Hey guys, im new to visions and im considering buying one. However, dependability is really important to me. the bike seems sick to me i love the style and uniqueness of the bike however. my question is, is it really possible to get these bikes into a condition where they will be dependable enough to ride on a 1500 mile trip. as of now the bike starts just fine and runs well as well but does not idle great (idles around 2500rpm) the visions in great shape cosmetically and otherwise but again my main concern is mechanically can i get it to the point that it will be a dependable daily rider
Thanks alot!!
Troy
Absolutly! We've sorted out pretty much any problem you could run accross. the high idle could be simply the idle screw set too high, or a leaky YICS canister, which is easily repaired. there isn't too much on the bike that's expensive to fix, & many here have parts bike & parts for sale. all you need to do is ask.
check out my website, Vision Resources at http://www.xz550.com for a list of things 'new' owners should check out, but don't let it scare you. it's an all inclusive list.
Who is the seller? chances are probably good that we know the bike too.
--Lucky
the seller is actually my buddy who knows very little about the bike itself becuase he had bought it and not ridden it much cuz it didnt have a title however i go to school with him for engineering and the kid is a bike guru. on another note i drive a saab as my primary vehicle (classic 900t) and i am accustomed to the trials and tribulations of the car but i still love it. Im willing to bet thevision has similar qualities and actually prolly fits me well but my main conern again is that i want a bike that i will be able to trust to take me anywhere. the bike looks in pristene condition and has 32k miles on it. so it definately hasnt sat around its whole life. im also no stranger to a wrench however i want to spend much less time fixing the bike than riding it!
thanks again for all your input!!!!
-troy
ps. the bike is an 82 which also seems to have a few more issues (i dont know if you are particularly familiar with the 82)
thanks!
Quote(i dont know if you are particularly familiar with the 82)
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Oh young Grasshopper, you have lots to learn! ;D
You will NEVER find a shop or bike tech who knows more about these bikes than we do. The 82 does not have more issues than the 83's, Yamaha addressed the issues as needed, & there were design tweaks for 83. any issues the bikes have now are due to the fact that they are 20+ years old & need a little TLC.
--Lucky
well thats what i wanted to hear i do have a haynes manual for it so i should be on my way and im sure ill be talking again but hopefully it will be more about the great times than the repair aspect ;D
thanks again man
troy
Quote
You will NEVER find a shop or bike tech who knows more about these bikes than we do.
Words of wisdom, pure words of wisdom. The people here are amazing, I'll tell you that.
There's at least one person here using their V as their daily rider. If you take care of it right there's nothing you can't do.
Troy,
The vision is just like any other old bike,be it a harley ,a ducati, or a yamaha - after 20 years they need attention. My v was relatively well kept, but never used for more than an occasional trip as a "retro bike". Now she is a true daily ride.
I think i have missed only i have miised only a few days in three years, some for a broken ankle ,a few for snow ,and 2 for hurricaine winds. otherwise, she is on the road every day.
i have added almost everything you can bolt on, removed a lot of it and she has had three different fairings,(all upgraded)but i wouldnt trade this bike for anything . I have had the chance to trade her in on new bikes several times, but i still ride her.
This is mainly due to the fact that if i cant fix something on it ,someone in the forum has ,and she still gets fixed in time to go to work the next day.
Your original post asked about 1500 mile trips.
Since 1999, I've taken 5 trips of 2,000+ kilometers with absolutely no problems, including one day when I got carried away and did 900 km. Of course, as the other posts in this thread have pointed out, TLC is a requirement for keeping any old bike on the road and running reliably.
Go for it!
Brian
Here's my Vision reliability scorecard. 19 trips of 4000 km from Ottawa to the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Two alternator failures away from home, one of which forced me to cut the trip short and ride home with no headlight to conserve battery juice. Other Vision problems (e.g. oil in the starter) are correctable, it seems the alternator overheating is not.
So I guess that's 89% reliability.
George, have you done the charging system fixes? (moving the R/R & soldering the wires) after doing those fixes, and making sure all the connectors in the harness are clean & tight, i'd call the charging system 90 something percent reliable.
--Lucky
Reliable? If you take care of her, a definate yes. I do about 800 miles a week, for about the last 7 months (minus 2 months to re-build her, and a broken wrist) and she still starts every time I want her to. Needless to say I tune her up often, and have followed all of that advice on this forum.
Troy-Go with it. 82 is fine. My bike was manufact. Nov. 81. Serial # 000335. It is a original 82 and I am still running the original carbs with out any upgrades. I did have to change out stator when it was purchased, but Luckys site and board will give you all the tricks. I have some things I have done to mine I will not post on the board, for their are a lot of sharp people out there and I would not want them to think I am some kind of twit, but I rode with 30 bikers yesterday and no problem running with anything any of them rode. Bottom line is, you will have to work on bike, however, it will teach you things you use the rest of your life regarding future bikes. Have a good one and jump in, the water is fine.
