WRIDR

Okay Bud, CONGRATS 'n HAPPY 'VERSARY! Thanks so much for an awesome job narrating this wonderful Tale. Now, YOU find a bed, and get some sleep!~ Happy Hugs to All, WRIDR

For all you Folks who are in The Path, and have no experience dealing with these things, here's one thing to be aware of, and to get your Head prepped for. The First half can range from Seriously Scary to Downright Terrifying. However, Human Nature gets into the act, after entering the calm stuff in The Eye. There's a natural tendency to think: "Phoof! Glad that's over!" Believe us, it most definitely isn't, and depending on which quadrant passes thru your area in Part II, the Second Half will: a) seem like a Thousand Freight Trains are bearing down to tear your home apart, and b) will appear to be NEVER ENDING. It WILL end, Folks. Just hang in there. Best Wishes to all, Good Luck to those Folks directly in The Path, and PLEASE do NOT go outside. Flying debris is the most dangerous threat, and a Killer you'll never see coming. Sorry we can't speak to the Flooding; we have little knowledge of the affected areas. You are ALL in Everyone's thoughts and Prayers. Best Wishes, WRIDR

And then there's the thing about: "Engine is started every month to keep the carbs fresh"!!! For 240 MONTHS??? Who charges the battery, drains and/or freshens the gas, rolls the wheels to 'unsquare' the tires, etc. The 'Owner' must have a Day Job writing for Marvel Comics. Still that machine is in amazing condition, but... we wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole, nonetheless. Rgds, WRIDR

Returning to THE THREAD for one last quip, we had an encounter with Ontario's Provincial Police along somewhat similar lines many, many years ago. Can't remember what bike, but in the heat, and stop-and-stop traffic, our clutch left the building. We could only head for the sidelines - which definitely is ILLEGAL in Ontario, btw - and pooch along at 5-10 mph. Things proceeded in relatively acceptable manner... until we doodled past a Biker Gang. Oh no! Oh yeah... they pulled out behind us, and all of a sudden we're the Drum Major in a Band of seriously Bad Bruthers, generating even more heat and grumbling from the assembled multitude. Naturally along come the sirens, and ALL of us Really Bad Bros are pulled over. Fortunately the lead Officer comes up to us first, providing a chance to explain our situation. Even more fortunately the Guy was a Biker, so he said: "Go ahead, and good luck. If you break down, we'll call for a Flatbed." Off we went - to even MORE grumbling from our 'Gang' - and got the H*** off that road asap! Rgds, WRIDR.

Geeze Don... which is the NEW one?~ Rgds, WRIDR

What size do you need The T-Shirt to be? We probably won't need ours any more.~ Rgds, WRIDR

Don: Dunno if the same rules 'n regs apply down there, BUT... when we bought a vehicle last year we left EARLY, to drive to the dealership, THEN headed to the nearest compatible Bank which could/would give us a Bank Draft for the total amount (Less Trade in, but still over $30,000). That would get you away a LOT earlier in the day. Hope this might help. Rgds, WRIDR.

Omigawwwwd Don, you're breaking our Heart! "He said he wouldn't, etc...! WE said: "I can't!" "I can't!" "I can't!"... if we couldn't back our RSTD out over an ultra-thin carpet runner, how in H*** would we get THAT Beast out of the garage? Man, we did NOT see this one coming, but... if anyone ever deserved such an incredible machine, YOU do. Congratulations, best wishes, and GOOD LUCK getting any sleep tonight! Warmest regards, WRIDR.

Oh boy... "at my age and diminishing strength"!! We tried to learn your Age Info, but didn't find it. Nevertheless, regardless of all the other deficiencies noted and/or of concerns, those little words are probably the ones you should pay serious attention to. We are a classic example; at 72 (then) major strength-related problems showed up, even walking our beloved '09 RSTD backward over a paper thin carpet runner in the garage. Things have gotten progressively worse, to a point where we had to toss in the towel, and opt for Yammy's 400 cc Majesty Scoot. It's still a VERY serious BIKE in its own right, BUT hundreds of pounds lighter, and no leg-lifting to climb over the saddle. Sounds like you're already talking yourself out of this one, and we hope that is the course you follow. Rgds, WRIDR

Man, it is SO good to see that bearded Kisser of yours back in The Clan link, Bud! Thanks for the amazing Vids; particularly so for a PIPE smoking Varmint like yours truly. Ride safe on the next Out 'n Back. Rgds, WRIDR

Deepest sympathies to both Ffool, and Stan! Almost three full years since we watched our beautiful black and grey '09 RSTD roll up the driveway, and we still get visits from her on a regular basis. Couldn't be helped; at 75 we'd begun having trouble backing her up over a disgustingly thin carpet runner in the garage, so she had to go. At least in these cases, the timing couldn't be much better, with the end of the 2018 riding Season looming darkly in the not-so-distant future. At least she went to a lovely young couple who were absolutely thrilled with their good fortune. Somehow that isn't much consolation... Rgds, WRIDR

Migawd, $1800 for THAT Bike? Shined up - or even FILTHY - that is just SICK! No wait, 'tis Yours Truly who is SICK... WITH ENVY! What an amazing Find. Congratulations on The Buy Of The Year. Rgds, WRIDR.

Whoa!!! Hey KENNO, speaking on behalf of a LOT of our Clan, we've REALLY enjoyed the conversations you've either started, or been involved in. In our opinion, it would be a crying shame to lose you at THIS stage, just as we've all getting comfy having you around. It also means you'd remove yourself from a ton of valuable input on things mechanical, riding in general, and particularly with that new machine you're sitting on. Please stick around at least a little longer; everybody LOVES having you around. RGDS, WRIDR

Please add us to that list too, Don! That was an awesome move on your part, and unfortunately we understand the situ a bit more than many members - having installed a stair lift two weeks ago, primarily for our Wife. Thankfully we're both in better shape than that dear old Soul, but the clock has begun ticking VERY loudly. You've done a wonderful thing there, bless your kind heart!~ Rgds, WRIDR

Hope this doesn't stretch the Thread too far... Betcha only a few of us 'Olde Farts' can lay claim to any gun purchase like this! At the age of 16, virtually in a 'Different World on Another Planet', us young Guys were all gun/'hunt' crazy... 'hunt' consisting of such scary prey as vicious squirrels, predator Starlings, angry tin cans, etc. In our small town (pop. 4500) we were able to walk into the local Sports Shop, and buy a .22 cal. Cooey Rifle (made down the road in Cobourg, Ont). It was a bolt action repeater we still own, that held around 20 'shorts' and maybe 12 or fewer 'long rifle' rounds. Here's where it gets interesting; at 16 we bought the Cooey with no questions asked, then walk home down the main street with the gun on our shoulder. From that point onward, our gang of Kids would walk thru town 'guns on shoulders' to the Dump to shoot Rats. Imagine doing that in this Day and Age! Rgs, WRIDR

Yeah, you sure did. it's killing us. Now PLEASE quite posting pictures of that gorgeous, gorgeous BIKE!~ RGDS, WRIDR.

Fabulous report; thanks so much! Makes us sick with envy, said the 75-yr-old. Back 'In The Day' (1984), we bought a brand new '83 naked Wing for $4,000 CAD, stuck a bug catcher on it, hung a pair of soft bags out back, plus a tank bag, and camping/cooking equipment. Left Amherstburg, ON (near Windsor/Detroit), crossed the Ambassador Bridge, then drove s/w to Los Angeles, up the Pacific Coast Highway to Vancouver, and back home on the Trans Canada Highway. Had such a great run, we did it four more times in ensuing years. Took about two weeks. Rgds, WRIDR

Paul: any interest in looking at a low mileage (15,000 kms!) black '06 RSTD for $7,000 CAD? Located at Motosports Trenton, in Trenton, Ontario? (For info/pix, Google dealer, click on "Pre-Owned", and it's the 4th or 5th bike down.) Appears to be in good shape, and mostly stock except for pipes and seats. If so, we'll gladly contact the shop to get more details. Good people we've dealt with for 22 years. Rgds, WRIDR

Man, this has truly turned into a classic nightmarish Friday the 13th story! You gotta feel so bad for poor Kenno. Hope all turns out okay in the end, Bud! Sincerely sympathetic regards, Kenno, WRIDR.

WRIDR again: Not so sure you WOULD miss the 83's fairing. With the medium removable shield installed on the RSTD, it provides more than adequate wind protection - our opinion of course. The RSTD is a remarkable Bike in terms of being 'Best Of Both Worlds'. With 'shield installed, you get a sense it's a much more nimble machine than the Venture, primarily becuz that huge plastic mass isn't sitting in front of you. Unfortunately, we didn't realize just how good the Bike's wind protection is, until after the 'First Downsizing' to a V-Star 950 twin. First time up on the Wide Road, running to 70 mph +, the sense of loss was stunning. We suggest you not eliminate the RSTD due to lack of Wind Protection. Rgds, WRIDR

Looks like we're up for this one! Hi Paul: We had an absolutely awesome '09 RSTD in the black/grey colour. The "best bike ever" of the 20 we've owned. It would still be our 'Gamer', were it not for Age (75), and Health issues (you do NOT want to know!~). From your Profile photo (for size) and Age, you could easily handle the Bike; no problem there. Reliability: Bought new, they come with a FIVE YEAR WARRANTY! Any other questions?~ During the years we owned ours, not a single thing went wrong. Not one. You NEED to know the machine is top heavy. Lean it over too far from level (maybe while working on stuff in the garage?), it WILL fall down, go boom. Tranny whine IS there, but we kinda liked it. Somebody here refers to it as a Jet Engine winding up. We're curious about the low mileage, becuz these bikes were meant to RIDE all day long, many days in a row. Most owners don't want to get off them. We've heard/read squawks about seat comfort. We had no problems with that, but occasionally used an Air Hawk Seat Cushion to change things up a bit. The Dash drove us crazy, but we fixed that with a golf cart handle mounted across the bars, that allowed us to mount tach, clock, thermometer, and GPS - hope the foto loads! Geeze, Louise - looks like it did!~ IF you can ride her before buying, please do so. It is a VERY BIG BIKE, and not for everyone. Sure wish we still had ours! Rgds, WRIDR.

Hey, Don: We have a similar-sized property, and VERY similar problems. You had some seriously funny lines in that first paragraph we truly enjoyed, having experienced the same issues within the last few days. You also left out (or are blessed with NOT having) one other really, really aggravating problem - NEIGHBORS! You spend $300 spraying, and THEY leave the beggars completely ignored! Thanks for the Giggle! Rgds, WRIDR

Geeze DragonRider, really wish you HADN'T started this thread! We were feeling quite proud of ourself at 75, opting to ignore The Shame in favor of a 2012 YAMMY MAJESTIC 400 cc Scooter, with no need to lift either leg to slide on the saddle. Then YOU put up pix of a restored Dream Bike from 'Back In The Day', and the hair on our tired old arms stands straight up!!! Hello, Memories! Yeah, that was/IS one gorgeous bike. We'll never get over the feel of grabbing those handle bars, or simply looking at those pipes. Poor 'Madge'; she's hiding in a corner, trying to be invisible... Don't you DARE sell that machine!~ Rgds, WRIDR

Personally, we'd want to know how/when those 7,000 miles were acquired? If the owner was a casual Rider who only ran the Bike a few dozen times yearly, no problem. HOWEVER... IF the Bike sat for the recent years, with little riding, and/or servicing; watch out. You may be looking at a LOT of work, and possibly major expense returning that Bike to decent condition. Rgs, WRIDR

Something rarely, or ever mentioned is the position the Insurer would take, IF you had an accident, AND it was firmly established that you were 'Lane Splitting'? Anybody seen, or experienced that scenario? Don't think they'd be amused; OR willing to pay up. Rgds, WRIDR