dynodon

I have seen a style of windshield that has what I would call a "flip" at the top that curves away from the rider. Like a spoiler on a car. This would allow the shield to be short enough to see over while still maybe pushing the wind over your helmet. Also, can you look at how far back you sit? If you move or add a backrest, would it help you sit a touch closer, still in comfort and miss the buffeting? Finally, have you tried different helmets? I have used a nolan open face that I liked, but it always had buffeting. Without changing anything but the helmet, I got rid of my buffeting. I went with a Shark Evoline modular. This helmet, for some reason has no buffeting, either with the chin bar down or back. Best helmet I hAve had to date. Also the least air under the chin or face shield. It is heavy, but that has absolutely not been a problem for me so far. Try some different helmets, you might find a solution there?

The Question of Why has been proposed and the possible answer is going to be very hard to define without a serious discussion of the effects on the Id and Ego, or the Ying and Yang if you will. Philosophers through the ages have struggled to come to terms and define the essence of this issue without much success or even without any happiness. Thus Why becomes an issue of quality of life and trying to find the route to the ultimate behavior to accomplish any goal. Thus bringing in the issue of Football, and why Football can mean a game played mainly with feet, and also mainly with arms, and also mainly with the entire body depending on the country you live in. Geographical boundaries being what they are, the global conditions and issues involved in Why boggle the mind. So I say......SQUIRREL! Where was I? Oh yea, time for a Beer. Is the Florida, Arkansas game on yet. Why not?

had to take a car trip today and saw several inflatable winter things, one in particular I wish I could have gotten a shot of had a Harley looking bike and rider (full size) with lights and such! Didn't have a camera with me. Darn.

Good for you getting out when that big yellow thing appeared. I have been doing the same here in Illinois when it shows up!

Thanks for the tips. I will look into the new battery and Stator. I have small oval shaped fog lights, and love them, but if I could find some similar LED lights that would solve the problem. the gloves I have have a three position (low, med, high) controller, so I already have that covered. Thanks again.

As for the alcohol in food, I would just ask the waiter to ask the chef not to do that. Most places will comply, if there is any hesitation, just walk out. If anyone asks why? just say it is a personal choice or a religious choice. I quit drinking probably 15 years ago because it was becoming a problem. had cost me a job, and about cost me a wife. I didn't to to AA, or anything like that, just quit. I am pretty sure I am not what you would call an alcoholic but I tried to stick to my guns. Then one day, as part of my job putting on events for a city, I saw the O'douls display and what the heck, it was advertised as "non-alchol" and I got an electric jolt when I tasted beer again after many years. hey, it may not taste good to someone that is still drinking but when it has been years, I defy most people to still have well trained taste buds and even bad beer can taste better than it would have... Does that make sense? Anyway, I was a little upset when I found out it had some alcohol in it, but then when I thought about it, I decided maybe I could have some if I didn't go overboard. Since then my wife and I (she doesn't drink much and never had a problem) have decided we can enjoy a glass of wine from time to time, and I will go through a 6 pack of fake beer in a month maybe. could take the two of us a month to finish an open bottle of wine! I know that a real alcoholic should never do this, and I am not encouraging anyone that has a problem to do what I am doing, I am just saying it is working for me. I can even have a real beer once or twice a year without problem. I just stick to my plan of NEVER drinking to get a high again! At an airport bar once a couple years ago I had a NA beer that was an import that tasted real good, but can't remember the name. Keep looking though! Anyway, NA beer can taste OK to someone that liked beer and just drinks it for the taste now and not the rush.

Congrats on the new Vision. Like others have said, its about the ride and the people more than the name on the bike. IF you like it then that is what counts. I have been trying to decide what to go with if my '86 VR (that I love) becomes unfixable at some point, or I just decide I want something new. The Vision is on my short list. One point that was made in one of the reviews was that the trunk and bags aren't as roomy as some other bikes, What did you think of that? I need room, because I really don't want to haul a trailer, and my wife's Shadow Ace Tour doesn't have a trunk, so between her two saddlebags, and my bags and trunk we usually get along well on trips, with just one piece of luggage on her passenger seat. IF we got one bike with less room, it would mean leaving something home, like an extra set of clothes or maybe the first aid kit or air compressor. Keep us informed when you get the bike!

up to 56 today in Central IL. took a nice hours ride to fill the bike up and also top off the wife's Shadow. (fun bike but I still like my VR better!). Sunny and not too windy.

