cowpuc

It sounds to me like some of us need some business excersise.. Gouging is taking place when the product is increased in price with no value being added.. Purchasing a load of goods at one price, adding value to that product by shipping costs, product insurance costs, business risk (guy doing the hauling assumes full responsibility for the product if stolen of damaged) and on and on.. Actually, tripling in value for an at risk product that is in high demand is probably not good business scense as costs havent been taken yet.. Should be closer to x5 to actually make it a profitable business.. Now,,, IF that same product has NO value added or additional costs associtated (eg: the producd was already there on sale the morning before for 6 buck - nothing has changed except the price raise of 12 bucks.. Thats price gouging and the perp should get prison time.. Another good example.... If you needed a gallon of gas and I said sure I have one for 40 bucks a gallon.. GOUGING you cry.. Howe ver, once you realise that I have to travel 120 miles to bring you the gas its a different story//

I have done several hard bag converts over the years.. Bates used to make a universal set of bags that really were cool - hard to find now adays.. I have a soft top trunck that I used in additin to my hard bags some years ago.. I took the softside bags too and between my oldest daughter and I we had them filled with every tree/rock/pine cone/droft wood/sea shell that wasnt tied down during one of our 6 week rides hahahah THey work REAL well!!! 5 am on Saturday and HANNA THE HURRICANE is just starting to bring T Storms to us here in west M 'Puc

Mine method of madness is a regular bike bouy that had fallen off someones bike 8 or nine years ago while they were in Sturgis... The vast majority of stuff I have added onto my bike is stuff that I have picked up on the side of the road... I am currently working my way up to building a bike out of pieces and parts I have found.... Getting close!!!! Take notice of my quick detach system I use on it 'Puc

The daughter and I did a bunch of eastern travel this year on our way out (definitly a round about way) to Sturgis from MO.. Cut through the Smokey Mountain National Park, get on the Blue Ridge Parkway at the South/east entrance of the park.. RIde the complete length of the Blue Ridge ((WOWWW!!)).. Get a dab if the Catskills and Adorindack Parks and go see/do Lake Placid --- IT IS AWESOME!!! Puc

Eddie: I just completed a 3 weeker/7000 miler with my daughter on my 83.. Part of that ride included Sturgis/BLack Hills area.. Dont miss 16A,Needles Highway and Custer State Park on the way around from seeing Rushmore.. Also a must do is Spearfish Canyon via Deadwood on the way to the Tower. We slept under the stars the whole trip (only was to travel) and found this year to be one of the wettest for afternoon mountain travel - mornings until about 1 pm riding was PERFECT!! By the way,, after THOUSANDS of miles of bike travel and spotting animals the whole time I/we finally got to see Big Horn Sheep in the wild this year (and they werent even in a National Park....) - IN SOUTH DAKOTA of all places!! Take a cheap digital with 5 gig of mem - then when youdrop the camera you can always go back and salvage the mem stick (thats if you take while riding....).. HAVE A GREAT TRIP!!! Puc

Yep,, tight valve lash, burnt intakes can certainly be a cause to the the sympton on this one.. Also check ignition timingmaking sure its spot on - is this model still mechanical advance, if so check it out closely.. Stock single carb or is it twin carb set up?? twin carbs out of sync can also do crazy stuff too.. Now here is another one that I have seen many times but no one around here )my neck f the woods) likes to believe it... Carbon deposits,, uh huh those stupid buildups from running rich OR at high vacuum all the time can and DO cause exactly what your describing too.. The carbon builds up, the carbon gets RED HOT and stays RED HOT in the combustion chamber - fresh fuel/air mix hits it and poof you have pre-det that shows up in a pop on the carb.. another possibility is cam wear,,, I know that HD has had problems with soft cams in the past - have no idea if your model/year was affected by this.. Maybe check the recalls.. Also, let the bike idle and spray the external carb areas with carb cleaner - listen to engine speed changes as you spray the areas where the carb bolts on and so forth. Your are essentially looking for leaks with your spray can.. If you hit a spot where a gasket is gone your engine will pull in carb cleaner and the engine idle speed will change.. This can cause a lean condition and result in a pop - change out any bad gaskets.. Hope it all helps 'Puc

