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I need some help finding long distance touring tires. My Yamaha dealership swamped me into a Vons claiming they would rival Michelin long-distance tires. The michelins claimed double the usual expected mileage. That would equate to 40,000 k. I have since learned my Yamaha dealer may have totally lied about the capability of the Avon tires. Not wishing to rely on them for advice I'm asking here. The Dunlop Elite 4 tires seem to claim amazing range. What is my best option and does anyone know where I could get them installed in short notice.

83 Venture Rear Wheel Bearing Replacement (This document in Word format attached)83 Venture-Rear-Wheel-Bearings-Replacement.docx. My apologies for the formatting below - outlines don't come out very well in plain text. See the Word doc. I was experiencing some rear noise and vibration when leaning to the left and it was becoming progressively worse. I had never done the ‘Venture Rear Wheel Service” as documented in the forum (Ozlander 09-17-2015), so I decided to undertake that. I took the original write-up, and broke it down into numbered steps so I could check each one off as I went (I just find that a little easier to follow). I have included that below. I did not find any problems until I came to the bearing inspection part of the process, I did notice a little bit of roughness in the gear-side bearing (the needle bearing), but even more unusual, there was significant play in the inner bearing collar that forms the inner race of that bearing (it would slide in and out about 3/8’s of an inch). So I decided to undertake a replacement of the entire set. I searched the forums high and low for information on how to do that, and found a number of them, but there are differences between the different generations (to be expected), and there may be differences between the 3 years of the first gens. I can only speak about my experiences with this 83. After reviewing the various forums, I began the process of ordering the parts. Here is the complete list of parts as extracted from the YAMAHA parts website (https://www.shopyamaha.com/parts-catalog/parts/star-mcy?ls=Star&dealernumber=#/Yamaha/XVZ12TK_-_1983/REAR_WHEEL ) 1983 XVZ12TK & TDK per Yamaha's web site Item # Part # Description Yamaha price 3 93317-32635-00 BEARING, CYLINDRICAL | Use w/Item 28 38.78 kit 2 90560-20235-00 Spacer 19.37 4 90387-200J2-00 COLLAR 14.22 5 93306-30417-00 BEARING 32.18 kit replaced by part # 93306-30437-00 6 99009-52500-00 CIRCLIP 6.41 7 93102-25064-00 OIL SEAL 7.64 kit 12 93440-45022-00 CIRCLIP 6.67 13 93210-68347-00 O-RING 4.72 kit 14 2H7-25315-00-00 FLANGE, SPACER 5.5 partzilla 15 93106-40027-00 OIL SEAL 8.27 kit 28 90387-203H7-00 COLLAR | Use w/Item #3 15.41 partzilla Total $ 159.17 Don’t let the Yamaha price scare you, as you can’t order any of this from them anyway. I listed it just for reference purposes as I shopped around. I found a reference in one of the forums to a kit from OEMCYCLE (Pivot Works part # PWRWS-Y23-000) and it was available for $55 so I ordered it. The only drawback was that they did not list the detail parts that were included in the kit. So I waited until it arrived to find out exactly what was in it – those are noted in the list above by ‘kit’ - it was missing two critical parts – Item 14 (FLANGE,SPACER), and Item 28 (COLLAR). The name for Item 28 is a bit of a misnomer as it is actually the inner piece of the needle bearing that functions as the inner race for that bearing (and is the piece that I noted above was moving in and out suspiciously) – the YAMAHA site specifically states that it should be ordered in conjunction with Item 3 (the outer portion of the needle bearing). OEMCYCLE did not list that part as orderable (nor did the Pivot Works site either), so I was able to find it on Partzilla (along with the SPACER FLANGE – more about that below). The parts I did not order and reused were the two circlips, the SPACER (Item 2), and Item 4 (COLLAR) which is more of a washer that is external to the bearings and seals. I should note at this point, that in my original Service Manual for the 83, the Rear Wheel Diagram (Page 5-7) does not show Item # 28 (the COLLAR that forms the inner race for the bearing) – it is present on the Yamaha Website diagram – I have now penciled it in on my manual. REMOVING THE OLD BEARINGS: I searched the forums for some details on this, and was not confident that what I found would actually pertain to the 83. I was able to find a webpage (by searching for the bearing part numbers) which documented bearing removal for an XS11 and looked exactly the same as what I was seeing on the 83 Venture. It was good up to a certain point, but then deviated from the reality of the 83 as I will note below. So here is the link – good pix and text – I will summarize the steps my buddy (Tim Tucker) and I actually took and where we had to deviate from the XS11 procedure. Link to pix from XS11 Yamaha – had same part # for one of the bearings: http://www.xs11.com/xs11-info/tech-tips/repairs/32/193-rear-wheel-bearing-replacement-pictorial.html 1. Starting on the brake side, we used a seal puller to remove the oil seal, exposing the circlip underneath. 