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V7Goose

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  1. V7Goose
    That particular manual is for a 2001 RSV. Although they have not changed the bike, they HAVE changed the manual (including the maintenance requirements. You can't get the 2009 manual online yet, but you can get the 2008 one here: http://www.starmotorcycles.com/star/service/viewmanuals/viewmanuals.aspx?ls=star Goose
  2. V7Goose
    Those round loops over the rear valve covers are simply heat shields to keep the back of your hands from getting burned on the covers when taking off the seat while the engine is hot. They seem to provide very little value, but at least it is more than that stupid curved plate does. Goose
  3. V7Goose
    If I understood you correctly, your dealer sounds like an idiot. The warranty in the USA is 5 years on everything. The only odd part is that they will tell you the radio warranty is through Clarion and not Yamahaha. Just nod and say "So what? I have a bike with a full 5-year warranty. I understand you may need to deal with various manufacturers to honor that warranty. Please do it." If they give you any static, ask them to show you in writing any limitations to the warranty. If they still give you static after finding that they can't do that, then suggest they review the federal Magnuson Moss Warranty Act for their legal responsibilities and financial risks if they refuse. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson-Moss_Warranty_Act Goose
  4. V7Goose
    On my 05 it came installed upside-down on the right side! At least that way the back edge was turned down and did not interfere with access to the seat nut. When installed correctly on the left side, the rear edge is turned up and really interferes with easy access to the left seat nut - doesn't really block it, just a PITA. Since I like the symmetrical look, AND since I can't imagine that it has any real value even when installed correctly, I removed mine and used it as a mounting plate to install gauges and a courtesy light. Goose
  5. V7Goose
    The rotor bolts are very tough. They are lock-tited in (required in the maintenance manual) and sometimes need some grunt to pop loose, but I have never damaged one, or the threads in the wheel. They are Torx, not allen heads, so you need the proper tool to remove them. I'm sure you could use any replacement bolt of the proper strength, but there is no indication on them what strength they need to be. In other words, I'd just stick with the stock bolts in a life-support application like brakes. And yes, I use blue Lock-Tite to replace them. I have seen one RSV without the brake covers and thought it looked pretty cool - the pattern of cuts on the inside of the rotors looks nice.
  6. V7Goose
    I know this ain't nice, but the purpose of this post is to chastise and publicly humiliate one of our members here. That scum-ball Moakster just won't stop leaving money at my house!!!!! The nerve of him! I could almost understand it the first time. We spent a lot of hours and did a lot of work resetting the float levels in his carbs, and he DID forget to bring the beer, violating The Goose's cardinal rule. So even though I didn't want his stinking money and told him so, it didn't piss me off Too much when I found it in the kitchen. But this last time - there just ain't no excuse! The only reason he was over here is 'cause I screwed up and didn't put his cruise throttle linkage together correctly last time. So he was only here to let me fix my own mistake. And the peckerwood STILL secretly left $20 bucks on my counter! Grrrrrrrrrr!!!! That just ain't right, and if he don't stop doing stupid things like that I'm gonna have to say even more nasty things about him in the future! So There! Goose
  7. V7Goose
    I have never scratched a rim, but initially DID have a problem with leaving some red paint scuffs on them that I had to rub off with alcohol or Goof-Off. That was easily solved just by using a slab of plastic from a shampoo bottle between the bar and the rim. Nylon rim savers would be a great solution too, but I ain't got any! LOL You also may want to tie strap a strip of plastic on each of the rim clamps too, since you will occasionally not tighten the clamps enough to stop the rim from turning a little while you are working on it. That red paint is ugly stuff on a rim. A lot of folks say they successfully use the changer just by bolting it to a 4x4 piece of plywood, but I anchored mine to a corner of my driveway. When I am not using it I just stick it in a corner of the garage and plug the holes with a couple of short bolts to keep the dirt and crud out. I don't think there is actually much tension on them; nothing pulls the changer sideways while you are using it. Just make sure you use machine bolts to anchor it. I started out using lag bolts because that is what I had laying around, but they are too soft and I twisted a couple of them off by trying to tighten it down too much. Goose Oh, another thought from experience - the rear wheel will fit on the changer with the disk down, but the front wheel will not. I have changed the front tire with only removing one disk to mount the wheel and leaving the other in place on top, but I just don't like having to worry about possibly screwing up and putting pressure on it. So now I just remove both disks from the front wheel. Only takes a minute or two with an air ratchet and gives me piece of mind that I can't accidentally damage them.
