CaseyJ955

That is just cool, a 5 cyl radial mill tucked into the spokes. Definitely outside the box, cool! I'm not sure I can imagine touring on it, but I would not turn down the chance to give it a go.

This has to be the finest forum on all the internet. I'm glad you know I'm serious and offered up serious answers. Thanks to all!!

You can hijack any of my stuff, never a problem as long as you submit the $29.95 per-post intrusion fee and the one time $10.99 account setup fee (sorry Don, that all goes to me). If you've got the onions to drop trou and take off down the highway knowing the risk of becoming a youbute sensation overnight then you get all fees waived! Your input is always welcome, relevant and hijack-y or not. I wont press charges so you should be able to shed your ankle bracelet very soon my friend! Oh, hey, when you were rolling around nekked in my fine state were you thinking about how free and liberating the Vanishing Point girl made it look?

I'm glad this is still going. I cant seem to get my silly ideas out of my head. The cargo I wanted to pull has a dry wt of ~220 lbs, and I figured a custom aluminum trailer made just for the item and the item together would be wt prohibitive. Off the top of my head I would be at 300+ lbs total wt, but it would be relatively flat with low CG. I'm not thinking about a multipurpose trailer, rather a trailer designed and fabricated by me specifically for my 250. My dirt bike weighs about what I do after a robust meal, so how much more wt for a purpose built trailer remains to be seen but I dont think 100lbs would be a bad guess. The idea I have drafted would take a small dirt bike which would be rolled up longitudinally onto a hinged rail on the extreme right side of the trailer, then fastened to a guide, laid down/locked in an almost flat 10-15 deg angle. I'm a 2 stroke guy so laying them down really doesn't have any apparent ill effect as if it had a crank full of petro, and the extra wt. I googled before posting this response, and I found this on another site which I am a member. I would not be going upright as pictured. This is the first pic of pulling a bike with a bike I have seen. Does dark siding effect trailer pulling, I would assume it would be favorable if pulling some wt? https://advrider.com/f/threads/bike-trailer-towing-a-bike-with-a-bike.213034/

Nissan has been up and down over the years with regards to quality and cust satisfaction but they have some gems. They have just never (consistently) reached the level of Toyota/Lexus or Honda/Acura. The F150 would have obviously been another very solid choice, but you can NOT go wrong with Toyota. I have owned Toyota (and Ford) trucks for decades and that truck there would have been one of my first choices, even in that color. IMHO she made about the most solid choice possible. I still have a Toyota now (Lexus LS400 4.0 V8) that is 22 years old and has over 200k on the clock, It rides like a brand new car and is an absolute pleasure, no car from that era rides like this, so supple and sooo damn quiet. Toyota has always done the right thing with so few lemons over the years. I really think your Toyota owning experience might cause you to think about that 4-runner. BUT, Don, but... if you dont want to spend a ton of scratch but you want a spectacular, capable and opulent SUV with Toyota reliability then I'm going to HIGHLY suggest you fine and drive a nice example of LX470 (Landcruiser) from the early 2000s. Not kidding, these things are saught after for a reason and IMHO well worth the 10k+ nice ones bring. Unlike a few other manufactures that have only recently started putting some quality down Toyota has been doing this for years. I'm a big fan for a reason, Lexus is what finally broke me of American cars. You may end up taking the keys away from her and making it your own, at least until you remember some nutty guy on the internet compelling you to go try out an LX470. Congrats on a very solid choice!

Good afternoon and howdy right back atcha!! Good to see you!

I use it in my first gen Venture and my Vmax, and have for a long time. The V4s (et al) seem to like it quite well. I also know it's a very popular choice for these bikes and also again on the Vmax forum. One of the upsides is it's so cheap that it's no biggie to change it 2x a year if need be. I have been staying away from synthetics in any engine or Synchro-equipped gearbox that didnt leave the showroom floor with it. Some folks have good luck with it but most of my vehicles are older and over the years I have found upgrading to synthetics is not always a good idea. Last I checked the T4 was the conventional oil version and T5 and T6 are varying degrees of synthetic. I have been a big fan of the T4 conventional for the above reasons. I also noticed it shifts about right with the conventional oil, in fact when I feel the shifting get a little stiff I know that it's ready for a change, every 2000-2500 or so and good to go.

