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Showing results for tags 'pretty'.
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I searched, but couldn't really find a spot to post this. If it belongs elsewhere, please move. Every time I've built or restored a vehicle, I always created a build thread on a appropriate forum to exhibit where the project started, show progress, get ideas from others, and keep track of what has been done. Since I plan on a partial tear down/restoration this winter, I guess it's time to do it again. I bought this 1988 VR a little over a week ago, and I am quickly falling in love with it. I've ridden it about a half dozen times, for about 300 miles or a little more. She didn't want to idle without being half choked when I picked her up, but adding 6 oz of Sea Foam to a 3/4 full tank seems to have mostly solved that. It will idle all day without any choke after it has warmed to operating temperature now. It's super comfortable and is perfect for riding 2-up with my 13 year old son. Not bad at all for $2500. http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/rentalguy1/1988%20Venture%20Royale/001.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/rentalguy1/1988%20Venture%20Royale/003.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/rentalguy1/1988%20Venture%20Royale/002.jpg So, it's a 22 year old bike, and it's in pretty good shape, with only 48,000 miles on the clock, but it has some issues. I plan on the usual routine maintenance, plus a little extra since I don't know the service history of the bike. I am going to add some Sea Foam to the crankcase just before I tear down so I can ride it a few miles before the oil and filter change. That way the concoction can work it's magic and free up some of the carbon that's no doubt trapped in the valve train. I'll do a oil and filter change, likely using dino oil and a factory filter. I am leery of using synthetic, or a synthetic blend in a engine that old. I have seen it "eat" seals inside older engines on 4x4's in the past, so I can only suspect that it will do the same to a bike. I also am a firm believer in sticking with factory parts that were designed specifically to work with a particular machine. I know it likely doesn't make a huge difference, but I'm a (former) A&P mechanic, and old habits are hard to break. I am also going to change the final drive oil. I think I remember reading that there should be zerks added to the shaft, and other locations on this model. If that is the case, I will do this as well. I've got a new set of NGK DPR8EA9's out in the garage for it, and I am going to attempt finding a new set of factory plug wires. If I can't find them, I'll make a set of 7mm's. It will get a new fuel filter installed, and I will inspect the carb boots for cracks and leaks. Since it is idling fairly good on its own now, I am hesitant to tear the carbs apart and rebuild them. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? Then again, since it will be stripped it would be the best time to do this job. I'll decide when I get to that point. I will adjust the idle speed, though. It seems a tad low at 900 RPM, but I have a manual on order and will see what the specs are. When I got the bike home, I took a long and detailed look at the bike. This is when I noticed the left fork seal deterioration and leakage. This will be corrected with new fork seals, factory I hope. While I have them taken down, I will go ahead and install some progressive springs and change the oil. http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/rentalguy1/1988%20Venture%20Royale/013.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/rentalguy1/1988%20Venture%20Royale/012.jpg On the initial ride home, the bike wanted to "walk" at slow speeds, and I noticed the handlebars are canted very slightly to the left. I have since read that there are a few possible causes and corrections for the walking condition. I will explore these issues and correct them. The brakes feel pretty mushy on the bike, and the rotors are pretty worn. I will replace the rotors and pads, and then change the brake fluid and bleed the system. That should correct this. It has a set of Elite II's on it now. I have no idea how old they are, or how many miles they have on them, but they have some severe cupping. Especially the back. I don't have any pics of them, but I will try to get some once I have them off the bike. I will replace both tires, but I haven't decided with what just yet. I like Dunlops, and I have heard good stuff about Avons. I have run several sets of Bridgestone Battlax tires with very good results, but this bike isn't really that aggressive. I am really interested in some wide whitewalls, but I have no idea what they would look like on a first gen VR. If anybody is running them, please send me a pic. That pretty much covers the mechanical issues. While I have the bike apart I plan on changing the cooling hoses and flushing the system. I can't think of anything else mechanically. If you guys see something I missed, please let me know. All of the electronics (radio, cassette, intercom, CB, CLASS) still work perfectly. They are dirty and need some cleaning, but I don't plan on any major work or upgrades here. I do plan on installing some new speakers, and possibly trying to add some rear speakers as well. I am partial to Clarion, but will probably go with some Pioneers or the like to save a bit of money. The dash will need a good cleaning, too. http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/rentalguy1/1988%20Venture%20Royale/014.jpg On the cosmetic side, there are the usual small cracks all over the fairings and luggage. There is nothing too serious, but it needs attention. The bike had been dropped on the left side, which caused a crack in the upper fairing. It was patched up and had touch up paint applied, but it still looks rough. http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/rentalguy1/1988%20Venture%20Royale/010.