bongobobny

Although I'm not in agreement with flushing every year which IMHO is overkill, it is something that should be done periodically, depending on mileage and time. Your dealer may be a little overenthusiastic but he is not out of line. As mentioned, if your fluid is dark brown it has a lot of moisture in it. Moisture is what makes it turn color. Stainless steel lines are a little pricey but well worth it. Along with longer life, you also get a little better braking power because SS lines do not expand like rubber ones do...

Yup! Good job!

Snow banks are 3 - 4 feet high still so I doubt we will be riding anytime soon...

Yup! Steppin' out on thin air can be scary fer sure!! Part of the issue is we all are leary of change, but to survive we need to accept change. Good luck on you decision...

Yayyyyyy!!!! Hope to meet up with you this summer!

You think you're busy now Brad, wait until you are retired...

Yah!! A couple three Don...

Mike I'm sure there is a market for them! Every 1st gen should have them...

Why??? http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=43333

Don, your story reminds me of an incident in the early '70s. We had some couples over and we were engaging in activities appropriate for the time period and listening to albums. When it was time to change the record someone asked what time it was. I said I would turn on the radio and find out. As soon as I switched the function to FM the very first thing we heard was the DJ say "It's 12 O'clock Freaks!!!" We all looked at each other and wondered how he knew...

To me, the whine is just part of the bike's character! Sure, it's there, but it doesn't bother me. It's not that annoying. Now the whining from the rear seat is another story...

Realistically for the year and mileage, around the $4000 to $5000 range. Unfortunately safety chrome and mods do little to nothing for selling price...

You will find 2nd gens a little sluggish compared to 1st gen but by no means slow. It is wider but not as tall. Low speed maneuvers it is top heavy and not as nimble. The riding position is much much better...

Yet another vote for the E-3's...

400cc per tube per the Yamaha service manual. Several years ago a fellow from Toronto experimented by starting out with 380cc and kept adding 5cc and reported that there was a somewhat noticeable difference. Less oil, spongy ride. More oil, stiffer ride. Anyway, the book calls out 400cc or 14.1 Imperial ounces, or13.5 US ounces 10W...

Experienced sidecar drivers say you "fly" a sidecar anyway (keep the wheel above the ground).

Pygmies are an invention of BoomerCPO or at least a figment of his imagination. He started it several years ago, they are worse then Gremlins...

Yah! It's not uncommon to get 200,000 miles out of a Venture and more! You can try to bring him down a little using the higher mileage. What us Stateside members don't understand is that motorcycles cost more in Canada...

Wow!!! This is the first I have ever heard of something like that!! In NY if you pass on 2 wheels you are good to go for 3 wheels, but if you take the test on 3 wheels you are restricted to just 3 wheels...

Besides, I'm not sure on this, but I think I heard Pioneer Motorsports might come down again this year, but I'm only repeating a rumor I heard. Ask Banana Boy...

I can always "Import" them from Carl to save a little on shipping but you will have to wait until after the 23rd...

Great question, and I'm sure you will get several responses on it. That cheery George Jetson sound is nothing to be alarmed with. Turn up the stereo, punch holes in your exhaust pipes, or attempt to fix it. From what I understand of it the issue is an "I" basket alignment problem that sometimes you can fix and sometimes not. Just do a search on clutch whine and you will find a plethoria of info here. Other answers to the whine issue: 1. Leave her home next time 2. For less whine, give her more wine I'm sure others will come up with even more interesting solutions...

E-3's are Dunlop. They wear like iron. They have one of the highest tread wear numbers out there. A few years there were issues with Metzler tires loosing big chunks out of them. A couple of members had accidents because of this. A lot of members will not use Metzlers...

ZD1 and ZD2 are Zener Diodes which are "special" diodes. A Zener diode clamps the voltage to a certain value and keeps it there regardless of how much the applied voltage changes (as long as the voltage is above the value of the Zener). In your picture they look like they should look. If those diodes were bad the unit would not function correctly...

Just checked Rob and I'm sorry if I got your hopes up but it looks like I already gave them away. What they do is deflect water off of the speakers. The opening is on the bottom. Hopefully someone else has a spare pair...