cowpuc

Indeed, I had 1974 CJ5 back in the 70's that was a HOOT. Little 258 6 banger, got rid of the cast iron intake/exhaust - small Holley and strapped on a set of "6=8" split headers, 14" wide Mudders on 10" rims. 4 inch lift,,, lots and lots of fun.. I will say this though,, I also had a little mid 60's IH Scout with a little 4 cylinder in it. Although it was an ugly little sucker, was horrible above 45 mph - it did come with lockers front and rear right from the factory and did go thru the woods. Had real tall skinny tires and full skid plate under it to slide on. Even had the "jacking tag" inside the glove box with huge warnings about making sure all tires were off the ground when swapping tires cause you could pull the rig off the jack by spinning lug nuts off on a raised wheel.. Had a friend who owned a 60's Toyota Land Cruiser that was a pretty amazing rig in itself. That thing won most of the hitch to hitch pulling contests we had (we were always screwing around having peeing contest than too) but it had its hands full with that ugly little Scout...

Battery or simply battery connections - maybe got a little corrusion happening under the terminals that attach to the battery. I am curious about the blown fuses in the first place - I suppose that could have happened from maybe hard amp pull from the starter with a low battery condition (never mind me Barry - just thinking out loud here.. Like already mentioned, pull the battery - when doing so always remove the negative cable first and when reinstalling the battery replace the negative last (remind me to show you my ring finger next time I see you to help explain why). When you get the battery home, unless its a gel battery, there should be a way to access the cells (even no maintenance batts can usually be opened) Open it up and check the acid levels - look inside each cell with a flashlight and make sure the acid is at least covering all the plates. Use distilled water to refill if necessary. Stick on a battery charger and see if it will take a charge.. Barry, there are some fairly simple ways to check the bikes charging system using an ohm meter. Rather than explaining it in text, I am attaching a short video. I know its a car system but our bikes are the same principle.. If you dont have an ohm meter, HF sells em really cheap - well under 10 bucks (I think a bought a couple last year for 2.50 with coupon - GREAT add on to the maintenance department on your bike). If I were there, you and I would head over to Felix's RSV, stop and grab a burger cause we are always hungry, pull the batt cover on his bike - get it running off the jumper box - quick check the stator/regulator output with an ohm meter as shown on the short video, find out that all is well with the charging system, remove the negative battery cable and check for corrosion, remove the positive cable and check for corrosion. Haul battery back to your place and pop the caps, check fluid levels, charge it, find out right away that the battery is shot cause it wont take charge . Go pick up Felix a new battery, full charge battery at your house, stop for another burger on way over to install battery, clean terminals and install battery and attach negative side last, cover back on and go riding!! Might take a complete tour of Florida including Key West to know for sure that all is well that crazy Cat's bike but,, by the time we got back we would be able to call him and tell him for sure his bike is ok!!

yea,, and to show you there are no hard feelings because of all the misery you caused us, let me help you out the door!! :225::225::225::225::225::225::225::225::225::225:

NICE!!! And the places you can go are AMAZING!! Although, experience has taught me that when you finally do get stuck in a rig like that you are REALLY stuck and unless you are with other simular four byes, hours can turn into days in the process of having the adventure come to an end.. RIGHT ON MIKE!! And even better stories yet as the adventure turns into an outing (see above)..

Yea,, what da heck bro,, ya ever stop and think about that whole gig? First we give em some of our cash cause they are broke, then we hire internal agents to make sure they got the money we sent them and have to pay them for doing this for us, then we pay external agents to make sure the internal agents are happy with the cash we sent em.. The thing that has always amazed me is it seems like both the internal and external agents have a crystal ball that tells them exactly when we aint got no more cash cause as soon as we dont, we dont hear nuttin from em until we have had a whole year to save up a few more spare bucks, then it starts all over..

AWESOME - thanks for sharing your adventure Unc,, definitely my kind of outing!! I love all the emotions that go with stories like yours - I could just feel the "OH SHUCKS (paraphrase) we are stuck" to the "THAT DOG GONE FLYINGFOOL AND HIS DELAPIDATED (paraphrase) WHITE WASHER" to that infamous "HOW IN THE HECK (paraphrase) WE GONNA GET OUT OF HERE - WE COULD FREEZE TO DEATH" to the "OH LOOK - I THINK THAT GUY WITH THE 4X4 TRUCK IS STOPPING TO HELP" to the "CANT WAIT TILL NEXT YEARS GUY CAMP RUN":group cheers:

I just gotta get this on here before this thread goes wayyy south and it gets NAILED!!! Watch this little diddy,, pay very special attention from :50 to 1:02,, my response in a nut shell!!!

