cowpuc

Wayne When you say scooter are you refering to something along the line of a fully automatic moped??

Personally I REALLLLLLY like where modern day braking has taken us.. Indeed, they have become precision equipment - wayyyyyy more capible of controling your bike and saving your life then brakes of yesteryear.. Play in parking lot a little and try to feel your brakes,, try applying them like your adjusting a micrometer.. Brake with your index finger and your toe.. If that doesnt help, there are lots of different types of pad material in use today.. Some folks like Organic pads and others like steel impregnated.. That all will have a different feel to them.. Maybe play around a little with pad types and see if you can find one your more comfortable with?? I implore you to do take the time to figure it out.. You really should not be riding regularly with brakes you have doubts about - peace of mind is important when riding... 'Puc

Drager beat me to the draw.. I have had several of my personal friends and relatives ask me to train and I ALWAYS agree under that condition.. 1 year in the dirt required or I am not involved.. IMHO,, the street is just no place to learn the basics.. Best case scenario is clutch control, shifting, throttle control, braking techniques and balance should all be "habit" long before the highway is under the pegs... Here is a little tidbit of fact that anyone reading this thread may find interesting.. Did you guys know that LOTS of the "Professional" riding schools use little XR100 hondas or TTR125 yamies to train high speed corning techinques on? They work awesome because the motors are easily controled, rider can "OWN" the bike because of its small size and they build great confidence.. I have also had several friends that decided to just stick with trailbikes and stay off the road after they found out how much fun dirtbiking is.. Keep in mind that I am not taking about motocross racing or Harescrambling but just good old small bike woods playing.. If she were my child and she is just starting out I would get a small trail bike and go play in a field with her... GOOD POINT DRAGER!! 'Puc

Now gentlemen,, THIS thread is one of the reasons that I cant stay away from this site!! THANKS GUYS! Not to get you guys off track in your conversation but here is another spin... First off I spent some time yacking with the Victory folks about the new Vision recently.. I was intriqued to hear them tell me that they are aiming at the high end buyers - folks with 6 digit incomes and up - and that is why all the extremes in design on the Vision... Now,,, I am by no means even close to that category of a buyer BUT I do a fair amount of business with bikers who are in that category and I actually laughed when I was told that... That being said,, I can actually see the Trumpet fitting into the groove that the folks at Polaris are chasing.. IMHO, That big motored, V-Max competitive scoot could very well get the attention of the upper cruster.. It would be real interesting to see the Rocket get full touring dress,, it certainly has the lines and the umpph to be a competitor with our long distance runners.. It will be very interesting to see what kind of reliability it comes with.. I also cant help but wonder what kinda real world MPG's that 3 banger will get?? Great reading and very interesting comments to this point! 'Puc

Ok ok,, this is an easy one folks.. Just look at those two puppies,, both of their faces are saying "we like hotdogs but for a chunk o' round steak we will give up da bike?".. And, yes,, that is a very nice scoot, better put some theft insurance on it though cause round steak is cheap!!!!!

We freedom riders in Michingan have had the repeal of our helmet law in front of our Jenny, our Gov, a couple different times now and she has decided to veto it everytime (its headed to her desk again).. Funny thing though,, she has no problem accepting her homelands garbage into our state and polluting the nations biggest supply of fresh water so I doubt her big concern has anything to do with people,,,, maybe more to do with who owns her (insurance companies).. Concerning the idea of 21 year olds on up idea.. So a young man/woman can CHOOSE to fight and die for our country but are not mature enough to CHOOSE whether or not they want to put a stupid helmet on.. I think we REALLY need to re-evaluate the loss of our personal freedoms, especially things that hurt no one but the person making the choice!! I think wayyyyyyyy before any politician makes any laws forbidding choice in matters like wearing a helmet that ALL of the bars in the country should be shut down, laws passed that you will NEVER drive again if you get caught with ANY amount of alchohol in your system while driving, all smoking should be banned (second hand smoke DOES kill) and the like.. Sounds stupid doesnt it??????????? Think about it folks,, how much more stupid are things like helmet and seatbelt laws??? Wear a helmet?? Heck yes BUT ONLY WHEN I CHOOSE TO - not because Jenny Granholm says I have to!!!! I want my FREEDOM back!!! Cowpuc

