cowpuc

Tip really liked that thought and replied "awe,,, thanks man,, thats awefully sweet,,,, tell him I said its mind over matter,,,, and that being married to someone who still acts like a teenager kinda helps too (her laughing)" ... My personal thought about her comment?? Hmmmmm,,, not really sure what to think of that one,,, I guess I like it as long as I don't lose any of my geezer discounts!!

Really appreciate any insight you can shed from a visual on it Coff - THANKS!! Thanks to everyone for the thoughts too!!

Hey you guys,,, I have a person interested in doing some bike swapping - he has a 99 RSV to use for fodder.. Guys way north of us, thus far its all just chatter - told em I would think it over and get back to him.. Having never ridden one, Tip and I went down to the local Yam Shop and sat on a left over (part of Tippy's most excellent Birthday Party yesterday ).. She really really did not care for how high the rear seat sets or its "feel".. This may sound insane to some folks but I KNOW it wont to Coff and pretty sure it wont to Yammer... If there is ANY chance that one of you two troublemakers has the seat off your 2nd Gen and happen to have the seat off your 1st Gen too,, could one of you guys set the 1st Gen seat on the 2nd Gen and see if you think it could be adapted.. Even a pic of a 1st Gen seat resting on top of the seat on a 2nd Gen may help.. What the heck,, never hurts to ask right.... Anyone else have any thoughts or experience on this,, I would LOVE to hear your input, especially appreciate any pics of one if someone has done this..:stirthepot:x2

Tippy says THANK YOU to everyone for the B-Day wishes!! Squidley,,, a belated :Happy Birthday::group cheers: to you brother!!! Puc n Tip

How cool is that Jack!! Besides a great read,,, I LOVED the ad for California Side Car - white one mounted to a white 1st Gen!! Thanks for posting this up!! As a reward, here is some more GREAT read that popped up from a google search of "V-Daze International",,,,, http://books.google.com/books?id=9_kDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA20&lpg=PA20&dq=v-daze++international&source=bl&ots=hNXsGylFDl&sig=PBofQpnE1dKx74PHmolGFFtKCHY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6fY6VJ_vHc-SyATOm4H4Dg&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=v-daze%20%20international&f=false

What in the wild world of sports is going on out there Pete? Is this a first? Aint never heard of such nonsense:confused24: Hope and pray everyone is ok!!

:Happy Birthday::Happy Birthday::ice_congrats-vi6886:ice_congrats-vi6886:ice_congrats-vi6886:ice_congrats-vi6886

Kat,, what kinda shape are the plugs in (gap and color) that Mike has removed? Sounds almost like those plugs have been in there a very long time - usually evidenced by way wide gap - maybe even burned off electrodes... If this is the case, he is definitely on the right track.. I am not familiar with the Pathfinder,, enough to tell you what tools you will need to finish the job.. Some cars its easiest to remove an inner fender or even loosen the engine mounts up and lift the engine a little to remove plugs and stuff... On the other hand, having a set of ball head extentions and a swivel or two on a good ratchet will do it... Most stuff is available at Harbor Freight = not the best tools but better than nothin.. If he is breaking the porcellin away on the plugs, he needs to get a plug socket with the insert in it that slides over the end of the plug to keep this from happening and to keep the any broken porcellin held withing the socket,, he dont need that stuff finding a way into the combustion chamber.. Also,, if those old plugs are coming out extremely hard, it might not be a bad idea to: Using compressed air and carb cleaner, spray around the with compressed air, spray around plugs with carb cleaner than redo the compressed air again.. Break a plug loose, spray a fair amount of penetrating oil around the plug.. Screw it back in, screw it out a little farther,, do it again.. Keep working it until the plug is out.. Doing it this way may keep him from pulling some threads out with the plugs.. Also will help in getting the new plugs in.. Remind him to use anti-seize (sparingly) on the new plugs.. Any chance the vehicle messed up because it got wet?

