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My Bottom radiator hose needs to be replaced (2008 Royal Star Venture). I called several Yamaha dealers in the area for availability and got the same answer: "We can order one." Well, I can stay at home and order one too. The problem is I want it now! The Yamaha part number for the lower hose is 4XY-12588-00-00. It retails for about $16 plus Ship&Tax. Searching at an auto parts store is futile since they don't carry many motorcycle parts and immediately request the year, make, and model to search for parts. Fortunately I know someone at the local Autozone who allowed me to browse through the inventory of hanging hoses behind the counter. I found one that will work. It fits a 1999 Honda Civic 1.6. Although it is used as the top radiator hose in the Civic, and is much longer with multiple bends, nonetheless, it works perfectly. The Part number is Continental Hose E71604. AutoZone sells it for $23. The benefit is that there is more than enough to replace the upper and lower hoses on the Royal Star. There is even some left over if you screw-up. Another benefit is you can cut it a little longer than the original to make assembly easier. Best of all, I can ride today.

Went to winterize the mothorhome today. Drain the water, blow out the lines, put it up on it's jacks and cover it. Put 4 cans of Seafoam in it and figured I'd run the engine as well as the generator for a bit to let the Seafoam get through the system(s), Turned the key and it just clicked. First time I've had an issue with the battery. Oh well....battery was put in in 2012 so I can't complain. Figured I'd put it on the charger to get enough power to start and run the leveling jacks. Went to put the charger on and wtf?.....Top of the battery had blown out. For some reason I thought it was an AGM battery and never checked the water/acid level like I do for the house batteries. Engine battery is kind of hard to get to: Hence the "out of sight out of mind" title. Got a new battery and went ahead with everything but putting the cover on...getting late... Thought y'all might enjoy the pic.

Wow! Who would have thought that could happen? Glad you still have a motor home and not a pile of ashes!

I found the drawings of the brackets, thanks guys!

Unless the forks are damaged there is no need to replace them. Replace the stock springs with progressive springs and @skydoc_17here on the site sells a kit which eliminates the anti-dive valves. Once properly installed using the spacers cut to the proper length to accommodate your ride and handling preference you can eliminate the air suspension from the front forks or cut the spacers a little shorter and keep the air ride to fine tune your ride preference. Check the tech sections for first gens here on the website you will find many tried and true suggestions for the exhaust system. Generally the only reason you would feel heat on your legs is the vents in the side fairings are open or have been removed. I have removed mine so it is quite normal for me to feel heat heat on my legs but not to the point of being unbearable and almost never on the highway. I mostly notice it riding around town and in shorts it does get hot but this is all normal. Keep in mind air passing through the rad eliminates heat from the coolant by absorbing that heat. That now heated air passes by your legs. Opening the long narrow vents in front of your shins will help some as the cooler air from the vents will blend with the warmer air from the rad reducing the heat factor slightly and I do mean slightly as not a lot of air comes through most of these vents. If its a cool morning open the vents in in the side fairings if they are still there to keep your legs a bit warmer. First step would be to eliminate the factory fuse box and its glass fusses you can by aftermarket replacements that use the ATO or similar push in fuses. get one with extra fuse locations to wire additional acc. to, this way you can reduce the amount of wiring eliminating having a birds nest everywhere. Here is an example https://www.amazon.com/6-Way-Mini-Blade-Block-Negative/dp/B0837NHY2W My advice forget it! As stated earlier I have not heard of any one having any success with the single carbs. The OEM carb is for the most part a very reliable and optimum functioning carb. True they are a PITA to work on if they do need a major overhaul which is rare for the most part. If properly maintained the most you generally need to do is a carb sync which in most cases a nearby member in possession of a sync tool is usually more than happy to help out (that is the way of this group) Maybe occasionally a diaphragm may need to be replaced which is a 10 minute job. Last time I replaced mine and rebuilt my carb 70,000 miles ago and it is still going strong.

I just use 3/4" P clamps from home depot and a couple 1/4"x20 bolts in the HD factory bracket. Making those hockey stick bracket was going to be a day project. Once I checked into it the P clamps were easy and cheap.

Someone on this site made brackets. There also was a diagram with info on building your own. I thought I just saw a post recently???? Memory...first thing to go as we age....LOL!

Also there should be drawings on the internet for the fabricated metal brackets to fit HD mounts to the Venture mounts. Some guys have used P-clamps around the saddlebag brackets with good luck too.

Heck I haven't riden in over 7 years, and turned the big 8'oh in May, but still like to hang out. Where else can you get this much entertainment from the monthly dollar menu.... 🙂

I myself am not a big fan of government interference but sometimes government is left with little choice and if they did not take the steps to ensure things like covid were properly dealt with, who would. For example how safe would our streets be if there were no rules and just anybody could go out buy and drive a car, any old way they felt like it. After all is not their against their constitutional rights to force them to follow any type of traffic law? If anybody could just go out and beat on another person just because they feel like it ( though I must admit there are times when I wish I could ). If anybody could just kick you off your property and take it just because they can (although there are times when big developers seem to be able to do just that ). That's why we elect governments in hopes that they will maintain a semblance of order and unity. (though some times I feel they do take upon themselves more authority then they should be allowed to and other times they do nothing when they should do something. OK so now I hope I confused you all as much as I just confused myself .....But then I guess that's politics......

Just don’t get why people are so freaked out (actually it’s the media fault) over a virus with a 99.97% recovery rate? More people die every year from flu not to mention pneumonia. Then let’s throw in heart disease from obesity and diabetes. Are they mandating flu shots every year? Do we go into lock down and distancing every flu season? When was the last time you were ordered to put down the ice cream spoon, push the bowl away and get off your fat lazy butt and exercise? As this whole Saul Alinsky plan is implemented we are losing more and more of our freedoms under the guise of “safety” and “the greater good”. This is the same exact path (for you true historians) that Germany took in 1938. I pray America wake up before it’s too late, for once freedoms (any of them) are surrendered willingly they can only be regained by force.

My part is free? I pay my medical at what I consider to be extortionist rates already. Here's the kicker, I only use it when absolutely needed. To use your analogy - why should I pay for someone to run to the ER every time they or their kids sneeze? Also, The Vaccine isn't free. I hope no one really believes that big Pharma is producing these Vaccines out of the kindness of their hearts. Our Tax dollars are paying for it and they are raking in Billions in profits. BTW Hospitals get paid f0r every COVID Patient - see my comments above. They charge my insurance company over $75,000 for my wife to have a partial hysterectomy and 1 overnight stay. They are doing this for Free. NOTHING in life is free, someone is paying for it.

Another thing to think about: The Virus COVID19/SARS-COV-2 is a respiratory virus. Every Scientist confirms this from both sides of the mask isle. There is a split on the vaccine too. Again not quite 50-50 but close. The media and the Bureaucracies of the CDC and WHO are pushing the Vaccine to eliminate this Virus. On the other side Science says that you cannot make a respiratory virus go away through vaccination as you would say small pox or the mumps. If you need proof of this look at the common cold and more specifically influenza. They have been vaccinating like crazy for influenza for ~60 years, since roughly 1960. does influenza still exists and kill 80k-120k annually in the US alone? Respiratory Virus' mutate in the wild, it is their nature. They saddest part of all of this craziness is that this Virus is man made.