COOL!! Indeed, those are great Dyno numbers Silver! Are the other curves on the chart from a pull on another bike or are those crank specs?

Wow Cha, I am truly sorry to hear about all this stuff! You do have a beautiful beginning to an outstanding bike there though, just take one item at a time and sort it out. With a little bit of elbow grease, I see many many great miles of fun sitting there just waiting to unfold!!

What a fantastic story and a beautiful couple:clap2:!! God bless you for your what you did Dingy - THAT is just outstanding!! One of the things that constantly amazes me about VR, ffor some reason we have been blessed with a profound amount of real world hero's and you my friend are right at the top of the list!! Thanks for all you did - including being willing to share it with us! Just amazing!!!

Hi Doug, Having played around building Choppers for a number of years (nasty habit I started back in the early 60's with bicycles and was never able to get rid of) gave me the opportunity to learn some things about motorcycles and their steering geometry called "trail". Basically, if you draw a line thru the center line of a motorcycles goose neck and follow that line till it contacts the floor surface and make a mark - anything rearward of this line is considered "Positive trail" - forward ( away from the bikes frame) is considered "negative trail". Now draw another line thru the front axle of the bike that is perpendicular with the floor and make another mark where that line meets the floor and you will notice that it will land behind the mark you made from the goose neck - all rideable bikes must have positive trail. An interesting thing that I discovered many years ago with Chops, the longer the frontend, the more "rake" (angle in degrees reguired to maintain proper amount of trail) you must have and the more rake that you add the more crucial hugging minimal trail becomes - 18 inch over front ends require as close to zero trail as possible without going into negative territory. Having modded a number of stock frames thru the years, I discovered that 3 to 6 inches seems to be a standard amongst all manufactures of stock bikes. Less trail being common on quick turning canyon carvers and more trail on bikes that have the feel like they could run the highway with no one onboard. There is simply not enough area of movement within a worn bearing to effect trail enough to cause an issue. This does not mean though that your steer bearings arent out of adjustment/worn out and causing (or adding to) the violent shake you are talking about!! You didnt mention what model/year bike we are talking about here. I have some experience with the 83/84 Ventures and can tell you that nasty headshakes at 42ish mph have been a problem with all of mine, especially after the front end bushings get tired (or swingarm bushings get tired, or fork springs get sacked, or brakes start getting sticky, or tires get a lot of miles on em, or steer head bearings get out of adjustment, or wheel bearings get sloppy). Personally, if it were mine (because I am a little crazy and like to go no handed sometimes) I would start the diagnoses of your bikes shake by looking real closely at how much travel you have in the forks WITH NO AIR IN THEM. Then, raise it off the ground, spin the front wheel - now take a rubber mallet and smack calipers and spin it again - see if you have a brake drag going on. Spin it again and check front tire carefully for out of round or cupping. Check the fork brace for looseness. Check side to side wheel bearings. Check deflection on the steer bearings. Grab the down tubes and see if you get any lateral movement inside the fork legs (bushings).. Now do the same process on the back end! Look it over, you will find it!!

WOW Dingy:scared:,, THAT is wayyyy awesome!! YOU DA MAN MY FRIEND!! Best wishes on this wonderful adventure!

OUTSTANDING Mr. BARRYCUDA!! :clap2::dancefool: CONGRATS TO YOU AND THAT GORGEOUS GOLDWING OF YOURS ON A JOB VERY WELL DONE!! :clap2:

Probably saw a lot more Turkeys that way too!!

I am all in for you folks too Don, Prayers Up - Blessings Down! """For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.""" Follow His prompting in your heart my friend!

NICE!!!!! I think I will order some, pack Tweeks up, grab Tippy, toss a leg and take the whole bottle at once just before we pull out of the driveway!!!:dancefool:

Whether you wanna admit it or not, I see some very close resemblances between Yanner and the person who you are not talking about!!

