cowpuc

Great days!!! All well, superman teest rode new vennny, new r1 YAHOOO n vanderhall 3 wheeler. Google it, amazing trike hand built in provo. Met awesome folks from poland, mexico, argintina,, lots to tell,, awesome time! @jakester showed at yam shop, had great time! Also 1 of our new members showed, cant remember his name,, something bat..... anyway, nice guy w wife. Jakester says hi. Am in upstate wyoming right now. Will not make meeting in rapid city tomorrow at noon. Met new friend from missori, just fixed taillights on his motorhome, n tip n i are staying with him, will be nice to sleep off ground says tippy. Soooooo much fun!! Get out n ride! Puc

Yep,, here ya go... These stock a lot of stuff for older scoots.. Most Yam shops wont have and some wont even bother to try and get parts for this older stuff BUT these guys have always done good by me - see pics.. Something to think about? What caliper is leaking? If its the left front and it has not been delinked = that caliper is activated by the rear pedal - if it were mine I would probably just disconnect it and dead head it at the caliper. this will still leave you with front and back brakes.. Right side? Yea... Probably gotta repair.. Personally I would look at replacing it - a good used parts store like Rancho will probably sell a caliper pretty cheap.. Ebay for sure BUT - gonna take some time to chase it in.. Forks,,, if it were mine I would look closely at where it sets in remaining travel with the bike upright, no air in forks and you sitting on the scoot.. If its less than a couple inches from the bottom leg top to the line on the tubes where the fork bottoms I would stick in some Progressive springs - drop in 3/4 inch preload - use NO air to force fluid out - then take an old 35 mm film negative or something similar and clean between the seal and the tube really well.. I had one once that I did exactly what I am talking about - couldnt get one of the seals to stop seeping.. tied rags around the fork leg to capture leaked fork oil and keep it from getting on the caliper - ran er 75k miles like that till I finally lost the crank on that one at just under 250k... I KNOW its a rough call and you want it to be right but,, well,,,,,,, sometimes a mans gotta do what a mans gotta do,,,, just ALWAYS doin whats right by you is the key I reckon... Anyway,,heres the pics,,, glad you made it - would LOVE to see ya on your tour!! Maybe Sturgis.... Gonna be a GOOD one buddy!!

Heyyy,,, Aussman = whats up brother!! Good to hear from you!! Takin by your message here that ya made it state side ok - GLAD TO HEAR IT!! Tire = couple weeks back I was out CTFW on the west coast and swapped on another new tire before heading back to Michigan. I ordered this tire from this supplier; http://www.ebay.com/itm/140-90-16-Shinko-230-Tour-Master-Rear-Tire-/331838243042?epid=171238925&hash=item4d4319c0e2:g:niwAAOSwLF1X2dIO&vxp=mtr for the second time.. First one here in Michigan for the trip out - got here in 2 days!! I stopped at a bike shop in Elk Grove California - said it would take em at least a day to have one.. Other than that = they had nothing in stock. I reordered this same time from this same supplier = Chapparal and had it in my hand in less then 24 hours - FOR 76 bucks!!! Wayyy decent tire for the money too!! Fork and brake parts,, like mentioned, may be harder to turn.. While touring the west coast - I have dealt with a place out there in Rancho Cordova several times and found em to be pretty good,, Bike Recycle or something like that they were called.. Just a second,,, think I got one of their stickers on my scoot - be right back....

