cowpuc

Hey BJ = COOL!! Building on your information about the Diner in Newell - got another idea:lightbulb:. I know at least one of our gang is an official Iron Butt Rider, I wont mention any names cause I dont know for sure if he is also a pie eater (are you a pie eater @VentureFar) ? Anyway BJ, it would be fun to have an official, 1st annual, BJ's Pie Butt Ride from Sturgis to that Blue Line Diner in Newell. Due to my expert ability with directions and my built in internal compass, if the participants wanted me to I would be more than willing to lead them across South Dakota to that great pie in the sky event, I am very good with directions and all that. Taking some known short cuts that I know, it shouldn't take us more than a few hours to find the place OR,, we could hook up with you and you could lead us (by bike, by car, by truck or by boat) to, THE PIE:fatsmiley:!!! With a little coaxing and a small amount of reverse psychology (if that doesnt work, a hug from Tippy and one of her pretty little "ohhh come on you guys - it will be fun" smiles always seems to do the job).. I am pretty certain either I can talk Venturefar into doing this or he can talk me into it (thats the reverse psychology part) .. Now the rest of these fine folks who I am hoping to meet out there:fingers-crossed-emo, not sure but I kind of take them as a bunch of pie eating lop eared varmints anyway who, now that you have posted this, hopefully dont eat all the pie before we get there:big-grin-emoticon: Sure hope those 1 million plus Harley Riders know what they are in for!!! THANKS FOR THE FOLLOW UP BERNIE!!

YOU and that side kick of yours are more than welcome for the advice Doug!! Glad you two had what sounds like a FANTASTIC ride and are safe at home full of AWESOME memories:clap2:! Thanks for the update and the ride report, looking forward to seeing some of those pictures Son-shine!!! Dad

Sorry to read this Po! Soooo glad you are ok. All the best in getting that gorgeous scoot back on her feet and, most of all - HEALING FULLY AND QUICKLY!! Prayers Up and Blessings Down!! Puc

AWESOME PB!!! :clap2::dancefool: Thanks for updating us, WITH PICS (us Michiganders seem to catch on pretty easily, even to unwritten rules like - ) ,,, you did us Michiganders right for showing the rest of these lop eared out of state varmints how this is suppose to be done,, THAT'S SHOWIN EM PB!! Again,, sorry we missed you folks.. In all fairness and in my own defence,, I really gotta blame the whole mishap on Orlin's goat = Moe.. Moe fell in love with Tweeks and Tweeks took a real liking to the bearded lop eared varmint.. Once that happened, every time I would appear to be headed toward Tweeks to leave Orlin's MD and head toward the bridge, Moe would come over and nudge the front pocket of my jeans with his horns,, then get a smile on his face as if to say "one more move and I am putting my horns in action" (its true,, ask Frodo - he will tell you).. At any rate,, I am glad you folks had a really really good ride and got over here to see some of this side of Michigan.. Looks to me like you really did not need a guide as you certainly picked some awesome roads and camping areas!!

