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Does anyone have an MKII driveshaft that they could get me a length measurement from ? I am having an issue with my MKI shaft and the FJR rear end Gary

I have a nice 92 V-Max pumpkin ready for installation in my 86 Royale. I have the original V-Max drive shaft and have been told that that must be substituted for the Venture shaft when the swap is made. The V-Max shaft is considerably shorter than the Venture and with the two units side by side I can not determine the necessity for the V-Max shaft to be used. Is there anyone out there that has completed this exchange that can offer some assistance?

I pulled the drive shaft out of my shaft unit. Lots of moly grease on it and everything looked great. The seal I bought is the correct part number ( 93108-43013-00), but when I slide it onto the drive shaft it slides over the area that the snap ring and washer go but it 'appears' that it's inner diameter is too small to go over the flat spot that the old seal was on. Does it stretch that much?? It seemed like the old seal was glued to the driveshaft. What glue are we supposed to use?? Frank D.

I've got my 89 in pieces--it's winter and a great time to do Preventative Maintenance. I pulled the shaft drive apart to grease the front spline. Is there any reason for me to pull the shaft out of the gearbox and lube the rear spline?? Or is the designed lube flow (from the gearbox) just fine and never given anybody a problem?? If I pull it apart, do I just take the snap ring off and slide the washer off? Frank

Do I have to remove the pumpkin and rear tire on a 1988 Venture to get the drive shaft out? I tried to find information in the maint book but no luck. It looks like you might be able to do it but do you have to slide the pumpkin back some way? I am still very new to this bike but am sure haveing a lot of fun with it. Hope I get to ride it soon! Ed

I got the posts and write-ups here on the site about greasing the splines and dampers under the circlip on the rear wheel. I have it all torn down here while the hurricane is overhead. I got Honda moly 60 lube. While in here lubing it, should I go ahead and pull the driveshaft so I can moly the driveshaft and u-joint? My '87 has 87,000 miles on it and I bet the shaft has never been serviced... Thanks to all!

I need to replace the front u-joint, mine is a trike so I have two. After reading the tech talk it sounds like after removing the driveshaft you then remove the entire u-joint yoke from the bike, is that correct? Looks like the front part of the yoke is bolted to a transmission output shaft, do you remove that shaft and if so how? I also read that there may be other U-joints that will work as well as the OEM, any thoughts? As ususal all the advice is good and thanks.

Just bought a 2005 Tour Deluxe. Notice the distinct whine/whistle at lower speeds and during acceleration. Seems to go away if I pull in the clutch or let off the throttle, not so noticable on the freeway. This appears to be a common phenomenon and I have seen it attributed to Clutch, transmission, and/or shaft. Looking for help here as to what exactly this is and what I need to do to have this fixed or reduced (if possible) and if I cant do it myself, how much it should cost and who can fix it. Thanks for ANY help. Paul