2. We removed the circlip, so the bearing could now be pounded out from the opposite side (in theory, once you have that side opened up). 3. We turned the tire over (setting it on a pair of wood 2x4’s to protect the brake disc) and tried to follow the step in the XS11 procedure – it shows using a seal puller to remove the seal and collar – that does not work for the 83 – the seal and collar are a different part. The seal on the 83 is rubber/vinyl with an external metal ring (that is pressed into the hub) but more importantly, it contains a tiny embedded coil spring – the spring is what prevents the collar from pulling completely out of the bearing. We ended up cutting the outer rubber portion of the seal all the way around until we exposed the spring, then pulled that out with a pair of needle nose pliers. That allowed the inner collar to slide completely out. With the extra room, we were then able to grab the rest of the seal with a pair of diagonals, distort it, and twist it completely out. So what you are left with at this point on the gear side is the outer race and needle bearings. 4. The XS11 procedure now states to hammer out the big bearing from this side, by shifting the flanged spacer over, to gain access to the outer race of the big bearing. This is an oversimplification of what needs to happen (for the 83 at least) and is a good time to describe what is actually in this hub and how it is meant to fit together. The design is that the long Spacer aligns with the inner race of the large bearing and with the inner race (the ‘collar’ noted above) of the needle bearing so that those parts remain relatively stationary while the wheel itself rotates with the outer races. The Spacer Flange is there to maintain the proper alignment of the long Spacer with the center of the large bearing – because the cavity at that end of the wheel hub is the diameter of the large bearing, so there is all that space for the long spacer to flop around. The Spacer Flange is basically a donut that is the same diameter as the large bearing, and the long spacer fits inside the donut hole, lining up with the inner race. At this point in the removal, we did not understand that. We could not get the spacer to ‘shift’ as the XS11 procedure stated – it would wiggle very slightly, to reveal the edge of the inner race, but no more. We eventually resorted to hammering on the spacer with a large drift pin, which basically distorted the Spacer Flange until the long spacer came loose from the center of the Spacer Flange and was then free to slide all around the inside cavity of the hub, revealing the outer race of the large bearing and making that accessible to hammering with the drift pin. Of course the Spacer Flange was sitting on top of the large bearing, but being thin metal, it was perfectly fine to hammer on it to pound out the large bearing. Once that popped out, the mangled Spacer Flange came with it, and the long Spacer fell out as well. Knowing what we know now, we suspect that it would have been possible from the needle bearing side to pull the Spacer/SpacerFlange assembly up thru the needle bearing (the Spacer is the same diameter as the needle bearing collar we removed above) just enough so that the Flange portion would clear the housing above the large bearing – it might pivot just enough to get a drift pin down thru the spacers and catch the outer race of the large bearing, allowing you to hammer it out – the next person to follow this procedure will need to update this document with their findings. 5. That left just the needle bearing still in the wheel on the gear side. The XS11 procedure had a picture showing two cutouts in the inner wheel housing that would allow you to insert a small drift pin to hammer out the needle bearing from the opposite side. Unfortunately, there were no cutouts on the 83’s hub. The hub completely blocks any access to the bearing from the opposite side. I considered drilling my own holes, but eventually decided against that. So at this point I cried uncle, and took the wheel to a local bike shop. For a half-hour labor’s charge, they told me that they ripped out the needle bearings form the outer race, then used a small bearing puller that budged it enough so the inside edge of the bearing was then exposed enough to catch it with a drift pin from the other side, and finished by hammering it out. 6. Installing the new bearings: we laid out the parts and slid them onto the axle to verify we understood how it needed to go back together. Started with the large sealed bearing, then the Spacer Flange (open side against the bearing, followed by the long Spacer, then the Collar (Inner Race of the needle bearing) and then the needle bearing itself (which we had not yet greased up and so we did not actually slide the collar into it). This is the point where we first really understood how it all was meant to work. When we initially slid the Spacer Flange up against the large bearing, it was contacting the bearing’s rubber seal and wanted to turn with the outer race. We knew that couldn’t be right, and it finally