Hi JF and WELCOME to the greatest show on earth!! Fool is correct, I have done a fair amount of short shifting these ol Yammers thru the years.. Matter of fact, "Tweeks" - my current 83 that FlyingFool is talking about is actually my 5th one that I will have worn out having owned them since 87.. She will also be the 3rd one of those 5 who dropped 2nd gear with less than 50k on them and that I have done the short shift routing out well past 200k.. Personally,, if I were you I would do just as you are speaking of with no fear of tranny issues caused by the short shift.. Only thing I advise is to not concern yourself with the abandonment idea (dont ever use those words around your bike - these ol Yam's have ears like a and you might be setting yourself up for some real surprises), instead plan on riding the bike out till it is worn out and can go no more.. Then come back on here in ten years or so and tell us how bad you feel about having to leave your best friend in a far off land:crying: Ok, words of advice on how to get to where your going and do so quite possibly many times over.. If it still has the stock water pump replace it with the updated aluminum one. If it does not have the updated stator with the oil squirter bolt and splash plate go that. Follow the stator leads up to the terminal behind the left side cover - remove the terminal and hard wire the stator. Carry an extra used fuel pump in your maintenance department. Pull the headlight, see all the relays in there? Unplug them one at a time, clean the terminals and light coat the male end of the terminal body with dialectric grease to fight moisture. Take a close look at the fuse box on top of the battery, usually they are shot. You can easily build a spade fuse connector for each one of those fuses - did Tweeks many years ago and still working fine having them on a pig tail. There are a few guys on here who are wayyyyy ahead of the ball game on actual fuse box replacement if you wanna go that way but what I am talking is wayyy cheap. Break down the front and rear wheel assemblies, fresh pack bearing areas and grease splines. If you are gonna stick on new tires - replace valve stems. Start out with new plugs and a fresh carb sync. Use 20/50 weight oil, Autozone can get cheap filters - about 5 bucks. It is normal for the calipers on the scoots to become sticky after not being used for long periods. Pull the calipers, remove the pads, push the pistons out to the same distance as the thickness of the pad surfaces so the piston dont come all the way out, take a strip of cloth - clean the pistons real good (little brake fluid on cloth strip will make em shine) and squeeze em back in.. No rebuild usually necessary if ya keep em clean.. Remove seat, pull fuel guage sending unit, look in tank for rust. If its clean GOOD FOR YOU.. RUsty tanks cause lots of problems.. Open saddle bags, remove cover on locking mech, spray internal slides with white grease or synthetic chain lube = better than breaking keys trying to open bags. also lube all key mechs. Get cheapy cable luber - type that clamps on cables. LUBE throttle cables with synthetic bike chain lube.. Been doing this for years and have only replaced one throttle cable.. Also lube speedo drive at speedo.. Keep your oil level between half and 3/4 on the site glass while bike is resting on tires and held upright, cuts down on aspiration..

Hey Kev, thank you for well wish on our country's 4th and CONGRATS to you and your lovely bride on your 33rd - THAT is AWESOME!!:dancefool::dancefool::clap2::clap2: And be sure and tell Lori :Happy Birthday::group cheers:

That thar is called a womens version of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwqMKf7r7Xg

That was AWESOME CEC!!! :clap2::clap2::thumbsup: THANK YOU!! PS,, I still think Lucille Ball looks a lot like Miss Kitty from Gunsmoke but,, what do I know...

You have absolutely NOTHING to apologize for AT ALL Van,, as a matter of fact - I THOUGHT THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL = THANK YOU for taking the time to put this all in MY/OUR language!! Very very well said!!! Thanks again also to everyone, whether you have responded here or not I can "feel" the supportive love, thoughts and concern and it is greatly appreciated!! There is NOTHING like the warmth of a family when it comes to working thru stuff like this!!!

I LOVE those great big ol V-4 motored Suzy's, they were so far ahead of the game back in the day that it wasnt even funny!! Running sons a guns with every option known to man.. They did however have one small issue that if not addressed, could create problems.. There is a plug in the end of a shaft that is internal of the forward bevel gear that liked to pop out (it was just a "cap" from the factory) causing the forward bevel gear case to loose its lube contents and run dry. Problem was that it leaked internally and no sign of the cap coming loose was noticable externally and, because of this, most times by the time it was found it was to late to spare some expensive damages.. The fix was machining a small plug out of aluminum just a few thou larger the shaft I.D. - tearing the forward bevel apart - popping the orginal cover before it failed and driving the new plug into the shaft.. SOunds radical but this is the surest fix.. They were not around long enough for any form of recall to be established (that I know of) and therefore, there is no real way of knowing whether or not the bike you are speaking of has had the malady addressed.. Not knowing whether or not that has been taken care of and KNOWING from experience how difficult it can be to find parts for those gorgeous old scoots should you ever need to replace tired things like intake manifolds, or stator, or fuel pump, or igntion trigger coil, or rebuild a caliper or on and on (those scoots were only made a couple years) I would advise shying away from it... Of course,, please know that I am TOTALLY understanding if your friend doesnt take that advice because, well because I could never shy away from such a great adventure either..

