cowpuc

WOWZY WOW WOW WOW Cha = ya got er looking absolutely OUTSTANDING there brother = ready to LET ER BUCK!! Awe,,, right back at cha Cha on the GREATEST of the GREATEST up coming ride season = SIEZE THE DAY NOT THE MOTOR!!! Picked up a little Cancer bug along the trail somewhere and in the process of finding it and puttin a whoopin on that bug they ended up finding a few other flaws in there - that's where my new "tuner" came into play that you mentioned hearing me talk about in the Cell Phone vid.. Just had my 3rd surgery for 2017 in the middle of last month in handling the Cancer stuff - not to whine but I honestly think that getting knocked out like that is harder on me physically than anything - turns out I'm a whimp!! Fist sized tumor in my abdomen to start with - removed prostate, part of bladder with a couple inches of ureator and a couple glands.. Doing better now, just sort of got wind knocked out me BUT = its winter = PERFECT time to have that happen I tell ya!!! Ohhh heck yea,,, I know exactly what your talking about when you speak of Interior,,, THE back door to the Bad Lands INDEED - I have never done 83 to 44 but make a general practice of riding the bottom of S.D. to Wounded Knee and then up = will DEFINITELY check out your trail!! If you come into the park from Interior, hook a left thru the park and go about half way towards the west gate (that leads into Wall) you will come to a two track that heads north across the highland prairie.. Take that trail until it drops down (watch for erosion) and follow it till it comes to the north fence of the Badlands = have camped there freely for many many years = PERFECT spot for complete peace and quiet even during the rally if you find the need and WOWZY = Coyotes all night long singin their song in those endless Badland warm nighttime breezes!! Then back track in the A.M. to the east gate, hook a left on "90" to exit 116, left off ramp on gravel road for mile or so to the Missle Silo = COOL!! Got me started,, another REALLY awesome cross country off road Venture tour out there starts at the bottom of the Spearfish Canyon run... Way down in the Canyon you will come to a fairly sharp left bend in the road (if your headed south) where a great big beautiful high end fancy lodge is located (go inside = BEAUTIFUL!!).. As the bend sweeps to the left - if you go straight on the gravel road that serves as an entrance to the parking lot for the lodge - you will see a small sign that says something like "Waterfalls - this way" and there a two track heads off to the west... If you follow that two track beyond the falls (nice ride - cool falls!!) you will eventually cross the Wyoming state line (note the really cool little tin, rusty old sign tacked on a tree that says that wayyyy back in there).. There is some quad trailing you have to do out there,,, some open range cattle along the trail before ya skirt the mountains some.. Last time I went thru I pulled off in the foot hills on a game trail - dropped the tent and spent the night listening to the Elk blowin their bugles and had foot prints being made around my tent all night long (thinkin either cougar or Coyote - definitely not Bear - I always leave Tweeks to fend for herself with any food I may be carrying with her to keep bears away and camp a fair distance from her).. Talk about FUN!!! Up in the morning,, keep heading west on the trails and eventually you will come out not to far from Devils Tower,,, cant remember the name of that little town with the gas station on 90 where I came out,, Sundown or something like that,,,, but they HAVE gas and its only about 20 more minutes or so from there to that big funny shaped mound where Aliens still land like they did in that movie = Close Encounters!! Speaking of those Sturgis Police not really appreciating us standing up on the pegs to work our way thru the crowds,,, last year DragonSlayer sent me his Superman outfit with a dare to ride thru Sturgis attached... Like you,, I have received my fair share of warnings about "SIT DOWN,,, BOTH FEET DOWN AT ALL STOP SIGNS AFTER COMPLETING STOP AT INTERSECTIONS" while riding the crowds so after promising Bob I would stand on the pegs and give the crowd a show I thought it best to ask permission this time - got the old "oh heck no" response.. After swapping clothes at the Subway (phone booths are another thing of the past ,,, always makin do ) and on our way back to mainstreet I bent down from my stand on the pegs with that gorgeous red cape flappin in the jet wash and told Tippy I just HAD to risk it!! Later,, after the fly by,,,, Tip told me that she seen that same officer that told us "oh heck no" snapping pictures of us :guitarist 2: Maybe someday I will grow up to which I reply = "oh heck no"

Nothing could be finer I tell ya!!!!!