Thanks everyone for your input im definately going to go for it
and i cant wait to get ridin!
QuoteI have some things I have done to mine I will not post on the board, for their are a lot of sharp people out there and I would not want them to think I am some kind of twit,
Wayne, like what? no one will laugh, I once wanted to Flame my bike..lol but from original thinking good ideas arise...
--Lucky
Any Photoshop Guru's out there... I would love to see Lucky's Vision with some HD flames on it..... you know the red/orage/blue fade flames...
I am snickering already....
of course you should buy one. you came to this website thinking we would all be like "naw, you should probably just get something else"? i mean, come on, we have our own website. the vision is poetic. it's like an abusive girlfriend. it's always screwing around on you, but you feel wrong whenever you get something else, and you always come back. good luck.
hey whats wrong with flames i thought about putting flames on my v to blend the red tank to the rest of the black paint on mine. or some other design i havent decided yet. the main thing will be if i can get my brother to do the flames. if not it will be a simple v or somthing i can do my self.
QuoteWayne, like what? ?no one will laugh, I once wanted to Flame my bike..lol ?but from original thinking good ideas arise...
--Lucky
And that good idea was what?... No flames on the bike? Just on the beard? It's all good.
Chris F.
I got my first vision back in 1987. Tried to leave her, with an FJ1100. Didn'T work; got back on the Vision. What a forgiving ride.
With this Forum as a guide, you'll end up knowing everything any good Yamaha mechanic knew about the Vision back in the 80's, and everything they DIDN'T know as well. That would then be... pretty much everything there is to know about it.
The more you play with the bike, the more you know about it. The more you trust it, then. And you'll eventually have setbacks; that's part of the fun. Cheers,
Louis
ok, not all my ideas are good ones (flaming beard) fut at least it was funny!
I had almost forgotten about that one. Thanks for reminding us. ;D
Dare I bring back to life the memory of my pink, fuzzy, teddy-bear equipped Vision cafe racer, courtesy of Heather? :o
Louis
My several Visions have never let me down . Only one time did I have to push it due to starter clutch failure.
Actually, I let it down twice , once by crashing it in to pudding creek near Salem Or. and once by not checking the oil frequently enough and hammering a rod bearing. (there were extenuating cirumstances , but we wont go into that) take care of it and it won't let you down.
the biggest thing is to make sure you have a good battey. with a weak battery youll think everything else is wrong. (i found out the hard way) i got a new one and i dont have to push it home all the time or ask for a jump.(that really sucks)
QuoteAny Photoshop Guru's out there... I would love to see Lucky's Vision with some HD flames on it..... you know the red/orage/blue fade flames...
Be careful what you ask for, you might get it :-)
Brian
Louis,
Too bad I am parting out the spare bike I just acquired. I could have done some wicked paint job on it and added a few adornments. Maybe some roses and hearts. Not to mention the saddlebags with feather boas attached. I could have a black leather jacket with a big old heart embroidered on it too. Hey Lucky! How would you like to sew a seat for the vision with a rose on it? LOL! Whew! It is a good thing I am using her for parts, I could go nuts with this stuff. LOL!
-Heather ;D
Last summer at our thursday night ride group, a gentleman ;D arrived where we meet with a Harley Sportster and a silk bra attach to the front of it. I do not anything regarding this. I managed to be busy somewhere else for the rest of the evening
Heather, definately part out the spare, quickly!! I had a spare bike, and after a few weeks of tinkering with it, I got it started..... that means everything doubles...
2x- burned stators
2x- fried R/R
2x- loose starter clutch bolts
2x- Starter rebuilds
etc...
One is fine, two.... well, two is twice the work. (I am glad I enjoy working on these bikes!)
So my advice is becarful of your parts bikes everyone, some of them will start!
well good thing i tore my donor down already. if it wasent for the fact that i already took the stator and r/r off i would of rebuilt it. it had a good engine and all. but now its parts. i would rather have one good runner than two half runners. cause that would be my luck i wouldnt have the parts and money to keep them both in top shape. so now ive got most of the parts ill need in the future.
I figured the same thing too. I wanted the Mamba to be in great running condition before I go and get a second bike. Besides that, I tried to get the spare started just to see and no luck. I just don't have the time/money that it would take to get it running so I would rather part it out and have extra for the Mamba. Plus this way I can spend more time getting my riding legs. (and I will finally be able to fit my car back in the garage.) ;D
-Heather
Although a big red heart really would look nice..... :P
Ok I don't know if this will work or not since I am using a blog. But here is a very bad taste of what the bike would have looked like.-Sorry Lucky! :P If the picture doesn't show up you can check it out at http://1982yamahavision.blogspot.com
Thanks!