Thanks to Scott MacMartin from Ottawa Canada for this excellent article. 1984 Yamaha Venture Motorcycle Engine removal, repair, and re-installation Distance traveled since purchase 208,728 km (about 130,000 miles). This Venture was the second year of production, built January of 1984. My 1984 Venture was making a rumbling sound at idle, which went away if I pulled lightly on the clutch. I pulled the clutch cover off, and removed the clutch. It was apparent that the bearing behind this clutch was distressed. Late fall is a relatively nice time in Ottawa, Canada. Temperatures vary widely, from highs around 20 (70f) to highs barely above freezing. I put the bike in the back of the garage, borrowed my brother's 1500-watt heater, and set to replacing this bearing. The garage is now very pleasantly warm (and quiet too - I can hear my watch ticking). This is an excellent time of year to spend a bit of time in the garage with the Venture. First some tools. The Yamaha tool kit is useful, but not adequate for this job. I used the following additional tools: 1. Torque wrench (50 foot pounds) 2. Metric Allen key set 3. Feeler gauges 4. Hydraulic car jack with wheels (3000 pounds) 5. Socket set (10mm to 19mm) 6. 1000 pound press (homemade with 2by6 lumber) 7. Yamaha Shop service manual 8. Circlip pliers The engine can be removed in an afternoon, if you keep steady at it. Since my brain is not total recall, I place each part removed along the garage wall beside the last part I took off. That way re-assembly is just a matter of picking up a row of parts and bolting them back onto the bike. Clicking on the thumbnail photos will open a much larger copy of that photo. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr.shtml_files/810a.jpgThe carbs, exhaust system, rear brake master cylinder, battery, and radiator have been removed. The bolts for the thermostat housing and the starter motor are a bit tight, and I have put WD40 on them. These bolts should remove easily tomorrow. A neighbor's child drops by to see what I am doing. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr.shtml_files/811a.jpgThe bodywork has been removed, the YICS chamber, and the air deflector dams. Foot pegs and shift lever have been taken off. All of the engine attachment points (except three) have been removed. The small hydraulic jack with wheels will be used to lift and move the engine 2 feet to the waiting "pad". http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr.shtml_files/813a.jpgThe engine has been out for 10 seconds or so. The engine rests on a piece of blue Styrofoam. It is apparent that the engine is also cosmetically not well - just have a look at that chrome cover on the clutch housing!! The radiator hoses are still attached. On re-assembly, I found it easier to put the radiator hoses on after the engine was in. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr.shtml_files/814a.jpgI am working in a fairly small space - the back half of a one car garage. The blue and black boxes hold my tools. The floor has the parts, in order of removal - drive shaft, exhaust components, radiator assemblies, starter motor, and engine mounting hardware. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr.shtml_files/815a.jpghttp://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr.shtml_files/816a.jpghttp://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr.shtml_files/817a.jpgSeveral photos of the failed bearing. You can see that the balls and race are perfectly fine, but the ball-bearings are all bunched to one side. The bearing cage has failed. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr.shtml_files/818a.jpghttp://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr.shtml_files/819a.jpgThe oil sump has been removed. Two views of the oil pump. You can see small bits of the bearing retainer on the oil pump intake screen. Later, I found other pieces trapped in the baffles on the sump itself. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr.shtml_files/820a.jpgThe various items that attach to the side of the motor are removed (stator, coolant and clutch housings, and the clutch slave cylinder). The oil pump is removed as a single unit, and is not disassembled. The crankcase bolts are loosened in order, and then removed. The crankcase easily pops in half. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr.shtml_files/821a.jpgI have placed the shaft with the failed bearing in the top half of the crankcase for this photo. It is only now that I realize that a 2ton press will be needed to remove this bearing. It is a press fit onto the shaft!! This should be an amusing problem to solve. Perhaps I will sleep on it... http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr2.shtml_files/823a.jpgI set the shaft with the stubborn/broken/press fitted bearing aside in the kitchen while I wait for the new bearings to arrive from the dealer. Yamaha Canada is amazing. EVERY single part that I order is in stock in the central warehouse in Toronto, and will be here in three days. Nothing is back-ordered or out of production. It is hard to believe that I am ordering parts for a 16 year old motorcycle. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr2.shtml_files/824a.jpghttp://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr2.shtml_files/825a.jpgThis is our first view of the upper crankcase. The shaft with the failed bearing is of course in the kitchen, so you cannot see it here. The rear shaft (the "driven" gear set) has two bearings that I will be replacing also. I will have to use a press to gain access to one of these bearings also. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr2.shtml_files/826a.jpgI now can guess why this clutch bearing failed. It is a standard ball bearing. However, unlike all the other ball bearings in this engine, this one ball bearing set must resist sideways thrust every time you pull on the clutch. I show here the clutch pushrod, the seals (I ordered new ones), and the bearing. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr2.shtml_files/827a.jpgThe shift mechanism has long seemed a confusing piece inside the motorcycle. I can understand its design when I look at it closely in real life, but in the photo it looks confusing once again. To me, a planetary gear set would seem a better way to provide gearing on motorcycles. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr3.shtml_files/831a.jpgThis is one of the covers that I cleaned up. The clear-coat applied by Yamaha back in 1984 had weathered a bit over the last 200,000km. This was removed with a paint remover that "removes epoxy paint". Does the job just fine!! Anything that I missed the first time comes off with a second application. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr3.shtml_files/832a.jpgIn areas that the cover had corroded, a gentle circular sanding with 400 grit wet sandpaper brought up a uniform appearance. I use soap with the sandpaper to keep the sandpaper from loading up. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr3.shtml_files/834a.jpgPolishing is a peculiar task. Place a small bit of polish on the rag, and then polish lightly until the polish dries out. At that point of dry friction, more vigorous polishing yields excellent results. I initially used a white shop cloth, but later used "White Swan absorbent and strong paper towels" with results just as good. (and I did not mind throwing these towels out after a single use!) http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr3.shtml_files/835a.jpgThese are the three products, and the most excellent result. I purchased a high temperature clear coat spray can used by the local Harley Canada dealer, and trust that it will provide an excellent long term protection. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr4.shtml_files/849a.jpgI went to the lumber yard, and for 5 bucks purchased a length of 2by6. Screwed it together, and drilled a hole of suitable size for the disassembly of this shaft. Note that the wheels on the jack are not supporting the force. A section of 2by6 is directly under the jack so that the jack does not try to move while under load. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr4.shtml_files/852a.jpgI push the shaft up effortlessly with the car jack, and the spring on this shaft compresses. The split washers appear, and it is a simple process to pull the split washers and disassemble the shaft. These two split washers, and the full washer behind them, were the cause of all that "second gear" grief in the 1983 and 1984 model years. I had replaced these split washers almost 100,000km ago when my second gear had failed and thought it might be a good idea to change them again. There was no need. Less that a thou had worn off these washers in those 100,000km (by comparison, the original split washers had worn half through in the first 105,000km, causing the second gear failure). http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr4.shtml_files/853a.jpgI have now replaced the bearing on this shaft, re-installed the spring and gear/bearing (the gear and upper bearing are a single unit and do not need to be disassembled). Apply a little force with the car jack to compress the spring, insert the washer and split washers. Release the car jack and the shaft is ready to go!! http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr4.shtml_files/854a.jpgThis same press was used to remove the failed bearing behind the clutch, and re-install the new one. The forces on this operation are significant - I would guess a thousand pounds force to push the bearing onto the shaft. While I replaced many items as part of this project, this one bearing was the only item that absolutely required replacement. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr5.shtml_files/855a.jpgThe cases drop together (with care to ensure that it IS easy, or something is out of place). Bolts on the lower cases and upper cases hold the two sides together firmly. I use Three Bond to ensure that the cases do not weep. You can see the 8 main crankcase bolts ready to be tightened. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr5.shtml_files/856a.jpgThe oil gallery has been dropped in place. The oil pump will be added after these bolts are tightened. Then the sump is put on, and the bottom of the engine is now completely assembled. I roll the engine up-side-up and torque the upper crankcase bolts to specification. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr5.shtml_files/860a.jpgThe clutch housing needs to be tightened onto the shaft that it rotates on. We will need a "special tool" to hold the basket from turning while we provide the correct tightening torque. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr5.shtml_files/861a.jpgOnce again, wood is my special tool maker. I drill a hole in the lumber so that I can fit the socket through, and fasten two arms (purchased for 29 cents each) so that they slide into the slots on the clutch basket. Then torque to 600 inch pounds, by far the highest torque of any bolt on this engine. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr5.shtml_files/862a.jpgThis is the setup. The torque is 50 foot pounds, so I use the empty frame of the Venture to hold the piece of lumber from turning. There is a lock tab under the bolt which must be bent over to ensure this bolt does not move. I bend it over with a screwdriver. I re-install the clutch plates, and torque down the pressure plate. The clutch housing can now be installed. The engine is ready to be re-installed in the bike. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr6.shtml_files/863a.jpgI am very pleased at the appearance of the cams. They show no chipping, scoring, or other signs of stress. The exhaust valve clearances should be slightly higher than the intake valve clearances. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr6.shtml_files/864a.jpgA detailed examination shows the tolerances to be good. On the chart, some of the tolerances look "too tight" by half a thousandth of an inch. I am not going to replace a shim which is only half a thousandth of an inch out of range. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr6.shtml_files/866a.jpgThe valve covers need a little cosmetic refreshing as well. I ran these through the same process as the other covers, although I added "washing in the dishwasher" to get the crevices perfectly clean before spraying on the clear coat paint. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr6.shtml_files/868a.jpgThis multipart piece sits on top of the engine between the cylinders. It too needed shining up. On assembly, I used Three Bond to ensure that the part would not weep. (this part is normally sealed by two intricate O-Rings. The O-rings do their best, but are not quite up to the task on my Venture.) http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr6.shtml_files/870a.jpgThis multipart piece seems to do many tasks!! It has passages for coolant, sections for crankcase ventilation, and piping for high pressure oil to the cylinders. I will be happy to install this part and forget about it. I really hope it does not get an oil mist on it like it did over the last 100,000km http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr6.shtml_files/871a.jpgThis is the starter motor. If you remove the two long bolts, the motor comes apart for maintenance. The brushes are in excellent shape. This starter motor needed just a little cleaning up inside and out, and that's all. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr6.shtml_files/873a.jpgThe multipart piece is installed. The cam covers are being installed. The cam covers get new gaskets, and new "seals" around each of the bolts. These seals have never been previously replaced which is perhaps why they misted oil onto the cam cover. This task could normally be done with the engine "in" the frame, although it is vastly easier to accomplish with the engine "out" http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr6.shtml_files/874a.jpgThe engine is ready to install!! http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr7.shtml_files/877a.jpgThis is a task that I am a little apprehensive about. I am not exactly a strong man, and I am nearly 50 years old. This engine will have to be balanced on the jack and then kept balanced while I move the jack under the frame. The back end of the engine must go in first, since the drive shaft part must fit into the swing arm. Once that is in place, the engine can be straightened out and bolted in place. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr7.shtml_files/879a.jpgThe drive shaft part is nicely in the swing arm, and the engine can now be straightened out. I have lifted and lowered this engine a number of times by a quarter of an inch or so while I maneuver it around the various obstacles. Even so, I break a small tab on the upper fairing. I will repair this break later with a thin aluminum sheet. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr7.shtml_files/882a.jpgThe engine is back in!! I have held it with two bolts at the rear of the engine and an incorrect temporary bolt at the front of the engine. I am so relieved that this step has been successful that I stop for an early Saturday lunch. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr7.shtml_files/884a.jpgInstallation of the starter motor, and the oil filter (I use an aftermarket spin on filter for convenience). You can see the "incorrect bolt" just above the starter motor, which is temporarily holding the motor in place. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr7.shtml_files/885a.jpgThe coolant system gets installed, with new o-rings all around (the coolant system would occasionally weep a bit when left overnight. I had purchased the seals about a year ago but had not "got around to" replacing them.) The radiator sits ready to be installed next. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr7.shtml_files/886a.jpgThe radiator is in and filled with 50% aluminum antifreeze and 50% distilled water. The right frame tube needs to be installed next. This frame tube is one of the few parts that requires "Loctite Blue" when assembling. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr7.shtml_files/887a.jpgHere is a task that I have not ever done!! I have never opened the top of the rear master cylinder and cleaned it out. Turns out there is a little diaphragm (just like in the handlebar units) that could use a little cleaning. Bled this rear brake, the clutch system, and the front brake. http://www.venturerider.org/engineremoval/photo_hdr7.shtml_files/888a.jpgHere is the jack that Scott used. Also the heater which made this job so relaxing and comfortable. On the heater sits the air cleaner box which has just been de-greased. And to the right on the floor, a large socket used to adjust the swing arm pivot bearings. Well, this is the end of the photo story. The rest of the bike needs to be put together. And then I expect to drive many, many years. I will let you know at 300,000km....