Heyyyyyy you lop eared Australian varmint - wishing you the HAPPIEST, MOST BESTEST, MOST FANTASTICO BIRTHDAY EVER!!!!! :group cheers::group cheers::group cheers::Happy Birthday::group cheers::Happy Birthday::Happy Birthday: OH YEA,, AND HERE IS ANOTHER ONE JUST CAUSE I WANTED TO!! Happy Birthday Quickstep! Your ol pal Puc!!

I have never owned a 2nd Gen so take that into consideration when reading my response here Rick. All of my "info" comes from a little experience with the first gens.. Sounds to me like your grind sound may very well be as a result of your recent brake job.. May look your caliper and new pads over very closely for any rub marks. Also look at the little metal keepers that hold the pads static - the ones that ride on top of the pads. I am always amazed at how much crud will build up where the pads meet the caliper, I always take a fairly good sized flat file and clean up the surfaces where the brake pads themselves rest against the bottoms and sides of the caliper. I also check the new pad backings for excessive paint. Another thing I always do is hold the new pads upside down against the pistons and force the pistons out to just over the distance of the new pad surface with the brake pedal. Then I will take a strip of clean rag (have used a slice of my tee shirt if its an on the road service), put a small amount of brake fluid (or carb cleaner) on the rag, wrap it around the exposed piston so I can pinch the ends of the strip so the strip is now tight around the piston, rotate it back and forth to clean the pistons, then squeeze the pistons back in.. Another thing is making sure the washer that rides between the swing arm and the caliper mount is in the right place so the caliper is lined up correctly if you had removed the axle on pad replacement - you didnt happen to do the rear tire at the same time you replaced the brakes did you? A very very small amount of rotor contact any where on that caliper will make a LOT of scraping noises.. Sorry to hear about you folks road problems, hoping it all works out and it now turns into the best trip ever my friend!!

There is a word in the Dictionary that describes what you will become if you pursue the path you are talking about Lenny,,, lets see here,, oh yea - here it is,,, ADDICTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEE BE WARNED AND INDEED,, THAT @VentureFar IS FOR SURE - ONE COOL CAT!!!

Duey, thank you for sharing that, please pass on to your friend and his family that they are on my prayer list too and THANKS again for your Prayers Up on our behalf too!! Not at all Blue, thanks for asking.. I figure that maybe sharing will help another person in our family (or anywhere for that matter) who finds themselves struggling with similar health issues as I have been going thru... I ended up at a Urologist because a recent E-Room visit showed traces of blood in my urine.. My PSA had been creeping up for a while now so the Urologist thought best to biopsy my prostate as long as he had me under for doing the Bladder scope anyway.. They found the cancer in my prostrate. The Urologist called the day after the tests to inform us of the cancer and wanted to move me to a 1 hour appointment in the near future (instead of the scheduled 15 minute followup). This all happened 2 days ago. I have a daughter who is a pathologist who is personally digging into the stuff to see what kind of cancer it is and all that (loading her guns to help her ol papa), then she hopes to be here for our followup with the Urologist to assist in option selection.. I am very very impressed with how open and co-operative the hospital is being with sharing info with my daughter and her colleagues - THAT is awesome!! One of my daughters immediate concerns is that nothing has been mentioned (was only a 2 minute phone conversation with the Urologist) about the original findings of blood in my urine. Apparently, the "normal" course for Prostrate Cancer patients does not necessarily include blood in the urine.. Have not had the follow up yet so I am not sure what else they did/did not find BUT, anyone reading this - I have found out from my daughter and many other folks that most prostrate related cancers are very slow growing (not all though - some can be pretty aggressive - many "types" of cancers I guess) and that most older males will have prostrate cancer if they live long enough (not that I would wish ANY form of cancer on ANYONE = I find NO solace in knowing I am not alone in this).. Another interesting point of alllll this stuff is still the question of how it does/doesnt relate to the run down "feelings" I have been having since last summer.. The only reason I am even functional at this time is because of a small amount of Prednizone I am currently taking - stuff is amazing.. Apparently Pred is a synthetic adrenaline. I also have an appointment coming up with a Endocronologist (sp) - the folks who study gland functions - and will be seeing if, among other things, Prostrate GLand issues can interact with the Adrenal Gland.. Now, all that said,, something really cool is going on thru all this stuff,, little by little these doctors are fixing me up one step at a time.. I suspect that when its all said and done I will be a new man (I am running out of specialist doctors to have them fix something ),, I predict a very young feeling Puc full of peee and vinegar again who will probably be a real problem around here cause when I feel good I really dont mind doing a small amount of healthy :witch_brew::stirthepot::stickpoke: THANK YOU AGAIN EVERYONE FOR YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS.. Like many many of you family members on here - I KNOW ultimately God has it all under control and, like everything else in life thru the years - THAT is the ultimate comfort!! Keep the faith brothers and sisters!! Puc

Not for a young desert rat like Coff Fool,, he sucks up that dry desert heat like a kid with a glass of Kool Aid!!! Glad you made it safely in Coff, can totally relate to the way that hot tarmack eats tires - cept never experienced it on a scoot pulling a trailer.. It sure seems like it wouldnt help in the tire wear department.. How many miles did you get out of that tire?

If it wasn't for our freedom, where would we all be? How would we be living, in a land that wasn't free? Would people like Adolf Hitler, have us bowing every day, to his every whim and holler, would the skies always be gray? If men like that freak Bin Ladin, with his twisted thoughts and plans, saw their wicked dreams come true, what would happen to our lands. Another "4th" is now upon us, our Independence to proclaim, something to remember, the price of freedom is no game. Men have died and gave it all, so you and I could share. In a life filled with promise, free from evils stare. When those fireworks are glaring because tomorrow is the day. Remember what they stand for, God Blessed The U.S.A.!! Wishing you ALL the very best 4th of July EVER!! Puc

Thanks a gazzilion family,, a more tender hearted loving group of lop eared varmints there never ever has been!! I/we really appreciate all your support in thoughts and prayers while we are with all this stuff!! We will know a lot more in the near future and will keep you all abreast of things as they unfold - hang around, this could get really interesting..

Heyyyyy,,, Slayman,, wassup bro!! Long time no have seen!! back brother:group cheers:,, missed ya!! Just to bring ya up to speed: Silver tossed YammerDan and we are waiting for him to heal. We finally gotta break from the cause Fool hadda go get his heart fixed. EagleEye stayed a night with us and brought Tip and I some REALLY good Wisconsin Cheese and some AWESOME home brewed eggs. Squidley and Sweet Nothin (totally a wrong name for that lady IMHO) made a surprise attack at Don's MD, the Squid came over and stayed over night with us. He is a little crazy - really smart and very kind hearted but still kinda crazy from my spective.. I bought Dan some tickets at MD and he won a new tank bib for his smashed 2nd Gen. Monty won the big raffle - some kind of a modern day camera thing that I wonder if he will ever figure out how to work it.. Last I saw him Freebird was trying to splain to him how it works - cause of that - doubt we will ever see any pics from it. Speaking of MD in Ohio - biggest bunch of lop eared trouble makers ya ever did see in your whole life (aint telling you nothing ya didnt know - you probably know those folks farrrrr better than I).. Only thing missing was Slayman's humor.. Sold Olivia - the old warbike - to pay medical bills. The guy that bought her brought her to a MD dinner thing and I got to ride her again.. Starfan and Gretta brought me some gorgeous stickers from a place called "Iceland" - TWEEKS LOVES HER NEW ICELANDIC FLAG STICKER.. We had to push start SlowRoll's bike to get it to start down there, I was lazy and just watched