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Would it be to simplistic to assume that foot pegs for Mk1's and Mk2's are interchangeable?? Is the shift linkage that is used with the boards usable with pegs or is that a different size? What would be a fair price for a set in good condition (w/o shift link)? thanks!

The one weekend that I had to do my clinical rotations for the Emergency Room coincided with the Texas Stampede. It is about a 5 hour ride from here, but I had all kinds of plans to leave right after my shift yesterday and then be back here in time to start the shift at 4 this afternoon, but my instructor called a study hall for yesterday for a refresher. (4 of the 6 of us failed the exam) I asked if I had to be there because I had passed (96%). She said that she wanted me to mentor the other students. I need this course for my potentially next career. I am a nurse already but the Army requires the civilian exployees (which I hope to be in March)to have a paramedic certification to teach the same thing that I have been doing for 25 years. I know JB, Tom and Maverick will bring great pictures and stories back, but Mama told me to stop whining to her, so I thought I would write it out. Sorry to complain. At least I can still ride all winter, and I know some of you already have Seafoam or Stabil in them looking forward to another early spring, so what do I have to complain about. Wow this is therapeutic. Thanks for the chance to vent. Wilkie PS UTAdventure...... will be back in Utah for Thanksgiving so I feel your pain

I notice my shift pedal bushing has a fair amount of play/wear. It appears most of the wear is in the bushing. The bushing is not available separately....you have to buy the complete pedal assembly. Has anyone attempted or come up with a bushing replacement...dimensions/sizes?? Is the bushing material bronze? Thanks.

This past Saturday, Nina & I were out for a ride... came up to a red light, we're first out with a looooong straight stretch ahead of us on a 4 laner. Another rider pulls up behind... he just happened to be on a Harley (Dyna / Fat Boy / Deuce ... something like that). Light turns green... I crank it to the red line, no-clutch shift into 2nd...check my mirrors....he's right on my a$$.....redline it, shift again (no clutch).... check mirrors.... hmmmmmmmmmm.... he's fallen a ways behind.... redline it again...shift to 4th..... well, he's a bit further behind but seemingly holding his own.... crank it almost to redline in 4th but then had to shut 'er down...big corner coming up ... tight "S" turn onto a bridge.... wooooooooo what a rush... no idea what speed I got up to but that "one-up" Harley rider...oooops, I mean "motorcycle rider" had no hope of catching me up to that point but he was sure tryin. As we head into the turn, he's in the outside lane almost beside us. Around the "S" we went and I cranked it on some.... hey!!... where'd he go??... Onto the bridge..check mirrors...ahhhhhhh there he is....seems he couldn't handle that "S" turn so quickly! I LOVE MY 1st GEN!

Help. Never have had a problem like this on old 83. Just took it 5000 miles west to Glacier, Waterton, Yellowstone, the tetons and the bighorns...300 miles from home the clutch seemed to lose pressure.. the only way to get it to shift was to pump the clutch up.. no fluid was seemingly lost.....Stopped and bled the clutch , but to no avail... the pressure stayed up , but it got to the point where it would no longer shift. Fortunately it stopped working just a few miles from my moms' house on my last day.... However... it will no longer shift into any gear while running.. I can get it into nuetral while it is not running, but the second I try to put it in any gear, it slams to a stop and kills the motor or makes an ungodly sound like someone throwing a bad of wrenches.. Hopefully the tranny did not go.. I love my original 83 (40,000 miles )and would hate to see it die. Never dealt with any clutch issues before so have no idea.. Any thoughts, clues or things to look at????? Hard to repair???? I have to take my trailer and ride back 300 miles to pick up the bike next week...Want to do more serious riding this summer so any advice or help would be greatly appreciated... Met another Venture rider ( Dave 007) at a gas station in Chamberlain,SD on my way back. 5000 miles 0f a great trip. the Road to the Sun and The Beartooth were great rides....Hopefully old 83 is up for more...

Have an 83 venture that has just developed 2 gear problems about 4000 miles ago. Sold it to my brother and he was doing fine but lately has a problem that I can not figure out. At times it will just not shift or will only shift to some gears. But when he calls me to troubleshoot it over the phone, it shifts okay. I figure it is something loose on the linkage but wondered if there is something in trans that would cause this. Runs great and no noise from trans.

My 05 Midnight has started a weird habit of having an exhaust pop on each up shift through the gears. Just a single pop on each shift. It it also has started to pop a little on decel but nothing real dramatic. Nothing loud. Any ideas. I do have the HD Road King pipes with the drilled out rear baffle plate and 4 drilled out holes in the inlet cone. Moakster

