videoarizona

Good points! I like the idea of not masking for the color! Thanks Jeff. I may sand her down and do this again. I have paint left over...

Spray gun works very well. First thing I did was clean it. The little manual that comes with it is wrong on a couple of points...but after spraying the gun using water, I was able to figure it out. The pattern and color knobs are reversed from what the manual says...at least on the one I got. After cleaning, I put water in the cup and went outside and sprayed the house testing different pressures and air/water mix. Found that the air valve needed to be wide open and the color valve near the closed position gave me a nice even spray pattern with very little overspray. Dried the gun then put it away until an hour later when it was warm enough to paint. I put on two coats of color and two coats of clear. Cleaning the gun between each use. Pretty easy to do that...just ran cleaner through the gun, then washed and rinsed the cup and nozzle. Dried it with compressed air and ready for next use. I found two errors in the job: 1: Despite my best efforts...I found little teeny pits and scratches I didn't see when fairing and sanding. This was after the first coat had flashed. To late now. Note to self...maybe I should have paid more attention when I washed the area after sanding...might have seen the pits and scratches. 2: The paint people told me only two coats of color to get the right tint....sprayed lightly and evenly. Well that was easy to do. Only problem is I should have done one more coat. Each coat is slightly darker than last. And after I clear coated and let that tack...I peeled off the paper and tape masking the job areas and noticed the paint is a touch lighter. Guess I should have yanked off the masking stuff and checked color before clear coating. I looked real hard after the second coat and thought it looked very good. Well...not until you compare the areas beside each other with all tape and paper removed could I see the difference. What's interesting is one area I painted is almost a perfect match, the other is easy to see the color difference. Guess I must have put thicker layers on the area that matches well! Now I have to wait a week or so then buff out and blend in the masking lines.... Interesting experience...never painted anything like this before. I'm pleased with the equipment, not pleased with my prep or technique. But for a first time, I can't complain to loudly! Disregard the light reflection on top...that really is painted nicely! Obvious difference where masking line is. This area used to look like crap as that's where brake fluid got on paint last year....so it's an improvement but not perfect... Here you can see the center section is different from the bottom (original) and top (new). Must have not put quite so much on this center area as the top looks like a good match with bottom. Live and learn.....to be continued...

...and how long was it between the 1st gen and the 2nd gen....?

Just picked up a little spray gun to paint my 1st Gen parts. If it works as well as it should...then it's worth it for a throwaway tool. Who knows...it may last a while too! http://www.harborfreight.com/adjustable-detail-spray-gun-92126.html Tests begin tonight with water....after I clean it...

Actually, since I come from the analog days...I can say with some authority it's not the gear that makes the song or singer. It's the talent behind and in front of the microphone. As a board of director for a studio in Paradise Valley, Arizona for a while...I've heard some pretty good music come out of analog....as the analog engineer had to be a musician or have a musician's ear...as well as a darn good engineer. Yea digital is easier to make things happen that aren't real (anyone can be "good" takes talent to be great)...but the sound isn't the same...which is why tube preamps are in every studio worth their name. Plus, I do edit digitally after recording both digital and analog...but can still output analog when I want. I do have to "warm" the tunes up a tad though... one messy office...showing the audio side of the recording/edit system.

Lift: Saw that today at the store.....but have no room to store one so passed on it. Did buy a battery impact driver(with 25% off coupon) and a small detail paint spray gun! If I can get it running tonight and test spray tomorrow..I plan to spray my 1st gen parts tomorrow night.

No answers yet. Mother Yamaha is rather secretive and always has been. We shall find out when they are released. In the meantime...patience Grasshopper. All will be revealed it due time... Maybe....

Wind turbulence is different, weather protection is different....and the shortie's issues are most noticeable in heavy high speed traffic. Turbulence hitting the head from semi's and such on the freeways is debilitating after a short while. Been across country with/without a windshield...but wearing a helmet. Without the screen... the constant wind pressure was an even force but hard on the neck muscles. With the largest windshield, the backpressure allowed turbulence to come from sides and below...buffeting the head. With vent on large screen, the turbulence is minimized. A lot also depends upon the fairing design or lack of.....so as RR said above....its mostly personal preference. Suggest you find an old used screen and test it at full size, then cut it down and test again. Keep doing that a few inches at a time until you find the size that you like the best. Then you will know...

I still like making my own mixes....45 minutes on a side. I can change the music to fit the mood I'm in while riding. Can't do that well with today's digital. And what really makes me smile...is how nice and solid the cassette decks are on our scoots. From the oldest to the last years...they are stable at all times. Sure can't say that for the CD's!!

Well, finally heard back from Duval Paint. They never called me with a quote, just made up the paint. Don't know if that was my mistake (Pat says no, I did ask for a quote) or theirs. Regardless....the saga continues. These guys do good work though. The paint match looks so close....it really depends upon how you look at the swatch vs the tank cover. I know that's because it won't match perfectly until I've completed the entire process of color layers and gloss layers....then eventually buffing it out...but it does look good. So now have to wait until I can devote a half day to painting the parts. But first, tomorrow morning when it's around 80 degrees, I need to stir/mix the paint thoroughly then transfer it to a metal container I bought from TrueValue hardware (under $3) and keep it stored at a decent temperature until I can paint. Progress.... Now I should know tomorrow whether I'll be in Payson at the cabin next week watching the contractor remove the bees from the fireplace chimney and making repairs....or staying home and painting the scoot! Question: Spray with real gun or use a hobby spray gun ? Thoughts?

