Prairiehammer

Yes, the white wire with a red stripe is the lead that sends the electrolyte level sensor signal to the CMS. DO NOT connect full battery voltage to the white/red wire (as apparently the PO did). You need to insert a resistor inline between a 12 volt source and the sensor lead to extinguish the battery electrolyte level warning light. The old tried and true method called for a 2.2K ohm resistor, but some have maintained that the resistor value should be 22K ohm to mimic the original sensor voltage. Either value will work. Hopefully, there was no permanent damage done to the CMS because of the excessive voltage.

You may have gotten water into the ambient noise sensing microphone.

Which four have you removed? IMHO, there is a need to remove just two jets (main jet and pilot jet), plus the main bleed pipe and the pilot screw. The rest of the jets are air jets (pilot air jet #1, pilot air jet #2, main air jet, purge jet #1, purge jet #2). The air jets have never had fuel in them, thus are not going to be gummed up. A shot of spray carb cleaner through the air jets should suffice. The needle jet passes fuel/air mixture, but the jet orifice is so large as to rarely require cleaning. You may find that the two rubber plugs fitted into the jet block require replacement. Often the rubber ages and becomes non-compliant (hard) and some shrinkage.

You can still buy them new from Yamaha. $$$104.99 New OEM from Boats.net are $67.38 Can't help you concerning aftermarket, never looked for any, but I suspect there are some. The ignition coil is same for these Yamaha models: 1983-1993 Venture, 1985-2007 V-Max, 1987 SRX250, 1984-2001 Riva 125, 1983-1985 Riva 180, 1987-1990 Riva 200. You might consider converting to "Coil Over/On Plug" (COP). Dingy on this site has the writeup on such. Another Venture Rider did a COP conversion as well. Can't remember who that was.