Help. I have an 86 Venture with 38 thousand miles. I bought the bike last October and have been going over the bike for the past six months performing routine maintenance and non-routine repairs as well as body work and cleaning. I have had it out a few times to check my progress on brakes, etc. I was ready to ride down to the local bike shop to have a Dunlop 491 put on the front wheel in hopes of improving the handling a bit, especially on cracks in the pavement and uneven pavement. When I fired up my machine and put it into first gear the engine quit. This occurred out of nowhere as I had not had a previous starting or shifting problem. Coincidentally I had bled the clutch the previous night to flush out the old brake fluid (and air bubbles) and put in the new. I thought that I might have not gotten all the air out so I bled again with a power bleeder. Still no help. The side stand switch seems okay. I am not sure about the shift switch except that the neutral and gear indicator on the CMS does occassionally flicker or there is often a delay on the indicator as to which gear the bike is in. I still suspect the clutch switch because I also cannot start the bike in gear (with the sidestand up and the clutch handle pulled in all the way to the handle bar). Last night I dissasembled the clutch handle and switch, cleaned up the contacts, got rid of the rubber dust boot on the rod for the hydraulic plunger and tightened things up a bit. I thought this did the trick because I got the bike going from neutral to 1st gear without stalling the engine 2-3 times. Thinking I solved my problem I decided to ride over and see how my buddies were doing installing a water heater in a friend's home when the problem reared its ugly head again as I attempted to start home. It took me several attempts (side stand up/down; roll bike back; pull clutch in and out repeatedly, shift gears, etc.) to finally get going and get home. This morning I read through the service manual (Genuine Yamaha service manual LIT-11616-04-96 which really is short on troubleshooting and illustrations. I think it is a better parts replacement book than troubleshooting guide, but it is the best I've got. Trouble is my manual is short on how to access the shift switch? I am somewhat stumped here, but still inclined to think I have a Clutch switch issue, primarily because I cannot start the bike in gear with the side stand up and the clutch handle pulled in. Any ideas. I need to get her going so I can get my new tire put on and move on to greasing the swing arm and replacing the clutch disks and pressure plates. A poker run is coming and I'd like to play. Thanks. Jim Davidson

Hey everyone I have a question. I pulled the bike out yesterday (87 Venture) as I hadnt had it out in 2 weeks. I washed it and then went for a little scoot. When I rolled it out of the garage I had a little trouble hitting neutral to fire it up. It was stiff and hard and and just kept going from first to second without hitting neutral. Finally found neutral and down the road I go. The gears were stiff and hard to shift, almost like the clutch wasnt in all the way. Had a problem shifting from 2nd to 3rd and then to 4th, almost had to do it a few times to get into the other gears. Downshifting was the same thing had to shift pretty hard and a few times to get it to want to downshift. The bike ran fine other than that and when it was out last 2 weeks ago it was perfect, and I did nothing to it other than wash it before I went for a ride yesterday. It was dark when I got home so I didnt even look at it I just pulled it in the garage and and parked it (the penguin game was on). I figured I would look at it today. Has anyone had this problem or does anyone know where I should look first? Thanks, Paul

Just found out, if one of your shift pins in the end of the shift cam come all the way out, and you can't find it in the oil pan or any other easy place, check the filter screen for the oil pump intake!!! Mine came out in Cincy, couldn't shift to 4th, finally tore it apart and finally found it in the screen! I'll make sure those tabs are bent over good before I put it back together, for sure!! Oh well, back to the bike. Dan

My 02 is having trouble in the shifting department. Going into 3rd it is like I hit a dead spot where it will not shift to 3rd out of 2nd. Shifter will not go up into 3rd I can down shift back to 2nd then it will go to 3rd and sometimes I have to do it a couple times. Needless to say it is IRRITATING to say the least. Anyone else have this problem or know what it is. I have never encountered this before I pull the clutch in and hit 2nd then try for 3rd and the shifter will not go up no matter how hard I try. THANKS in ADVANCE.................................Ron

Sorry if I am starting to become a nuisance but some more help would be appreciated!!! I had just turned down the road to my house today and shifted into second and got that horrible horrible sound of 2nd slipping. Usually if you don't get on it to hard it is fine but this time was different so I shifted into 3rd but low and behold nothing could not for the life of me get it into gear. Had to baby it in first the last few blocks. I parked the beast and went inside for a while and later went out and still can't get her to shift past 2nd. So my question is what have I done now and how do I reverse it? Once again thanks for all your help in advance.

Broke the selfadjusting clutch cable on my Saab as I pulled into work place last night. Put it in 1st cranked it up and started home. You can usually shift one like this if necessary. Why is the Saab so hard to shift this way??? Went in smooth once in a while but hardest one I have ever shifted this way.

Hello All, I got the tags for my '87 that I have spent about a year off and on redoing. I never rode it, bought it as a project. I think I have the carbs pretty good, but there is one thing that I noticed, and don't know if this is a characteristic of the Venture or if I need so further adjustment. When I was riding, when I would pull the clutch and wind off to shift, the RPM's would hang up hi for a little while and not drop right down to shift. Is the throttle response slow on wind off, or do I need to look at something? Thanks D

I need to have the kickstand cut shorter. Is there a way to remove it without removing the shift linkage and the left side muffler?

Today I had to put one of the pins back in my shift drum again. This is the third time in as many weeks. This time the metal tab that bends over the pin broke off, So i welded the pin to the plate, ruined it for future repairs; but it works for now. (every shop needs a small mig welder). I think that when i miss third and land in second gear it is some how causing pressure enough on the shift drum to push the pin out, I don't understand this happening; but something is doing it and it is always after landing in second. it could be that it has something to do with the shift lever being out of adjustment ( heel to toe shifter) causing me to land in second. All this aside, it's time to do a second gear job and a shift drum repair. I have aquired a donor bike/motor so i will be pulling the tranny from it as soon as i finish anpther job i'm doing so it may be a week or so. I plan to make repairs along the line of the repair that randy has made to his. So Randy I'm looking for all the info you have. I am posting a picture of the tranny for reference, If i am understanding your previous posts. The location i will be working on is shaft #1 and gear set #5 which is the second gear pinion. Is #10 the washer you fliped over ? and tell me again about how you cut the dogs on the side of the gear. I think you said that you cleaned up the wear by flatening out the wear on the end of the post which caused a little slack in the gear set but wasen't enough to really notice. then you cut out .020 from the dog, my question here is how did you shape the dog. Is it a slope with the .020at the base, or is it more of a hook or notch shape?

