Hi everyone names Johnny. I am so amazed to see an entire community dedicated to this bike it makes me pretty excited. I'm 19 years old and I'm planning to become a rider soon. I don't even have a drivers license yet but I think a bike is definitely for me. I plan to go take the MSF course soon and purchase an 83 Vision from a friend of mine. Again I am very amazed to see an entire community dedicated to the Vision and I hope I to am soon a fellow vision rider. I would appreciate any advice anyone has or tips on being a new rider and or a new vision owner. I am from the Chicago area if any of you are local riders around here let me know. :D
Welcome to the forum & don't go tilting at windmills on your Vision!
You've got the right idea in taking the MSF course. Get as much riding gear as you can afford. Helmet, boots, jacket & gloves are the minimum. Good pants can save you from painful road rash as well. When you eventually start riding, remember that you are invisible to most drivers. Buying bright gear helps your visibility.
The 83 Vision is the rarer of the two years. You will enjoy it immensely!
H2O
To elaborate on H20s post...you are invisible to MOST, the REST are out to kill you.
I've been riding for over 9 months now and I just took the MSF course last weekend. VERY GOOD IDEA! Helmet is the bare minimum, first thing i bought. Next was the jacket. Listen up in the MSF course. My basic rider skills were #1 or #2 in my class but I learned a lot just listenning to the instructors. Also, read up on the site as far as technical issues with the Vision and find out from your friend what has been fixed and what hasn't. This is a FYI thing, not a deal breaker on the bike. You'll love it regardless. Good luck!
ya I think he said it needs to have its carbs cleaned or something because it leaks fuel but he is going to check the bike out for me and give me a heads up on what it needs. I'm very excited about getting this bike and a little bit worried since its from 1983 I'm expecting it to have all sorts of problems lol. My friend also says the same thing about everyone on the road trying to kill you haha :D
A vision that has dirty carbs!!! Wow I don't think anyone here on the forum has ever seen those before. ;) JK
Try to find out from the current owner if the fuel is coming out the drain line (goes down by the left foot peg) or out the overflow lines (clear tubes coming out the top of the carbs). If it is the drain line (most common issue for fuel leak) then check the orings on the drain screws. If the orings are junk then fuel will leak out the drain lines until the tank is empty. Trust me I know from experience. If it is coming out the top lines (overflow) then it could be a stuck float.
Make sure that the first thing you do once you get it is to clean those carbs very thoroughly. That is the main issue with new owners. If the carbs are dirty on the inside the bike will either run like crap, wont idle, or not run at all.
out of curiosity, how long does it take to dirty the carbs? we had mine out and immaculate the day i bought it in october, and haven't touched them since. I'm not sure if the bike is running like crap cuz of bad tuning (i.e. no tuning) or if the carbs are dirty again?
Quote from: ColinthePilot on July 17, 2007, 02:21:03 PM
out of curiosity, how long does it take to dirty the carbs? we had mine out and immaculate the day i bought it in october, and haven't touched them since. I'm not sure if the bike is running like crap cuz of bad tuning (i.e. no tuning) or if the carbs are dirty again?
About 30 seconds if you don't have an inline fuel filter! :o That is if you have even a little rust in the tank, or a bad tank of gas.
Make sure that you have an inline filter on the gas line. It is easier to replace a $4 filter then it is to have to get more carb cleaner and spend about 1-2 hours cleaning them back up.
If the bike hasn't run in several months, the gasoline breaks down & forms varnish in the bowls & passages. The process actually begins within days of filling the tank. It starts slowly & the early breakdown seems to be minimal. If you put Sta-Bil or some other fuel stabilizing additive in it & ran the bike until it filled the carb bowls, the fuel breakdown is minimal. The first part to plug up will likely be your accelerator pump nozzles.
I try to add Sta-bil whenever I know my V will sit for more than two weeks without getting ridden.
