TIME for a Venture

What's 9 feet long, 4 feet wide and has 52 switches on the dash and handlebars?

I just bought a '88 Venture Royale (1300) for $1,100
The bike is complete with CB, driver backrest and some extras.
It has 35,000 miles and quite a bit of aluminum oxidation and slightly faded paint and pinstriping, so it doesn't "show well".
The chrome is good and the mufflers look perfect. Good tires.
Disconnected computerized air ride, but I was given the pump.

The sellers said it was running fine and I could drive it home 100 miles, so I didn't bring a trailer. It idled on 2 and drove with a third cylinder kicking in randomly. The father and son acted like that was normal. I don't think it ever ran on 4 the whole way home.

So far I found 2 cracked spark plugs, and with the engine idleing, I put an unlit propane torch down each intake to verify that all 4 cylinders were firing, because my compression gauge doesn't fit tiny plug holes.
And DANG is it hard to get at the front plugs !!

I'll be checking valve clearances and pulling the carbs next.
Question, what's a sure fire way to tell that it has 35,000 and not 135,000 ?? The title said odometer exempt.

 

Lucky wanker!

Not sure about the mileage thing, or if there's any way of telling absolutely. Check with the Venture websites and see if there's more info...

 

Great bike! One of the real ones before Yamaha decided to call something else a Venture.

 

Welcome to the club!

If the odometer has rolled over the digits won't line up. If it's been changed there is no way to find actual mileage. Odds are it's much less than 135k, ones that have been ridden that much are usually better maintained than yours sounds.

The most important web site you need is venturerider.org.

I have an 88 parts bike with honest 28k miles on it. Body work is mostly gone but the mechanicals are mostly intact. Let me know if you need any parts.

 

It's got a courtesy light in the trunk !!

I signed up today at Ventureriders-org, Is it really worth $12 (haha)

The front axle pinch bolt is missing ! The original seat has a small rip, and the right front rotor is worn deep. The left fairing corner near your knee is chipped, but they are ALL like that, like EVERY Venture has been dropped on the left side. And it weighs 780 Pounds !

 

You'll get the story on exactly how far and and how well maintained that Venture is when you get a look at the Valve Train.
If it's mostly intact and ran like it's happy to be in the hands of an Owner that will Pimp and baby it, ... you're a big winner!

Being out in the world for more than a 100,000 Miles would have taken a toll on it. Stuff missing and just "Looking tired" would tip you off.

Once you can eyeball the Camshaft Lobes and the "Teeth" in the Cam Chain Sprockets are going to let you know for sure.

The fact that you were willing to fork-over 11-hundred and nurse it home would tend to say that that Bike still has a lot of fight left in it and would rather GO than give-up the ghost!

Nice score.
I envy you.
I have always liked the Venture and Royale.
I'm hoping it just needs you to wave a Magic Wand over it to bring it all the way back to great without something that needs more than you can do with light wrenching.

 

lemme see... 780lbs, courtesy light in the trunk are you sure it's not a car somebody swiped two wheels off of?

Seriously though, although not my "cup o' tea" sounds like quite a find.

Rick's right, once you get into the motor at all, you should be able to tell the difference between 35K and 135K.

 

Good score! The lines on that bike are timeless. Graceful, sinewy, and looking like it just needs to run with the wind!

The lines remind me of my little Honda Silverwing. On steroids!


You're gonna love it! A 1+ liter touring bike is a joy to own and ride!

Loren

 

Wait'll you get the other 2 holes firing. It's amazing how much get up and go a 780lb machine has. Once it's rolling the handling is pretty nimble too.

You might get used to rolling down the super slab at only 4500rpm rather than 6k+ too.

The courtesy light in the trunk will run the battery down lickety split. I'm always after SWMBO to shut the trunk before she starts jawing with the other ladies.

 

Well, I tagged it , just to motivate me to fix it quicker.
Yes Mr Fitz it would be like riding BOTH of your bikes at the same time !!
And the odometer is dead level. But the tire date codes:
Front - - 4303. . . 2003, a little more than half worn
Rear - - 2201. . . . 2001, a little less than half worn

If the rear was new in 2001, the bike had 31,000 miles in 2001
Also the tag lady looked back 6 owners, all mileage exempt.
In Florida, bikes go mileage exempt after 10 years.
So I'm leaning towards "true miles" at this stage.

I'll take it for another short ride, then tear it apart.

 

I agree 110% percent. Most of these bikes are honest; most have basically the same story it's just a matter of WHEN somebody gave up and parked it.