Being a SUPER lover of the sciences and a person in search of truth and honesty = Superman has determined to carry his handy Harbor Freight Infrared Laser Thermometer with him to the Rally.. He has read where Mom Yam has found a way to overcome the hot motor issues associated with all air cooled V-Twin motorcycles when used as a touring bike in climates above 100 degrees. Superman and his best friend have a fair amount of touring experience on board the lovely Tweeks, a watercooled 1st Gen Venture which they will also have onsite to compare tempts with against this 3rd Gen Venture that is suppose to turn the touring world upside down. Superman will inquire, while recording the conversation, whether or not the factory reps from Yamaha will allow the new machine to sit with the motor idling next to the lowly Tweeksis (mimicking being stuck in traffic) while Superman takes multiple temp readings from the sides of the motorcycles.. Tip, Tweeks and Puc have experienced first hand on more then one occasion watching air cooled motorcycles and their riders pull off the roadway in search of a shade tree to allow the over heated bikes and riders a chance to cool down - this action is illegal in some states. Another issue that Puc and Tip - mostly Tip - have experienced with HOT MOTORS on motorcycles while out seeking touring adventure in the desert regions have to do with high cross winds blowing hot motor air across Tippys precious legs and feet. In these frequent occasions found in far off places like Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Nevada, California, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and even in Michigan = had it not been for the plastic Blonde side covers found on Tweeks sides (these sticker covered side covers are deeply adored by Puc, Tip and their children because they have been on all 6 of the family Ventures and are from the 1st 1st Gen Puc purchased back in '87 - they have well over 1 million touring miles on them) those adventures would have been cut short and emergency burn treatment sought. With no way to test this particular ailment associated with previous air cooled exposed V-Twin motors in touring settings that Puc n Tip find themselves in at times - Superman will just have to rely on what he finds by comparing tempts in the parking lot between the two machines. Superman also plans to ride the new machine and, hopefully the friendly Yamaha people will allow Puc and Tip to test ride the machine together.. If so, Puc plans on doing some recorded speed pulls at various locations and then go back to those same locations and do a recording of Tweeks making the same pulls.. Tweeks will be at a dreadful disadvantage during this process as she will be fully loaded with all the gear that Puc n Tip carry while actually touring. She - Tweeks - has been known to (on a very frequent basis) easily outrun all and any stock Harleys with no gear on them and only 1 rider so she has no fear.. She has also shown the same temperment when dealing with even well tuned air cooled V-Twin motorcycles including Harleys, Indians, Victorys and the like even though they are much larger then her puny 74 inch displacement - a fact that sometimes causes a grimace to appear upon the face of the riders thereof.. Much like Puc, the Man of Steel is a believer in facts proven to him by experience - he rely's very little on propaganda.. His opinion concerning what constitutes a real touring motorcycle seems to be very similar to that of more than one touring motorcycle rider.. This research about to take place is in no way an attempt to discredit the new Yamaha Venture - as a matter of fact, just the opposite is true. It is simply a bold attempt to determine exactly what purpose the new machine will serve the motorcycling community in. If, in fact,, the reps with Yamaha have been totally honest with the touring community and they have actually found a way to control the tempts on the 113 inch air cooled V-twin motor to the extent that the infra temp gauge shows the temps on the engine to be the same or cooler than on Tweeks plastic then Puc and Tippy will jump up and down in the parking lot with TOTAL amazement at Mom Yams accomplishment and they will be in TOTAL agreement that - indeed - Mom Yam has turned the touring world upside down as they claimed..

