M61A1MECH

Check the radiator cap, could be getting weak or have bad gasket, that should result in fluid going to the overflow tube, but if it is just hot vapor or "steam" it could sneak out and it is forward of you when riding. While you are in that area look at the hoses, the temp sensors and the thermostat housing. Also check that 90 degree pipe that comes of the water pump, it just slips into an o-ring seal, if the screw on the bracket came loose it could move and create a small leak.

Thank you all for the well wishes and encouragement After 3.5 months of job searching and not one interview , yesterday after calling two local real estate brokers, I have two interviews on Monday. Now I am really excited about this decision.

Drain the tank completely and try to maneuver the tube to the gas cap hole, will probably require turning it up side down and a lot of shaking and tilting, hopefully it will eventually come to the hole where you can grab it with a pair of forceps of needle nose pliers. You could also pull the send level sending unit from the bottom of the tank while you have it off and up side down, just be careful, taking the sending unit out is a bit fiddily it does not pull straight out you have to nurse it out to make the curves and crooks I the sending unit work out of the hole. That will give another vantage point to look inside and maybe find the tube.

Well there you go, do not think they fit on my Goldwing so I will pass on them so Rob can get them if he wants.

After being laid off the first part of April and not getting any real prospects for a job in the surrounding 75 mile radius, I decided to go to Real Estate school and learn what it takes to be a Sales Associate. Passed my class exam yesterday and my state exam today, so now I just need to find a Real Estate Broker willing to take me on and activate my license. This is a complete 180 turn from what I have always done, so I am excited to get started on my new path.

Those large lights on either side of the stock tail light are Harley lights, a little hard to find these days and normally expensive. if anyone finds a set and wants an easy no mess way to connect them up, I have just the ticket for you. Freebird used them on the bike he just finished setting, really makes it easy.

I have had really good luck with this style, from Snap on.

Pictures help to show the issue a bit more clearly, can you post some photos? Often if you can get a Dremmel tool or a hacksaw blade on the head of the screw you can cut a slot in it that you can put a flat blade screwdriver in and use that to break the stuck hardware loose. Much depends on the actual location of the part. I do not have my Venture to go look at anymore , but if I am thinking of the same part you are talking about, I recall that part being accessible with the tank still installed, if you remove the tank does that afford you any better access on the head of the screw?

I put these on my Goldwing, they may work on the Venture, if you contact the seller they may know or if not maybe you can return them for a refund. https://addonaccessories.net/footrests/gl1800-adjustable-passenger-pegs.html

Under the driver's seat to the left of the battery there should be a white 6 pin connector that connects the fender harness to the main electrical harness, this connector has the circuits for the tail light, brake light, left and right turns as well as a ground wire. As Dion noted I make break out harness for various bikes that allow you to just un-plug that connector and plug in my break out adapter that has those 5 circuits broken our as "tag" wires so you can just splice into them with butt splices. There is room under the passenger seat to route a harness assembly, if you are interested here is a link to my section on he Vendors Classified section, I can make up just about anything you want I just need to know what you have and what you need. For ad on trunks like this I always recommend putting a water proof connector in line near the trunk, so if you decide to remove it you just unplug instead of pulling out all of the wiring or cutting the harness just to splice it back when you reinstall. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/photopost/showcat.php?cat=18 I am happy to work with you to design up what ever you need.

Rob, Did the harness arrive in good condition? Will it be OK for your needs?

When I was in the Air Force and while I worked in Saudi Arabia I had the privilege of being a mechanic on the 20 mm Vulcan cannon used on the F-15, that model Vulcan was the M61A1, so when I needed a screen name I created M61A1MECH for myself.

I had one on my Venture, fit properly the first time, as you suspect, probably a close tolerance fir on the threads and just a bit to long in he plating bath and you have an interference issue, best not to force it, try another one.

Good choice on the Honda GN4 oil, I ran that for years in my 98 Royal Star and then one day for who knows what reason I switched to Yamalube, with in 1oo miles the clutch started slipping, changed it out back to the gN4 and it was better, but still required that I change out the clutch pack to fix it so it would not slip and never did slip again for the next 60,000 + miles I had the bike. Like Freebird I do not like it and will not use it. On the Metzlers, check the Metzler web site for their fitment guide , they will give you their recommended pressure, which is higher than the factory recommendations from Yamaha for the stock Bridgestones that come on the Venture. I ran Dunlop E-3s on my Venture and really liked them and got great mileage out of them. Good luck on your trip.

Hard to say what I would have were I the rider, but classic example of aim for where it is now because it most likely will not be there when you get there. Why the car that had to swerve on to the shoulder to avoid the bike did not stop is beyond me.

The package has shipped, expected delivery is Friday 7-1-16, I sent a PM with tracking #.

Payment received, harness built and packed, will ship in the morning. Thanks

Rob, PM sent, I will need to know if you are using a 4 pin or 5 pin trailer connection so I get the correct wiring diagram.

Rob, I have never found the bike specific connectors at any auto parts store, they are available on line, but most places have a $25.00 min purchase plus shipping and the the connectors you need will not amount to $25.00. I do routinely build harnesses for Ventures, I build simple "T" type break outs to full plug and play trailer set ups. I can supply a break out harness with a 6 pin female connector and the male connector with contacts and a wiring diagram for $20.00 delivered. If you would rather build your own, PM me and I can give you the web site where I purchase the connectors.

