Late 2017, a friend posted about a 1983 Yamaha Venture that his cousin had. It was a motorcycle with only 15,000 miles on it but had sat for several decades unused. It has changed hands several times as couple folks started to bring it back but never had a chance to finish. The current owner had to relocate for work and had no luck selling it. So had made the decision to give it to anyone willing to take on the project and if there were no takers, he planned to haul to salvage in 2 weeks. Since my oldest son was watching for motorcycles he could afford, and I needed a late winter project to keep me busy I decided to tackle this project. The arrangement was I would provide labor and my son pay for parts.
Because the bike had sat so long idle, the brakes were not working, the clutch would not engage and it would barely start. It had brand new tires on it... but they were put on about 17 years ago and were dry rotten. As I got into the project, it was clear the bike was either laid down or dropped quite hard on right side at some point. The frame was sound but the plastic was in horrible condition.
Over a period of several weeks, I rebuild the entire braking system. All master cylinders and calipers were rebuilt, new pads put on, and front brake lines replaced with braided stainless steel. Also to improve braking, I delinked front and rear brakes and also disconnected the anti-dive system which used the brake hydraulics. I had to replace the clutch slave and rebuild the clutch master cylinder. The engine was solid and strong. I did need to rebuild the carburetors. I also disconnected the YISC system which was apparently a good idea when new, but was a cause of problems as system aged and stated having vacuum leaks. The fork seals needed replaced and I replaced OEM fork springs with stronger Progressive springs. The bike had several electrical issues. Most turned out to be related to a fuse holder that had gotten corroded and weak connections. I rewired in a new fuse holder to use more modern sysle fuses. I finished up the mechanicals with new tires and new battery. Of course all oils and fluids were drained and replaced as were all filters.
The bikes was now mechanically sound. I then tackled the body repair. All ABS was repaired using ABS cement and a ABS putty I made with shaved ABS and acetone. My son selected a paint color called Scarlet Fever Pearl. I built a paint booth in my garage using PVC pipe, clear plastic and gorilla tape.
It appears my son now has a very solid, safe 1st motorcycle that looks good from about 10 feet away. Closer still has some noticable imperfections. But all told, this bike has only cost him $1300 to go from a candidate for salvage to a great running motorcycle.
