Where do I start?

[unitivegreybird]

Hello! I just picked up an 83 vision as my first bike, and have put about 200 miles on the bike already, and I love it. So much torque. Anyways,  I wanted to introduce myself to the forum, and I had a few questions.  I tried the search, but nothing really popped up.

Any tips and tricks I should know about this bike?
As far as a tuneup goes, what do I need to do (change oil, carbs, brakes, etc etc)?
How do I go about wiring a 12v adapter to the bike? Just wire it right up to the battery?
Thanks!

[jefferson]

Welcome. You have chosen a great bike that will give you good service once some things are taken care of. The best advice I can give is read and learn
There really is quite a bit to to do to be at ease with running the bike. First off I would change all the fluids and that means flush all the old brake fluid out too. I would recommend synthetic oil and water wetter added to the coolant when you change it. Check the connections between the stator and regulator rectifier. At the least clean and shine them up. Also think about removing the flywheel and securing the sprag clutch on the back of it before any issues come up. It is best to be proactive in keeping ahead of some of the known issues with the bike.

When you change the oil, pull the starter out and replace the seal in the nose of the starter. Hopefully no oil has made it inside the starter already. I would also use a good quality fuel filter to keep junk out of the carb.
There is a wealth of knowledge among the guys here and there will be more suggestions coming I am sure. Glad to have you onboard.

Jeff

[Jimustanguitar]

The 12v adapter you're referring to is to connect to a battery tender or something like that, right? I'd recommend adding a fuse between the battery and the charging harness (if there isn't one built in already), but otherwise that should be fine. Refer to whatever instructions come with the charger kit. If you don't want to add clutter at the battery terminals (it makes it a little harder to connect and disconnect the battery when there are 4 wires to deal with), you can connect the positive lead to the battery side of the solenoid and the ground lead to the chassis ground point.

Welcome to the group!

[Walt_M.]

Check/replace both rear brake tension bar bolts. It'll put you on the ground faster than an octagenarian in a Buick.

[QBS]

First things first.  If it hasn't happen yet, take a motorcycle rider safety course as soon as possible.  Preferably before you ride on the street again.  Inquire at your convenient mainline retail M/C dealer as to where, when, contact data, etc.

Get a Haynes manual or Lucky's' extremely comprehensive CD on all things Vision.  Read, study, read, study as often as possible.

What is the upgrade/preventative maintence history of the bike?  Very important.  You need to know if at all possible.

Welcome to the forum.  I've owned my '83 since '84.  Current milage: 88K.

[Rikugun]

How do I go about wiring a 12v adapter to the bike?

If you are referring to a power adaptor for plugging accessories into, there are two ways: switched and full time. Full time I'd run off Battery Positive with a fuse. Switched I'd run in the same way but use a relay switched off the brown wire. Since you'll be mounting this in the front of the bike ? look for the brown at the key switch connection to the harness and tap in wherever it makes sense. Obviosly you run the risk of killing the battery with the full time hookup if you forget to power down the accessory.  :(

[unitivegreybird]

Thanks for all your tips guys. But now I have a problem. The bike won't hold a charge. The old battery was done with so I purchased a new one, thinking that was the source of my woes. After going for a ride last night, bike dies in the drive way, but starts back up. Few minutes later after shutting the bike down I go out to start her up again and it's a no go. Put a trickle charger on for a little bit, this morning and the bike still won't start. Let it charge, bike starts up. But on the way to work it starts showing all the familiar signs of a discharging battery(at least on a car), turn signals not flashing, headlight dimming, etc etc, when it suddenly dies. I had to get a ride to work because of that.

My point being, how should I go about troubleshooting this? This is my first expierence with a bike, I've only worked on cars before. I don't want to start ripping into things (though that is the best way to learn  ;D)

[Re-Vision]

Sure sounds like you have  a Stator/RR problem. Check charging Voltage while engine is running.    BDC

[QBS]

Agreed.  At approx. 2500+ rpm a solid V charging system will indicate 13.2 VDC (Volts Direct Current).  With the bike running, put a volt meter across your battery terminals to check VDCs.  If you find low voltage the next test is to check for continuity within the stator. Beginning at this stage of the game you need to study up on how to do the various procedures that lie ahead.  Many many words posted on this forum regarding that subject.  You really should acquire a Haynes manual or Luckys' CD.  Just reading the top half of the current Tech and General Board pages will answer some your questions.

How many miles are on the bike (a very important indicator of what may lie ahead)?  Knowing the bikes history (if possible) is really helpful in planning your next few moves.