What an absoulute shame.. My prayers and condolances go out to wife, kids, family and friends Scott

My daughter and I just got in from the big ride too! WHAT A BLAST!!!!! I have just over 7400 miles added on the 83 and 3 gig of pics to with it. From Lake Placid to Deals Gap and out to Sturgis!!! Sturgis was wayyyy down in attendance this year in both vendors and attendors.. As a matter of fact, I would say 25 to 35 percent lower then I have seen in past years.. The Black Hills were absoulutly GORGEGOUS as usual and Sarah (my daughter) and I spent many nights under the stars.. The ONLY problem I had was keeping her away from the bikers (she falls in love to easily)!! Concerning the shooting.. For those of you who have never been to the big one, PLEASE remember that this place is PACKED with everything from little kids, teenagers, wannabee bikers, Hard Core Bikers, and LEO.. It has been 20 years since anything like this has happened!! Judd Hoos, the group that was rocking the walls at the joint where this happened draws a HUGE crowd every year. Its really to bad that out of state, off duty LEO who are choosing to go on vacation and attend a function like this rally cannot do so and leave the weapons behind.. The question lots of people were asking out there this year about whether or not the Officer had the right to carry because he is a Cop is NOT the real question that needs to be answered.. The REAL question is, what kind of person would fire a hand gun into a crowded room packed with people - what if he would have killed someone just to keep from getting beat up??? I have been there, I have listened to Judd Hoos with my kids (not my personal style - Willie Nelson for me), I have both seen and talked to the South Dakota LEO who stand right outside this place (GREAT JOB THEY DO TOO!!).. All its takes is a scream and they are there - the off duty LEO should have ran - screamed or shoved but NEVER - NEVER - NEVER carried a gun in a place like that,, much less discharge it!!! 'Puc