OK these links may help, they are from the ventures website, there are some similar on our forum in the read only tech section. Shimming the needles, http://www.venturers.org/Tech_Library/index.php?action=article&cat_id=002010&id=165 Carb Drawing, http://www.venturers.org/Tech_Library/index.php?action=article&cat_id=002010&id=163 Fuel Filter replacement, http://www.venturers.org/Tech_Library/index.php?action=article&cat_id=002010&id=275 The links may not open to the subject, if not go to their tech section for second gens and find the titles. One thing I did on Venture once was to close the petcock and run the motor until it started for fuel, as you did when you stored it. Disconnected the fuel line from the tank and added an extension to it. Ran the extension into a can of Seafoam and turned on the key so the fuel pump sucked the Seafoam up into the system and filled the carbs. I let that set for several hours (overnight) and then reconnected the fuel line to the tank. It was a bit had to start on the pure load of Seafoam, but it did and that seemed to clear out the issues I was having, which were slightly sticking floats and poor running. Hope this helps.

Lucky you if you could wear permanent press fatigues. Us poor weapons troops were not allowed to have them, created and held to much static electricity,the last thing you want is that impulse cartridge that you just pulled out of a launcher breech, going off in your hand, or if you were dumb enough to carry them in your pants pocket, definitely did not want that puppy going off in there. And yes it was known to happen

First time I have heard of a failure of a fairing on a Venture, pics of the failure may help us understand what may have happened. Is it possible the screws were installed at some point with locktite applied, certain types of locktite will destroy the ABS plastic used on the Venture, something that could have caused the failure. As far as removing the fairing and replacing it with a wind screen will be as Dion said will be tough, There is a lot of wiring to remove or relocate, you will most likely have to lose the stereo and relocate or lose the indicator lights and then there is the speedo, what would you do with that? Not saying it can not be done, but it is going to be a big project. Keep us posted.

I have not owned and FJR but I have test rode them several times at various events. To add to what is noted above, on the (electric shift) AE models I tested they do not have a clutch lever, you still have to shift that is done either by using the traditional foot operated shift lever or a "paddle" type shifter that you control with your thumb. It is located very near the horn button and more than once I and fellow riders thumbed the horn button when we wanted to shift. s far as getting used to the AE, I was surprised how ell it works and it took all of 3 seconds to be comfortable with it, what you cannot do with those models is blip the throttle, if you do the clutch thinks you wanting to go and it engages and you go if you are not holding the brake lever. The bikes are very quick, very smooth, and handle differently than either my Venture or my Goldwing, they handle well, but on a demo ride you do not get a lot of twisties. The one thing I did note was that the grips are small in diameter, much like the Goldwing stock grips and by the end of the 20 minute demo ride my hands were cramping, due I believe to two issues, the small grips and a more forward leaning riding position than I am used to. The grips can be fixed with Grip Puppies and he riding position is a matter of finding what is most comfortable, it is not that you are laying on the tank, it is just more forward leaning than my previous cruiser and touring style bikes. I have wanted an FJR ever since I rode my first one, but do not think I could afford two things that would ultimately arise. 1) Multiple speeding tickets 2) A divorce from my current bride Both of which I am sure would happen in rapid fashion if I bought one. If you look at the Yamaha website you may be able o locate some dealers that offer test rides on certain bikes, the FJR is typically one they allow test rides on , but not all dealers participate in the program.

As WIZ noted above, I make various plug and play harnesses for several bikes, but I have not ben able to find the connectors needed to develop a true plug and play for the First Gens. Dingy and I worked on that for a few months a couple of years ago, but I never found the one 13 or so pin connector needed. However I cab offer this. Yes you need an adapter that converts the bike's 5 wire system to the trailer's 4 wire system. They come in two styles, 1) One is a powered isolator / converter, this type takes fused power right from the battery to power the lights on the trailer and has an electronic relay package that sense the input from the bike for the tail lights, brakes, left turn and right turn and illuminates those as required right from the battery. The advantage of this is you are not putting extra load on the bikes original wiring which is marginal at best and if a problem develops in the trailer wiring you do not lose the lighting on the bike. 2) The second is simply a converter package that connects (taps) into the bike's original wires and converts the 5 wire system to a 4 wire system This system works, but I would not recommend it unless the trailer is fitted with LED lights, that way the draw on the bikes harness is minimal. OK so having said all of that, it sounds like you already have your bike set up with a 5 wire harness, so you could simply put a 5 wire to 4 wire converter in line using the existing plug. I can provide a plug and play converter that will plug into your existing trailer connector and then plug into your new Harbor Freight 4 pin connector. If that sounds like something you would like to do, PM me here on the forum or email me through the forum message system and we can discuss exactly what you need and I can work up a quote for you. Let me know I am happy to help any way I can.

Bob, I would beg to differ with you on this point, if the vent passage in the system is blocked or there is some other obstruction preventing system pressure to release you could very well end up with pressure building up in the line which will cause the clutch to partially disengage. One scenario is that the vent in the master cylinder is blocked due to crud or oxidation and the clutch fluid heats up from engine heat. The expansion of the hydraulic fluid because of change in temperature will push on the piston in the clutch pack and could cause slippage. So one question may be, is the slippage worse after the bike has been operating for a while , verse at the start of the ride? It may take a while for the hydraulic system to become fully heat soaked and the issue to show up.