bongobobny

Yup! No issue there! the main thing with motorcycle "WET" clutches is you do NOT want to use any motor oil that has friction inhibitors in them as they WILL make your clutch slip!!! That is pretty much the difference in "Motorcycle" oils and in certain "Auto" oils. Myself I have been using Diesel oils in both my 1st gen and my 2nd gen with no issues at all... i know , another can of worms and several of you will disagree with everything I've said, to each their own!

yes, if you can find the right size...

Yup! When they decide to take a nap, let 'em, you ain't gonna stop them!!! Actually the proper way to pick up ANY bike is to put your butt against the seat and push with your legs. Make sure you are holding the handlebars, and careful not to go over the other side...

No, the ventures do not have quick release but the baggershield windshields are a quick connect upper half of the shield... Anyways, welcome aboard!! You do NOT have to own a Venture to be a member here! Not sure where in Ontario you are but I can tell you there are a LOT of members there, especially in Southern Ontario and are very active here!! OK to set you straight, the First Generation Ventures are from "83 until '93 and are subdivided between two versions, the MK1 from '83 to '85 which had the 1200 engine, and the MK2 which is '86 to '95 and had the 1300 engine and some design improvements such as better brakes and more luggage space. The 2nd Generation Venture is the years from '99 to 2013' and have a different 1300 engine and are Harley look alikes. Here's the link to the history page here which seems to be omitted by the original poster... http://www.venturerider.org/history/index.php OK as far as the RSTD, and there is also a RSTC (Royal Star Tour Classic), the differences have already been pointed out. There are advantages and disadvantages of the RSTD vs the Venture and the real deciding factor is really how much or how far you plan on travelling! If you are just a casual rider and don't do any long hauls then the RSTD should serve you will! But, if you are into long hauls and Touring, I would recommend the Venture for that kind of riding! The best bet is to swing a leg over and decide for yourself which type you would prefer! Both bikes are heavy, and as little top heavy for low speed handling and take a little to get used to! I have both a 1st gen and a 2nd gen and I can tell you the 1st gen is faster and handles better, but the 2nd gen is soooooo comfortable! Both are very reliable and a joy to ride! Now as far as the "3rd" Gen Venture, it does not exist!! It is a spoof from all the years there has been rumor of a "new" Yamaha full dresser!! Snyper's picture of a "2nd Gen" was a joke as to how much slower the 2nd gen is compared to the 1st gen! they really aren't THAT much slower but 1st genners like to pick on 2nd genners around here and we all pick on Harleys... Stick around, and don't be shy, ask questions!! Hopefully one of our owners of the older RSTD's will chime in with their personal experience!

As far as it being worth it, yes I think it is, these bikes are WONDERFUL touring bikes with the heart of a Sport bike! Sure sometimes it is a lot of work and money getting them in ship shape but well worth it!

yup, Goldie always needed choke to start first thing in the AM. What Heather said!! You probably need to set up carbs better, and use either a CO sniffer on exhaust or a colortune plug to set up the mixture screws...

Wish we could have made it up, I miss all you guys!!!

Hey Pucster, when I first got my '84 it's first name was "BIG" because after the Honda CX650 I was riding that's exactly what the bike was, BIG!! A few months later it got the name "Goldie"

WOW!! He got banned!! That hasn't happened in a long while! He seemed pretty much OK the few times he was in chat but hey, ya never know! Darn his profile got wiped out, can't read the juicy stuff!! Just goes to show, ya never know WHERE even the most simple thread will end up!! See what ya started Dacheedah?!!?

Welcome aboard!! Best $1 a month you will ever spend!!! That's about 3 pennies a day! Not only will you find all the technical info you could ever need and more, you will also come to discover that we are a great big happy family here as well!! If you can, try to make it to some of the M&E's and Rallies that get put on and meet some of us in person! Feel free to chime in at any time on any of the threads, and come join us in chat for some really off the wall conversation! But watch out for that @Yama Mama, she has a whip and knows how to use it!! Enjoy that 1st gen MK2, they are wonderful bikes!!!

Sure, you can still be a redneck if you want to Paul!! Of course first we have to actually define what a Redneck is! The actual history and origin of the term "redneck" is actually quite interesting, here's a link... http://classroom.synonym.com/origin-word-redneck-11667.html I took one of those facebook personality tests and found out I am 30% Redneck, whoda thunk?!!?

Might be a big "clot" of rust, sludge, and crud that is acting as a plug...

