My Unicorn find and what I am looking at an for please advise

[84VentureMatt]

OK got my Unicorn 84 VR 9500 on the ODO garage find .... it was serviced new tires oil lube brake job battery even located the factory NOS battery monitor for it so no blinky dash light ... thrilled with it 5 to 600 miles on it and brakes lock ( already talked and asked thank you all for advice ) ....So bike is parked R6 brake system has arrived but i have 84 forks so either FAB a bracket to mount to stock or locate good 86 an up complete forks or at least the lowers is the next option ... had a few suggestions to buy entire new front end like a harley dyna or the likes an replace the aged out yamaha hydro controls with HD units ( very undecided on this option im a brand whore an Yamaha is my drug of choice ) ...also very very curious about a Vmax rear end an fabbing up the dual standard shock mounts on the VR totally dropping the air ride ( mine is failed wont hold air more than 5 mins cannot find the leak see extreme head scratching ) ...annnnddd since I am down that single carb thing creeped into my head using a 34 pict3 VW bug carb or a two barrel webber setup ...I met a guy in Columbia SC with one using the VW getting mid 70's mpg hwy an i just cant see where that wouldnt be a good move ......as you can tell i ask alot and my thought process is kinda scattered but life is not doing great an thinking an doing bike things calms me down ...So good people of the VR Universe advice opinions options all welcomed for the moment my VR is safe but come better weather the wifey is gonna want to take trips or sell it ......thanks in advance ........Matt

[uncledj]

Congrats on your find.   I've done some basic mods to my First Gen, MKll,  (clutch, progressive springs and replaced the fuse holder...don't remember if I did the ignition switch / relay upgrade on that bike or not,  but never got so ambitious to make the changes that you mention.   There's still a few old timers around that should chime in with some advice.   Those old Ventures are a BLAST to ride.   

  

[saddlebum]

Congrats on your find. As stated these guys are blast to ride and comfort wise I don't think they can be beat. I actually found long hours on this bike more comfortable than riding in a car and have done day trips well in access of 10 hours. The main upgrades you really need to do IMHO is replace/upgrade the fuse holders, (including the main fuse, ( upgrade it to a blade type Maxi-fuse). Replace the clutch slave with a new one, upgrade the clutch to either a Barnett or one of Skydoc_17's upgrade kits. Replace the brake and clutch lines with quality brake certified stainless lines and While your at it I definitely recommend de-linking ** the brakes. I have not done the caliper upgrade because I found that after de-linking the brakes,  the front brakes were fully capable of locking up the front wheel and causing the bike to do a nose stand lifting the back wheel clean off the ground ( I would say any more brake power than that is just wasting money ). Ignition switch issues common to the second gens are not an issue with the first gen so I would not bother messing with the ignition, If your adding lights etc go through an add on  relay switch. There are various ways to wire it up depending on how you want the add on's to function. I would add a manual over ride switch for the cooling fan (Handy to have in stop and go traffic in hot weather or in case the fans thermal switch should fail not that it ever really happens much). 

Additional upgrades such as progressive springs are a nice touch (and many like the upgrade, (myself included) but depend largely on what type of ride characteristics you want from the bike.

** de-linking the brakes - the left front and the rear caliper are linked together. This great on hard dry road surfaces but can be an issue in loose surface material were you would not normally use the front brake and has cause front wheel related wipe outs. By de-linking your are removing the left front caliper from the rear master and pairing it up with the right front caliper this not only gives you independent front and and rear wheel braking control but increase front wheel braking.

Edited February 9, 2022 by saddlebum

[84VentureMatt]

@uncledj &  @saddlebum thank you for your response an idea's 

saddlebum the de linking of brakes is coming for sure they locked up on me thats why its parked at the moment evidently something in the factory brakes clogged or the calipers needed rebuilt ( the bike had a full service brakes an all before i bought it so i really am puzzled by that event ) so i read an picked up an entire R6 brake system just need the correct length lines for the front and single for the rear ..I had a R6 an always enjoyed the feel of the brakes so this should be an amazing upgrade ...do you have any advice on a certain brand of fuse block to replace the factory one to go to blade fuses or just what i can find ...i figure i will get one with an extra terminal or two for lights or any accessory i want to add ..... hooking up a manual switch to the fan is something i had not thought of but sounds like a good decision to make 

Again just want to say how kool it is to have a site with so much knowledge and people who are willing to help out the new kid ( I'm 49 going on 16 if you ask the wife ) I have read an read through an don't feel like i have barely scratched the surface of the knowledge about VR bikes on here    

[luvmy40]

skydoc_17 is your best source for for brake lines, fuse block kits, valve shims, clutch upgrade, etc. Earl is a Stand Up guy and his products are top notch. Pm him, you won't be sorry.

Edited February 10, 2022 by luvmy40

[saddlebum]

Skydoc is definitly a good source and I have had great dealings with him. The problem for me with dealing with Skydoc is not with skydoc but the darn  customs and duty taxes related to shipping parts into Canada. The fuse blocks are also available through most auto parts and marine parts dealers. The mini atm fuse holder such as what I used seems to be a tad difficult to source but not impossible. In most cases they may have to check with their suppliers such as Littlefuse or Bussman or blue sea and order it in. Amazon is another source. https://www.amazon.com/Position-Mini-Compact-Fuse-Panel/dp/B06VWC31L7. Having said all that if your in the US Skydoc is the way to go.

I also replaced the OEM main fuse located close to the starter solenoid with an inline MAXI fuse like the one in this link https://www.littelfuse.com/products/fuse-blocks-fuseholders-and-fuse-accessories/automotive-and-commercial-vehicle-fuse-holders/maxi-mah

https://www.amazon.com/Bussmann-HHX-Line-Holder-Cover/dp/B000CZ2Z92/ref=sr_1_4?crid=26EPA12QCUJOQ&keywords=maxi+fuse+holder&qid=1644850765&s=automotive&sprefix=Maxi+fuse%2Cautomotive%2C138&sr=1-4

Edited February 14, 2022 by saddlebum

[saddlebum]

On 2/10/2022 at 4:43 AM, 84VentureMatt said:

saddlebum the de linking of brakes is coming for sure they locked up on me thats why its parked at the moment evidently something in the factory brakes clogged

I am not surprised I found many of the brake splitter balance valves full of yellow/whitish crap which not only clogs ports but builds up around the internal spring. This is why when I delink the brakes I do not just cap the one port but remove the valve completely and go direct to the master.

Edited February 14, 2022 by saddlebum

[84VentureMatt]

@saddlebum I am located on the North Carolina coast ...by the way i think your cold weather is down here LOL snow flurries at the beach is just not right ........ I really appreciate the the advice an the pics I will take all the help I can find so I do the things I need to do properly to keep this classic rolling