Prairiehammer

Actually, the cover is a modified VentureLine cover. Notice the abrupt seam where material was added to the original Venture cover. Also, the cover has the heat resistant material along the bottom edge. I don't think that would be necessary on this trike. Never the less, Yamaha never made a "factory trike". In fact, no major motorcycle manufacturer ever produced a trike from their factory, excepting, of course Harley Davidson and even their trike was never intended as a highway tourer. (The newish Tri-Glide is a highway cruiser, but back in the day the Servi-car was a utility vehicle with a rigid rear axle, ie. no suspension.) The current seller got fed a line by the previous owner, who in turn may have been sold a line of BS by another owner or by a dealer? The trike body is unidentifiable. There are some elements that resemble parts of a Tri-Wing, some parts that are reminiscent of vintage Motor Trike. It looks like a pure custom job, to me. Whoever created it did a pretty good job, though. The esthetics are questionable, but details like the built in wrap around tail lights and the double trunk are novel. The matching paint and the use of the 1987 Venture saddlebag latches to secure the trunk lid are what prolly fooled the current owner.

Hunh! I thought Joe would have shaved and trimmed since last year. I seriously wonder what Bobbi has to say about that "Sasquatch"? What say you, @etcswjoe ?

Pshaw! You call that a launch ramp? Here's a REAL launch ramp, on the Interstate. Can you imagine tooling along at 75 mph about Midnight and hit that?

:yikes:Oh, MAN! We are heading for Southwestern Colorado in 10 days. I sure hope it moderates before then. Camping.

Never correct to have but one copper/crush washer on ANY banjo bolt.

How the heck did you manage to fit a 17mm hex into a 15mm socket? And if you were able to get it in there, why did you have to glue it? Seems like it would be a VERY tight fit.

Yes, you did, Doug. Thanks.

The Yamaha part number for the saddlebag and trunk gasket/seal is 54K-2847F-00-00. There is a seller on eBay offering the seal. http://www.ebay.com/itm/TRAVEL-TRUNK-LID-SADDLEBAG-SEAL-54K-2847F-00-XVZ12-XVZ13-1983-1993-/331204614483?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4d1d555953&vxp=mtr&rmvSB=true

Gary, Get the springs from any of several sellers on eBay. Starting at $74 with free shipping. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Progressive-Suspension-Fork-Springs-11-1112-/191883163046?hash=item2cad20b5a6:g:7uIAAOSwUfNXSSxr&vxp=mtr I thought you had a Service Manual? Changing springs and/or fork oil is explained in it.

Your "SIGNAL" fuse is blown or as is very common, the fuse holder clips are not holding the fuse firmly and a poor connection at the fuse results. Replacing the old fuse box with a ATC/ATO type fuse block is recommended. Here is my setup:

Yes. @Mcolabella Here is a picture of that fuse block:

Thank you Hoss and Holly (Dale and Daryl).

Thanks, Doug. Yes, "001416" is a later build. (and second gear updated/fixed from the factory). What is the build date on 000512? November 1984?

No. Pull the carbs a bit out the left side. Run the throttle adjust nut at the handlebar in to get some free cable. Loosen the adjustment coupler right at the carb all the way. Pull that cable housing up from the carb cable holder and slide the cable through the slot in the carb mounted holder, there's enough slack to get it out of the holder. Then you can tip the carbs to see how to disconnect it. Roll the carbs and take the cable off. The choke is easy; loosen the clamp and slide the cable free.

Hey, Puc. Here is an old pic of Denden and your bike. Circa 2000, I think.

That part is available here for $17.18. http://www.boats.net/parts/detail/yamaha/Y-26H-12469-01-00.html On eBay here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-26H-12469-01-00-26H-12469-01-00-JOINT-1-/182098493569?hash=item2a65ea8081

One does not have to remove the upper fairings or the battery or the battery box or the coil pack rack to remove the TCI. I have removed and relocated the TCI on all three of my Ventures. Remove the side covers. Remove the top cover. Remove the triangular "chromed" pieces that attach to the radiator cover. Optional. Remove the lower fairings. Optional. Remove the air box. Use a #3 Phillips or #3 JIS hex screwdriver insert, one inch long. Place the screwdriver insert into a ¼" socket. Run a length of electrical tape around the socket and insert to keep the insert from falling out. Use a shorty ratchet with the socket. Easy peasey.

Thanks, Glen. Your "blue" 1984 is actually called "Orion Silver" primary color, "Aurora Silver" secondary color. Confusing, isn't it? Regardless, your Canadian Standard Venture is the same color as the 1984 US Standard Venture.

For years, maybe decades, I've commented on the huge expense incurred in this country, just to get a mowed lawn. Not counting the cost of the expensive equipment. Not counting the huge expenditure in time/labor. Not counting the cost of repairs and maintenance. Just counting the cost of fuel: 800 MILLION gallons annually at $2.50 gallon equals 20 BILLION dollars. Seems like we would be better off with Xeriscaping. Or sheep. Or meadows. Or ...

Oh, so close (to getting this famous bike's VIN). But the last four digits of the displayed VIN is illegible. Now that you have completed your trip, would you PM the VIN? Thanks. And as a not insignificant aside: you are a true adventurer. My hat is doffed to you.

Yes, it could be, but personally, I would suspect fuel delivery. When you say the rpms drop to "zero", do you mean the tach quits reading any rpm or do you mean the engine actually stops rotating? If the tach drops to zero and the engine is still running, then yes, that is a tell tale of #2 cylinder (from which the TCI gets its signal) has stopped getting an ignition signal from/to the TCI.

I agree that fuel delivery seems to be the issue, although I doubt it is the fuel pump. Of course it could be a bad pump, but First Gen fuel pumps rarely fail. Several things could inhibit fuel delivery: Crimped or partially plugged fuel supply lines. Plugged fuel filter. Faulty fuel pump. Unvented fuel tank. This last issue may be caused by a stuck closed "roll over valve". The roll over valve is a check valve in line with the fuel tank vent. Its purpose is to prevent fuel spillage out the tank vent in the event of a tip over. The check valve has been known to fail in the closed position. If closed, the tank will not vent. If the tank is not vented to atmosphere, a vacuum will form within the tank as the fuel is consumed. Fuel will not then flow unimpeded to the fuel pump or carburetors. If the problem is an unvented tank, a quick way to test for this condition is to remove the fuel filler cap. If a swoosh sound is exhibited (as if air was quickly filling the fuel tank), then the failure of the tank vent is indicated.

Thank you, Glen. Canadian Standards are infrequently contributed to the database. I appreciate it. Because the Canadian Ventures sometimes did not share the US colors of respective years, could you elaborate about the color of your Venture?