,,,,,,, now THATS what I am talking about = BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEFUL Vaz!!!! :dancefool: Please keep em coming brother - wont be long now and from this end too my man!!!!!!!!!!!!

BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Puc LOVES his Shinko's and gives them them the ol :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:!!! That Video guy from Arizona really knows his tire choice business I tell ya Me and Tweeksis,, we have an accord = I keep stickin em on and Tweeks keeps wearing em out:sign20:

Here is partial list of the different ones I have spun off on my 83's Spence.. I didnt take the time to research each shown ad here to make absolutely sure that the tire(s) shown are up to the load rating spec I like to run (so PLEASE dont just click "buy it now" without doing some research to make sure they meet your approval) BUT the ads shown are of tires that I know for fact do have that spec I require available cause I have used em.. I also know you didn't ask for suggestions as to which are good, which are bad (good move on your part - probably would have caused a blood bath within the ranks cause cabin fever is out of hand across our land and you would have ended up on probation,,,,,, I pretty much live on club probation so I will make a short observation here) but I want to mention that I personally had issues with Metzler tire in the form of unwarranted delamination and definitely shy away from further use of their product (in spite of my extensive experiences of riding down bikes with flat tires, I have a personal aversion to such nonsense). Also, there are numerous tire swap vids and pics floating around this place as well as advanced methods of tire balancing.. Should you find yourself in the need of assistance in this area please feel free to ask as some of us,, myself included, LOVE assisting in this way,,,,,, personally I like assisting even more than actually doing the work!! Hope the ads below help in your search for tires! Puc https://www.ebay.com/itm/140-90-16-Michelin-Commander-II-Bias-Rear-Tire/322436815844?epid=171269799&hash=item4b12bb5be4:g:urcAAOSwk~ZaBoTy&vxp=mtr https://www.ebay.com/itm/140-90-16-Shinko-230-Tour-Master-Rear-Tire/331838243042?epid=171238925&hash=item4d4319c0e2:g:Tv0AAOSwVNxaBoRw&vxp=mtr https://www.ebay.com/itm/Full-Bore-USA-140-90B16-Tour-King-M-66-Rear-Cruiser-Motorcycle-Tire-140-90-16/382216518201?_trkparms=aid%3D555019%26algo%3DPL.BANDIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20150817211623%26meid%3D95e567678ba24ce79c9eb349c9205300%26pid%3D100505%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26&_trksid=p2045573.c100505.m3226 https://www.ebay.com/itm/140-90-16-Dunlop-D404-Rear-Tire-32NK46-16-32NK-46-31-0514-0306-0005/231448699364?epid=171233345&hash=item35e36ae1e4:g:l78AAOSw301aVy~F&vxp=mtr https://www.ebay.com/itm/140-90-16-Rear-Kenda-Challenger-K657-Motorcycle-Tire-Cruiser-Touring-046571616C1/231134809773?epid=171171961&hash=item35d0b54ead:g:MowAAOSwp7FaULBp&vxp=mtr https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pirelli-MT66-Route-66-Motorcycle-Rear-Tire-140-90-16-0851900/352194788496?epid=171138645&hash=item520071fc90:g:rb0AAOSwU4FaAij2&vxp=mtr https://www.ebay.com/itm/Continental-02403060000-Conti-Legend-Tires-140-90-16-Rear/122886917274?epid=239002211&hash=item1c9ca18c9a:g:YrcAAOSwyYFaRtpr&vxp=mtr https://www.ebay.com/itm/Avon-AV72-Cobra-140-90-16-Rear-Tire/322880843010?epid=171290030&hash=item4b2d32ad02:g:J5sAAOSwa0VaCfqI&vxp=mtr https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dunlop-mu90b16-white-letter-k491-140-90-16-rear-motorcycle-tire-16-hky/401377912890?epid=2158518114&hash=item5d73fce83a:g:4J0AAOSwEupZgz4G&vxp=mtr https://www.ebay.com/itm/REAR-BRIDGESTONE-TIRE-140-90-16-RAISED-WHITE-LETTERS/112745601915?hash=item1a40295b7b:g:0ogAAOSw7GRZEOAL&vxp=mtr https://www.ebay.com/itm/METZELER-ME880-WHITE-WALL-140-90-16-REAR-TIRE-HARLEY-ROAD-GLIDE-FLTR-04-08/281417924438?hash=item4185d0bf56:g:acEAAOSwVFlT8-0n:sc:FedExHomeDelivery!49445!US!-1&vxp=mtr

