BlueSky

Sounds like a great price! Decisions! Decisions!

This may not be relevant. But, in February of 1971, I bought a new 1971 CB350 Honda. However, the bike was actually a 1970. I think back then, Honda and maybe others titled their bikes based on the calendar rather than model. If you google 1971 Honda CB350 you will see the round looking gas tank , not the flat sided tank that mine had. If you google 1970 you will see one that looks like mine.

An economy car may get 3 times the gas mileage of that 87 Suburban. I rented a 2013 Ford Focus when my wife and I flew out to Phoenix and toured a couple years ago. It had a direct injected 2.0L engine and was really good on gas. I didn't check it but it must have been getting 35 to 40 mpg. I think the direct injection was what made it so fuel efficient. I don't like the transmission in those Focuses and I've read they are problematic, but it was comfy and like I said the mileage was phenominal. Actually we rented a 2.5L Jetta from Phoenix to Vegas and the Focus when we left Vegas. The Jetta really impressed us but the fuel mileage was not as good as the Focus. They were close in other areas, comfort, performance, ergonomics, but we liked the Jetta best. The 2.5L 5 cyl engine is no longer available in the Jetta. It was replaced by a turbo 2.0 I think. Anyway, I'm very happy that you are home safely and are back to plan your and your family's future!!!!!!

With 4 kids, you'll need some passenger space, but a mini van is very roomy and good on fuel too. How does the RSV run after sitting for a year?

If you plan to go to the National Parks on the curvy steep roads, size is a consideration. I think you are limited in size if you want to park in a USA National Park campground. I'd advise against buying a Ford diesel 6.0L engine. It has a multitude of problems that can be remedied but it's expensive. The older 7.3L diesel is a great engine. The gas V10 is a great engine.

When I had my 2004 Kawasaki Concours, I rode it into the Everglades National Park and turned off into one of the side roads into a parking lot. I was turning into a parking space when I realized that it sloped down and it would be difficult to push the bike back out. So, like a big dummy, I hit the front brake while turning and down I went. Those Concours weigh about 670lbs wet with a 7.5 gallon tank up top making it very very top heavy and that combined with the short rake and trail, it's tipover city. I was determined to not let it go over and this managed to pin my right foot under the bike. I couldn't free myself. Luckily there was one car in that parking lot and the guy came over and helped me get the bike off my foot. Minimal damage to the bike but it broke the second metatarsel in my right foot. I didn't go to the doctor until about 3 weeks later. Due to my age and my work requiring me to sit at a desk all day, my right lower leg developed blood clots. I had to inject myself with warfarin for 4 months after that. And my wife said, "You've got to sell that dam black motorcycle.". I eventually did sell it but by then I was getting used to it and liked it better than I did at first. There is a reason the concours.org site has a place just for tipovers. The other memorable tipover was many years ago when I rode my Honda CB750 up a board covering the porch steps to be able to park it on the covered concrete porch between apartments. I didn't build up enough speed and gave it too much throttle and it spun and dumped me into a large bush beside the steps with the bike falling on top of me! :rotfl: No damage to the bike or me that time.

Welcome Home! Family comes first for sure! Be looking forward to following your project on the 84.

Might be a good time to convert to the spin on filter that many members have on their bikes. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Oil-Filter-Adapter-plate-83-93-Yamaha-Venture-Clear-Anodized-/261045385834

It seems rather strange to me that the modern day auto oils have the energy conserving stamps because they are supposed to be so slick, slick enough to cause a motorcycle clutch to slip. However, if you put the same oil in an old styled pushrod engine that has lifters that slide on the camshaft during break-in, the camshaft will be ruined. I think it is due to the fact that new auto oil has very little zinc in it. I understand that motorcycle oils do have zinc because many motorcycle engines are high performance engines and that is a reason for using motorcycle oils.

I suggest you buy a infrared type temp gauge and shoot the exhaust flanges coming out of the engine and see if they are the same temperature.

Now, Group III dino oil is called "synthetic". Group IV, PAO polyalphaolifen is called "synthetic". (Most oils that were first called synthetic were PAO, Mobil 1 and Amsoil for example, but not any more) Group V, Ester, is called "synthetic". So, the term synthetic only tells you it isn't Group II, "regular oil". Mobil 1 and Amsoil were PAO at first. Castrol started marketing a Group III dino oil that they called "synthetic". Mobil sued Castrol and a judge in his infinite wisdom decided that since the lubrication properties of both oils were similar that Castrol could continue to market their oil as synthetic. Since Group III was much cheaper to produce that PAO, Mobil 1 switched to Group III and eventually, so did Amsoil. It's all good oil I think. Whether it's worth the extra cost to use "synthetic" is debatable.

While driving my Dodge Magnum, I was t-boned by an 82 yr old woman who got confused and stepped on the gas instead of the brakes at a stop sign. If I had been riding my bike, it would have been really serious for me. As it was it caused almost $7k damage to my car.

Dingy is still a member although it appears an inactive member. He might make up some cables if you pm him.

In 2008, I worked in Crystal River, FL. I rented a house in a large subdivision that had an entrance to a highway with a 55mph speed limit. Lots of retirees were living in that subdivision. There was a stop light at the entrance. But, quite often an elderly driver would pull out in front of a car doing 60 plus mph and get killed and/or kill someone else. Sooo, there are lots of things to consider, not the least of which is the elderly driver hurting himself or someone else. I don't suppose you could get him to volunteer for a driving test?

Most of those articles are confusing because they compare "synthetic" to regular oil without telling you what synthetic they are talking about. Almost all, if not all of the auto "synthetic" oils on the store shelves is Group III dino oil. Even Amsoil is mostly Group III now. I don't know what Motorcycle "synthetic" is. But with a price of $10 or so a bottle, maybe it is PAO. I doubt it.

I reread this entire discussion and there seems to be lots of folk comparing auto oil change intervals to bikes. Big difference because of the bike's clutch being immersed in the engine oil shortening the life of the oil. I think that in general we are wasting money buying "synthetic" oil. But, we like to waste money on our vehicles. I put "synthetic" in parenthesis because we really don't know what's in the "synthetic". Synthetic used to be PAO, polyalphaolefin. Now it's Group III dino oil or something made from dino oil or the latest, made from natural gas.

Yes, you are correct. I apologize for the incorrect info. partzilla does not list the pilot screw set for the 83, 84, or 85 carbs but does for the MkIIs. I bought some for my 89 a while back.

partzilla.com will have the mixture screw sets.

Just wild guessing here. But, 200 to 210 psig seems rather high for compression if the gauge is correct. Could the timing chain be off by one notch?

That is very true but it isn't that much different from the rest of the toy haulers. The toys are loaded in the front or the rear of all of them affecting the tongue weight in one way or the other.

I say this Toy Hauler at a gas station not too far from Sturgis. I've never seen one like it before.

I retired a couple years ago and I highly recommend it! You still won't have much leisure time though. There are just too many things that need to get done!

I just went to their web site and they list those new 2015's for $9795 now. Still a great deal!

I like what I read about those except the seat height of 33". For a 29" or 30" inseam guy, it might challenge me.

The auto tuners like Superchips claim their tunes are emission legal. Don't know about that but I have a Superchips tune in my 2002 F150 and my 2005 Dodge Magnum Hemi. It added a guesstimated 20 hp to my F150 and they had a dyno chart on the Hemi that showed a 12hp peak increase and 15 ft lbs of torque throughout the rpm range. I like what they did to both vehicles. Improved the fuel economy in both vehicles.