James Ardrey
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Everything posted by James Ardrey
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My wife Debbie and I were on our way to Missouri for a week mc vacation yesterday. We were east of Jay, Ok. about 8 miles. I had just passed two vehicles that were tailgating each other slowing down, speeding up and just plain irritating. I went around them at about 90 miles per hr. faster than ussual and because they speeded up as I was passing them I didn't realize my speed. I had slowed down to about 80 and my windshield broke loose and hit me on the nose and mouth and almost knocked me out. I was able to maintain control until I found a place to pull over and thankfully we are still here to tell about it. After regaining my composure and cleaning the blood We rode to Grove to the emergency rm. long story short no broken nose or facial bones but a deep gash in the cartalege of my nose and a sore cheek bone, broken visor on my helmet and destroyed sunglasses. We stayed the night in a motel in Grove, Ok. and rode back home about 120 miles today without a windshield. I had a clearview xx tall, wide shield with the vent. The shield snapped loose and broke at the two fasteners just below the vent. Ironically the perfect storm because the shield fits in slots on either side and when the shield snapped at the two screws that hold the windshield on it immediately came flying back at me. I think the integrity of the shield strength is compromised due to the vent and the location of the only two screws that hold the windshield in place being just below the vent. If for any reason these two screws fail or the shield snaps at that location the same thing could and would happen to anyone. I am sharing this as a warning to any one with the clearview or any other brand shield with the vent positioned as those are. There isn't much material between the screws and the vent. Also the material used is resistant to scratching, but more prone to chips as I have heard other clearview customers state on this site which leads me to believe that the material used is a harder plastic than the stock shield thus being more brittle and less pliable which could also explain it snapping without warning or apparent damage to the shield before this experience. I have also read threads here on this site of stress cracks apparent in some clearview shields. I also theorize that the clearview shield w/out the vent may be much stronger and this problem may not arise. I loved my clearview shield and it appears to be made of very good quality. The clearview people all seem to be great people. In other words I have nothing against clearview, but I want people on this site to be warned of the possibility of experiencing what I have and we are lucky to be here to tell about it. I am also going to send pics and this same information to clearview to alert them of the potential for the shields failing. The next person may not be as lucky as we were. If there is anyone with similar experiences or have anything to add It could possibly save a life or lives. Of all the things that can possibly go wrong with a motorcycle or other catastrophies while riding I never expected my wind shield to break loose.
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I like your rap etcha-sketch analogy. So true:rotf:Yamaha makes a lot of cool stuff besides motorcycles. My first high dollar stereo was all Yamaha and it got stolen from my apartment when I was in college. I replaced it with a Mitsubishi that I have had for 27yrs. As for RSV's in my area. I know of 5 and 2 Rstd's in my little town of 1600. Many more in the Tulsa area. Maybe some dealerships in certain areas of the country don't order many RSV's It would be cool to get a breakdown of the # of them being sold by region. I don't know if that info is available. Maybe someone here knows.
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Your very fortunate that you are still with us. Just a reminder of the lack of forgiveness that these iron horses afford us. Also a reminder that no matter how long a person rides and the skill that goes along with that, just one lapse of concentration can get us in real hot water. Glad you are still around to tell the tale. Get well!
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Ditto Squid and all. They are great people with great products.
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Yama Mama I wear a half helmet almost 100% of the time these days. Until about 2 yrs ago I never wore a helmet unless riding in heavy rain or extremely cold weather. I alway figured that if I was going to wear a helmet I might as well sell my bike and get a convertible. I still feel that way about full helmets. They have too many blind sides and I can't hear affectively. That being said , I started wearing my half helmet about 2 yrs ago. I figured with all the yrs. of riding that my number was going to come up eventually for a crash. I also have friends, acquaintances and people that I have heard of that were saved by wearing a helmet. That being said I almost got my wife and I killed wearing my 3/4 helmet a couple of yrs. ago in S Carolina. We were pulling out of a scenic waterfall pull out in the middle of a short s curve and a car came around the blind curve traveling @ a high rate of speed and grazed my cruising pegs knocking the left peg out of position. I didn't hear them coming due to the helmet or see them until they were right beside me. I really think that w/out a helmet I would have at least heard them coming or seen them before they were right on me. I can hear very well w\ my half helmet and no blind spots and no false sense of security that comes with 3/4 or full helmets. I guess I've struck middle ground for me between no helmet and wearing one. If you ask me what time it is Ill tell you how to build a watch!
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:clap2:Very interesting Don. I think they are on to something. Good ole american ingenuity.
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Mine went bad at about 65,000. Mine was overcharging and causing the audio system to act up.
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Great color! Congrats!
