cowpuc

But your missing something I think.... I found out by bike tenting over the years that just cause the sleeping bags are not inside the tent doesnt mean you get to not include them in the total weight the bike is carrying... It may look like it weighs 300 pounds but the whole package is about 26 pounds.. Plus,,,,, I can literally pull into a Cemetery, or under the over hang of an abandoned gas station or stop on a deer trail on the North Rim and be sleeping in the tent in less than 5 minutes... Been hearing that for years and years and thousands and thousands of miles Snype... Problem is,, trailer pullin motorcycles are basically confined to pavement riders and Tweeks and I tend to be a smite more confused about where we belong than that..

Here in Michigan,,, you still have to do the purchase permit (full background check with 48 hour wait) with the Sheriffs office routine if the hand me down is a handgun. All long guns though - rifle/shotguns - are still under the ol "yard sale rule" routine though (walk up and buy it) so no problem there with just having the hand me down handed to us.

This probably sounds wayyyyy out there in left center field and I am probably totally wrong about it when applied to the 113 but I discovered something years ago when dealing with, what was then "state of the art" cylinder design.. When the manufacturers jumped to the thin Nikasil plating over Aluminum and ditched the iron bores of yesteryear - the whole ridge development at TDC seemed to go right out the window.. I know,, not apples to apples but things got so advanced in my later years of MX'n that the big 4 were producing factory race bikes that were ready to go full out (no break in period) right out of the box - BRAND NEW! I had a KX500 that had THOUSANDS of miles on the bore and it still had the original cross hatch in it - that plating was that hard... I have no idea whether Yamaha is using something other than Iron sleeves on this new one but,, from what I know of Yamaha's past,, I am pretty sure that it is something trick - maybe could get a clue by pricing out a set of replacement jugs = Iron sleeves will be the cheapest BUT also subject to things like ridge development..... Something to think about,, maybe,, maybe not but maybe..

GOOD QUESTION BRO!!!! DON,,, WHERE IN THE WILD WORLD OF TOURING MASTERS HAVE YA DISAPPEARED TO? Taint seen or heard from that lop eared canyon carving maniac varmint or his gorgeous Venture trike for many many moons either bro.. Thinkin maybe even the event below was the last time in my case (WOWZY a lot of very talented touring riders have vanished from the club over the last few years IMHO):

I TOTALLY agree with ya brother!!! 175 horse on a 1 wheel drive go cart is wayyyyyy plently!!!!! I did take a ride in a freinds twin turboed, 500 hp AWD Audi the other day and it was a hoot but seriously,, way to violent for a single wheel drive go cart though..

I find it very interesting that you have discovered Polaris's tendency to gouge on the parts Don.. Not long ago I did a quick study between the Polaris prices on parts for their Indian repops in comparison to those of similar parts for a HD and was completely blown away.. Many times I found Polaris hitting up the consumer at a rate of x20 and even x100 for some stuff.. That little research started out with reading about a guy who was complaining about having to pay Polaris $127 for a small plastic access cover (about the size and make of a battery cover on a typical TV remote control) that HD wanted $2.50 for = UNBELIEVBLE!!! I cant help but wonder if companies like Polaris havent watched with amazement and maybe even some as HD riders have tended to :mo money:over stick on bling and thought to themselves,,,,,, hey,, if it's high prices they want,, its high prices they will get = we'll gladly take their money and they went for it - BIG Time!!

Like an adult kid + with an adult sized go cart + with a big motor = YEEEEEEEEEHAWWWWWWWW!!!!!! We drove the below at Sturgis last year as well as the Sling,, considerably more money (27k) but definitely a high end build and it's boosted.. I would LOVE to own either BUT,, as my gut constantly reminds me every time I stop and look at one of those 350hp/4 speed early Vettes I have always wanted = "you do know that if its nice enough out to be rippin around in a convertible Vette - it will be nice enough for you to be on the seat of a bike and you KNOW which one you will choose"...