Have you done any significant 2 up on the Glide? If so,, it will be really interesting to hear some insight into comparing about any wind buffeting differences your passenger may experience between the two bikes.. Also,, if you dont mind me asking,, about what height are you?

Oh yea,, those little 90/110's have been a mainstay of us restorers on and off for many years.. Not quite the following or lucrative return as the hard tail 50's or even the early Trail 70's (some folks may not know this but Honda also made an "ST90" scoot that looked just like the Trail 70 of the day just a little bigger.. Didnt have the Hi/Low like your talking though.. Been inside em many times... IMHO (so take this with a grain of salt) you are probably right on the assumption of the issue being clutch related.. The automatic clutch on those little ones are of a design that uses a center clutch as well as a regular fiber disc clutch like most of are familiar with.. It is possible to damage the center clutch or even knock it out of adjust enough to do exactly what you are speaking of.. I have also had many locked up 50/70/90/110/125 Hondas come to me and found them locked up because of valve/cam issues as apposed to bottom end issues BUT - that salt water soak could be a huge bummer.... Something you may be interested in knowing is that Honda made those "subtranny" motors in 90's, 110's and 125's (quads) and they are all interchangeable in their mounts (motor part interchanges are dicey). You could therefore purchase a trx125 honda quad - pull the reverse subtranny and drop in your hi/low tranny and end up with a CT125 I believe.. Also,,, if you dont mind losing the Hi/low subtranny - there are TONS of Chinese copies from 50 to 150cc (both auto/manual clutch and even electric start) drop ins out there now that will set that frame,, something to consider.. Thinking while typing here... I know there is still a restore shop south of us that is doing the little Honda's. I have heard good things about them - have also heard they can be pricey.. I am pretty sure that a big part of their business is in using the Chinese repops and building around those engines but I have also been told that they do ground up OEM's restores too.. Might be worth a call to them and see what they say.. They may even know someone close to you still into those awesome scoots!! Hold on,, I will see if I can find a web page,,,,, Yep,, here ya go: http://mytrailbuddystore.com/ Also,, please remember we are talking Honda,,, I am sure if you decided to open it up yourself that even if you found a complete disaster with every bearing, bushing, shaft needing replacement and you wanted to dump that kind of cash into it for sentimental sakes you would be presently surprised at the OEM parts still available!! Speaking of being the sensitive to our long last memories,, I know EXACTLY what that is.. I have a 67 CT90 in my basement that I dragged MANY deer out of the forest with before my oldest daughter adopted it when she was just a child.. She had more fun on it, named it "Daisy" = Daisy is still part of our family IMHO... Hold on,, gonna run downstairs and get a ... WOW the memories = THANKS for the prod Unc and ALL THE BEST on your restore!!!! Puc Oh,, by the way Unc,, there is always a chance I may still have a shop manual that would cover your scoots motor.. A LOT of that stuff went when I sold the business but I do still have a fair amount of "secret stash" in a couple files cabinets downstairs - if you decide to tackle it yourself and need to borrow a book let me know and I will do some diggin!!

