RedRider

+1 on Positaps (Posilocks). Get the wiring for the running lights through a relay or you WILL have trouble with the ignition switch. The power for the bike runs through contacts at the base of the ignition switch. If you run additional power feeds through these small contacts, they will eventually fail. RR

Got home about 15 minutes ago. Easy ride with just a little rain. Pretty windy, but no big deal. What a great time it was this weekend. Don, you and your bride put on a great event. Thank you. It was a real pleasure getting an opportunity to put some faces to names. I will ride the Venture next time. RR

STOP IT!!!! It is spring. Temperatures are warm and the sun is shining. Oil threads are for winter. Get out and ride. RR PS. Rotella Dino only. 155k+miles on the 2000 Venture.

Yup, Dremel with a cutting wheel got the race out of mine. Good luck. And.....Go ahead and take the forks off and change the fluid while you are in there. Unfortunately, the 2nd gen Ventures don't have a drain on the folks. RR

Crack in the coils is my guess. Try starting it in the dark and see if there are some sparks around the coils. RR

ARA, I have a good bit of deer fencing that I put up around our garden a few years ago. Ultimately figured it was less expensive and significantly less labor to go to the local farmer's market so the garden is no longer tilled. If you would like this fencing, you are welcome to it. RR

Cecdoo nailed it. Classic sign of fuel pump issue. There are several threads on here that discuss it. Not a difficult or expensive repair. RR

I removed the rear in an emergency repair by lifting with an automotive jack on the frame center on the throttle side. Balanced against the kickstand. Was kind of scary, but worked fine. Not sure how you would get the front off, but it should be pretty easy comparatively. RR

IIRC, there are 6 screws that secure the windshield to a metal bracket in the fairing. The two screws closest to the center go into holes, the other 4 go into slots in the bottom of the windshield. At least that's how it is on an OEM windshield. Two screws on the inside top edge of the fairing (3mm hex) will release the chrome trim at the base of the windshield. This exposes the screws to be tightened. Make sure they are tight. RR

I've had my 2000 RSV in triple digits for a tank full. It didn't take too long as the mileage is pretty bad at that speed. Fastest was about 110 mph following an 18 wheeler (not too closely) on I-40 in New Mexico. I was not comfortable at all at that speed but the bike did fine. I was fully loaded with an aux tank and a week+ worth of supplies. Riding one-up (my wife would have slapped me silly at those speeds). It cruises beautifully at about 85-90 mph. I am certainly not advocating for riding at these 'Go-Directly-To-Jail' speeds. Make sure your tire pressures are correct, your steering head bearings are properly maintained, etc., etc. FYI - the cruise control will not set above 80 MPH. RR

Did not ever have the honor to meet Dan, but enjoyed is input here. Condolences to his family. Sorry we never got a chance to meet. RR

If you can drag that rig to Wisconsin, I'll buy it. A $500 bike with sidecar? RR

As mentioned, no firearms. Obviously, you will need your passport (to get back into the US). Go to your insurance folks and get a 'yellow card' stating you have insurance in Canada. Have fun. It's a great trip. There are several cool waterfalls on the route. Take warm clothes and/or electrics. Even in July/August, it is pretty chilly near the lake. RR

But, But, But ..... I do still have my Venture - and love it. RR

Although, if you are riding 1000+ miles a day, you won't get a headache from the noise. Besides, I have Ozzy's Boneyard on XM to keep me awake. RR

To Freebird and the general rabble: This is the first year I recall having MD on what appears to be an open weekend for me. However, I'm in a quandary. I just picked up a BMW to take over the LD Rallying duties from my Venture. However, I haven't had much riding time on it and need to get it dialed in before the ButtLite in July. Would anyone be insulted if I showed up on my BMW instead of the Venture? RR

Depends on whether a vacation or a Long Distance Rally. Vacation alone - 500 to 1000 miles per day. Vacation with wife - 250 to 400 miles per day. LD Rally - 1000+ miles per day. RR

It's only too far if you don't go. Once the snow goes away (more coming tomorrow!!!), we always have the welcome mat out for our motorcycle friends. RR

Not true. About 60 miles north of you (and just down the road from me) in Eden, WI is the sweet little petroleum honey hole called Flood Oil. They have 87 Octane non-ethanol pure gas on tap.!!! They also have 91 octane non-ethanol pure gas for the owners of the fancy new Venture. All my bikes get it, my lawn equipment gets it, and my old Buick gets it. Come up and see me some time and get filled up. RR

TheGSResources.com The 'go to' forum for all things GS related. Used to have one. RR

Jeff, You might want to keep an eye open for an older BMW K bike (K75 / K100 / K1100). Extremely reliable and enough punch to get moving. No quite like a Venture, but it is fairly light, not too tall, and handles well. Later models are available with ABS. RR

If you are tearing down enough to get to the valve cover gaskets, be prepared to check your valve shims. Once you get the covers off, it is really just a small step to do this next step. Where is it leaking? Around the half-moons? Normally, you put a schmear of RTV around the half-moons before reinstalling. RR

I agree on looking at the Beemers. They are significantly lighter than comparable Japanese bikes and handle like on rails. The RT is a good bike and can be picked up for a fair price. You may also want to look at the K1200LT which is a more full fared BMW. The LT is about 850 lbs, so still a big bike. However, it has a lower COG so is easier to handle at slow speeds. Getting old is a bitc*. But it beats the alternative. RR

If you are intent on changing the tire on your own, get 3 GOOD tire irons (Tar Arns in Florida ). Have an old tire to set the wheel assembly on to prevent damage to the rotors. You can use a large C-clamp and a couple of wood block as a bead breaker. Keep one tar arn in place where you first get the bead over the rim. Work the other two around to unmount the tire. Same tactic on mounting the new tire. Look up you tube videos on how to change out a tire. Lots of 'em are available. Use plenty of lube for reinstallation. Balance with a steel rod suspended between two chairs or use balancing beads. You may want to also look up the tie wrap method of reinstallation of the tire. I haven't tried this, but others have had luck. I think it works better on dirt bike tires though. As an alternative, find a local independent shop that will change your tire for you. Take the wheel off the bike yourself and take it along with the new tire to the shop. It costs me $30 here to have a new tire mounted and balanced. I have changed out a Venture tire by hand - ONCE. $30 is money well spent. RR

You got it right. That's what I use also. As for the clutch, it is likely just the spring. There are several ways to slay this dragon and many opinions on here as to the best solution. Therefore, I can only give mine. Others will surely weigh in. The stock spring is a bellville washer type spring (think big washer that is bowed in the middle). If you want to maintain the stock style, you can replace this washer every 25-30k miles or go with the heavier Vmax spring that will last 35-40k. You will hear about a modification to the inner friction disc that replaces the half disc (and an additional half spring) with a full friction disc. I found this didn't do much of anything other than to reduce the friction zone on the clutch handle. Didn't like it - YMMV. I moved to a Barnett conversion kit with heavy duty springs. I've got a solid 60k+ on this setup without any slipping. Currently 157k miles on my red 2000. I believe there is a writeup on here about doing the conversion. Here it is Good luck. Feel free to ask any questions. RR Edit: Skydoc17 is an excellent resource for clutch parts (and advise, and ....). Edit #2 : Do yourself a favor and pony up the $12 for full membership here. Best money you can spend if you own a Venture.