i was working out some of my other issues when i noticed that my heel toe shifter was working in reverse:rotf: this really is not funny i know because i think i already know what i have to do to fix. I took my stator case off to clean and polish, also to replace gasket and seal . I think what i done wrong was put it back together with shift linkage upside down, or is it possible that the external linkage just needs to be flipped? I am still hard at all the other work you fine people gave me to do:stirthepot: I will keep you posted cas things progress if i can stop doing things twice. Again thanks to all for your overwelming response kurt

Do you - like I do - sometimes think that things are just moving along at the speed of light? I sometimes wonder if it's just a case of me getting older and not being able to catch up ... well, the following tends to say that I may not be alone! http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/video/shifthappens Cheers,

the way things have gone for us the last year, why shouldnt it continue??? I'm torn as to what to do about my job. we were gone to Ohio for Dales dads funeral upon my return home I knew I was scheduled to work friday and sunday. Knowing that I had saturday off Dale accepted work for saturday. I go inot work friday afternoon and see that she had put me on the schedule for saturday. I asked her when she did this and she explained that since the new hire didnt work out ( show up) she had to put me on. Well I explained to her i could not work because Dale had to work and I do not have a babysitter. She ( the manager)asked me when he would get off so maybe I could come in later. I didnt know what time, we never know what time when he works saturdays but usually its 10 - 8. It would be no use for me to come in that late as my shift would end at 10:30. She said that she had had to work for some others so she guessed she could work for me also. This is where the conversation ended. Well guess what.....she didnt show up for the shift saturday.......neither of us did. But guess who is getting blamed for it? As soon as I heard what had happened I tried to call her, both her cell and home...she wouldnt answer. I left a message. I called the assistant manager and talked with her. She told me the manager took me off the schedule and she ( the manager)wouldnt talk to me til monday , when she was back on her regular schedule!!! So I called the manager monday and she pretty much layed blame totally on me for what happened. I appologized and said obvioulsy it was miscommunication.she tried to tell me the last thing said between us was what time does dale get off so maybe you can come in late....and since no more was said, she figured i was just going to come in. She appears to not be taking any responsibilty for what happened , which really upsets me. It was obviously a miscommunication and I have admitted to my share of it and appologized to her and to the person who had to come in and cover the shift. On our phone conversation she said she would talk to the District manager and tell him we had spoken and see what he wants to do. Well I havent heard anything back. I contacted the owner and let him know what had happened and how I feel im being treated unfairly....the general manager them contacted me and said she wants to get this straightened out between us that maybe I should go talk to the manager and she would come also if I wanted her to. I'm so frustrated, I have always worked when asked to, helped out by staying over some hours into the next shift when someone couldnt come in, worked overnights to train a new person....i have missed one day in the last year, other than the time i had to take off for the funeral, always busted my butt for them ( in fact I was in for a raise) This is a new manager who has been there for 1 1/2 months now and I have gotten along fine with her, no problems til now. We do have some other issues going on about me switching back to overnights because of Dales schedule now, which I was told I could have because the night guy was going to be transfering to another store to be assistant manager, well some probs have come up with that and we dont know if he is leaving or staying now. Because of this thinking i was going to overnights I turned down my chance for the after school program for haylie that ive been trying to get inot since school started, I told them to give it to the next person waiting because i would be going to overnights. So now I have no child care for afterschool so I cant work the shift i was on. What a mess. I have even agreed to cut my number of days down for a while and take the 2 overnights available and wait to see what happens with the other guy transferring. sorry about the rambling but im so frustrated, cant afford to be without a job.and really dont know if I want to go back there now.........

I have to repair my bike after my crash. Here are some of the major parts I have to replace. What changes do you think I should make? 1 Windshield 2 Passing lamps 3 Mirrors 4 Head light and bucket 5 Clutch cover 6 Highway pegs 7 Shift peddle assembly Please ad why you think it is better and where a good place to buy from.

Take a look at this link for a new automatic transmission Honda that was supposed to be on the market in October, don't know if it was released or not. Pretty cool idea as automatics go. It gives you too automatic modes and a 6 speed manual shift mode. http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-news/2008-honda-motorcycles/ Also, scroll down that page and take a look at the awesome looking 6 cylinder sport bike...concept.

ok, this isn't a venture, but it is a yamaha. my son's 1100 virago has developed a problem with shifting. he says when he tries to down shift in either 4th or 2nd gear, the shifter is just solid. won't drop into gear. he says if he stomps on it, it will go into gear. i told him he might try changing the oil and see if that helps and also check the clutch cable adjustment, and check for slop in the linkage. i was just wondering if anyone else might have any input. bent shifting fork maybe? any ideas would be appreciated as taking it to the dealer would be a last choice. they have a tendency to run up a huge bill and you never know if it was justified or not. ignorance can be expensive. they might adjust something and say they had to replace gears. any thoughts?

Just received the Kuryakyn Shift Peg covers and am having a bear of a time trying to remove the OEM rubber covers from the shifter. On my other bikes I was able to muscle it off over the end of the shift peg without cutting (or otherwise damaging) the OEM rubber. Anybody have the Kury shift peg covers installed? How did you get the OEM rubber off? Did you have to cut them off? I don't want to reinvent the wheel here; I'm sure somebody out there knows the trick and will share it here. Thanks!