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Well V-4 I'll tell ya,,,, I have a little different perspective of the Rally then already mentioned.. Yes it is very busy, it is CRAZY with CRAZY folks and indeed it can be and IS dangerous BUT there are some very good reasons for this.. One of the main reasons that problems happen during the Rally days was pointed out to me a couple years ago by an old lady who was working in a Laundrymat in Rapid City. I can quote her and even though she was purely a non-biker her words of wisdom were spot on - "most if not all of the deaths and other crashing going on during the Rally are caused by yuppies who buy a bike, never ride it, tow it to Sturgis, unload it and try to pretend they know what there doing". You dont fit into that scene so I bet you would be fine.. I have toured the Black Hills many times both during the Rally and during other times of the year. Personally I have come to enjoy those first two weeks of August out there.. I am not a partyer but AM an avid touring freak. I LOVE the control of the road that thousands of bikers give you when your riding.. Cagers pay wayyyyyyyy more attention to us when they are out numbered 1000 to 1 and cops are amazingly friendly.. The little things like going 2 mph over the speed limit (I actually got a ticket for that in one of those little towns once - cost me 90 bucks for 2 over) are not even noticed.. I am also one of those drop the bag on the ground and sleep types so finding sleep is no problem, after riding 16 hours its amazing how easily sleep comes - even my daughters came to really enjoy it!! No matter when you go you REALLY need to ride back roads and get to know some folks out there.. SD people are the greatest folks on the planet.. If you do take all Highway do yourself a HUGE favor and stop at Draper - it is about 1 1/2 hour before Wall Drug SD and is on the North side of 90.. It is a super neat little Cowboy town with gravel for a main road - the Mayor of the town also owns a little fab shop, I stop out there everytime I go thru just to say hi - neat town and a good example of the type of scenery/kindness you will find in the REAL SD!! If you stopout there look up the Mayor or go to the firebarn (top of the hill on mainstreet) and tell them the guy who rides a real old Honda Chopper from Michigan to Sturgis told you to stop - you will have instant friends guarenteed!!! Also, Rushmore is prettiest at night, Deadwood is AWESOME and if you go thru the town and up the hill you can coast all the way back thru town if your brakes arent draggin.. Also, at the "end" of the Spearfish Canyon ride there is a Lodge with a gravel road that goes to the right of it.. There is a sign there that posts the mileage for waterfalls up ahead - its not very far (few miles) and the falls are GORGEOUS!! Also, if you stay on that gravel road and ride all day (a young man that I met on the road a couple years ago had JUST purchased a brand new Harley Heritage and he did this with me) you will pass a small sign up inthe mountains that says "Wyoming State Line".. Pay no attention to the funny looks the quad riders give you because eventually you will come out on pavement about 20 minutes from devils tower AND those quad riders will be long gone!!! Make sure you take a cheap, digital camera that is SD compatable - pick up a couple of 1 gig sticks for it and LOTS of batteries. Carry it close to you at all times so you can snap pics in a heartbeat.. If you drop the camera while your taken pic off your bike on the highway you can always go back - take the stick out and toss the smashed camera and grab another at Wally World.. Concerning where to ride to get the best ride,,, just stay in the Black Hills and you cant go wrong - its gorgeous out there!!! Although, One of my daughters LOVES to do the Badlands National park - starting from the East Entrance - go thru - come out the West Entrance - then do Wall Drug (its not far from the West Entrance) for Lunch/Dinner and then go back thru the Badland Park and take the exit on the Back side of the Park before you get back to the East entrance - I cannot remember how its posted but its arrowed for a small town on the back of the park (if you dont want to pay a park fee you can still go thru the park from the East Entrance to get to this little town - just tell them your going straight thru but DO go straight thru as the rangers will be waiting for you if you dont!!).. Anyway. Follow that exit and roadway up to Rapid City - Its an awesome ride and a rode not ridden by lots of bikes.. Its awesome to see the back side of the Badlands!! Take binoculars and lots of sun screen.. Use lots of Lip Sun screen too and I use lip stuff on my nose and ear tops too.. Take a tire guage and check your tires before you go mountain riding the first time - low tire pressure is dangerous!! I am heading out for the east coast with a group of 7 other rider (4 wings, a Harley, a RSTD and my ol Venture) this week- hopefully back in time to catch the second week of Sturgis so may see you out there! HAVE FUN!! Puc

All depends on what kind of butt pain we are talking about.. Before I broke my back a few years ago I was an AVID dirt rider... I had a KX500 that I "street legaled" and spent a lot of time (weeks) riding and camping at trail side and riding more... Because of sweat and seats (MX seats arent really made for long distance) "monkey butt" was a common problem.. I finally cured this issue by wearing spanex riding shorts with the Chamios crotch in it - WORKED GREAT!! As for my street bikes - I have found that the first few 800 mile days on a cross country trip are the worst and can be greatly reduced just by finding several different positions to put my feet in.. Also, I stand and stretch when I need to - it also not uncommon to catch me standing up for miles at a time - this really helps too.. The back rest suggestion is something I totally agree with - if you have something to lean against it seems to take a lot of pressure off you butt muscles. By the way, my first gen saddle is the most comfortable saddle I have ever ridden long distance on!! 'Puc