I have owned 1st Gens for years and have also lived on gravel roads for years.. I have also ridden off road scoots all my life and have enjoyed many long hard days participating at both MX tracks and other forms of bike fun.. One of the things that I DONT appreciate about linked brakes is when I am on anything other then pavement.. If you toss the rear end of the Venture out on a gravel corner in a highspeed throttle slide and touch the rear brake to control the slide you WILL feel the front wanting to wash. What concerns me more then anything is what could happen to the unsuspecting road rider if braking at an instance where the road had some gravel on it and the front wheel brake slid.. I KNOW from experience that this can happen.. Personally from MXing I have learned to use very precise front wheel braking - controlled by my index finger only.. The front wheel has amasng stopping power but it can also take you down REAL HARD!! Please be VERY careful if attempting to design and apply your own linked front brake system.. Theres a lot that can wrong.. Maybe I am overly sensitive about braking designs.. A long time ago I had a friend who built his own 3 wheeler and didnt get the braking correct.. He hit the brakes and his right rear locked and the bike went into the ditch at high speed and slammed a tree.. He is still a parapeliegic (sp)..... 2 cents 'Puc

Ed, VERY glad to hear that your ok!! Could have been a whole lot worse my friend!! Bet the cops were going CRAZY looking for the snowmobile you hit until you woke up and told them the ski was part of your bike

Willie Nelson = Cowboy Biker Music.. I even named my last Venture MUSIC..

hey CR,, i am sooo glad to hear things came out as well as they did for you bro!! As frustrating as all this is PLEASE remember that these bikes can be fixed an/or replaced!! Not so with the human body,, something that some of todays so called "mechanics" dont even consider... If I were you I would suggest to the dealer that they consign the work to another shop of your choosing.. As it were, I doubt you will ever be able to trust their work.. On a side note,, I am an independent bike builder by trade. A few years ago I had a young man working for me that I was paying 15 bucks an hour to for spinning wrenches.. I had to let him go, he had less then desirable work habits (he left some cam bolts loose on one topend that destroyed the motor among other issues).. I have a real close friend that owned a Yamaha shop at the time and told him about it.. His eyes got the size of saucers,,,,,, he says 'sheesh man - my highest paid mechanic is at 8 bucks!!! I have since investigated this even farther and found that our Yammie shops wage wasnt far off compared to other shops in the area.. 12 bucks an hour being top wages for a "skilled" factory trained mechanic.. I also ride with LOTS of folks that have NO BUSINESS doing thier own work.. I have some words of advise to my friends who fit into this category.. It goes something like this,, learn to fix your own car first AND DO IT - that way if something goes haywire at least you have four wheels and a cage around you that may keep you alive while your learnin...

and they really sound cool when there are 4 or more running at the same time.. They kinda have their own lanquage.. My grandmother had one on her old wringer wash machine that was wayyyyy cool... Takes me back to alot of lost memories there... That great big flywheel keeps em chugging for long after combustion. Condor, your a man after my own heart.. I drag stuff like that home and my wife just shakes her head and smiles... Have fun gettin er to putt.. REally neat find there bro!!

my 83 with fresh carbs rebuild, fresh sync, brakes done right, tires at 45 pounds running Dunlops, shield cut to 8", running bags but no trunk, plugs gapped to 28 thou, not running side covers but fairings are on and complete, running open fishtails that I designed to squeeze tail ends to adjust backpressure on the Dyno.. 105 MPH in 3rd gear is common - not even starting to valve float... 120 in forth and it was not over by any stretch of the word.. I believe it has more there, 5th will have to wait till next year for a Bonneville run to find out... I would REALLY like to know whats REALLY possible too!!! On another note,, I was riding a buddies R1 the other day... 102 MPH in 1st gear folks ----- and I am NOT joking.... and ummmmmm,, can you say FLY?? If you can say "fly" you have just found out how long it takes to get to 102 too - FLYY and your there... Or just sit and crank the throttle and listen to the engine rev,, now try to beat the engine to top revs with you hand twisting the happy grip - aint gonna happen!! Now remember that the same thing happens in first gear with your back tire hooked to the tarmack.. Hope you can ride bro cause THAT is one mean awesomely powerful bike that dont take no crap from NOBODY - you better be ready to standup and lean over the front and force it down into the ground or your gonna have to let up or over backwards!! I honestly think 230 MPH would not be out of the question on this new R1.. I would LOVE to do it too BUT NOWHERE other then Bonneville flats - PERIOD!! If you cant ride your dead..its that simple...