No fair, two biker chicks leaves fewer for the rest of us! Quit hogging!

OK, some advice please. I have an '86 VR with 40,000 miles. Runs great no problems to speak of at the moment...except: I have added some new stuff to it since getting four years ago. (note, it has accessory running/brake/turn lights on the trunk, but otherwise was stock for electrical stuff.) I am running with the fm radio on, and usually the CB also. First I added fog lights. Typical small accessory lights (twin 55 watt?) and no problem. then added GPS, Garmin 765T and hard wired it to the battery. NO problem. Finally added heated tourmaster gloves hardwired to the battery. ONLY the gloves. Started out OK, but after a few miles if I come to a stop, the charge voltmeter goes below 12 to about 11, and when I take off it doesn't go back up to the about 13 volts like normal. Turn off the fog lights and it goes back up to normal. Turn them back on and as long as the bike keeps going, its ok, just when I let rpms drop quite a bit. My guess is I have hit the limit of the stock charging system. Two Questions: 1. IF I try to keep going like this will I hurt something? 2. What upgrade possibilities do I have? Many thanks for any and all advice.

An option to the air horns is a Hella Horn. Here is the version I have heard about from an E-bay source, but you can also get them through Griots garage or other sources: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Hella-Supertone-Electric-Horn-Set-Porsche-85115_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3357c12a00QQitemZ220515609088QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories The nice thing about these is they should go in the stock locations and should not require a new relay. Will be louder than stock.

STOP! Do NOT use sandpaper on the finish except as a last resort. Also, at this point don't use a high speed buffer, although that may be needed. I run a small business selling detailing products, and can give you some help to at least start with. 1. Wash the surface with something like liquid Ivory dishwashing soap. I like this for any wash, but some other types like Dawn, will strip your wax. Most "car wash" soaps aren't good enough to get the surface clean. Dry and evaluate: Run your fingernail over the scratches. Can you feel them easily? If so, you may need professional help or a paint job. Can't feel the scratches?, you can probably save the finish without a lot of pain or cost. 2. Can't feel the scratches, get a good Polish or glaze. You want something to start with that has very fine abrasive in it to polish the surface by taking off a tiny layer of paint. Do NOT believe that any product out there can get rid of the scratches without some abrasive. Remember that all glasses, microscope lenses, camera and telescope lenses are made with abrasives. You may have something on the shelf. For instance anything called a "cleaner/wax" combo probably has some mild abrasive in it. I don't like these things for waxing because you can either polish the surface, or you can wax it, you can't do both combined as well as you can do them separately. Do NOT at this point use anything called a "compound". These are more like sandpaper and are for last resorts. 3. If you use a polish or glaze or that "cleaner/Wax" with a soft sponge or cloth, (dampen the applicator with water first, and squeeze to just damp) and can make it better, then just keep working in small areas till you solve the problem, then top with a good wax. NOTE: I like to use a good thick sponge with polish/cleaners/compound because a thin cloth or thin sponge may let you leave finger marks where your fingertips apply more pressure. Go to a grocery store or Ace Hardware, and get a largeSynthetic sponge that kind of looks like a natural sponge (don't use real sponges, they can have sand or bits of shell in them). These will be about 4" x 6" x 1.5 OR 2" THICK. cut it in half and you have two palm sized sponges. Let the product do the work, don't compress the sponge more than halfway. 4. If the polish doesn't have any effect then you may need to go to a more aggressive polish or a mild compound. Always work from the mildest product up to more aggressive ones, because it is hard to get the shine back once you remove it. 5. If you CAN feel the scratches, then chances are you won't be able to get them out without going through the clearcoat and then you have a mess and will have to get the car totally refinished, or at least the clear topcoat. But try the more aggressive compound first on a small area and see if the scratches go away, if so, then go back to the polish and try to get the shine back. You may go through the clearcoat and if so, again, you have a problem. Depending on how much the car is worth, or worth to you, you may need to go to a paint/body shop and ask them to buff the car and possibly refinish. But don't let just anyone take a high speed buffer to your finish. NEVER use a high speed buffer on good paint, save it for major problems or new paint that must be buffed. I hope this helps. OH, I am not promoting my business, but if you are interested, I will give you my URL in a PM or email. For other products that are pretty good as far as polish and compounds, go to Meguiars.com. I don't sell these products, but they are pretty good. Also, most auto body& paint supply stores stock what you need. Remember Polish/Glaze is usually interchangeable, very mild abrasive for a high shine, the last step in a detail before waxing. Then you get into compounds, and they range from slightly harsher than polish to something that is equivalent to sandpaper. None of these products provide any protection to the paint, they just work the surface. WAX without any "cleaner or polish" is what you want for the final step when you have the car looking like you want. Properly done, a car won't look like it needs wax, and no wax should really add shine to a properly prepared finish, it will just protect it. Although a lot of places would like you to believe that their wax will make anything look good, but the truth is they almost never work like advertised. Also, no wax can take typical factory paint and make it look like a "show car". That show car shine comes from many layers of paint that is hand sanded and buffed to a perfectly flat finish. Most factory finishes, even on expensive cars has some "orange peel" that will never look like a show car. But it can look very good if you do it right as above.

