CdnDave77
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Everything posted by CdnDave77
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Ok, rain stopped (for now) so I had the ability to pull the vacuum line off the carb and check if the boost sensor and TCI were functioning. In what my wife would refer to as a "questioningly intimate moment" with my motorcycle, I applied vacuum to the boost sensor line (ie: "sucked it") while holding the bike at 2000 rpm... it revved up. To ensure it wasn't me adding throttle due to the heat of the moment, I replicated it again at idle... rpms went up - exactly as they are supposed to. I tried to measure the amount of vacuum being generated at the Carb #2 body, but I don't seem to have a fitting small enough to connect my vacuum gage. I'll raid the supplies at work tomorrow to see if I can get something close - but I couldn't discern a vacuum or pull at all with my finger. Since my better half was already eyeing my suspiciously, I wasn't about to hold my tongue on it. With that nozzle/port open to atmosphere, shouldn't the idle have changed ? Or a noticeable difference when I revved it ? Nothing was any different. What the heck could have blocked it ? I await further wisdom... -
Ok, so it is pouring rain and cold today, but my garage where the bike is doesn't have lights. I have to wait until I can get a couple of hours and trace that vacuum line. Thanks for the suggestions all.
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I guess I could retitle the thread "Help... my 26 yr old 1st Gen is running almost as bad as a 2nd Gen". That was funnny though, Boomer. Especially as my bike is white !
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Actually, I have had several shops tell me that K&N oil is fine to use on re-usable filters. I've done it for years on other bikes and never had an issue. (My old 750 Maxim was just as finicky as the Venture for needing a "restricted" airflow). I should have specified earlier that yes, I did check the cylinder temps from a cold start. I responded to another helpful email moments ago that I was frantically fumbling all over the engine trying to sense if one cylinder was remaining cool longer than the others. I will redo it when I get home from work, but I couldn't discern any difference between the 4 cyl's on Saturday. A bad cylinder should lead to a fouled plug, wouldn't it ? I highly doubt the diaphragms are original. The bike has had quite a few owners, but it looks like someone along the way took care of the old girl. The carb slide covers have obviously been on and off a few times by the look of the capscrews. My next step is to pull them off and try some liquid electrical tape. If the boost sensor was faulty, or had a vacuum leak in the line going to the sensor, would the rpm's fail to climb as fast as they should ? What other symptoms would exist ? Thanks again.
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Morning all.. I have an 83 Std, that was new to me last year. I love the old girl and used it as often as I could on my daily 40 mile commute to work until the snow flew. When spring finally reached this part of the world a few weeks ago, I put the charged battery back in, changed the plugs (all looked good at the time), oil, etc. I had stored it with some Seafoam in the fuel, and have run 2 tanks through it in the last month. My issue is that it just doesn't seem to have the top end power it did. It doesn't accelerate nearly as fast as it used to. The exhaust note seeems to be ever so slightly lower (not a bog though). Hills are now noticeable. It's not the clutch slipping as the rpms don't climb as rapidly as they used to. Thinking it was carbs, I dosed her again with another can of Seafoam and went for a hard run on some quiet backroads. It accelerates, not with the "Jeez, I'd better hold on tighter" feeling it used to. It attained and easily held 150 km/hr (90-95 mph), and I backed down before it did. Should it get to that speed running on 3 cyclinders ? All four header pipes are hot. No popping or burbling at all on a decelleration. I changed the plug caps (trimmed the plug wire ends too), with no improvement. All 4 slides move evenly and smoothly when you hit the throttle and nothing is impeding their travel throughout the whole range of movement (checked each slide with my finger while not running). All 4 plugs are a nice tan colour. Air filter is freshly cleaned (re-usable foam) & re-oiled (K&N oil). Fuel filter was replaced when I got it, and looks clean now. Could it be timing - the boost sensor ? I am pretty sure I didn't gain 200+ lbs over the winter. Any thoughts would be muchly appreciated.
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Hi.... If you head down to any MTO office, they will have information on beginning motorcycle riding, and likely also have places for instructional courses. A lot of local colleges have them. I am almost positive Conestoga has some. As mentioned in previous posts, these courses can teach you a lot of things that can certainly save your life. The other good advice from above is starting on something somewhat smaller and more manuverable - I love my Venture, but it is not a bike to learn on. Think 500cc-750cc range : they have more than enough power & speed so you can ride confidently, but considerably less bulk. Good luck, enjoy, and hope to wave at you on the road !
