Last trip to pick up bikes was a two day trip. came back with these:
can't see it, but there's an FJ1200 on the other side of the Venture:
The interceptor wasn't part of the purchase that day. I've had that since the mid 90's.
nice venture, i just got a 99 model, the harley clone one, its got a ways to go before it hits the road, its amazing how much of it is just dress up crap , the engine is the same as yours but there are 8 cast alloy covers over the barrels and heads/rocker covers just so it looks air cooled and don't get me started on the engine breather pollution cr4p, that's all going in the bin. it might even get vmax carbs and cams with a less restrictive air box, noisy exhaust can't hurt either
well, the Royal Star Ventures use the same base engine architecture, but there's not much the same in them.
Cams, carbs heads, etc are all different and are aimed at making more low end torque at the cost of higher rpm horsepower. Transmission and final drive are also different. You can fit a RSV transmission in gen1/2 cases (I have one in mine) but the gearing is very high (intended for loafing along at lower rpms). I ended up swapping in a gen1 Vmax final drive, which, combined with the RSV gearing gives me digger lower gears until 3rd and then deep overdrives in 5th and 6th. It also eliminated the gen1 issue with soft thrust washers in the geartrain and the shift sector pins dropping out of the gen1 stamped steel retainer (RSV uses a machined from billet retainer that has bores to hold the pins instead of a bent metal tab).
You can toss in VMax cams, but without the heads it's not a big jump. Not to mention the vmax cams are made to spin rpm to make power, which the RSV is not designed for. Even with Vmax cams and heads, the RSV carbs will choke it down to where you don't see a lot of gain in the parts swap. Your "ass-o-meter" may say it's more, but the dyno reveals it to be not as much as it feels.
Nearly all the power in the XVZ/VMX engines is in the heads. Port size, angles, valve sizes, etc. Without the heads, adding other VMax parts just means they're "hobbled" like the RSV engines.
VMax carbs are essentially the same as Gen 1/2 Venture carbs. The RSV got smaller venturis, again, to make better lower rpm torque numbers at the expense of HP numbers. The real difference between gen1 Vmax carbs and gen 1/2 Venture engines (other than jetting) is the vboost system. No way to make that work on a RSV, unless you want to spend some serious cash. Even then, I'm not sure the carbs would clear the frame afterwards as the vboost manifold adds about 4-5 inches to the carb height. You can fit them into a gen 1/2 Venture frame, but it's very tight. I have o basically take the entire carb assemblies off if I want to adjust anything more than idle speed or the idle air mix. It's a major PITA.
I also discovered that the VMax engine doesn't like to run with anything besides the stock airbox in place. One fit under my Venture's tank "cover" but I doubt it woudl fit under the lower RSV cover. They also do a weird thing if you don't have the drain lines routed in a very precise potion. You would think drain lines could just be routed down and away like most bikes, but not the vmax. You have to route the drain lines up and in the airstream of the airbox intake or you get a horrible flat spot somewhere over 20 mph. I chased my tail for months until I was talking with Sean Morley (VMax specialist) one day and he mentioned they were very sensitive to drain hose routing. Moved the line up to the airbox intake flow and the flat spot disappeared. Guess it's just the way Yamy designed it.
You would think just tossing in a VMax engine woudl be a simple matter, but it's not. The frame was changed to accommodate the change in the heads exhaust ports so a gen1/2 engine will not fit the stock frame. I know of one guy who got it done, but it involved major frame alterations. Specifically, the down tubes to head/exhaust area just wouldn't fit because of the differences between XVZ/VMX and RSV heads. he never was very happy with the end product either. It ended up slower and more uncomfortable than a VMAX (if more uncomfortable is even possible when talking VMax).
By the time you get it all done, you would be money and time ahead if you had sold the RSV and bought a VMax. Even with all the changes, the RSV will still be heavier and slower than the vmax, or even the gen1/2 XVZ's.
Also be aware that vmax parts on a RSV is going to make the MPG absolutely
tank. My Venture dropped from 38 mpg to 20-25 mpg, and that's even with being very light on the throttle. best I've ever gotten after the conversion is 32 mpg, but i only got that once and was never able to repeat it. The bike is routinely under 30 mpg, if not below mid 20's. Probably because the vmax is not intended to be a MPG master, but a boulevard dominator. MPG takes a back seat to HP in stop light to stop light challenges, which is what the vmax was built for. I will say though, while getting that 20-25mpg the Venture is an absolute monster. When you crank on the throttle, you better be straight up and pointed exactly where you want to go because it's going to get there,
FAST! Wheelies and black snakes are only a throttle twist away, anytime, anywhere, any speed and it will bite you....
HARD ....if you're not giving it proper respect.
I never really understood why they "neutered" the yammy V4 for the RSV line. The big V4 Yammy is a rev-er, not a low speed slugger. It wants to spin to make good power, which is pretty much opposite of a cruiser....not to mention the XVZ engines are
VERY top heavy. Again, the opposite of what you want in a cruiser. in truth, it wasnt the best touring bike engine either, because of the above mentioned characteristics. It did make for one hell of a high speed mile muncher though. It's happiest when you're wringing it's neck, not lugging along just over idle.
They should have just dropped a big twin in the RSV chassis and called it a day. Lord knows they have enough V-Twins lying around the Yammy design/engineering studios.
If it were me with an RSV, I'd probably just enjoy it for what it is. You get don't get value for the money and effort you have to put out to modify them. But that's only because of the experiences I have with the VMax conversion and knowing how much of a pain it is/was to get it there...