A full report on Full Bore tires, Pucs perspective... ________________________________________ I know most of you have already found the perfect tires for your bikes and stick to whatever brand that may be and I TOTALLY get that. However, I tend to enjoy living a little more dangerously (another flaw in my character) and like knowing first hand whether or not things are as advertised. Yep, even in tires. That said, I have had my share of flat tires; know firsthand that sick feeling of a flat tire on a loaded tour bike; have had to change tires in some less than desirable places, with less than desirable tools; that’s all part of the adventure we call motorcycle touring. And I have had to pay the price of being bent over by an out of town bike shop rip off artist charging 3 times the price for a stinking 404, too. Not fun, but that’s life on the road. Conversely, I’ve also had the privilege of dealing with places like Jim’s in Johnson City, Tennessee. He sold me a Dunlop E2 at dealer cost and gave me the grand tour of their upstairs bike museum because he felt as bad about the piece of steel going thru my brand new Shinko as I did. Or maybe, he just liked Tippy ‘n me. Experiencing the good with the bad makes for a GREAT trip, especially if you focus on the good and let the bad take care of itself; a mind game some folks can’t win. If you’re still reading this commentary, you are probably a little like me: interested in what’s out there in less expensive, good value tires. Or, maybe you are some sicko waiting to hear about some wacko biker who fell off his bike ‘cause he chose to try another cheap tire. (Lord, I hope that ain’t the case!) Regardless of why you are reading this, PLEASE READ THROUGH THE ENTIRE STORY BELOW. DON’T QUIT HALF WAY. THIS IS IMPORTANT! Back in May, just before heading west, I stuck a brand new Metzeler 880 on the rear of the bike. I have made several trips to the west coast and have NEVER had a rear tire survive the torture of my desert touring. My experience has been one tire to get out there and another tire to get back home. I have used everything from Avon to Pirellis and they all seem to come in the same. None of tires seemed to like the desert heat like I do! The Metzeler was amazing in its wear. By the time we got to Sacramento it still had 1/3 of its tread left! I was VERY impressed. Acknowledging that I had to go back home at some point, I ordered another tire; however, I had enough confidence in the Metz to complete our tour of Oregon and Washington before replacing it. Before leaving The Dalles and the VentureWest Rally, I inspected both my tires, as well as my dear friend, Sergeant Coffey’s tires, because I love him. The Metz looked good with very little additional wear on it. Tip and I returned to Sacramento the long way, had fun getting a little lost and rode some HOT pavement. What I discovered when we got back GAVE ME THE CREEPS! The Metzeler had shed its outer core like a dog sheds water! There had been NO WARNING! PLEASE REREAD THAT AND REMEMBER WHAT I JUST WROTE! Have you ever seen those chunks of truck tires laying on the highway? I was always told they come from retreads. What I saw under the protruding tread of the Metz, made me wonder if “Metzeler” and “retreads” are synonymous. Shortly after discovering the tire condition, I posted some pics of the failure. A very close friend with outstanding mechanical ability responded to that post with a learned warning about Metzeler Tires. Squidley commented about an experience he and Lonna had that sounded almost life threatening. I’m paraphrasing here: “Stay the heck away from Metzeler tires! Never again!” I have to say, Squidley, I am there with you. That was one ugly situation developing with that Metz! Before we had left for The Dalles, I had jumped online and looked for my next tire to torture. I noticed a brand called “Full Bore” for a very reasonable price, about 75 bucks shipped. I called the folks at JCCYCLE and inquired about the load capacity of the 140 size touring tire from Full Bore. The tech said the book stated 903 pounds; sounded good to me! Got back online and ordered one. When we returned from Venturewest, (with my retread coming apart), the Full Bore was waiting. I used C-clamps, a wedge and a sledge hammer to break the bead on the Metz, (stay away from the wheel if you ever try this). I opened the box containing the new Full Bore and immediately discovered that the load capacity on the tire stated 756 pounds. Bummer dude. However, the tire looked beefy and was made in Korea (better than china IMHO). WHAT TO DO? WHAT TO DO? Finally, I decided: “What da heck, what da hay, give it try”. The worst that could happen is it will fall apart from the heat and I will be stuck paying three times the price for another Dunlop 404, OR, OTOH, maybe find another Jims! I kept a VERY close eye on the FULL BORE! From the heat of the Utah desert to the elevation changes of Glacier, through the back country dirt roads of Montana and up the twisties of the Black Hills, IT DID GREAT! I checked air pressure every morning cold and it was consistent. I was and am impressed! Sitting in the garage now, after completing its mission, the Full Bore has less tread than the Metzeler when it came apart and yet it cost less than half of what I paid for the Metz, it handled the twisties really well (I don’t ride like some of you hard riders, but I do tend to lean her down once in a while) and it got Tippy and me home safely after a very fun ride! I know all of you are bored to death by now, but I must put a plug in here for these cheap Conti Tours, too. I had a chance to grab a couple front mount Contis this past Spring for about 70 bucks each, shipped. I AM GLAD I GRABBED EM! I installed one of the Conti Tours on the front before we left. WOW, that tire endured the arduous trip and is showing no sign of dipping, cupping or funny wear. The Conti held the road great and still has some of its little mold nips between the tread! AMAZING! Dragonrider, if you read all this, you probably know I typed it on the tablet; sorry for any mistakes, feel free to correct any typos you find. Tips and my daughter took the laptop away from me... Get out and wear out some tires folks! Puc

The red wire attached to the positive battery terminal is not safe. The cut end could short to the frame and with no fuse, there would be a risk of melted wire or battery damage. The red wire is not OEM. It is presumably a 12 volt tap for a previous owner installed accessory. The reason your battery low electrolyte warning light is on, is because the battery electrolyte level sensor is missing or disconnected.

Thanks for the trip report. What a trip, eh? Memories! "Guess who".

Yes, most of the jets in the Venture (Mikuni) carbs have embossed numbers. But, Mikuni jets are not labeled with the jet opening diameter. The number on a Mikuni jet reflects flow capability, not diameter. It is unlikely that you would need to replace the jets, unless someone has tampered and/or messed with them. The one possible exception MIGHT be a totally un-cleanable pilot jet. The Service Manual has all the jets and their sizes listed, if you need to replace them.

The common "rebuild kit" parts are gaskets/O-rings as well as float valve seat and needle. These particular parts are usually in a kit. The kit will suffice for all First Gen carbs, irrespective of year. George has the best price for these kits: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1x-86-07-VMAX-CARB-KIT-VMX1200-V-MAX-83-93-XVZ13-VENTURE-VENTURE-ROYALE-/191236302711?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3AVmax+1200&hash=item2c86926777&vxp=mtr If, you are in need of jets, then that is a different story. Jets varied over the years/models.