I am sure everyone knows this is all highly subjective. Harley has actually fought long and hard at protecting it's iconic engine movements that,, along with the HD music sheet that reads "Potato, potato, potato", to many many people is part of the emotional "soul" of the bike. HD has had "B", or balance shaft, motors for many years too but a lot of the Harley guys dont have a connection with them because, as what happened with the new 113 with the additional weight on the crank from having another balance shaft added when compared to the 113 in the Strat (it got neutered), the "B" motors dont run like the harder hitting "A" motors. As far as HD "selling you $10k in replacement parts", I am sure that there may be room for the perspective that it is the purchaser of those parts who is choosing to open his wallet and begin "buying $10k in replacement parts" as a matter of personal choice (no one is being forced to open their wallet) - this sorta flows with the concept of accepting personal responsibility = something that has somehow got lost in todays modern motorcycling philosophy IMHO. I have ridden numerous new HD's and have often wondered why people dont just buy em and ride em stock - other than being slow and wayyy under powered when compared to multi-pot engines of comparable CC's (read the Titans of Touring article though and see which V-Twin had the best performance = an apples/apples eye opener performance wise) - other than heat issues that would interfere with my passengers enjoyment while touring the warmer regions like we love to do, I have found them very rideable in stock form. There also may be a plus side to having a HUGE parts and accessory availability like HD has to some folks.. Having more choice can be a good thing IMHO and I have hunch that since Mom Yam has decided to follow the Star riders suggestions and jump into the HD circle of bike design instead of taking a real leadership role in innovation and producing a touring bike that not even the high end/world class performance BMW could compete with - they may just find that in order to stay competitive in that market they too will have to up their game in offering more in this way than they have in the past with the 1st and 2nd Gen Ventures. Something else that seems to be frequently over looked in the new discussions about comparing the Venture with it's HD counterpart - sort of an elephant in the room so to speak. That is the old debate about buying American made products when possible.. In my region,,, good ol hard core patriotism does still have its place and, given the closeness in MSRP now and the pride in :usa:that our little area seems to display - its no wonder that the new Venture appears to be a hard sell here while the Harley shop continues to be busy... I sure hope this dont all lead back to the days when those Harley guys hung rice burners on mainstreet in Sturgis .. If that happens,, I will once again be happy that none of em can run with Tweeksis!!

Tweeksis and I had a BLAST today fitting up her "new" flag pole and Flag (THANKS FRED!!!!!!!) on her trunk rack while we sang:

Was it like this one DanL?

Kretzie this sounds familiar,,, I was reading about what it takes in the Land of Liberty to own and operate a machine gun (real deal "weapon of war" full automatic - like an actual M-16 or actual classic Thompson or a genuine Browning Automatic Rifle) and I think that's where I remember some similar legal language like you mention. What I am referring to is what some folks call "Class 3 Licensing" here from all I have gathered. Class 3 here is basically a wealthy persons play ground from what I can ascertain but, WOWZY would it be fun to be that rich guy ,, even for a day or two,,, or three or four :thumbsup2:IMHO..

I know,, the lop eared varmint got so excited when he was snapping pictures of her and poking at her that he completely forgot to look thru those boxes of kibbles and bits to find out what kind of SURPRISE those folks at Yamaha had sent him!!!!!!! Hope those mechanics are the honest sorts when they find that little box of $100 bills tucked in there!!!!

I really really really detest and cant stand roadway motorcycle accidents but,, Snype,,, that first one - where guy runs the R's up and SMACKS into the sidewalk:happy65:, flips over the bars - its almost like that precious little rocket was screaming "get off me you bone head = go find a moped to play with Years ago a real close friend of mind BEGGED me to let em take my new MX bike for a rip.. He was used to riding a little Yam Enduro and when I told him to take it easy for a tad cause that new 73 250 Elsinore was a little different than what he was used to... Yea yea,, give me that thing he says.. He went from sitting on that little Honda to an instant face plant with Elsie on top of him quicker than a sane person could say "that hurt?" Let er buck Puc

It used to be that the pathway to buying a handgun involved going to the Sheriffs office and buying a Purchase Permit, taking the Purchase Permit to the owner of the gun and giving him a little section of the permit for his records of where his beloved Smith 29 or Ruger MK1 or Thompson Contender or,,,, opps - carried away with my day dreaming,, ended up.. Then it was a trip back to the Sheriffs office for a complete safety check, recording of the permit and then it was yours.. Now adays,, it's the same trip to the Sheriffs office UNLESS your purchasing new - if purchasing new - the transaction is completely by the Gun Shop with the FFL. The Sheriffs office now requires a 48 hour back ground check period even if you have an Enhanced Drivers License that has already had the back ground check completed on in order to obtain the D.L.. If a local LEO with a 5 cars loaded with other LEO's backing him up dont show up at your home during that 48 hour period, you return to the Sheriff's office where you get your Purchase Permit.. You then take that permit and go to the selling private party who hands you your new little bundle and perhaps, if your lucky, also tosses in a couple boxes of ammo that he didnt have time to shoot up. After paying him, he signs the permit and keeps his part and your on your way back to the Sheriffs office.. There is no longer a saftey check involved so now all you do now is drop off the permit at the Sheriffs office and your on your way - the authorities no longer have interest in actually seeing the gun.. I think our local Sheriffs office might be in cahoots with who ever approves applicants who want to be Notary's.. I say that cause here,, they charge 10 bucks for that service while there are multiple business's in the area that do this for free and even our local Township Hall clerks only charge 2 dollars for it (that I have a hunch goes into a New Years Eve party down there but thats another story). That right there is pretty much the most recent scooter on Michigan's fun with buyin a shooter.. Wonder whats its like in your State? Out with bang!! Puc