West Michigan Creditors has a repo 2005 Midnight with tons of options starting at 10500. The scoot has either 5700 or 7500 on it. RUNS PERFECT but needs a battery badly,, Hideaway on dash CD, cruise, rear speaks, air ride, tons of crhome.. Nice bike that seems to run well.. 5k bike should be worth 10..

WOW WOW WOWEEE OUCHEE.... That is almost hilarious.. If my 83/84's are the same I guess I better get em on Eslay and set up my retirement account hahahha I will gladly ride with a hole there for that!! Another thought,, I hope those speakers are something special too because these old speakers need updating BIG TIME.. I upgraded mine two years ago and am ready to do it again.. Those speakers are not just 20 years old in life, they are 20 years old in design too.. WOW,,,,,, that $$$ amount is shocking..

Or you could come to Michigan and buy both my perfect running 83 with 30K original mile on it and my 84 Blonde Royale parts bike for $2400... Then you would have lots of parts for many years of great cross country riding in the future........ 'Puc

Ron, I am so sorry to hear about your great loss.. Those words seems so menial considering the length of time that we as a society have had to put up with such immoral, uncivilized acts of destruction.. Please do not let the sincerity of my condolances be clouded by the decisions of our lawmakers... Not only am I an avid biker, I am also an avid Michigan snowmobiler and have been for over 40 years.. Our state has suffered great losses like you have experience MANY times in the sledding industry.. Unlike bikes, snowmobiles take NO skill to ride - literally a drunken person can climb on, pull the trigger and kill someone in a matter of seconds.. I was instrumental in helping to establish a "Zero Tolerance" policy for Michigan Snowmobile Association.. The public outcry against people like myself for supporting zero toleance was AMAZING!! It seems that the overwhelming majority of people in our society want their cake and eat it too.. They want to be able to drink "socialably" and be able to legally drive after doing so.. So many people misunderstand the effects of booze on a persons judgement.. Asking a person who has been drinking to decide whether they have drank enough to give up their car keys is like asking a child to decide when they have had to many cookies - the idea is proposterous!! Unfortunatly, your friend is one of many innocent souls who have paid the ultimate price for our societial selfishness.. I for one appologize for it.. Sincerley 'Puc

As difficult as it is to try and explain the "peace that passes all understanding" Marcarl, you gave it an excellent shot!! Indeed, I just shutter at the thought of going thru life without it...