Special Thanks go out to Gunboat, for all the help he gave me on Sunday... he will say he didn`t do anything, but he was on the concrete and he was greesy!! He helped me greese the shaft and we fumbled around for awhile before his son-in-law finally got the shaft stuck back in for us, many thanks to him also.. after that fun, we removed my woreout Venum rear tire and faught endlessly with the new CT to get it mounted, not sure what kind of air pressure we where at, but my compressor only goes to 120 so we used the neighbers and his goes to 190, I am thinking we had it at around 135 or so before the bead poped and I messed myself.. any way, we got her done. I could not have done it with out Dons help, and I am deeply endebted to him.. what a great Family we have here. Any way, I have only put a few miles on it, and I like it so far...I think I better like it, cause I am not sure if I can get it back off..LOL again many thanks to Don and his Son-in-law, sorry I can`t remember his name, but he is a great guy also!! Kreg

I'm hearing a clicking sound from the rear end when I slow for a traffic light or stop sign. Checked the oil and it's full. Should I pull the drive shaft and check it? She's a 2006 with 22,000 miles.

Okay since I'm laid-off now i finally have time to work on the bike. Got busy today and so far have the motor pulled out of the bike and waiting for help to put it on the work bench. bad part about being laidoff is all your help is working for money when you try and get them to help. Anyhow sofar no signs of cracks in the case but the drive shaft appears bent and the output shaft of the motor has broken off. Not sur what thi means for what i might find inside the motor but has me hopeing i can repair and not have to part out

Today when changing the tire on my 04 venture I decided to lube the shaft, when I pulled the tire off, to change it there was very little grease on the splines. when I pulled the rear end, the engine end of the drive shaft had very little grease on it. So I tried to pull the shaft from the pumpkin but could not, so I took a pair of vise grip pliers and grabbed the shaft then tapped the vise grips with a rubber hammer, shaft popped right out, but the seal tore on one side. I glued it with epoxy, greased the splines( which were dry) and went to put it back together. the rear end was lying on the bench with the splined area turned down, and oil came out. It was dry of oil when I first took it apart. Is this normal. Gregg