Well, the very first thing that comes to mind to do even before you crank it over is to remove all 4 spark plugs and pour a very small amount of Marvel Mystery Oil, maybe about a teaspoon or less, into each cylinder. If you have no Marvel Mystery in your country, Automatic Transmission Fluid will work as well. The reason for this is there is always a possibility that rust or corrosion may have developed inside the combustion chamber, and cranking it over dry with crud in it could damage a piston ring or two. You could try penetrating oil or even brake fluid, anything that will creep into the sides of the pistons and on to the rings. Let it soak for at least a day, then crank the engine over a few times before reinstalling the spark plugs. I would also change the oil before starting, oil breaks down with age whether or not it has mileage on it or not. As far as starting without the choke, well, it may or may not, and I'm thinking probably not, but you could try a shot of starting fluid in each carb, but keep in mind the bike will not run very well without the airbox on and the cover on as well. Chances are, from setting for a long time, your carbs are all gunked /corroded up inside and will need a complete rebuild, although you did say they got an ultrasonic cleaning and supposed bench sync, but by bench sync do you mean they were installed on a running engine and sync'ed dynamically?? Does this so called professional REALLY understand these complex carburettors and how to PROPERLY set them up?? With the rear brake system, well, chances are both the master and both left front and rear calipers should be disassembled, cleaned, and rebuilt. The entire hydraulic circuit needs to be flushed as you will probably find that the fluid may have crystallized and you have chunks of solid matter in the lines and calipers. For flushing and bleeding the system, start with the front at the anti dive valve and then to the rear. For best results use speed bleeders (8mm x 1.25) and a vacuum pump. Also, you should disassemble and clean out the proportioning valve that splits the hydraulic fluid from the master cylinder to both the rear and front brakes. There is a spring inside that valve, and the design of the valve is that the fluid goes to the rear caliper a split second before the fluid goes to the front brake as a safety feature so the front does not nose dive. There is also a metering valve in line with the hoses to the front brake that is in reality an orifice that could get clogged up. It is located on the frame near the steering neck on the underside of the frame at the top. I guess I don't sound too encouraging, do I? Hope you have good luck getting it running again, once running proper they are wonderful bikes!!

Yup! And probably a very good idea to clean/ream/drill out the hole before installing the new rubber plug if you don't want the new one to leak even worse. Just don't make the hole any bigger than what it already is, within reason, or the new plug will not fit properly...

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Check with Marcarl, he probably knows who it belongs to. Looks too nice to be his old one but I think his old one went to Quebec or something...

Not quite true, here's a link... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_oil Special emphasis on the opening statement, "Synthetic oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds that are artificially made. Synthetic lubricants can be manufactured using chemically modified petroleum components rather than whole crude oil, but can also be synthesized from other raw materials" More info: http://www.synthetic-oil-technology.info/ And now to add fuel to the fire, here's some opinions on dino oil vs synthetic... http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/23715/conventional-vs-synthetic-oil http://towprofessional.com/article/synthetic-vs-petroleum/ And here's a few opinions on whether or not synthetic is good or bad for older engines... https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/what-are-the-risks-of-switching-to-synthetic-oil-in-older-cars http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2015/07/when-should-you-consider-synthetic-oil/index.htm And the list goes on and on and on! Do a little research by web searching the topic of synthetic oils. I tried to avoid linking to specific oil manufacturer's websites as they may or may not be biased...

There are quite a few of us "Family" here that have aged, and for some reason or another have either already turned, or are going to turn to a nice sports car, so to keep the site of interest for those I think it is a great idea!! Who knows, maybe in a few years I too will make the transition, but want to keep in touch with the literal hundreds of you here I have met and became friends with...

That's actually not a bad suggestion Paul!!! Last year was the 50's, this year was the 60's, and we did think that next year could follow the progression and be 70's Disco, however someone else suggested doing a "Redneck" theme. The Elvis thing sounds plausible, with a "Best Impersonation" contest Friday night. Not sure what ever happened to our dance and costume party this year Friday, there seemed to be two party camp grounds, one on the site, and another at the motel... OK then, let's turn this thread into a sort of "Poll" and see what you, the public out there would like as a theme next year! Even if you have no plans whatsoever of attending, we would love to hear your suggestions so post away!!!

+1 with what Condor said! The other possibilities are, with the crash, the gauges themselves could be FUBAR... Anything else bad with the dash? Maybe poor ground. As far as the tach, as mentioned the trigger for it is the signal coming from the #2 coil output from the TCI, could be a corroded connector somewhere between the TCI and the Tach...

OK the Facet is on my list of mods for next year...

Gee, never thought about that! Well, I guess if you disconnected the hose and blocked off the line going to the engine, then changed the vacuum going to the sensor either by increasing the vacuum or applying positive pressure, then I guess the idle would change slightly, but not sure of that. The advance is more of a dynamic thing but sure, if you are advancing or retarding the timing at idle it should change a little...

I like using the 2 part ABS plastic epoxy that comes in the double barrel syringe myself, bonds perfect, and fills in missing areas and can be sanded and/or filed. Perfect for filling in where small pieces of the ABS has gone AWOL! I have also used cut up pieces from scrap fairing pieces to make up missing tabs, corners, etc. For cracks, take a dremel tool to the back side of the crack and make a "V" channel along the crack and fill with the epoxy. As long as you do not cut through to the other side with the "V" cut the crack will virtually disappear!

YUP!! Ditto to what the Pucster says!!

Yup!! The"Boost sensor" is located under the coil pack right next to the stock location of the TCI, but you can get to the connector to hook up the voltmeter without removing the upper fairing. It does make life easier to remove the false tank cover as well which is easy to do! The vacuum line for the boost sensor comes out on the left side and from what I remember it is the one with the little in line restrictor on it... The procedure is in the Yamaha service manual, just suck and blow on the vacuum line to go from zero to 5 volts. Specifically pages 7-21 and 7-22..