Well,I finally got some of the other bugs worked out,the only major one left is the terrible shifting. It upshifts most of the time if you give it a HARD upshift.Sometimes you need to give it a tap down before it will go up.Downshifting is worse,you almost always have to move the lever up between shifts down.2nd and 1st are the worst.Sometimes it skips 2nd and goes straight to neutral.The bike has 140,000 km(~88000 miles).It almost acts like the spring on the ratchet mechanism is weak.It used to shift better cold than hot but now it seems to be the same all the time.So far I have; --Bled clutch twice so completely new fluid there. --Made sure the master cylinder was only half full in case the vent was blocked. (incidentally it doesnt shift worth a darn even without the clutch...every other bike I've had would) --shimmed up the sloppy linkage at the shift lever and down at the engine case --Changed the oil (tried seafoam for a few miles in the oil before it was changed --made sure all the pins were present behind their tabs in the starwheel (behind clutch basket)and made sure all the tabs were bent over tight. I guess I should pull the clutch basket and start looking for stuff to replace?Maybe order a new shift drum assembly? I'm kinda getting sick of spending money on it though,I've put about 500km on it and spent about $1400 on it since I got it...Would have been more without DonB's help (Thanks!) It runs great now though (new carb diaphragms,valve adjust,carb sync) Still not as much power as I was expecting but maybe my GS1100gk spoiled me:confused24:. Any suggestions? Thanks Steve