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/rentalguy1/1988%20Venture%20Royale/009.jpg I have already bought wetsanding paper from 1500 up to 3000, and both colors of touch up paint. Once I have the all the plastics off, I will sand everything down that needs it and then touch it up and re-sand. Then I'll do the old three step polishing method on everything; rubbing compound, polishing compound, hard shell wax. After that I'll clean and detail the engine and frame as best I can. Then I'll reinstall everything. The vent on the left side mid fairing is missing some louvers, and the chrome trim at the bottom of the saddlebags is cracked. The back sides of both mirrors are scratched up, and the right one is pretty loose, too. I hope to just replace these pieces. If I can't locate them I will figure something else out. http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/rentalguy1/1988%20Venture%20Royale/008.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/rentalguy1/1988%20Venture%20Royale/007.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/rentalguy1/1988%20Venture%20Royale/006.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/rentalguy1/1988%20Venture%20Royale/011.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/rentalguy1/1988%20Venture%20Royale/005.jpg The windshield is a bit crazed, and has two small but fairly deep scratches. I will attempt lightly sanding the scratches with crocus cloth. This is a fix that I have done several times on helicopter windscreens, but the results have been mixed. I would prefer to have the scratches rather than making it worse by trying to fix it. After that, I will use plastic polish to clean and get rid if the crazing. That's all I have for now. It will take all winter to get this accomplished, but that's the fun of it. I know it will still be a 22 year old bike, but I hope it will run and look good for it's age. I have seen a few other ideas on the site that I will likely incorporate into this build, such as a light in the trunk, carpet inside the luggage, and adding a set of driving lights. I'm sure I will find more things to do before it's all done. If you all have any other ideas, please let me know. -
Yesterday wife and I were out fooling around and stopped at a shop that handled both Yamaha and Can Am. Well, there sat this black RT (tourer) fully loaded. Just for grins and giggles we took it for a test ride. While I have to admit it's pretty cool not having to worry about holding up a 900 lb bike when at a stop light, I found the steering to be "loose". It was VERY sensitive (guy at the dealership says it takes a while to get used to it?) Wife reports the pillion is comfortable (though NOT as good as our RSV) but that it felt like it was shifting from side to side while we were riding. (not sure if that was just me fooling with the bars to get a feel for it or ??) Anyway, pretty nice machine but just a touch on the weird side. Anybody else ridden one? If so, what did you think of the steering/handling? I don't "think" I'd get used to the handling very quickly.....Also, having no hand brake lever on the right grip seems a little strange.. Must be getting a little "oldfarty":backinmyday:
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A couple weeks ago we bought a lot at http://www.lake-mohawk.org/ We built a home there 15 or so years ago, lived there for 6 years and bought another home in town, then sold the one at Mohawk. We have long wanted to continue fishing w/o having to drive an hour or so to get to fertile waters so we decided to get a lot. Then of course we HAD to have a pontoon boat and that led to needing a trailer to put it in the lake and take it out in the fall. We managed to get that accomplished pretty quick. Then I decided that I HAD to have a trolling motor and I found a used MinnKota 12v 55lb thrust Terrova Of course that leads to a fish finder and I wasn't about to spend $2000. for a Hummingbird 998C so I settled for second best (IMHO) which is the Hummingbird Wide Portrait. Problem is they are pretty scarce but I'll find one somewhere. So if anyone out there has one or knows of one, I sure would like to talk about it with you.
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Our Zumo tried to have us turn left on the Blue Ridge Parkway this weekend! Would not have been a pretty sight! Zumo and George are at odds a lot of times! Me, I just follow George!
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My wife and I went over the Beartooth Pass Laborday weekend. It was closed the Thursday before because of snow but beautiful on Saturday. I've attached a few pictures in case someone is wondering if they should go to Cody next year. Very pretty area.
