Prairiehammer

Andy, Have you spent much time on long distance rides prior to this latest trip? I mean this season? The first long ride of the year can be very tiring, you are not conditioned for the strain after a long winter of not riding. I am not an Iron Butt-er and don't know how those guys can do what some are doing as we speak...12,000 to maybe 14,000 miles in eleven days. That is EXTREME LD riding, granted, but those guys don't hop on their bikes for the first time in six months and do it either. They are acclimated, conditioned and a bit crazy, too. Eleven hour days are brutal for any one that hasn't been riding that way for several weeks. We (Debbie and I) might spend two weeks on the bike while on a major flower sniffing tour, but I try to limit our daily mileage to 250-300 miles and saddle time to 6 hours or so, with more than just gas stops. Stop for a relaxed lunch, stop for some shopping or sight seeing or just to walk around for a bit. Stay hydrated, even if you don't feel thirsty, drink some water. Wear ear plugs. It helps a lot with the inexplicable fatigue. Wear your leathers or other protective gear all the time, even if it seems too hot. The wind beating on your bare arms and the sun too, wear on your physical stamina. Wear a helmet, even if you don't like to, because it offers comfort from the incessant wind and sun and noise. Bottom line: you have to get used to the long saddle time.

Brian, While SOMETIMES I get frustrated working on these cantankerous old bikes, I found that I was ALWAYS frustrated playing golf. Relaxing?! Not for me. I'd get so mad at myself (I discovered you can't get mad at anybody else while playing golf, it is all about yourself) that there have been some bent club shafts and even some drowned clubs, not to mention the expensive balls forever lost. I'll take an overflowing carb any day over a "relaxing" round of golf. We can fix your bike. No one can fix my golf game.

Ground issue.

If the "fire is not in your belly" for riding anymore, Brian, it is understandable. But the overflowing carbs should not be a deal breaker. There are only a few things that would be the cause for the overflow: 1. stuck float needle valve(s) (rap on the carbs with a stick, dowel or screwdriver handle). 2. stuck float needle valves (maybe gummed up from sitting, dare I say, Seafoam?) 3. stuck float needle valves (perhaps the floats are sunken?) 4. debris in the float needle valve seat (drain the carb bowls and flush the seat out by running the fuel pump.) Don't despair, Brian, this too can be overcome. Go golf a round and take another look at the Venture in a few days.

Check your fuse block. Check for voltage on BOTH sides of EACH fuse holder. Another reason for low voltage at the solenoid small wire: if you are checking for voltage with the start button depressed AND the connector is connected to the solenoid, the reading is low because the (perhaps) bad solenoid is sucking the juice down while trying to activate the solenoid. Try checking the voltage at the small wire when the start button is depressed but with the connector disconnected from the solenoid.

As Frank (above) said, you should have 12+ volts to the solenoid (both small wire and big post). Did you try to "jumper" the two big posts? The battery should crank over even if the key is OFF if you jumper the big posts.

The backrest pictured is for a First Gen MKII. If the backrest he has says "VentureLine" on it, it is intended for a First Gen Venture.

The small wires are the "signal" for the solenoid, again think relay. Ten volts is probably not enough to generate the electromagnetic force required to make the solenoid plunger move smartly to make the contacts. You can jumper the two big posts on the solenoid so as to send full battery current to the starter. You are simply bypassing the solenoid as a switch. Be aware that there will be some major arcing and perhaps damage done to the solenoid posts and their threads when you do this. We used to bypass the Ford starter solenoids back in the day by laying the handle of a pair of pliers across both big posts. Sometimes it would weld the handle to the posts. Speaking of the Ford starter relay/solenoid: if the Yamaha solenoid is bad, a starter solenoid for a circa 1966 Ford can be used. But for now I suspect the battery voltage is too low.

The solenoid is just a heavy duty switch or if you prefer a relay. Both large posts on the solenoid are for positive energy. One should go from the solenoid to the positive post on the starter and the other goes to the positive post of the battery. There is no negative post on the starter. Ground for the starter is through the starter mounting bolts.

