BratmanXj

Keep hunting and they show up occasionally, I just picked up a Stratoliner S (chrome) wheel AND chrome floating rotors for $200 shipped.

Planning stages right now for this winter's modifications, haven't switched yet.

I agree with you that lowering the front end would decrease the rake and trail of the front end the same as raising the rear end, giving the bike slightly quicker/lighter steering. Now this would give you less ground clearance and the possibility of scraping the hard parts during a heavy lean. I have been debating lowering the front end when I rebuild this winter with sonic springs. It is possible you may have fender clearance issues if you lower the tubes in the triple-clamp and hit a bump that would fully compress the stock front springs. There seems to be conflicting information on this site and a lot of people do not recommend lowering the front end (as the only modification) and prefer to use the leveling links to raise the rear.

XV1900 Straoliner & Roadliners run a 130/70 R18 front tire (S models are nice shinny chrome) that reduces the weight of the front wheel while also going to the narrower 130 tire like some people swap onto the stock 16" wheel. IF you get lucky like I did you can also upgrade to the chrome floating rotors, too. the VMax raises the engine speed by roughly 400 RPM relative to the same ground speed & gear. Most people who ride 2-up/Loaded or with a trailer say it moves the gear ratio's where 65mph @ 5th gear is right at the sweat spot for the engine. It also effectively shortens the gear ratios for faster acceleration through all the gears.

I though that model ended in '09? Did you get a 2014 V-Star 1300 Deluxe?

I have not, but I'm not sure people understand what your asking. You're looking to have the driving lights mounted into the glass-work of the fairing like on the new Indian bikes.

http://www.sonicsprings.com/catalog/ I ran them on my '97 Kawasaki Concours a liked them, again the people who put in progressives on those bikes were less than thrilled and the sonic crowd was happy. I went back to them after my previous experience.

I think the preferred swap for late model ('99-up) Ventures is straight wound Sonic springs based upon rider load. I've recently purchased a set of Sonic 1.2 springs that will go in this winter.

So I picked up a Stratoliner S wheel and chrome rotors for a pretty decent price yesterday but I need to get a few parts as it didn't come with the wheel bearings, internal spacer, or rotor bolts. I know the spacer is a Yamaha only part...but does anyone know the bearing specs and rotor bolt specs since my brother-in-law is a machinist and can get FAG bearings free as well as most any nut/bolt combo I need. Why pass up free parts.

Looks good, and I know V&H touring pipes are tough to find at a discount. What air cleaner (SE or aftermarket) and Tuner are you running?

I ran Uni filters on my dirt bikes and they held up pretty good to dirty dusty environments. The air filter on my Yz250 was designed to come apart to clean and re-oil the foam.

Custom Dynamics, J&P Cycles & Dennis Kirk all have listings for various tail light flasher circuits.

I've been looking into adding rear and side markers to my tour pack this winter. My idea was to get the Custom Dynamics LED strips and drill holes for each LED and epoxy seal them in place. The nice thing is they are dual intensity (run/brake) and you can get some models with 3" on each side of yellow for turn signals too. If you don't mind me asking a few questions: 1. Where did you pick these up? 2. Are they single intensity "marker" lights or do you have any rigged for dual intensity?

A Quote from the article: "According to AutoEvolution, ComSonic also said at the Virginia Distracted Driving Summit this week that it is still working on a way to find who out in a vehicle might have been texting, if there is more than one person in the car." Now what if I have my phone put away but am still receiving text messages while driving? Am I still guilty of texting and driving because I did not put my phone into "driving mode" before I got in the car.

I've asked the same question on here and didn't get much of a response. The bike had 50k miles and excessively loose bearings. I've tightened them up but still think they are pretty beat up and should be replaced. Does anyone have instructions on how to dissemble the fairing and change out the steering head bearings?

My father use to get scrub-oak from the place he worked, they would use it as cribbing when moving steel with the overhead cranes. The mill on-site would even break it down to 18" pieces for us and he'd fill the back of his van once a month. Stuff burned great in their stove.

Or early ('02-'05) Road Star Warrior or Late Model ('08-up) Road Star have the same 4-pot calipers. You'll also need the matching Master and these come in chrome. On the same note, does anyone know if the late model floating rotors are a direct swap?

I ordered the "Custom-Build" Hagon for $469 and asked the same question. The shock comes with the preload and rebound set to the weight & riding style you tell them.

Certain model Garmin GPS are 12v to the cradle then the voltage drop is handled between the cradle & gps. I think the old Nuvi 7x5 & 8x5 models and various Zumo models are cradle powered.

Again, Mixed feeling. What if there wasn't a car there and MC and passanger hit a duck. What if it was a deer standing on the road; MC and passenger die as a result of a wildlife collision. The details aren't really discussed; did she leave her car in the lane of traffic or was it pulled to she shoulder? If she left her car in the lane of traffic I agree that some responsibility does fall on her. How much I couldn't tell you, but what if it was a case of a broke down car left there, would she still be at fault. You hate to wish ill will on anyone, and there are so many what if's in this case.

I purchased some inexpensive Drag Specialties 1" Frame Clamps, they can be had on ebay for under $10 each. Then scour ebay or craigslist for someone selling a used set of kuryakyn or HD pegs that will bolt right into the frame clamps on the bars. I got a set of ISO-Pegs for $20 used on ebay; $40 total price installed.

Crap, leaving for Florida to see some family the next day...Lets see how I can schmooze out of helping to pack.

If it includes the breweries (and not the BIG one) I'd be in, as I'm sure I'd get 1 or two more to ride up with me.

What's easiest to have two big guys toss into the back of a truck: 400-500 lb "sport" bike or 900 lb cruiser. Seen video of a van pulling to the side of the road and two guys tossing a sport bike into the side door.

Hell, I'm 15 min from you just over the boarder in Munster, IN. If you need some help with checking over the bike PM me and we'll try to get together. I have a '99 RSV and am a mechanic on the side. Check the rear shock, notorious for leaking/internal failures. If the bike rides like your on a pogo stick you may need a new one. I did an "Big Brake Upgrade" with R1 sport bike calipers. HUGE improvement, 2 fingers to slow a big bike down vs the stock needing to grab a handful. If you want to see (and ride) let me know. Bleed the brakes till the fluid runs clean, don't know how old the brake fluid is. I flushed and replaced the front fork oil, I think the bike still had the original NASTY fork oil. I'm a bigger guy and went up to 15w oil for better dampening.