Next rear tire mounted and balanced = check Drive pins greased = check Oil changed = check Carbs synced = check Tips xtra rider pegs on = check Maggies forks locked and key in pocket = check Superman suite with cape received from DragonSlayer (WOWZY BOB = AWESOME = THANKS BROTHER = WILL USE ALLL THAT POWER FOR GOOD) and pre-flight inspection done = check Weather report = check,,,, ahhh ohh,, whats that on radar,,, thunderboomers coming in off the Port side Thursday,, depart schedule upgraded to tomorrow - even Superman's eyeballs are sensitive to rain drops bouncing off em!! Short riders agenda briefing: Saturday the 5th at NOON at the Yamaha Shop in Sturgis = 1st Rally point for hello's n hugs - sorry no Hot Dogs for this one = Meet Greet n Eat Meat staff refused to risk going near Sturgis at this time of year!! Sunday the 6th at NOON at Arby's located 1 block south of Interstate 90 on Alt 16. Take Exit 61 off 90 in Rapid City, head south on 16, go one block and Arby's will be on left at North east corner of 16 and Cheyenne. Still no free hot dogs = sissy staff!! It is rumored that Tip, Tweeksis and Puc/Superman will try to be viewable during the Rally at these Web Cams at 10 A.M and 4 P.M. (Sturgis SD time) both Saturday and Sunday the 5th and the 6th of August. ALL welcome to join them in an effort to disperse large amounts of love, joy, laughter and just general good hearted harrassment to those who might be viewing!! Here are the web cams where this will take place.. They are located somewhere in Sturgis = hopefully Supermans xray vision is operating during the above posted time frames so he can find the camera!! Sturgis Street Cam: http://rapidcityjournal.com/webcams/sturgis-street/ and then directly across the road for close ups: http://rapidcityjournal.com/webcams/sturgis-sidewalk/ The 3 of us, Tip-Tweeks-Puc/Superman, plan to take FULL advantage of the cooler weather now present in the western states - when we traveled to the west coast a few days ago 106 was the average temps from MN to Cali,, EVEN UP INTO MONTANA AND YELLOWSTONE!! - we hope to revisit the Flaming Gorge where Wyoming/Colorado/Utah meet.. If the weather holds (stays reasonably cool) and the extended trip happens there is a VERY good chance we will return back to the Rally on our way back in during the middle of the Rally week.. During our recent travels out to the west coast, our cell phone had NO service (strange too because it had fine service when we toured the East coast during June). Due to this, if you are attending the Rally later during the week and/or cannot make one of the VR family gatherings on the 5th or 6th - PLEASE post here in the Water Hole with some form of meeting plan.. We do carry a small tablet (flippin thing is TINY) with us and will attempt to follow/would LOVE to hook up with folks via that communication line.. Now,, to get started with early Sturgis news reporting: Reporter: Clark Kent and Lois Lane All vids/pics property of The Daily Planet The Super saga begins! Within minutes of slipping into his suit - Superman is already undertaking his 1st rescue = = Superman NEVER "yeeehawed" like that when George Reeves wore that suit (start at :32)!!

as the Man of Steel, and his lovely side kick who controls the reins attached to the Cape on Superman's back, prepare to fly to the Sturgis Rally aboard the endlessly enchanting 1983 Yamaha 1st Gen Venture known the world over as Tweeksis - Supermans sensitive ears pick up a cry of distress,,, his response is immediate and as accurate as the aim of his parents who sent him from a galaxy far away to planet EARTH to help all mankind...........

and who disguised as lowly Cowpuc, a tired ol mild mannered 1st Gen Yamaha Venture rider, meekly puts on this Superman suite - loaned to him by his good friend Dragon Slayer - and sets his adventuresome quest aboard his trusty V-4 Tweeksis to do good and bring many smiles to all he encounters!! Calmly in the seens, the true hero of our saga can be heard giggling as she operates the one of kind Krytonic Kamera with shutter speeds fast enough to catch even the unruly Superman!!!! THANK YOU DRAGON SLAYER - YOU DA MAN BROTHER!!!

@Hoss,, Dale you coming in for this one? Bout due for another round of pie brother - hope to see ya if ya make it out!! Hey Bernie,, no idea if your following this,, you get into town would love to see you too brother,,,,,,, hop on that gorgeous Road Glide and shoot over to the Yam Shop!!!

Here is the act of spooning a motorcycle tire on caught on recording by some wacko in Michigan Ty.. If you do go with picking up a set of tire irons (spoons), it always helps (IMHO) to take the new spoons and clean the ends up with a grinder and then sand paper to get a really nice clean taper on the straight end of them.. Also,, the little hook on the end of some of them (I have had my spoons a long time but I think the HF spoons have the hook) are really handy if dealing with tires that cant be heated before mounting (just lay em in the sun for a while).. The "hook" will help get under the edge of the tire.. Also,,, I use to use rim protectors (if your careful you dont need em) in the form of sliced up plastic quart oil jugs = that particular plastic is amazingly soft and works just as good as store bought protectors and you can usually find those quarts in any gas station garbage can if ya need to do an emergency swap on the road.. Learning to swap out ur own tires is a good plan = just in case ya get stranded while out CTFW IMHO...