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I purchase a Carbtune Plus and it arrived today. I decided to give it a whirl. I took the laptop with me to follow Freebirds directions and headed to the garage. First of all a ride a 96 Royal Star Tour Classic and it has no tach so I really don't know if the idle is correct. I followed the Carbtune directions for setup then went to Freebirds post. I hooked up the Carbtune and the readings were way off. All went well while doing step #1 and I got the first side to measure pretty closely.( How close do I need to be to be close?) It was when I went to step #2 that I ran into a problem. The adjustment screw was not where the directions said it would be. I happen to have a second set of carbs so I took them off the shelf for a look; It seemed to me that I would need to access the adjustment screw for side 2 from the left side of the bike, There were two adjustment screws side by side so I really wasn't sure which was which. I tried trial and error and was able to get side 2 pretty close( once again how close do I need to be?) I then tried the second adjustment screw and got all 4 to be pretty close.(????). I put the rubber plugs back on and took the bike for a ride. The" old boy" seemed to run a little better and I seemed to notice less back firing on deceleration. Now my questions....Can anyone tell me if I did the sync correctly? How close is close enough and is it necessary to have the idle RPM"s perfect before I started the procedure...Thanks
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I just got this in an email. Pretty good story. Duct tape is our friend
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I was up late tonight doing a little casual research on the web and ran across an article with some pretty interesting facts about things like what oil manufacturers viscosity numbers really mean, sulfur and zinc content, and some other good tips about our engine oil. It was a pretty good read for me so I thought I pass the link along. http://www.cycleconnections.com/articledetail.asp?TypeID=23&ID=345
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There are six of us heading from Windsor to Colorado on the 9th of Aug and intend to take 3 or 4 days getting there, we have 3 weeks to explore the state and would like to get some info on camp grounds in the N, central and SE. We will be doing the Northern rides, then down to the SE. There are a couple of camp grounds that seem pretty good, one around Dolores...Priest Gulch....and Durango...Riverside Resort& RV....any help or suggestions that anyone may have would be appreciated. Ian
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Hi All Check out the Ithaca journal .com under Arson to see what I was up to satthe 10th at 4am. This will not be pretty when it all shakes out. Some people need to not be on this earth. Bull463
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I've had the 86VR for a few weeks and after some tinkering, I got it running pretty good...some popping at idle but that's about it. I decided to check the back right diaphragm, just to see its condition. As it turns out, it was in pretty good shape...a couple of pinholes but that's it. I reinstalled and decided to see how the slides work looking down the air filter hole. To my surprise, three were pulsing freely but #3 was not moving at all. I took the diaphragm out and it came out in sections. The metal piece which holds the diaphragm and plastic washers together had separated from the sleeve. I reassembled the unit at what a difference. All of a sudden, I had a 4 banger. I saw a cheapo carb sync tool somewhere consisting of clear fuel line in two loops and ball bearings. I made one of these and after a 5 minute carb synch, (#3 was way out), it goes like a scalded cat.
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...will she...uhh...come? I finished it up today, 5 months in the making, only had a few welds done professionally, the rest was me hacking away in the school's auto shop during my spare time, what little we civil servants DO have...cutting, drilling, grinding, and finishing up the electrical and painting in my shop at home...right next to the TV and coffee table. I got the idea from this website and eye balled all measurements. http://motorcycletrailer.com/tib/ Some of you may remember in late winter me asking about where the centre of gravity is on the VR...this was the reason...LOL...I enjoyed you guys guessing why I wanted to know such a thing. I changed a couple of features like only having a 2-piece backbone instead of 3 piece like they have. It's designed to be taken apart and all fit into the HHR when we reach our destination. I ended up with a couple of snags like not leaving enough room for where I planned to put the license plate, so will have to solve that, right now the plate is tie wrapped on. It's the biggest transportation related thing I've ever built, and given my pretty boy skills, I'm happy with it. It has received final approval by the Pretty Butt, so after 5 years of being a good boy, begging, pleading, and general a$$ kissing, we are going on a trip down the Blue Ridge together...YAHOO! So here's the multiple choice question for you all... Why ELSE would a guy like me build something like this??? A) because the Browner is really becoming a trailer queen of priceless value worthy of tender care during it's final years. B) because deep down I know that BradT hates being bugged for trailering duties. C) because the Pretty Butt has me ass whupped more than I realize. D) because I need to be ready on a moment's notice to head to the USA to pick up my new Gold Wing...or... E) (insert your opinion here)
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Just completed the carb mod to increase gas mileage on my 86 Venture. The mod from this site (with pics I may add) says to remove the white fiber/plastic spacer and replace with x2 m4 washers. Here's the lead in to the question.....when I removed the "slider"..the needle itself had some "play" to it...you could push it in a little and feel the tension of the spring. After the mod....that movement/free play is pretty much gone. Is this normal???
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Well I'm sitting in a library waiting while my triple tree's are installed. They said about 4-5 hrs. Hopefully the wait will be worth it. Everyone says that my bike and side car will be a lot easier to handle once they are installed. 4 plus hours with nothing to do is pretty boring but its no worth have the wife pick me up and return me later, its a 1 1/2 hr ride and the shop is in a small town
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Got my Harbor Freight Tag-Along trailer today at their store on E. 86th St. in Indy. Reg. price $399.99, on sale $329.99, 20% off coupon = $263.99 + $18.48 sales tax, total out-the-door $282.47. Had a busy schedule today, so have only done a partial assembly. Looks like some of the comments about cheap latches, etc. are pretty accurate, but I think it will probably work O.K. for me. I'll post again later after it's all together and I get a chance to use it.
