cowpuc

Man that guy looks familiar,, cant put my finger on it,,, is that one of the venturewest guys who's hair grew out since the Rally,,, this is a toughy.. hmmmmmm:confused24: BEAUTIFUL PIC KEV - THANKS!!

I cant even imagine what you go thru dealing with the stuff Don,, seriously my friend, THANK YOU for all you do!! YOU DA MAN BROTHER!!!:clap2::clap2: Ya know,,,, these guys are sooooooooooooooo fortunate they have Freebird at the helm and not some prankster who would purposely play with that little red switch Tooch... I mean really,,, I can think of all kinds of fun games I could play with that kind of doohickey...

So,,,, about an hour and a half ago I noticed that I couldnt get on the site and got some message about the data base... I panicked, ran to the cupboard and grabbed a handful of Valium, washed em down with a pint of Vodka... I now know how Yammer feels cause I am having a hard time finding myself here.... Anyway,, did anyone else experience that blip or was it just a sign that I need to become a drug addict??? Was Freebird leaning against the wall in his garage while he was changing the oil in his bike and maybe bumped a light switch or something? Maybe Eileen found out you guys didnt support her ordering a new Slingshot and pulled a fuse behind Dons back? What ever it was, if it was something you took care of for us THANKS FREEBIRD!! If it was something I did please forgive me:whistling:

ALLLL RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Open the gate and get out the way,, Evan and company are coming outa chute 9!! CANNOT WAIT FOR MORE TRAIL TALES AND PICS!!! My mind reels with places that are beautiful down there BUT I also know how much more fun it is to follow your story as it unfolds into another epic adventure... Kind of a,,, wonder what kinda things will happen tomorrow type of guy I guess.... Will say this, finding ol coal mines is a riot, sleeping behind abandoned gas stations is fun, ghosts can be heard at Gettysburg, gotta watch for bears (of both types) on the Parkway, the Curtis Museum in NY is unreal, drivers anywhere near DC are blind, you can coast a long long way when you leave the Visitors Center on the Parkway near Cherokee if your not going toward Cherokee, Tail of the Dragon dont have the only AWESOME twisties, lots of friendly people live between NY and Florida, gas always seems cheaper in Missouri, bring dry clothes cause even if it dont rain the humidity will get cha wet and stay away from Home Made Wine unless you like to see things... OH YEA,, HAVE FUN AND TAKE LOTS OF PIC TO SHARE WITH YOUR RIDE STORIES!! This will fun,,, Ride safe brother! Puc

This is beginning to sound like an old biker movie that I watched a long long time ago... One of their,, ummm,, "mascots" got insulted by a different biker group and a fight broke out.. As the winners of the fight became obvious, the losers tried to escape but couldnt cause they were riding slower bikes.. The winners chased em down and beat em up some more.. In the end, they all sat around a camp fire, licked their wounds and the guys with the slower bikes got teased pretty bad... So, what if anything did I learn from this? 1st: If your gonna ride with a really cool "mascot" its best that you ride a 1st Gen Venture cause,,, well I dont really have to explain that cause everyone on this site knows the answer to that:stirthepot: 2nd: even if your not carring a really cool "mascot" its still best to ride a 1st Gen cause there still seems to be a lot of crazy people out there and being able to outrun them is always more fun than fighting! AND, at the end of the day, its always more fun to be the teaser than the slow poke who is licking his wounds, missed out on the ice cream AND getting teased for being slower.. There,, that should give you people something to think about as you travel to the Rally and probably get me kicked off VR:rotf:Nahhhh,, Don wouldnt do that,, he knows I like Harleys:cool10:

What, who,, what.. wait a minute here,, are you riding a snowmobile to this one Bongo?? Now I REALLY REALLY feel bad!!

