MikeWa
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Everything posted by MikeWa
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Questions are never silly. Although some answers may be. Mike
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The rubber on tires is self lubricated by the action of the tire during use. Storage, non use, for long periods of time especially in sunlight can dry the rubber out and lead to cracking. Many motor home owners cover their tires to keep the sunlight off them and reduce the cracking. Poorly constituted rubber compounds can also lead to cracking as can the tire being stored unwrapped or near a heater vent for a couple of years before it is sold. High up in a heated building for example. However once dried out the rubber is damaged and probably will not recover even though it may look and feel ok. Meaning future cracks. There is also a big difference between non use storage for a couple of weeks or months and storage for several years. For automobile tires there are coatings which can be applied which will help lubricate the sidewalls and block harmful radiation from the sun. I don't think I would try this on a motorcycle. Too much chance of making a self lubricating tire to road contact area. Minor hairline cracks on the surface rubber is cosmetic and should not be confused with large or deep cracks that penetrate to the belts and can be structural. All said and done that is what warranties are for. Oh and I doubt that cold concrete has anything to do with it. Tires are sold, used and stored in cold weather climates all the time. Mike
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I put the SWR and watt meters on the CB antenna cable today. I did not expect good readings on the stock antenna. Especially with the short little cable and RCA jacks it has. A good SWR is below 2-1 a really good reading is below 1.5-1. With the short cable on the stock antenna I was anticipating some very poor readings. Perhaps in the 2.5 or 3-1 range. So I was psyching myself up to have to purchase an aftermarket antenna and cable. On both channels 1 and 40 the SWR tested at below 1.2-1. Wow. No antenna adjustment needed. No new antenna needed. No new cable needed. So then I checked the power output. These units are rated at four watts. I tested mine at 3.85. Close enough. Very surprising. I am much happier with the stock units today than I was yesterday. Funny how that is. Mike
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If you want to check the temperature of everything purchase an infrared temperature gun. Then you can check exhaust, radiator, engine or whatever else you want. Write down the readings then later if there is a vast difference you might spot a problem before something breaks. Mike
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Three Greens and Cruising
MikeWa replied to Seaking's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
Sounds like your dealer is at least making the effort to get it right. Mike -
rear wheel .. clicking?
MikeWa replied to a topic in Venture and Venture Royale Tech Talk ('83 - '93)
Check for looseness of the brake pads in the calipers. They could be rattling back and forth but will quiet when the brakes are applied. Even lightly. The very reason some brake systems have anti-rattle hardware. Also make sure the calipers themselves are not moving around. Mike -
Do not use PVC. If you bump a heavy or metal object against it while it is under pressure it can explode and send out shards of plastic that can really hurt you. Mike
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Ventures are not alone in this area. I friend of mine purchased a new 2009 Ultra Glide. It whines so bad in first and fifth gears I can't hear my radio if I am riding next to or behind him. Even though I am using helmet speakers the radio is still overwhelmed by the screech. He made a video tape of a ride on it and sent it to Harley. It also is worse when his engine is warm. The difference is a lot of people seem to expect this on a Harley. Yamaha at least is trying to repair the offending bikes when they come in under warranty. Mike
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I'm in for a set too if possible. Mike
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pic resizing programs
MikeWa replied to Carbon_One's topic in Computer help and tips for using this site.
This is a very good one. Works with just about any picture format. http://www.irfanview.com/ -
It is good news when someone starts getting things put back together. So congratulations from a total stranger. I wish the best to both of you. Mike
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Ok I got the cd changer installed in the trunk. Took some work to run the cable to the front. But it was worth it. Sounds pretty good to me to. But of course I am deaf in one ear. For a guy who doesn't get the most out of music I sure have a lot of different ways of getting noise on this bike. AM-FM, cassette tape, cd changer, and MP3. I mounted the changer on foam mounts to the inside back of the trunk. I passed the cable down through the rubber plug under the trunk, under back seat and through the plug on the left side behind the battery under the riders seat. I also replaced the two Yamaha rubber plugs, which are different sizes, with PCV grommets from the auto parts store. They are heavier duty and already have a hole in the center. From there I tucked the cable along the left side of the battery through the center frame support and crossed it over to the right side. I then passed it through the electrical cable conduit that is under the tank. From where it exited the conduit it was easily passed it through the inner fairing to the front of the bike. I looped the excess cable and plugged the end into the c-bus terminal of the radio.