Don't allow yourself to become discouraged or overwhelmed.  A well sorted V is a great MC.  Many of the necessary upgrades are permanent and once done require no futher attention.  If you haven't taken a Rider Safety Course do it before you ride on the street again.  There is a distinct possibility (unless you have experienced war combat) that your first six months on the street may very well be the most dangerous six months of your life.  BTDT.

[unitivegreybird]

I have no intention of giving up on this bike  :D the 250 mi I put on it in 2 days have been far to much fun. SO MUCH TORQUE! Unfortunately I have no idea about the history, it was a first bike for the last owner as well, he had it for about 2 years. I know that he did clean the carbs and do something with the clutch.

As far as the miles... I want to saw around 20k. I don't have access to the odometer at the moment, seeing as it's attached to the bike, which is parked on the side of the highway, while I am sitting here at work. Bleh. All I want to do is ride? Is that too much to ask from the Gods of Oil and Gas?

I have a manual, I believe Haynes, that I've perused a few times, but it's for an 82. Are the years different enough that this might be an issue?

[unitivegreybird]

As far as procuring basic maintenance parts, where should I look? Things like an oil filter, air filter, hoses, etc etc., would my local autozone carry these?

[QBS]

The Haynes manual is for '82s'.  The differences between the '82 and '83 year models are very very minor, primarily in carburation and fuel supply, and of course the factory fairing.  You said your seller had interacted with the "clutch".  Are you certain that it was the "clutch" and not the "starter clutch" ?  These are totally separate componets.  The implications are significant.  Was the seller a member of this forum?

Your local AutoZone will carry no hoses.  But you shouldn't need any.  For right now get the items you need from Yamaha dealers and on line parts M/C parts suppliers.  later, after you become more educated, you will find that there are Fram #s for both air filters(requiring very slight modification to be made to fit) and oil filters.

[unitivegreybird]

99% sure it was just the clutch. I haven't had any issues with the transmission. I don't think he was a member of this forum though. I'm thinking id like some new hoses because the coolant hoses from the radiator are swelling, which from my experience in the car world is a bad thing. Do you know the # for the oil filter? I'd like to take care of that starter seal and I figured I would change the oil at the same time. 

[Rick G]

You may need hoses, but I wouldn't bet on it . They hold up very well. I have had  8 Visions  and only changed  1 hose To be honest , two were riders and the rest parts bikes. Keep your eyes open for a parts bike , it will make life easier. It may have been the clutch, but Vision clutch's last well!

[unitivegreybird]

Ok, just finished checking battery voltage and....no charging. bleh. looked at the r/r and what i'm assuming is the connector that leads to the stator is melted. is there an easier way to access the r/r? should i remove the battery box? i don't have access to soldering equipment, can i cut the wires and splice them using heavy duty butt connectors and temperature rated electrical tape?

[QBS]

Heavy duty wire nuts well wrapted with vinyl electrical tape have been known to provide years of trouble free service on at least one V I know of.

[unitivegreybird]

Ok, so I cut out the connector and spliced the wires together, still no charge. I'm confused by the electrex fault diagram, so...

how do i test the r/r and stator? the bike is apart right now, gas tank off, etc, so is there a way to test using a multimeter with the engine off?

EDIT: tested the RR using the diagram and it's toast... i think? my multimeter is a little cheapie one with a diode mode. and when nothing is on the leads it reads as a '1' on the far right. when i attach it to the white wires on the rr it reads between '346'-'378' on the right side of the multimeter, which only has 4 spots on the display. i'm assuming that the rr is reading out as 0.346?


anyways, i've decided i wanted to update to a mosfet style rr and relocate it, and a new stator, as the the tests on the fault diagram indicated it was bad as well.

[QBS]

No doubt, a wise decision.

[unitivegreybird]

The stator from a virago will fit correct, like this one?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stator-Yamaha-XV1100-VIRAGO-1100-1986-1997-Generator-/270651840873?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f041b5969&vxp=mtr#ht_1310wt_1141

Also, I'm having some trouble finding which mosfet RR will be a suitable replacement.

Thanks for all your help guys  :laugh:

[Jimustanguitar]

CH 6005 is the Fram oil filter. I just ordered 3 or 4 of them from Dennis Kirk.

Yamaha-motor.com has a parts catalog feature on their website that lets you look up the OEM part numbers of the whole bike. Roro and others have also compiled a list of links on this forum, search for "Vision resources" and you should find it them.

For OEM stuff, after you know the number you can order it from just about anywhere. I use a local snowmobile shop that appreciates the off season business. You can also enter these numbers in countless other websites and place an online order, World of Powersports comes to mind.

For aftermarket stuff I've used Dennis Kirk, JP Cycles, and JC Whitney in the past. All are nice companies to deal with (and give away free catalogs).

Hope this helps, good luck!