Seaking

I painted my chrome ones black...

Well with all the photos, advice, comments and support, I finally managed to get mine done and wow, I guess it was well needed! Points of interest: I picked up the Vacuum Pump and Brake Bleeder Kit by Powerfist from Princess Auto store here in Halifax NS for $48 + tax.. and it's covered for life by the store. One other responder had mentioned his broke and they wouldn't replace or repair it, the store here assured me this would not be the case.. even if discontinued, they would replace it with a comparable item etc.. We'll see when the time comes but in the past, they have been golden with their satisfaction guarantee here.. The fluid in the reservoir was on the greyish side of colour, I suctioned it out with the pump and it required dabbing the bottom corners out with the corner of a lint free cloth to get the last of it out and some 'slime or sludge' like stuff from the back corner.. (always keeping mindful of not contaminating the reservoir with foreign material. Compare the colour of that old fluid to what is in the new brake fluid can and wow, grey.. I emptied that bowl out.. not sure how much the system held so best to start with a lot of room in the pump's collection bowl.. Connecting the pump to the bleed valve was a little difficult and I could not get the clear hose onto the valve, but there is a 90 degree adapter that fit well.. but allowed air to be sucked in as well as the fluid when operating the pump. Since this was all suction and not pushing any air into the system, I let it air leak as I was pumping fluid down and out through the system. I filled the reservoir with new fluid and started to operate the pump, sucking the fresh fluid down through the system and out of the bottom.. being mindful not to let air get sucked into the system from an empty reservoir... I put a lot of fluid through the system, basically a whole small can of brake fluid to give it a good flush.. seeing what was coming out of the bottom into the collector bowl, I think it really needed it.. "eww".. Once happy that the fluid was running through clear and bright, I closed the valve at the bottom and unhooked the pump lines etc.. Looking up into the reservoir it occurred to me then that I forgot to check for that little relief outlet hole which was mentioned as often being blocked, and I had suspected mine being blocked.. But dang, the system is bled and topped up and I didn't want to risk contaminating the system with a pin, ya know? So a very light and gentle pull of the clutch lever showed the fluid flowing out of the little hole into the reservoir.. (Someone mentioned to be VERY careful when doing this as it WILL squirt out.. my shirt is in the laundry right now).. But it went to prove that this hole isn't blocked at all.. well it isn't now.. lol NOTE: I'm not sure how to best set the fluid level in the reservoir.. I put the kick stand on a 2x4 block to hold the bike upright, and turned the bars hard over to the right to bring the reservoir to the top most position.. but when I closed up everything, putting the cover back on, putting the bike down and taking it out for a test ride, the fluid level, while holding the bike upright with the bars straight ahead, the level sits half way up the glass.. is this correct? The test ride.. Though my clutch has been operating every so well since the last clutch change out and Barnette spring installation, the fluid was getting dark prematurely and well.. everything seemed fine except for that.. However, once I flushed the fluid out properly and refilled it, I no sooner started to let the clutch lever out that the clutch plates caught purchase and wanted to start hauling on the bike.. wow.. now THAT's the clutch I remember!! I didn't realize how soft the clutch feel was previous to this. What a huge notable difference this clutch bleed made! YES! Though I feel confident I've done it properly and have no air in the system, I'd someday love to hook up with someone who's done it umpteen times before and see how they do it so that I can see for myself.. Next June perhaps.. but in the meantime, I just have to wait for the rain and snow to subside long enough to go out and put the clutch through it's paces.. I'd ask Dan but he's sitting next to the fire in his old man shawl trying to keep warm hehe Again, to all who posted and jumped in, THANKS!!!

Wait.. cold weather? don't you live like a few hours away from Earl, in Pennsylvania etc? Cold? COLD?! Egads, man, you live SOUTH of us and you're whining about cold? Get that man some cheeze to go with his whine.. My buddy and I are booking a road trip next week but we're having to dodge the early snow storms already.. Cold? COLD? Sorry, just busting your chops.. Goose told us about how some Texans park their bikes over the 'winter months' in Texas and only bring them out for summer.. Well dood, seeing how it was close to 95'F if not more when we were there in MAY, I'd be riding year round.. How cold does it get down there? lol..

