Prairiehammer

You mean you haul that sailboat all the way to Roosevelt via Tortilla Flats? On that sometimes one way dirt road?

Those lens are still available new. The lens are for a 'Baron Mini Twin' by Drag Specialties, PN. is DS-280168 (I think). Some over priced ones show up on Ebay, but you can find them cheaper at various motorcycle retailers. IIRC last time I saw some they were $2.50 or so.

I still find it incongruous that there are SAILORS in Arizona. Desert Southwest and all.

Nanner, nanner. You don't scare me! You WOULD NOT want to extradite me from Illinois. I WILL bring the Winter Wrath down upon your sunburned souls. (And given some warning, I could even go to Milwaukee and transport the Snowper Charger with me on Southwest carry on. Cowpuc missed the miniaturized Snowper Charger in the basement, situated next to the Bridgeport.)

I am contemplating a trip to Arizona this winter. I have to warn you, though; EVERY time I have Ventured to Arizona in the winter (that's the only time I care to experience Arizona), the Illinois winter weather has tagged along. In fact, the last time I was in Phoenix (2006), it SNOWED!! If you want me to stay away from Tucson, I will expect $1000 to be deposited in my PayPal account. Don't involve the authorities.

In the body of the 1987 ad, did you note the claim that Yamaha had sold 30,000 Ventures since 1983? I think I need to find a whole bunch more VIN.

I suffer from CDO... It's like OCD, but in alphabetical order... LIKE IT SHOULD BE!!

Yes, Debbie and I are IBMC members, although we have yet to make it to any of their camp outs.

Here are jpg scans of the RoadRider article "Minor Model Changes" about a tour test of the 1987 Venture by Clement Salvadori. If the scans are too small to read, I'll repost the scans as pdf.

Here is a 'test' post of a Yamaha Venture ad from that 1987 magazine. A jpg scan of the ad(s) is not easily readable in the size that is allowed here, so I scanned it as a pdf. We'll see how that works. Yamaha Venture Advertisement_0001.pdfYamaha Venture Advertisement.pdf

RoadRider morphed into Motorcycle Consumer News back twenty years or so ago. MCN is still being published. Perhaps they won't mind?

I didn't buy that particular magazine on eBay, because I already have it. I've eleven issues from 1987 Road Rider magazine, missing February. I'm not sure about copyright issues. Am I allowed to scan and post the article?

The floats are solid, though buoyant. There have been some reports that the float can become 'fuel-logged'. Some have attempted to dry them thoroughly and then coat with a fuel resistant sealer. Mixed results. Your parts guy is correct about the 1983-1985 floats being different from 1986-1993, but I don't know the difference. It does seem odd that there would be a difference.

Thank you, Jack for the Second Gen VIN, but so far I am limiting my endeavor to the generation I am most familiar with. I've not attempted a similar database utilizing Second Gen numbers, yet. Having said that, I do know that all of your Second Gen VIN reflect California marketed Ventures. The part of the VIN that identifies the California Ventures is 'VP04Y', specifically the 'Y'. US49 Ventures are 'VP04E' and Canadian intended Ventures are 'VP04N'. Each market has a distinct serial number range. For instance: 2004 California XVZ13TF appears to have a serial number ranging from VP04Y-0000537 through VP04Y-0000596 (59 units). Whereas, 2004 US49 XVZ13TF range from VP04E-0006870 through VP04E-0007818 (948 units). And Canadian 2004 XVZ13TF range from VP04N-0001188 through VP04N-0001583 (395 units). Like I said, the Second Gen is not my bailiwick; I have just started to decipher the VIN on the XVZ13TF and XVZ13TFS.

Now I am confused. I thought the 'pond' you spoke of was Lake Michigan, but Lake Michigan is 78.22 miles wide from Muskegon to Milwaukee. Is there another big pond that has surfaced since I last rode around Lake Michigan and through Muskegon?

For several years I have been compiling First Generation Venture VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). I've entered the accumulated VIN into an Excel database. It is rather an OCD thing I suppose, however, the database has proven useful to me and other Venture owners by providing some insight into such Yamaha vagaries as annual production numbers, export market differences and accurate model designations for the purpose of obtaining the correct parts for a specific motorcycle. Perhaps you would be so kind as to forward me your Venture's full VIN, the manufacturing date and the Venture's current mileage, so that I may enter it into the database? The VIN is located at two locations on the First Generation Ventures. The VIN is stamped into the frame at the steering neck, but that location makes it difficult to read the VIN on the Venture. However, there is also an applied white label on the lower frame rail beneath the rear brake pedal, that contains the VIN. The VIN is easily read there. The VIN consists of 17 characters and digits and starts with 'JYA'. On the same label, the manufacturing date is shown. The manufacturing date is formatted as month/year, i.e.: '4/83', '8/87', etc. I will send you a copy of this database if you wish. If you want a copy, include an email address where I can send the Excel file. Thank you for your consideration.

I find it difficult to navigate the 'Community' (list of members). The only sortable column is the member username. If I recall correctly, the old community list was sortable by state?

The Gold Wing passenger armrests have been spoken for. Sorry, Andy.

Some months back there was a thread that talked about these videos on U-tube and there was someone who asserted that the mustached, neck tie wearing instructor was our very own Marcarl. I never saw whether that was confirmed. Is the instructor/narrator REALLY Carl?

I picked up an incomplete (they lacked the arm pads) pair of passenger armrests some time back that was claimed to have come off a MKII Venture. I couldn't figure out to make the bracketry work on my 1990 and never installed them. But in my research, I discovered that the one I had was originally for an Eighties Gold Wing. Apparently the Venture owner had cut-off some Gold Wing specific brackets and had clamped the bracket to the passenger hand rails with U-bolts. I'm not positive, but it appears so. Here are some pics of what I got and some pics of what the unmodified Gold Wing bracket looks like. If anyone wants the brackets for their own McGivering, shoot me a PM. Yours for the cost of postage.

Not much. And this list is just for the Venture. I have to refurbish a trailer I obtained, as well.

As long as the battery is maintained at a full charge, it will not freeze. Either way, indoors or outdoors, you should keep a tender on it. Not a trickle charger, but a true 'tender' or maintainer, that will cycle on and off as required to maintain a full charge.

Here is a complete front fork air assembly for just $7.50 plus shipping. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1983-yamaha-venture-xvz-1200-FORK-TUBE-AIR-NOZZLES-AIR-HOSES-/141102565641?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item20da5e4909&vxp=mtr In your case, remove the hose that connected to the compressor and install the shorter hose with the Schrader valve onto the existing fork air collar.

Yes, although the access to the front fork air hose is more difficult.