  8. V7Goose
    When I bought my 07 last year I had a friend ride it down from Michigan to Kansas. I told him to make certain that the forks were set to 0 before he took off on it. After I picked it up from him in Kansas I kept forgetting to check the forks until I was on the bike! But I wasn't really worried; even though I normally ride with 4 lbs in the forks, I knew that it was fine with 0, so I never made a point of stopping to check it. I just intended to remember at the next gas stop but never did. This went on for a month, and I never felt quite "one" with that bike like I did with my 05. At this point, let me note that the reason I bought the 07 was because I had wrecked the 05 when it slid out on me in a corner with new tires before they were scuffed in. Busted my color bone real bad and kept me off the bike for over three months. This is important to the story because I just assumed that my lack of total comfort on the 07 in the twisties was due to leftover jitters from the crash. Well, the wife and I rode up to the Smokies last December on the 07 (at that point I had STILL nor remembered to check the fork pressure). After spending a week on the roads around there and doing the Dragon, I was really getting concerned about why I still found it difficult to hold a completely smooth line is sweepers and enjoy spirited curves like I used to do. Then one morning I actually remembered to check the forks and found them NOT set to 0! So much for assuming my friend would do what I told him. I think one of them was at 7 lbs and the other down around 3 or 4. Instant explanation and fix to all the nasty handling I had been living with!
  9. V7Goose
    I use the HF changer and like it. I have done a LOT of tires, both for me and friends. Once you get used to it, the changer is easy to use and takes a lot less effort than the old way with just tire irons. The only real comment I have is to note the importance of using sufficient rubber lube. This is MUCH more important on a changer than just irons, since the bead has to slide over the rim instead of being leveraged over it. And you must use the lube on the tire coming off as well as the one going on! Goose (Some might remember me struggling hard with the first tire at Don's maintenance day last year - I forgot to lube the old tire before trying to get it off! Like I said, it's important.)
  10. V7Goose
    You are correct for safety of the shock. And your method will work acceptably for the rear since there is only one unit and the exact pressure is unimportant. The front is a different matter. First, the regulator on an air compressor is NOT a precision gauge. I seriously doubt that you can accurately set it for 5 lbs, so the possibility still exists you could blow seals. More importantly, however, is the total impossibility of ever getting the front shocks set equally using your method (assuming you have not added a balancing tube). When you combine the minuscule volume of air in each fork with the very low pressure, you can see that even a tiny pffft of air escaping when you remove the chuck or an air gauge will change the pressure in the fork. I did a lot of experimenting with both tires and suspension pressure when I first got my RSV, and I personally found a very significant degradation in handling if the front forks are not EXACTLY equal. Nothing dangerous, but more like the nasty wallow of a pre-2009 Harley instead of the precise handling of an RSV. The ONLY way you can accurately add or measure air in the forks is with a zero-loss chuck, and the only place I know to get one of these is on a Progressive air pump/gauge. Goose
  11. V7Goose
    The air and the oil in the shock are not in the same place. When the shock on an RSV dies, the oil leaks out and makes a mess of the bottom of the shock and the ground under it. Usually, when this happens, the shock continues to hold air and will bounce a lot because the oil is what causes rebound damping. If the air is leaking out, I'd suspect a bad schrader valve. First try to tighten it with a valve core tool. If that doesn't help, just try replacing it with any core from a tire valve stem. Goose
  12. V7Goose
    I am glad you figured it out too. Here is a hint in case you ever find a filter that tight again - no need to use a drill. Just take a long common screwdriver and use that ball peen hammer you are so proud of to poke it straight through the center of the filter (remembering to allow for room to turn the filter). The screwdriver will go in easily and is a bit more simple than drilling a hole first. Oh, it also won't drop a lot of metal in your oil to make you flip out! Goose
  13. V7Goose