And ya know, I think THAT might one of the reasons why I keep burning out the clutch on those Advanced courses.. I'll have to look at it.. Thanks all for the WEALTH of information!! I'll let you know how it works out.. I still need to get that pump though.. hard to find in this city.. $80 for a kit at Crappy Tire.. Cheers

dood, ya jjst jinxed yourself.. mou'ahahahaha I didn't realize I had a dead shock until it was pointed out to me.. twice!! Your shock might be dead without you knowing it.. Perhaps you're deaf and can't hear the whine.. or the chirp.. or learned to tune it out.. But good on ya if your shock is holding up that well.. My 2006 with 79,000 miles on it went through two shocks in a year.. now it's out of warranty and I'm waiting for the Works shock to come in.. I think there is enough anecdotal evidence to suggest these shocks fail prematurely and frequently enough to be of an issue.. Look at all the VStars out there on the roads.. gazillions and no notable problems with their shocks.. Makes ya wonder..

You two should get a room... When Kevin and I come back down next summer, we'll be sure to burn a few loops in front of your house as well.. and then get a clutch change afterward LOL! The snow is in the air.. argh.. but I'm not done riding yet!

Thanks M8.. I'll be popping in to pick up that vacuum pump today, looks like the thing to use.. Cheers!

Sir, a photo is worth 1,000 words and in this several photos certainly well explains how this task is to be done.. OK NOW I understand how to do this job and now have the confidence to proceed on my own.. Gosh.. no joke, it doesn't look that hard at all now that I've seen the pics.. One of the other threads, it was mentioned about cleaning out a little port hole with a wire twist tie as this might help with some other little problems.. Where exactly is this port they referred to, do you know? Once again, myself and I am sure others, thank you very much for taking the time to show us how to do the job! Cheers

Slow one?? Obviously you've never tried to keep up with the wild man on the slab, HUH?? His first gen, yeah.. it ain't the slow coloured one..

Awesome! Looking forward to it! Got caught in the cold rain tonight coming home from the studio.. egads, it's almost snow out there and I don't when to say no to snow.. lol

I ordered a Works shock from Buckeye 2 months ago... and still waiting.. production problems.. delays.. winter soon here.. Good thing I wasn't in much of a hurry.. disappointed to say the least.. =/ At least the bike is still ride capable while waiting..

yeah if you could, it would be greater appreciated.. I read the 'how to' and got promptly lost.. blarg.. Cheers M8

I hate to sound or look like a simpleton but I'll take that risk.. Can you point out in a photo or diagram where these ports and slaves and valves? I read the instructions provided (thanks) but I'm coming up blank.. My clutch fluid darkens rather soon, the fluid level seems to dissipate over time and the friction zone changes over a period of time.. I end up adding a bit of clutch fluid into the reservoir and it helps.. However, I'm not sure if the whole system is in proper shape or not.. :/

Funny how I know exactly what those words mean.. as the very frikken same happened to me, and I had specifically told the numpty to ensure he was ordering the clutch cover gasket and nope, numpty ordered the same thing you got.. I went online and found an inexpensive source for gaskets and ordered a bunch.. plus the two the shop ordered for me for FREE because I missed a road trip for that numpty's mistake (I live in a geographical oddity of a place that is exactly always 2 weeks away from any motorcycle parts being ordered.. ) Thanks for the link.. =) Cheers M8

Unwilling to do a 9 hour slab ride down the 401?? What are you, an owner or a rider? hehe.. sorry, had to toss that one at ya!! But it's a good excuse for a ride.. Buddy and I did a 12 hour run a couple of weeks ago from Halifax NS to Gorham NH in the cold and rain.. and looking for another road trip next week.. Oh wait.. you said the 401.. never mind, the way they drive on that piece or road, I understand what you mean..

Can anyone post the info or point towards the info how to properly bleed the clutch fluid? I notice that after a while my fluid darkens and the level goes down in the sight glass.. What is the proper method to check fluid level, and what position should the bike be in when topping up the fluid? (on kickstand, handlbars turned har right left or leveled bike...?) Thanks in advance.