No idea if anyone else ever had this editing issue but I misspelled Ernies name in the title of this thread (got an "a" in there by mistake and tried to correct it).. When I did an "edit" I got to the opening edit page where I could edit the body of the post ok but when I continued on to the "advanced edit" page where I would be able to fix a broken title I got this message (tried a few times and get same message): This page isn’t working Chrome detected unusual code on this page and blocked it to protect your personal information (for example, passwords, phone numbers, and credit cards) Freebird, Don if you have a second would you mind correcting another one of my mistakes for me? The title should read YZERNIE not YZEARNIE as I did it = thank you,, owe ya a Hot Dog and Coke!! Also,, anyone have an idea if I can make adjustment to my browser in case I need to fix another one - could happen anytime ya know!! THANKS!! Puc yzernie,, coming from the HD Road Glide,, how do you assess the cockpit space differences between the two bikes?? I know from experience that the "Glide" has a very roomy cockpit - do you find the Venture to be it's equal? Mind elaborating? Thanks Puc

CONGRATS YZERNIE!!! Everyone else should click here!!: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?133983-YZEARNIE-S-NEW-3RD-GEN-Our-FIRST-genuine-owner-operator-3rd-Gen-Ride-Report!!&p=1025606#post1025606 WOW what a story!!!!! :dancefool::dancefool::clap2::clap2: Maybe the warmth of this will even encourage the ice in @Flyinfool 's veins to thaw a little so he stops playing with that infamous, confounded White Washer for a while:nanner:

BEAUTIFUL PICS!!! Thanks again YZ!!! Ok,, I will get a head start with the questions and beat the throngs of folks who I know will be on here as soon as they wake up.... What year of an Ultra did you come off from (just so I can figure out its motor size,,, what da heck,, what size motor was your Ultra?).. Was your Ultra stock and how many miles on it? Hows the Ventures performance in comparison? How do you like the feel of the fixed fairing compared to the fork mounted Ultra - does the Venture "feel" lighter in its steering? Did Mom Yam incorporate "cooling fans" in the system that you know of (I have read that question many times and have yet to see a definite answer one way or another - I did test ride em and didnt think to check for one).. P.S.= indeed,, the new Wing has EXACTLY the same tire sizes FRONT and BACK!! Wayyyy cool cause that alone will drive down the tire prices!!! Matter of fact,, a quick check on the Wing parts lists already shows (2) available vendors (Bridgestone and Dunny) and,, get this,,, both of them are now WAYYYYYYYYYYY cheaper then the original quote that Mom Yam had on her price sheet for the new rear tire size (it was over 500 bucks!!)... Noticed something else there too,, both bikes spec a "63H" front and "77H" for rear.... For some reason that "63H" seems kind of light in its load capacity to me.. It will be interesting to hear what others have to say about it... YZ,, what load rating did HD spec for your Ultra - any idea?? 38 mpg+ on a brand new 113inch motored scoot at 55 to 80 mph = sounds AWESOME from my experience!! You'll be up in the 40's after break in,,,,, unless you get in that nasty habit of doing your right wrist flexes on your bike ....

and a VERY VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR right back at cha Orlin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wanna hear something really strange Rand,,, I had the gut feeling that what you are saying was gonna happen when I first heard about our FB page thingy.. This probably sounds crazy but one of the things I always actually appreciated about what Freebird did with our clubhouse is making it a pay site cause it is amazing (IMHO) how much riff raff $1 a month cuts out and also it somehow creates a form of security (as does having a club President like Don = 1 of kind in my book).. Truthfully,, I have experienced "group dynamics" in several ways in my life, one of them thru being a church goer, and have learned the hard way about what can happen if the "group" becomes "divided".. I tried the FB thing and unfortunately (all again IMHO) it somehow felt like we were being divided,,,,,,,,, ahhhh,, probably just me being selfish is all... Sometimes I talk to much ,,, REALLY?? ?? Nahhhhhh,,, why would they do that :rotf::rotf::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::crackup: and why in the world does he keep trying to get me in trouble too Roller I guess being on Club Probation is like any other form of misery,,, it LOVES company!!:biker:

Cabin fever season is not a good time to unplug stuff... Better to wait till the big loongggg thaw comes in a couple months,,, then you can unplug everything - hit the road on the scoot and go live off the land = free hot dogs in Michigan and rob Dan's freezer in West by God and all that.... To cold to do it the other way around RBig - I KNOW your brain is telling ya different but trust me = thats just the frost bite speaking ... If you do step out for a spell you will be missed brother!!!

slowrollwv = perhaps the answer to your question can somehow be found in that old warning saying that says "YA BUM, DONT FOOL WITH MOTHER NATURE!!"= Old Man Winter shoulda listened :banana::banana::cool10::stirthepot: Those two are DEFINITELY a couple of lop eared varmints if there ever were any Roller - THAT is fact!!

and THEN it's = PLAY IT LOUD DANL'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks!! Here is where the new thread is: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?133983-YZEARNIE-S-NEW-3RD-GEN-Our-FIRST-genuine-owner-operator-3rd-Gen-Ride-Report!! If it were me I would do all the updating of your write up over there so your bike gets its just reward of its own thread BUT that is up to you.. Might be a REALLY good idea to stick more of those GORGEOUS pictures there as well cause I KNOW some of these varmints cant read and LOVE to look at pics DEFINITELY looking forward to hearing/seeing more about your new scoot!! CONGRATS YZ = she's a dandy!!