Hey Fever,,, by the sounds of things I think it would really bring a smile on your dads face if you and your wife bought it, got it going and put the miles on the bike that it deserves... I have brought many old scoots back to life after years of storage and experience has taught me that there is nothing harder on an engine that has not been run for years than the first couple minutes of start up.. If, at the time of this writing, the bike still hasnt been even rolled over maybe I can share a couple things that will help increase its life span.. I would begin the process of resurrection by getting a fresh battery for it, fully charge the new bat so your getting full crank power to your starter.. Now clean the bike real well - especially the engine. Remove the carb slide covers and gentely remove the rubber diaphram/slide from carbs - lay them out so you put them back in correct carb. Open the bowl drain on each carb. Go to autozone and get the carb cleaner in the black and yellow can - spray the carb cleaner into the main jet hole that the needle that is attached to the carb slide slips into - FLOOD each carb bowl thoughourly until you get a good flow out of the drain hose from each carb (the drain hoses are attached to the carbs directly under the slide covers). Now close the drain plugs and fill the bowls thru the main jet and let it sit. Remove the spark plugs and pull a cam cover bolt on the right hand side/end of the each cam cover.. Put the bike on its center stand and Squirt a teaspoon of 15/40 oil and a teaspoon of raw gas in each cylinder. Now put the bike on the side stand and shoot a half pint of 15/40 in each cam cover. Leave the plugs out and bolt out, cover the plug holes with a rag and now spin the motor for few seconds - do this a quickly as possible after squirting the oil in the cam covers.. Now shoot another 1/2 pint into the cam covers and spin er again.. Now put the bike back on her center stand, compress both front and rear brakes and release - check both front and rear wheels for brake drag.. Now put the bike in gear and pull the clutch in - hold the clutch in and try to spin the rear tire.. If you cannot spin it you may have dried out plates.. If so, REMEMBER that the clutch is stuck so you dont start it and stick it in gear and have it go thru the side of the house on you... There are lots of easy fixes for a stuck clutch.. Let the bike set couple days with carb cleaner in it.. Now go out, redo the cam cover oiling only this time before spinning the engine use just a teaspoon of raw fuel in each cylinder.. recover the plug holes with a rag - make sure your kill switch if off so you dont start a fire - roll her over a few secs.. Blow out each cylinder with compressed air (wear safety glasses), put a fresh teaspoon of fuel in each jug and replace plugs with new ones gapped correctly. Replace cam cover bolts. Drain the carbs. Check each diaphram for leaks - wipe slides down carefully with a rag and WD. Clean slide passages with WD and replace the slides being careful to get diaphrams seated correctly. put carb covers on.. Now drain the engine oil and put a new filter in.. Refill oil. With choke off and throttle CLOSED hit the starter - if it doesnt start right off open throttle to give it some air. If you do this though close the throttle as soon as it starts - DONT rev it. once it burns off its intial prime it may take choke to restart it.. DOnt get impatient - if you prelube like I am explaining you may very well safe scoring on the cam journals and cylinder walls.. I have personally seen more than one engine destroyed because of lack or prelube.. Hope this all helps and you get THOUSANDS of miles of enjoyment from your new bike!!! Be careful on her till you get used to it - these 1st gens are nothing short of AWESOME bikes! Puc

Being stubborn, cheap and having an endless supply of curiosity has created the curse of "I always work on my own stuff" for me.. Having been riding now for 49 years has taught me a few things about swapping out bike tires.. I always start with a clean wheel, either put it on the slab and let the sun heat it for a few hours or, if I am in a hurry I heat it up with my torpedo heater.. I do alot of "dumper diving" and aquired a SOLID steal piece of steal that is 1 inch in diameter and 5' long - any old ATV axle would work great for this. I took my torch and heated up one end and beat a four in wide - slightly curved end on the steal rod.. WIth the air out of the heated tire I will take a pair of C clamps )8 inchers) and clamp the tire just above the wheel edge and tighten the clamps as hard as I can - I leave enough room between the clamps that my bar and fit.. I then squirt penetrating oil in the area between the clamps. I use a 10 pound sledge on the end of the steal bar with the 4 inch end against therubber bead BUT not into the edge of the rim.. Normally I can have it released within 4 wacks.. I watch the bead carefully and when I can see that it is close to releasing I will remove the clamps and flip them over and do the other side and fully release the bead on that and then go back and finish the first side.. I dont allow anyone else to do my tires.. I like to inspect my rim condition and KNOW what I am riding on.. After cleaning up the rim - getting all the oil off I prepare it for mounting.. I thouroughly examine the edges that seal the tire for any flaws or marks from the spoons I use.. Oh,, something about the spoons.. I have several sets of spoons from MANY years of racing dirtbikes and crossing this country many time and changing tires on the road.. I personally like the longer spoons - 14" min.. I always grind the tips of my spoons to get a real good finish onthem.. I then hit them with emery cloth to get the best result.. When dealing with aluminum or ANY rim that is tubeless I cut two inch wide strips from old oil jugs and put the strips between the spoon and the rim - WORKS GREAT!! For balancing I just find a place that will support the axel and give clearence for the tire.. You can do it on the some bikes in place on the frame but not all.. I even balanced a repair job in the desert one time with a cactus holding the wheel while my bike laid onits side.. Never - NEVER use an oil based product when reinstalling your tires.. Use water with a little dish soap maybe but never oil!!! I have found that sweat from the top of my head seems to be one the best lubricants to use in a pinch.... 'Puc