    Hate to be the nay-sayer in the group, but I would definitely worry about this. Chunks of that size are absolutely not normal. What did you do to check inside the pan and try to verify all of them came out with the oil? Yes, you do have a long warranty, and Yamaha will undoubtedly do the repairs for you, but IMHO this portends catastrophic failure in the future. And that is not the kind of thing I'd want waiting for me on a TOURING bike where I intend to often be thousands of miles from home. 1,400 kilometers is pretty darn low miles for a bike to already be on it's second owner - any chance this was a known problem and is WHY the bike was sold? I'd ask the shop to check the maintenance records on the bike to see if it has ever been in for work and at what mileage. I would take those chunks and the bike to your dealer and ask them to thoroughly check it out in whatever way they are willing. That should at least get your complaint about known internal engine problems on record. The benefit of that is insurance against any shop trying to blame you for poor maintenance when it does go kablooey. Next, I would pay particular attention to the normal engine sounds now - even compare them to several other low-mileage Ventures. Then be particularly attentive to any suspected changes to the sound of the engine over time. Often we think we hear something different but are not sure, so we wait to see if it gets worse. You won't want to do that! You might even consider getting a mechanic's stethoscope to get a better picture of what is going on inside - they are not expensive. Finally, I'd sure watch the future oil changes closely to see if this keeps up. It is possible, but not likely, that the engine could have been contaminated on the build. Adding a magnetic oil plug in this case is absolutely mandatory to ensure you capture and remove all the metal pieces as they move around. Again, I hate to spread doom and gloom, but forewarned is forearmed. Goose
  14. V7Goose
    Wait a minute, we're gonna have ANOTHER maintenance day????? Awwww heck, I guess I gotta put that on the calendar too. Oh well, at least this time I don't have to ride all the way over through South Carolina to get there. Anybody wanna make the trip from Texas or other southern states with me? Goose
  15. V7Goose
    I have 60,000 on my 05 and only had to tighten the steering head once when it was new. If you are having to do it over and over again, either the bearing are shot as Freebird suggests, or the lock nut is not set correctly. That is the big problem with doing the quick cheat method - you don't reset the lock nut, you just force both of them to move together. If it is not tight enough it will not hold the adjusting nut in the correct position. Correct adjustment of both the adjusting nut and lock nut are critical for bearings in this type of service. Goose
  16. V7Goose
    If it is the memory, the POST routine should issue a beep error code that you can look up on the internet. But mem sticks don't get a full check on boot unless the quick boot option is turned off in the BIOS. Because the error is "unmountable boot error" I believe your hard drive is toast. The CD SHOULD work for booting, however, if it is enabled as a boot device in the BIOS (needs to be before the HDD in boot order). You should download one of the free disk checking utilities from the internet - either Seagate or Western Digital. The WD utility will not work if you don't have a WD drive, so maybe start with the Seagate. You can download either a Windows version or a bootable CD image that you can burn on a good PC. If you can't get the CD to boot on that one, you just need to pull the drive out and connect it as a slave to a good PC to run the diagnostics. Goose
  17. V7Goose
    Glad you spotted that. If someone doesn't show their bike info either with their user name or clearly stated in the thread I either just don't respond or make an assumption. Often leads to bad advice, just like it did here. Goose
  18. V7Goose
    It has been a while since I have seen someone complain about this, but it is not uncommon. Strangely, not all of us seem to see it. I have over 70,000 miles on my RSVs, and I have never found that even slightly dagerous. In fact, it has only been mildly annoying a couple of times in all those miles. Can't say for sure what makes the difference, but I'd guess it is my height and riding position. Goose
  19. V7Goose
    Mileage will absolutely vary depending on the individual and riding style. And I don't just mean who rides fast vs. slow. How you use the brakes and clutch will make much more difference. What wears out a tire is the changes in motion that tend to cause the tire to try and drag on the road. If you often change the throttle speed, slowing or accelerating fast enough to feel the change, you are wearing out your tires faster. The same is true of how you shift and match it with the engine speed. If you can feel the clutch engage, then your rear tire will wear out much faster than someone who shifts completely smoothly. Even with all those variables, there still tends to be a pattern between tire brands. The stock Brickstone tires tend to wear out much faster than any other tire that I know of on the RSV. For many of us, 8,000 is about the max we can get out of that terrible tire, but as others have already shown, a few get better. I only got 8,000 from mine, but I get at least 14,000 out of an Avon Venom. The person who got 12,000 out a Brickstone rear would probably get 16,000 to 20,000 out of a Venom. So at 7,000 miles, the OP's tire may quite possibly be shot, or it may not. Finding the tire wear indicators as described earlier is the only way to tell. However, IMHO, if he has a Brickstone instead of the Dunlop 404, those tires are so bad on this bike that he should really change it even if it is not shot. There is no way to convince some people to change a rear tire early, but when he finally gets to ride an RSV with good tires he will understand. Goose