As I was dumping the 60 weight oil into my 74 inch air cooled shovelheads crankcase I thought to myself,,, "good grief this stuff pours like straight Motor Honey"... Later on the trip,, as I crossed thru Vegas on the way out to the coast I actually had to bump up another 10 weight cause even the 60 was turning into a water like fluid from the AWESOME desert sun that makes the desert region such a fantastic place to be found on a motorcycle..

​amen!!!!!!!

Nahhhhh,, riding down a full blown touring bike with a flat tire aint that much fun - I'd fix it.. Like Sky said,, couple teaspoons of dish soap in an old windex bottle filled with water, run the pressure to 50 pounds and spray er down. This ol lop eared varmint likes to center stand the scoot, take the valve cover off and check the shrader for air loss first cause Murphy loves to loosen my shraders and then spray the valve (make sure you soak where the valve meets the rim. Now soak the beads on both sides. Now slowly spin the tire while spraying across the tread and keep an eye on the beads and valve.. If that soapy water gets even a teeny bit of air under it it will cause a foam thats almost fit for shavin.. 2 1/2 inches of preload on top of those springs? HOLEY PAMOLEY,, that suckers gotta ride like a reverse hardtail.. Those PVC spacers that come with new Progressives were, indeed Ty = made to be cut to length to set the sag that is right for you.. I like 1 inch of preload and I do a fair amount of off hiway playing and even that is 2 up and loaded - cant imagine 2 and 1/2 inches... Cut em down brother.. You should end up with the springs in with the tighter windings in first, the factory shims (washers with edge that fits into the top of the springs and acts like a little cover) next, 1 inch max of pvc preload and then the cap. Filling from measurement as suggested is fine,, been that way for ever.. Some of us prefer using a syringe and a hose (or a depth guage like Motion Pro makes) to suck em to height but either way works.. Most important is that the tubes end up with the same amount of fluid in em.. ,,, gotta run,,,, I smell FOOD cookin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not no more,, I used to be able to see them little bushwackers rolling around inside the tires but since I sent @Dragonslayer back his outfit me eyes dont work right for some reason..

Probably just another one of my goofy, irrelevant thoughts but if I had that happen I might check the static sag on my front forks.. I like to raise em up all the way to top of the travel and make sure I get no more than a drop (sag) of 1 1/2 to 2 inched max while sitting on the bike... I am sure that Mom Yam must of made some improvements on the newer Venture/RSTD's and the fork springs dont sack out from sitting like the 1st Gens do but my first Gens always reguired Progressives with an inch of preload to get the sag right.. I can see where bottoming out from improper sag/sacked springs could cause the wheel to travel into the radiator if she went to bottom because on traditional tube forks (springers are different) - when the fork bottoms travel up the tubes as the springs are being compressed, the wheel is actually moving into the bike.. The also changes rake/trail demensions which a lot of riders use to their advantage (loading the forks) for cornering (REAL noticable on a sport bike like my R1).. Maybe checking those springs/that sag might not hurt...

2 days of SUN = 2 days of FUN .... Took a little over 1300 miles to do it but we managed to pretty much spin off the rest of Tweeksis's back tire so getting ready to flop on her first round for '18 = new $67 Tour Master... Picked up a matching new front tire too as the one thats on her has been thru 4 rears now and its looking the part.. I think someone asked me about getting some shots of the Beads when I swapped tires? If your still around,, let me know if your still interested in seeing tire beads after rolling around in there for a few thou - be glad to oblige..