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Mine does the same thing depending on the tape. In other words some tapes eject just fine and others don't. I don't know if the mechanism needs cleaning and lubed or if there is an adjustment that can be made. The mechanic at my dealership didn't know of any adjustment or how to fix it. If I had pushed it they probably would have called Clarion for a troubleshoot. I'm going to be talking to the mechanic tomorrow on another matter and I will push him for some resolution and post it here if he gives me a clue as to what to do. The last tape I played ejected perfectly. Oh back to the beep you heard on mine there is a message on the control screen that says, well I can't think of the word,something like eject default except I don't think that's exactly it. Like I said I don't play my cassette player very often. I know I haven't been much help maybe I will find out something tomorrow.
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We have 3 vans with windows broken out or at least cracked and a lot of roof damage. Many friends with broken windows in homes and vehicles. The trees have been shredded and limbs and leaves everywhere. My wifes van will probably be totaled due to the dints. We had tennis ball sized hail in our yard. It was like a meteor shower. I have never seen hail that big before. My mothers house in Mannford sprung leaks after the hail storm. The good news is I wasn't riding my bike at the time. That would have been interesting. It has been record breaking extreme weather beginning with the ice storm last winter. I wonder what's next. The last time I saw this extreme weather was in 1984 when Mannford was hit by a massive tornado a week after Terlton and Jennings were hit. There was about 3 wks. of violent storms all around the area. It is another sign of the times. I haven't talked to Danny and I hope he is south of the hail and high winds. I will try to contact him tomorrow to find out. Happy trails!
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Very good points. God bless our troops past ,present, and future. :usa:
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2007 Rsmv Backfiring
James Ardrey replied to curtisb's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
Ditto. If mine was a vacuum leak it would have continued after plugging the AIS. The AIS system builds up excess fuel causing the backfiring the same way a vacuum leak or too much back pressure in the exhaust does. Mine no longer backfires at any elevation, exceleration, deceleration or any other time since I plugged the AIS. Git er done. -
I own a wheeldock and they work very well using a gas cylinder to clamp the front tire in place. They can also be used where you store your bike holding it in vertical position making it easy to check oil level and perform other maintenance tasks also. Very simple but very well engineered. They aren't cheap but well worth the money in my opinion.
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Git er done!
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radio stoped working
James Ardrey replied to Just-Jack's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
I said that I would update everyone when I discovered the mystery of my audio being possessed. Reiterating that my audio system started cycling through all the functions at will and I was unable to control it completely including attempts to turn it off or on. It would even go off and come on at will. I split the faring and did the dialectic grease routine to no avail. Sometimes the FM portion would work perfectly w/ engine off or at idle. It would act up as soon as I started riding or revved the engine. Since Dec. 07 the dealer put 2 brains in. It worked perfectly until about 3 wks. ago after the first brain. They replaced it a second time and I made it about 5 mi and it started all over again. I put it in the shop about 2 wks ago for diagnostic. They determined that the stator was faulty. That it was producing twice the normal amps, 30 amps. and 3 and a half amps over battery amperage @ idle. That it increased significantly @ higher rpm and that the regulator was unable to bring it down to normal limits. That it was probably overcoming the diods in the audio thus causing the system to act up. They put another regulator in with the same results ruling out the regulator and 2 other 2nd gens were producing normal amperage. Long story short they replaced the stator and at least today the audio is working perfectly. The original stator did have burnt and melted windings I saw w\ my own eyes. The mechanic said that with some of the windings melted together that it lowered resistance which probably caused the increased production of amperage. The service mgr said that when he called Yamaha regarding the 30 amp output they acted like he must be crazy but they sent the new stator anyway. Like Yamaha it didn't make sense to me as I have never heard of a stator on any mc especially the Venture over charging. Maybe some of you have had that experience but I would have never found the problem because there were no other symptoms to conclude that the stator was over charging. It sounded more like the voltage regulator to me but low and behold it is working perfectly now. We will see over time but those of you that have similar symptoms and all the fixes discussed on this sight does not work you may check your stator. My mechanic has 20+ yrs with Yamaha and I trust him with my bike emphatically especially with warranty work. Otherwise I do most of the maintenance myself. Good luck! -
I have been all over the US and have never had my bikes stolen. I don't think Japanese bikes are high theft items. I had someone rifle through my soft saddle bags on my 97 RS one time but I had taken out everything of value & put it in the motel rm. I had a racoon steal food out of my cooler while camping along the beach in Northern CA once. I do worry about my trailor sometimes and I try to secure it whereever I go. That's my feed back PS The professionals just put a steel bar through the front wheel and back wheel 4 guys and they carry it to the get away van or trailor so wheel locks and the factory front steering lock isn't effective anyway. Good luck!
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I agree completely. I have the Bubs and K&N filters and no jettingwas required or recommended. My bike runs just fine. I also share the same concerns with the rejetting. These bikes will continue to run fairly well with the carbs being out of sync and may not be too noticeable running too lean from rejetting. If it is running lean to cause overheating problems it could severely damage the valves and or cylinder heads.
