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OldGazer

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Everything posted by OldGazer

  1. OldGazer
    You might wanna try buying your headsets from J&M. I just got a replacment headset for $99.00 and change. http://www.jmcorp.com/SeeProducts.asp?PF=12 Sounds MUCHO better now....
  2. OldGazer
    Check the starter. I had a '69 Chevell SS-396 375 HP that did the exact same thing. Turns out the starter motor bushings were worn out. When the engine was cold the starter would turn the engine over and it would start. When the engine was "hot" the starter acted like the battery was dead. The root cause was the worn bushings. When the starter was hot the bushings would expand and let the armature bind.
  3. OldGazer
    Not to hijack this thread, but if you decide to buy a CarbTune, try to find a US vendor. The tool is made in England, and due to a recent terror plot involving copier toner cartridges, every thing coming from "across the pond" is closely inspected. This lenghtens the shipping time by a considerable amount. I bought a CarbTune in Feb. and had to wait over a month for it to arrive in Virginia. With that said, IMHO the CarbTune is definately worth the cost. Excluding warm up time, I had my '91 synched in about 10 minutes. Ride Safe...
  4. OldGazer
    As others have said, those are the carb synch adjustments. The idle adjustment is on the left side between the front (#2) and the rear (#1) carb. Look for a small knob. Turning the knob in increases idle, turning the knob out decreases idle. If you do not have a carb synch tool, DO NOT turn the synch screws.
  5. OldGazer
    Got the details sorted out. I didn't want to go to the local H-D stealer, so I was thinking about doing this myself. While I was looking for a vendor I found a guy right here in Richmond. This is a family owned "dealer". Mom does sales, and son handles installs and tweaks. Took a ride over with my club's prez to check them out. Henry was having some issues with the Voyager on is RS TD, and 1 hour and $40.00 later, H's rig rides great! H was so happy he tipped the guy $10.00. At that point I was sold. Came back to the house and told the GF what the deal was. She calls her mother to pass on the good news, and the old girl said she'd pay for the kit and the install! Gotta love it! Sometime in the next two weeks we will have a trike! Yeeee Hawwww! Y'All Ride Safe, and see Ya at Rolling Thunder!!!!
  6. OldGazer
    Thinking about installing a Voyager Kit on a '91 Venture Royale. I can ride the bike just fine, but since I tip the scales at 150# soaking wet after a good meal, I have some trouble when the GF (who just happens to out weigh me a tad....) is aboard. My riding buddy has a Voyager Kit on his RS TD because he has bad legs, and he loves it. I've done some work on his bike, so I have a good idea of what's there, but I'd like to install the kit myself, so I would really like to know about any "gotchas" there might be. Any input will be greatly appreciated. Y'All ride safe...
  7. OldGazer
    To fix it right you need to pull the carbs, tear them down, clean, and then rebuild and reinstall. This is easier said than done because you will no doubt find ancillary parts (hose clamps, fuel lines, vacuum lines, hose clamps, etc.) that need to be replaced. Once the carbs are back in you need to get them synchronized and adjust fuel/air mixtures and engine idle RPM.
  8. OldGazer
    I am currently a "proby" for a "three patch" club. The local 1%'ers don't hassle us for the simple fact we are all (at a minimum) First Responder certified and we volunteer to provide first aid services to local clubs. The club is Knights Of Life (http://www.knightsoflife.org/index.html), and I am a member of Virginia Chapter #4. The club was founded over 20 years ago in New Jersey by a group of EMTs and Paramedics. If Y'All get to Rolling Thunder this year, stop by and say Hey... BTW: What Boats were you on? I rode USS Tecumseh (SSBN-628). Y'All ride safe...
  9. OldGazer
    Two other possibilities: 1. Some "gorilla" ham handed it and its cross threaded. 2. The fastener had a crack. I busted an exhaust stud on the 951 and had to pull the head to get it fixed.... When I looked at the stud, it was cracked about 1/2 way through. The darned thing broke with very little torque applied....