First off, let me say that I cannot take credit for this trick to make reinstalling your driveshaft a short and simple process. That credit belongs to Pegscraper, otherwise known as Lynn Nicholls. Turn back a few pages.....some time back, Lynn had replaced his rear drive with a modified VMAX rear drive unit. He had a skilled machinist modify the housing to accept the speedo sensor (that is the only external difference between the Venture/Royal Star housing and the VMAX housing). He has now decided that he is going to replace his RS tranny with the tranny out of a 1st Gen and therefore needs to go back to a RS/RSV rear drive.....you'll have to get the details from Lynn if you are curious. Anyway, he asked if I'd be interested in swapping my RSV drive unit for his VX unit. HECK YES!!!! So, last night was the chosen time to make the swap. In talking earlier about doing this, Lynn had made the comment that putting the drive shaft back in was not a difficult task, not nearly as bad as I've read here on the boards. So I decided to carefully observe and see what his trick was to an easy reinstall. Sure enough....it only took him about 2 minutes max to get the drive shaft back into the yoke. Want to know how he does it???? Just send me $9.95 by paypal and I'll let you in on the secret!!!! Just Kidding.....don't shoot me. Here it is...and it's so easy. Lynn puts the driveshaft back in without reinstalling into the rear drive unit first. Doing it that way makes it easy to "feel" the yoke, lift it into alignment, and slide the shaft into place. At first I was concerned about whether this would possibly create a problem on the drive housing end of things, but with the spring in the housing pushing toward the yoke, it is pretty obvious that the shaft ends up all the way into the yoke anyway. Well, when reinstalling mine I did the same. I'm not as good at it as Lynn is....took me all of 10 minutes to get mine realigned. But I finally figured out the trick and it isn't bad at all. So, first of all....THANK YOU to Pegscraper for swapping with me. The RSV is a totally different beast with that rear drive in it. About pulled my arms out of their sockets when I hammered it hard on the test drive! And secondly, thanks for the assembly trick, Lynn!!! Joe

today being stupid I was hammering my 1st gen shifting to 2nd ( missed shift) and lot of grinding started bottom left of engine. right where driveshaft goes to out put shaft, no matter what gear. limped home last 5 miles. the more throttle the more grind. grinds when under even slite pressure. put it on center stand all gears grind. what did i do? going to start pulling wheel off and pull drive shaft what am i looking for. big time sick at my stomach

I'm finally getting around to installing the new to me final drive pumpkin I snagged from Lonestarmedic and thought it would be wise to lube the shaft before sticking it in. Question is: How do you disconnect the shaft from the pumpkin end to lube it?

Have the back wheel off my 05 RSTD. Want to lube the drive shaft ends. Is there an access plug/hole at the u-joint to help get the drive shaft back in place? Do I have to retract the rubber boot? Would like to know before getting a lifetime sentence trying to put it back together. Thanks, Jack

The first gen drive shaft I understand is unobtainable other than used these days. I see a few on ebay but many are for later years of the first gen. Is the drive shaft part itself common across the first gen years or does it evolve so that a late model one would be of no use for use in an '84 ? Thanks, Brian H.

Started to put my bike back together today and got a little surprise. I had not bothered to clean the drive shaft or differential when I removed it several weeks ago because I didn’t expect anything to be wrong with them after only 12,000 miles with no apparent symtoms. Cleaned the drive shaft with brake cleaner, scrubbed it good with scotch-brite, hit it with brake cleaner again, and blew it off with the air gun. Got out the magnifying glass and found it to be a piece of junk. I have some experience in metallurgy and expected to see a wear pattern on the teeth, not cracks, chips, and uneven wear. When I removed the differential drain plug to flush it out with new fluid I found it covered with shavings. The gears in the differential look good. I got the bike last year with a few thousand miles on it and put an additional 7,000 on it. I suspect this 9 year old bike has never had any maintenance done before I picked it up – regardless what the last owner said. Has anybody had this experience or seen a drive shaft with this kind of wear? (see attached pictures)

Anybody ever try putting a grease-zerk on the speedometers of our 83-85 ventures? I was able to put a small one on the other day. I used a 1/4" bit in the drill-press and went very slowly as to not drill into the shaft. I used a dremel to finish it off. If your careful, you won't mar the shaft. I tapped it and was able to screw the zerk in fine. When I pumped grease into the speedo it came out both ends of the shaft. I worked quite well. But after the speedo/tach assembly was all back together and reinstalled in the bike, the zerk is at a wierd angle that migh make id tough to get the greese gun onto it. Considering how often I might need to grease it, I don't think it will be to much of a problem.

