Prairiehammer

Welcome to the VentureRiders forum. The drain plug/screw is still available. PN. 2L1-14191-00-00 $5.79US here: http://www.boats.net/parts/detail/yamaha/Y-2L1-14191-00-00.html

Still no luck finding a VentureLine rack for my MKII. Anybody?

Bubber? Any "Gals" offer you any syrup? Nevermind, I'd better not go there...

I thought midnight was 2400 hours.

Shorty/Tall Tom I am cornfused... are you a Shorty with the Venturers or Tall Tom with the VentureRiders? Oh, my head is hurting! Bubber! It was a distinct pleasure meeting you at the Davis Rally. Kevin

Mike, Here is an identical one currently on eBay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/YAMAHA-VENTURE-1200-REAR-RACK-/380361669159?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item588f527a27 Now if I could just find an original Venture Line trunk rack for my 1990...

We left home August 4, 2011 and got home August 13. It was quite warm in the UP. Mostly pleasant temps in Canada. Although I took long underwear, gauntlet gloves, jacket liner, etc. I never wore any of it. I've done Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Erie on a bike. Now, just Lake Ontario is left to ride.

I have been planning this trip since last December; reviewing motels and campgrounds, making reservations, planning sightseeing stops, fuel locations, restaurants, etc. It turned out to be fortuitous that I did. Many places were full up as we made our way around. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=203185958368302937986.0004a85dd1f59f3cdddfe&msa=0 I coordinated our trip to coincide with the Venturers (motorcycle club, Venturers.org) North Central Irregulars and Irregularettes (NCII) Yooper Rally in Ishpeming, MI. We rode 450 miles, 10 hours the first day to get to Ishpeming, but averaged 283 miles per day for entire trip. This was Debbie’s first motorcycle trip; but she handled that first day with no problem. In fact, she had no issues during the entire trip. She is a great co-rider. After several days of fun with the Venturers, we headed out on our Circle Tour Sunday morning in the rain. It cleared by the time we got to Tahquamenon Falls and was downright perfect when we stopped at Whitefish Point. We took the Whitefish Bay Scenic Parkway to Sault Ste. Marie and our first night in a motel of the trip. I had reserved a night at the Longship Motel; right across the street from the Soo Locks. Walked less than a block to the Lockview Restaurant where we enjoyed some fresh whitefish and a ten percent discount on our meal because we stayed at the Longship Motel. We met a couple, Deb and Steve going around the Lake on their Gold Wing GL1800. They were from Kansas City and had been touring the Great Lakes for a few weeks already. The Lake Superior leg was their last before heading home. Monday dawned clear and pleasant and as we finished breakfast at the Lockview, Deb and Steve came in. A short chat and we walked back to pack and get on the road. I fueled the bike and immediately encountered construction delays but, we cleared the border without issue and headed for Wawa. We happened upon Deb and Steve at the Ontario Welcome Center and traveled with them for some of the morning. Getting through Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario was arduous. Lots of traffic, lots of traffic lights, long wait for a train creeping through, and my bike was getting hot with a seriously fast idle of 3000 rpm or more. The high hot idle was the only issue with bike during the entire trip. Averaged 42 mpg with a gross vehicle weight of about 1200 pounds. We fueled up at Young’s General Store (they still utilize an attendant, no self service or pay at the pump) and rode downtown to sample the local fare for lunch at the Embassy Restaurant. I ordered poutine. Debbie thought it bizarre when I pointed it out on the menu, but she liked it. Look up “poutine”. Try it when you get a chance. We shopped in downtown Wawa at Canadian Tire; different and fun. I was getting anxious to get on the road; we still had some miles to our next stop, but we had to stop at the Wawa Goose and take some pics. Lo and behold as we were leaving, several bikers, some on Ventures (Second Generation) pulled in. Well, I HAD to talk to them. Keith (Bikenut) Yedica and I had a lengthy conversation about bikes in general, our trip so far and of course Ventures. (Did I mention I was anxious to get on the road?) We got to our next stop at a Mom and Pop motel at Jackfish Lake in the evening. Unloaded and rode to Terrace Bay for supper. Enjoyed some excellent salmon and fresh whitefish. To my chagrin, we discovered that there were no packaged beer sales in Terrace Bay. “You’ll have to go back to Marathon.” the restaurant cashier said. “Gots to buy beer at the ‘Government Store.’” Next morning it was raining HARD! Waited for it to let up and headed into Terrace Bay for fuel and breakfast. Several bikers were lounging in the restaurant killing time waiting for the rain and fog to lift. We visited with Deb and Steve once again and chatted with a young couple, Brent and Tina, heading around the lake on another Wing. They were from Milwaukee. We finally ventured out (no pun intended) about 1000hours and visited the Aquabason Falls, then