Thanks for the info, it all makes sense. I'm going to look at some tent trailers and see how that goes first.

What is actually comfortable for the bike vs what can I force the bike to do, so I guess I'm wondering how much wt seems like to much for those that have towed, at what point do you feel safety and common sense have been pushed aside? I have never towed with a motorcycle, I can go a week easy out of a large backpack and probably the rest of my life out of the cavernous luggage space enjoyed by the MKII so the only reason my MKII still has a hitch is pure laziness that I have not shed that wt. Ive never had any reason to think about hitching a trailer to a bike (nor trailering a running bike), but saving all that $$$ on motels might be good. I know some of us do tent trailers so I believe that is all good. I think a basic tent trailer is in my future plans. There is something else I would like to pull, wt I suspect will be around 250 without trailer. Not sure what these bikes things are actually good for, how much wt can I make go and stop safely. The tent trailer would likely go anywhere I'm going to be out more than a week but the heavier load would be within an hour or so of home. Just feeling it out before I embarrass myself with the stupidest idea ever! TIA, yallz have a great weekend!

Glad the issue was sorted and shes running. After you have had some time to ride it and feel it out please follow up as sort of a product review. I'm really interested in how she performs in the upper revs and what sort of MPG you end up with. Very cool!

For a clear coat I like the 2K two part. I think Eastwood makes one of the two part clear coats as well. I painted my whole Vmax this way and it's been a few years and the clear coat is fantastic. It's more reminiscent of a factory paint job then something someone like me did with rattle cans. IMHO the two part clear coat is a must for a vehicle finish that will be exposed to the elements. I dig what you've done there!

Did you get the Solex kit, it's the only one I see on Ebay ATM? I'm not wrapping my brain around how a single Solex could work properly on one of these beasts. Is the carb in the kit an authentic Solex or an off brand?

Agreed, maybe I was cutting it to close with the 5.5", which is why I dropped 0.5" while filling this time. The progressives are beefier than the OEM springs and will displace more fluid when dropped back into the fork, but the 5.5" rule is what I heard with those springs. I guess next time I have them apart I'll consider 6" the magic number.

I never wanted to go over after reading the 5.5" max on the Progressive inlay. I figure anymore than that and the oil will have no place to go in a bottom-out situation and force the oil past the seal causing yet another joyous occasion to pull the forks apart. I'm around 6" down now and it hung in there just fine while I was wandering greener pastures. I even hit a few unexpectedly large irregularities in CO and NE that had to be close to bottoming out, yet the seal hangs in just fine. I'll still keep the fork parts on hand for when it does pop again. I'm quite pleased with being able to do this whole Colorado thing without one mechanical failure, for the first few hundred miles I was constantly glancing at it to make sure it was sealing. I did right away notice the forks were softer, not sure if it was different fluid or just a little more air and a little less oil. It does ride pretty darn nice.

I've been using the E3s on my Venture, quite like them. ***** can dance just fine in the canyons as well as resisted squaring off on my recent trip that included hundreds of miles of straight roads as well as hundreds more of glorious hills/mtns. As far as I can tell the E3 is a very damn solid choice for the Venture. I think they might not be sticky enough for the Vmax to get ultimate traction but what fun would that be? It will get E3 or E4, whichever is most cost effective. Both my Venture and Vmax came with the Metzler Marathons, I'm going to go ahead and not recomend those to anyone for anything. The Dunlops have my attention by just being really decent tires so far. I got mine online from Dennis Kirk, I think. I waited for a free shipping deal and snagged them.

That is my understanding, and I mistyped, Progressive said 5.5, I filled it up to 6", not 5" as I said.