Now that you mention it Or it may have been Locust wood I was dealing with.. SOOO glad to hear the swelling has gone way down and the use of your finger has returned!! I been working pretty steady on that Fool about the putting a cap on the output nozzles of the White Washer too and kind of think we got him on the ropes for this year. As far as our good buddies to the North closing and locking the back door up there,, not sure cause most of the fellers up there that I have been in contact with seem to have come from homes where their parents potty trained em at very young ages and their manners are top notch. Simply not the types who would do that.. Maybe a town to town, door to door VR Canadian Investigation during the summer months is in order. Probably some backwoods group of Spyder riders up there who will only come into compliance if we go up there, have a big 500 VR member multinational hot dog cook out and are all willing to do some kind of strange sun dance while we howl at a full moon coming up over a hidden north woods lake filled with Walleye pike.. Tell ya one thing good buddy, if thats the case, I am bringing my to document everything so there is NO turning back once they sign the contract to keep the door closed!!

Kinda like that door keeper in the Wizard of Oz,, he was like "go away kid - your buggin me" till he heard the story.. Then his sprinklers came on and the gang cruised into Oz without one speck of that white stuff on them from waking up covered with the stuff in that field!!

I heated with wood for many years and on occasion I would buy "slab wood" from a small sawmill not far from our home in west Michigan. One time I went to pick up a load and the guy that owned the mill told me to make sure I wore leather gloves when handling this particular load of slab. For the life of me I cant remember what type of wood it was but he told me that it slivered real easily and that, because of its wood type, all the slivers from it would get infected.. Anyone ever heard of such a thing?

MR. HAWK!!!!

It was pretty much the end of the rally when folks started gathering around to help us try and fulfill what is rapidly becoming an impossible dream. What started out as some what of a deep sense of sentimental awareness for me by having my grandsons sign Tweeks old Blonde side cover before we left their home in Sacramento years ago, has become a very passionate connection between the three of us and the people who make up the wonderful CTFWing world around us. It has been and continues to be an honor and a privilege to have these wonderful people, like the new friends we had made at Raggy's Rally in Detroit Mi, share in accomplishing this task that means the world to the three of us. A giant thank you to anyone and everyone who has added your story to Tweeks aging body so she can gently tell of the wonderfulness of life on the road to all who will listen and maybe even they will be willing to assist in this loving gesture! We treasure all of your signatures and think of each of you often as we continue in our CTFWing journeys (because of placement, some of you are easier to remember!!)!

A few miles back in our journey this year, while attending another Rally that was being held in a place called The Dalles, a dear friend and Texas Hero of mine by the name of @bikerjohn, had noticed the American Flag that hung on Tweeks back. John and I were chatting one morning during one of our camp site chats when he walked over to Tweeks side and noticed that her flag was in pretty rough shape. John asked me if I would mind changing it the first chance I had to do so. I told John that I had rescued that precious flag from a roadway a few years ago while attending the Sturgis Rally. Shortly after rescuing it and placing it on Tweeks side, I had bumped into a young soldier by the name of Major Smith who had just returned home from his second tour of duty in Iraq. Major Smith was an Army Ranger who lived in Butler Pennsylvania. He was riding his brand new Harley out to the big Rally when he happened into a restaurant in Murdo South Dakota where I was waiting for the waitress to bring my supper. Having noticed that Major Smith had a Harley shirt on that said "Harley Davidson - I got mine in Iraq" and then noticing that the waitress had just told him that he was to late to order supper (it was 10 p.m.) I caught the attention of the Major on his way out of the door. I asked him to sit down for second and share how a person would purchase a new Harley in Iraq. As he explained his story, the waitress brought out my food and I slid it over in front of the Major and told him I wasn't hungry and that his meal was on me. At first he refused but when I told him I would throw it out before I would eat it knowing that a young man who had just arrived home from fighting to preserve the freedoms we have in our country was gonna go hungry,, he got my point and cut a deal with me that we would share it, we became instant buddies! Major Smith rode his entire stay at the Rally that year with me and my cousin. We camped on the open prairie and in ghost towns, rode dirt two tracks and single track across the Black Hills to a place called Devils Tower in Wyoming and I had a blast watching him get funny looks from some pretty tough ombre's for riding his new Harley on Main Street Sturgis right next to a tired old 1st Gen Yam with a Tent hanging on her backside. Major Smith earned my respect during those wonderful days we shared together. Before we parted company after that great week, I had told him about the gorgeous American Flag I had rescued. I also told him that, out of respect for his, and others, service in that God awful mess, that I would was not going to replaced Tweeks flag until our boys fighting in Iraq/Afganistan came home.. Interestingly enough, President Obama had just recently announced the coming home of those hero's. Knowing that, I told John that at my first chance to dispose of Tweeks worn out American Flag properly and to replace it I would do so. Due to the recent discussion with John about the Old Glory that was hanging on Tweeks right side, it shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did to have the "Changing of the Flag" happen so quickly after we had gotten home from out west. It was getting later in the day at Raggy's Rally when @ragtop69gs walked up to me, pulled me off to the side of all the festivities and asked if I would like him to put a new Flag on Tweeks side!! Raggy had to have noticed my jaw drop in wonderment when he produced that question. I told Raggy about the Flag that Tweeks bore, its back ground and the discussion that had taken place between @bikerjohn and myself. Like John, Jay (Raggy) is also a Veteran (thanks again for your service guys) and he explained to me that he would personally take the American Flag that had so proudly hung on Tweeks backside for all those miles after having been rescued from a lonely Sturgis Rally Highway and make sure that it was disposed of properly at a ritual at the local VFW!! It may be hard for some folks to understand but for Tippy, Tweeks and myself - all of this was very touching. Raggy completed the task of replacing the battered and worn American Flag with a brand new one of which we are all very thankful for! THANK YOU JAY!!