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Starts but won't keep running
CdnDave77 replied to a topic in Venture and Venture Royale Tech Talk ('83 - '93)
I had to fight with my '83 for an hour or so last weekend, but I was eventually sucessful. All the suggestions above are good. If it runs when being manually fed fuel to the carbs, you don't have an ignition issue. It's the supply or the fuel itself. We just need to find out which. Cracking open a bowl drain will ensure you are getting gas to the carbs. If you are not, I would move onto (a) the filter being clogged (b) the fuel delivery system (pump). If there is gas in the bowls, you could have some of the primary jets in your carbs clogged. A liberal spray of carb cleaner may help. If that seems to improve it slightly, but not completely, you might have to pop the carbs right off and do a good manual cleaning (sounds nasty, but it isn't all that bad). You might want to try feeding the carbs with a mix of fresh gas and Seafoam to see if that helps burn the gunk out of the jet passages (dried gas leaves an ugly "varnish", which has the consistency of tar). If you can keep it running for a few minutes by hand feeding to get it warm, but it still won't go on it's own, I would say it might just be your old gas... Dunno. I'm not all that far away from you (45 min)... if the weather improves (we had an inch of snow this morning), I can ride up and take a look. I am no whiz, but I am used to persuading Yamaha's to come back to life. Feel free to send a PM. Good luck ! -
When I restored my old 83 Maxim last year, I was told to try 000 steel wool with Coke. Yup, good old Coca-Cola. Believe it or not, it worked better than the vinegar or the SOS pads I tried. Very light pressure, frequent dips into the coke, and a little patience. Wash off with soap and water when you are done otherwise there will be bees and other bugs all over your machine within hours (ok, maybe not this time of year depending on where you are). One thing that you will defiinitely want to do though is either wax everything right after you get it good and clean or cover it with a clear paint/laquer. If you are cleaning the exhaust pipes, a chrome polish or wax will seal it and keep it from oxidizing again (at least for a while). Good luck !
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Anyone have a spare mirror?
CdnDave77 replied to mtman's topic in Venture and Venture Royale Tech Talk ('83 - '93)
As mentioned above, I put an aftermarket set of mirrors ($25 for the pair) on my bike. A quick drill and tap on the mirror bases to get the 10mm thread, and you are set. If you don't have a metric tap, any local machine shop should do it for a cup of coffee. I attached the only pic I could find where you could see the mirror... I turned them in backwards for a better field of vision. Please ignore the 18 month old sitting on "her" bike... -
It may sound silly, but what you need to do is practice. With the helmet and sitting on the bike. Try wearing the helmet indoors, just watching TV (sounds silly, but it will work). Get used to it being on your head. There's no need to panic in front of your TV, right ? Once you are more accustomed to the helmet, you'll be much more relaxed on the machine. Which brings me to part two :What I did with my younger ones before we went for the first ride was to sit on the bike with it stationary. Not moving. Not even running. Just to get the feeling. The progress to it running, and the occasional engine rev so you get used to the noise. Having the passenger look over the inside driver's shoulder on the corner is a great idea. It certainly keeps them from leaning the wrong way or remaining upright. These bikes are top heavy, but still incredibly stable. Relax, enjoy the air, trust your pilot and everyone will be just fine.
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I bought my 83 recently and it only had one mirror. I bought aftermarket mirrors for $19 each, and just retapped the mirror mounting holes in the original bases to a 10 mm thread. Be sure and look at the OEM mirrors to ensure that you don't get the Yamaha specific left-hand thread on the left mirror (or is it the right ??). Either way, if you can get the original base tapped to the larger 10mm thread of the replacement mirror, you can solve your problem for under $40. Don't have a 10 mm tap ? Find someone that is a millwright, tool & die technician, or millwright. Still stumped ? Find someone that works in a plant/factory somewhere, and offer $10 if they can get the bases tapped by their maintenance department. It's less than a 5 minute job. My deepest apologies for not providing pics... I haven't taken any since I installed them.
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Of course, things vary bike to bike, engine to engine... but after 3 years, if you are very gentle turning over the engine for the first time, there shouldn't be any issue. Marvel Mystery Oil seems to be a highly recommended "voodoo-in-a-can" for potentially seized engines. I would put a little of that (or a similar fogging oil) in each cylinder, and let it sit for a couple of days. On day 3 or 4, don't crank it right away : leave the plugs out, put the bike on its center stand in 3rd or 4th gear, then turn the back wheel by hand. This should roll the engine over gradually. If it is still seized, try rocking it gently. If there is still no joy, put more oil in each hole and let'er sit again. Repeat. If it helps at all, I recently pulled a 750 Maxim out of storage where it had sat for 12 years. It wasn't seized, so after new plugs and a thorough cleaning of all 4 carbs, it fired on the second try.