I had originally gone with 5.5" but this time I decided to leave it at 5" At first it felt pretty soft but it turns out to be just fine. It was composed on all but the gnarliest pavement and of course, it did not care for actual country roads one bit. I see the need for a DL1000 or preferably an R1200GSA in my stable, I had a rough time getting to a few of the properties I wanted to see but I cant blame the bike for that, it did everything it was designed to do and it did it remarkably well for a 3 decade old bike. Shes a touring bike that thinks shes a sport bike, but as it turns out she knows damn well shes not an adventure bike haha.

I just spent 4 days in the saddle, some of it over pretty ugly roads and all seems good. No more leaks. I put about 0.5" less fluid this time. Yea, we do have a pothole problem. The one I hit was in the middle of a very smooth new-ish road, why there is a huge chunk gone out of it is a mystery to me. Bike didnt miss a beat and served extremely well aside from predictable lack of torque above 9000'. Nothing changes shift points faster than elevation, I sure had to grab 4th a lot until I came back down to the 4000-5000'. Aside from almost running out of fuel a couple times in rural BFE and issues with unpaved roads shes spectacular. Considering that I was trying to use her like a 1200GSA she owes me nothing. Seal problem seems to be remedied. Thanks to everyone for all the help.

Looking real sharp! Congrats.

SD can be pretty wicked or fairly mild, quite a range, but it's usually cold. It looks to me like the winters start to taper off as you get down towards southern CO, but I have not spent a winter down there. The locals tell me that San Lious Valley can get quite bitter but the sun shines most days and warms things up some. Its listed as one of the better places for solar r/t all the sunshine, or so I read. I think there may be a slight tilt towards SD winters being a little longer and darker.

I think its cool. Seems he choose a pretty stonkin' drivetrain too. I would ride this over any of the other 3 wheeled designs currently on the market. 150hp to tbe ground should be enough to compensate for a lil extra wt..

I wont lie, riding season is a big factor in my search. I want some winter, just a bit less. I went through Alamosa yesterday, really like it, to Ft Garland, which I also like quite a bit. I was reeeally liking the 160 heading east out of Ft Garland. Im glad I took this trip. I made more friends in CO this week than I had in SD in the last 10 years. I did notice a tremendous amount of trafffic and people, even in Hartsel, which on paper looks quiet and remote. The traffic didnt thin out sufficiently until close to Alamosa. It is within range of gentrification, which may be a dealbreaker, more thought needed. There was an event but that still doesnt explain the massive amount of people on the road for such great distances. The incredible beauty of the place might be the only thing that kept me from going into a meltdown haha. Perfect weather and breathtaking scenery, really awesome ride. I stayed in Fort Garland last night, had a great time with a few locals and a couple off-gridders. Really enjoyable and VERY enlightening. I think its the right place if I can get at least 20 miles out of town and away from the pavement. There appears to be a bit of a meth problem in the area but I dont think that is unique to much of rural America anymore. Its still a cool town, like Alamosa. Im sorry I couldnt stay a couple more days or dip down into AZ and NM, but this recon trip was a striking success. I think I have most of what I need to make a choice of area, thanks in part to the information given here. There were several other cool towns but I'll have to review my GPS tracks and put it all together. Ft Garland has some awesome mtn views, thats what I cant get out of my head. I could easily wake up each day. Ill probably get home tomorrow, then I can think about all I have learned. Darn this has been a really fun one!

I suppose the kindest way to say it is im non-CA compatible. I do visit the middle states alot and nobody wants to endure californication. My best cuz lives in Boise/Nampa and he says its become so insanely liberal with the massive influx. Lots of places are suffering, lots. Ive even been dissed when I was living in Seattle, the WA plates are not much more welcome than CA plates. I cant blame anyone for fleeing from CA, I would flee, then deny I was ever there (kinda what I/we did). Im in CO right now. Been in the seaddle all day and have really enjoyed the interactions with locals, actually made a couple new friends today. There is a lot of positive energy here. This is my next home, I can feel it in my bones, it just feels right.