Love it!!

Well Good.... Wish ya had called. I had the RSV in Phoenix until tonight. Could have met you up in Flagstaff. Glad you enjoyed rt 89 in AZ. Cool road along the cliffs to Marble Canyon and then down to Flagstaff! Be safe and enjoy the heat coming your way tomorrow!!

Could not have said it better! To Ron, Andre, Mike.... I enjoyed your company and friendship from 5th grade until we left high school and you went to war. You didn't come home.. But you are always in my thoughts. Rest in Peace my friends....

Alan, I switched to getting on from the high side. Less back strain for me and the back rest isn't in the way. I'm 5'10" and shrinking..... So I need all the help I can get! Have you tried the high side?

. The alternative is what I have... rocks. That looks good out here but not so much in Ohio.....

Increased tire mileage. Increased mpgs. Better handling on heavy bikes. I run within 2 pounds of max on both Ventures and please with ride, etc., regardless of two up or single. Only change i make is rear suspension higher pressure when two up..

Take pressure cold. Inflate to recommended tire pressure on tire... Not in bikes manual. Put valve cap on and forget until next check. Bike tires carry less volume than car tires with higher pressure than most cars. Not surprised they get hotter too. But that is designed in.

Boy.. Brings back memories of my Dodge vans. Lots of clearance to work underneath, course I was a bit skinnier then, but I still had issues with the garage floor wanting the oil more than the drain pan did!

I do think Yamaha needs to stay in touring business. If only to have a flagship scoot to show. Look at the time frame between first and second gens. I would say they are right on time.... We shall see.....

I've got the fake gas tank cover over at Duval Paint here in GV. I took it over yesterday. Waiting for a call back on a quote. I'm taking off for Phoenix this evening on the RSV. Be back on Tuesday. I'll get the cover over to Finish Master Wednesday if I can. Thanks, Bill...

Fairing is easy. Look for hints on this forum and tech area. Takes about 15 minutes taking time. And that's the key..take your time...lay out screws in order they come out so you have an easy time knowing what goes where. I laid mine out on table using left/right and up/down orientation... So i knew which screws went where. Take top screws off first...then gently hold ends of plastic piece covering bottom of windshield... Push up gently with thumbs to release catch in center. There is a simple tab in center that holds center of piece on. Most of us break that tab taking off chrome piece... So far, I've been lucky! Oh.... Leave screws holding headlamp ring on for last... It will hold fairing until you are ready..... You can do this... Just take your time.

I found a tip on this site last year when I replaced my rear end. (not mine...the scoot's. Geesh...) Tip: buy these.... http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/pliers/2-pc-20-offset-45-angle-long-reach-pliers-61587.html or http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/pliers/16-inch-long-reach-pliers-set-38598.html And they made life so much easier. Put boot on swing arm and was able to get my spring back on by sliding it on using the above tools. Took five minutes.

CJ, not sure that is a good idea unless you are painting the whole bike. After all these years, there will be some fading from UV and weather. Paint to the formula will not match the old stuff well. Just an FYI.... I didn't care as I was only spraying small areas of the 89. If it didn't blend perfectly...oh well...I thought. Now, I think I'm glad Color-Rite couldn't do the job....I know whatever I get from a paint match off of an old part will be very close indeed. That makes me feel a bit better.

Color-Rite did say they would match if I sent them a part from the scoot. But they were not willing to take responsibility for the part while in their possession. Plus, she was three weeks behind in matching work...and I wasn't willing to put up with them any more. Paint kit went back for refund today. I did go to the local paint shop and ask them what they could do. They painted the fairing on my 05 and did a decent job at a fair price with a lifetime guarantee. They educated me about painting with this type of paint (temperature sensitive, primer sensitive and gloss overcoat issues). I took what they said as gospel and am waiting to see what they come up with for the cost of a pint/quart of paint. I want to spray it myself. I'm also waiting for Bill to come up with his painter's phone so I can get up there. It's ok if he gets busy....I'm not in much of a hurry as I've already forgot how to put the scoot back together so now there's no rush! In other news, did find some paint that is very, very close to the factory color on the silver RSV. At Wal-Mart yet. Since I'm going to be touching up tiny rock chips in fender...I think this stuff will work. In Automotive section, Rust-Oleum High Performance Wheel paint. Silver looking cap. Works with metal or plastic. Slightly lighter than the "Silver" Rust-Oleum in the spray paint section. Also picked up a can of gloss clear coat in auto section as well. Says UV Protection and no yellowing formula. I'll spray on a clean surface and use a tiny artist type brush for hobby use to paint the rock chips after I sand them. Was given a tip to put a piece of heavy duty paint tape or masking tape with a hole in it about 3X size of chip hole. Sand with that over chip. Clean and paint same way...masking everything around area. Sounds like a perfect way to not mess up the factory paint. And so it goes...