  20. V7Goose
    10 pounds in the forks is too much. Check your owner's manual; max is 7. More important than the actual pressure is to be absolutely certain the forks are exactly equal. You can't do that unless you have a low pressure gauge with a zero loss chuck. I'd suggest you just let all the air out and try it. That is the default setting and will be fine. Goose
  21. V7Goose
    Just wanted to share my own experience with S100. I am not a fan, but I know many people are. My brother is gaga over the stuff and thinks it is perfect, and his reports got me to try it. First of all, it DOES work pretty much as described; just make sure your bike is not too warm or you will not be able to get it sprayed off in time. Follow the directions exactly. Letting it sit a little longer does not make it work better, it just lets it dry. The problem is that it leaves a nasty film that is VERY difficult to completely remove even if you immediately re-wash the bike with soap and water! And what is the point of having to do that anyway? The whole reason to use S100 is so you DON'T have to wash the bike by hand! To be completely fair, the instructions do clearly say that the stronger your water pressure the better it works. I think I have good strong pressure, and I did use a good spray nozzle that focused the jet well, but I still had the nasty film that looks gross on all the chrome. I tried it twice, then decided to just let the rest of the bottle sit in the garage and ferment for about 200 years. Goose
  22. V7Goose
    Motorcycles are designed to be ridden in all normal weather conditions (traction questions aside). By this, I mean to say they come from the factory waterproof from anything except immersion. Anything that came on the bike from the manufacturer can take any normal washing. It is probably wise to not deliberately aim a strong focused jet form a spray nozzle directly into the cracks and joints of the radio head or dash, but it can probably take even that. I have ridden multiple days in strong driving rains from the hurricanes in the past two years where the effect on the bike (and me!) was very close to total immersion. Even in those conditions, the ONLY things that have ever shown any indication of moisture inside have been the non-motorcycle specific add-on gauges. Goose
  23. V7Goose
    It is not removable. Goose
  24. V7Goose
    This is a very common problem with 2nd Gens. With luck you can completely fix it just by replacing the rubber caps on the intake vacuum ports. See my posts in this thread for lots more info: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=27699&highlight=popping Goose
  25. V7Goose
    Just as an FYI - intermittent ignition noise in the 2nd Gen audio is not uncommon. Nobody has yet absolutely pinpointed the issue, but it sure seems like cable positioning under the tank. Most of us who have occasionally had the problem have found that just kinda shoving the cables around, wiggling them near the steering head, or even just turning the forks quickly to the steering stop on one side or the other would make it go away (at least for a while). My 05 has done it twice in 60,000 miles. The first time mine started it was right after I got it back from a service where they replaced the plugs. Moving the cables fixed it. I suspect that maybe the exact placement of the front plug wires may be critical. The second time I don't recall any specific thing that might have started it, but I noticed it would start after turns to the left (slow ones where the forks were turned a lot, and it would stop if I turned the forks all the way to the right. Permanently went away after mucking around with the cables under the tank. There are better ways to shield the tach wire than the cobbled way you described, but I don't think you should waste your time on it - I'd bet good money that is not your problem. I'd first pay particular attention to making sure none of the plug wires are sticking up too close to the other wire bundles. If that doesn't solve it, take off the plastic cover on the left side of the steering head and generously tug and move the wire bundles around; try and find the cable running to the rear headset jack and move it to a different position around all the other bundles. Goose
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