headed for Ouimet Canyon where we encountered rain and Brent and Tina. Together we headed for Kakabeka Falls outside Thunder Bay. The weather broke as we neared the falls. Brent and Tina went by while we fueled up in Kakabeka Falls (the village). Having done our requisite pictures we headed for the border. Clearing it in a couple minutes (I didn’t even have to take off my helmet) we made for the Wedgewood Motel north of Grand Marais, Minnesota. Settled in, we rode the two and a half miles to Grand Marais for supper and noticed Steve and Deb in a motel parking lot. They were searching for a place to stay. They had not made reservations for any nights on this trip and were continuing to have difficulty finding rooms. We told them where we were going to have supper and invited them to join us. It took them about an hour, but they finally got a room outside town and joined us for supper at the Gunflint Tavern and some shopping and strolling around downtown Grand Marais. The next morning, following breakfast in a nice café on the waterfront and some shopping in the Ben Franklin store (don’t laugh, Debbie found some very nice stuff in there, $230 worth of stuff) we headed for Duluth. We stopped for fuel in Two Harbors and waved as Brent and Tina hummed past. As for seemingly every city we passed through on this trip, road construction had traffic snarled. By the time we cleared that mess, I was ready for some easy riding, so I turned off US 2 onto Wisconsin 13 that wends its relaxing way through Port Wing, Herbster, Cornucopia, Red Cliff and along the Apostle Island National Lakeshore to Bayfield. We picked up some smoked whitefish at the fish house next to the Coast Guard Station and enjoyed crackers, beer and smoked fish “lupper” on a park bench overlooking the harbor, watching the ferries come and go to Madeline Island. An easy jaunt south to Ashland and the Prentice Park campground completed our day. Thursday dawned beautiful and after fuel and breakfast we rode to Hurley then south on US51 to Pine Lake and County Road G. We take an annual vacation to these parts and I had always wanted to ride this “Wisconsin Rustic Road” on a motorcycle. I was having a great time until I came around a curve and discovered a warning sign of “Loose Gravel” and a freshly constructed road bed of very loose gravel. The Venture definitely does not like gravel but after instructing Debbie to become part of the bike, I rode on for five nervous miles until reaching asphalt again. The remaining ten miles was wonderful. Tight curves, roller coaster hills and pretty little lakes glimpsed through the tunnels of trees. Onward to Wakefield, Silver City and Ontonagon with a stop in Greenland for fuel. Predicatively, we encountered construction in Houghton/Hancock as we rode onto the Keweenaw Peninsula. Upon the recommendation of several guide books we rode the Brockway Mountain Drive. This is not a very good road; very rough pavement, very steep declines. The steep declines wouldn’t be such an issue if one were to use engine braking, but with my engine racing at idle, the brakes took a lot of abuse. The view from the top of Brockway Mountain was spectacular. We descended to Copper Harbor and Ft. Wilkins State Park, where I had reserved a campsite for the night. Having finished setting up camp, we were riding downtown to get supper and met Brent and Tina on their bike heading into the State Park. I hung a “youie” and followed them to the park where we helped them set up their camp next to us. Together we rode to supper in Copper Harbor and shared road tales and beer around the campfire that night. Friday dawned gray and feeling of rain. After a lingering breakfast with Brent and Tina we bid our farewells and Deb and I headed for the “Gay Bar” in Gay, Michigan. Soon after the picture was taken in front of the Gay Bar sign, it began to rain and rained all the way to Baraga. It was a dry ride to Iron River and Rhinelander, Wisconsin. But the rain started again near Wausau as we ventured south on state and county roads. We stayed the night with an old primary and high school classmate who are also bikers. In fact, Mike just completed a SS1000/BB1500 on a Softail. My hat is off to him. I’ll bet that bike didn’t seem like a softail when he was done with that ride. Saturday looked like it was gonna be wet, too, so we donned our rain suits for hopefully the last time and headed for home. After awhile, the skies started showing some blue and we got off the Interstate and just started taking county roads that were heading in the general direction of home. By the time we got to Freeport, Illinois thunderheads were building and rain could be seen in the distance. I jumped back on the Expressway to Rockford and Interstate 39 trying to beat the rain, but I was too slow and we were getting wet as we fueled in Rockford. We arrived home dry though and unpacked in 90 degree heat; something we hadn’t experienced on Lake Superior. Total mileage for the trip was 2830 miles. We were gone ten days, but two and half days (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) were spent with the Venturers. Go here for some pics of the trip: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.206158916104329.53771.100001306650761