dawned on us that the long Spacer was meant to fit through the Spacer Flange and thus keep the flange from contacting the rubber seal. a. So the next step was to insert the long Spacer into the Spacer Flange. This is accomplished simply by laying the Spacer Flange on a flat surface (open side down) and tapping the long spacer through the center until it comes into contact with the flat surface. The end result is the long Spacer protrudes thru the flange to allow it to contact the bearing while preventing the outer edge of the Flange Spacer from touching the bearing seal or outer race. We verified that by sliding everything back onto the axle and now the only parts touching were those that lined up with the inner race of both bearings. b. Lay the wheel with the large bearing side up c. Insert the Spacer/Flange Spacer assembly into the hub (long spacer first – it will protrude out the other side of the hub). d. Insert the new large bearing into the hub and gently hammer into place. We used the tip from the XS11 instructions and had already cut a notch out of the old bearing, so we laid the old bearing on top of the new one and hammered on that until the new one was completely seated. The old bearing pops right out of the wheel housing when squeezed with a pair of plyers. e. Install the circlip f. Install the new seal g. Flip the wheel over – the Spacer/Flange Spacer assembly should slip back down and sit on the newly installed bearing h. Grease the new needle bearing i. Install new needle bearing – again we used the old needle bearing (which we also had notched) as a hammering tool. j. Apply a little grease to the new Collar (inner race) and insert into the needle bearing (smaller end first). It should butt against the Spacer inside the hub. k. Install the oil seal l. Reinstall the hub per the instructions in the Rear Wheel Service document i. Apply grease to the inside of the hub and to the six posts that fit into the wheel. ii. Check the o-ring on the wheel to be sure it is in place before you replace the hub and circlip. 7. The wheel is now ready for installation.   Venture Rear Wheel Service You may ask, "Doesn't my dealer do that?" NOT UNLESS YOU TELL, HIM THAT YOU WANT IT DONE. This service should be completed every tire change or 10,000 miles (16,000k) or at least every two years; but in most cases it isn't done because we don't always have a dealer replace our tires and/or we don't tell him to do the work. So if you just bought the bike or you are not sure it has been done, it would be a good time to think about servicing the rear wheel of your Venture. The procedure is fairly simple to do on bikes without a trailer hitch and only a little harder if your bike has one. 1. Remove the rear bags 2. Remove the right muffler 3. Remove the rear brake caliper 4. Deflate the tire; then remove the rear wheel: a. Remove the axel cotter pin, washer, and axel nut b. Remove the caliper and loosen the pinch bolt c. While supporting the brake torque stopper plate, pull out the rear axel d. Move the wheel to the right side and separate it from the final gear cases and remove the rear wheel. 5. If your Venture is a 1983, 84, or 85 you will need to remove the rear drive or differential and remove the drive shaft: a. Remove the final gear case assembly b. Remove the drive shaft. 6. Clean the drive shaft and coupling, then grease both ends before putting it back in (note: make sure that the shaft goes back into the u-joint. If you are not sure, remove the spring on the boot covering the u-joint and check it. Next clean the spline or gear on the rear drive and grease it with a good quality grease, personally I use a medium Moly based grease. 7. Wheel cleaning/inspection: a. Now find a couple of 2" x 4"s and place the rear wheel (spline side up) on the boards. b. When you clean the hub and splines off you will see the spring clip or circlip that holds the hub in place; i. remove this clip and before you remove the hub mark the position of the hub so you can replace it in the same holes it came from. ii. Now clean the hub and inspect it for wear iii. Then apply grease to the inside of the hub and to the six posts that fit into the wheel. iv. Check the o-ring on the wheel to be sure it is in place before you replace the hub and circlip. v. Check the bearings inside of the wheel and check the bearing movement; if they are rough or worn replace them. 8. Now for the mono shock pivots: a. Place a jack under the rear drive to take the strain off of the mono shock then dissemble. b. Clean and grease all of the pivot points and reassemble (if you have a 90 - 93 or you have had grease fittings installed, just give them a squirt). 9. Before you install the rear wheel take the axle and put it back through the swing arm into the final drive to check the alignment. If you find that it is in a bind you will have to change the wedge shim between the final drive and the swing arm. 10. Check the oil level in the rear drive or replace the oil if it has been 10,000 miles since it was serviced and check the brake pads for wear. 11. You can now reassemble your bike and have another year or two of trouble free riding.

