Tell us about your V

Started by dj, May 23, 2006, 12:45:37 PM

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MotorPlow

Outstanding... and welcome to our little bit of controlled insanity.

YellowJacket!

Hi Rich!

Welcome to the site!  We all look forward to getting to know you and your bike.

David


Living the dream - I am now a Physician Assistant!!   :-)

Rich

I actually found this web site through ebay yesterday. One of the items being sold offered a discount for ridersofvision members and referenced a link. Thanks for the welcome.

h2olawyer

Hi Rich -

Welcome to another "original owner"!  There aren't too many of us here, but we do exist.  I found this site several years ago when looking for solutions to fix my leaky tank.  I lurked for a couple more years then began posting.  I bought my V in June of 84 - still new - from the Yamaha dealer in Steamboat Springs, CO.  Paid $1300 ~ $1400 for it.  Yamaha was really trying to get them out of dealer's showrooms by then.

Glad you found us.  The parts kids at the dealer here in Ft. Collins are all younger than my bike!

H2O
If you have an accident on a motorcycle, it's always your fault. Tough call, but it has to be that way. You're in the right, and dead -on a bike. The principle is not to have any accident. If you're involved in an an accident, it's because you did not anticipate. Then, by default, you failed.

Tiger

:) Hi Rich and welcome to your new extended "Family" of Visionaries, a site truly dedicated to the XZ550 Vision.....You ask,. someone here will help... 8)

            ;D       TIGER        8)
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming HOOOOYA lets go again baby !!!!!!

'82 Vision, Pearl Orange finish, lots of up-grades!!!

d0n

Welcome rich. That's pretty amazing to have a visions with such low miles. Post a pic of it. We'd love to see her!

bmeyer6472

I bought my '82 in '83 from the original owner - he sold it to me for $900, and at the time it had less than 1000 miles on it. I bought it cuz it was a beautiful bike and a screaming deal, and besides I was going thru motorcycle withdrawal after selling my Kawasaki Z1. Mine has been kept inside all its life and has been relatively trouble free - 1 new stator, 1 minor electrical problem (spark plug caps were bad, but it took me a couple of weeks to diagnose!), retightened the balancer shaft nuts, and replaced the starter and water pump seals. Also fixed the starter clutch bolt problem, and installed the Yamaha air box and carb mod. Not too bad for a "trouble prone" Vision, after 23 years, IMHO.  ;D Now the V gets ridden when I want a change from my SV1000. Yeah, the new bikes are better, but I still love to ride the V. She's a keeper. Besides, insurance on her is only $18 per year!! Yes, that's eighteen.  :o

Rich

funny you should mention the parts guys and being young. I called my local Yamaha shop a couple of months ago looking for some parts for the Vision & the parts guy said ...um ..is that a motorcycle?

Cougar Dave

Just saw this thread, it's a great idea.  I bought my '82 Vision in 2003 from a charity donation site in Las Vegas where I lived at the time (donate a bike or car and get a tax write-off, and they sell it for whatever they can get).  I wanted something to take apart and tinker with in the evening, and it was cheap enough that, even if it never ran, it wouldn't break the bank.  It was my first bike since 1979.  Based on the bike's previous registration, it possibly hadn't been on the road since 1989.

When I first went to the local Yamaha dealer to check on parts, the pierced, pony-tailed, tattooed biker dude behind the counter gave me what would become the standard response: "That's not a Yamaha, they never made anything like that."  Finding this website was the only reason I kept going and didn't send the bike to a junkyard.  A year or so ago I attended a GTG near Lake Isabella in CA, met some great people and actually got to see my first Visions in the flesh.  It was a great motivator, and kept me going in the search for parts.

Not knowing why the bike was originally junked, and seeing standing water in the rear cyinder (the spark plug was long gone), I decided to strip the bike down to the last nut and bolt.  I stripped and repainted the frame, and installed new parts whenever available.  I finally got the engine back together earlier this year, except for the rear cylinder head, where the valves were badly rusted and pitted.  Not able to find new valves, I bought a donor bike from another Vision enthusiast.  Naturally, that bike didn't run either.  (My wife will tell you I have "idiot" stamped on my forehead.)  I transplanted the donor engine into the original bike, then started the trouble-shooting.  The engine turned over, but there was no spark.  The main fuse was blown, so I replaced that, but still no spark.  Following the trouble-shooting advice on this site, I finally cut the little wire to the side-stand relay.  Success!  She fired right off and idled smoothly.

Now all that's left is rebuilding the front brake, and putting it all back together.  No matter how the bike looks (shabby) or runs, I will enjoy it simply because of the time I've invested and the novelty.  Everyone in my area (Nashville, TN) has a Harley and being different will be part of the fun.

glennw

Cougar Dave....
All of us CROV guys wondered what ever happened to you???
Glad to hear got the V running and you are alive and well in Tennessee.. wait that's a country song...
GlennW
Half Mad Max

NewVisionGuy

I'll have to come by  and  see your bike when I get there Cougar.  I'm moving to Hendersonville on Saturday  with my '82.   

h2olawyer

Cougar Dave -

Good to hear you're almost done!  Been a long road for you.  Hope you'll soon be showing all the riders in your area what a "Real V-Twin" is!

When did you move from Vegas?

H2O
If you have an accident on a motorcycle, it's always your fault. Tough call, but it has to be that way. You're in the right, and dead -on a bike. The principle is not to have any accident. If you're involved in an an accident, it's because you did not anticipate. Then, by default, you failed.

YellowJacket!

Cougar Dave - cool....another "Dave" Rider of Vision in Tennessee!  Welcome to the boards!

DaveTN (Knoxville)


Living the dream - I am now a Physician Assistant!!   :-)

supervision

  Cougar Dave, That was good luck to meet up that day at the park (maybe it was the gas station first), glad to here your bike is back together!    hope things are good for you,  Our group is getting together pretty soon again, last part of september.  Dave
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Cougar Dave

h20lawyer: I moved back to Nashville from Las Vegas this past August  I'm glad to see there are Vision riders near Music City.

BlueBass:  Welcome to Hendersonville/Nashville.  I'm in the Southwest part of the metro area (Bellevue), and look forward to meeting up with you.  I'm easiest to reach at the email attached to my profile.

Thanks to all for the support.