Hi, Earl Does the FJR have linked brakes? If not, that would be the reason for it (FJR) not having a proportioning valve, correct? I left the proportioning valve body on the master cylinder and had quite a long session removing the air from the vacant valve body. The pedal seems a bit soft yet, but I can live with it until I change over to stainless steel braided lines this winter, where upon I'll remove the prop valve body and plug the passage with the appropriate bolt. Earl? How is your '87 trunk repair coming? You aren't the guy who is bidding against me for the Ventureline trunk rack on ebay, are you? It is already past my limit and besides I bought a new one (not Yamaha) for a Buy it Now of $45 and free shipping. I haven't got it yet but it looks identical to a Drag Specialties rack I had on my first 1983.

During our Lake Superior Circle Tour I lost the rear brake AGAIN. After trying all the things I tried back in May, June and July to resolve the problem without positive effect, I gutted the proportioning valve of it's contents. A short test ride including panic stops on pavement and gravel roads revealed no objectionable behavior from the rear brake as a result of having no proportioning valve. I am running as is for now, but I don't like the idea. I like the idea of NO rear brake even less, though.

Is it a Ventureline?

Name of Restaurant Embassy Street Address 70 Broadway Street City Wawa State or Province ON Website (Optional) - Quality of Food Good Quality of Service Great Biker Friendly? (Parking, Trusted Location, Etc.) Yes Kind of Food? (Mexican, Chinese, etc.) Homestyle, mainstream Alcohol Served? Yes Additional Comments Downtown. Street Parking. French fries poutine with cheese...mmmmm. Homemade bread and buns paired with a juicy hamburger. And peameal for breakfast if you want.

If the frame is broken, it gets quite a bit lower.

Thomas: In MY kit (I am not certain what is original) there are five sockets: 19, 17, 14, 12, 10mm. I believe there should be six sockets, but I am uncertain what size the sixth should be. I have a box end wrench in 17 and 14mm. There should be another box end; size unknown. Two combination wrenches: 12, 10mm. Large single end box end wrenches: 27, 22, 19mm. "YamaCo" Deluxe adjustable wrench. I am currently looking for accurate information as to what tools are in the original, unadulterated OEM kit for a Venture Royale.

1990 VR. There is one larger box end wrench missing.

Yep, it's an original. Branded zippered pouch with the Venture stylized "V" on the front. The sockets are metric MITOYO, 3/8" drive with extension and ratchet. Perhaps, the Standard didn't have the same tool kit as the Royale? Perhaps the 1990 kit was different than 1988.

I still have the original OEM tool kit in my 1990, but there are some empty pockets for sockets in the pouch. Can anyone inventory a COMPLETE, unadulterated First generation 1986-1993 tool kit and tell me what is supposed to be in there?

Thanks for the consideration Dano. If you have an original Yamaha rack for my bike, that would be ideal. Appreciate it. Earl, that looks very nice on the MK2. A Second Gen rack is definitely a viable option. Thanks for posting your pics. P.S. WOW! You got your crashed trunk replaced already?!