Copy/pasted from this thread: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?133809-2018-Venture-Selling-yet and hope it's ok.. If its not,, one of you lop eared Mod varmints can blame me and just add the xtra probationary time onto my clock - its ok,, Flyinfool needs the company cause I heard thru the grapevine Freebird has him doing double time:happy34:.... FANTASTIC READ!!! THANKS AGAIN yzernie!! """"" I apologize for the delayed reply. New bike, a 1 year old grandson for Christmas, etc, etc. 2018 Yamaha/Star Venture, Transcontinental First impression?...well, it's freakin awesome!! I don't even know where to start, but I'll go front to back... - Front tire...I don't use Bridgestone tires so I was unsure of how it would handle. Not only does it not follow the road snakes but out here in Califreakia they grind the concrete of the freeways parallel with the way you are traveling. There is always two areas right in the tracks that have ridges in them and although they do catch them the 'wiggle' is nothing like the HD Ultra. - Fairing...wind management is way better than my HD Ultra, glove boxes are easy to get to and use on the fly, instrumentation is spot on, speedo seems to be more accurate than past RSV models. - Headlights/Front turn signals...WAY better than the LED lights on my HD. just as bright but put out a better beam pattern. The brights are...well...bright, really bright. The fog lights really help light up the dark spot close to the bike. The turns signals are bright too and have a good visible pattern to the sides too. Bright enough that they light up the reflective road signs really well. - Hand controls...There is a learning curve there because most things are opposite of my HD but after riding for a while the controls are a non-issue. I do wish they hand controls were lighted because at night with thick gloves on there is no way to tell if you are pushing the correct toggle. trial and error I guess!! - Fuel tank...I feel like I am piloting a KC135 Stratotanker but it was easy to get used to the extra width (especially knowing the added distance I'll get out of a tank), the fuel door seems a little flimsy and I fully expect to be reading of people breaking them trying to fuel the bike, especially out here because we have those spring loaded vent hoses on the nozzles. The nozzle will click off before the tank is full and you can easily put in another half gallon of gas. - Rider controls...Excellent. I have some nerve damage in my right wrist and had to raise the bars up a bit to be more comfy for me. I also adjusted the levers to a more comfy position for me. Foot controls are good but I may end up moving the foot brake a little forward but not going to do anything until the billet brake pad comes in. - Infotainment system...Harmon Kardon is also on my HD so I just had to learn the different formatting. Everything that I have used, including the NAV, had worked flawlessly. NAV did seem a little slow when in the city and high rise buildings but I have learned the antennas for both the NAV and XM are buried in the fairing. When they have the fairing off I am going to ask them to relocate both upward and to the front of the bike. No reception issues so far but I'd feel better if they were relocated. - Stereo...It's a Yamaha stereo system. It blows away my HD "Boom Audio" system. Clarity at 25mph or 90mph (so I was told by a friend ) is spectacular. It will go all the way up to the volume limit with no distortion. - Headset plug in...I was amazed to find my HD lower cord worked with the bike. PTT is easy to get to and audio clarity is only as good as your headset. I have used J&M stuff for years and all works very well. I even made a call to the wife while on the freeway and she said the clarity of the call was better than me being in the car or truck. So, all good!! - Seat...The seat is comfy and after 1450 miles it seems to be breaking in just fine. The most comfy motorcycle seat I have ever had was my 2005 RSV and this seat is pretty close to that one. I ordered the taller backrest but I don't have it yet. - Brakes...My HD has linked brakes so the transition was pretty easy. If you are not used to linked brakes there is a learning curve but it's not that bad. I haven't gotten on the brakes real hard but the stopping power is what I expected from Yamaha, smooth and powerful. - Engine...Here is where I really am impressed. First thing I noticed was NO SHAKING at a stop light of stop sign!! I did my first 600 in touring mode and after the service I started playing with the sport mode. What an amazing difference between the modes. In sport mode I took off from a red light and almost ran into the back of the car in front of me...lol. Where it really helps is in slow speed, two up riding. So far, I am averaging 38+mpg but I live in a rural area so just about all of my riding is at highway speeds...55-80mph. - Transmission...Shifting is smooth and even smoother with a few miles on it now. Shifts are crisp and neutral is easy to find when stopped. No whiney trans noise either. - Clutch...Prototypical Yamaha hydraulic clutch, flawless operation. City riding did not show any clutch fade from heat. Shifting did get just a little bit notchy feeling in the city and when it got really hot but I expected that. Nowhere near as bad as my HD. - Final drive...Quiet. I don't have an issue with a belt drive like some do and you don't lose hp/tq to the rear wheel like you do with a shaft drive. - Rear seat...Can't answer that as the wife hasn't been on it yet cause she has been busy and now sick. I refuse to ride homo with my buddy to see how the back seat feels!!! - Storage...HOLY SMOKES, this thing has enough room for small children in the saddle bags. The trunk is caverness and I can easily fit our full helmets in there with room for other things. The USB in the trunk is awesome for charging my phone or iPad while rolling down the road. The right glove box also has a USB cable but with my garage remote Velcro's to the side closest to me there isn't enough room for my phone in there. The glove box is kind of kidney shaped and if I move my remote to the front of the glove box the phone will fit just fine. Going to have the wife make me some felt liners for the glove boxes. - Rear tire...Same as the front I posted above. My only concern is none of the major tire manufacturers have that exact same tire size...yet...200/55R16. It is the same size rear as on the new Goldwings so I'm sure the tire folks are working on getting it out there. There are plenty of manufacturers with 200/60R16 tires out there and I'm sure 1/4" of mounted height won't be an issue. I checked under the rear fender and there would be plenty of room for that size. - Rear lighting...Brighter than the front turn signals when on brake or turn. Lots of light back there but for me riding on the dark rural roads and highways I may add son additional lighting back there. Once I get my service manual and see what kind of amps are available I'll decide what to do. - Antenna's...Not much to the CB/radio antennas. They seem to be doing the job just fine. CB has some static on transmission and receiving and I have traced the ground toward the front of the bike but the tank would have to come up to see where it ends up. Hoping it is just a loose ground as is so common with motorcycle CBs. I am absolutely pleased so far. I'm a realist and know anything with moving parts can have an issue but so far all is well. Plan on putting on many more miles this winter. Doing some personalization and experimenting to the ergonomics of the bike (rider controls, handlebar positioning, windshield) for my liking but this is a damned nice scooter and Yamaha did really well with it. Any questions, feel free to fire them off to me."""""

