Buying an 83 Yamaha Venture Tomorrow... hopefully! Dimension question....

So I found an interesting Venture to purchase online and I agreed to drive fours hours tomorrow to buy it. I borrowed my dad's trailer and have my vehicle gassed up and ready to hit the road when the sun rises tomorrow morning... but... out of curiousity... I measured the length of the trailer. From front to back it is seven foot four inches long. If I go from corner to corner, it is 101 inches diagonally.

Will an 83 Yamaha Venture fit onto this trailer?

I have an 8' utility trailer that I hauled my 89 VR home with. It had to be parked diagonally to make sure the tailgate could be latched in the upright position. I would suspect that it will fit diagonally if you don't have a tail gate that has to be latched in the vertical position. With a tail gate up, I suspect it won't fit. But, I am just guessing.

I have a sneaking suspicion you might be right.... it's going to be very tight. The tail gate does have to be latched in a vertical position when closed. I'll have to see if it will detach. I appreciate your response.

Hit Lit, welcome to VR!!

I just stepped out in garage and measured Tweeks (our 83 Venture). Full tire contact on the ground is 77 inches. Full length of bike is 98 inches. If your trailer is an enclosed trailer it may be to tight of fit because you have side bags that are going to allow you to go completely diagonal. Keep in mind too that these arent the lightest things in world - not easy to just slide around..

On the other hand, if you dealing with a small, open flat bed I would say indeed, more than possible to strap her down.. I have used small flat beds for years of hauling scoots and have hauled many full size Ventures/Wings/Harleys and even 10 foot long Choppers.. Just a little imagination to get em secured..

If I were going to do it with a trailer your size and it is a flat bed - I would roll the bike up to where the front tire is right at the edge of the trailer. The take a ratchet strap, go around the tongue of the trailer right in front of the front wheel of the bike - thru the front wheel and tighten in down to hold it in place. Take another strap and do the same with the rear wheel so when you tighten the rear down it has the scoot captured between the straps. They make bike hoops (have one on my own trailer) that are inexpensive and work well BUT - I dont think you have enough room on your trailer for one so you will probably have to do with the straps as I mentioned.

Then strap front and back as best you can to collapse the forks and rear shock - end up with the bike standing upright..

Dont forget to check bearing conditions and air pressures on your trailer..

Another thing to think about is the loading of the scoot - the more extra hands you have the better. My wife, Tip, and I have loaded many full size touring bikes by ourselves. Our trailer tips down for loading. Using a ramp and pushing it up though requires extra help..

Hope this all helps somehow, best wishes on the trip!!

Let us know how it all works out and,, if possible, provide us with pics if you land it!!!

Puc

Oppss,, type to slow

That is excellent advice Puc... I really appreciate your detailed response and you taking the time to measure your motorcycle. It's going to be tight, but I think it might just happen. I'm bringing a friend down with me on the trip just in case I have to ride the bike home if I can't squeeze it onto the trailer. I will DEFINITELY take pics of the adventure.

I have been an avid biker my entire life. I currently own a 2003 Hayabusa, a 1985 Suzuki GS700ES, and a 2001Kawasaki KLR650 affectionately name "Big Ugly". I have always wanted a larger touring motorcycle and over coffee this morning I stumbled across the Venture and the price was just too good to not buy! I can't wait to really read this forum and make some contacts online. I'm single and my kids are in college, so this bike is being wheeled right into my living room this winter so I can really get to know it and work on it. Thanks again for the detailed responsel. I think with determination and six or seven tie-downs it will be in my driveway in the next 24 hours!

You probably know the 83s are prone to loosing 2nd gear before 50k miles. It's not a problem if you don't mind going from 1st to 3rd. Some have been repaired. It's something to ask about though.

Yeah you will have to put it on there corner to corner but can be done. Make sure gate is not going to bounce against trunk!!! If you have to you can remove gate if it has the tall one and load bike on top of it. 900 lbs!!

You probably know the 83s are prone to loosing 2nd gear before 50k miles. It's not a problem if you don't mind going from 1st to 3rd. Some have been repaired. It's something to ask about though.

Putting my fingers in my ears and humming and pretending I didn't just hear that...

Yes, I did come across that information and the seller says it is mechanically sound and drives perfectly, so I am going to roll the dice and hope the second gear God is smiling down upon me today!!

900 , Yammer Dan !!! Wow... I guess I hadn't read that online yet.... I'm heading out the door now to land this whale, but because of your post, I texted a buddy who lives near this bike and told him to be on standby to do some grunt work, just in case! Thank God the Patriots played on Thursday or I would not be able to find anyone on a Sunday afternoon here in Maine to help.

