Just bought 82 - should I keep it or not?

[PAT SHORTLAND]

Hello, fellas.

I am new to this forum. Just bought a 82 vision.  I have been reading allot of comments over the web and maybe I am regretting the purchase.  Are they really worth the effort?

The bike is in quite good shape but a couple of issues do concern me.  The first are the carbs.  Should I keep the 82 carbs or look for 83's?  Also has anyone tried to swap or addapt differnet types of Carb's to the engine?  We do this with cars all the time, why can't it be done with bikes.  Also are there Carb boots available for this bike anymore?

Secondly, if I keep the bike I plan to rewire the whole thing from scratch as to prevent as many electrical issues as possible.  The Stator and Regulator have been changed by the PO, although I am not sure how many KM have been put on it since then.  My question is, has anyone put an oil cooler on these bikes?  Do they really make a difference in Stator lifeand If they have where do I find details to the installation?

Thanks guys, I appreciate your help.

Pat

[h2olawyer]

Hi Pat & welcome to the forum.  The basic answer to your question is: KEEP IT!

You won't find a better group of people interested in helping owners keep these bikes running in top form than wou'll find on this forum.  The 82 carbs can be made to work just fine.  Takes time, patience & thorough cleaning but they are very functional when they are all sorted out.  83 carbs are difficult to find.  It is an upgrade worth making, but not mandatory.  One of the New Zealand owners has fitted a Weber carb and there are some other long term projects under way to adapt other carbs - but the 82s can work great.  I've ridden mine from about 700 ft to over 14,000 ft & I still have the 82 carbs.

Carb boots are still available, but if yours aren't too bad, you can coat them with liquid electrical tape th make them look better & seal small leaks.  Boots from Yamaha run about $60 each.

To find out about oil cooler installation, contact Lucky.  He has a fantastic CD with repair manuals, marketing info, video & the oil cooler installation instructions.  He also has the oil galley plug you'll need if you decide to install one.

Rewiring the bike isn't a bad idea.  After 25 years & likely multiple owners, you don't know what all the POs may have done to the wires.  At a minimum, go through each connector & clean the contacts thoroughly.

These bikes got a bad reputation after they were first marketed.  There were many new systems & tons of bugs.  We've managed to work out most of them.  When you're finished restoring / refurbishing & tuning, you will have a bike that's a blast to ride & dependable.  Stators are still an issue for some of us, but most seem to get more miles out of theirs than I currently do.  Even with my stator gremlin, I'll never sell my V.  I may get another bike for use as a long distance sport tourer, but for running around town, riding the local mountains & such, I absolutely love my V with its outdated suspension, skinny bias ply tires & generally easy, inexpensive maintenance.  Plus, you won't see many others when you meet up with other bikers.

H₂O

[ralleywolf]

Hi Pat, I hope you dont mind me asking.
but out of curiosity how much did you pay for the '82?

[YellowJacket!]

Hi Pat and welcome to ROV and Vision ownwership.  ;D

My 82 was a total neglected basket case when I got it and, after a bit of work and TLC, it is now a fantastic piece of machinery.
83 upgrades are good, particularly the carbs, but are kind of difficult to find.  But not impossible.
If you put forth the effort to deep clean and dip your carbs and do a good job of it, and they are not terribly corroded, then they will work out fine.
Oil coolers have been done and one is on my list of must do's.

Where are you located?

Welcome to the family.  ;D

David

[Tiger]

Hello, fellas.

I am new to this forum. Just bought a 82 vision.  I have been reading allot of comments over the web and maybe I am regretting the purchase.  Are they really worth the effort?

The bike is in quite good shape but a couple of issues do concern me.  The first are the carbs.
Pat 

:) Hi Pat and welcome to "The Family"...dedicated to the Vision.

To answer your question's.......Worth the effort???    You betcha and then some 8) 8) 8)
In three year's I'm up to #6, Three road worthy and reliable "V"s and 3 donor unit's that have helped keep mine...and many other member's "V"s running. If you are reasonably mechanically inclined, this forum will help you out with any problem that you may encounter...help, advice, part's, etc are all here or here abouts ;) All you have to do is ask 8)

Although initially the carb's can/may be an issue, it is generally...for a first time owner, just a case of ripping them down, dip cleaning, rebuilt and tuned. Carb kit's are available from this company direct, if you need them...

Sirius Consolidated Inc
62 McBrine Place Suite 8
Huron Business Park
Kitchener, Ontario
N2R 1H3
Canada
519 585-0534
sci@siriusconinc.com

:) As with any 25 year old bike but certainly the Vision...don't expect to much and your in for a real great surprise. Do the required maintenance/up-grade's to the "V" and you will have a Vision to be proud of, as well as a head turner at all motorcycle meets 8)

These bike's thrive on being ridden and ridden often...ENJOY 8) 8) 8)

BTW...Where are you located ??? You may have a family member just around the corner ;)

                         8).......TIGER....... 8)

[PAT SHORTLAND]

Thanks guys, just may keep it afterall.  As far as my V is concerned I am in British Columbia, Canada.  I paid around $300 Cdn for this bike. Was running and the PO had done allot of work.  Also got the Yamaha manuals with it.  It really just needs cleaning up and cosmetic stuff like repainting the tank and such.  It is all there with some spare parts.  Not a bad deal I think since I am quite mechanically inclined.

Say, one more question.  The stator stuff is all new to me since I am used to working with Cars, but here is a thought.  Since the forum indicates that part of the issue with Stators is cooling from the oil and this was fixed in 84 with the Venture and Virago, but not the V. 
The question is; why can't the stator housing be tapped/plugged on top and bottom and filled, say 1/4 way up with oil.  It would act as a mini crank case?  Or, would this effect the level of oil in the entire engine?  Just a thought as I don't know how issolated the housing is from the rest of the engine.