When a person is passionate about something in life, be it their family life, sporting events, clothing they wear or even motorcycles, they usually spend a fair amount of time pursuing what ever it is they are passionate about. For some reason, my life has been endowed with a love for people and a love for motorcycles. I have ridden cross country on everything from dirtbikes, choppers, Harley's and Metrics. It was back in 1987 when I acquired my first Yamaha Venture and, including our current 1983 Venture ("Tweeks"), I have worn out 5 of them thru the years. My passion combined with those many years of owning/riding these same bikes has caused me to have grown to highly respect the machine and engineers who designed them. I recently sold a 1942 Harley Davidson that I rode when every I got the chance to and, it went without saying that when I stopped for gas on that old Harley - at least one person would comment about how "cool" of an antique motorcycle it was. The 1st Generation Yamaha Venture's like Tweeks are not in that category of motorcycling antiquity to most people, but to me - they are pretty close. Modern day motorcycling has taken us far beyond the days of the 1st Genners and, again, because of my attachment to them, I always do a double take when I see another bike like Tweeks still being ridden - especially if that 1st Generation Venture happens to be one that has had extremely good care (if you want to see examples of what I am talking about go to Venturerider.org, sign up on that site and than attend one of the many adventures posted on their yearly calendar!!). While attending Raggy and Jeannies Rally, @Carbon One told me about a fellow member who was attending the Rally who owned a Venture that was a classic example of what I am referring to. CarbonOne pointed to a beautiful 1st Gen Venture that had found its way to the party. I walked over and started chatting with the owner, @BuckShot, about his bike and got to hear the story of his motorcycles history. I almost could not believe what I was hearing. Buckshot and his wife had purchased this 1986 younger sister of Tweeks BRAND NEW right out of a Yamaha shop back in the year of 86. The two of them then used this beautiful motorcycle in their Marriage ceremony as their chosen method of transportation during their Honeymoon!! Mr. Buckshot explained to me that they had also acquired a Side Car for their bike (not shown). What a wonderful, special, treat to hear the story of the Buckshot's and to get to see their beautiful machine!!

Having just been treated to a genuine Hollywood level YouTube recording session, my little taped over, bruised up 50 dollar CTFWing camera started copping an attitude and began filming innocent biker people who just happened to be found wondering around at Raggies Rally. What had trickled in as a mild mannered, quite type of subdued event was quickly getting out of hand with even the sounds of Big Twin Harley's pulling into the parking area of the grand opening here at Raggie and Jeannies Rally World! I felt my little camera reach out and grab a friendly looking bike riding champ and open up its inquisitive zoom lense in the familiar gesture of inquiry as to the person's name and home origin. Thankfully, the fellow by the name of "Fat White Boy" (aka - Tom) was very cooperative with my camera and, even though he had been warned that the little video my camera was recording would eventually end up on youtube, my camera and he departed as good friends.