Finding an original Venture Line trunk rack for my 1990 has been a fruitless endeavor. I like the look and quality of the Yamaha rack for the Second Gens., it is readily available and quality seems excellent (unlike the JCWhitney stuff). Has anyone out there in Ventureland ever installed the Yamaha Venture trunk rack intended for the newest Ventures on a First Generation, 1986-1993? If so, pictures would be great.

I was sorry to hear about the accident in the parking lot. I may not have shown enough empathy when we talked this evening, but I am REALLY sorry to hear of your misfortune. Glad (hope) you are alright. Need the name of a good "knee breaker"?

And, I have good news! I have rear brake! Although I can't positively identify the exact cause of the misbehaving proportioning valve, I was finally able to get reliable rear brake application. For the past couple of days I have been trying to remove air WITHIN THE PROPORTIONING VALVE. It seemed to me that there must be some air SOMEWHERE causing the p-valve to block flow. Although the following didn't immediately fix the problem, it seems to have eventually accomplished the cure: I pumped (with the pump function of a Mity-Vac) brake fluid BACKWARDS through the rear bleeder until fluid came out the open reservoir fill hole. I did this several times, with the thought that vacuum sucking wasn't getting the air out of the prop valve as conventional pumping and bleeding wasn't opening the prop valve, so let's try pumping the air back into the reservoir. I also pumped the brake pedal and simultaneously loosened the big (19mm wrench) cap on the prop valve to evacuate air. I would get momentary application of the rear caliper, but then subsequent pedal depressions did NOT apply the brake. I persisted until suddenly, I had normal operation of the rear brake! Repeatedly. For whatever reason, it appears the prop valve would close off the rear brake application pressure if there was any air within the proportioning valve body or rear caliper. At least that is what it seems to me. Apparently the trick is to remove the air, even when the p-valve is closed! I don't think you can bleed the proportioning valve conventionally, i.e. pumping fluid from the rear master cylinder to the rear caliper. Well, maybe if luck is siding with you. Tomorrow morning will be the test. Will the brakes work correctly after sitting overnight? Wish me luck!

Thanks, Gary for taking the time to respond and post pics of the p-valve. I have disassembled the proportioning valve several times and find nothing out of the ordinary or anything that doesn't look like the pics that you posted. As noted above, the hose is clear to the rear caliper. What would a FAULTY proportioning valve look like? Mine looks new, like the one you posted. What if there were a problem with air in the master cylinder that can't be bled out (Earl's theory) or a problem with pressure differential to the front caliper? A restriction in the metering block perhaps? Many people are familiar with what the proportioning valve does when it's working properly, but no one has indicated what would cause a proportioning valve to NOT work properly. The rear brake has worked in the past, what would have caused it to stop functioning?

I replaced the rear caliper with a freshly rebuilt unit from Earl (Skydoc_17) and installed a new master cylinder rebuild kit. Bled the system 'til I am sick of brake fluid and STILL I have no rear brake. Please read previous posts. All symptoms remain. This is really starting to suck!

The driver of a minivan that was rear-ended by a motorcycle in Victorville, Calif., got all the way home before he realized the dazed biker had landed in his back seat, the Victorville Daily News reports. Karen Hunt, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's office, says officials call the incident "a non-injury collision with a twist." Hunt says officers initially feared the biker had gotten caught under the vehicle because callers who reported the accident didn't know where the rider was. Deputies say the driver had slowed to turn into his street when the crash occurred and proceeded for a half-block to his home. Calling out to his wife that he'd been rear-ended and needed to go back, he turned around to find the shocked biker in the back seat, the newspaper says. Hunt says the biker did not need any medical attention because the helmet sustained most of the impact. All he asked for was an icepack for one of his hands, the paper says.

I rode my '90 to Florida and back (Illinois), about 2500 miles in 6 days. My old '83 VR and I went to Canada via WV, NY, MI with no issues (twice). Just ride it...three hundred ain't nuttin'.