Sure Dave,, go ahead,,, wave at Flyinfool,,, the big question is,,, can ya get em to wave back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Last time we came thru there he chased us out with buckets and buckets of rain = 7 inches in 24 hours!! Hey Jeff,,, have those skys over there finally cleared up?

Tip, Tweeksis and I will gobble one up and spit one out in honor of you and Sugar bro!!! Matter of fact,,,,, if I can remember (been having small issues with this these days) I will even record a short vid and scream "this ones for you Brown Sugar" as we surf in and out of the Sturgis Pylons out there that happen to be in the shape of a "V" :guitarist 2:

Ol Pucster is only at about 5% on getting his video blog of this months California tour up,,, at this rate I am gonna have to take a month off from this wearing out rear tires just to get caught up on my pics...... Oh well,,, guess thats what retirement is alllll about - sooo many tales to tell and so little time to tell em.. WASNT TALKIN ABOUT ME Bob!!! Was on about the "normal" Rally rider out there.. As for yours truly = right there with ya = stop in and see those Yammin guys every time I hit the rally = gotta make sense of it all somehow!!! ROCK ON BROTHER = she's a DANDY!! Definitely worth holding up traffic in the middle of Wyoming for I tell ya!! Folks can say what they want about The Motor Company but I gotta say = they do have AWESOME accessory clothing AND wowzy - do they have GORGEOUS scoots IMHO... Among other things = NO ONE - and I mean NO ONE paints motorcycles like HD .. I picked up a brand new left over Concord Purple wide glide back in 01 for resale.. The Gold HD emblem on the tank looked like it was embedded miles into the purple color around it = just GORGEOUS!! Someone in those HD walls has some REAL talent = no doubt about it!!

Actually there is some possibilty of some truth to all this.. My Grandmother and Grand Father were from down yonder.. She was part Native American "Cherokee" from down there and WOWZY did she look the part.. My great grandma even more so.. Got a little southern blood happenin up here in Michigan because they had to come this way wayyyy back in the late 30's in search of work so yep,,, we may not of even of needed those Canuckian Goosers to actually be related

All but the last one should be easy peasy Slayer,, that staying out of trouble business has never been an easy task for me... Speaking of that,,,, from your experience = once I put the suite on do you know if bending county jail cell bars become a natural thing for the person wearing the "S"?

The Man of Steel will pick up a few of those huge hay bales seen dotting the prairie out there and form a changing room just for the occasion of when he needs to remove his suite of armor..

TOTALLY AWESOME MIRIDER = CONGRATS TO YOU AND THAT PRECIOUS BETTER HALF OF YOUR = TIP AND I BEEN HAVING A BALL MESSING WITH "BIRDY"(my nickname for him) WHO IS NOW 6 MONTHS OLD = YOU TWO HAVE THE RICHEST BLESSING OF ALL!!! Give that little one a hug and a gentle kiss on the forehead for us brother!! As far as the rally,, we will probably not be in town longer than a couple days. If the weather stays cooler like it is, we are hoping to return to southwest Wyoming to retour the flaming gorge BUT - if we do that there is a really good chance we will hit the Rally end on our way back in.. We just did the West Coast and gotta tell ya,, as soon as we left Michigan our cell was done and it didnt return until we got back on this side of the lake while crossing on the Ferry.. Literally, NO phone service.. Was REALLY strange because we have used Trac Phone like we have in the past in off kilter places like Yellow Stone and it worked fine - we were in Yellow Stone on our way home a week or so back and NOTHING = NADA = DEAD!!! A couple of times the phone did read "roaming" but 99% of the time = NO SERVICE! It sounds like Jakester may have some inside info on what was wrong? If this it case and its fixed then by all means = PLEASE call and leave a message AND send me a text to my cell!! Do so regardlessly PLEASE!! Its worth a shot =would LOVE to see you folks out there!! Have a FUN and SAFE journey Dave and Sue,,, Candy,, you listening? You take care of those two varmints ya hear? Mind your manners out there in Hog Heaven - dont you be getting distracted with all those GORGEOUS Harleys buzzin around ya!! Hey Bill - you heard something or know something about why our phone wasnt working out there earlier this month? Got that right brother!! We been watching the cooler weather FINALLY roll in and if it stays like this = OUTSTANDING RIDE TIME!! I/we do VERY little touring of the Black Hills during the Rally Casey for probably EXACTLY the reason you hide out!! Wayyyyy to many crazies and wayyyyy to many bikes to be able to do the Hills any form of rightgeous touring = those 4 hour lines waiting to even get into Keystone are insane = definitely NOT my style.. Being in the area though, it would be AWESOME to say wassup and all that... Wonder if moving our Sunday rally point over your way,,, say NOON at the Arby's on the 16 Byepass just off "90"? It would be exit 61 off "90" and then south one block to the corner of Elgin/Cheyenne and 16. ARBYS is on the north east corner of that intersection = very very easy to find!! Here is a link to the spot of which I speak: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.0944953,-103.1513719,267a,35y,44.96t/data=!3m1!1e3 If this is good with all,, then we have a rally point on Saturday at noon = Yammy shop in Sturgis and another rally point on Sunday at noon = Arby's in Rapid City, exit 61 = south one block to Arby's.. Sound good gang???? South Dakota will never be the same once the Man Of Steel appears on the scene... Hey Bob,,thinking out loud here,,, lets toy around some on the internet and see if we can come up with the Sturgis street cams.. If so and we can identify exactly where they are, the Man of Steel will do some fly by's at predetermined times so you (and any one else who is interested) can see your 2 dollar investment in ACTION :superman:

+3 Tip, Tweeksis and Puc will probably be tossing the tent down on this spot known as Puc's Place: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.4463427,-103.3799381,128a,35y,45t/data=!3m1!1e3 Although much quieter and less expensive than most camps, it is the deluxe area with bikes passing by in the distance on their way to and from the large campgrounds, cool South Dakota prairie breezes and other places of interest during the rally such as the town of Sturgis.. All welcome to camp there if needed,, if the 3 of us dont show up sometime during the night cause we got caught up in some distracting goings on (that happens at the rally,, a lot) just help yourself to the soft alfalpha mattress that grows over the Horse, Buffalo and Cow puc in that location.. Jakester,, lets try meeting at the Yamaha Shop in Sturgis again like we did last time,, would LOVE to see you folks = here is a shot of the joint for anyone looking for it - it should appear dead center of your puter screen -https://www.google.com/maps/@44.4168002,-103.5365433,125a,35y,45t/data=!3m1!1e3 !! Sayyy,, shoot for Noon on Saturday? Then lets plan another one,, same time = Noonish on S7unday in case any of us are unable to make Saturdays... Sounds like the 18's are gonna be at the Rally for testing,,, if Mom Yam sets up in the parking lot and things are overwhelming (cant imagine that being the case - in allll my years of hittin the rally - I dont EVER remember a time when folks showed the least interest in anything not domestic V-Twin) we could use the Burger King across the road and back toward town for an alternative meeting area.... FYI - we rolled thru the area twice this month on the scoot on the way to and from the west coast.. Our phone had NO service the whole time we were gone for some reason - its a Trac Phone - and did not recover until we got back to Michigan.. Polaris has a new Indian dealership right after you get into town on Lazell St. The actual dealership is one road back from Lazell - AWESOME shop if anyone is into the new Indians.. Since that little chicken joint on Lazel that always held their prices down during the rally closed up, the closest decent chicken is at KFC in Spearfish.. Usually not busy.. If you wanna find me/us during feeding frenzy time - might check there... Its a ways out there,, definitely more than a day ride but Tip and I found out about The Flaming Gorge area on our way out this month.. If your coming to the rally from the west and have time,, ya gotta drop down on 191 off 90 and tour that area,,, WOW is it GORGEous!! If this cooler weather holds up (it was 107 out there earlier this month and that hot tarmac still EATS tires by the way) the 3 of us may very well head back over there for some more fun in that area.... Also,, I believe Aussie is on his way from down under to tour the States and is planning on hitting the rally.. Aussie,, PLEASE look us up if your in the area - would LOVE to make your aquaintence.. Matter of fact,, I will try and hit the Yamaha Shop parking lot at noon when ever possible (besides Saturday and Sunday mentioned earlier) as a rally point in hopes of meeting you.. Will also do the same after dark - sayyy,,,, 10pm during the rally.. Hopefully you made it in country and all is good with the scoot your buddy grabbed for you!! Cant think of anything more at this time,, will add to this thread if anything comes to mind concerning the rally!!!! Gonna be fun!! See ya soon Jakester - and any and all of you lop eared varmints out there !!! Puc,,,,, Tip,,,, and Tweeks too!! P.S. THANKS for posting this thread Jakester!!