Seems a lot of people seem to like the EBC FA179HH front and FA123 rear but 2 sites said HH did not go with our bike and recommended the FA179V semi sintered for our bike has anybody went with these still would probably go organic rear to help soften the lock up. Any input would be appreciated quite confused right now. Also spark plug $3 standard or $10 iridium have to pull the tank to install passing lamps so want all the parts to be ready for spring.

Hello all Time for a rear tire and I want to pull the rear wheel off myself and take to dealer. Do i need to remove the saddlebags, exhaust, ect??? Never pulled rear wheel before. This is on a 99 RSV, Thanks!!!

Merry Christmas Venture family! Is it possible to get some technical advice from the electrical gurus here, I own a 08 Cadillac SRX, it has one quirk that can not seem to be solved even at the dealer! The daytime running light bulbs will burn out repeatedly . Sometimes within a week of replacing them. When that happens the signal lights will flash fast and the rear LED taillights will do all kinds of weird things. I just replaced the bulbs last week and they went out again. Both rear taillights will flash when I turn on the right or left signal and the brakes are applied. The systems are all tied together in the computer and all the research tells me its the cars way of telling me the bulbs are burned out. I have changed the bulb sockets as suggested by GM replaced the bulbs cleaned and checked the sockets and plugs. All the other lights are operational. To change the bulbs one has to remove the front wheels and take the complete inner fender off to get at the housing for the bulbs. To do both sides it can take a couple of hours. who in the world designed this? On to my question, can I replace these bulbs with a LED and hook some kind of resistor inline to fool the computer into believing it has a incandescent bulb in it? Kind of like the battery probe mod on my 1st gen? How would I find the right resistor to use ? From what I have found online the bulbs get hot, and the sockets get hard and cause a bad connection, high resistance and the element will burn out. I am not sure if the DRLs can be disabled and have everything else work as it should. Im at a loss. I wanted to sell the car but I sure would feel bad if a new owner had the problem and it caused a wreck because of the signal lights. Any ideas?

OK.. having lots of fun trying to get rear wheel back in. Don't want to let the air out of tire and don't want to loosen the rear drive bolts either since I have it nicely aligned. Even with a jack it's just not going in. Same size tire as old one, too... Other ideas or tips?? thanks! david

Removed lower fairings repositioned components installed highway bars and rad chrome Removed and blocked AIS complete Installing VMAx rear end Installed Dyna 3000 ign unit on upper curve Lowered ft end 1" and rear 1/2 inch (I'm inseam challenged) Installed and tuned Supertrapp exhaust Installed 4 single KN filters and installing Ivan's jet kit Custom paint LED headlamp and passing lamps Changed out Cassette deck for a power distribution unit and aux input New Avon rear and smaller Avon front tire

Has anybody tried one or established the fit up with the stock rear pad. I really would like to get one but am unwilling to shell out the busks to find out it doesn't fit.

Rear tire went flat the other day so I put the jack underneath and Proceeded to pull the rear tire and wheel from the bike which I have done many times before as I have owned 5 different Ventures from 1963 to the current 1999. Took the 4 nuts that hold the rear drive shaft and removed it. Replaced the rear tire and reinstalled the drive shaft the same way I have always done it. Put everything back together and now the trans is locked in neutral can not shift to any other gear. Does anybody any idea what I might have done wrong and how to fix it. Any ideas would be great Thanks

