icebrrg3rd

Second gen, probably couldn't do the minimum speed...and the turn signal was probably on for the last ten miles anyways... -Andrew

Wooooooooooooo! Wooooooooooo! Woo! Wooooooooooooooooo! Long, long, short, long! Chugga chugga choo choo! I was talking with the wife last night, she wants to see the Arch and a few other St Louis touristy things, so extending the family vacation into the VR International might be a possibility. Keeping an eye on this. -Andrew

Groan. As for the "urban legend" aspect, back in the late 90's my wife & I were driving through the middle of cow country, WI, late at night. I flashed a car that had it's high beams on, after they passed us they swung around and followed us, however it was probably kids playing on that legend because when I came to a town, they U-turned and went back the way we came. And no, it wasn't a cop car, it was a little import, a honda or a toy or something like that. It did scare the crap out of my wife tho, and she doesn't like me to flash my lights at other drivers now. -Andrew

Looking for the clear plastic Mk1 lense, right? I have one from my '84 parts bike (blue) that I think might be in ok condition. Let me check tonight and see if it's in good condition. This is the only shot I have of it with me now, think it's mostly dirt and reflections on the lense. -Andrew

Another and a +1 to a Dano Starter Clutch. Tried waiting it out but it was getting worse, contemplated doing the cheap, replace it myself route, but then realized I might be back in there when it fails again, so I got the Dano one. Now you barely hear the starter turning before the motor is running, it's soooo much less embarassing trying to crank it up in public when it doesn't do it's impersonation of a rock crusher. As for that no hammer info, when I had the puller on it, I did tap the bolt on the puller a few times to get it to pop off. And it flew a few feet before it hit the cardboard on the ground, so watch where you stand. Other than the removal, it is a simple, straight-forward easy to DIY repair. Oh, the magnet/flywheel is on a keyed shaft, so it can only go on one way, unless you don't put the key back in.... -Andrew

Only Yamaha for me. Started with a YamaHopper as a teen and only got Yamahas, all were shaft drives too. Odd. Ok, I've only had 2 Yamahoppers, and currently own a Maxim XJ650 and a Venture. -Andrew

Funny thing, I got my '84 parts bike (w/o engine & engine management parts) due to a guy who puts bike engines into lawnmower frames for racing. He had done an '83 a year or so earlier that he had extra parts he threw into the deal. I didn't get to see the final creations tho. I might still have his number, maybe I should call and get a pic. -Andrew

On the MK1 you can, the lock has three positions, LOCK (lock mechanism can't move, you can't push the latch into it), SET (lock mechanism can move to allow trunk/saddlebags to latch), and OPEN. If you have it to SET and toss the keys in, the trunk or saddlebag can still latch shut and not be opened again w/o the key... -Andrew

For better brakes, some poeple switch out the MK1 (83-85) for the MK2 (86-93) forks, to which they can add the R1 calipers for increased stopping power. There's probably a thread with the info, can't recall off the top of my head. The '83 is a special bike, altho a lot of parts will cross swap with other years, there are some things to watch out for. Carb #2 has an extra port for ignition advance, dash is unique, CDI (or the "computer") is unique, '83 frame might break at center stand. These are just a few off the top of my head. BUT...the '83s are the FASTEST!!! -Andrew

Does your wife have a diamond engagement ring, and did she hand-wash the glass at one point w/o removing said ring? One full swipe around and you've just scribed a break line, and a simple shock would have caused it to cleanly break. Just my -Andrew Probably was aliens anyways...

Welcome to the site. Some suggestions for the lighting, flyingfool installed a HID in his (see http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=45603) and twigg did a HID projector (see http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=67750). As for handlebars, I have a set off a Maxim 650 that I tweaked the bends to be a little more to where I wanted it. I had started off with them mounted right off the triple tree, but I found a HD riser that lifted them about 4" and pulled back about 1". Had to use shims because the HD clamp was for 1" handlebars and mine were 7/8". All in all, mine are maybe not everyones cup of tea, but the bike is really comfortable, especially with the floorboards and backrest. Any other questions or more pics, just ask. -Andrew Pic #1: Handlebar clamps from a XS650 or the like. I removed all the hardware from the Venture and inserted thru the holes on the upper tree. Used a spacer because the non-threaded part was longer than the tree was thick. Pic #2 & 3: Handlebars mounted. Pic #4 & 5: Found a HD riser cheap on cl, because the handlebars didn't reach back as far as I wanted. This put them right where I wanted them. Pic #6: Had to cut the top of the clamp, because the HD mounting for the risers was closer together than the Venture. Just covered with a scrap of leather and made it a custom one-off. Oh, my bike never had the circle thingy that was around the base of handlebars, in case you're wondering why it isn't there.