1984 Yamaha Venture Second Gear Repair NOTE: The 2nd gear problem was fixed in 1985 after serial number 0001413 Part 1 Engine Removal http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic1.jpgFirst Step - Strip off the fairings and luggageAbout 2 years ago I purchased a 1984 Yamaha Venture Royale. It was in great shape with 60,000 Km on the clock. It seemed mechanically sound and with a few minor repairs was a great runner, fast, powerful, comfortable and surprisingly agile for a big bike. I managed to put on another 30,000 km, including a trip from Vancouver, BC to Ottawa, Ontario in the summer of 2000. I found the Venturers web site in February of 1999 and promptly joined and it became a goldmine of information as I learned about my trusty steed. One of the common problems found on the 83 to 85 Ventures was a failing second gear. I kept hearing of this problem but continued to see no evidence of the problem on my bike. I kept my fingers crossed that the problem wouldn't crop up as it seemed a huge problem to tackle. I had heard of other Venture owners either riding the bike without any second gear for long periods, or giving up and parting bikes out rather than repairing them. One Venturer, Scott MacMartin, had done his second gear repair several years ago and he had posted a parts list on his personal website. He also had a more recent parts list contributed by another member. The list seemed formidable. I kept hoping mine wouldn't develop the problem. Finally the inevitable. My second gear started to skip under full throttle in September 2000. I nursed it along, keeping a light throttle hand through to the end of riding season. Coincidentally, Scott updated his website in September with a pictorial description of a repair to his main clutch bearing. While not aimed directly at the second gear repair, he showed a number of great tips that would help in the repair. I had a shop manual and after studying it for hours and repeatedly checking Scott's site I decided to tackle the problem over the coming winter. I figured I might save money on parts if I got to it before the gear failed completely. Also, I didn't think I could get much selling the bike without 2nd gear, nor did I want to keep riding it without 2nd. Hell, 2nd is my favorite gear. Like a lot other first generation Venture owners, I had come to really like this bike, it's a real runner. At any rate, I kept a log during the teardown and took a number of photos, with the idea that they might be of assistance in reassembly in case I ran into any problems. After getting most of the work done, I decided to try putting this into a web page with the idea of helping other Venture owners gain the confidence to tackle this job. I am not a professional mechanic therefore, anything I write here is simply my own experience with this repair. My only intention is to pass on some information and knowledge to other Venture owners who may wish to attempt this repair. Think of it as preserving the breed. Don't take this project on lightly, but is within the grasp of a good home mechanic. http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic2.jpgEngine Cleaned up prior to dis-assembly.http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic3.jpgBattery, Carbs, Radiator and Exhaust removed. I'm basically a lazy mechanic. I hate trying to fight my way around things. I'd rather take the time to properly gain access as it makes it easier in the long rub. I started by removing all the luggage, fairing, auxilliary lights, horns, etc to get proper access. A simple technique I've learned is to clean parts as I take them off and put fasteners for each component in a zip-lock bag. The bag is labled and kept with the component ready for reassembly. It's a lot easier to sort through a half-dozen parts at a time rather than a few hundred at a time. Especially if your project takes a number of weeks. I then washed the motor and frame to get rid of as much grease and grime as possible prior to dismantling. (I use Simple Green and a brush as degreaser.) I then warmed the bike up thoroughly to dry things out. With the bike still warm, I drained the oil and removed the oil filter. The battery was then removed and the carb float bowls drained. The engine coolant was then drained. Don't forget to drain the cylinder heads. There are plugs behind the chrome inserts on the side of each cylinder. The air cleaner box and carbs were next off. I found that the drain hose on the air cleaner was loose on mine. The hose drains off residue from the crankcase ventilation. With it disconnected it had sprayed all over my carbs. A few hours of cleaning was required. The crankcase ventilation hose was hardened and cracked during removal. The first item for the parts list. Clean rags were stuffed into the intake manifolds, to remain there for the duration of the repair process. Next to go were the bypass hose, YICS chambers, and Air Baffle plates. http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic4.jpgHeader Pipes, Drive Shaft and Side Rails gone. The radiator and coolant hoses were removed next along with the footpeg assemblies and the middle gear case cover. I then disconnected the AC Generator leads, neutral switch lead, and pick up coil lead. The clutch slave cylinder was loosened and the hose left connected. I wanted to avoid having to bleed the clutch fluid again as I had done that recently. Not a great plan. I found during engine removal that it would have been easier to disconnect the hose and remove the engine with the slave cylinder in place. The mufflers were then removed. The rear wheel was removed and the drive shaft taken out. I then remounted the rear drive and wheel as I wanted to be able to move the bike around when the engine was out. The front exhaust headers were removed as well as the baffle chamber under the engine. The rear exhaust header was loosened. It would come out when the engine did. I unbolted the rear brake master cylinder and reservoir as instructed in the manual. Again, I was trying to avoid a brake bleeding. However, the clearance was such that I ended up taking them right off to get the engine out anyway. Might as well have done so from the start and saved some sweat. http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic5.jpgEmpty Frame - Side Rail removed. http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic6.jpgDr. John smiling after a successful engine-ectomy. The right lower side rail was then removed and with a wheeled floor jack supporting the engine and the help of a couple of friends we managed to wrestle the engine out. A couple of points. The shift mechanism had to be disconnected to enable the clutch slave cylinder to come free. It would have been easier to disconnect the hydralic line and remove the slave cylinder with the engine. Also we tried to turn the engine out of the frame. We ended up removing the rear brake master cylinder and reservoir as well as the rear cylinder valve cover to get enough clearance to lift the rear mounting bolts clear of their frame slots. Once clear of the frame we carefully lifted the engine onto a wheeled cabinet. With the engine safely out of the bike, I was ready to move on to phase two of the project! Part 2 Dismantling the Engine http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic7.jpgEngine Inverted - Crankcase covers and Oil Pan removed. With the engine successfully removed from the frame, I was ready to dig in to see what was wrong. The next few hours were spent thoroughly cleaning the engine exterior, top and bottom. It was time