Here is my 83 with the Tan seat off my 84 Blondie... I have had negatives and positives said about it.. Personally I dont care what they think - its my bike so na na dee na na,,,,, I like it better then black or I would put the black back on...

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Sure - why not?

I have worked in bike shops on and off for years,, I can tell you from experience that wrenching on your own bike to correct a warranty claim (assuming thats the case?) repair is a no no.. What if,, you re-torque it and snap a bolt off or slip off off the bolt and scratch a fairing or something.. Take it back and tell him his plan didnt work, please fix it... Pain in the neck aint it.. What very well could have happened is the mechanic hit it with his air wrench and trusted it,,, happens ALL the time = yes air tools are awesome BUT there is NOTHING like hand torque.... 'Puc

I am a little eccentric about bikes,, been my passion since I was a little toe head drawing pics of choppers in Kindergarten.. I have over 100 bikes currently (counting mopeds and honda mini trails and MX bikes) and 2 of them are Ventures.. Having an obsession with riding cross country - 16 hour/800 mile days are the norm - and I have found the Venture to be the absoulute perfect bike for doing so.. I retired my 84 at 192K, bought this 83 that I am riding for 900 bucks and it has already seen California and most of the west too.. On one of our cross country rides my daughter asked me what we would do if we were out in the middle of the desert and our bike blew up.. I told her I would find some kid that wanted a bike to work on and I would give it to him OR if we were in the sticks I would just pull out my 45 and shoot it in the radiator (symbolic of shooting the horse) and push it off a cliff hahah.. I was serious too.. Doing that is a whole lot easier when the bike owes you nothing and your not tossing 20 grand away... Now another point,,, I had a chance to go to a dealer outing last fall and ride a vast array of scoots on a test course.. All brand new bikes and we were ORDERED to hammer them... Surprisingly,, the most impressive motor (not talking superbikes here) was Polaris!! And,,, my best times on the course, believe it or not, was on the Road King!!! When it comes to the Twisties Harley has it!! 'Puc

West Michigan just had an overnight jump of 27 cents,, 87 octane went from 3.21 to 3.48.. We will see 4 bucks before summer is done for sure. I have a nephew who is an executive in the industry and so far he is batting 100% on his predictions.. Now a side note,, I have Degree in Economics and really enjoy the stuff.. Besides running my own business I have taught Econ and staying up on current trends and historic data is a huge hobby of mine.. Just for some thought provacation how many of you remember reading about our revolutionary war in school? Do any of you remember what caused us to take on the Brits and go for independency in the first place?? Does taxation without representation ring a bell?? How about Government that was so oppressive that it cared NOTHING for the people and only concerned itself with the rich and elite?? Has anyone on here ever been to DC and read some of the original documents that dictate how we are suppose to be living?? Do the words "a Government for the people by the people" ring a bell? Now,, due to our current economic situation I just picked up another home in our area that had been foreclosed on and was sitting empty for 3 years - couldnt sell - it is a BUYERS market BIG TIME if you have cash.. ANyway, the local government here had this place valued at well over a quarter million.. And its taxed accordingly. Thru business savy I was able to aquire the home for half of its stated value.. Of course, I went to the review board recently, produced my bill of sale, explained to the powers that be the MARKET proved the state value wrong by its selling price. The house had started at a price of over 300,000 and had been reduced many times thru time with no sell until I purchased. The Supervisor looked at me and said as he pointed to the assessor "there is the guy that sets the values". I corrected the supervisors statement and reminded him that in a Free Enterprise System the "Market" sets the value.. He turned red and obviously didnt agree with me.. Of course, my attempt at getting my taxes lowered didnt work.. Now, my point to all this is that exactly what happened in that one little incedent is being played over and over again in our society and frankly - it is ruining, or has ruined our country. To avoid boring anyone I will stop my lecture here.. If anyone has interest in why I strongly believe this and would like to hear my opinions on how to correct this chaos just ask and I will continue.. 'Puc