Those licenses are only available (stateside) if you live in Washington, Vermont, Michigan, or New York. If Wisconsin would do it I'd get one in a heartbeat. -Andrew

Thanks Kevin, got them saved. They're a little blurry zoomed in, but I can for the most part make out all the words. I'm always looking at craigslist, and seeing some of the aftermarket stuff on the bikes for sale I always wonder what was Venture specific. Some of that stuff is pretty cool. To have a time machine and stock up on all those goodies... -Andrew

Hey Kevin, would it be possible to get copies of that in a higher resolution? Not that I'm looking but it's nice to have just in case I stumble across any. Thanks. -Andrew

Eck, love it. I usually memorize the main road numbers that I have to take. So is that just dry erase markers or what? -Andrew

If you find a place that carries 1st gen accessories, you better also buy a lottery ticket cause you be one lucky sob... It's hard enough to find new stock parts. All of my accessories have been used, from members selling their old parts to craigslist finds. I found a cheap parts bike on cl that had a ton of add-ons that I put on my bike. So I can't help with your request other than to search ebay and craigslist, with an eye on the classified here. -Andrew

Did you just replace the diaphragms or the slider too? Wondering because I replaced my '83 diaphragms a few years ago but used the springs that were in there. I've never really got stellar mpg, maybe on some trips but for the most part I'm not getting all that good of mileage. Wonder if this would help. -Andrew

So I took a few pics of my relocated trunk, it actually moves the rack back 3 1/4". The brackets were narrow enough that they fit into the rack mounts w/o any shims, and all the holes were drilled, and evenly spaced, so I didn't have to measure or drill, just cut and bolt on. All I had to do was find 4 nuts & bolts, which I have a bunch from dis-assembling my parts bike. As for the plastic cover, I don't have CLASS (PO removed it) so I just trimmed the plastic away where the bar would be, I'll probably find a piece of sheet metal and make a nicer cover that sits down further so it'll look nice if I run w/o the trunk. I left the plastic on because there is a hole otherwise, and it shows the taillight wires. -Andrew

Whoa! That black bike with the brown seating area, wow. Now I might change my paint scheme idea... When I get a moment, I'll snap a pic of my '83 that I moved the trunk back. I used 2 angle brackets (5 x 5 x 1.125, 1/8 thk, Menards, less than $2 each) that I cut at the angle, they already had holes and it moved the rack back about 2 1/2". It moves the whole rack back, as the trunk is removable. Went on a 400+ miles ride with the wife (her first time on it) and not an issue. -Andrew

Quick answer, YES you can swap them out. Longer answer, you need to re-wire it. If you have the plugs for the back of the "new" gauge cluster from the parts bike, you can match up the wires color-to-color to get it to work. At this time you can add the 5 wires for the gear indicator too, you would just need the switch that replaces the neutral-only switch, hidden down behind your clutch slave. I did mine w/o removing the '83 harness plugs, in case I wanted to go back to the old gauge cluster. Kinda a mess but it's all hidden under the fairing. -Andrew p.s. I kept the '83 speedo & tach (swapped them into the '84 cluster) because I liked the look over the '84 ones. Plus it kept my mileage accurate. I do miss the always-on clock the '83 dash has tho.

Going with a leash too...

Didn't someome use a dye to make their rear amber turn signals red? Wouldn't that work on the pink too? -Andrew

Unfortunately, I have a long way to retirement, but I picture doing what puc does now. Point the bike in a direction and stop wherever & set up camp. Maps? Waste of paper. Go whenever I want, any time, any day, any month of the year. That's what I picture my retirement being. -Andrew

My bets are on you, and I think you're the house favorite too. I did the same thing you are doing a few years ago, I never had pulled apart a bike this much and surprise! it's still moving on it's own now. Altho I wish I had the space and tools you have. I think it's very likely you'll come out with a very reliable bike once you finish. Keep us updated. -Andrew

Don't know if I missed it, but what was the mileage you put on the Full Bore before you wore it out? -Andrew