well spent as it made disassembly a much more pleasant job. The added benefit is that it's a lot easier to keep dirt and grime out of the engine if it is clean to begin with. The thermostat housing was then removed followed by the starter motor. Both of these parts could have been removed prior to removing the engine. This would have given a lot more clearance. I will not put them back on until the engine is back in the frame. The next step was to remove the left crankcase cover. The starter gear train is then loose and it comes out easily. The right crankcase cover (clutch) was next. As I had changed out the clutch plates and springs the year before, this was quite straight forward. The plates were stacked and wrapped. The clutch pushrods were then removed. Be careful to catch the ball bearing that resides between the two pushrods. A tip from Scott's website helped in getting the clutch lock nut off. You need a special tool to hold the clutch boss while loosening (or re-torquing) the lock nut. Scott used a 2x6 with a couple of brackets to hold the boss and a hole to allow the socket to go through. It works great! You'll need a 30mm socket for the job however. http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic8.jpgThe clutch assembly is gone. The Oil Pump assembly and Water Pump are gone too. With the clutch assembly out the way, you'll need to remove the oil pump driven gear. Ring clip pliers are required. The water pump assembly is next. I understand the water pump originally came with a plastic impeller. It cracks with age and the upgraded part is metal. I was pleasantly surprised to find that someone had been here before. I was prepared to upgrade the impeller while it was apart but now didn't have to. Before carrying on, I spent considerable time removing all traces of gasket material from the side crankcase covers, the water pump and the crankcase itself. A bit of steel wool works great on the stubborn spots. I then inverted the engine and thoroughly cleaned the bottom side. The oil pan came off next. The oil pump assembly comes out with three bolts. I originally didn't plan to dismantle it but after a word with my friendly local bike shop I pulled it apart to inspect for scoring on the pump impellor surfaces. Clean as a whistle and quite easy to put back together. The main oil gallery was removed as an assembly. Be sure to make sure all the oil seals come out with the gallery. Note: One of the gallery bolts is also one of the lower crankcase bolts (#20) and should be installed and torqued in the proper sequence upon reassembly. http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic9.jpgThese are the lower crankcase bolts laid out in order of removal from left to right.http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic10.jpgThe lower crankcase has been lifted off the inverted engine. The crankcase bolts are numbered. There are 36 of them and it is extremely important that they be reinstalled and torqued in the proper sequence. Taking them out in reverse sequence allows you to lay them out in order saving considerable confusion and time when reassembling. Start by turning the engine right side up and removing starting with #36 which is also the ground strap bolt. A nice touch on the Venture is that all 36 are actually marked right on the crankcase assembly. (Bolts # 31, 30, 28 & 27 will loosen but you cannot take them out with the cylinder heads still in place. Just let them hang loose, as they will not get lost.) (Note, in my shop manual the illustration on page 3-22 shows the crankcase tightening sequence. Unfortunately, the diagram captions are reversed with the lower crankcase labeled the upper crankcase and vice- versa.) The clutch bearing retainer needs to be removed prior to separating the crankcase. This retainer has large phillips head screws which will require an impact driver to loosen. I hadn't used one of these since owning a 1970 Kawasaki 90 many moons ago. On that bike, every screw was a phillips head and you couldn't do anything without an impact driver. I had to go an buy one. The middle gear bearing retainers also have to be removed prior to separating the cases. This retainer uses Torx 40 fasteners. I bought a Torx 40 socket for the job. (If I keep tackling these jobs, I'll eventually end up owning every tool known to man. Is that a bad thing?) The three bolts holding the collapsible collar holding the driven pinion gear will also have to be removed prior to separating the cases. Be careful not to bend the thin shims behind this collar. Since I will not be changing any parts on the pinion gears, I plan to re-use the shims and believe that the gear lash will not be disturbed. I did not disassemble the U-joint assembly. With all fasteners off it was surprisingly easy to separate the crankcase assembly. A couple of taps with a rubber mallet and off it came. A couple of hours were spent cleaning the residue from the crankcase mating surfaces. The next step was diagnosing the problem. Part 3 Diagnosis & Repair of Transmission http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic11.jpgLower crankcase with Main and Driven Axles in place and shift forks engaged.Since this was the first time I had taken a motorcycle transmission apart, I placed the two transmission shafts into the lower crankcase, with the shift forks properly engaged on the gears and I spent a fair amount of time manually moving the shift cam through the gears. The picture at left shows the main axle assembly above and the drive axle assembly below. If you can make out the numbers in the picture, 1, 2, and 3 point to the three shift forks. Turning the main axle by hand, you can shift through all the gears manually. It doesn't take a long time to get a clear understanding of how power is transferred in each gear. It also became very apparant as to what the problem was. Even though there was very little wear on the second gear dogs or gears, when in second gear, the gear dogs were only overlapping by a millimeter or so. With the large torque in 2nd gear, the gear assembly would put a tremendous amount of sideways force on the shift fork allowing the gear (#1) to move to the left and jump a cog or two. When the shift fork was inspected it did turn out to be bent. http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic14.jpgShift Forks and Shift Cam The picture at right shows the shift cam and shift forks. The #1 shift fork (2 in picture) was slightly bent and required replacement. The shift fork shaft can also bend from the stresses of skipping. To check it, remove it and roll it across a mirror or plate glass. Any bend should show up clearly. Mine was OK as was the shift cam, probably because the problem had just started. The shift cam (#1 in picture) needs to be carefully inspected for wear in the groove that the #1 shift fork rides in. http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic12.jpgHome made press for dismantling the Driven Transmission ShaftThe homemade press at left was suggested by Scott MacMartin on his web page and it worked beautifully. It is constructed from 2x6 and large screws. The floor jack compresses the spring and forces the center of the shaft up into the hole in the middle section (arrow) and allows you to remove the thrust washers. The next picture clearly illustrates the basic problem. The wear on the old thrust washer (#2) is evident as is the wear on the slot on the transmission shaft. The combination produces the gap (#1) in the slot. This gap allows the whole shaft to shift inboard reducing the overlap of the 2nd