Rbig, start small.. Answer a couple of the questions asked and lets see if we can help here.. Lets start with the tach question, when the bike acts up does the tach go wacky? Have you checked the fuel coming from the fuel pump for debris? If you have a rusty fuel tank small particles will go past the filter and contaminate your carbs.. Run some fuel into a clean bowl and look for debris. Assuming from your last post that this is not the case proceed to: YES - torn diaphrams will cause major loss of power because no fuel can get thru the main jets if the slides are not opening.. Another related issue is that the slides that are operated by those diaphrams can cause the same symptoms if they are getting stuck in the carb passage they are suppose to be sliding in.. Before going to all the hassle of removing the carbs and rebuilding them, pull the covers off the diaphrams, remove the diaphram/slide assemblies.. You really dont need a work bench to do this.. When you remove the covers and the slide springs - put your finger inside the slide and move it in and out of the slide chamber and see how much resistance there is in slide movement, they should move effortlessly.. If any of the slides are sticky you have to clean the slide and the surface it slides on to the point that it no longer has any resistance to movement.. If the diaphrams are torn, the best fix is to replace them.. You mentioned getting small particles of debris from the carbs that you were able to get the drains loose on.. Even tiny particles can cause major problems in carburation.. Here is a trick that I have used many many times for cleaning carbs without removing them.. It works very well BUT you HAVE to pay attention and concentrate when doing this.. Also, this is futile if you have a rusty fuel tank feeding those carbs> 1st you have to get the other drain plugs loose.. If the heads of the drain plugs are not stripped out, use the proper screw driver head in a hand impact - twist the impact to the left and smack it lightly but sharply with a light weight hammer (12 oz should do it - careful going larger as it is possible to break the casting of the bowl). If the heads are destroyed already, take a small sharp prick punch and hammer, make a punch mark in the head of the screw and then tap at an angle to the left (counterclockwise) to break the screw loose.. After getting your carbs so they will all drain, activate the fuel pump by turning the key on and off.. Make sure your getting a good flow of fuel from each of the carb drains. If not, tap on the carb that is getting no fuel and see if you can get the fuel flowing again (may have stuck float).. If you know you are getting fuel to each carb here is something I have done successfully when looking at non running bikes with the prospect of purchasing for resale, done it many times and it works great: Go to an Ag store and pick up a couple syringes - I use the medium size ones that will hold at least a bowl full of carb fluid.. Fill a syringe with White Vinegar (I use ChemClean too for carbs that I KNOW have been setting for a long time and have done so very successfully BUT - if you use it, you have to be VERY careful not to let it set in the carbs for more than an hour or you WILL end up pulling down the carb bank and probably replacing some parts that the ChemCLean ate. White Vinegar is no where near as hard to work with). Now, with the slides removed from the carbs, take a flashlight and look inside the slide orfice and in the bottom you will see the spot where the jet needle attached to the slide enters into the mainjet.. With the drain open on the bowl of a carb, attach the syringe filled with Vinegar and push the vinegar into the bowl of the carb - while you do this watch in the slide orfice - push the fluid from the syringe into the bowl until the vinager starts flowing from the mainjet (dont fill the intake trac with vinegar), than close the drain plug. Do all four carbs. With Vinager, it will need to set at least 48 hours. With Chemclean, 1 hour MAX.. I like to move the rinse in the bowl around while its soaking but its NOT necessary - just helps break loose debris.. To do this I attach a syringe to the drain plug after the carb has been soaking for a while. Open the drain plug and pump the syringe up and down to agitate the wash.. When done agitating its a good idea to recheck the fluid level again making sure your getting a full fill.. Another something that I have tried when doing this "on bike carb cleaning" has been using an engraver to cause viberations within the carb.. This also helps A LOT especially when using Vinegar, Chemclean seems to be a little thicker of a substance and doesnt seem to react as much to viberations as Vinegar. If you choose to attempt this, use a small piece of hardwood to viberate against so you dont damage the aluminum.. I have done some pretty extensive testing of different products thru the years in carb cleaning, both on the bench and in the setting as described.. I can tell you that over the counter "in tank" mixes doent fair as well as ChemClean or Vinegar in my experience.. I set up a test one time with SeaFoam, STP Injector Cleaner, Vinegar and ChemClean and was amazed at what I found. Using 4 carbs off an old Kawasaki 650 so the carbs were comparably a disastor (they were BAD), the ChemClean came in first place - within an hour it was down to aluminum and brass. Vinegar came in second place - took 24 hours but the parts were really cleaning up.. The other two products, in tank mix products did NOTHING - even after soaking for 4 days - nothing (I believe these products are meant to be used on a regular basis in order to be effective).. After the cleaning time is over, reattach the syringe, pull the fluid from the bowls until you get air. squirt the dirty stuff into a drain pan, you can either squirt the bowls full again to rinse em by sticking the plastic squirter attachement of a aresol can of carb cleaner up into the drain hose or you can use Seafoam or Injector cleaner as a final rinse to remove the ChemClean or Vinegar.. I like to make sure I get at least 2 good bowlfuls of cleaner in the carbs to make sure I am getting all the cleaner (especially ChemClean) removed from the interior of the carbs.. Now Close the drains, turn the key on and off to fill the carbs with the fuel pump. when the pump stops reacting to the key (no longer calling for fuel). Drain each bowl into your syringe and pay attention to the amount of fuel your getting from the carbs.. Doing this will tell you whether or not your floats are set properly and functioning as they should.. I know this all sounds like a LOT of work but it really is simple and can be done fairly quickly,, if nothing else, can result in telling you what exactly is wrong with your bike and whether you really need to go thru a full carb rebuild.. Zip her up and warm her up, hook up those gauges and sync her down and go riding!! Rooting for ya Rbig!! Puc

Bet if its on that bike his insurance wont pay for the bike again.. THAT WAS AWESOME CHEESYRIDER!!!! Thanks for posting it up!!

