1997-98 Venture Triple 700 information

Johnny20

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Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
Thanks for adding me to the forum, new user.

I have the opportunity to buy a 1998 or 97 Venture Triple 700 two up. Seems to be in very good shape. Little to no rust, no rips or wear or cracks anywhere. 3k miles. Ran very well and crisp throttle but I am far from a mechanic. Are these good sleds? Haven’t been riding in many years, wanted to ge something to ride on trails and my property and ice fishing. Not a speed guy but would like something with a little snap. Might be off Trail a little but nothing too deep.
Any input is appreciated and thanks in advance!
 

Mine is at 12 000 miles of abuse and running very strong! Yes they are excellent sleds
 
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I've got 1999 Venture 600 (which is similar to 700) and so far, its been a very reliable / very enjoyable sled.

Few things for my sled:
- Had to disassemble / clean all 3 of its carbs. Yamaha carbs are sensitive to dirt particles. Thus, may need to clean them every / every other year as well.
- Changed its in-tank fuel filter - to help keep crud out of its fuel line.
- I upgraded its H4 halogen bulb to H4 LED bulb (made for motorcycle).
- Replaced its 2 x sliders - simple every 2 year maintenance task.
- adjusted its track tightness 2 times
- Only use 91 Octaine gas
- Use Amsoil Synthetic Injector oil (for sleds and boats)
- Use Marine stablizer additive in gas tank.

Its rear passenger back rest can be adjusted forward to create back support for single driver "long haul" rides.

I''ve put almost 4,000 kms on my sled in one winter season without any unexpected blimps (fixes).

For me, I left its suspension and engine as "stock build". No need to make the limo go faster. LOL!

Yes. Very reliable / enjoyable sled.
 
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Forgot to mention that my 1999 600 Venture 2-up (which is similar to 700) is a cold blooded engine design.

Meaning... I Electric start it with full choke, slowly bring it down to 1/2 choke and giving it extra time to slowly warm up via putting my hat / helmet on, boots on / gloves on. Adjust its mirrors and due slow full circle checks. Then, take it off its rear stand. By this time, its engine is warm and ready to go. Some of today's sleds have a "warm up / readiness" light on their dash. Since 1999 is older technology build, doing slow pre-GO! readiness tasks work best. After warm up, its engine works great.....

Hope this helps as well...
 
welcome!

just doble check on a long run at wot that it is not over reving and you should be fine. the target is around 8600 rpm peak on a good traction run. if all is factory, they tend to over rev and need some weight added to the primary weights to keep them safe.
 
I did buy it, it is a 1998 venture 700 triple with 3000 miles. It runs really great and I’m happy with it. I do have a question though, I was reading the manual and it said that the preferred fuel is 88 octane but I’ve been reading up and other people say they are running higher octane. I don’t know that much about that, If anyone on this form could point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it, I want to make sure I’m doing the right things for the machine, thanks in advance.
 
Everything lower than premium usually has ethanol in it now. Ethanol is no good for these sleds as it clogs the jets easily and can cause issues with breaking down rubber parts (o-rings, lines).
 
Every grade gas premium or not has 10% ethanol in it. Rec fuel is designated non-ethanol. The ethanol itself almost acts like a good dry gas in a way. It’s not that the ethanol gas is “bad” it just deteriorates quicker causing varnishing. This is what wrecks the jets. If you keep it fresh you will have no problems.
 
Ethanol also absorbs humidity quicker then streight gas, causing potential water contamination issues....



On another point, I don't believe 97 ever had a 700 Venture. According to our tech pages 97 only had 485 twin air cooled and 500/600 twin liquids. The 700 Venture wasn't available till 1998
 
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...Ethanol is no good for these sleds as it clogs the jets easily and can cause issues with breaking down rubber parts (o-rings, lines).

In Canada our pumps are labeled Regular (87) *up to 10% ethanol*, Midgrade (89) *up to 5% ethanol*, Premium (91) *no ethanol*.


Anyway, avoid ethanol as much as possible. I learned the hard way by cheaping out and putting regular in an old 377 and a 503 because the book said 87 was fine. The brand new fuel lines I put in each turned rock hard within a year and I had to redo them all again. There may be ethanol-resistant fuel lines out there, but not the cheapo Royal ones that otherwise work just fine. Also, as mentioned about water absorption, with regular you end up having to add those little bottles of gas line antifreeze, which extinguishes any savings from just buying premium in the first place.

And congrats on the sled! My Vmax 700 has nearly 18,000 km and has been rock solid. I just wish it had reverse and a longer track, aka a Venture!
 
first few tanks on all the old 2 strokes get 91 octane and the last 2 tanks. i run 87 during the season on them as they perform better with it and do not run as hot. usually the 87 around here is fresher than the 91 even during sledding season. i do add a cap full of seafoam to each tank though when i get home with them.
 
I’ve tried to avoid ethanol but at a couple of fillings it was unavoidable at the only station around. We do have stations with all octanes sayings at the pump zero ethanol which is where I fill to start.

Should I be adding anything such as SeaFoam or HEET (red or yellow bottle) at fill ups and if so how much for a 11.9 gal tank filled?
Thanks in advance, as a beginner I really appreciate all of your input.
 
For my 1999 Venture 600, I try to only use Esso 91 Octane (which is Ethanol dilution free) and also add double recommended dose of "STA-BIL 22257 360 Marine with Vapor Technology" (from Amazon). Use this mixture in my boat, ATV, Sled and many other 2-stroke and 4-stroke small engines. Since using this mixture, I've never had fuel delivery problems. There's a few times I was forced to use 89 but burned it up ASAP. Majority of time, I use the 91 ethanol free gas. Note: I used Seafoam in my ATV EFI system and it "gummed up" its fuel system / Fuel Injectors. Since then, I no longer use it. This works for me....
 
For my 1999 Venture 600, I try to only use Esso 91 Octane (which is Ethanol dilution free) and also add double recommended dose of "STA-BIL 22257 360 Marine with Vapor Technology" (from Amazon). Use this mixture in my boat, ATV, Sled and many other 2-stroke and 4-stroke small engines. Since using this mixture, I've never had fuel delivery problems. There's a few times I was forced to use 89 but burned it up ASAP. Majority of time, I use the 91 ethanol free gas. Note: I used Seafoam in my ATV EFI system and it "gummed up" its fuel system / Fuel Injectors. Since then, I no longer use it. This works for me....
That's a FACT Jack!!! StaBil Marine is top shelf.
 


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