gear dogs. Once it gets to a critical point, the gear is forced sideways by the torque allowing it to skip. This sideways force will eventually cause the shift fork to bend. It also would cause the fork to wear the groove in the shift cam. The bent fork and wear on the shift cam would further reduce the overlap on the gear dogs until there is no second gear at all. Note the plug (#3) in the photo. When I ordered the new Drive Axle, the plug didn't come with it. It could be easily overlooked when reassembling. Without the plug, there would be no oil pressure inside the Drive Axle, hence very little if any oil getting to the gear surfaces. Be sure to order this as a separate part as the old one will not fit properly in the new shaft. I was able to continue with reassembly while waiting for this plug as it is easily popped in after the engine crankcase is put back together as it is on the outboard side of the shaft. http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic13L.jpgHere's the basic problem. I ordered a 2nd/5th gear kit which included two pinion gears and two wheel gears. These were substantially different than the originals and I'm told that these are updates that have been made over the years on the Venture and V-Max models. They did provide a lot more gear overlap for both 2nd and 5th and looked sturdier and wider. They fit perfectly. I also replaced the Drive Axle, thrust washers, as well as the 2nd gear shift fork. If your 2nd gear has worn to the point where it isn't there at all, you will likely need the shift cam and shift fork shaft as well. I also replaced just about every gasket and oil seal I could find. (A complete parts list is posted on the last page.) As a side note, virtually all of these parts have been upgraded or superceded several times over the years. The Drive Axle for example is the fifth version of this and there are several subtle differences in the oil paths but it does fit perfectly. With all the replacement parts on hand, I reassembled the Drive Axle, installed the new shift fork and once again laid the transmissions shafts in the lower crankcase assembly mated the shift forks. I manually ran the transmission through the gears several times until I was satisfied that everything was in the right place. The transmission shafts were then transferred to the upper crankcase assembly in preparation for reassembly. Part 4 Engine / Transmission Reassembly http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic15.jpgCrankcase back together - Right Viewhttp://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic17.jpgCrankcase back together - Left View A few points to watch out for before mating the upper and lower crankcases together. First, be sure to replace the clutch push rod oil seal and O-ring prior to reassembly. It is possible to replace the seal once the bike is back together but impossible to replace the O-ring as the collar it fits on is keyed to the crankcase. I oiled up all the main bearing surfaces and poured some oil into as many of the galleries as I could access with the thought that this would aid lubrication upon startup. Apply Yamabond (or Threebond) to all mating surfaces. It is very important to apply in the areas surrounding the oil galleries to ensure good oil pressure. Also, keep the Yamabond at least three mm away from any of the main bearings to prevent contamination. Don't forget to position the Drive shaft pinion gear at this point. I didn't worry about checking the pinion gear lash as I took it out as an assembly and dropped it right back in. Dropping the lower crankcase into place is quite easy. Touch it down at the front end and as you drop the rear end, guide the shift forks into place on the transmission gears with a screwdriver. Once again, shift through the gears a couple of times manually before tightening anything down. Install and torque the crankcase bolts in the proper sequence. One of the bolts holding in the main oil gallery is also one of the crankcase bolts so I mounted it at the same time and torqued the bolt in the proper sequence. I installed new O-rings on the main oil gallery. The engine was now turned upright and the spacers on the shaft drive yoke were slipped into place and the upper crankcase bolts were installed and torqued. The drive yoke bolts were then positioned and torqued. I then had to re-invert the engine to install the oil pump assembly (new O-rings again) and the oil pan with a new gasket. http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic16.jpgShiny Crankcase and Water Pump Covershttp://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic18.jpgScott's handy-dandy clutch removal tool! With the engine once again upright, the main axle bearing stopper (clutch) and the drive pinion gear stoppers were installed. In both cases, be sure to use locktite and proper torque. The pinion gear stoppers need to be punched as well per the manual. In the second picture above, note that the plug is now in the Drive Axle (#2) and a new O-ring has been placed on the Neutral/Gear Selection switch (#1). Note that throughout this repair, I never had to remove flywheel/generator rotor from the crankshaft. While all the internal repairs were taking place, I also took some time for some cosmetic external clean-up. The crankcase and waterpump covers were showing the ravages of UV rays and the factory coating was a mess. Liberal applications of Minwax Paint & Varnish Remover took care of the old coating. A thorough polishing with NEVR-DULL and Mother's Metal polish restored the shine. A fresh coating of clear coat high temp laquer provides the protection. Prior to installing the clutch boss, be sure to re-install the oil pump drive gear. Another tip of the hat to Scott MacMartin. His Clutch Removal tool works like a hot-damn and is easy to build. The piece of 2x6 with a couple of shelf brackets provides more than enough grip to break the main clutch boss nut free and also to re-torque it upon re-assembly. The hole provides room for the socket to grip the nut, while the "tool" holds the boss tightly. I just love great ideas, particulary when they are cheap to implement. The remainder of the clutch plates, and springs were added and the bolts torqued. http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic19.jpgThis is a great time to check the valve clearance! The starter gear train was installed along with the AC Generator Cover. (A new gasket, of course, was also installed. With the engine on the bench, this is the ideal time to check and adjust the valve clearance. A whole lot easier than when it is in the bike. No bashed knuckles here. It turns out there were a couple that were tightening up a bit too much so with some shim swapping, everything is back to spec. New valve cover gaskets went on at this time but the rubber bolt plugs looked in good shape so I stayed with the old ones. The right crankcase cover goes on next (new gasket) and we're just about ready to re-mount the engine. Part 5 Re-Installing the Engine http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic20.jpgReady for install - Left Viewhttp://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic21L.jpgReady for install - Right View I'm doing a few things differently from when I pulled the motor out. In an effort to gain as much clearance as possible and simplify the task I've left a few things off and put others on. In the left view of the motor, the clutch slave cylinder is mounted to the engine and the shift shaft linkage is connected. This will be two less things to fiddle with when remounting the