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Check out the following link. http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2007/09/24/honda-gold-wing-quad-from-hannigan-motorsports/ It is a 4 wheeled Goldwing!! - Aside from how practical it is, I think it looks pretty cool. craigr
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I looked at an '87 VR with 50K miles on it today. Owner is asking $1200.00 dollars. I am tempted, but it has some "issues" that are obvious. First, it is beaten pretty badly. Plastic, vinyl, chrome, paint and metal pieces are all cracked, pitted, scraped, scarred, bent, gouged, loose, etc. They all seem to be in place, but they are pretty well abused and neglected. I kept looking though, because for the price I was more interested in the mechanical soundness of the bike than the cosmetics or looks. The owner cranked the bike and let it idle while we talked. The starter turned the engine over slowly, but it fired up quickly. The idle was rough, and it spit and sputtered for a moment after the start-up. The off-idle response was also noticebly sluggish when the throttle was twisted. I shut if off for a few minutes while the owner and I chatted about other things that needed attention. He told me the fork tubes were leaking, and would need serviced. He acknowledged they were probably empty of fluid after I easily squashed them all the way to the ground. He told me the bike had been tuned-up a year ago. Coulda fooled me. We also discussed how to remove the seat (he didn't know). I wanted to see if I could locate the source of an obviouse oil leak/seep. After a few minutes I started the bike up again, and it fired off pretty well. Twisting the throttle resulted in a sluggish (pathetic) throttle response. It gather RPM's rather slowly, and did not seem to have any umph off idle. It turned weakly while starting, but it did start. The owner later told me he had put a new battery in the bike this past spring. I have not ridden the bike yet. What things should I look for on this generation of Venture that might not be so obvious to the un-trained eye? If the owner will allow me to run it down the street I will go through the gears and see how the motor pulls and accelerates, runs at road speed, decelerates, etc. I also want to see if the thing will start, stop, hold a set speed, turn, track and other such important and interesting things. What should I expect to pay for fork seal replacement and fork service (and new Progressive springs?) for this rig? Are the brakes on the VR known to be durable/reliable? If there are carb problems on the Ventures are they a PIA to deal with? It has a oil weep somewhere on the back cylinder bank, as made visible by a considerable amount of gunk collecting on top of the rear engine case. Is this typical for a 23 year old Venture? Are the final drives on these bikes pretty durable, and do they give tell-tell signs if they are about to go out? Thanks for any input. If there other links or posts that addresses these issues, please advise. I would be glad to link to them; otherwise, I look forward to your replies. -
Wife and I went to a Antique Motorcycle Ride-in (some were trailered but they had to be riden from where the trailers were parked to the viewing area) at Gold Hill, NC had a great time. For those of you around Charlotte you need to look up Gold Hill it's the best kept secret in NC Finished the day with a ride to Morrow Mountain just to suck up some pretty. posting a few pictures
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Of those Nicaraguan cigars? Pretty smooth huh?
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What are you guys doing about repairing/replacing the lower 2 fwd fairings due to crumbling ABS plastic? Mine are in pretty bad shape, and actually are beginnning to crumble at both attach points and, in the case of the lower fwd piece in front of the exhaust, it literally crumbled into several pieces. Did a search on some of the usual parts sites, but they are pretty expensive. Any ideas? -
Other than Mini & MarCarl doing table dances, it was pretty calm group. Gary
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For the past 4 days I have been caught in RAIN and My footing kept on slipping My remedy was purchasing Marine Anti-Slip Grip Tape It works great and Looks pretty cool, on the scoot
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I was eyeballing the bike listings on Craigslist here in Omaha tonight and saw a post from yesterday for an '84 Venture Royale. Had a few pics and it was a match to my Blonde. Looked to be in pretty good shape. He stated it ran great but had a few minor issues. There was no asking price......just make a offer. Dang. Wrote him an e-mail to set up a meeting. Got an answer about a hour later that it was sold. Well I'm not surprised. It did look pretty good. So I wrote him back and thanked him for the reply and sent him a pic of my '84 and wished I could have seen his. Got a reply to that in another half hour. He says "I still have this one." (see pic) So it seems again that nobody can have just one Venture! LOL! We been exchanging e-mails all evening and are going to get together for a ride in the next week or so. I invited him to check out the site so maybe will drop in and check us out.
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Was in Wally-World just looking while Warden shopped. ( With her shopping I don't have any money to spend!!!) Anyway ended up at their small collection of bike stuff. A young guy was there with a little Blonde that was VERY VERY VERY good looking and built like Rachael Welch. She was trying on 1/2 helmets. I watched a little asked what he was riding to get talk flowing. Then I asked him if he liked her. Of course answer was yes. So I asked " You don't like her face?" Proceded to explain my thoughts on 1/2 lid on that pretty thing. They both ended up thanking me and left with fullface helmet. Made me feel good. So on way home saw a truck beside superslab with hood up. Stopped and got it started for him and sent him on his way. How was your day???
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Dane just got his new bike last night. Had to share the excitement with you. He was able to sell the YZF right away!! We're pretty tickled for him!