Star Fan and I have some pretty close opinion thingys going on here... Mine is probably even more extreme in the economics side of things.. This probably sounds stupid but I still use the "cost per wear" factor that we learned about in Business College (guess that could be stated "cost per mile" with vehicles)... Thats actually how I got started with my 1st 84 Royale way back in 87... I picked that bike up for $1200 out of an estate auction with just under 20K miles on it, lost stator at 23k, tranny dropped 2nd at 46000, short shifted the rest of the fun out of it and it had a crank failure at 230k.. I vividly remember the statement being made at the auction when I purchased it that if it would have been a Wing with the same options, it would have brought 3 times that price - that was as accurate then as it is now, IMHO.. Even back in its earliest days, the Venture has never been a good seller and I am not so sure that the reason for this had anything to do with the lack of accessories.. I think it had more to do with the connection between the name "Honda" and the masses preception of what that meant/means in the way of being "cool" (this is really not uncommon - Harley still sells way more Street Glides than they ever did the Electra Glide Classic - offered at exactly the same MSRP.. All the Street Glide amounts to is a stripped Electra Glide Classic:confused24:,, proving it is NOT about add ons,, still dont get it, who wouldnt want 3 grand worth of extra HD parts for free)... Some interesting FACTS about the 83/84 1st Gen Yams compared to the Wing of the same vintage that I know of from experience: Yam would blow em away - almost like the Honda had its brakes on.. Yam got a good 10 mpg over the Honda.. Yam was a lot narrower at the knees, had much more foot space where the engine stuck out on the Honda.. Honda had big stator problems too, had to pull the engine to repair.. Yam looked like a "commercial grade" bike and handled like a sport bike.. The ergo's on those 1st year Yams were amazing in comfort, stock - 16 hour/800-1000 mile days two up, for days on end = NO PROBLEM.. Those sheep skins, water seats, gel seats and beaded seat covers back then were accessories made for the Wing cause they needed em!! All things being equal, the Yam should have ended up being the "cult" bike.. But when it comes to the buying public all things are never equal and that didnt happen.. They were as unwanted than as they are today and it showed vividly in sales and in resale value.. Honda smartly took the earnings from those cult following folks and invested it in R n D and finally came out with a real piece of art in the 1800 (IMHO).. Think about this one,, another perfect example was the Suzuki Cavalcade,, 1400cc V-4,, suckers FLEW and were great riders, fabulous economy!! They were wayyyyy ahead of the Honda Wing in design and technology, the "standard" bike was above a Wing "Aspencade" in accessories.. They had fewer issues too.. I owned a couple of them thru the years (restore/repair for resale) and can say, about the only issue they were known for was loosing the plug in the forward gear shaft causing loss of fluid.. Very easy repair.. Even though it was probably the best bang for the buck and way ahead of the competition, the bike was rejected by the consumers and died a very early death (only made em a couple years) - they just did not sell, no one wanted em.. I bought a gorgeous one back in 92 for 700 bucks, less than 25k, did the forward gear update (original "plug" was still in it but I install the new aluminum plug anyway), cleaned carbs, spotless bike that I almost had to give away to get rid of it - NO ONE WANTED IT:confused24:.. Frankly, I am still surprised the Yam didnt read the writing on the wall and do that with the Venture... Dont get me wrong, I AM GLAD THEY DIDN'T cause I love them but if no wants em (except us VR folks) and ya cant make money on em........... Bottom line, I think I have a flaw in my charector, I have owned a few bikes valued at over 30k, several in the 20's and a number of them in the 10's,,, all of those have been "investment" bikes (how I made my living).. I can see that $$ value in something that has "irreplaceable value",, kinda like Olivia The Warbike... For an everyday rider,, something with 2 wheels and motor that Tip and I are gonna take out and possibly have to leave laying upside down in the desert,,, hmmmmm,,,, no way on God's green earth am I gonna pay double just cause its "New" - yep Jonas, I agree,, to me it would be tossing money out the window... On the other hand,,,,,,, I wish Yam would re-introduce the 83/84 1st Gen Standard Venture, NO accessories, upgraded tranny and clutch, leave the clutch whine as is so it sounds right and the unknowing slower bikes can hear ya coming, sell em out the door for 7 grand - THAT I would be interested in,,, AWESOME RIDING, LITTLE MOTORED BIKE (by todays standards), AT A FAIR PRICE!!

