bearings. I snugged it up a couple months ago using the quickie method but they loosened up again after a few days.

How long did you let it idle? Could be, the motor got hot enough to overflow some coolant out of the overflow tank through the vent tube and onto the ground.

Some trips you just get headwinds all the way. Even a mild headwind can cause a big drop in mileage on these monsters.

I think I must've gotten into a bad habit of countersteering and then just lazily allowing my body to follow the bike into the turn. I went for a 100 miler today, into the mountains, and had a lot of time to think about this, and to practice. I countersteer to initiate the turn, and simultaneously lean a bit forward, and shift my weight onto the buttcheek on the side of the turn. (this sounds a lot like what you said about foot pressure on the footboard). Keep a firm hand on the bars. the bike settles down into it and doesn't feel a bit wallowy, and it doesn't even feel like much of a lean is going on. Very solid feel. Seems to me (again, I don't know no physics!) that if a bike the enormous likes of a Venture can be tamed by a firm hand and butt, then complaints about wallowing machines are less likely result of bad equipment, like shocks and tires, and more likely the result of not keeping the bike on a leash. I've had to learn and re-learn this lesson several times over the years. This is why I should take refresher training now and again.

Lately, I've been re-learning how important it is to keep the rider's weight properly distributed in turns. I had developed a bad habit of actually leaning (slightly) my body AWAY from the turn. That is, if turning right in a high speed sweeper, shifting my body weight slightly to the left, and actually fighting the bike in the turn. This would contribute to instability, often oscillations. So, even if everything on the bike is set up correctly, the rider's weight-shifting can nullify all of it. The bike might tend to fish around in turns. A rider might think there's something wrong with the bike, whereas the problem lies with riding technique. I believe the correct method is, in an agressive turn, shift the butt weight in the same direction of the turn. If turning right, I shift my body weight onto my right buttock. This doesn't produce enough body movement to be discernable to others. It is a slight but deliberate shifting of weight. If I do this, then the bike settles down into the turn without any oscillation at all. The harder the turn, the more weight shift. In a hard turn with bike parts scraping, the rider's body might actually be leaning well off the bike. In the same direction of the turn. Like you see on race tracks. I don't understand the physics of this, but I think it has to do with lowering center of gravity.

Wow you're right. The price for the powered unit is right in the same ballpark. Matter of fact, it is cheaper by about $300 than the pro No-Mar, and that is a manual machine. The Weaver is bound to be Chinese made, at that price. This will take some study.

I'm wondering if anybody has any experience with these No-Mar tire changing machines. I've gotten too old to do my tires on the floor anymore, and am looking at getting a floor mount tire changer. I started by looking at the Harbor Freight changer but they apparently don't import that anymore. Then, I found this company No-Mar. their stuff is pricier, but U.S. made, and looks to be much better quality. Just looking for any opinions before I borrow money to buy this machine.

So true! If more people rode motorcycles as their primary transportation, there'd be more demand for these parts, then more makers would jump in and build replacements, and as you say, prices would go down. I'd ride my bike to work, but I'm retired...

The reason car shocks and other parts cost less than motorcycle parts is because of the mass market. Compared to cars, hardly anybody buys and rides motorcycles, and the vast majority of those who do are strictly recreational rather than transportational. The motorcycle manufacturers are small companies that build specialty products for a very narrow constituency. If 9 out of every 10 people rode motorcycles to work every day, then prices would come down. BTW two weeks ago I had new KYB shocks installed on my 07 F150 Supercrew. Total cost including labor was $850. Motogrid shows a new Yam Venture shock priced at $500. Here's the link, hope it works. http://www.motogrid.com/pages/oemparts?aribrand=YAM#/Yamaha/ROYAL_STAR_VENTURE_-_XVZ13TFW_-_2007/REAR_SUSPENSION/XVZ13TFW_(2007_MOTORCYCLE)/REAR_SUSPENSION_(XVZ13TFW_-_2007) My understanding is the stock shock is not rebuildable. Mine now has 23k miles on it and is still working good, but I expect it will be worn out at around 30k so I will replace it then.

Me, too. I weigh 200 lbs, almost never ride two-up, often have bags loaded with cargo as I use the bike for transportation. I like the forks at 7 psi, the rear shock at 50 psi. It makes the bike ride pretty high, but handling is taught enough for such a monstrosity of a bike. A couple months ago I let all the air out, front and rear, just to experiment. It lowered the bike much more than I expected, and made the bike feel wallowy in the turns.

The manual sez 0 psi is good for soft ride on the rear, same for the front. So if you want to have the maximum soft ride, let all the air out of forks and rear shock. Let it out slowly though, as oil may come out with it.

One of the things about the chirp is, it isn't always noticeable. Bearing in mind, each person's hearing sensitivities are unique to that person. Some people notice sounds others don't. I usually ride without a helmet, so I can hear pretty much everything the bike is doing. Sounds I hear are strongly influenced by ambient wind. If wind is blowing strongly from the side, maybe I hear the chirp (and other bike noises) differently than when it is blowing from the rear, or the front. Some days I don't hear the chirp at all. Or, I don't notice it. Maybe I'm thinking about other things and the chirp just isn't in my mind. But, once I notice it, it drives me crazy. That's when I reach for the earplugs, or just put on my fullface. Once I notice the chirp, it seems to magnify itself. After all, why should this one noise among the several dozen noises a motorcycle makes, bother me so much? If I eliminate the chirp altogether, there is still the valves, the exhaust, the tires, and the wind. All added together they make a tremendous amount of noise. Those noises can't be eliminated, and neither can the chirp. If it could, Yam would've done it long ago. The chirp has cost Yam huge amounts of money in repairs and lost sales. It is probably equivalent to the Roadstar knock, in terms of something they wish they could fix, but can't without a complete redesign.

Best fix for the chirp is earplugs, if you ride without a helmet, or a good fullface helmet if you ride with. The only time I'm annoyed by the chirp is during certain riding conditions, mostly involving lower-speed city type riding, when I don't have a helmet or earplugs handy. Other than that, I don't notice it.