-Heather
(http://photos1.blogger.com/img/144/4402/640/luckyVision1_th.jpg)
OMG Heather!!! What have you done?? ::)
Your turn will come...you have your pic posted here somewhere... 8)
LOL Lucky! ;D Hey I said I was sorry :P
-Heather
hey heather looks like you are also a fellow blazer/jimmy driver. and as far as the bike all i can say is oh my god you better not even think about it.
Quotehey whats wrong with flames i thought about putting flames on my v to blend the red tank to the rest of the black paint on mine. or some other design i havent decided yet. the main thing will be if i can get my brother to do the flames. if not it will be a simple v or somthing i can do my self.
hehe, I have a decal of a woman with a bondage/bull whip.
Kinda seemed appropriate really ;D
Quotehehe, I have a decal of a woman with a bondage/bull whip.
Kinda seemed appropriate really
only if your married, lol
Quotethe biggest thing is to make sure you have a good battey. with a weak battery youll think everything else is wrong. (i found out the hard way) i got a new one and i dont have to push it home all the time or ask for a jump.(that really sucks)
how true! I just spent four weeks (not much spare time lately) going over EVERYTHING ELSE coz I was convinced it couldn't possibly be the battery, it's not old enough.
How much time and trouble I would have saved just checking the battery output in the first place...
have nearly finished kicking myself LOL
by the way, I had a sealed Gel battery so not only was I surprised it had failed, so was the shop I got it from when I took it back this morning for a replacement (12 month warranty)
Quoteonly if your married, lol
YUP
;D and who do you reckon wields the whip?? LOL
A bad battery can fool anybody. The last time my battery failed, the first thing I checked was voltage at the battery terminals, and I had 12 volts. However, after a fair amount of looking and no finding, I checked the volts again with the key on, '0' volts. Turned the key off, 10 volts.
PS2 I wish I owned the Blazer. That is hubby's car. I have a dinky Hyundai Accent. But you would be suprised at how much crap I can cram into my car! I just can't put a trailer hitch on her.
Hehe I guess I won't tell you guys that my best friend (a guy) gave me a whip for my bachelorette party LOL! He was the only guy at the party and he was loving it.
Red, the key is to let the guys think they rule the roost but we both know who really weras the pants right? ;)
-Heather
QuotePS2
Red, the key is to let the guys think they rule the roost but we both know who really weras the pants right? ?;)
-Heather
Exactly !!
Yes, but how do you know that we aren't letting you think that you are fooling us into thinking we are in charge, giving you the illusion of control. ?We could be letting you think that you are fooling us, and secretly controlling us, but REALLY reversing the whole thing around on you. ?You see, while you are busy thinking you have us fooled, we are laying back, actually enjoying (beer in hand)the simple easy excuse of stupidity, and using said time to manipulate schemes so complex it would make your head spin.
(hehe, that doesn't even make since I'll bet, all part of my scheme, throw up the smoke screen, then make my move. ?What's my move? Wouldn't I like to know) ?That's right, score one for the boys eh? ?
high five anyone?
HIGH FIVE, but hey man... don't let the cat out of the bag! 8)
I've allways told my son's what my dad told me:
"screw up the laundry 3 times in a row, maybe shrink a favorite sweater (you'll have to buy a new one) and they'll never ask you to do laundry again"
;D 8)
--Lucky
Ahh but there is a flaw with your theory. You see we let you think that you are letting us think that we are in charge. But really we are in control. Let me prove it to you. How many times has this happened to you? She wants something done and you don't want to do it. You think you've won the arguement only to catch yourself either that day or later on doing exactly what she wanted. You wonder how the heck you were tricked. LOL! :P
-Heather
PS: Yes Lucky you may have won the laudry round but now you have to mow the lawn, take out the trash, weed wack, etc.. Now you tell me who really won that arguement? I mean after she is inside while you are outside sweating your butt off. ;D
nope, I live in an apartment, so no yard work, & i have boys, so i don't have to take out the trash OR walk the dog. ;D ;D
Personally, I'd rather be doing the outdoors stuff.
I HATE housework with a passion!! my girls aren't quite old enough to do it all for me yet - but soon...
Love getting out and playing with the kids/dogs/horses/bikes (did I miss anything?? LOL) Just this whole dang work thing gets in the way of life ;D
ah well, gotta pay for it somehow. Just lucky to be working for ourselves I guess.
Heather, I tend to guilt my hubby into things.
If I get out there and get it started (I'm not real good with a whipper snipper/ weed whacker ;D - ) he'll usually take over. I started trimming trees with a hand saw one day. He came out with the chainsaw and spent the whole day working in the yard - yay, mission accomplished! hehe