warthogcrewchief

I had a problem with cylinders not firing... turned out it was two seperate issues: The first was the spark plug wires (cheap, quick fix). The second issue was the recently replaced (four months old) spark plugs. I had a plug that was bad! I had never seen that until this time. These plugs are a little finicky. While you have everything off, you should test the four coils and the electronic control module. There are instructions listed on this site, but I forget where... I'll look around.

All lights are incandescent, none LED. When toggling the high beam/low beam switch, the warning light goes out. I had the high beam indicator go out once, but it came back on a little later. The warning light hasn't come on for a few days, but am expecting it to return. When I get some time, I'll attempt the re-solder, or swap out CMS units. I didn't think of the brake light being a problem (inop). I'll look into that too.

I've reviewed the headlight posts and can't seem to find a solution to my problem. I have an idea what it is. The headlight warning kicks on randomly, but the headlight remains lit. If I toggle the high beam/low beam, the light goes out for a little while. It was with just the high beam, and would go off when I switched to low beam. Now it will come on randomly on either low or high beam and will randomly go out (the warning, not the headlight). Flipping the headlight switch usually works temporarily. I'm wondering if it's an issue of Computer cold-soldering...or a bad headlight switch? Any ideas? Thanks.

I found an aftermarket (Markland, I think) backrest designed for a 1200 Gold Wing. It fit a little snug, but works well.

I had a similar problem with my '89. It would rise up to 3K RPM, and sometimes idle high. After checking the throttle cables and syncing the carbs and it doesn't fix it, check the float levels.

Yep, just like aircraft...if you don't fly/ride them, they'll start having problems creep up. I've heard of carbs gumming up in as little as two weeks. However I've seen bikes sitting for a year and fire right up... running seafoam is probably the best thing you can do as it's a cheap/quick fix. If it doesn't, start going down the list, from easiest to hardest.

If I were to race it on the strip, I would practice my technique in a wide open and safe location. Begin with normal start offs, then slowly increase the RPM with each start off. Find that sweet point in your clutch engagement and use that to your advantage. I would also consider cutting weight off the bike. Remove the trunk and saddle bags to save a lot of weight. If I remember correctly, one once said that 3 lbs of weight lost is equilvent to a perceived 1 HP increase.

My thought was a lean condition too. A lean condition could be from: - a vacuum leak - air box assembly not seated - oil drain hose on bottom of air box not connected - cracked carb boots - floats adjusted too low. I recently spent almost two months troubleshooting what I thought was a vacuum leak. Turns out it was the floats adjusted too low. The idle would climb, because I had to have it adjusted high to run at 1,000 rpm. As the bike got warm, the idle would return to "normal" at about 3K RPM. The idle would also climb up to 3 and 4K when riding. If you have this indication, I would recommend a float adjustment. I found a great way to do a bench check without having to mess around with reinstalling everytime you do a minor adjustment!

If the CLASS control unit display has only the top plastic cracked and not the LCD glass, it's a very easy and cheap fix to do. After removing the unit, remove the face, then you'll see on the inside the top clear plastic piece on the display unit. It's only glued in. You can remove it to make a new piece from plastic purchased at your local hobby shop or hardware store. Then glue it back in there with super glue.

Someone asked me how I converted my Tape Deck to a MP3 Player. The best info I have is here: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=41100 I used Scotty's and Frankd's schematics to come up with one that works between the two. Here is a simplified color diagram I created. http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b160/warthogcrewchief/SimpliedInstructionsforMP3Input.jpg Here is where I located my 3PDT switch. http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b160/warthogcrewchief/100_0955.jpg Here is the "tray" I made out of (aprox.) 1/4" thick clear acrylic plastic. I cut it out using a dremel and razor blades and then glued them using plastic glue. I got some simple hinges and drilled holes and screwed in screws (put plastic glue on threads). http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b160/warthogcrewchief/100_0956.jpg I then cut off the rest of the screw that protruded through the plastic (cut slowly because it heats up fast!). After that, I placed a drop of glue over the rest of screw in hopes of it staying in place. After it's all dry and the holes are cut, I painted it with flat black paint on the inside and the blue paint to match the outside. Oh, almost forgot the magnetic latch assembly I installed as well... It was a pain to cut the plastic out and get it to fit...lots of glue to fill the voids. I also had to cut into the plastic face to make it fit. Notice the screws I used to hold it in place so that it doesn't shift. That may be required to keep it in place. Once again, cut off the excess protruding screw and cover it with either RTV or glue to prevent any scratching of items placed in there and backing out of screw. http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b160/warthogcrewchief/100_1056.jpg I found a "marine" grade 12V outlet. In installed it and then made one wire connect to a ground on the frame. The other wire connects to the right side of my accessory fuse spade and then the left side of the accessory fuse connects to the positive battery terminal. NOTE: I'm using the fuse box made by Skydoc_17 that mounts in place of the factory fuse box. *Something not mentioned in my schematic is that the common (ground) wire inside the 3.5mm headset wire is usually unshielded wire wrapped around each (Left and Right stereo) wire. You'll have to unravel the bare wire and twist the two together to make a common ground that connects to the black wire from the bike's cassette harness. EDIT: Here is where I found the "Marine Grade" 12v Outlet at Amazon.com [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Marine-Grade-Cigarette-Lighter-Socket/dp/B0002KRC5Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1274422515&sr=8-2]Amazon.com: Marine Grade Cigarette Lighter Socket 12 VDC: Automotive@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31BRN43V71L.@@AMEPARAM@@31BRN43V71L[/ame]

I know a place that has them for $165 + shipping. https://www.partsnmore.com/cat_index.php?model=VMAX&category=engine

Good luck finding the front (driver's) floorboards! I've been looking and keeping an eye out for a set (at a reasonable price) to install on my '89. When I find them, they're usually gone just as fast as I had found them. They are a HOT item! Ebay may be a good place to start. As far as aftermarket, if you find any, let me/us know. Thanks!

I'm thinking that a way to prevent future play and subsequent wear would be to tap a steel sleeve into the kickstand assembly. If a single full length sleeve wouldn't work, then would two work? The ID (Inside Diameter) of the sleeve should closely mate up with the OD (Outside Diameter) of the bolts grip (un-threaded portion). Keeping that bolt well lubed will help to prevent galvanic corrosion (caused when two different metals in contact with each other come in contact with an electrolyte).

Your best bet is to take the lock assembly to a locksmith with the key you want it to be keyed to. The locksmith can use special tools to turn (and unlock) the cylinder. From there, he should be able to get the tumblers out and swapped. My father-in-law fixes locks and things of that sort for his profession..and showed me how to get the helmet locks apart (not to different from the ignition cylinder). Unfortunately, he showed me AFTER I had already cut the locking arm as I didn't have a key!