Fair question, be glad to share what I know Dog but before I do,, just a couple thoughts on some other things that have been mentioned.. Though many folks say one of the reasons that the Polaris's Victory line was a hard sell was because,, astetically - "the jugs look more like an air compressor than a bike engine" (which I always agreed to somewhat - I always thought it was to bad that Polaris didnt do some cosmetic machining on those long/straight barrels to give em some appeal) but the fact of the matter was,, it is my understanding that Polaris actually did something really cool with those jugs in that they actually built "oil jackets" between the actual sleeve of the cylinder that houses the piston and the exterior wall where the fins are molded externally for cooling the cylinders - very similar to water jackets on water cooled bikes.. Neither the new Venture or the Polaris Indians have this, both of them have jugs that are cooled the old fashioned way with cooling fins for air to run across and there are no oil jackets around the cylinders that would allow the oil to absorb the heat.. I LOVED V Dubs and worked on number of them thru the years.. Being a Michigan gear head I also played with snowmobiles (worked in numerous motorcycle shops in the early years which were snowmobile paridises in the winter) a lot.. In the sled world, before Rupp came out with their REALLY cool water cooled Nitro (used the front bumper for a radiator),, the sleds were all "air cooled".. Thing is though,, some of those early sleds were what we called "free air" and others were what we old gear heads called "fan cooled" - the difference being, the "free air" sleds HAD to be kept moving in order to keep them from siezing from over heating where the "fan cooled" sleds had a small belt that ran off a pully on top of the flywheel that spun a fan and the whole apparatus was covered in a shroud.. Those little fan cooled sleds could idle for hours with no problem of siezing or burning down but the "air cooled" - again,, sitting and idling was a HUGE no-no.. Another interesting thing about the fans was, if you were running bogie wheels - you could run em in the summer (a blast) - almost not doable with free air machines - if at all ONLY for a short run.. V Dubs were "fan cooled" not "air cooled" by some folks definition - a fan cooled V Dub motor will maintain its temps (even in fairly hot ambients) really well because it has a constant flow of air being moved across its jugs.. As far as "why" on the step back to air cooling... I happen to have actually been at the world launch for the new Venture out at Lake George last year and can attest first hand that the reason that Yamaha went the route they did by dropping the water cooling and shaft drive and going air cooled, V-Twin belt drive is that a design team made up of "Star Riders" decided it was what the majority of touring folks wanted.. I actually spoke to a couple of folks involved in that decision and I asssure you, that is why Yamaha did what they did.. Personally,, I was SHOCKED when I heard the bikes (they were hidden off stage, waiting for the announcer to point his finger at them to start the bikes) start and KNEW from the sound that all hope was dashed concerning seeing a new Venture with the 1700cc V-Max powerhouse aboard. We didnt get to ride them at Americade but did go out to Sturgis to demo them there and they still had the same air cooled, push rod Vtwin motor in them (I am including a couple vids of the motor under glass for your enjoyment - it is a purdy)... There were a couple of us here in the club who shared our thoughts on what we thought the new Venture should be long before the new bike was unveiled.. Apparently,, Mom Yam had/has more of a following in the Star forums than here (understandably so IMHO,, those Star Twins like the Strat, Roadliner, Raider, V-Star, Roadie, Virago and on and on out number the V-4 scoots significantly.. One of the Star design experts that was on stage at Lake George and seen in the advertisments for the new bike told me that they belonged to a forum group (I was wearing a "VentureRider.org International" shirt at the time and it caught his attention and he asked about it) and I think it was "Star Touring" = I would LOVE to know how things are going over on that site (or where ever those folks were from) as far as how the new bike is doing there and how much chatter its bringing about.. Unfortunately,, its a closed group with no way to know without paying a club dues (dont blame em a bit).. Although the new air cooled Venture seems to be a hard sell in my immediate local area - I have heard from from folks here that they are a complete sell out north of the border and it sounds like the south too.. I also think the huge market that HD has built and maintained thru the years looked awefully inviting too.