I went through TWO oem shocks and now waiting for a WERKS shock to come in.. my 2006 Midnight killed the first one before I bought the bike used from another rider.. I'd been riding it for most of the year and didn't realize it was a dead shock until I had the bike in the shop in Penn and the tech there mentioned it to me.. Luckily, a shop in Maine was kind enough to get me a new OEM and install it for me since my bike was still under warranty etc.. (I'm Canuck but my bike is a USA model etc).. Unfortunately, that same shock died just past into the warranty period so thanks but no thanks.. dang!! Why spend money on another shock that's going to most likely die on me again while I can get a rebuild-able shock from another source.. You can ride on a dead OEM shock but it sucks.. and it can get squirrely in some riding conditions.. I can hardly wait to get my new shock to go along with the newly serviced front shocks with Progressive Springs in them =)

I know what you mean by that little wire.. when I did the PCW mod, I put all those unused parts aside, just in case.. Well I put them aside so well that I could find them again when I went to OEM configuration lol.. groan.. But the little wire is a bit of a bear to remove if I remember correctly.. and don't quote me on this one, shouldn't be reused. I can't remember if it can be removed properly without damaging it. I remember having to cut mine out, but not sure if it can be removed safely without damaging it.. Hopefully a much more knowledgeable member here can correct me if I am wrong.. All I know is that when you go to put the new one in, you have to really make sure it seats into that tiny near invisible groove so that the other end of the wire will meet up with the little also near invisible hole lol.. That was my biggest stumbling block when I did it.. But you CAN do it.. patience and a lot perseverance..

Ahh good point, figured people would have thought of going to eBay and seatch for "hidden antenna".. but I forgot, we're bike riders, not search engines This is the buyer I got mine from.. Honestly have no idea what the 'weather band' aspect does but the AM / FM is awesome.. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380281890444&viewitem=&refid=store Cheers

Well, after getting the bike back from the shop I decided to crack open the fairing to double check for anything loose and amiss.. and happy to report all is good.. buddy did a decent job (as far as I can see.. but they know I will be back in a huff should something be amiss).. I took the time to install a hidden antenna.. I had already tried the small box amplified powered antenna and yeah, it seemed to work OK.. but nothing to scream home about to be honest.. I wrangled the antenna cable to pop out wear I could reach in and switch cables when away from home and couldn't really tell any difference to be honest.. However, it DOES work and rather reasonably well for the price.. usually available online for 20 to 30 bucks.. But this time I installed a different one that a friend pointed me to, and I do have to report "wow" again. This one picks up MUCH better than the OEM antenna and better than the Firestik does. Wow, and it's unpowered.. glue it to the inside of the fairing and voila, plug and play.. I have to say I'm quite impressed with the signal it picks up.. I have to do some testing to see if the bulk of the bike blocks a lot of signal or not.. I seldom ever use the CB on this bike, and feel the antennas, be it the OEM or the Firestiks, impart some vibration to the bike in heavy winds (which we get a lot around here).. So once the rains stop I'll be able to take it on a run and see how it handles with the antennas off the bike.. The bike looks like it's missing something aesthetic without the antennas present.. But meh.. "tis better to feel than to look good".. Cheers

Time to kick the cans and light the fires.. hehe.. I wash my bike often and it's something I check for all the time.. it's never happened but it's one of those things you don't want coming off the bike..

Do mind me asking where you purchased the Barnette plates and how much? Is there anything 'special' about them over the OEM ones? Good luck with the clutch change, it's quite simple, takes before removal photos to refer back to in case you get indecisive over something, it helps with the confidence.. (someone erhm told me that trick Did you get a new cover gasket as well?