I think this is a GREAT thread.. Something I have always loved about biking is that no matter how long you have been doing it the learning curve continues.. Something I learned and always taught my kids when teaching them to drive/ride is to take LOTS of pictures.. By this I of course me mental pictures of the surrounding area -- the point is that you can trust NO ONE.. Did you see that shadow under the car that was approaching the intersection Son?? Ahhhhh,, no I didnt.. Then your mind wasnt on driving - remember Son, you can trust NO ONE but yourself, YOU have to drive for both you and them... Can you tell me whether that car that was sitting at the end of that driveway had a hubcap on the front wheel or not Daughter?? Whats that got to do with anything Dad? Cause you can trust NO ONE other then yourself when your driving a car,,, that front wheel will tell you where that car will squirt to if the drivers foot slips and will also tell you if the car is moving -- all at a glance!! I have gotten myself into the habit of slowing wayyyyy down for people who like to creep at corners or when coming out of their driveways.. As a matter of fact, I now make it my appointed duty to come to a complete stop and sit there and stare at them when this happens --- just to let them know that I dont trust them,, the ONLY person I trust behind the wheel is me... Pardon me wife,, but did you head check that merge?? Shut up husband - I aint one of the kids... I like the swerving idea when coming to an intersection to maintain your lane ownership that someone mentioned - mainly because I TRUST NO ONE other than myself while I am driving.. I have lived in the country for years and have had to contend with Deer during twilight hours for a long time - one thing that deer have taught me is you cant trust them.. During these high engagement probabilty hours I gently swerve back and forth so my lights are scanning from one side to the other. If you have never done this you will be shocked to see how far down the road your lights will light up their X-ray eyes as well as other critters.. Once you have avoided and accident by doing this you will be shocked too at how natural it is.. All you have to do stay focused in your ever searching endeavor to see em before they attempt to do you in.. ANother thing to be aware of is the location of the Sun.. If your riding early mornings and late evenings with the sun on your back you MUST understand that Cagers cannot see you.. You have to make your decisions based on this FACT becuaes you can never trust them.. On divided highways I ALWAYS ride the open lane.. If one lane has more space between the cars thats where I will be.. I also avoid bottle necks - if I have to ride aggressively for a short ways to get into a hollow spot I do.. Or,,, if I am coming up to a bottle neck I will slow down and let the idiots hash it out and then blow by them to the next hollow spot.. The chatter about Semis brought up another one of my favorite sayings about trucks that I always told the kids,,, and that I live by.. NEVER play around near them,, they are the most dangerous pieces of equipment onthe road.. If your gonna pass, wait till you have an opening to do so that is complete and then do get it done - DONT get caught having to ride next to them for any distance.. NEVER cut them off in traffic and NEVER ride at night with your lights in their mirrors.. Dont follow in thier dust or rain mist cause you NEVER know what is gonna come off one - you cant trust them.. Go around them and leave them to their jobs.. On 3 lane highways or more I always use far left and avoid merging lanes.. Leave yourself an escape path.. Another thing I always do when turning is engage my blinkers and then hand signal with a flat hand showing to the traffic.. In heavy traffic when merging out I will motion from straight up to outward or vice versa in an attempt to be seen - I trust NO ONE but myself!! I also use a small set of those little concave mirrors on my road bikes as well as my cars.. I use my mirrors and do headchecks when changing lanes or turning.. A longggggg time ago (1974) I was riding beside a friend on his new Honda 500 four.. He was sooooo proud of that scoot,, so proud in fact that he was so busy showing me how cool it was that he totally missed the discoloration of the pavement he was approaching.. I tried to point at it but he didnt get my message before he was on his face... What happened was truck from a local scrap yard had entered the road with a container on from a machine shop.. Inside the container were shavings from mills/drills/lathes and the like.. Of course,, the water coming fromthe container contained cutting coolant and it was REAL slippery... Tim didnt even have the chance to touch his brakes (it would have only sped him up anyway) before he was down!!! From that experience I learned to take pictures of the surface I am riding on too!!! Bluntely,, you cant trust the pavement either!!! Speaking about judging surfaces,, does anyone else have the habit of watching the joint between pavement and shoulders on downhill roads?? I have found that you can sometimes predict gravel on the highway by the condition of the shoulders.. I absoulutly LOVE highspeed country road corners but blind corners at those highspeeds give me the jitters... I am always looking for signs of an UNTRUSTWORTHY road.. 'Puc

^^^ABSOULUTELY^^^ I have chased down 17 people this year alone who flagrantly cut off bikers - 4 of which happened to me personally!! I ALWAYS get close enough to their face to smell for booze and have never held a drinker yet - just plain old NOT CARING FOR HUMAN LIFE.. I am FED UP with these idiots,, tell ya what,, it aint all old folks either.. We DESPARATLY need cell phone laws!! Arrrrgggggggg Sorry bout the rant gang but this stuff REALLY gets my goat! Hey Hippy,, soooo glad your ok Bro!! Praying that your injuries get better and nothing more comes of it! Also that this next bike is even nicer then the last one!! Long live the Hippy and long live the 1st gens! 'Puc

^^^ COUNT ON IT DON!! Will be praying for both the wife and her mother!! By the way, we had ICE on the lawn this morning!! 40 minutes Northwest of Grand Rapids Michigan... But we still had 12 bikes show up for our church ride today and we did 250 miles!!! 'Puc