I sold an 83 Venture to my BIL in 2006. Just before selling it to him, I had completely repainted it, rebuilt the carbs, installed a new stator assy, put new tires on it, had the seat redone. It was in a outstanding condition and ran really well. With the new paint job it looks really bada$$, too. I was visiting him a few months back and the bike was parked in his garage and covered. I could tell that he hadn't be on it in some time. So, I asked him when was the last time he rode it. To my bewilderment he had put only a little more that 300 miles on it since he bought it from me. He also stated that in had deteriorated somewhat since he hadn't been on it much. He hadn't even started it in over 5 years. Since he now has spells of being dizzy (he is 76 now) and can't ride he offered it back to me. I really wasn't interested because I have trouble keeping one bike up properly and surely didn't need a second one again so I told him I wasn't interested in buying it back. He said he didn't want to sell it to me but that I could just have it for free if I just got it out of my garage. I accepted. Since the bike has been back in my possession, I have installed a new battery, and gone through the carbs twice, cleaned out the fuel tank, changed oil and all those other necessary maintenance items. The bike again runs like a top; quiet as the day it was made. It even has 180 on all four cylinders. The only issue I now have and can't figure out is the rear brakes. I have read there is a third bleed valve up around the steering head somewhere. If there is, I surely cannot find it. Apparently after all those years of just sitting there, a rat or mouse or something ate a small hole in the brake hose; the one from the reservoir to the actual master cylinder. I replaced it and have been trying to bleed the rear brake system for over a week. My question is; did all 83s have that third bleed valve? I now do not get any air bubbles from the front bleed valve, but have gotten air from the rear bleed valve for probably over 100 bleeding attempts. What is going on? Any ideas will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

OK, i've read every post on the site regarding rear shocks, and they vary from 2005 to the present. Right now i'm looking for current info, based on opinion or actual experience--either will do...So of the three readily available aftermarket shocks, (not counting OEM, which is a piece of dog crap, no intent to insult dog crap) which is the best, and why? My research has revealed the following: Hagon. $469 YSS. $499 Works. $879 Figure $30 for shipping...OK, except for the obvious (hint, involves greenbacks) what breaks out one shock from the other? Why does the Works cost so damned much? Anyone have anything good or bad to say about any of these? Anyone know of any other shocks on the market? Thanks for the help, Fred

Well I jumped off a ledge and bought these for the VENTURE. I wanted to post what I bought so if any other member is looking for the same thing it makes it easy. I want to thank everyone here with there help and assistance in making up my mind. I spent quit abit of time talking to there staff and figure this is the right way to go. Thanks again Custom Dynamics Yamaha Cruiser LED Turn Signal Conversion Kit GEN200-Y-KIT LEDs: Amber Front, Amber Rear Bases: 1157 front, 1156 rear Equalizer: GEN-UNV-STABILIZER & GEN-MDK (Add $45.00) Genesis 100 LED Yamaha Tail Light Board GEN-100-1157YAM http://www.motorcyclehidxenonlights.com/Yamaha-Royal-Star-HID-Xenon-Lights/

Hey all, I have a 06 RSV. Everyone is talking about upgrading the brakes to R1. What year or type of R1? Am I doing just the front or also the rear? What about the other components, master cylinder, lines, etc. Any input whould be great. Thanks

OK guys, I need some expert electrical help. For Christmas I bought LED turn signal inserts from Custome Dynamics. I already had the Run-Stop-turn from Kuryakyn for the back so the rear hooked up and worked perfectly. The front are another story. I also bought the load equalizer and diode kit from Kuryakyn. Both installed easily. Here are the problems. The turn indicator is always on when I connect the diode to ground acording to the instructions. The front lights come on as running lights but they go out and dont flash when I select either turn. At the same time the rear flash fast. If I remove the diode and reinstall the original front bulbs the rear LED lights flash normal. I read and followed all the instructions (maybe my first problem). Is ther something I'm missing or is my wiring different? Any help or possible solutions will be entertained.

I just got my new hand pump from Harley. NICE!! Best $60 ever! I have a 85 Venture, its the standard without the fancy compresser and radio:) What is everybody running the front and rear pressure at? I'm 250lbs and I usually carry 20lbs of "EXTRAS" in my luggaage. Looking for the best ride. I put 12lbs in the front and 12lbs in the rear. Felt soft?? Ideas??

