Phoenix

Personally, I quite like my '04 RSV - that is why I bought it! It runs great, takes me where I need to go, has a shaft drive, is a comfortable ride, gets great fuel mileage, and has a nice cruiser style. As far as audio goes, it is easy to hook your iPod or MP3 player into the audio system, so I really could care less about changing from a cassette player. My GPS (Garmin Zumo 550) will also play MP3's through the RSV's audio system, so that is another avenue to carry music along. (Most of the time I just use the radio and the supplied buttons to change the station whenever I go out of range of one I'm listening to.) Over the years, I have found that cars and motorcycles don't always change for the better when they "upgrade" them. I'm enjoying my RSV and don't plan on buying another one until the wheels fall off. Phoenix

I had that bee-buzz vibration about 2 years ago. Based on a tip from a rider on the Venturers forum, I synched my carbs at 1500 rpm instead of 1000 rpm, since that is closer to my cruising rpm's. That fixed it. Soooo, try synching your carbs at a higher rpms and see if that fixes the problem. My buzz was kicking in right at about 2400. Go higher or lower and it went away. You should be able to reproduce the buzz with the bike on the kick stand. Lightly touch your rear crash bars with the back of your fingers as you increase the rpms. You will be able to identify when it kicks in. Keep in creasing slowly and you will be able to determine its limits. Another person's tip for determining what rpm's to synch your carbs at was to synch at the rpm that is halfway between the 1000 rpm idle and your highest or routine cruising rpm's. Hope this is helpful. Phoenix

That's INCREDIBLE! Just so we are on the same page, you do know the metal part is not the pad. I have been averaging about 8000 miles per rear set. Front sets are original and have about 24,000 on them and still going strong. Phoenix

Regarding torque and anti-seize, you need to reduce dry thread torque values by 10-15% when using anti-seize or any other lubricant. No big deal, to do. I usually figure 10% because it is easy to calculate in your head. I use anti-seize on every bolt I take out and reinstall on the bike. A good mechanic once told me that if you properly torque a bolt, it won't back out. Therefore, anti-seize is often more useful than threadlock. Phoenix

If you plan on using it in your car as well as on your motorcycle, I would recommend going with the 550. The reason I say this, is because the 550 comes with an Auto mount, 12v auto cord, and AC cord. The total of buying these accessories separately (they don't come with the 450) is more than the difference in cost between the 450 and the 550. The best price I've found for the 550 is $656.40 with free 3-day shipping from PCNation.com http://www.pcnation.com/web/details.asp?item=6G0330 The also have the 450 for $511.80 http://www.pcnation.com/web/details.asp?item=6G0665 Phoenix