RedRider

I used them for an old Kawasaki KZ440 rebuild. The parts fit perfectly and were reasonably priced. I need to save this link as I recall taking several hours with Google to find these guys. RR

Puc, The short answer is 'Yes'. The sidestand is strong enough to carry the weight of the bike. I had a tire starting to show cord while cruising across South Dakota several years ago (last time I will ever run a D404 - it was only about 4000 miles old). Found a local Honda dealer in Chamberlain, SD that had a E3 in stock. Pulled into their shop and the technician asked if I had tools to help (I wanted to get it done in a hurry and he was elbow deep in another job). Yes, I did. Took the saddle bags off, removed the throttle side muffler, loosened the brake caliper bracket, loosened the axle pinch bolt, and removed the axle nut from the clutch side. This was done while on the side stand. The technician came over and put a floor jack under the foot board clamp and jacked it up with most of the weight being carried by the sidestand. I had never seen this done. We pulled the axle and removed the tire. While he was changing out the tire, I asked where his Honda Moly60 was so I could lube the drive splines (pointed to his workbench). Overall, I was back on the road in under 30 minutes (and about $300 lighter in the wallet if I recall correctly). Paid the tech a $20 tip for his help and for letting me help so it could be done faster. So, yes, the sidestand can hold the weight (sample test size of 1). RR

Yamagrl FTW. There are times to get the professionals involved. Ride over to your local locksmith and have them extract it. Then have them make a replacement / duplicate. Win-Win. FYI - I have had mixed results with ACE/TrueValue keys for motorcycles. Some work, some don't. Never had a locksmith made key not work perfectly. There is a reason they get paid like the professionals they are. RR

Nice. Where in FtW? I graduated from Homestead back in the days of the open basketball playoffs. RR

Start worrying when you DON'T hear the fuel pump clicking. RR

Why do the tombstones need to be replaced? If you wire them correctly, what is the issue? RR

Tombstones are the white ends where the tubes go into. Turn them over and they look like tombstones.

Thank you for this link. Just purchased 4 of the 5000k 4' bulbs to install just over the lift. If they work as expected, I will order the additional 14 for the balance of the shop. Been wanting to do this for a while. Just couldn't bring myself to spend so much on lights. RR

Welcome to VR. What is listed above is good info. 1) Change fluids - I use Rotella T dino oil, everyone has their own preference. Just make sure the oil you choose does not have "energy conserving' additives as your clutch will slip. a) DOT4 for brakes and clutch. b) 80W90 gearoil (or synthetic equivalent) for rear drive. 2) Check the rear shock. If there is fluid on the bottom, it may be blown. Known issue (mine lasted 100k miles, most don't). 3) Check the luggage rack mount and the trunk mount to the bike. I seem to recall the '99s had some cracking issues. 4) Carb sync. Easy to do if you have a multicarb sync gauge. 5) If you hear some clicking in the rear end when rolling it slowly forward, it is likely the drive pins in the rear wheel. They usually need lubed with Honda Moly60. Add gas, and ride. Again, welcome. RR

Wow, my final drive has never been that clean. If mine was weeping, not sure I would even notice. RR

Mapsource is no longer supported by Garmin. It still works, but they don't support it or add any features to it. Basecamp is the Garmin mapping software now. Good to know the new map database is out. Time to get the old 550s updated. RR

Jeff, I am an engineer also, so I understand. They were clamped solid with a washer between the link and the pivot. Let me look at these more closely in the morning. It should be fairly easy to determine wear versus displacement if examined more closely. BTW, I have the OEM links and this set of damaged links (and a set of new DiamondR links - currently uninstalled). I would be very interested in a hardness test. Anybody have a test gauge we can use? RR

If no one else will say it, I will. That fix for replacing the plug wires rocks. Thanks for that. I will keep this in mind (also with my 1982 Suzy GS750T). RR

Let me see what I have. Not sure I have a luggage rack on either one. Will advise. RR

Let me know if you need some parts. I have two of these that I will be combining into 1 running bike. Will have many leftover parts that will be in good shape. These are very nice bikes. Look at VN750.com for a Vulcan forum. RR

Just purchased a set of replacement leveling links from DiamondR. I had damaged mine - see thread here. Allen from DiamondR put a note in the box asking I pass the word that they only have a few sets of leveling links left. Once these are gone, they will not likely make anymore due to slow sales of these items. If you want a set of leveling links - get 'em now. Last Call. RR​

Jeff, I didn't notice the problem until I had it all apart. Therefore, no idea on the orientation. It is entirely possible this was caused by bottoming out. When my shock was bad, I believe I was heading back from Texas. Bottomed out hard enough for the rear brake caliper to put a small dent in the edge of the rear fender. New dogbones from DiamondR showed up today (included the bolts but I am ordering new ones from Yamaha anyway as I'm not sure of the hardness of the DiamondR bolts). Allen from DiamondR put a note in the box to pass along the word that they only have a few sets of leveling link dogbones left. Due to slow sales of this item lately, they likely won't remake any more. Will start a separate thread about this to let everybody know. RR

Am doing my first service on the swing arms bearings. There are only 140,000 miles on them (and they have never been looked at - whoops). One of the bearings was rough, so I replaced them both along with the seals. Easy peasy. However, while cleaning and lubing the shock/support pivots, I noticed something troubling. The leveling links / dog bones holes have been pounded oblong. One of the links was also slightly bent. This isn't good. I pounded the link back flat and went to reinstall. It turns out the bolt is bent. Pounded it back straight also. OK, this is odd. Went to clean up and regrease the collar/bearings where the shock linkage attaches to the swing arm and found ---- That bolt is bent also. Took the collar (inner race sleeve) out of the swingarm and it was cracked. It appears the needle bearings are still in good shape. Not sure what caused all this damage, but I am guessing the leveling links were not of sufficient hardness and they were pounded out of round. Things went south from there. The OEM shock went out at about 110,000 miles and I have been running a Baron replacement. Didn't notice the problems when I changed the shock out, but I didn't really look closely. Am purchasing new bolts and collars along with new leveling links. Guess it will be next weekend before I can button up winter maintenance on the Venture. RR P.S. Looks like some of the bearings need replaced also.

I did the same with my kids when they were 18, 16, 12, and 12. Was hearding cats with the older two boys when trying to leave. An outstanding trip. Devils Tower +1!! Don't pass that by. Also, there is a loop through the Badlands with a gas station at the Eastern end. They have buffalo roller dogs

Beau-Kat - In a pinch, the decorative bolt in the battery side cover is the same. The decorative one is forward. The rear one actually holds the cover on. RR

+1 on Fool's idea. Also, keep a 'fake' wallet on you. A little bit of cash, old drivers license, expired credit cards, etc. Look forward to hearing of your travels. RR

Leroy, Tour tank works great with the Venture. 5 gal. will put the total at about 11 gal which keeps you under the 11.5 limit. You can mount on the passenger grab handles (with a board) and have it be very secure. Gravity feed to a 'T' in the fuel line and you are good to go. Have you done any IB rallying? There are usually a couple of good local rallies in Texas/Oklahoma each year. Although, with the mileage you show, local is relative. C'mon up to the MN1000 in June. RR

And while there, climb Pike's Peak.

Yes, the aux tank will just gravity feed into the fuel line. I close the aux feed once the aux fuel is empty. But, I suppose it doesn't need to be closed. RR

I have a ColorTune I would be willing to sell. Used it once and found I could tune it close enough by ear. Drop me a PM if you are interested. RR