BlueSky

As the title says, my left saddlebag won't open. The button pushes down and springs back up but nothing happens and it doesn't take as much effort to push it down as the other bag. I've read some of the posts on the forum and tried some of the methods. I'm sure I'm going to have to either drive the hinge pin out (Is that possible?), cut it with a dremel, or drill the hinge pin out. What method do you guys recommend? Thanks!

After sitting over night, the oil level is now higher than the top of the glass with 3.5 qts instead of the spec of 3.9qts.

Changed the RSV oil and filter. The level had been above the sight glass before. The owners manual specs 3.91 qts with filter change. I put 3.5 qts in it and ran it for a few minutes before checking it. The level is over the halfway mark close to the top of the sight glass. So, it would appear to me that maybe 3.3 qts will be enough. The PO left the last oil change receipt in the trunk and they charged him for 4 qts, so maybe that is what they put in it. The bike is sitting on one of CarbonOne's adapters with legs so it's level. Are you guys with RSVs finding the same amount of oil getting to the middle or top of the sight glass?

Yep, if you are married, don't go to bars where women hang out. If you have a good car, don't be looking at new cars. If you have a bike you like, don't go looking at more. That's how I ended up with 3 motorcycles. I kept looking at craigslist. Neither of the three bikes gets the attention they deserve.

I think I would go to the shop and ask to see the manager of the dealership and have a polite sitdown with him to discuss what they intend to do. By the way, I'd love to have one of those BMWs!

This is interesting! History. Captopril, the first ACE inhibitor, is a functional and structural analog of a peptide derived from the venom of the jararaca, a Brazilian pit viper (Bothrops jararaca). ... Lisinopril is a synthetic peptide derivative of captopril.

Definitely, ditch that bp med. What is that med? Try Losartan. I'm taking losartan daily before bed or with dinner and if my bp starts going up, I take Triam/HCTZ after breakfast which is a diuretic. I will not take Triam/HCTZ daily because it dries out my joints too much and makes my arthritis worse. I don't want any joint replacements if I can avoid them.

Okay, here goes. My wife who is Russian from Siberia knew this woman there whom she believed had skills that no one should have. She contacted this woman and was told that I had a cancerous brain tumor. This was as soon as the whistling noise started before I even went to a doctor. She said that the doctors would run test and after test and by the time they found out it was cancerous, it would be too late. I was skeptical to say the least. An ultrasound of my brain was ordered and the doctors saw "something". A MRA was ordered and confirmed something out of the ordinary in the lower left rear of my brain. Then an MRI with dye was performed. Then the doctor wanted to run a tube up my vein from my thigh to my brain to give the "something" a high dose of dye and do another MRI to get a better photo. I declined this test because of the risk involved. I heard this whistling noise as stated every time my heart beat 24/7 for several weeks. This woman in Siberia said she could help but I had to do what she said and I had to have an open mind and mentally allow her to help. So, I agreed. She gave me some directions of what I had to do which were basically meditations several times a day. And she did whatever she did. Almost immediately, the whistling didn't happen all the time and within a few days it stopped. I continued doing what she instructed until she said to quit. Sometimes when I rest my head on my pillow on the left side, I can hear blood rushing through this mass so it is still there. A followup MRI a couple of years later confirmed it was still there but smaller. I told you, you wouldn't believe it. The doctors were amazed. I wouldn't believe it if it had not happened to me. I grew up a poor country boy and managed to get a degree in engineering. I've always been a practical minded skeptical person and the whole episode blew my mind.

Stupid question, but I have to ask, did they change your bp medicine to another type? Seems to me that when I have an issue, it is usually one of the meds I'm taking and I figure out which one and stop taking it. I have tried 3 statin drugs and couldn't tolerate any of them. Lipitor made me dizzy by the way. I took tamulosin for a while because I have an enlarged prostate to help me relieve myself but after a few months, it started affecting my vision so I stopped taking it. Later I tried it one more time with the same result. So, think about the meds that you are taking and research them to see if dizziness is a possible side effect. When I was in my early 50's, I was proud of the fact that I didn't need any medications. Boy, now that I'm 75 that situation surely has changed!

Well, if detergent oil can break up heavy sludge, there is a risk of any detergent/cleaner doing the same thing, I would guess. I would be afraid to use it. I've known owners who filled the crankcase with kerosene and ran the engine for a while to clean it but I wouldn't. The used cars I've bought in the last few decades, I have looked inside the oil fill tube to see if I can see sludge. If I see it, I don't buy. But, in my latter years, I mostly buy new autos on the rare instances when I buy.

Sometimes with older bikes, just unplugging all of the wiring connections and cleaning them with contact cleaner can get rid of problems. I think I would also change the plugs and see if that helps. Wouldn't hurt to check the compresion while the plugs are out. Check the float levels in the carbs. This can be done on the bike. I did it on my 89 but not my RSV. I'm assuming they can be done the same way.

I would be afraid to put it in an engine that was sludged up. Way back in 1972 I was back in college after the Army and my wife and I had a new Mustang. I wanted something to work on so I bought a 1959 Chevy Impala 4 drhdtp for $100. It smoked like crazy but it had a 283 V8 that I was eager to work on. Turned out the PO ran non-detergent oil in it for about 50k miles. Then he switched back to detergent oil and the sludge broke up and plugged the oil drain holes in the heads so the oil was building up under the valve covers above the valve guides with the oil running down the valve stems into the cylinders. I removed the valve covers and intake manifold and scooped a bucket full of sludge out of that engine. It didn't smoke any more!

This is such sad news. I'm so sorry for Bongo and his family.

So sorry to hear this Freebird. Don't sell the bike yet. You are still a young man and this problem will be resolved I'm sure. Has the doctor mentioned a MRI of the brain? I heard a squeaking or whistling noise every time my heart beat back in 2008. An MRI was ordered and a peculiar mass was found in the lower left of my brain. Another MRI was performed with dye. The MRI provided very detailed photos of my brain. It turned out to be (they think) a mass of tiny arteries and veins connected together, sort of a bypass. I don't remember the medical term for this condition. Anyhow, the noise stopped mostly and I continued trucking. The doctors were amazed. They initially thought it was a tumor. There is more to the story but nobody would believe it if I told it.

So sorry he has to endure this. I'll be hoping he pulls through and you will be riding with him again in no time.

I have both of the original keys to my RSV. The one I was using appears to be the one the original owner always used. It is a little worn looking. It's attached to the dealer key chain. The other key looks like it was never used. So, I tried it and it took only 2 tries to get the key to turn. So, the worn key idea was a good suggestion.

The first issue is that when the key is inserted into the ignition switch it won't turn. After fiddling with it for a while it turns. I first sprayed some WD40 down the key hole and that didn't seem to help. Next I sprayed some Liquid Wrench penetration oil down the key hole and that didn't help. The key is the OE key ?? The second issue is that when the key does turn to ON, I depress the start button and I hear only one click. Repeated button depressions followed by one click and the starter finally engages and spins with the engine starting. The battery is new and fully charged. ??? Are these typical issues with the RSV? Any helpful hints on what to do to fix them would be appreciated.

The "blond" bike is my favorite color.

Download for free from this site in the tech section

Thanks for the review. Excellent job! Any waterproof boot is going to cause your feet to sweat. So, if the goal is to keep your feet dry, it's imposssible. They either get wet from rain when it rains or sweat from the waterproof boot. In colder weather they may do great.

cracks in the side of the carb holders don't necessarily mean they are leaking. I replaced the carb holders on my Kawasaki because they were cracked on the outside but the insides were smooth with no cracking.

How long did it sit before running it this time? What "carb cleaner" did you use? Some of that stuff might damage the rubber parts. I use Gumout with PEA and put a whole bottle in a tank when my carbs get plugged bad. After running it a while over several days, it usually clears up.

Maybe it just needed to be changed. Dot 4 fluid adsorbs water quicker than Dot 3 and needs to be replaced more often.

This owner who is or was a member made this video about what he did to modify his bike including the radio replacement. You may be interested in viewing it.

A vacuum operated petcock is a good idea I think but your bike probably didn't come with one or has the need for one. The purpose is to shut off the fuel every time the engine shuts off. This helps prevent the possibility of hydrolocking the engine and it also might help prevent you from becoming a crispy critter in the event of an accident.