zagger

More laws. Perfect, we don't have enough. F'em. zag

Looks like the crash bar did its job. If the ground bar and scraped fairing are the only issues, then I'd say you came away from the accident with pretty minor damage. I'm sure that you can figure out why the caliper is dragging and get it working again. zag

18 years old - bought an early 60's 650cc Triumph TR6 in need of work. Was semi-chopped and fast. The ape handlebars saved my butt by keeping me from going over the front during a sliding stop caused by a car pulling out in front of me. When I rebuilt the engine I discovered why it vibrated so much - the pistons moved together (one on compression while the other was on exhaust) with big crankshaft counterweights to try smooth it out. I guess that some engineer at Triumph thought that would be a good design idea. zag

If they are not "out", they will leave sooty stuff on your chrome bumper. zag

[h=2]This time of year, warm weather means[/h]Riding, of course! Beautiful day today with nothing but rain, low temps, and snow in the forecast (here in WI). So I got out on the bike to enjoy the last of the last nice days. Even though I had already given up and put Stabil in the gas, etc. etc. zag

I'd have thought that the motorcycle of the future would have a windshield and front fender. Maybe even a back seat! And after 124 miles my current bikes just need some gas to keep going. What do you do to recharge the thing after 124 miles? zag

Was riding in rural western Wisconsin this afternoon and nearly got nailed by a running buck who popped out of the brush on the side of the road only a few feet to the side. It seemed that he would smack into me so I instantly raised my leg in an attempt to kick him. He wheeled around and headed off the road and my kick missed. Not sure if aggressively trying it kick him helped anything, or whether he just changed his mind at the same moment. My riding buddy was about 10 feet ahead and didn't see a thing. A few years ago I had a deer run into the road and jump over my motorcycle front wheel, nearly hitting the bike lights and windshield. Unbelievable how fast it happens. I didn't have time to brake, steer, or do anything. I tried deer whistles many years ago on my car. I think it was the car that got totaled by hitting a deer jumping directly into the road, go figger. I'd try the new design if there is any chance that they work! Geesh. zag

VerntureVet, I pulled off one of the pod filters to show you the flow restrictor - basically a washer with a 1 inch hole. I guess my memory isn't completely shot. zag PS I'm giving up trying to figure out what is shown in your sig pic. Wanna give me a clue? Thanks.

It's been eight years, so I hope I'm remembering correctly: Each inlet has a machined plate (like a metal washer) with a 1 inch diameter hole to act as a flow restriction. I did calculations on the airflow restriction created by the stock airbox and then calculated what was needed to produce a similar restriction for each cylinder. It should also be possible to measure the pressure drop across the airbox inlet at various rpm's and recreate the same pressure drop with whatever you want to use as the air inlet/filter arrangement. Measured pressure drops are probably going to be more accurate than pencil and paper calculations. I also added Vboost valves (from a Vmax) and found that leaving these valves slightly open improves the engine performance a little bit - not a huge effect, but noticeable via my "seat of the pants dyno". Of course, since these valves allow a single cylinder to breathe through two carbs, they also affect the airflow through each carb and affect the pressure drop across the machined orifice. All this just to ditch the airbox! zag

Each carb has a thin wall aluminum tube sticking straight upward with a pod type air filter on the end. Each tube connects to a carb using a short rubber sleeve with hose clamps. The intake filters aren't protected from rain, except when the bike is moving where the frame, electronics, etc. tend to keep water off them. I cover them with plastic cups if I have to park in the rain for more than a short time. My carbs are a little higher than normal because I have Vboost valves mounted under them (from a Vmax). zag

1. no 2. not sure what is "better" - the windshield still needs to be cut to the correct height 3. yes 4. all shields should be cut so that you can see over them 5. probably not if the windshields are cut to approx. the same height 6. totally! zag PS My batwing experience is from my honda cruiser, not my venture.

"WTF do we do short of flashing beacons and 150db exhaust ?" I'd add a couple of extra bright lights on the front of your bike. For some reason, lots of people can look right at a single headlight and ignore it. Perhaps it is because we are surrounded by reflections of the sun? That's my theory, but who knows. I've had good luck by adding extra lights positioned as far apart as possible. Horns and extra tailpipe noise are pretty useless IMO since the car/truck driver is in front of you, windows rolled up, music playing, kids goofing around, texting, etc. etc. Ever since I started adding extra lights on the front of my bikes I've had virtually zero incidents of being pushed around. Unfair? Yup. But it is what it is - and I prefer to avoid being hit. If they tailgate, I just motion for them to pass or I hit it and leave them far behind in a few seconds. No close calls since I was a teenager, 44 years of riding ago. zag

I added the V-boost but kept the '83 valves and drive train - runs good with the boost cracked open but I'm guessing that the rest of the experience depends on modifying the intake system. Let us know the details! zag

Sorry, I did all of the carb work about 7-8 years ago and the details have faded from my memory. I kept some written files with measurements and such but I went through them and don't see final details on the jetting. I'm sure that I thought I'd never forget - but I have. A wide band air/fuel sensor with digital display was very helpful to "see" what was actually happening inside the engine under different conditions. The one I used was like this: http://www.innovatemotorsports.com/products/db.php Innovate Motorsports has quite a few different systems and they have added new designs over the years. One nice thing is that the sensor and gauge can be wired into the bike so that you are able to observe the actual combustion situation under different riding conditions, speeds, acceleration, etc. I didn't use any of the data logging but you do end up with a pretty good mental picture of the engine combustion after using it for a few rides. It is necessary to solidly mount the sensor into the exhaust flow far enough from the exhaust outlet so that outside air doesn't mess up the readings. This requires welding a short threaded bung into one of the pipes where the sensor can be screwed in. The threaded bung can be plugged when the testing is done. Of course, it is also necessary to sync the four carbs, but I assume this is a pretty standard procedure for most DIY folks. After a couple of misadventures using fluid filled tubing (slurped down by the engine), I rigged up a sensitive mechanical gauge with damping inside the tubing created by a couple of inches of threaded rod jammed inside the tubing. The restriction created by the small passageway along the threads steadied the gauge reading. Without some sort of restriction, the gauge simply flies all over the place. "With the exhaust dumped right after the combination chamber having no muffler" Isn't that just freak'n loud? My bike is far from quiet and it has four mufflers, one for each cylinder, with baffles and an adjustable flow restrictor inside each of them. Hope this helps. zag

Kinda resembles a Vmax engine. zag

I did not dyno the engine and don't have access to the equipment. It's been a few years since I did the work, but I believe that I did change the jetting due to the many changes I made to the intake system on the engine. Each cylinder has a separate intake path with a pod type filter as well as a separate exhaust. I did adjustments based on a wide band air-fuel mixture sensor which I mounted into one of the exhaust pipes (a threaded connection welded into the exhaust pipe) and removed after the testing was completed. My observations on the manual V-boost are strictly seat of the pants. I wouldn't say that I've seen the V-boost valving add a huge power increase since my normal riding isn't at the top end of the RPM range. And cranking the V-boost open for a split second, right before shifting, isn't very practical and it would be very hard to judge the actual effect. On the other hand, for general riding speeds, etc. having the V-boost valves slightly opened does appear to increase the power down in the normal RPM range. This hasn't been confirmed by any measurements - just my opinion based on riding it. Gas mileage seems good - typically in the mid 40's. The V-boost is interesting to mess around with but I wouldn't suggest that it will transform the overall Venture engine into some sort of superbike! I have no idea how difficult it might be to install if you are using the stock Venture intake system since the valves do raise the carbs. In addition to the engine mods, I also stripped off the bags, fairing, covers, etc., etc. so my bike is undoubtedly somewhat lighter than a typical fully equipped Venture. That is another way to increase acceleration. zag

Since the lights dim, it would seem that current is flowing from the battery into the starting circuit and the battery voltage is being dragged down. Sounds like the handlebar switch is working, the solenoid is making good contact, but the starter motor is dumping the power back to ground (negative terminal) without turning. The usual situation with a bad solenoid is that you hear it click as it attempts to make contact, but the contact to run the starter is so poor that the starter cannot turn. The battery voltage is not affected by this since there isn't a high current flow from the battery. So I'd bet on a bad (or mechanically stuck) starter motor. Note that everything in this analysis depends on your observation that the bike lights dim down when you try to start it. If light dimming isn't true, then I'd bet on a bad solenoid. zag

"Mainly because the venture master will support the angles you can get on the handlebars (IE: adjustments). Other masters (for 4 piston calipers) will work fine, but can be a PITA to get level enough to take the cap off without spilling or get full enough for comfort. Brake fluid ruins paint, so I'm fussy about spilling it." I use the stock master cylinders and reservoirs for the front brake and clutch. Although they sit at an angle due to my non-standard bars, by turning the handlebars all the way left or right, they can be made to be level so that fluid can be checked/added. The lids on the reservoirs seem pretty tight and they have worked fine like this for several years without leaks or problems. zag