Looks comfy to be quite honest. I wonder how it stops in the rain? Seriously... do they have an integrated rear/one front braking system or is it all up to you?

 

Yeah, the rear and left front are linked on the pedal. Hand brake operates right front.

 

And those spongy brake lines work like anti-lock. . .
Really, on my "list' were the BMW K100 and the Concourse and other front anti-lock bikes. In the rain I drive like I'm on grease just to be safe.

update- - The left front plug doesn't fire, or, maybe fires intermittent.

These carbs are only coming off ONCE (knock wood!) because this bike is MADE of plastic crap in the way!! Everything gets fixed at once while everything is apart- - clean all wire connectors, Ohm the coils, shim valves, replace fuel lines and filter, and do carbs.

If the Right Front CYL doesn't get compression from valve shimming , :cry:
I'll be going in further.

 

Typically, you'd find one that collected dust because the PO couldn't wrench even a little bit and it needed the Front End overhauled.
When the guy heard the Dealer's quote for Headset Bearings, Fork Seals and Brakes ... he balked and said he get back to them.

One day goes by, ...
Pretty soon it's a day and a season.
Then, it ... "Honey, sell that Bike!"

What was the Front End just became Carbs, Battery, Tires, Front End and a few dings where the kids were careless.

Still looks good in the photograph and some lucky bastard gets there before you do and don't even blink at the OBO.

 

look at the fork tubes down by the seals then by the lower tree, compare to known mileage bikes

 

Well, these guys were bragging about that they rebuilt the front end, new seals, and a missing pinch bolt !! What's holding the axle in?

I have decided to paint it a brilliant yellow or orange for the best possible visibility. Hi-Vis green might blend in with Florida's background.

Why would anyone sync a badly running bike? Well I did claim I could sort out a completely un-synced engine with a water Manometer.
The engine was 2 complete turns out in various directions and I got it to idle and run on 3, with the 4th (#2 actually) still not helping out.
Sure runs better.

 

The axle is torqued into the LH fork. That pinch bolt just keeps the RH fork from sliding back and forth on the axle. That sliding probably greatly improves handling (NOT!).

 

News Flash - - -XJ Bikes are EASY to work on !!

All valve clearances were within normal range. (all 16)
Still no 10 MM compression adapter, I'll just make one.

And the carbs are apart, thanks to Chorca and his Hitachi impact driver.
The insides were reasonably clean, with a reddish stain, and very little actual sediment. I removed the Pilot plugs with a drywall screw.

A trip to my favorite junkyard produced a tall windshield ($15) a side cover($20) and a mirror($25)and I forgot the stupid pinch bolt!! So I pretty much have all the parts now.

 

I got help from the VentureRider site with going thru the ignition.
The TCI box is directly UNDER the battery, so the terminals corrode.
And the plug caps come apart for cleaning. Everything got wire brushed.

2 of the carbs flooded and one leaked, so they had to come back off. I thought I was so good I didn't need to bench test my work. Why waste ten minutes, right??

And it runs on all 4 !! First gear has about the ratio of third on an XJ, so blasting it in first and second brings you to 75 MPH !! Quick ! Quiet !
Now for fine tuning and plug reads.

 

that looks like a sweet bike pete... have you painted it already?

 

Hey Charlie- - cold enough for ya?

I bought Krylon Sun Yellow and the Krylon clear.
I'll be painting one piece at a time (haven't started yet).

If I ever wanted it painted "right" the Krylon should dissolve easy enough with paint stripper.

 

haha, if you're not confidant in your painting, just throw white on there, hides alot

 

omg i bought my kid annual passes to disney for christmas and he begged me, and i agreed to go, yesterday... my balls almost froze

does that "favorite junkyard" you mentioned have any XJs?

 

Jacks Cycle Salvage in Sanford had as many as 8 XJ's in various states of cannibalism- - not a pretty sight !! (no 85-86's) Call 'em !

Schooter- - it's not the skills, it's the expense. I can lay down a smooth paint job with rattle cans. Proper auto paint and related materials cost a small fortune.

 

. . . And then my 5 acre "farm" burned, destroying 7 bikes. . .
Film at Eleven. . .
http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=22564.html

I just bought 2 MORE Ventures for $200 !!!!!!!!!!!
One has the title, key and complete bodywork, and can be made into a
complete bike.
The other has no title, and is partly stripped.
It's a Craigslist find. These bikes are ugly with their skins removed- -

 

What a deal. A clear title was worth that. transformers? Actually looks like one long survival bike. Looks like you're in the Venture business now.