bongobobny

OK first thing that comes to mind with the "oil" around the linkage is there is too much oil in the crankcase. This is a common occurrence caused by overfilling when changing the oil. We all have done it at one time or another. The proper level is about 1/2 way up the sight glass with the bike level (Try a piece of 2 x 4 under the kickstand) with the bike cold, i.e. not running for the last 8 hours or more. 3/4 up is the absolute max you want. Too much oil and it gets blown out of the engine via the breather system into, you guessed it, the air box and carbs! Don't have an answer to your linkage problems other than maybe the excess oil has reduced normal friction on the linkage pieces. Perhaps someone else will chime in...

A "Blog" is kind of like a cyber diary Dan! Ever notice BOTH parties are quick to say what is wrong with the other party, but very seldomly say what's right with their OWN party???

Well Dan, to save money I would go with tubes. If and when the tires disintegrate and you have to finally replace the tires, you will still have the tubes for the next time providing THEY don't dry rot as well!! If the tires are dry rotting already, I somehow think your mower is more than "a few years old!" I'm thinking SEVERAL years old is more appropriate! Myself I would just replace the tires and be done with it but that's me. It's just a mower, not a car or motorcycle, chances are you are not gonna die from a blowout...

OK not sure you understand what I meant by checking the SPARK strength with a tester. A spark gap tester is a tool you can buy from any automotive parts store, etc and it is a box with an adjustable gap to see how far the spark can travel which indicates how STRONG the spark is. If memory serves me right the Yamaha TM calls for 0.109". You adjust the gap distance on the box, clip one side of the box to ground, and the other side goes to the plug wire cap. The spark should jump the gap when you turn the motor over. You can disconnect all 4 wires so the bike won't start on you while you are cranking it over. This is an excellent test to see if your wires are good, if your caps are good, etc. A weak spark will definitely affect performance! Of course you know that you test the clearance on the spark plugs with a gauge, the proper clearance I believe is 0.032 - 0.036". Never trust the plugs to be properly gapped from the factory, they aren't necessarily gapped... Hope you get to the bottom of this, you should be getting around 40 mpg which you were before you started working on it, so let us help you find out what went wrong!

Now you're gonna make ALL the Canadians jealous...

Ummmm, not sure but I think John is talking about FM stations Jack...

There was a guy on the VMax forums selling complete COP kits. Also there is someone making special hold down brackets for the COP's that mount under the valve cover bolts there...

Hmmmmm, think I'll read political posts on Facebook, ultimate waste of time!!!

Hmmmm, you may have lost a cylinder, these bikes run surprisingly well on 3 cylinders! OK after sync'ing the carbs, did all the vacuum lines go back where they are supposed to be?? Check for split vacuum line. I would invest the 10 bucks give or take in a spark gap tester to make sure you have a good strong spark going to all 4 plugs. Another possibility, and trust me many of us have done this on some vehicle, did you accidently bash the plug and close the gap on the plug?? A quick pulling of each plug and verify the proper gap may be in order. Yup, the stock air filter works best, aftermarket ones can actually decrease MPG due to either increased or decreased air flow affecting the air/fuel characteristics. They run like crap with no airbox... Sooo, buy a spark gap tester, pull the plugs and inspect, and check for a disconnected or misplaced vacuum line!

Lookin' good!!

Now ya done it Beast, his head done swelled up again...

Uhhhhhh, I can not either confirm or deny the existence of such a phenomenon...

Parts bikes are a good thing! If you have the time and patience, a non running 1st gen can be parted out and make you $1000 plus in pieces on Fleabay, but it takes a while...

Are you buying a trike?????

Good idea Puc! I imagine, though, Johnson's floor wax, bee's wax, canning wax, etc would work as well!! Jay, you trying for the "Baron Von Zipper" look??

Yah Pucster they ARE Korean...

Uhhhh, what "existing diode??" There s a resistor, not a diode in the stock probe connector. The "mod" is to take a 2000 to 4000 ohm resistor and wire it in series to the Aux connector of the fuse block. With the bike turned on, you should see 12 volts on the aux terminal, and about 6 volts, give or take on the other side of the resistor, and the light should go out. You may have to remove the CMU from the dash assembly and carefully resolder all of the pins of the edge connector for the CMU as the solder is over 33 years old, and normal vibrations also may have taken it's toll on the solder as well! This could possibly account for your strange brake light issue as the brake light switch goes through your CMU as well...

Yup! What Don said! it's a standard DIN type setup also used on Goldwings and Harleys! Best bang for the buck IMHO is J&M purchased from Sierra Electronics. Actually I bet there are hardly any of us using "official" Yamaha headsets... There has to be a factory radio on the bike for it to have an intercom built in, or at least I'm pretty sure no radio, no intercom. Perhaps some owners of Venture Standard models can confirm this. If you end up with a Standard, you can always invest in bluetooth intercoms such as the Scala and be wireless!

Silver would have to be a repaint as well! The only white 1st gen was a MK2 and it was two tone White and Grey...

A lot depends on which year/model Wing it was. The early Wings were indeed slower than the MK1's, the 1500's could just keep up, but the 1800's are unfortunately faster...

Ya know, I do seem to remember a member here on this site a while ago who had a repainted white MK1. Also, isn't Iceburg's 1st gen with the sidecar white as well??

If you read the above link, the engine is a COPY of the Suzuki engine, not a Suzuki engine. Do a little research on them and their reliability before you invest your money... Actually, before I posted this reply I did read a few reviews and for the most part they are favorable! As with the Chinese bikes parts may be difficult to find, and due to it being relatively new company their reliability has yet to be proven. 2004 was the first year of production from what I read. For a bike that old that retailed for under $4000 her price may be a little high but that is just my opinion...

Yup, but may end up watching it "on demand" on the internet afterwords, the whole month of September is very busy for us! Yes, I am looking forward to watching it!

A mixture of acetone and elbow grease helps clean the gasket surfaces. Yes, Jamsie gave you the right advice for flat lapping a surface, figure 8's!! Hard to really tell from the pictures, but no, the crankshaft journals seem to be in good shape, need a much bigger closeup of the bearings to really tell their condition but you may be in good shape. Just remember with any moving part i.e. all bearings on head and block to make absolutely sure they go back in the exact same place and the exact same direction! That includes the cams!! If you can get away without replacing the bearings all the better because then you would have to polish the crank and then resize bearings, that gets involved and expensive...

Yup!! Nothing like a 900 lb full dresser popping a wheelie!!