Prairiehammer

Thanks for the confirmation, Carl. It is what I suspected. The PO had mentioned that the fork seals had been replaced; apparently, the spacers slid off unnoticed when the forks were removed. My guess is, he found one (after the forks were re-installed) and put it under the mat of the trunk. God only knows where the other spacer ended up.

That is what I surmised, Gary. Whomever had the forks off before did not use these spacers upon reassembly. So, apparently the spacers/"gaskets" (that is Yamaha's terminology) are to simplify reassembly, by ensuring that the air joints and triple tree are properly arranged? Thanks.

Here are some ideas:

What purpose does the "gasket, PN# 26H-23163-00-00" serve? Item #75 on the attached 'fiche view. I found one in the trunk and upon examination of the forks, I see that neither fork tube has this "gasket" installed. This rubber piece is "castellated" so I don't see how it can act as a seal. The CLASS does not lose air and functions fine (so far). Is it meant as a spacer? I do note that the right fork tube is projecting above the upper triple tree more than the left. Is the gasket supposed to be installed so this does not happen? What is the consequence of one inner fork tube projecting above the upper triple tree more than the other. There seems to be about 2-3 mm difference in projection between right and left tubes. Ah! the trials and tribulations of a used Venture. I wish I had more history on the maintenance performed on this bike. I was so terribly "spoiled" with the 1990 as the second owner of an unmolested Venture. (This "gasket" issue is but one of many irritations, so far.)

By the time the MD rolls around, Don's boat (do we have a name for it yet?) will be in need of some "expert" maintenance. Perhaps, a "road" test in the pond when the maintenance is done. We could use one of the First Gens to pull it out of the pond when the test is over.

Jim, regarding the boat building (get it? Thread Drift), are you using epoxy to encapsulate the wood? West Systems? Eighth inch luan? How well does that stand up to beaching or even just stepping into the hull while floating? Do you use a skeg and/or solid wood chines on the pirogue?

Is yours missing? Or do you just feel it needs replaced? I don't think there is any moving parts, though there is an arrow to indicate proper orientation. The arrow should point toward the "Boost Sensor" (MAP). I am not certain, but I believe this is the part (#11): http://www.boats.net/parts/search/Yamaha/Motorcycle/1991/VENTURE%20ROYALE%20-%20XVZ1300DBC/AIR%20FILTER/parts.html 41R-14489-00-00 NOZZLE

The "coupling" is OEM. It appears to be a restriction meant to dampen the vacuum pulses from #2 intake.

Nice! Did you build that? I've been entertaining thoughts of building wooden boats for many years. I have yet to fulfill the dream. One (of several) reason (excuse) is that, currently my shop intended for wood working/boat building, is occupied with Ventures in various states of repair. Hogging much valuable space meant for boat building.

If you are going to buy another torque wrench, buy a torque wrench with inch/pound calibration rather than foot/pound. The specified 5.8ft/lb is at the low end of the range for most foot/pound calibrated torque wrenches. Calibration, especially on the cheap torque wrenches, is probably inaccurate at the extremes of their intended range. The specified torque of 5.8 foot pounds is equal to 69.6 inch/pounds.

I can trailer my yacht behind the Venture.

Steve, If it is feasible in your circumstances; put the trailer in a "moat". Seriously! Place a hog pan under the tongue stand and jack the tires off the ground and place a couple more hog pans under the stabilizer jack stands. Now, fill the pans with used motor oil. Make sure nothing is resting against the trailer that would allow the mice to climb aboard. If the tires are not off the ground far enough to discourage the critters from climbing onto the tire, place a pan under each jacked up tire and add just enough oil to those pans to stop the mice, but not enough that the oil is touching the tires. Even if the mice climb into the pans, they will not be able to escape or climb out via the jacks because of the oil and will ultimately succumb. Good luck!

The plate number was in the OP header. BL942PL

Apparently, Joe. I almost didn't recognize you, but then I saw how you were always seemingly hanging close to your wife, then I recognized you...

Works OK for me, now! One hundred and five pics.

I've got those same rider's floorboards from Markland on my '91. As for the passenger auxiliary foot rests; sounds like they may be those made by Kriss. Called Starsteps. Do the passenger boards look like this:

I have investigated those aluminum cam type lifters. Most I have seen are pretty big and then I question whether I could situate one just so and then get back on the bike and try to pull forward, stopping at just the right point, while alone. Maybe.

What do you use to jack up the trailer while on the road? In case of a flat tire for example. On my trailer, I carried an old antique screw jack that worked very well, but it and the 1/2" drive speed wrench I used to operate the jack weighed together more than 6½ pounds. I'm looking to reduce the weight of ALL things that we haul in the trailer and the jack is one of the heaviest (although nicely compact).

Mike, A salvage yard/breaker in Pennsylvania won the auction for $350. The company is called One Stop Outlet. They have an eBay store, but the Venture hasn't shown up there as of yet.

Not ALL First Gen starters are two brush. Yamaha started installing four brush starters in the Venture in 1991.

Actually, the First Gen Ventures had four brush starters starting in 1991, but one never knows with bikes that old whether someone may have substituted a two brush during a swap or even some may have had their engines swapped with an earlier year. So, it is safest to just go for a Second Gen starter, because all years of Second Gen Ventures are four brush.

The tachometer gets its signal from the TCI. If you are losing the tach, check the TCI connections, wiring, etc. Also check the SIGNAL fuse for good connections at the fuse clips. If everything was functioning normally before you dived into the valve clearance check, then logic says that something was changed or disrupted as a result of those things you messed around with when removing or re-installing the valve covers. Just sayin'.

George, the broken idle gear is a very common problem? This is first I've heard of such. Or did you mean the broken starter CLUTCH is a common problem?

Double check the "boost sensor" harness connector for clean and tight connection. Double check the TCI harness for cleanliness and correct and tight connection. Did you relocate the TCI while you had the top end disassembled for the valve check? Check that all vacuum hoses are replaced properly. Back off all the synchronization screws all the way. I suspect something was dislodged or incorrectly reconnected/installed after the valve check.

It might be the rear brake caliper bracket clicking as it moves around on its mounting post on the swingarm. Put it on the center stand in neutral and spin the rear wheel by hand and then apply the foot brake and see if it clicks.