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radio stoped working
James Ardrey replied to Just-Jack's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
Mine started acting up in December and the dealer replaced the main brain component and it worked perfectly until about 2 wks ago and they ordered and replaced the brain again. It worked perfectly for about 10 min. on the road. They are stumped and they want to keep my bike for a few days to do some systems analysis to try to determine the problem. The symptoms are as described here. It cycles through all the functions, shuts itself off,comes back on by itself. Vibration seems to be playing a role in the things I describe. I pulled all the plugs in Dec. and added dialectic grease. The system at least the radio worked perfectly until I reved the engine or started down the road. I haven't checked with this most recent occurrence but if I was sitting still with engine the radio would work perfectly. They started replacing brains because the cycling through the functions continued even with the control module disconnected so they and I deducted that it must be the brain. I question this logic as this is the third brain counting the original that I have had put in. I doubt that all three brains were defective. I think they are going to find a short in one of the connectors. The service manager states that they have a protocol trouble shooting guide from Clarion that they will use to check the system. They keep saying this is the first Venture they have seen with this problem. All the others were what has been described on this site with reconnecting the connectors and solving audio problems. I will post the result as soon as I find out the problem with my audio system. I just picked up my baby this afternoon and the stereo system is working perfectly. The mechanic found that the stator was putting out twice the normal amps. Around 30 amps actually and 3.5 amps above battery amps @ idle and much more @ higher rpm's. The mechanic believes the increased amps through the audio system was causing the bizarre behavior. I looked @ the stator and the windings were partially melted together in spots from heat build up. The mechanic states that this could explain increased amperage due to decreased resistance through the windings in the stator. He said the voltage regulator was trying to reduce amps but was unable to decrease to normal limits with the stator generating twice the normal amps. He had a couple of other 2nd gens to compare and actually put a different voltage regulator on with the same results ruling out a faulty voltage regulator. As I said the audio system is working perfectly now. I have never heard of a stator producing too much voltage before. It is usually too little especially with the RSV. He said he has a couple of other 2nd gens with similar symptoms right now.This could very well be the cause of some of the problems described in this post. I never would have suspected the stator putting out too many amps because the only thing on the bike that isn't working properly is the audio system. Maybe some of you have discovered this problem before but I haven't seen any posts stating this as a problem. -
Radio Buttons
James Ardrey replied to firewalker's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
Thanks Kent for your response and your suggestions. I will let everyone know the results as they unfold. The dealer I bought it from and use for warranty work have always treated me fairly and I think they will do their best to accomodate me in this issue. -
With all that added stuff the price of the Venture will probably be in the 22.000$ price range of a wing or BMW.
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Radio Buttons
James Ardrey replied to firewalker's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
The mechanic also isolated the problem by unplugging the control module and the brain continued to cycle. You could hear it with that faint beeping that you hear in the speakers when you are adjusting the controls. I thought this might be pertinent info. By their rationale that ruled out the control module. -
Radio Buttons
James Ardrey replied to firewalker's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
About 3 months ago I had the brain replaced on my 03 under warranty. It would cycle through all the functions, go on and off by itself. I tried all the fixes including dialectic grease to no avail. The new brain solved the problem until last Thursday when I hit a bump and it started all over. I guess they will have to order and replace another one. That main component I call the brain costs about 1,000 dollars if you have to replace it. I'm worried now that something else is causing the brain to malfunction. I can't see the new one going out that quick to be a faulty component but I guess it is possible. My warranty goes out I think in May or June and if something else is causing the malfunction I will be in the same boat without a warranty to back me up. I don't know if there is any extended warranty on replaced components. It sounds like some of the problems cited here are similar and may be the same problem if reconnecting and dialectic grease doesn't fix it or it could be in the control module. If anyone has had theirs come and go off and cycle through all the functions on it's own and there was another fix than replacing the brain I would appreciate any feedback. Also vibration from going down the road seems to increase the symptoms and none of the controls respond once these symptoms occur including being able to turn the system off. Sorry for the long post but it relates to the symptoms described here. -
I have pulled trailors with 8" tires 50,000 + miles with no problems and no noticeable wear to bearings. Very good performance at any speeds and great handling. The weight rating for a motorcycle trailor axles and bearings far exceed the weight you will ever haul so there is not much chance of bearings heating up or wear problems as long as they are always kept greased. I have always used bearing buddies and they work well to keep the inner and outer bearings lubricated in these small trailors. The 8" or 12" tires are available at Wallyworld if you have problems on the road. You can buy the wheels and tires already mounted for either and aren't that much more expensive for both. If I had the choice for looks only many trailors do look better with the 12" wheels but I would lose some storage space W\ 12" tires due to the fact that my fender welds encroach on the storage compartment and the design of my trailor looks just fine with 8" tires. As already said in this post it is just a matter of personal preference anyway. Hope this helps
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Don those are both very slick custom tourers. I think with the short wheelbase they will be cramped conditions and a rough ride for full blown touring aspect. I am in agreement with previous posts on this.