This is a very good subject to discuss with would be cross country riders.. I have ridden over and back and up and down our country many times and, due to my freestyle of riding habits have had several occasions of tummy trauma as a result.. A few things that I have discovered may help you all.. 1. NEVER drink water directly from a creek no matter what glacier it is running off from.. I now carrie milk bottles that I keep filled with city water.. I keep a couple jugs of the good stuff on my antenna and a couple jugs of "just water" on the other side.. Perfect for dumping in the wind in front of the group your riding with on those hot days.. 2. Learn to live on Wendies chili.. YEARS of expereince has taugt me that Wendies Chili is the only quick food that you can have in your food bag and not have to worry about going south after a few days.. I actually went 3 weeks one time in the desert with only Wendies Chili and water.. Had a GREAT time too cause I had NO deceases from food poisonings.. Also, back packers trailmix is good too but I prefer Wendies Chili.. 3. I still do the old Cowboy routine of sleeping on the prairie and staying out of the motels.. Lets face it folks,, if you want to motel it you can do that anytime,,, Cowboy up and get out under the stars.. If you do though it is wise to practice a couple Cowpuc Rules to stay safe.. First of all,, no matter where you are staying - be it 300 miles back in the desert or in a Walmart Parking lot under a pine tree in Sterling Colorado (done it MANY times) your camping techniches shouldnt change.. If you have to have a tent up always make sure your door zipper is located on TOP of the door and not along the bottom - Grass Rattlers are small enough to squeeze into the same hole that a mouse can and they will do it to get close to your body heat.. If you prefer camping without the tent just you, your bag and the stars you are with me!!! I have been practicing something for MANY years now and it works for nighttime protection.. Keep a couple of beef sticks rolled up in your sleeping bag while traveling. I keep one in my bag and one in my pillow that I keep inside my bag too.. I have found that both Grass and Diamond backs detest the smell of Beef Sticks and have NEVER woken up with that rush of adreniline and am usually not hungry either.. 4. If you do dishes while out roughing it dont!! Just scrape out your pots and pans, wipe them down with paper toweling and call it good enough - let them set in the sunshine until dry and crusty is good too.. Rinsing/washing dishes in creek water is a MAJOR no no and many recorded stomach flues attributed to food poisoning is actually free flowing bugs in creek water. Some well meaning "experts" in all this will tell you to just boil the creek water and all is well.. Well,, I am no expert and my only contact with all this stuff is my absoulute love of roughing it as a modern day Cowboy biker still living off the land and it only took me a few minutes of study time to find out that a VERY sick friend of mine with E-Coli came about the decease by drinking creek water that had been boiled... Come to find out, the boiling idea is just fine unless you happen across E-Coli or Listeria or many other bugs associated with food poisoning.. bottom line, carry your own water - its very easy to do.. 5. For a real treat after you have been riding for 15 days, have 8 thousand miles under your belt and you just want some fun... Find a store (s) that has those ladies passing out free food for tasting.. Make a few passes in your biker clothes, then go back in your beach clothes and then again in your night clothes.. This gives you a chance at some very good food (every cowpoke knows those food people give out the best of their product and its free), with the chances of food poisoning at an extremely low rate.. A riding buddie of mine and I spent over 4 hours at one of these places on a short sea to sea crosscountry ride a couple years ago.. I am still a little bound up from eating 30 pounds of Monterey Jack cheese and if it hadnt been for the qourmey crackers and european pop to wash it down with I would have gotten sick = my fault though.. Anyway,, ride safe, eat right, live long and prosper. Puc