I think I read that the curb weight of my 89 is 785lbs. 900 may be correct for the Gen 2s.

900 ball park figure. Mine is always loaded with me, gun, Brass Knucks, Pepper Spay and a few things. After I learn to ride I'll learn these things.

Putting my fingers in my ears and humming and pretending I didn't just hear that...

 

Yes, I did come across that information and the seller says it is mechanically sound and drives perfectly, so I am going to roll the dice and hope the second gear God is smiling down upon me today!!

Fixing the 2nd gear problem is a bit of a job, but one that can be done over a week or two (evenings after work) during this coming winter. I did it right after I bought my 83 several years ago. Does require pulling out the engine - but that gives you a chance to also take care of any little issues that need attention after 32 years on the road! Not really a big deal. When I took mine apart, it seemed pretty clear that 2nd gear hadn't ever actually skipped but the wear on the two retainers was obvious and I replaced them. Zero problems with the engine or gears since I've owned the bike. My suggestion: just do the fix when weather shuts down your riding and when you feel ready to tackle an interesting project without any time pressures.

The second gear problem isn't a matter of chance, or bad luck. It's just a couple of little semi-circular retainers that will be badly worn and need replacing. Oh well, there are worse things in life!

zag

PS I bought my 83 knowing about the potential 2nd gear problem and fixed it before even riding it. Then did lots of other mods just for fun. It's a fast and very photographed bike.

The Eagle has landed!!!

Looks great!

zag

Ohhh... and a very custom clutch lever was included in the deal! So... I didn't want to jinx the deal before it happened, but I picked this up for 450.00 and it has 28,000 miles on it and I took it for a test drive and all of the gears were there.. even second! The backseat of my vehicle is filled with saddlebags and trucks and every other imaginable piece of trim that came on this bike originally. I think I have a fun winter project ahead for me!

Looks great and with all the bags removed, it did fit in the trailer!

"I picked this up for 450.00 and it has 28,000 miles on it"

A VERY good deal! You won't see the 2nd gear issue with only 28K miles. Mine had 44K miles when I bought it, and it had no signs of having 2nd gear issues. However, the wear on the two little retainers was very obvious - 0.12" thickness (measured on a worn set) worn down to a bit less than 0.1" in the center area.

Maybe you could ride it for a year, then tackle the "troubles".

zag

Thanks Zag... that is my game plan.... I will not be tearing into anything engine related for quite sometime unless it's necessary! The tabs on the plastic trim are in rough shape... I think I'll tackle that first.

Hey Lit, you could also check above the forward gear for the little punch mark that is suppose to be there if it happen to have gotten the second gear repair way back when.. It would be WAYYYYY cool if you happen to be one of the fortunate ones who got the stamp of approval.. I think there is a picture of the stamp floating around here somewhere - if I run across it I will link it to you. Otherwise, if you look at the top of the forward bevel gear area you will see a couple raised area's about the size of dime, I think its the front "dime" that is suppose to get the stamp.. Personally, out of all five of the 83/84's I have owned I have yet to have one with the stamp,,,,,, and have also driven a fair amount of miles on em having to short shift from 1st to 3rd too ..

GOOD DEAL ON THE SCOOT AND HAVE FUN WITH THE PROJECT!!!

Since the ultimate failure is to have the gears skip and mash on each other, it's a good idea to do the fix before real damage occurs. If you like the bike, then do the fix. It's not optional if you decide to keep it and put on serious miles. While it's not a minor job, I thought that it was interesting and not something that should be avoided just because it looks scary. I can barely remember having done the work several years ago. Anyway - that's my pep talk!

zag

Yep, my memory worked,, this time.. Check this out Lit, we got a super mechanic here named Dingy who answered the question perfectly with a pic - that @dingy - he is keeper!!!

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?100987-Anyone-know-where-what-the-quot-Repaired-Stamp-quot-is-suppose-to-be-for-83-85-2nd-gear-issue

Cowpuc beat me to it - I was just going to post the same link!

If your bike has the "fix" noted by the mark on the case, then your deal is twice as good!

zag

Now, the best money you will EVER spend on your bike is the $12 to join this site.

Ya done good!!!

Randy

Wow.... I find a repair like that to be SOOOOO over my head. But I know I would feel amazing if I could do it.

Is it correct for me to assume that every 83-85 Venture will experience this second gear failure? It's not a matter of IF it goes bad... it's WHEN it goes bad?