  10. OldGazer
    I'm not sure how your "mod" will affect a V-4, but since someone mentioned Harley's, I can add some info. For stree riding, Harley's don't like straight pipes. I know a lot of guys who run straight pipes, and they all have tuning issues. For a carbed bike they play around with the jetting, "torque cones" or buy S&S carbs (a HUGE waste of money!!!), or run a dual fire ignition, and the FI owners play with "fuel packs" (a fancy name for an engine management computer), software 'upgrades', and resistor networks to modify the O2 sensor output. All of these things are treating the symtoms and not the problem. The problem is exhaust gas reversion, and its root cause is ignition design/timing versus valve timing versus pipe length (http://mech2262.drupalgardens.com/content/exhaust-reversion) . Harleys use a single fire or "wasted spark" ignition. With this type of ignition BOTH plugs fire at the same time. When you take out the stock cross-over and run straight pipes, the engine is more prone to "carb farting", running lean, the torque curve is shifted higher on the RPM range, gas mileage decreases, and slow speed control (U-Turns, smooth starts from a stop, ect.) becomes more difficult. From a stree/performance stand point a Harley rider has two options: Run a 2-into1 exhaust system, or run the stock exhaust. My 883 Sportster has a stock exhaust system with the muffler baffels removed, a stock Harley CV carb with stock jets, stock ignition, and a "Screamin' Eagle" air cleaner with a K&N filter. The advantage of the SE AC is the aluminum backplate. Much better than the stock plastic unit. With this setup I get a nice stable idle, very good throttle response/control, a louder than stock but not obnoxious exhaust note, VERY good performance, and I average 50 MPG city. One final note: Performace, Reliability, Cost. Pick any two. Y'All ride safe....
  11. OldGazer
    This is a common problem with aluminum engines, steel fasteners, heat cycles, and coolant. I used to have 3 water cooled Porsches (2 944 NAs, and a 951 Turbo). The biggest nightmare was snapping a 10mm water pump bolt. The solution is to use Anti-Sieze on EVERY steel fastener that goes into aluminum threads. Y'All ride safe....
  12. OldGazer
    How about a link for a 1991 Venture Royale owner manual? I saw one on e-bay a while back, but missed it by this much..... Thanks....
  13. OldGazer
    Been goin' thru the "drip, drip, drip" blues myself. The first leak was the Drain/thermostat by-pass O-Ring. Next it was water pump seals (rebuilt the wp this past weekend). Now I'm getting a "cold temperature leak" from around the thermostat area. I think the leak is actually coming from the t-stat hose. When I was looking for the source I wiped every thing dry and then watched for coolant. What I noticed is the end of the t-stat hose is swollen. I suspect the hose has a defect/crack/hole internally and the internal fabric is wicking coolant. In any case, after reading about the t-stat housing, I am going full bore and will change the housing, seals, t-stat hose, and the smaller hose that goes from the radiator to the drain cock. Y'All ride safe...
  14. OldGazer
    Item # 11-1112 is $92.95. I must have clicked the wrong thing last night and came up with a price just shy of $500.00.....
  15. OldGazer
    I checked the fork tubes and they are even with the top of the tree, so I'm good to go there. I also checked on Progressive springs.... My wallet passed out, turned blue, and went limp.... I checked a local dealer's web site (Commonwealth Powersports) and new stock springs are about $63.00 each. Much better price, and seeing as how I'm a "stock kinda guy," I think I'll go that route this winter. In the mean time I'll just live with things as they are. After I checked the suspension out I removed and resealed the water pump. Only thing I didn't have with me was a set of snap ring pliers.... (The bike is parked at my club prez's house next to his RS TD/Voyager Trike). Took me a little longer getting the pump apart, but so what.... The oil seal and the spring loaded main seal were toast. The ceramic seal looked OK, but I changed every thing, including the O-rings for the pump cover and the plastic connector pipe. Coolant system checks out fine, no runs, no drips, and no errors. Fan comes on at about the middle of the temp gage, and riding temps never got above the black line below mid-scale.... Sweet... Tomorrow is a riding day..... Thanks for the help fellas, and Y'All ride safe....