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Ok.. so about my new 4-speed...
CdnDave77 replied to CdnDave77's topic in Venture and Venture Royale Tech Talk ('83 - '93)
All the above info is great, guys. Brian : I had thought about getting someone to help me hand-bomb the engine into my basement - it's unfinished and not a bad spot to work on stuff if all the fluids were out. I like the idea of at least scouting for another engine, doing the repair on it (if necessary), then doing the swap. I read through the write-ups that I could find and I am positive I could pull it off. Having the tooling guys at work put the undercut on the gear would be easy as well. For now, I am more interested in getting the carbs set just right (seems to be slightly rich), debugging the wonky fuel gauge and enjoying the enjoying the bike until the snow flies. -
Ok.. so about my new 4-speed...
CdnDave77 replied to CdnDave77's topic in Venture and Venture Royale Tech Talk ('83 - '93)
Thanks for the input, fellas. I'll see about tackling it over the winter but I don't have a spacious and/or heated garage to work on the motor split. My local bike mechanic said it may be just as easy to get another motor/tranny from a wreck (if I get that lucky), and just swap the engines. Yes, Brian, the 750 Maxim is still stabled right beside the Venture (Thanks for recommending the move to the Venture !!! I owe ya the drink of your choice) A couple of prospective buyers have looked at the Maxim, but since both were looking to buy their first bikes, I think they were a little intimidated. I'd feel much more comfortable selling to someone that had ridden a bike before. But the Venture is intoxicating : my ride home last night was on a freshly paved rural two lane, with a bright moon just getting covered by some clouds, with frequent lightning just about 20 miles dead ahead of me. It was almost surreal. 2nd gear problem ??? What problem ? -
From the album: 83 Venture - new to me Aug/08
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From the album: 83 Venture - new to me Aug/08
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From the album: 83 Venture - new to me Aug/08
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I recently purchased an 83 Venture, and yesterday was my first real opportunity to put some miles on it. When I test rode the bike, it was not plated so I had very little room to drive... just around a small parking lot. Having been forewarned of the 2nd gear issue, I checked as best I could. During my short bursts of 15 seconds each, second was always there. So, I rolled my eyes a bit yesterday when I pulled away from the very first stoplight on my morning commute and then jerk/jerk/quick-reaction-to-shift-into-3rd/back to velvet smooth. My question is this : I found the rebuild thread and I am confident I could pull it off... but conceivably how long could I run this bike just skipping second all together ? In just one day of riding, it became second nature. Is there any further damage that can happen ? BTW, I LOVE this bike. I had my doubts, but WOW. It's sat for a while and still isn't fully tuned but I was astonished at how smooth and powerful it was.
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Petcock/Reserve switch locale ???
CdnDave77 replied to CdnDave77's topic in Venture and Venture Royale Tech Talk ('83 - '93)
Thanks for the info.. I know it has sat for a while, and I don't want to get stranded for the simplest thing. I am looking forward to restoring this bike as I have heard so much about them. I am graduating (I am going to get killed by the guys from XJbikes) from an 83 750 Maxim, which has been my pride & joy since 1990. Here are the initial shots. It's been repainted by the PO to from the original maroon. -
CONFESSION : I feel like a complete idiot ... I just purchased an 83 Venture (first big tourer) after 23+ yrs of owning a number of previous motorcycles, yet I can't find the reserve switch/petcock ! 2nd confession : I just got the bike back from the bike shop today, after getting the safety chck done, and the ownership changed. She's plated and on the road ! Rode it home & thoroughly enjoyed it. But by the time I got home tonight, it was dark and I had to give up after about 5 mins scouring the bike for the petcock in the overcast dusk. I could find it eventually, but I thought I would let the collective wisdom of those on this site be bestowed. Help an idiot... I'll pay it forward. Thanks.
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Hey there... Actually, it is getting safetied and I should get it either tomorrow or Saturday. It needed a new rear tire and a seal kit for the rear brake caliper. I'm excited about getting it. Took my Maxim for it's last real ride last night... great run but very buggy. I hope the Venture gives me the same feeling... Take care !
Dave