Really wish we could Big Tom.. Just doesnt look like we are gonna be able to pull it off this time around.. Still looking forward to reading allllllllllllllllllllll about it though and seeing some great pics!!

AWESOME!!! Looks like you folks had a great get together! Thanks for sharing the pics Kreger - only now I am hungry and want to go back out west and play with the Grandkids:rotf:

Glad you made it Monty!! Hopefully those nasty roads didnt hurt your camera. Sounds like your in good hands out there so you will survive but I dont know if Aussie Annie and I can make it without pictures!!

Just checked it Rbig, dont look like it met reserve..

That is a Tommy Hollywood Stunt Gun Lewis. Its one that the previous owner picked up and it came with the bike. Funny story, I went to cruise thru the local State Park after bringing Olivia home from a Memorial Day showing at our local Naval War Museum and the attendant wouldnt,, wait a minute, watch this vid Lewis, its easier to explain on vid The bike with trunk (unless you are referring to Tweeks which I doubt cause you have met and signed her) is an old Honda Helix scooter.. Tip and I spend LOTS of time on that lounge chair when home. Talk about a lazy mans approach to motorcycle fun:rotf:Here is another vid of me screwing around on that thing EXACTLY HOW I FELT JOE!! Anytime Turtle, anytime! Now your talking like one of my kids Eusa1, they have bugged me for years - write a book Dad, write a book... I keep telling em, as long as Freebird keeps this website up and going (THANKS DON!!) why would I wanna write a book when I can write till my fingers fall off AND READ till my eyeballs fall out about other peoples great adventures too!!! of Your on a slippery slope there Jack,,,, gotta have cooling for that pea brain of mine somehow - cant always depend on Banana Nut Ice Cream for cooling ya know:stickinouttounge: Well beat foot it on up here and toss a leg bro!! Olivia has been beggin me to introduce her to someone closer to own age :cool10: Yeaa,, aint that the truth!!

Man I love this place, the site and the people of VR I have come to call my family.. You folks never cease to amaze me.. As caretaker of Olivia, my friend the warbike, I am always in constant amazement of the comments and tenderness from the many folks who have seen her either in real life or on her pics and videos.. Not to long ago I received a very enjoyable P.M. from a member here that I will refer to as one of The Queens Secret Agent's.. I was asked some pretty personal questions, mainly referring to Shirt Size and mailing address and was told a secret mission was in process.. Of course, always up to any form of I couldnt refuse.. As it turned out, the secret mission had a much deeper meaning than I imagined.. It seemed that this particular agent was actually on a VERY important mission, one that is way over due for its completion.. Today I received a package in the mail addressed to myself and sent from the secret agent in Canada.. The pictures below show what came in the package - a beautiful picture of Olivia, the words "Dispatch Rider - World War 2" written around her, all on a beautiful short sleeved shirt.. It made me speechless, Tippy cry and Olivia beg me to go riding!! It wasnt until after I had written a thank you note to the agent for the shirt and gotten his reply that I received the TRUE meaning behind the shirt.. It seems that while viewing my latest video that this VERY observant secret agent noticed that I was wearing an old worn out Harley shirt in the video and thought Olivia and her history deserved better than an old ripped up Harley shirt - these agent fellers are very patriotic souls!! He explained to me that this particular shirt has a purpose behind it directly related to the battle grounds of the European Theater of WW2, specifically D-Day and the Allied lives that were lost on that most noble of days. As I read the material that the agent passed on to me (READ THIS!! http://www.ddaywear.com/shop/catalog/) I got teary eyed and went out and hugged Olivia!! THANK YOU Mr. Secret Agent of Her Majesty The Queen for your patriotism, kindness and thoughtfulness toward those who gave it all on that day so long ago! Thank you for including Olivia and myself in your kindness - we wear the shirt with pride my friend!! Godspeed to the mission you have pointed out, thoughts and prayers toward a successful end in that endeavor!! Puc

I am with Ut on that, saw a LOT of great deals last winter.. Another something I am really curious about on this one are the "scratches" he mentions.. The seller doesnt really give clear pics of the scratches he is referring to leaving true damage up to assumption. Even though most of his feedback is older and not much there as a seller, it is clean - shame that no one has asked him about attaching pics of the scratches he is referring to. He also requires a down pay of 2 grand within 48 hours. If I were bidding on this one, I would either pre-inspect the bike (ALWAYS a good idea) or get there in person within the 48 hour window with the money in hand.... Seeing is believing,, depending on how the "scratches" were obtained and how substantial they are, this may be a 3000 dollar bike tops!!