I am not able to find a member vendor that sells the lowering links for a 2nd gen RSV/RSTD. Do we still have a member of this forum that makes and sells them? If not, do we know of a good outside vendor that makes and/or sells them? Yes, I know that I can make these myself, but...I am wanting to look at a few options. I am going to be lowering the front of my '06 RSMTD by 3/4", but I also want to lower the rear end too. So, please let me know if we have lowering links available. I did find the ones from LA Choppers/Barons but they also include the new bracket to relocate the rear brake caliper, which I find to not be necessary. No need to buy a kit with that bracket, if I am not going to use it. Thanks,

So, I sent my rear diff off to John Furbur at RMSportmax, and he did his thing to it to chnage out the gears to make it ther RS-Max gears. Most of you know what that means, so I will not explain. He sent the rear diff back to me, leaving his shop on Pennsylvania two days ago, it was in my hands this morning, and in less than 82 minutes...ta da...the entire bike was all back together, everything re-insatlled, a new rear tire on it, and the bike fully on the road. Hey, less than 82 minutes was pretty good. Of course, I had everything prepped and ready to receive the revised rear diff. All parts were cleaned, newly greased, and all tolls laid out. But still...in less than 82 minutes. I have other things I still am doing to the bike, like a full valve adjustment, and fixing two wiring items. But it is nice to have the bike abck on two wheels. BTW, he did re-gear MY rear diff, as I asked him to, rather than swap mine out for someone else's.

I've had my Venture Royale a little over a month and a half now and have put about 1000 miles on it. I have to admit, of all the bikes I have owned or have ridden over the years, this is by far my favorite. When I bought the bike the CLASS system had been disabled. The previous owner did not like it for some reason. All parts are still on the bike and he assured me there was nothing wrong with the system he just did not like the way it adjusted the bike when he rode two up with his wife. The guy is local and a decent guy so I have no reason to believe this isn't the case. When he disabled the system he removed the fitting for the rear shock that connects to the compressor and added a valve to directly air up the shock. I can find the hoses online to replace this hose with the proper connection. I have noticed that when I had a passenger on the bike the back mudflap hits the ground when going over bumps and from the looks of it, it has been doing this for a while. I added air at the valve he placed in the line but it doesn't seem to do much to raise the rear of the bike. My question is this. I have looked into the Progressive front springs and also checked out a few aftermarket rear shocks (Hagon, etc). Is it worth my while to try to get this CLASS system back up and running or I should I just consider going the Progressive route with new rear shock? 99% of my riding is solo. I rarely have a passenger. When I ride the bike solo the suspension seems fine to me. I do feel like the back end sits a bit too low though. Sure, I would like to have the CLASS system working, but am I missing anything by not going that route? Seems to me that if I get it working I might just be asking for more problems down the road. Whereas if I do the Progressive and new rear shock I should not have to even think about anymore. I appreciate any opinions one way or the other. Thanks.

I came into a set of JM headsets today and have a question. When I plug them in and switch them on the front works fine, but the rear h/s does not work and there is still sound coming from the REAR speakers, but at the same volume as the front headset. There is a mic mute installed, and the p.o. did have all the audio stuff apart when he changed out the original trunk that was cracked. I've tried everything that I can remember from my other Venture and nothing works or changes. Both headsets work in the front too, so I know they are both good. HELP!!

I recently changed out my rear pads. Brakes have been completly flushed and operate fine. But when I apply the rear brake I hear a sort of clicking sound I never heard before. Almost sounds like crickets or something. Dont hear it if you only apply front brakes. I was thinking maybe it was because now there is more pad to cross over the vent holes in disk. But why wouldnt you hear it from the front.

I found my rear caliper leaking so I'm going to rebuild it. I have rebuilt calipers on cars before and don't think it should be difficult. I just thought I would ask if there is anything special I should be aware of. The other question I have is the size of the cylinder bore if I have to hone them. I dont have my small hone anymore. So if I have to buy one, it would be nice to know what the size is. Thanks for the help.

Will be ordering a new rear tire for my Venture in an hour or two. Kind of shocked how much they have gone up. Going for a Michelin Commander II for 159 dollars. Anybody know somewhere cheaper? I could go for a Dunlop Elite III also. The 159 is free shipping.

Anybody Know if the rear Rim of an 06 RSV fit on a 1st gen RSTD? 96 or 97?

Wife has long legs and i need to lower the rear floorboards 2 to 3 inches. Does anyone know of an adaptor kit to accomplish this? Thanks in advance Bob

What rear end can be used in an inverted position (to reverse rotation) ? Should be close to 3.09 ratio. Are there any rear ends that allow flipping just the ring and pinion? (I did it once on a VW that I put a Corvair engine in.)