Good find, Bill. You can get them here as well for a lot less money. Also, try this google search for a multitude of hits: https://www.google.com/search?q=Two+Hole+Base+Twist+Stud&client=firefox-a&hs=zzE&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=rcs&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=3Ba8U8_qPI6zyATe2ILIDA&ved=0CEQQsAQ&biw=1876&bih=965&dpr=0.9#imgdii=_

It appears that 4XY-26312-00-00 has been superseded by 4XY-26312-10-00. But, neither of those part numbers match up to a Tour Deluxe; your stated part numbers are for the Venture. According to the microfiche, a 2007 Tour Deluxe requires 1D6-26312-00-00 or 1D6-26311-00-00 for upper throttle cables. If you are looking for the lower throttle cables, the 'fiche calls for 4XY-26313-00-00 and 4XY-2631J-00-00 All of the above available.

You are correct, that is the California mandated fuel vapor recovery charcoal canister. While you don't have to do anything, be aware that the associated hoses can leak and the solenoid valve malfunction. If you would, could you tell me the complete VIN for your Venture? I am maintaining a database of First Gen Venture VIN with build date, colors, mileage, etc. Thanks.

Here is a review of several online auction sites. Until I searched, I was unaware of many of them. I know nothing about these sites or their specialties, if any. But you asked for some hints. Good luck.

Unless you have some aberrant noise or vibration that you have diagnosed to be due to a bad U-joint, there is probably no need to check the U-joint. Removing the U-joint requires removal of the swing arm. Fairly big job just to 'check' the universal. One could try removing the rubber bellows and peering at the still obscured U-joint, but replacing that rubber dust seal is fraught with problems. As for the final drive lubricant, use 80/90 weight gear oil with a GL-4 rating.

It sounds like you need to bleed the hydraulic clutch actuating system. If the hydraulic fluid becomes contaminated, usually with absorbed water, the heat acts to vaporize the water in the fluid, resulting in the failure of the clutch to disengage. Flush your clutch hydraulics and bleed.

If you pulled the rear end, perhaps you didn't get the drive shaft into the universal joint and now it is bound up?

I used the SB8125L. Don't the SB8125LL stick out too far? You can also buy the Speed Bleeders direct from the manufacturer.

Deb and I will be there. Might be in the Magnum, but don't ask.

I have been compiling First Gen VIN for a few years. I've entered all VINs that I have encountered through eBay sales, internet salvage sales and other ways. Sometimes I have been fortunate to note the build date with the VIN as well as mileage, color and sale location. If any one will provide me with their VIN I will return via email the Excel database I have compiled. But to answer your question Chris; the only completely accurate way to determine build date is by noting the date on the VIN sticker. I can sometimes extrapolate an approximate date of manufacture of a given VIN, but not precisely. For instance, regarding your quest for a February 1984 built bike, I can say that VIN 41R006EA001766 was built in 01/84 and VIN 59H000FA000394 was built in 11/84 (as an '85). The latest 1984 VIN I have is 41V006EA003008, but no build date. Sorry, but I don't have more information than that as far as build date is concerned. Most of my compiled VIN do not include build date.

I, too had the stripped screw in the load coil (for adjusting the SWR) as well as a missing ball tip and a somewhat bent upper SS part of the antennae. I replaced the factory antennae with a Firestik FL3B Firefly and a low profile base, HS818TNKT with 18' Coax w/ removable PL259 and Terminator stud. Got both in under 24 hours from Walcott CB. http://www.walcottcb.com/firestik-fl3b-firefly-fiberglass-cb-antenna-black-p-897.html http://www.walcottcb.com/18-coax-removable-pl259-and-terminator-stud-p-199.html

If you dry and reuse the old desiccant, be sure to sift out the powder, if any. The fines have been known to get through the screen and cause issues with the solenoid valves.

If you have the brackets for the 1983-1985 Yamaha VentureLine backrest, any VentureLine backrest, from any year, will fit into the brackets. The pad may not match your bike's seat, but the backrest will mount up.

Bob, don't change the location of the hex. When the Snagglestuds are fully screwed on, there is about an 1/8th inch clearance between the hex and the handlebars. In the pic, I didn't have the 'Studs fully tightened.

This month's Rider magazine has an article about Northwest Arkansas Rides. One is through Branson. Check it out:

Um. Yeah. Isn't that how you designed them?