TO THE BESTEST BEST FRIEND AND CROSS COUNTRY RIDING PARTNER THAT A MAN COULD EVER HAVE!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART, ENDLESS BLESSINGS ABOUND WHEN YOU ARE AROUND!! THANKS FOR BEING BORN AND CHOOSING ME TO SHARE YOU BIRTHDAYS WITH!!!!! I LOVE YOU GORGEOUS! Your Puc :ice_congrats-vi6886:ice_congrats-vi6886:ice_congrats-vi6886:Happy Birthday::Happy Birthday::Happy Birthday::Happy Birthday::Crazy_139::Crazy_139:

I am told that when I was just a lil Puc that I had a nasty habit of "Pre-Christmas Present Opening"... During the process of raising our kids it became "normal" for them to hide their gifts addressed to me cause I would shake - sniff - squeeze em and figure out what they were - leading me to the conclusion that what I had heard about my early life impatient nature may be true.. Having outgrown impatience is something I am very proud of BUT, that does not preclude a distaste for timelines not being met in items that are important to me, especially when that timeline involves a good friend of mine.... WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON,, I THOUGHT CARBON ONE WAS GONNA BE RIDING HIS NEW SLINGSHOT IN OCTOBER,, I HAVE BEEN CHECKING THIS CRAZY FORUM EVERYDAY AND HAVEN'T HEARD OR SEEN NOTHING ABOUT IT,, I FEEL LIKE A LITTLE KID WAITING FOR CHRISTMAS MORNING LARRY,,, ITS BEEN OCTOBER FOR 11 DAYS NOW:rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf: hmmmmm,, I hope it wasnt all a dream and I didnt just make a complete idiot of myself,, again

Wearing stocking cap, below freezing again here tonight.. Prayers Up - Blessing Down!!

Wow,, that would be a BLAST,,, unfortunately November 15th is opening day of Gun Deer Season here in Michigan so you can probably take the invitation to people from The North down :rotf::rotf: Pure harassment Karen,, best wishes on your Meet n Greet down yonder!!

JUST FLAT GORGEOUS SONSHINE - PREACH IT PREACHER:backinmyday:!!! Can't wait to see Exodus (and Genesis too) in person, hopefully during next summer!!

WELCOME BACK 1-UP!! Glad to hear you are recovering and getting back on your feet. Do those exercises, follow those Doctors orders and we will see you on those roads next year! Thoughts and Prayers! Puc

IMHO,, what you guys are probably noticing in vibration differences between the Harley and the others has to do with counterbalancing (Indian, Victory, Yam Strat and lots of others use it). Harley actually produces an "A" motor and a "B" motor, if my memory serves me correctly - the A motor is what you will find in the Ultra, Roadglide, Dyna's... The "B" motor is a counterbalanced motor and HD uses it in their Softails.. Just for kicks and giggles, if you get a chance to compare the two motors at a demo or something, take note that the B motors are solid mounted and extremely smooth, the A motors are rubber mounted - dance around in the frame and still produce an ample amount of shake in the bike to (judging from the sales of the A motored bikes like the Street Glide, compared to the very smooth B motored bikes) still please the masses.. Speaking Indian, I personally followed that 111 Indian motor pretty closely from original unveiling at Daytona.. Right away I picked up on several things that I REALLY liked.. The cam arrangement being one (gear drive). Right side drive belt (talk about easy belt swap,, if you have ever done a belt on big twin Harley you know what I mean). Gear driven primary.. As far as the counterbalanced motor,,, hmmmm,,, I like my V-TWINS to dance and shake,, I like my bars and front wheel to bounce around when I am sitting at a stop sign .. Now,, I dont like a "buzzing" feeling like you get if the cranks weights are out of phase a few thou but thats a different "feeling".. At any rate, that Indian motor is a gorgeous design in a gorgeous bike for sure and I bet if I could afford to own one I would learn to accept and love its smooth, balanced motor for what it is.. IMHO, Polaris got their slogan wrong,, it shouldnt be "Choice is here", it should be "Indian - making it that much harder to choose from a variety of great bikes"!!!