What do you think?

Pat

[Night Vision]

mmmm...... stators.... trust me, if there was a definitive solution... we'd tell ya  ;)

the stator housing is the left engine case and already contains oil. the stator is only isolated by being within the flywheel.. supposedly, the flywheel is supposed to pick up the oil and bathe the stator....

many different things have been tried in the last 24 years... assuming the OEM ones were good for at least a year... drilling the crank bolt, oil coolers... hardwiring the R&R... you name it, it's probably been tried...

some V's don't have significant stator issues... some V's snack on them  :o

I feel the best solution is to.... clean all the electrical contacts, get a good OEM stator... new or used,  I will avoid aftermarket "heavy duty"... made in China .... rewound or similar stators in favor of any nice juicy OEM stator.....have a voltmeter handy to warn you of possible failure, and definitely have a spare ready to go in....

but most of all....don't worry about it.....

if motorcycles only get 2,3, 4, 5 thousand miles on a new set of $200 tires, then what's the big deal getting a $20 reusable Cometic Gasket and buying a $30 used Viraga stator every other year? 

[ralleywolf]

Hey Pat I am also a BC resident. I live in Victoria currently. IMO 300 is a rippin deal for a good running V. Id say you did good.

[h2olawyer]

some V's don't have significant stator issues... some V's snack on them  :o

Mine eats them like candy.  Currently, I get between 1000 & 2500 miles out of them these days.  The used OEM stators last twice as long.  Have made some changes with this stator change; better starter cables (Thanks, Tiger!!),  additional path direct from R/R to ground, original R/R reinstalled (was good, just swapped it with the first fried stator).  If this one dies soon, I'm going to try a different flywheel.  Maybe I've got a destructive vibration - doesn't sound or feel funny, though.

Nobody else seems to be going through them as fast as me, though.  Even with this gremlin, I still love my V.

H₂O

[pullshocks]

Northwest Vision rally?  I'm in Seattle.

[X-Vision]

 Why don't you get together and head south to the CROV Fall Rally???????..... Then will talk about a Western-Rally. How bout it?

[jasonm.]

the oil that does bathe the stator come from the crankshaft at the starter clutch area. the flywheel does not sit in oil. 83' carbs should only be done if you can get '83 front head pipes. This makes a world of difference. The manual shows different jetting on the '82 vs. 83 for main jets. The 83 uses same jets for both carbs. 82 uses different jets because the engineers thought bigger i.d. is better for the pipes. They were wrong. The '83 has a smaller i.d. on the ft. head pipes. This increases velocity at low speeds...in fact all speeds. In the 80's they never took a step backwords with a repeat model. So often the 2nd and 3rd year is better. Much as it is today.
  Oil cooler is good. But a cheap fix is to adjust the thermostat. Yes, it's adjustable. It has a screw in the middle. Turn it clockwise till flush. Now the bike will run cooler. Thermostat will open at 165 instead of 180F. And full open at ~ 190.

[Night Vision]

the oil that does bathe the stator come from the crankshaft at the starter clutch area. the flywheel does not sit in oil.

  Oil cooler is good. But a cheap fix is to adjust the thermostat. Yes, it's adjustable. It has a screw in the middle. Turn it clockwise till flush. Now the bike will run cooler. Thermostat will open at 165 instead of 180F. And full open at ~ 190.

ok, now you got me wondering.... exactly how does the oil bathe the stator that is basically surrounded on three side by the flywheel? is it slung off the from the back side of the flywheel? please show me when you get here because I have a teaching cadaver motor with the cases off...

I also have a thermostat that is need of a tweak.... just want to make sure I understand what's "flush" with what...

I told you I was going to "pick your brain" when you got here   ;)

[Lucky]

nope the rotor doesn't sit in oil, even off. look at the inside of the left case at where the oil level window is, then look at the lowest point of the rotor, it's above the oil level.

As near as i've ever been able to tell, (& i've spent many, many hours studying the oil diagrams in the manual, so i could tap for the oil cooler in just the right place), there is no splash on the stator, just mist & crankcase turbulance.  my aim with the oil cooler wasn't particuarly to cool the stator, but more to lower the core tempurature of the engine enough that it would still reach operating temps, but not go 'critical'.

it seems to have helped.

i think.. if you had oil spraying on it a-la-Venture style, you might end up whiping it into a froth.

[ironb12s]

I gotta tellya, I'm very glad that I found this site, was turned onto it by JoeFriday24013.  Thanks, Chris!

Gobs of information and realtime help when it's needed.  Stuff ya won't find in any book.  But, that's what is nice about the larger contigents.

I've never really thought about selling mine, as you can see, and it's been sitting for more than a decade.  Under cover, 'mind.  It's a fun bike to ride, especially in the twisties, and I haven't spent near enough time in the twisties on one.

It will be interesting to compare Viky with Brandi, her closest sibling in MY stable.

Carry on, y'all.  I hope to meet with some of you in the future, either on Viky, Brandi or Rudi.  Where and when is all that remains to be determined...

[jasonm.]

'83 carbs are not the "BIG fix". You need '83 front head pipes to take full advantage. Just the front '83 head pipes allow you to use the same jetting front and rear. I have done it. Makes it gooooo a bit better.

[ironb12s]

Only the front pipe, eh, it makes sense.  There's a lot more of the front than there is of the rear before it gets to the silencers(?)  It will be interesting to see how the Predator 4/2/1 sets up, whenever that happens...

I'll be back to get jet info when it does.  Carbs are already off, and waiting.

[h2olawyer]

The 83 head pipes are smaller inside diameter than the 82s.  Going for more velocity  to improve performance.

H₂O