I have an old school HOnda santee softride chopper with a California Springer, Z bars and open pipes that I have ridden all over the country.. I literally have never been stopped on the old girl BUT I do try to obey traffic laws with her.. Actually the NUMBER 1 thing that WILL get you a ticket though is not wearing a helmet in these god forsaken helmet states!! Michigan is TERRIBLE (legislation has been on our fine Governors desk 3 times now but the insurance industry has put enough money in her pockets that she wont sign off..) but Nebraska is even worst - last I heard theirs was like $1000 instantly.. Kinda like them winning the instant lotto or something... Cowboy up and LET ER BUCK!! Have fun and be safe out there!! 'Puc

Fixit - PLEASE let Jake and his girl know that we are thankful that they are ok!! Also that many lives are lost every year in deer accidents and PRAISE GOD neither of them were part of that list!! Also, tell your son thanks for his willingness in serving our country!! 'Puc

Gotta tell ya Drifter,,, from one ol Cowpoke to another,,, iffen these chores werent overwhelming and the trail boss wasnt so ornry (gotta be careful - she didnt say a word about me being 8 days late from the last roundup!!) I would be right there by ya!! You asked for advice,, ok here ya go,,, dont over plan - stop in all the little cowtowns and meet all the great REAL western folks along the way - get an xtra gig of SD for the camera and fill each one with pic after pic - camp on the prairie floor on the highspots perferable on top of the buttes (make much better night viewing)... Follow game trails up into the high plains (you know this already I am sure),, they will lead you to good sleeping and great morning pics of Muleys and Antelope,,, put on some Willie, ROy Rogers or Gene Autry!!!! I have always told my kids that the ride dont even begin till we're on the west side of the Rockies,, ahhhhhhhh,, no bugs, no traffic (riding off highway is the ONLY way to travel), old ghost towns, pure saaweeet UTAH air and room to breath it.. Man I wish I could join you - YOU are headed into the country that I could ride 6 months of the year and NEVER get tired of!!! Hey,,, watch out for the Mule deer,, I have a set of horns on the front of my 83 that I pulled off a fresh road kill out in Montana a couple weeks ago.. They appear to be scraping early so you may find rut coming way early too.. I say that cause,, again being another Cowpoke you already know this,, they get restless and stupid - start thinking with thier pee pee instead of their brain and will run right into you.... Also,, watch the erosion spots in the low lands - seen lots of hidden spots while crossing open prairie on the scoot. FOr some reason that Western Utah ground doesnt take flash flood water real well right after drought and bingo - erosion is everwhere.. I personally saw stuff this year 5 miles from the nearest pavement (pavement runoff causes most unnatural erosion) that was like quick sand (loose like powder) but deep enough to swallow a bike whole!! LUCKY SUCKER - HAVE FUN!! Dont step in the Cowcrap! 'Puc

^^^ EXACTLY WHAT MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS^^^ If it were mine I would get at least 1/2 inch of thread into the fork.. Mine also came with longer stainless cap screws and finish plugs for the holes.. It also fits the forks VERY snugly and I am sure this is necessary for adding stabilty and makin the forks work as one unit.. If I had yours I would trim the base of the fork gator (thats the proper name for those rubber fork guards) so it trims perfect to the brace. I would then get some shim stock and work with the distance between the fork leg and the brace - you want it so its snug (not so you have to beat it in with a sledge hammer though,,

A little soething to add to Georges writing here.. Not to dice down anyones equipment but I have learned by experience that digital is wayyyy ore sensitive then analog. Unless your testing sensitive devices you are money ahead to stick with a cheap little analog meter as they tend to be less subject to "eddie currents" and residual reading then digital meters are.. You want something that is putting a small load on the system when checking voltages that size.. If your going to try and test it with a real sensitive digital meter your almost better off just shootin a resistance check.. I have a voltmeter that I actually use a small light bulb in series with to put a load on the line I a testing.. I do this to get away from any resisdual reading that ay toss e a curve.. Just a thought 'Puc