Skid had Cancer but, by the grace of God,, is putting a whoppin on it!! NO Salmon today, lot of time to talk to the Man while trying!! Prayers Up - Blessings Down!

:rotf::rotf: We wont tell em though you guys,,,, as Jaycees pic seems to say - at times its best to just let sleeping dogs "lie" :rotf::cool10::rotf::rotf: poe Dan,,, poe poe Dan:backinmyday: :rotf::rotf::rotf:

OUTSTANDING!!:dancefool::clap2: THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS UP LEWIS!

I missed introducing myself to you too Bmiller!! To my own discredit, that happens farrrr to often to me .. As hard as I try to go around shaking peoples hands and making new friends, I ALWAYS feel bad when I discover that after riding hundreds (sometime thousands) of miles to get to a Rally (VR Rallys = Family Reunions to me) that I missed the golden chance to shake a new friends hand, or take a pic/make a vid!! THAT is one of the hardest parts of being part of such a huge family I guess!! I look forward to making up for a missed opportunity too brother!!! THANK YOU for sharing your feelings about my posts BMiller, hearing that makes me so we're square! I miss you too Barry (and love ya brother) :bighug:but dont know that I quite agree with that one of kind comment (THANKS FOR THE COMPLIMENT),,,, watch this again, look carefully at what is in Sunn's hand resting on your left shoulder,, than watch that last couple of seconds of the vid at what you did :rotf:,,, sure looks and sounds like 3 of a kind brothers to me :rotf: PS,, also watch the people in the background PSS,, I have a bunch of pics/vids that I am going to be including in this winters writings about the summer adventures,,,, wait till you see and read some of those historical documents if your looking for one of kind - crazy people I tell ya,, down right CRAZY!!!

Top reason why I wave at all bikers,, including kids on minibikes/mopeds and dirtbikes. I LOVE riding anything with two wheels and a motor and I LOVE the people that ride too, really dont care whether they wave back or not Not only that,,, but when I am on my beat up ol 1st Gen with no second gear, 250K miles, laid back against Tippy, tent flappin in the wind, antelope horns whistling, stickers glistening in the sun, Utah prairie dust mixed with red Georgia clay all over the rims/engine and covered with signatures from the great people we met along the way,,,,, well,,,,,,,, I just assume that everyone KNOWS that ol Tweeks is THE "road king" and a wave back would be pointless :cool10::cool10::cool10::cool10::cool10::cool10:

WHERE THERES A WILL THERES A WAY!! Isutley,,, your my kinda people!!

GORGEOUS COLOR!! Very very nice scheme too!! I gotta ask,,, what are those black things attached to the trunk?? Cant possibly be rod holders for trolling for Sockeye Salmon can they?? Also,,, I cant speak for Yammer Dan and wouldnt even attempt to but,,, my money is on his reply when he reads this thread is gonna be something like "the Blue Is Fastest statement only applies to 1st Gens,, if we are talking 2nd Gens the fastest happens to be Silver in color".. :rotf::rotf: VERY VERY NICE JOB AK!!

Oh man Hossman,, that happened right out my backdoor (45 minutes south) = hope the folks in Holland treated you with proper care!! Soooo sorry to hear about all this, thoughts and prayers that any wounds are healing quickly,, in procuring your next scoot!!

:rotf::rotf: "BUT Professor,, I did get half the equation right so I should have at least gotten half the points for that question",,,, and in this case I happen to have gotten the most important 1/2 of the equation correct = PECAN PIE!!!:cool10: