diversity48

These RS's really like to suck the gas at speeds over about 75. 42-5 mpg at about 72. Above 75, much less...like in the mid 30's.

A sure sign of the tci failure is if the tachometer quit working while it was missing.

Just picked up a 2000 RSV. Night vision with this thing is much less than desirable, so the obvious answer after scouring this forum and the internet is to upgrade to an LED! Not just a bulb...the whole assembly. OK, ordered a plug and play Daymaker, split the fairing on the bike (much easier than I expected), and started the job. Baffled right off the bat! Here's the stupid question: (must be stupid because I've searched everywhere on the internet and forums and no one even mentioned it) How does the old headlight come out of the ring? The framework itself attaches to the ring/bucket assembly with two bolts (at 10 and 2) and, of course the large bolt at the bottom which attaches the bottom front of the fairing. Where do I go from here? Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I been wondering the same thing. Has anyone seen or had a Rivco Centerstand? Guess I'm just surprised no one brought that up. Also surprised that I haven't seen one on Ebay. They're expensive new, like $300 or so. Could save a lot of headaches on the road though. Also would make it easier for some maintenance items at home. Has anyone at least seen one on a bike?

You have a lot of ingenuity and creativity! Those are two very important attributes to have when working on and maintaining a 30+ year old bike. I'm not sure about the '85 but my '86 and another '86 I had years ago required that the bike be on the centerstand AND in the accessory position on the ignition to operate the compressor for the suspension. Someone may have already mentioned this on here, so pardon me if I'm being redundant. BTW, if your ride hasn't already been completed and you're coming to Vegas, let me know and I'll show you around and take you to some of the local hangouts (which are perfect for cheapskates like you and me). I don't need another bike in my garage, but if you want to leave it in Vegas, there are several charities around here who would take it and give you some kind of receipt for it to use as a tax deduction for the donation. Obviously, if someone on the forum here wants it, he or she should get first shot at it. If not, the charities I mention would put it to good use helping others who are less fortunate than you and I. Just a thought, and BEST OF LUCK on your ride! Sounds like a blast, and I'm sure we all hope you'll post a few interesting stories about your trip!! RIDE SAFE!

I'm sure the engineer that designed the rear brake reservoir and decided on THAT location was either promoted to "top of the class" or fired immediately depending on the sense of humor level of his/her superiors.

well, I didn't do it quite like that. after reassembling and then noticing the problem, I only partially disassembled it. left the wheel on, loosened the main axle nut, then loosened the pinch bolt, then loosened the 4 acorn nuts, tightened the pinch bolt, tightened the axle nut somewhat, but just with pressure, not torqued. then I tightened the acorns and torqued them, then tightened the axle the rest of the way with torque. I greased the end of the shaft that goes into the u joint...not the other end that goes into the pumpkin, and I had the wheel off for this procedure. Took a short ride, only a couple of miles.The whine seems quieter, although I think I need to ride it long enough to get it warm to see if it's acceptable. I had some whine before, but thought the moly paste on the input end of the shaft would have quieted that down. I read this procedure on another web site and thought it would be worth a try, obviously trying to avoid a complete disassembly if I could. If this doesn't do it, or if the sound keeps getting louder, then I suppose a more complete teardown is in order. Thanks, david, for your suggestion. If I have to start over, I will use that procedure.

Recently pulled the diff out of the u joint to lube it. After reassembly, i'm getting a lot of driveline whine when backing off the throttle, around 45 mph or higher. I know there is gonna be SOME whine, but this is louder than before Is there An adjustment I didn't know about after or during reinstallation of the shaft into the u joint? It went back in with very little trouble and the 4 bolts attaching it tightened and torque down nicely. By the way, the bike is a 1986 Venture Royale with about 60k. Should the rear wheel be off or on the bike when making the final torque?

good question, neil86. the switch APPEARS to be seated. I wasn't even aware of this adjustment until I played around with the brake lever and noticed that the brake light went out when I pushed the lever forward. since the bike is still partially apart, I haven't ridden it yet...plan on getting it together and taking it for a spin today, to see if the adjustment holds. at least for now, it's fixed.

finally figured out the problem with my brakelight. it was indeed the front brake switch, but not in the wiring. I readjusted the little screw (with locknut) between the lever and a switch activating the brake light. loosen the locknut, then back the screw out a bit, then screw it in til the brake light goes out when the lever is released. lock the nut in place and its done! hopefully, it won't need adjustment for another 30 years.

After reading all the similar replies on similar brake light issues, I'm still confused about my situation. Maybe an electrics guru can solve my dilemma. First of all, my 86 Royale has been sitting for awhile (2-3 months) while I went on vacation and few other things. Anyway, when the bike is turned on, the brake light is on, or at least appears to be. Now, here's my question: with the rear brake switch disconnected, should the brake light still be on? I had a problem last year with the front switch and ended up replacing the whole thing. I think I got the last new one in existence from a dealer in California. So, at least for now, I've eliminated the front switch. There is a plastic nut on the rear switch that appears to mount it to a frame tab down near the rear brake cylinder. So far, no success in getting it off. But I did disconnect the wires at the connector. Even with it disconnected, the light still appears to be on. Any suggestions?

the previous owner had a set of Dunlop "cheapies" on it when I got it. probably equivalent of "spitfires". I have those on another bike and don't like the way they handle rain grooves. they wiggle, but on smooth pavement work ok. they do wear very well though, and I got over 10,000 front and rear from them. I replaced them with a set of Dunlop elite 3's, and am very satisfied with the handling. I had the elite 3's on an old Goldwing and they always performed and wore very well. I realize this is an old thread, but someone may still be wondering. btw, mine is an 86 vr. jmho

hrbor freight shows a brake spring tool that might be what youre talking about for $7.00. probly worth at least looking at it. that is one stiff spring on that stand, that's for sure. thanks for all the comments everyone!

86 venture royale i've read about several people having problems with the side stand bolt fracturing, but i was pretty surprised to have an issue with the centerstand. the weld broke on mine right where the "pedal" part attaches to the main stand. i'd never heard of anyone having a centerstand problem with the venture, but i guess anything is possible. i found a replacement on ebay pretty easily from an 89 that lines up perfect where the old one came off. that was the easy part. the difficulty i'm having is getting the spring reinstalled on the new stand. has anyone had any experience with this little operation and could share the secret? it's on the side stand now, but i also have a harbor freight lift. just seems more stable on the side stand. any suggestions out there?

I've had some problems with the gauge cluster on my 1986. The speedometer was making the weird "screech", then the gauge began to bounce back and forth, not holding steady, and finally,the needle itself popped off and is just laying inside the case, making the speedo completely inoperable (including the odometer). i found one from a 1987 on ebay and after modifying the plug to work on the 1986 (86 and 87 have a different electctrical plug in off the back of the cluster), the speedometer still doesn't work, and the tachometer needle moves very slowly compared to the original gauge, although it does work. The rest of the dash seems to be working accurately. Should I just assume that I got a bad cluster and try finding another one on ebay? Does anyone know if the electrical plug coming from the back of the 83-85 cluster will be compatible with the 86? It appears that it would be (just from pictures i see on ebay)I would prefer not having to re-wire this plug again, and if an earlier model gauge cluster would work, it opens up many more possibilities, regarding availability. Any opinions?