:sign yeah that::sign yeah that::sign yeah that::sign yeah that: Down right inspiring IMHO.. Reminds me of a person who used to be a club member years ago... That guy (for the life of me I cant remember his name,,, ironically,,, I think he left here when he bought a Wing!!!) actually rode his bike from the States all the way up to Alaska and back in the DEAD OF WINTER - unshakable enthusiasim for our sport of motorcycle touring and definitely hardcore... Glad to have you (and the other new members too) aboard Joe and REALLY looking forward to reading some of your enthusiastic rides reports and seeing some more of those AWESOME pictures you take!!! Gonna be a fun summer reading and riding with Joe and Charlotte!!!! Puc

Randy,, THANK YOU again for posting the link up to TopHatter... After spending a fair amount of time working thru the learning curve of their site (business research before purchasing has always worked well for me) , looking at what it takes to be a seller there and comparing prices therein with those on Ebay product to product I gotta say - I was SHOCKED to see the endless amount of amazing little devices that are available directly from China/Tiawan/Hong Kong at extremely reduced prices thru Ebay.. Due to long distance off shore shipping, the ship time on the stuff is considerable BUT, amazingly,, things are coming thru all the way to Michigan.. A short example of what I am talking about: A few days after reading your post here and playing with adjusting the verbage for doing matching product research on ebay (thinking this is done to keep folks from doing what I have been doing), I was watching a small - clip on "telescope" for a smart phone (it basically is an OPTICAL zoom) on Top Hatter - it sold on their site for $18 plus $5 shipping.. I thought it was a really neat idea for a product - researched it on Ebay (again, you have to adjust the verbage A LOT on some of this stuff because, IMHO - the sellers on Top Hatter dont really want us doing this) and found the exact same product directly from China for $1.72 with FREE shipping!!!!!!!! Of course,, I thought,, why not!!! Well guess what!! I finally received the little Phone Scope and WOWZY is it cool!! Makes no sense how they could sell and ship for peanuts like that but - they did and it worked great!! I now LOVE playing on Top Hatter and looking for those little nuggets of fun hidden in there and then jumping ship to go off shore for my purchases.. A few of the other things that I have now "in process" coming from far away places (all with free shipping) include items like 48 LED Solar Security lighting - $4.50 each, right angle hex bit drill driver - .95 cents, Loupe LED jeweler glasses - $2.20, 6 axis Drone w/ WIFI Camera - $15, Vertical/Horizontal lazer light - $5.35, 6 inch inch/mm Digital Venier Calipers - $3.00 and so on and so forth... WHAT A BLAST!!! In the spirit of thankfulness for this thread and in honor of how much I appreciate you and your willingness to share,, I want to share with you some quick pics of my little Phone scope that safely found its way here to Michigan all the way from some place far away - it is very well made for what it is and, works AMAZINGLY well... I am also including a couple shots of the package it came in as proof that, indeed,,,, that there really is some solid truth to the song that those little dolls at Disney Land in California used to sing ("It's a small small world, it's a small small world,,,,,,).. THANK YOU BROTHER!! Your ol buddy Puc P.S. - if I was younger and wasnt dealing with these health issues I would be inclined to set up a TopHatter business account,, IMHO,, theres gold in them thar hills !!!!! .

WOWZY WOW WOW WOW Yamster,,, that almost hatched Charlotte is down right PURDY even if she is only a sanagram at this point... I know one thing,, if she was a new member around this place,, I am afraid I would have asked for permission to set up camp right there next her so I could hold her hand and talk her thru the whole hatching process = even that petting stuff would not have squared up with me that well ... JUST BEAUTIFUL!!!!! :clap2::clap2: I got a hunch that Cowface and Charlotte are gonna get along just fine!!! A MAJOR congrats my friend!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

I am totally 100% with you Sky and would definitely had done exactly that (had my day in court) had it not been for the fact that the letter from Sacramento Superior was sent to me here in Michigan and its a longggg way to travel/expensive for court appearances.. I did ask about the chances of having the "trial" here in Michigan but,, of course - I was pretty much laughed at over that thought.. Simply put,, the cold hard facts involved with how far reaching the long arm of "the law" has become is something that every driver should research and thouroughly understand. I tend to be more of the daredevil type and have gotten my share of traffic tickets thru the years and, IMHO,, people like me REALLY need to be up to date on what I am saying BUT - so does every - anal about obeying traffic laws types because a person can find themselves in fairly deep legal problems over a simple seat belt violation if they are not careful.. On a side note concerning the White Police type helmet.. The officer who "warned" us (funny thing is that Tip stood right there beside me and listened to the officer tell me that it was just a warning) about the hat also told me (after I told him that we had ridden all over California with that helmet her head and had rode beside more than one officer and never had even a second look) that Motorcycle officers in California hold the sole responsibilty for assuring compliance for safety and motorcycle mods (altering factory specs in any form - like aftermarket pipes) of motorcyclist.. California is a REALLY great place to tour and all that BUT - if your not from there it does take time to get use to the "culture"...