My 83's brakes are delinked. For the front disks, I just ran one brake line from the handlebars down to one side and added a second short line out around the fender to the second caliper. I kinda remember that I had to find a double length bolt (or whatever they are called) to attach the two lines to one caliper. Of course, the output from the pedal does the rear. Junked whatever proportioning valves were there (don't actually remember). No big deal - works just like a regular bike with regular brakes. No idea why anyone would want front and rear motorcycle brakes linked in any way if the road surface is less than perfect. zag

I put V-boost valves on my 83 venture. I use a bicycle handlebar shift lever to run it so that it has 5 stops (clicks) as it is opened. I put the lever at the end of my left handlebar. It isn't clear to me if the absolute top end benefits very much since you have to be darned quick with the lever action as the RPM's peak. However, the engine runs noticeably better throughout the range with the V-boost opened a little bit (one click on my lever). Pretty unscientific and not a huge deal but I like it. The boost valves do need some space - in my case I don't have the usual venture plastic stuff so they fit without a problem. zag

Agreed! The top edge of the windshield should NOT be inline with your natural view of the road ahead. However, I've found that the opaque "strip" caused by the cut edge can be minimized by belt sanding the edge at an angle which aligns with your natural line of sight. However, this entire issue is minimized by cutting the shield short enough so that nearly all of the time on the road is spent looking over it. zag

Just because you can see the road over the top of the windshield doesn't mean that you don't have protection. The airflow over the windshield carries virtually everything up and over the top of your head - bugs, most rain, etc. Occasionally a compact shaped bug will pass through the airflow and hit the rider in the face - a good reason to wear eye protection. In reality, it is pretty rare for anything to hit me in the face, even though the windshield itself is covered with the smashed bugs, etc. Naturally, a super tall shield would give even more protection from debris but the rider is then forced to look through all of the junk stuck to the windshield, glare on the windshield, scratches, fog, etc. IMO, the best compromise is a windshield cut low enough so that your natural view of the road ahead passes an inch or so above the top of the shield and the airflow passes a couple of inches above the top of your helmet. Controlling the flow of air with lowers should be able to eliminate problems with turbulence and head shake. I have two bikes with windshields - both are cut low enough to allow me a clear unobstructed view of the road over the top of the plastic and both have zero turbulence and head shake. It seems to me that most people struggle with this issue because they cannot purchase a stock windshield that is exactly the right height. So they get a tall one, look through it, and say it is great. I'd agree that cutting a windshield down is an unpleasant job and it is somewhat tricky to avoid wrecking it. But I'm going to keep cutting them it because I prefer a clear view of my surroundings. zag

Plexiglas can be cut down to whatever height suits you - preferably so that you can see the road ahead looking over the top of the shield. I use a bandsaw to make the cut and a belt sander to smooth off the edge. Covering both sides of the shield with masking tape should minimize the chance of scratching. However, if your passenger has head buffeting, reducing the windshield height will make the buffeting worse. At least until the windshield is so low that the full force of the wind is hitting you both in the face! If your passenger is fairly tall, or the rear seat is extra thick, you will need to experiment with different lowers (bigger) and their positioning to see if anything can be done to raise the turbulent airflow enough to eliminate buffeting for both of you. zag

You should be able to see the road ahead looking OVER the top of the windshield. If you need to look thru the windshield, then your ability to see the road ahead can be easily blocked by water drops, smashed bugs, etc. and, unlike in a car, you don't have windshield wipers to keep it clear. If you or your passenger has buffeting, you need to add lowers on the front forks to help boost the height of the airflow. Lowers are simply flat plates attached with clamps to the forks which typically sit just below the windshield/fairing. In my experience, lowers boost the height of the airstream a couple of inches. It takes a bit of trial and error but you should be able to find a height where you have a clear view of the road (over the shield) and also experience zero buffeting. I have always purchased windshields that I knew would be too tall and simply cut them down to the correct height. I cannot imagine how to purchase a windshield which is luckily the correct height from the supplier. The mounting location of the fairing, attachment locations for the windshield, and height and thickness of the seat all contribute to the actual windshield height relative to the rider/passenger. Buying a tall one and cutting it down to suit your situation works every time. zag

I guess that proves that everything you read isn't necessarily true! I did the second gear fix on my bike back when I bought it and didn't note it anywhere beyond my shop's hanging mobile of failed bike parts. I guess the only way to know if the fix was completed is to ask previous owners. It's a good winter project which can be done in evenings over a week or two. Then forget all about it! zag