Sounds like starter drag to me too.. Jump it directly to the starter with a car battery. Bypassing everything will eliminate a lot of testing if it is... Also,, dont just assume it is the starter if it still drags at this point.. Pull the starter if it still drags and test it out of the bike - could be as simple as an amature clean up or as deep as rusted up cylinders.... Just gotta toy with it..

As long as we are on the subject,, are we talking about the unsheilded (no flux on the rod) rods - I believe that we are?? I only ask because I was in Menards the other day and noticed that they are selling what appears to be aluminum welding rod in 1/8th inch stick with flux on the exterior.. I didnt look closely at it but it appeared to be an attempt at welding rod for a general use buzz box.. Anyone ever had any experience with that one???

Good thread happening here.. Us bikers can sure be passionate about what ever we are passionate about cant we... TO toss a little gas on the fire I gotta add something. I absoulutely LOVE exploring the Desert regions of our gorgeous country and there is NO better way of getting it done then on a bike.. A number of years ago I was out in Utah and Arizona for 6 weeks doing what I love. I was riding an early model Wing, riding in temps well above 115 and having problems keeping the rubber from my Dunlops on the tires and off the back of the bags - 1500 miles of touring and the bags/fender would literally be covered with rubber.. You guys have all been there I am sure, it was the type of HOT that when you came to a stop at in intersection in Vegas and put your foot down your foot would slide across the pavement while the sole on the boot was melting and if you didnt have 5 gallons of drinking water hanging from the antenna you were in trouble!!! I ran out of tire three times on that trip and one of the times I did I was out in the desert and had NO clue of a wearabouts for a bike shop.. Pulled into a little car repair joint and rode out with a car tire on the back... Life has taught me something,, ya gotta be careful when you say you will never do something because, at least for me anyway, thats about the time you will be forced into doing what you said you would never do.. Anyway, I discovered something through that Desert experience.. Running car tires in the Desert temps on a touring bike is AWESOME!!! NO more rubber on the bags, tires last wayyyyyyyyyy longer, they are much more resistance to puncture AND, believe it or not - handling in the rain with 400 pounds of Desert rock in the saddle bags was substantially better... I also use to run a Truck Snow tire on my 650 Yam during the winter time and it did great.. There were a couple years there that I didnt have a car and rode my bike to work all winter and chains on bike tires (or screws in the tires like we use for winter riding now) are a MAJOR problem on a bike on pavement.. I dont know if anyone here remembers (or cares for that matter) the old Walnut Snow Tires?? These tires actually had pieces of walnut shells in them.. Talk about GREAT traction in the snow - and still able to stay upright on pavement!! Personally, I have always been one to not take some self proclaimed professionals opinion about something I am curious about and I LOVE to find out for myself.. However,, life has also taught me that with stuff like tires and brakes I go about it with a lot more caution then I used to... I had a front tire with faulty bead come off a rim once at speed on a dirtbike and it got ugly real fast - you would NEVER want something like that to happen on a Dresser.. Good discussion guys.. 'Puc

Any chance someone would know a zip code for the area where this is taking place?? I would really like to Mapquest it for mileage - THANKS!! Also a huge thank you to all those involved in putting this together - I really cant think of a better cause to ride!! THANK YOU for posting this up.. Puc

Wellll,, sorry you all but I am a real man too and I wear no heated gloves.. Plain and simple,, I just tough it out and shake it off.... Of course,, on the same token,, if my tingers get cold I just turn on the heated grips hahahahaha