H2O
I have an inline filter (labeled as small engine fuel filter?) that I still have to put on. I'm waiting on a bunch of parts to come in, either this week or next, and i'm going to clear my schedule for a saturday and live in the auto shop (fully equipped DIY garage on base...hehehe :) ) and get everything done at one time.
Quote from: h2olawyer on July 17, 2007, 03:06:24 PM
The first part to plug up will likely be your accelerator pump nozzles.H2O
in my experience it's the feed hole in the bottom of the bowl, followed closely by the pilot adjustment screws. the accelerator pump nozzles are under pressure when they fire & tend to clear out.
problems with clogged nozzles are more likely after dipping the carbs because the dip loosens tiny flakes of varnish in the nozzle tubes, & the engine vibration flakes them free.
my .02
--Lucky
So that's why my nozzles plugged up after the first dipping. That's all that was plugged in the Tractor's carbs when I did them this Spring. Was going only on what I've experienced in the two sets I've done. All other passages in both sets were clear (at least passable) when I dipped them, but the accel pump nozzles were plugged in both sets. Figured I might get corrected, but I was basing my comments on my own limited past experiences with these carbs.
Thanks for the clarification.
H2O
last time i did carbs, and i've done a few sets between my bike and my friend's 3, we would dip them overnight, then blast them with carb cleaner and a straw, getting into all the passages till we got as much fluid out as we put in. It wasn't uncommon for us to blow a whole can of carb cleaner on 1 or 2 sets of carbs. but it insured that all the passages were clear. did that to the jets too. everything was guaranteed clear.
Welcome to ROV :) :) :) Always be careful when ridding. Never lose concentration and don't let enthusiasm(speed) control you. 11 out of 10 automobiles don't see you, so be very careful. Ridding is a lot of fun, but comes with a lot of responsability. So it's a must, ALWAYS BE CAREFUL. Enjoy the bike.
:) Welcome to "The Family"... 8) I started riding at 16...now 54!!! I hadn't ridden for 20+ year's and took the course 3 year's ago :o Well worth EVERY PENNY... 8)
Remember...A. T. G. A. T. T...(All the gear all the time) 8) I have 2 x helmet's, 3 x jacket's, 2 x pair ridin' pants, 2 x pair glove's and a pair of leather sport type boot's :o... 8) I guess I don't heal so fast as I used to :o ;D ;D :D :D :D... 8)
8).......TIGER....... 8)
all the gear all the time... huh i only have a helmit and what ever i wear that day... ohhh i might put a jacket on if its a lil brisk out ...daamn new york lol...
Remember: The burn of road rash is worse than a little burn from wearing a jacket on a hot day. ;D
David
Cool thanks for the advice guys. What do you think a full set of gear would cost me and is there any good places to buy from ?
Quote from: DaveTN on July 18, 2007, 10:23:01 AM
The burn of road rash is worse than a little burn from wearing a jacket on a hot day.
Trust me on this one, no smileys. I have scars on my elbows that are still visible 25 years after the injuries due to road rash. I had both of my arms wrapped at the elbows for a month because of an accident. It is no fun to have the nurse cleaning your road rash with a bristle-brush like you wash vegetables with.
Brian
Quote from: Brian Moffet on July 22, 2007, 02:11:50 PM
Quote from: DaveTN on July 18, 2007, 10:23:01 AM
The burn of road rash is worse than a little burn from wearing a jacket on a hot day.
.....It is no fun to have the nurse cleaning your road rash with a bristle-brush like you wash vegetables with.
Brian
Another important fact: Don't wear a helmet and you will be like one of those vegetables that you clean with the brush.
David
Yes, I remember "The Brush", the nurse used it with some nasty smelling brown liquid to clean my elbow and the last two fingers on my left hand when I was 17. I still remember her punctuating each stroke of the brush with "God D### kids and their stupid motorcycles" over and over, she sort of got into a rhythm. It was not fun! Came around a corner on the back roads at about 35, slipped off into the woods off a big pile of HORSE SH## across the entire road. BIG HORSE !
Quote from: QuixoticJ on July 22, 2007, 11:38:26 AM
Cool thanks for the advice guys. What do you think a full set of gear would cost me and is there any good places to buy from ?
