BlueSky

It's probably a dual compound tire with that ridge being the harder, longer lasting rubber. The softer compound tire wears away on the edges faster than the ridge. I bought a used 2004 Kawasaki Concours that had a dual compound tire that was worn on the sides worse than yours. That narrow ridge made the bike even easier to tip over in the parking lots and the Concours with its 7.5 gallon gas tank on top of the bike is maybe the most tippy bike ever made. Bottom line, I will not buy a dual compound tire for the front of a bike because of this wear pattern.

You said it has spark so it must be a fuel problem, I would think. Have you checked the compression?

Puc, you're right. It was a 1400 V4, trying to out do the Venture I'm sure, since it was offered from 85 through 88 according to Wiki. I always thought it was a straight 4 like the big Kaw. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_GV1400_Cavalcade

It may not happen. Suzuki gave up the big tourers didn't they?

That Sizzling Hot Beaver sounds enticing:

Deleted. I only hit the submit button once but it double posted.

I was stationed there from Jan 1968 to Dec 1968. I went to school for 40 weeks to learn how to troubleshoot and repair the Target Tracking, Target Ranging, Missile Tracking radars and the analog computer that took information from these radars and guided the Nike Hercules Missile to its target. Then I was sent to South Korea. SK was a hardship tour but nobody shot at me like the guys who went to Nam. After growing up in NC, I felt like I was in another world in El Paso. Nothing but rocks and sand around there! Ha! The county I grew up in was about 68% black and in El Paso, black people were rare and about 50% of the population was Hispanic.

Where in New Mexico are you moving? I spent a year in El Paso at Ft Bliss when I was in the Army and I got used to the dry weather out there after a while. Some Sundays I would drive about 80 miles to the mountains in New Mexico just to see some trees. And I drove 45 miles north of Silver City to see the Gila cliff dwellings. 45 miles in and 45 miles out on some very crooked, hilly roads.

That's really cool!

Toys can not be justified financially. Nor should they be. You learned so much repairing that bike I'm sure that the education is worth a ton of money. Now for the fun of riding your labor of love! The International would be a good trip!!

You do amazing work!

Happy Birthday Puc!! Hang in there. It took you a while to sort through your back problem too. It will work out. I'm 71 now, so you have a goal to shoot for, to catch up with me!

CLR is advertised as being good for cleaning the calcium deposits out of your coffee maker. BUT, if you run it through your coffee maker, you better make sure you run water through the coffee maker MANY times before you use it to make coffee! Don't ask how I know!

There are lots of them for sale on ebay for a wide variation in price with the highest at $600 when I was looking.

Congratulations!

How old is the gas filter?

If you have the air filter off, popping back is normal.

The used ST 1100 and 1300 bikes sell for a lot more than the Kawasaki Concours so that tells you something. The 2004 Concours I had was a very good reliable bike but extremely top heavy. I hurt my self by dropping it on my foot in an attempt to keep it from going over. After the trauma causing blood clots in my leg, my wife strongly suggested I sell it. It took about a year and I continued to ride it and brush up on my riding skills. At the end I would have kept it but I promised my wife I'd sell it.

Motorcycle Rider's nightmare, someone turning in front of you or pulling out in front of you.

Glad you got your money back. If it got lost at the border, that would be a situation where it would be hard to pin the blame on Pinwall. But, they are the retailer and they should make good on the purchase. Cost of doing business.

That reservoir on the left handlebar where you pull the clutch lever.

Sounds great to me! I should be able to ride there any day weather permitting! (I'm not a real biker:biker:):fnd_(16):

If you hone it with sandpaper, don't sand perpendicular to the piston. Sand around and around the cylinder. Sanding perpendicular will cause it to not be able to seal.

Around 1990 I was coming out of an auto parts store in Cary, NC and this teenager was headed towards his Maxim with oil he just bought. I stopped and chatted with him. He was 19 and he said he had ridden it to California and back. Said he carried an extra can of gas on the back to make sure he got across the deserts. Rear tire was completely slick. Nice kid. An adventurer!

Since I live in Wilmington, I'll most likely ride down for the day(s). It's only about 1 1/2 hours ride time.