Oh yea,,, THANK YOU for the offer and thought of doing so no matter how this works brother = YOU da man,, the REAL SUPERMAN!!!

Yea like all the wayyyy to Sturgis and back!!:thumbsup::big-grin-emoticon: You get it here,,,,, your ol buddy Superman 2 WILL provide LOTS of creative spots n shots of :superman::superman::superman: Of course,, as always,,, I am TOTALLY open to suggestions but one of mine that comes to mind is the annual "Tweeks blowing of the Harley's away" :superman::superman::witch_brew: Look,, out on the road to Dead Wood,, its turd,,, its a shame,,,,,,, noooo,, its Superman on his trusty sticker covered 1st known as Tweeksis.. able to leap frog over putzy V-Twins twice their size and faster than a .45 Caliber speeding bullet that has bounced twice off the pavement in front of them,,,,, Superman and his trusty sleeper rocketship have placed the Sturgis area in their sights.. Could it be that the mild manner reporters known as Puc and the lovely Lois Tippy have come to area to remove the Dead weight from the town of Dead Wood? Or to single handedly straighten those formidable curves down in the canyon known as Spearfish?? Or is it as simple as they may be looking for a free piece of pie when Superman walks into the Blue Line Diner after making the long - 26.2 mile - flight to Newell South Dakota.. Stay tuned,, this could get very very interesting:banana::banana::banana:

Actually we came home today from CTFW in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to a house with NO hot water!! Been up working on the goofy thing,, got it going again BUT I think I am gonna have to find a new Thermostat for it.. Its a Natural Gas model, our house has no holes thru the roof for vents and stuff - everything is plumbed out thru exterior walls - really really nice BUT = the water heater and furnace have to have blowers on them to move the bad air out.. Came home and the poor blower on the water heater was steaming along blowing out perfectly good air cause the thermostat failed and the burner wasnt doing nuttin.... Always something I tell ya,,, always something!! Hey Snype,, why dont you engage that genuise brain of yours and invent a completely maintentance free home for us geezers?

Funny you should ask,, my eyyye liddssss are gettin really really hea:draming::draming:

Starts on the Saturday of the first full week of August each year and runs thru the week.. This years start date is the 4th of August..

Treasures abound on the floor of a really good Wyoming Gun Range and this one clearly proved this to be so!! A few days later and my Grandsons and Son In Law would be sitting around at a table in California taking their best shot (pun intended) at guessing the Caliber of each of these treasures as they dismantled them.. Even later than that, after we returned to Michigan the only child that I have that has real interest in the art of shooting, my youngest daughter, would give me a "high five" and a huge AWESOME DAD as it became clear to her just exactly what my twisted creative mind had come home with this time = SHE LOVED THIS TREASURE!! See if you recognize the caliber any of these empties!!!!

While the area where our tent would soon reside and sleepy eyes would soon meet with the sweet dreams that only a long hard day in the saddle can produce did not produce and cowpuc for me to step it, it did produce a lop eared varmint for me to yak with just before bedtime..

Having gotten caught in the mountains during a healthy rain in the past,, we pretty much knew it wasnt something we were looking forward to.. That said, the search for somewhere or something to hide our little blue motel under for the night was on!! There are no abandoned gas station overhangs, no bridges or barns up here - only miles and miles of twisty, slippery roads to contend with.. Then,, all of sudden,, out of nowhere appears the PERFECT mountain camping spot!!