OUTSTANDING YZ:thumbsup:!!! Very very well done = THANK YOU:thumbsup2: for taking the time to write such an amazing ride/ownership report = it is GREATLY appreciated!! Also = MAJOR CONGRATS ON THE 1 YEAR OLD GRANDSON !!! New bike AND a 1 year old grandchild to celebrate Christmas over = DONT GET NO BETTER THAN THAT!! IMHO, your report deserves it's own thread over in the 3rd Gen section as well as here where you have put it... I hope you dont mind but I think I will copy/paste it over there too.. The Water Hole is really nice for exposure BUT things have a tendency of scrolling out fairly quickly here and getting lost in the shuffle = I would hate to see that happen to our very first genuine owner/operators report on that gorgeous scoot of yours!!! Hope your ok with that!!

,,, NO WAY!! :scared:Get outta here!! I wanna go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT is wayyyyyyyyy awesome brother!! Cannot WAIT to hear the tales, see the ,s and feel the journey Neil!! Ended up back in surgery a while back and heard you had called - THANK YOU for trying to keep up with it all and my bad for not getting back with you thru it all - dont blame Tip - MY FAULT.. That third surg is taking a little more time to get back at it fully BUT I'm making it!!!! Be REALLY really fun to jump on the back of that new Venture with ya (tell everyone we are brothers so they dont think we are weird OR,,, better yet,,, whoever rides on the back wears a wig and we tell everyone we are married :rotf:) and we could give that writer a REAL report on the Venture from both driver and passenger prospective... PLUS,,, we could do a double ironbutt = you sleep/I drive - just like the truck drivers do!!!! CANNOT WAIT TO READ YOUR TAKE @VentureFar = CANT WAIT!!!!! P.S. = TONS of snow here, been BITTER cold and Lake effect @Flyinfool White Wash has almost had us White Washed in on more then one occasion.. THANK GOD for neighbors with snowplows who have plowed us out a couple times while I was down - not as fun as my tractor with the snowblower but SURVIVAL!!!! Your ol brother Puc

Wasnt this today? I thought today was the day for this? Where are the warm stories for us who are buried under mountains and mountains of snowbanks to read and the pictures to look at? What is going on? There is only 52 minutes left in today and then it doesnt matter anymore so you lop eared Canadian loafer varmints better hurry...

I have a Progressive shock on the back of Tweeks.. If I were installing a new one I would adjust the spring preload all the way to max load while off the bike and then back it off as needed once I got it back on the bike.. I found out that its easier to turn that preload ring in a lefty loosey direction then rightsy tightsy when on the bike.. Probably makes very little sense but that is what I would do. All the way tight, install on scoot, load up with riders and gear you will use when touring, set static sag on spring by backing off preload in small increments, get set where you want it while backing off ring, lock it down..

INDEED!! Speaking of @yzernie and his new scoot = hopefully all is well out there and we will soon get the full, real life, genuine ride report of ride reports soon,, unless of course Fool has managed to get a bead on California with that infamous White Washer.. If thats the case we could allllllll be waiting a long time to feel the warmth of those gentle CTFW breezes again:95:

West Michigan must be closer to Japan than other places that are still waiting for the 3rd Gen. Our local dealership has them all in stock and ready to roll!! https://www.babbittsonline.com/inventory/lines/motorcycle/yam/new

Don, Eileen and family: Cheryl and I share our deepest sympathy and condolences at the great loss you suffer from Terry's passing.. We thank our Father in Heaven that in due time, we too will get to meet him and get to know Terry as you folks got to know him before that dreadful disease took his life.. May your family find the peace that only God can provide as each of you work thru the grieving process on the pathway to that great day that is surely coming!! Godspeed Terry - rest in peace. Puc

The over spray here on the down wind side of Fool's launch pad is just amazing = we have just under 3 feet of standing White Wash over spray and no end in sight!!! The Luge, lighted cross country ski trail and Ice Skating rink at the Sports Complex in the State Park just down the street is in a HUGE full swing!! Tip and I even saw some young folks tent camping down there today on the way into town to pick up an RX - God Bless those crazy youngens!!! It is definitely winter BUT = Spring is right around the corner!!!! Enjoy your time of there Mr. Frosty Fool cause it wont be long and the melt down will once again put your evil ways on the run!!!