On cost it depends what you get. If you're comfortable with the most basic leather jacket you could get one of those for under $100 and decent jeans for $30 (Harley dealerships have some Teflon reinforced jeans for $60, or you could go with chaps I guess). On the other end I have sport-style gear with armor inserts, liners and a lot of venting I got for $190 each jacket and pants. My gloves I can't remember what I paid, between $60-90 I think, for warm weather ones with the hard knuckles and over the wrist leather. Just regular gloves would of course be cheaper. For shoes you could just go with over the ankle shoes such as hiking shoes, or get a pair of boots that could run ya $100-200. Helmets range from a bit over $100 to over $700 for full face ones. Rain gear averages I think around $100-120 for jacket and pants.
Look around and see what ya like.
Visit dealerships to try on helmets and check out styles/sizes. I've bought a couple things from the dealership, just ordered an Icon Urban tank bag from 'em and got some replacement mirrors from another shop (that I'm still debating if I'll bother putting on or not). I also got some zipper pulls for the saddlebags but those fell apart too easy. Anyone know where I can get some sturdy ones?
I tried on a different style of the version helmet I got at a dealership then ordered the one I wanted online at bikebandit.com (their shipping can be slow, be ready even if they say in a couple of days).
I took a chance and ordered my jacket, pants, gloves and boots at cruisercustomizing.com without having tried 'em on. Everything except the boots fit, the boots are on back-order. CC is pretty good with customer service but if something's on back-order you'd need to constantly bug 'em about it as they typically don't send status updates. That's also where I bought my license box from along with a kickstand disk and trickle charger.
Other sites you can try are denniskirk.com and newenough.com, along with a couple others that have been posted up here by folks. Don't forget to check the manufacturer's sites and Google search for things/prices. :)
This is looking to be more and more expensive. The bike it self is already somewhat hard on my pocket =( With school around the corner and no form of transportation I'm starting to feel in quite a bind.
Quote from: QuixoticJ on July 22, 2007, 09:54:33 PM
This is looking to be more and more expensive. The bike it self is already somewhat hard on my pocket =( With school around the corner and no form of transportation I'm starting to feel in quite a bind.
The most important things to have are:
Helmet and jacket.
The gloves, boots, re-enforced pants... are all stuff that you can get at a latter point when funds are available. I have a second hand helmet (I know the guy that I got it from and it has never even been dropped so I still trust it) and a decent jacket that I got on sale ($100). When riding I wear regular steel toe boots (old pair from work), helmet face shield ($20), regular jeans, and leather gloves ($20). All and all my riding ensemble cost less then $200, and I'm saving up for a full face helmet first, after that it will be the re-enforced leather gloves and re-enforced jeans.
Make sure that when you are riding to have all your skin covered up. Even normal jeans are better then nothing if you go down. They wont hold up as long as the riding pants, but they do afford you some protection. You can get a decent 3/4 helmet with face shield for around $100 to $150 if you shop around. Might even be less if you get one on sale. Leather jackets can be had for $150 or under if you shop around and get one on sale. Check the leather store at the mall, they almost always have riding jackets and they are less expensive then the dealers (less flashy and not re-enforced as much, but they will still protect you).
Don't get too freaked out. Alot of this stuff is one time purchases. Just take it slow and get a few peices at a time. Another thing you can do is see if one of your friends who rides has a spare helmet that they would lend you for an extended time (or even sell you at a lower rate). Never hurts to ask (thats how I got mine and it was free).
My main rule is get the stuff that makes you feel comfortable on the bike and then save up for the better stuff.
check craigslist.org for some deals on gear. Lots of people sell their bikes and then have to dump the barely used gear at a huge discount.
Check out eBay as well. I'd never buy a used helmet that way, but for the rest of the gear - or closeout deals on new helmets, you can find quite a bit at good prices there.
Also check out Dennis Kirk's closeouts section. There are often some amazing deals there.
H2O