the pushing and video taped it for you.. A bunch of us got really really wet down there.. Tooch and Eagleeye also had spills on the way out of MD - they faired better than Dan but their scoots needed fixin.. Rode over to a place called Viraqua Wisconsin for another MD - place is AWESOME! Another really good friend of mine named Orlin and his precious wife named Sharon put on that MD. Should see where they live!! TALK ABOUT AWESOME!! Made friends with a REAL lopped eared varmint named Moe - he is really cool - fell in love with Tweeks cause of her horns and even peed on her - guess animals do that kind of thing to mark their territory or something.. One of the guys (Kenny) attending the MD had a thing called a "Color Tune" = wayyyyyyyy cool!! Basically a spark plug with a window into the combustion chamber. LOTS OF FUN!! Guys at Orlin's told us we needed to ride the Wildcat while over there. Kenny - the guy the color tune also had a thing called a map , all those guys showed us exactly how to get there on the map thingy - very very tough directions but we finally found it!! It was AWESOME - kind of a short version of the Dragon.. Matter of fact that whole area reminded Tip and I of the Appalacians that you and I love riding so much.. Came home and found out I have Cancer.. Now we are CTmedicalFW as well as normal everyday CTFWing... Oh,, forgot,, you may not know what CTFW is? It stands for "Chasing The Front Wheel" = something you are very very very well versed at!! Hope that helps answer your question of wassup. Glad your back and you at least have something to ride.. Sounds like your buddies bike is just dieing to get the socks run off her,,, you of all people know how to fix that:cool10: Welcome home Bob!! Your ol buddy Puc

I gotta go with Gary on that thought.. Gotta be a way to Baggerize a wing by yanking the trunk, have the seat you want, all the accessories of a Wing like the cruise PLUS, and its a HUGE plus,, if you ever end up wanting to put the trunk back on for over the road touring it will be sitting in storage waiting for you!! Cant imagine what it would cost to buy a trunk to convert an F6 but I bet it aint cheap!!

OUTSTANDING JD = CONGRATS!!! PS, now that we know someone who has a special touch with Mother Yamaha could you do me a favor? Call her back and gently inquire about the possibility of an all new V-4 Venture:big-grin-emoticon: PS - PS,, THANK YOU Mother Yamaha for taking such good care of our friend!!:thumbsup: PS - PS - PS,, could you please pass that same phone number on to me.. I would really like to call Mother Yamaha and inquire about the second gear in my 83 with 300k miles on it that lost its second gear back at 40k - it has no stamp mark on it indicating that it was updated under warranty, I have been short shifting all this time. I would really like to hear their response..

You, your family and that gorgeous new scoot are more than welcome AZ!!

:clap2::clap2::dancefool::dancefool::dancefool::clap2::clap2: AZ AND WELCOME TO THE FAMILY YOU GREAT BIG GORGEOUS BLACK AND RED HONDA WING!!!!