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Just had my CB cover off today. The gray plug is the plug for the antenna. Operating a CB transmitter without a working antenna properly connected will damage the transmitter. Mike
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Thanks for the info midnightventure. Yes, it was a typo, should have been DC-625. I have some hearing problems and music is no longer as appealing as it used to be so I wasn't planning to install a CD changer. Also since the audio on the bike doesn't have a balance control (which would help me a lot) I don't care one way or the other about the cassette player. Doesn't hurt to have it I just don't use it. But I ran across this used CD changer for $60 and decided why not. I generally ride one up and only have to worry about one helmet so I will probably mount it in the trunk. I haven't seen the cable yet so I don't know if I am in need or not. Hopefully working around the trunk will give me a chance to open the CB and find out why it transmits so poorly. It doesn't hardly move my field strength meter off zero. Oh well thats another problem to toy with. Mike
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Has anyone installed a CD-625 cd changer? If I use a c-bus cable will it operate through my stock Yamaha control? Thanks Mike
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Prayers sent for a speedy and full recovery.
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We are praying for the both of you.
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Depends what you are going to use it for. Some automotive computer systems require an input impedance of 10 mega ohms or more. Since I use my meters for Automotive testing I like the Fluke 78,87,88 or 289. It depends on your budget. UEI makes a good low cost automotive rated DVOM even comes with an RPM probe. There are others available that work well also. Automotive meters will display pulse width, duty cycle, frequency, dwell, RPM and such used in the diagnosis of fuel injection and vehicle computer systems. The 2.99 unit from Harbor Freight might work but do not count on it for anything important. Mike
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High quality. Made in the USA. Smooth action.
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http://www.yamahasportsplaza.com And they advertise on the Venture Rider home page. Say didn't I already do this??
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http://www.yamahasportsplaza.com And they advertise on the Venture Rider home page
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LED Rear Light Replacement
MikeWa replied to 2Whlsrollin's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=44987 -
Once you have to add a load equalizer there is no advantage to LED's as far as current draw is concerned. The load equalizer draws the current to make the flasher work. But LED's are supposed to last forever and bulbs won't. If you want to transform your rear turn signals into tail,brake and signal lights here is a kit that worked for me. http://www.cruisercustomizing.com/detail.cfm?action=detail&model_ID=42&Category_ID=5&manufacturer_ID=223&product_ID=6421&sblid_name=detail It uses the original 1156 bulb but adds led brake and tail lights to the rear turn signal. Installation is a bit of a pain but 'Electrical Connection' has a Yamaha Royal Star install guide/pictures that help more than the generic guide that comes with the kit. If you e-mail them and request it. I also added the 100 LED Custom Dynamics tail, brake light. http://www.customdynamics.com/Yamaha_tail_retro.htm The mounting holes on the LED circuit board were a little small and caused the lens to not be fully seated on it's gasket. So I enlarged the holes on the LED board slightly. That allowed the board to go over the lens screw studs about an eighth inch. There is a rib there that reinforced the stud. The board will go on up to there and be almost flush with the studs. The lens now seats fully on the gasket and the LED board is still held in place. These two sets together draw less current than the original 1157 tail brake light. The original 1156 turn signal bulb is still used so no load equalizer is needed. Mike
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Plug Wires Question
MikeWa replied to 84xj1100's topic in Venture and Venture Royale Tech Talk ('83 - '93)
If the plug wires your friend gave you are new and in good condition there is no reason they shouldn't work. It is not uncommon for different manufactures to use different compositions for the insulating part of the wire. I have purchased many sets of plug wires over the years, cheap and expensive. Sometimes higher cost equates to better wires sometimes not. -
With the key on and engine off rest your hand on the throttle and have someone watch if your brake light comes on. The cruise is very sensitive to the brake control not so much to the throttle. Also while riding try resting your hand on or tapping the vibration damper rather than the throttle to see if that helps narrow things down. Won't fix anything but might help confirm it is a throttle problem.