Venture final drive

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BLKMAX

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Hi all,

I am trying to convince my wife that I really need to buy a Venture final drive. Can anyone out there with one, tell me if and how much the fuel mileage went up? I think I can sway her by going this route! The Max is going to be my main commute vehicle this summer. 65 miles round trip so the any fuel saved will offset the price of the rearend.

TIA,
Joe
 
I have never heard of this idea. So you can swap just the final drive out of the Max for the Venture part? Is this like doing a sprocket swap on a chain driven bike to raise or lower rpm running speeds? Is there any difference in the strength of the part? The Max does seem to be geared pretty low.

Do you have to swap out the shaft drive or is this a smaller part?
 
Venture and the Max arn't all that dissimilair (or didn't used to be) at the nuts & bolts level. Would be much like a sprocket swap.

If more time between shifts and possibly some fuel saved is your goal, it shouldn't be a bad swap at all. I've thought about the swap myself, but I'm not quite ready to give up any of the snap responce from the throttle. Maybe in another 6-8 months.
 
Can anyone tell me how hot the final drive pumkin gets?
Mine is very hot to the touch. Is this normal? I change the hypo oil. It did'nt make any difference.
 
djmachinist said:
Can anyone tell me how hot the final drive pumkin gets?
Mine is very hot to the touch. Is this normal? I change the hypo oil. It did'nt make any difference.

You probably have the rear axle bolt torqued too tight. If I remember right, the torque setting in the manual is wrong. I believe it should be 15 kg or about 30 ft/lbs.
I think Yammy specs 90 ft/lbs.
 
Buster,
Yeah, the manual says 85 ft. lbs. . I had the final drive off the bike to install a Sportmax 18 " rim and braced swingarm. I did torque the thing to 85 Ft. Lbs. Thanks for the info. I''ll correct thr torque setting.
 
It is my understanding that the Venture between 1986-1993 is a direct swap for the Max. Just remove your shock stud and screw it into the Venture drive. 10% reduction in rpm's. Hard to find one for a good price, though. I asked at a salvage yard, and they quoted me $325 for one out of a '88. I didn't even ask the mileage on the bike. Much to rich for me.




Redux said:
I have never heard of this idea. So you can swap just the final drive out of the Max for the Venture part? Is this like doing a sprocket swap on a chain driven bike to raise or lower rpm running speeds? Is there any difference in the strength of the part? The Max does seem to be geared pretty low.

Do you have to swap out the shaft drive or is this a smaller part?
 
The best place to get the venture rear is from venture tech lists, they swap it with the vmax one to accomplish the exact opposite of what we do.
firefly
 
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If you want great performance Say No to venture drive and install a 160/70ZR17 Z4 tire! this size will keep the RPM same as stock and handling as close to a sports bike as max can get!
simple , less costly and logical.
 
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firefly said:
If you want great performance Say No to venture drive and install a 160/70ZR17 Z4 tire! this size will keep the RPM same as stock and handling as close to a sports bike as max can get!
simple , less costly and logical.


Thanks firefly, you opened my eyes! I was trying to make the Max into something it wasn't (a commuter bike with decent fuel mileage). It's not a sport bike either. To get that 160/70ZR17 Z4 tire to fit on my bike, I'd have to buy a $500+ rim. Less costly?
 
BLKMAX said:
Thanks firefly, you opened my eyes! I was trying to make the Max into something it wasn't (a commuter bike with decent fuel mileage). It's not a sport bike either. To get that 160/70ZR17 Z4 tire to fit on my bike, I'd have to buy a $500+ rim. Less costly?

I am not trying to make the max a sports bike I just want the handling to be predictable and not limiting.
I use my max primarily for commuting but it is extensive commuting , more like messenger service in very tight traffic. if you decide to stay with stock wheels the best configuration is 80 profile vs 90 both front and rear the bike handles sweet , all that is needed is front fork lowering and firm springs.
Choosing a 160/70X17 tire solves the increase in RPM that results from using a 17 rear wheel vs the stock 18 and thus no need to get a venture final drive which saves you ~$400 or so.
 
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firefly said:
I am not trying to make the max a sports bike I just want the handling to be predictable and not limiting.
I use my max primarily for commuting but it is extensive commuting , more like messenger service in very tight traffic. if you decide to stay with stock wheels the best configuration is 80 profile vs 90 both front and rear the bike handles sweet , all that is needed is front fork lowering and firm springs.
Choosing a 160/70X17 tire solves the increase in RPM that results from using a 17 rear wheel vs the stock 18 and thus no need to get a venture final drive which saves you ~$400 or so.
Ibrahim,Can you send me a pic of your new rear tire?I'd like to see it. Shawn
 
shawn kloker said:
Ibrahim,Can you send me a pic of your new rear tire?I'd like to see it. Shawn

... or just post it here.
 
I've got a 170/60/17 on my 99 which fits good on the Kosman and has good grip and handling too. Haven't checked the size comparison yet but I bet it's close to stock.

Sean
 
one2dmax said:
I've got a 170/60/17 on my 99 which fits good on the Kosman and has good grip and handling too. Haven't checked the size comparison yet but I bet it's close to stock.

Sean

The 170/60x17 is shorter than the 160/70x17 so the RPM will be raised,
The closest hight to the stock is 160/70x17 it is only 9mm shorter than stock, the 170/60x17 is 6mm taller than 180.
All 160 sizes accept 4.5 wheels except for the 160/70x17 which accepts 4.5 to 5.5 wheel width.
As per Metzler brochure:
1- Stock tire diameter (150/90X15) = 662mm= 26.0630inch
2- The 170/60X17 = 636mm= 25.0394inch
3- 180/55X17 = 630mm= 24.8031inch
4- 160/70X17 = 653mm= 25.7087inch
So as you can see 662-653= 9mm using 160/70X17 Vs 662-630= 32mm using 180/55X17 and that is 3cm,2mm.it seems that a few mm have a big effect on final drive ratio and RPM.
I just changed from (180/55)630mm to (160/70) 653 a difference of 2cm,3mm and that resulted in a huge effect on the final drive so decide for yourselves.

To avoid needing a venture rear after converting to 17 wheels use 160/70X17.
If already have a venture drive putting a 160/70X17 will further reduce the RPM.
I will post some photos of the tire tomorrow.
 
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I got mine from University Motors was delivered to the door in about 10 or 12 days and was $465.00 new from the factory. I would not put it on a stock max how ever as you lose speed on the top end unless your Max is built up. Plus I changed to a 17" rear wheel
 

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