I took my bike to the local shop to get some work gone and got the bike back yesterday. What a grocery list of work to be done.. I might have been able to get some if not most of it done myself but didn't have the confidence of tackling it alone.. (A) Early this summer when I had my front tire replaced by an out of town company, they managed to munge up the axle threads in the fork. When my local shop saw this they expressed concerns that it should beefed up with a heli-coil kit. The kits are expensive around here, I never saw one but would imagine gold plating and diamond studs for the price they were asking. A subsequent road trip into the USA showed me where to get them for $50 or so.. So new wheel bearings, covers, axle etc and heli-coil insert got that all done proper and more secure / safer.. (B) Neck bearings.. When visiting Goose in June, he gave the neck bearings a much needed 'tightening', and indicated that there was still some front to back play in the bearings.. They should be OK for a while but that they really do need to be repacked / replaced.. If someone is going through all that trouble to gain access to the bearings to repack them, might as well spend the additional $20 on new bearings eh? So now, wow, what a HUGE difference that makes.. the front end is tighter feeling, more confidence in turns, tracks much better. Doesn't feel sloppy anymore. Though the bike was safe to ride before the change, it wasn't as sure footed as my buddy's bike.. but now? wow. © Front forks servicing and progressive Spring installation. New seals and syn oil put in the front forks.. New progressive springs do wonders for a bike.. I have them in my VStar and loved them, and decided to put them in the Venture and oh my gosh.. what a gorgeous feel to this bike NOW.. Coupled with the new neck bearings, the bike tracks well in turns and straight line but eats up the sharp bumps and cracked and obstacles.. And when you apply your front brakes, the bike doesn't dive to the pavement anymore. At an intersection you could pump the front brakes and watch your headlight beam fly up and down.. not anymore.. yes, it's a stiffer ride but a more confident feeling ride.. WOW. I like it a lot. Got a week of rain unfortunately so i can't take it out to test it properly until this weekend. But the ride home yesterday really impressed me a lot.. wow. zero air pressure in the shocks is recommended unless you notice you need air in them.. In the oem set up I used to pump them up to 5 or 7 psi.. and they were still floppy.. now, wow,, nice!! Now, I'm just waiting for the new rear shock to come in.. They had a production problem this fall that caused a delay in shipping.. but I'm patient.. Once the Werks shock comes in I'll be installing it and testing the bike out, putting her through the paces.. A good wad of coins spent but worth every penny thus far.. Progressive springs, I am confident they will be all that they lived up to be in my VStar..

Being ONE of those poor beggars who has gone through the gamete of stock, PCW and Barnette, I can tell you of my impressions with all these setups.. My OEM clutch system FAILED me at the very worse time 2 years ago and almost got me killed.. I dropped the hammer and nothing happened.. ouch.. never experienced that before in my so many years of riding.. But it kept getting worse.. After much research, the PCW system seemed like a great idea.. And it is.. don't get me wrong. It was smooth and strong and didn't slip.. I do the full disc mod change as well, getting rid of the silly set up of the half discs.. BUT this made my friction zone move to the almost fully released clutch lever position, instead of closer to the bar as it is with the stock set up.. But it's something you just have to get used to.. no worries. Early this spring, n advanced course killed the clutch, burnt out the friction plates and discoloured the steel plates. OK, I had used syn oil and it may perhaps maybe contributed to the premature clutch failure. A new set of discs resolved the problem but later past summer this year on another advanced course, I killed the clutch once again.. not fun, not good. Never doing that course again on this bike.. something *I* am doing or something about the bike doesn't like the clutch etc.. A rebuilt the stackup but this time using the OEM stack instead of the PCW stackup.. and yes, now the friction zone is back to where it was before. In the long run I put the Barnette spring plate in and it's been a lot better since then.. With the PCW I found I had an odd and very subtle chatter vibration when a load was put on the bike at various speeds and rpm / gears.. but with the Barnette I don't experience it at all. My clutch fluid darkens sooner than my ride buddy's clutch fluid does, so I'm wondering if I have other issues concerning my clutch, or if I just ride my clutch more in slow maneuvers where he doesn't do a lot of slow riding etc.. For now, I have to give my vote to the Barnette clutch spring.. Nothing wrong with the PCW, its less expensive and does work.. (don't do the full disc mod though).. The only thing about the Barnette is the caution a lot of people tell you about not re-using the old bolts but to get new ones.. I haven't yet had to remove mine 'yet' so not sure what I should replace those bolts with.. what kind etc.. Anyway.. clutches are fun.. I need to learn how to bleed my clutch fluid out myself to save some coins.. Cheers

To the dealer, the whine HE hears are the customers calling about what is for us a very legitimate problem but for what in fact is basically an un-fixable problem.. Many say they have been able to get rid of the whine with a new clutch basket change, or different oil or so on.. but I would have to say the whine is just something you get used to and learn to forget.. I don't notice mine whining anymore (no one listens to me anyway so I stopped whining too).. Louder pipes, learning to ride out of the noisiest ranges make a huge difference.. I tried all kinds of dyno and syn oils but nothing really made too huge of a difference to be honest.. When asked, I just tell them it's my turbo kicking in..