  16. OldGazer
    I'll take a look at my '03 883 XLH when I get home. Spending the weekend at the club prez's house (Kinghts of Life Virginia Chapter #4). I'll try to get back to you Monday. Ride Safe.....
  17. OldGazer
    My side stand length checks out. I'll check the forks in the morning before I tear into the water pump (Time for new seals....drip, drip, drip....). Thanks for the tips.... Y'All Ride safe...
  18. OldGazer
    I dont' think the bike has been lowered, but I really have no way of knowing. I'm the third owner, and the previous owner is (to be kind) mechanically challenged. What clues should I look for? Since I don't have enough ass (I weigh in at 150# after a good meal), getting the bike on the center stand is impossible with out a helper.... As for the fork travel question, I suspect the forks could use some maintenance. At speed (say 70 to 80 MPH) the bike can get a little twichy, and hitting a bump can rattel my teeth.... One thing that may help get me on the right track is knowing what the stock ground clearance is supposed to be....
  19. OldGazer
    Condor: Tires are properly inflated, and I played with the CASS settings before I broke out the grinder.... I've never had a bike that doesn't lean when its on the kick stand....
  20. OldGazer
    '91 Venture Royal. Stupid thing stands almost straight up when its on the kick stand. Makes it kinda difficult to put the stand up with a passenger aboard 'cause I have to lean the bike to the right. I took the stand off and used a grinder to flatten the foot. Apparently the mold is shaped so the foot has a "peak" at the mold line. This gave the bike a little lean, but not as much as I'd like. Question is, is this an inherent design characteristic, or is the stand too long. HINT: The stand was replaced by the pervious owner. Thanks! Y'All ride safe....
  21. OldGazer
    Upped the tire pressures to 40 front and 42 rear. The bike rides like it's on rails now. There is still some shake from wind buffeting, but it is expected and manageable. The tires are Dunlop Qualifiers, not Bridgstones. Y'All Ride Safe....
  22. OldGazer
    Thanks Fellas. I should have known not to trust the sticker. A wise man told me to use the "4 to 6 rule" to determine the optimum pressures for a given bike/tire combination. The rule states that a properly inflated tire will exhibit a 4 to 6 psi pressure increase between cold and hot pressure. An over inflated tire will exhibit less than 4 psi and an under inflated tire will exhibit more than 6 psi. This is based on the amount of heat generated by side wall flex. At present the bike has Bridgestones. Not sure of the model. The bike is back in Carson VA, and I'm down in Columbia SC for the weekend. I'll check the tires as soon as I get back home. Y'All Ride Safe...
  23. OldGazer
    I'm still trying to get used to my "new" ride (only had it for three weeks), and I'm a little concerned about how the bike behaves "at speed" on the superslab. Just putting around the back roads and city streets the bike is fine, but when I'm out on the superslab the bike is all over the place and it gets worse when the wind is blowing, or when I get blasted by another vehicle's slip stream. What freaks me out is this bike gets blown around more than my Harley Sportster, and the Sportster is 200 pounds lighter than the Venture. Another thing I've noticed is the bike is real sensitive to steering inputs (leaning into turns). The only way I can think of to describe this is to say the bike is 'twitchy,' almost like the center of gravity is off (higher than it should be ?). At first I thought the tire pressures were too low, but both front and rear are at 32 psi as per the label in the travel trunk. I realize that with the fairing, wind shield and such this bike has more "sail area," but this behavior is real scary, and I have a feeling it will get worse once I have a passenger onboard. Is this an inherent charistaric of the breed, am I just too light for this bike (I tip the scales at 140# or so) or is there something seriously wrong? TIA... Y'All Ride Safe....
  24. OldGazer
    I was bleeding the brakes the other day and ran into a problem with the rear fluid reservoir. The problem is I could not find an easy way to top it off. I tried using a funnel, but the "spout" was too large to fit. My GF came up with an idea: Use a stiff plastic tube and a funnel. Check out the attached pics.... The tube is the perfect size to thread into the plug hole, it is stiff enough to hold the funnel upright, and transparent enough to show fluid level. Who says women aren't smart? Y'All ride safe...
  25. OldGazer
    Taken with my cell camera....
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