First of all, I'm not much of mechanic but have been studying everyone's experience and decided to get give it a shot. Today I pulled the differential on my 2000 RSV after I removed the wheels to install my new Avons. That went pretty well using my new Carbon One adaptor and everyone's advice. But then, had a horrible time getting the drive shaft out of the differential. Ended up destroying the seal to get it off. Now, am struggling to get the rest of the seal off the shaft - have it soaking in some carb cleaner right now. Also, it appeared that the output end of the drive shaft (part that goes inside the pumkin after the seal) is lubed by rear end grease. Couple questions: Is there a better way to get that seal off the drive shaft? Why do you grease the output end of the drive shaft if it is bathed in differential grease? What do you have to leave on the rear wheel for the shop to install the new tire and balance? I have removed the disk brake rotors on all the wheels to protect them. (Found that a shot of WD40 on all the bolts as well as a slight tap with the ball peen hammer on the head of the bolt allowed them to be extracted pretty easy.) I have purchased some Honda Moly60 to grease everything when reassembling. Thanks in advance, Jinksy

Okay guys (and gals), I need to get my head around this issue about the 'whine' I keep hearing about. I'm about to make the closing deal on my 09 RSV and I'm getting really concerned so I'd like to ask a bunch of questions in regards to this and get some positive answers. 1) Just how serious an issue are we talking about here? I've heard that 'Hey, crank up the tunes and you won't notice it!' as an answer but that doesn't cut it. What if I just wanted to hear the wind whistling by instead and get lost in my thoughts rather then cruise to 'Born to be Wild' all day? 2) Just how common is this problem? I mean, percentage wise, are we talking 10%? 25%? 75%? 0.1% maybe? 3) I've read over and over again how Yamaha denies there's any problem but does anyone know what industry insiders say? Are they looking or have they found a solution? 4) To me it's obvious that the whine originates from the shaft drive but have V-Star and VMax riders reported a similar problem? What about other bike manufacturers such as Honda or Suzuki? Any other shaft drive riders reporting problems? 5) And finally, (this question goes out to those that actually have experienced the problem) most of you (just as I have) researched the bike prior to committing yourselves to buy it.........so if this problem is such a pain in the butt, how come y'all still went out and purchased one in the first place? I hope some of these questions get answered cause I have yet to see anything in regards to them and hopefully they'll help other future potential Venture buyers to come to a better, more informative decision. My deposit cheque has been cashed but I still may have an out. I truly appreciate the idea of owning a Venture but I need my fears put to rest before I close this deal. And as usual, I thank you all in advance for your wonderful input....... Bluez

I have been trying to find answers all over the net and cannot seem to find any. Is it possible to change the gear ration on a second gen RSV? I live out in Kansas and all I have is flat interstate and I feel the RSV is revving way too high at 80. It feels like it has more than enough power to spare at lower rpm. I know being a shaft drive it will be infinitely harder to change than a belt would, but I would be interested to know if anyone has done this/tried this/or thinks its impossible. Thanks

stupid question but Im gettign a new rear tire soon and ive rear that the shaft spline should be greased while the whell is off. question is doese the shat have to be removed to get the wheel off or whould that be extra work nott needed to just replace the tire? just want to know if my mechanic would need to charge extra ?

I've got 20K on the ole 06 RSV now and had never pulled the shaft out. Well, while I had the rear tire off for a change, I decided to pull the shaft to lube the splines. Glad I did, there was no lube on them that I could see, looked completely dry from the factory, but that's another rant altogether. Once started, it took only 15 minutes to pull and lube the shaft...and 2 1/2 hours to reinstall! My question is: What rocket scientist came up with that u-joint configuration? OK, now I'm done venting and I understand why they wanted 3 hours labor to do the job at the dealer. I just had to walk away a couple of times or I was going to throw the shaft across the garage... I got it all back together and all is well, but did I miss something? Other than that little access hole, a coat hanger, and 3 six foot long arms (one to hold the light, one to hold the hanger-turned u-joint hook and one to hold a light), is there a better way to line up the u-joint and shaft?