engine. The downside, and it's minor, is that I will have to reconnect and bleed the clutch line. In the right view, notice that the water pump, thermostat assembly and starter motor are not in place. This provides some much needed clearance on the front end. Further, the drive shaft is still not in place so all I have to worry about there is getting the yoke into the swing arm and I don't have to worry about mating the splines at this point. The rear brake master cylinder is also not in place. I had to remove it to get the engine out and since I plan to upgrade the brake lines anyway, bleeding the brakes will have to be done regardless. The lower right frame rail will also come off to provide room. I had it re-mounted to the to keep the parts together. One last point prior the task is to have the rear exhaust header handy. It has to go in with the motor. You can't put it in after the fact. http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic22.jpgPart way in with the help of a couple of friends!http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic23.jpgIt's In!!!! I highly recommend the help of a couple of friends for this step. Zolton and John were a great help here. Lifting the engine onto the jack is a tricky step and a couple of extra hands to steady things while sliding it into place are invaluable. Note that there is very little sweat on their brows and we're half-way there. It required a bit of jockeying back and forth but in about 15 minutes, it slipped into place. Three of the mounting bolts were put in and we're there. The lower picture at right shows the engine in place with the water pump, thermostat assembly, starter motor and lower frame rails all bolted into place. Other steps at this point are: Reconnect the clutch slave cylinder hose and refill and bleed clutch lines. Reconnect wiring harness from the AC Generator, Neutral switch assembly and Oil sensor. Install exhaust headers, muffler chamber and exhaust pipes. Re-install Drive shaft - lubricate with Molybdenum Disulphide Grease. Install middle gear case cover and gasket. Re-install Oil Filter assembly. Re-fill with fresh motor oil. Mine took almost 4 litres to get to correct level. Install footpeg assemblies. Install radiator, coolant hoses, and coolant bypass hose. Refilled cooling system. Used long life, silicate free anti-freeze. Installed YICS chamber and Air baffles. Installed new fuel filter. (good time to do this with good access.) Installed carburettor assembly. Lube and adjust throttle and choke cables. Install Air cleaner assembly.http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic24.jpgIt's running!With a good charge on the battery and one last good look around to see what I may have missed it's time to give it a whirl. With some gentle coaxing she caught and fired. After some initial blue smoke (I suspect from being upside down for so long) she settled into a nice idle and the exhaust cleared to a clear vapour. I still didn't have the brake lines on so I ran her up and down through the gears on the center stand a few times. So far, so good! I let her warm up thoroughly and then hooked up the mercury stacks. The carb synch was virtually spot on. A week later I had a new set of stainless steel brake lines installed and fresh set of spark plugs. Insurance on and time to take her for a short test ride. I still had no fairing on the bike, therefore, no signal lights and no mirrors so I kept it short. (It was also darned cold.) Shifting is very smooth through the gears, good power with no clutch slip and best of all, no skipping in second gear. Yahooooooo!!!! Still lots to do to get her ready for a summer of riding but a big job complete. Part 6 Parts Listing The following are lists of parts and materials that I found necessary for this project. Your experience may vary depending on how badly worn your transmission is. For example I didn't replace the shift cam, which may be necessary if you have virtually no second gear. The lists are broken into four parts and all prices are in CANADIAN dollars and include Provincial (BC) and Federal sales taxes. Your prices will vary of course, depending on your locale, dealer and tax systems. The prices are only published here as a guide. The first list contains the parts that I found were specific to the 2nd gear repair. As my 84VR had only just started skipping, this should be considered a minimum. I have included gaskets and seals that can only be accessed with the crankcase split. I believe that they should be considered essential changes as part of this repair. PART NUMBERDESCRIPTIONPRICE99999-01573-002nd/5th Gear Kit - Includes: 1FK-17121-01 Gear 2nd Pinion 1FK-17151-01 Gear 5th Pinion 1FK-17221-01 Gear 2nd Wheel 1FK-17252-01 Gear 5th Wheel$298.254NK-17421-00Axle Driven$206.4490331-15039Plug - Axle$4.695A8-17529-00Washer Thrust (2 required)$7.4790201-252K4Washer Plate (170-16154-02)$11.6626H-18511-01Fork (Shift #1)$25.583JP-12449-02Gasket, Water Pump (26H-13410-44)$8.913JP-13414-01Gasket, Strainer Cover (26H-13414-00)$11.893JP-15462-01Gasket, Crankcase Right (26H-15462-00)$10.363JP-15451-01Gasket, Crankcase Left (26H-15451-00)$11.9793210-14579O-Ring, Oil Pump Pipe (2 required)$1.8793210-29196O-Ring (371), Neutral/Gear Indicator Assembly$2.9293210-18322O-Ring (1L9), Clutch Push-Rod Bushing$2.2093109-08061Oil Seal (12E), Clutch Push-Rod (371-15389-00)$3.2493102-12321Oil Seal (30X), Shift Shaft (93102-12106)$7.5190215-25218Washer, Lock, Clutch Basket$2.42TOTAL $617.38The second list contains materials that were necessary for the job. Some could be considered regular maintenance, but needed to be changed as part of the process. I did not include materials I already had on hand such as solvents, and polishing compounds. PART NUMBERDESCRIPTIONPRICE530405Threebond, Liquid Gasket 3.5 oz$9.2224200Loctite 242$7.423471Copaslip Anti-Seize Assembly Compound$3.1375-080Motul 5100 10W-40 Semi-Synthetic Motor Oil, 4 litres$36.89M4332C 11024Gunk DOT-3 HD Brake Fluid, 1 litre Moly Grease$13.3429-3011-0Anti-freeze, Long Life, Silicate Free$14.81TOTAL $84.81This third list contains some special tools I needed to purchase for the job. I have a fairly substantial work shop, but I still needed a few special items. PART NUMBERDESCRIPTIONPRICEgr m123030mm, 1/2 drive, 12 point socket$22.247207012500 1/2 inch Impact Driver$19.05677763Torx 40 Socket$5.316772588mm Allen Head 3/8 Socket$5.52TOTAL $52.12The last table lists the other parts that were purchased for general winter maintenance. This includes a brake overhaul, cooling system overhaul and general tune-up items. This list sort of grew with the project and kind of got out of hand. However, it all goes towards maintaining a sound reliable bike. PART NUMBERDESCRIPTIONPRICE26H-11193-00Valve Cover Gaskets (2 Required)$48.9947G-11166-00Pipe, Breather 1 (Crankcase Ventilation)$9.3893211-16591O-Ring, Water Pump Cover$4.4193210-27778O-Ring, Water Pump Cover (93210-14104)$0.9393210-27778O-Ring (1KT), Coolant Pipe to Thermostat (2 Required)$9.131J7-13441-10Element, Oil Filter$9.1826H-12169-10 26H-12168-Y0Pad, Adjusting 2.70 Pad, Adjusting 2.65$15.28246-FA88HHEBC, Double-H, Sintered ST Brake Pads (3 sets)$169.2591316-10020-00Frame Bolt$2.851FK-24560-00Fuel Filter$14.4926H-12576-01Coolant Hose #1$18.70 Galfer Clearcoat Stainless Steel Brake Line Set (5 hoses)$372.26350-DPR8EA9NGK Spark Plugs (4 Required)$24.58TOTAL $699.43 http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic27.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic25.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/secondgear/pic26.jpg