LOOKING GOOD CAVEMAN!!! CONGRATS!! I had a 74 CJ5 for a number of years and gotta say, one the funnest "cages" I have ever owned.. Like you said, TONS of really cool add on's and upgrades - have fun working thru it all and enjoying DUAL SPORTING in that puppy! Nice rig! Puc

Boy,, I dont know Dan O', I had an uncle who had one installed and the thing kept him alive for years.... Sometimes, especially when I drink coffee, I think about getting one too...

HEY MONTY - RIDE SAFE AND HAVE FUN OUT THERE BROTHER!!! Still not sure whether we are gonna make it out to this one either, if we dont - take some pics for us will ya,, PRETTY PLEASE!!!! And THANKS for keeping us updated! Puc

Brother I am with Eck on that!! I still want to thank you, Randy and Linda, for hosting it and for the invites! Tip and I KNOW we really missed a great time!! Also want to thank all the folks that kept us informed with stories and pics of all the great times down yonder!! Also really glad to see the reports of folks getting safely home!! Puc

Larry,, THAT is awesome my friend!! GORGEOUS piece of work!! Cant wait to see it in person!! CONGRATS LARRY!! Puc

Run a test wire between the engine and the grounding system for that circuit and see if its grounding properly..

:Laugh:

Never, no not ever, have truer words been spoken!!!! Cant wait to read allllll about it!!! :clap2: If Polaris knew what I know (and many others know) they would start right off by hiring our friend Carbon One to design add on equipment for this new model... Aint no stopping him,, may as well put his brain to work for em!!

Welcome Lovesyeshua!!.. I have experienced those sacked out front springs lots of times, very common and often a result of the bike just sitting with the weight on it (instead of being stored on the centerstand).. It also seems like the leaky fork seal issue goes hand and hand with the sacked out springs, at least in my experience.. I have a hunch that the relaxed condition of the springs puts hydraulic fluid pressure on the seals and that is what causes them to blow.. Like already mentioned, if you order up a set of Progressive Springs and install em with 3/4 of an inch of preload spacers (cut from PVC works fine) your fork spring situation will be good. Easy job - hardest part is breaking the plugs loose at the top of the tubes. The seals themselves are a little more involved - might try this first if your lazy like me.. I use to do a fair amount of dirtbiking and used 35 MM film slid wrapped around the fork tube and slid down between the seal and the tube to rejuvinate (cleans the dirt out of the seals) the seals.. I have used this method successfully on my 1st Gens too.. Doesnt always work but might be worth a try... I also use 3m commercial grade rubber cleaner (its used a LOT in copy machine roller maintenance) that, when used with the 35mm plastic REALLY works wonders on those seals. If you would like I can take a picture of the stuff I use and post it on here.. Congrats on the move to a Venture (especially the faster, better riding 1st Gen - might as well get ya started in the right direction here on VR:stirthepot:), on joining the site and for posting up here in the Watering Hole! Puc

OUTSTANDING!!!! THANK YOU KEV FOR POSTING THIS THREAD!! Hey Zag, I LOVE what you created brother!!:dancefool: Being one that REALLY appreciates custom, one off, endeavors in motorcycle building I truly admire your work Zag! Many many times while attending the Sturgis Rally, I would spend all night sitting on main street yakking with fellow builders, sharing dreams and ideas about builds just like you came out with.. From what I can see in these pics, I like what I see in your frame work, raking of the neck looks like it came out nicely! I like how the bottom frame rails came out parallel to ground - looks good!! I also really really like what you came up with for pipes!! Because of the durability and performance of the Venture I had always planned on chopping one out! THANKS for the inspiration brother!! Hey Prairie, not to sound greedy here but any chance you would have access to a Video that shows how Zags bike sounds with those pipes? I would LOVE to hear it! THIS IS AWESOME - Thanks again Kev for posting this baby up! Puc