I'm going to interpret that as sarcasm haha. There is such a long list of reasons why I would NEVER return to CA (or WA) or anything on the W coast. I'm the guy that WANTS Trumps border wall, but I want it around CA instead of the US/Mexico border. I've always liked red states better but SD is so far backward that its beyond red, it's like glowing blistering white-hot orange. SD is as red as CA is blue. CO seems sort of purple and folks there seen pretty chill, besides CA does NOT do libertarians and is severely overcrowded, overlegistlated and overtaxed, and chock full of liberals. Its really a challenge to live around so many uptight folks, not much fun at all. West coast is out haha. I love the coast but I'm unaware of any state that touches the water that is not seriously overcrowded like CA. Just the thought of going to CA literally knocked the wind out of me and gave me a moment of elation as I realize I'm no longer there. I have noticed many libs in CO but it's never been a theme, at least not during my visits. It seems like a good mix of all things so far. It sort of lacks the high-strung element I have noticed in CA and the Pacific NW. Almost ALL our SD local and state politicians are a disgrace, there is enough scandal and corruption here to tickle a Clinton. We have won countless awards for most corrupt state (that says a lot) and the lowest level of gov transparency of all 50 states. CO feels happy to me. I just cant be in this much red anymore, the older I get the more I pay attention to how my tax dolars are used and SD gets a lot less attractive when that happens. I just got a PM that may send me into NM and AZ after all. I may change my route up to make some time for this. On a side note, if it weren't for the winters I would be looking exclusively in the mountains of MT. CA is my very last choice haha. Thanks, that it is, and if this 30 year old beast holds up it promises to be a great trip. It seems to be running to well, does that make sense? Regardless I'm stuffing the bags now. I'm glad you mentioned that, I was studying the map and I really want to see it. I assumed it would be a long and maybe technical ride and my only reservation is how the weather may bite me in the ass at this time of year. I have been thinking in the back of my head to just head in and out on the 71, at least until clear of Denver/CO spr areas, which I DO NOT want to get caught in. My city days are long over. I expect and hope that I will never see Denver again. I guess when I drop in on top of Ft Collins, the weather will make the determination. I see it's getting close to freezing up there at night. I was really leaning toward buying in the southern/easter part, only because the cost of 10-20 acres south is about the same as one acre around Cripple Creek. Besides there is something therapeutic about vast wide open spaces, especially with the mountainous backdrops.

I cant rhyme like Zep, but I'm jumping on the Venture tomorrow and heading into CO, It does sting in many ways because I am going with the intention of buying a patch of acreage, or to at least doing recon to decide which part of southern Co I want to live in. If I like it I have several specific acreages I can look at. I swore I would never leave South Dakota, right here in the west with the Black Hills it's amazing, but growing, fast. I have always loved SD for reasons of sparse population and fantastic scenery in the west. Also cheap living, which is changing fast as the population explodes. The nearest town to me is over 75k pop, and Noem could be our next governor, so obviously it's time to GTFO! It sucks in ways, I love this state but I think it's time to put it in the rear view mirror for good. I think it's time to start moving towards CO where there is money, culture and opportunity. I have visited CO several times over the last couple years and I'm always surprised by now nice people are, same in NE, but not so much WY or SD. Maybe I look like an outsider haha! If anyone here lives in/familiar with southern CO, feel free to drop me any suggestions or ideas. I'm planning on staying several days if I like it. I may even check out the high deserts of AZ and NM, but given the time of year I have to watch the climate and make sure I can get back home again, so none of my aimless indefinite tours. Was gonna leave today but by the time I installed a phone charger socket in the trunk and pulled the Garmin off my KTM and mounted it on the Venture it was noon, so leaving tomorrow. Damn I'm excited! really stoked to see it after so much reading and research on CO and what I want to do with a patch of land. On paper it's a perfect match, I have never been very far south of Denver so this will be new. I'm going to cut west and go around the metro areas to drop south. I'm not sure why I'm so much more excited than I should be. This will be my first real trip of the year, and pretty likely the last depending on weather. I hear it gets cold down there but I suspect it's got nothing on South Dakota winters which can range from mild to quite extreme. It looks like the weather will hold, but going up towards 10k' elevation does have me apprehensive on a bike this time of year. Even if I have to change routes and stay lower it should be a kick.