What problem is that? I thought v88 was written with a MAP sensor in mind, thus the setting for "IAP".

So what recommendation do you have as a base line for the IAP voltages? Should I just manually adjust (TAB settings) the advance curve to match the IGN file you sent, or should I load the entire file onto the Ignitech that is on the bike? I noticed some different parameters in the "misc" tab from what I currently running.

Here are screen shots of three tabs on the program as I am currently running. How come I'm running with IAP if you send them out with TPS? If you recall, when I first got the Ignitech, we had a heck of a time just trying to get the bike to fire. Was this TPS to IAP change made to get it to fire? As for the "IAP Error 19mv", I am not at the bike with a laptop right now and the error message does not show unless hooked up to the bike. This "kpa", TPS, IAP, is all mumbo jumbo to me. "Play with voltage settings"? Explain how changing the voltage settings will manifest as a change in performance/mileage.

All this talk of "TPS" (throttle position sensor) and yet I am running with the "IAP" (MAP). Do I treat the MAP voltages as the same as TPS voltages? On that note: the program shows an "IAP Error 19mv". Is that something I should try to fix?

I am assuming that the seller is going to allow you a test ride and I also assume (yeah, yeah, I know) that you ARE going to test ride it? Then, You will know soon enough after getting on it if the "low speed issues" are a deal breaker. Only you can decide, but only if you actually ride it before you buy.

[ATTACH]78272[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]78273[/ATTACH] Well. My 3D map looks very much different than yours. I'm not certain what I am looking at when in 3D, but it appears there is a substantial dip in the advance. Shouldn't it be smoother? I have been trying to provide a larger picture, but no matter what size the pic is on my computer, when I upload it, the pic is always reduced in size. Why is that?

If you have needles, you must be using dial type gauges. The Carbtune® uses steel bars to ride up and down in clear tubes. Dial guages should also have some restrictors, but will still be pretty jumpy as compared to the genuine Carbtune®.

According to the factory manual for my 1990, the ignition timing advance is at about 36°BTDC at 2500 rpm, and at 48°BTDC at 5000 rpm. It remains at 48° through to redline. The Ignitech advance curve shows about 13°BTDC at 2500 and 28°BTDC at 5000 rpm topping out at 32° at 7000 rpm remaining at 32° to 10000 rpm. If I am reading the factory manual graph correctly, I should bump up the timing in all ranges substantially. Am I reading the graph correctly? There is a Big difference in the advance maps if I am.

The 26H series TCI is for the 1983. The 41R series TCI is for the 1984-1989 The 3JJ series TCI is for the 1990-1993 The 41R shouldn't work well on your 1983, unless you have changed the vacuum pick-up point from the stock carb location. Maybe you have a 1983½? What is your VIN?

The write up is in the Technical Library. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=489

Print out Dingy's electrical schematics in a large format (Kinko's, Staples) for a very colorful and MORE accurate electrical schematic. I have a larger format printer and printed out his schematics onto 13"x19" coated paper. It is nice. As for the hard copy manual; keep an eye on eBay. They (Yamaha factory manuals) come up for $25 or so, occasionally. I don't have any experience with Clymer manuals for the Venture, but the one I had for my CB750 did not favorably compare to the factory manual.

Yes. And yes. Note: if you hook it up wrong you will blow a fuse. Have some spares?

"this" is the turn signal flasher relay.

Well, there are only two lights to flash on the "entire right side of bike". So, it's NOT just the right rear. It's ALSO the right front not flashing. When you put the Hazard flasher switch to ON, what lights flash?

If it looks like this it might be time to think about a replacement:

I know you are talking about the RSV and its digital odometer, but it is a good idea as a way to tell one how many miles before we have to start pushing. However, any of you First Gen guys latch on to that idea of zeroing the trip meter when the light comes on, note that on the mechanical odometer/trip meter of the First Gen that it is problematic (ie. it harms the odometer gears) to reset the trip meter while in motion. Just a FWIW.