After what seems like FOREVER, we may be onto something significant concerning my health.. I had a recent study (last Monday) of my urinary functions (due to finding blood in my urine) and the Urologist called today and announced they found Cancer. It was a very very short phone conversation, basically telling us that my upcoming 15 meeting with him would be cancelled and moved to an hour appointment to discuss options. I have a daughter who is Pathologist and is deeply involved in fighting cancers. Of course we immediately contacted her to get a heads up on stuff. She asked that I contact the hospital here and get her in the loop.. I cant go into to much detail here but I will say, I was shocked at how open to sharing of information the hospital where I had the surgery done was = extremely co-operative. One of the last things Cappy (biker name for my daughter) asked me about was "how ya doing emotionally Poppers" to which I replied, its a double edged sword sweetheart - I am sure no one wants cancer but at least someone found something that may be causing these ongoing symptom's.. I have an Endocronogist (sp:confused24:) appointment coming up very soon who, I am sure, will be about this recent finding.. My family doctor continues to say that I am very very special because of all the surprise complications that I keep popping up with,, I keep telling her to tell me something new... And I thought that 22 hour straight thru ride from Michigan to Florida a few years ago was a long one:backinmyday:,,,, biggest difference,, THAT was a lot more fun!!! I know this is all getting old but I/we appreciate all thoughts and prayers as we continue CTmedicalFW!!!! Thanks gang!! Puc

What I dont like about Honda 1800 Gold Wings: Nothing,, I like them... What I like better about Tweeks: 1. I can leave the key's in her any where I go cause she can take care of herself.. If someone actually decided to steal her - when they hit second gear in an intersection and fell over because there is no functional second gear, Tweeks and I would sit on the curb, point and laugh at the offending thief and then she would leave her mark :255:across his legs.. 2. Tweeks loves kids, old people and animals (especially Goats - just found that out).. She loves to have people sign her so her and I can have memory conversations during the cold winter months when the Fool is practicing his silly games.. She also likes animal smells like rotting antlers and goat pee and has never complained about my funny smells after a week of riding with no shower.. 3. The ups and downs of the economy has never had any effect on the resale value of Tweeks, she has always been worth the cost of a bus ticket back to Michigan from anywhere in the lower 48.. If this ever changes I will have to hitch hike back home in the event of a non-repairable break down - if this happens I will have more time while hitch hiking to recall all the great memories Tweeks and I had together.. This would actually result in an increase in her value = cant lose!! 4. Concerning the probably of breaking down because Tweeks is getting really really tired. It has come to my attention that breaking down, although not really something any of us look forward to - me included, does have its positive side affects. As the two of us age (Tweeks and I - Tippy continues to get younger as time goes on), for some reason (maybe its pity) people seem to really enjoy rescuing us and the two of us end up with new really really really good friends.. A perfect example of this was the "TEXAS INCIDENT" = many friends for life came from that.. 5. 1%ers, thugs, robbers, bandito's, gangs, drug dealers, homeless people, USDA people, DNR, FFA, FAA, Postal Workers, Police Officers and even Burger King Managers leave us alone when we camp out behind bushes.. It just seems like they read us as harmless, non threatening types (they are reading me right but they really dont know Tweeks) and we get away with farrrrrrr more than anyone riding any other motorcycle could ever get away with.. Beggars end up offering us food.. 6. Tweeks makes every other motorcycle on the road look really really nice. This quiet humbleness on her part is something I greatly appreciate. In a day and age when intense beauty is very important to so many people, it makes me very proud to be riding an old scoot that has such a servant's heart that makes those other folks attempts at having a gorgeous machine that much easier. 7. Tweeks is at her best in dry desert temps, doesnt care for rain and detests being cold.. Matches my personality perfectly. 8. Tweeks likes to keep moving and not stop for hours and hours and hours while riding in the high, dry desert temps. Matches my personality perfectly. 9. Tippy and Tweeks have something going on. Some kind of a girly connection. Tweeks has developed an attitude about starting properly if I try to sneak off without Tippy in her seat. She also has a way of contacting the weather god's if I am successful in sneaking off for a ride without Tippy and it will rain - guarenteed.. 10. Tweeks like me to sing Willie Nelson songs to her while we travel. Go figure...

WOW ZZZZZ WOW WOW WOW IS THAT GORGEOUS PATTI AND DON!!!! CONGRATS TO BOTH OF YOU!!! Looking forward to bumping into you folks out on the highways and biways! Drive safe and enjoy the gorgeous path of living large that lies before you!!! Awesome,, just plain awesome!!