Scooter, GREAT Picture! Congrats on the find and getting the target. I did make that breakfast ride this AM with the BMW guys in my area. We ride about 20 miles to a small town VFW that puts on a good breakfast for very little bucks. About 10 bikes in 43 degree overcast weather. By 10am, it was spitting a little rain, not enough to make me put on the raingear, just my leathers. A fun ride, no combines out, so I was glad to see you got this one. good next target, I know there are some in almost any area, so if weather cooperates, I will be hunting next ride!

Yep, got a month off there! Changed it so it makes sense.

Darn, The wife and I took a nice hours ride in the country today (59 degrees and sunny, very little wind, near perfect for Nov 28 in Illinois!) and must have gone by 20 combines. But all we had were our phones with camera and we lost the adapter to let us download pictures from the memory card. So we didn't take any pictures, knowing we could not get them on the web anyway. (don't even suggest that I e-mail them to myself, I don't have that kind of camera...it takes lousy pictures and makes lousy phone calls. Can you hear me now Verizon!) Anyway, the ride was wonderful. We did several mods to the wife's Shadow Ace Tour to take some wind off her so she will ride with me in colder weather, and it works well. She still won't probably go with me much below 50 degrees, but it is still nice to have her with me whenever I can. I am still amazed at how pretty the slightly rolling hills of corn country can be during the changing seasons. Will take my good camera with me tomorrow for breakfast if it doesn't rain too hard.

Steve, Way to go! Can't wait to see the next target. I am taking a ride later, hope to go "hunting" for that one then!

Just stirring things up a bit. No word on that pic of a dead deer and your bike. The season isn't over yet, but maybe a change of target might be in order?

Like others here, I follow the advise that everyone on the road is out to kill me. I don't ride scared to death, that would be no fun, but I "suspect" everyone of doing something stupid I guess is maybe the best way I could describe it. I try to keep out of situations where there is more danger, stay visible, keep speeds moderate, cover the brakes/clutch/throttle etc. Don't ride in the blind spots, get away from scary drivers. I am always LOOKING everywhere! Situational awareness I think they call it. Know what is around you and coming from all directions. Keep your eyes moving. Anticipate as much as possible any bad situation. That car coming to a crossroad where you don't have to stop and they do? Do you trust them to stop? Keep an eye on them. That kind of thing. I used to tow trailers a lot. just civilian stuff, up to 26' and 8000 pounds sometimes. That teaches you to PLAN AHEAD. Bikes stop a lot better, but you still need to plan ahead. Stay away from areas where you know there could be trouble, Detour around high congestion, high crime etc if possible. Basic stuff you should do no matter what you ride/drive. I don't worry about being loud (stock pipes are what I love, can't stand super loud bikes, they annoy me something awful as a homeowner and as a driver/rider), and I figure if I have good lights I am about as well seen as anyone. I have nothing against bright clothing, especially in the rain, but I don't think all black in the day or night is a killer, sometimes bright colors get lost in the mix. Reflective stuff at night is good. Ride aware, don't push limits and you will stay safer, but nothing can protect you from a stupid mistake or a driver out to hurt you if they really want to.

I am visiting FL late December and renting an Ultra Glide from Naples. Any suggestions for day rides in the area, and anyone want to try to meet up?

Here is a pic of my '86 BlackCherry and Gold VR. Taken in front of the famous prison in Joliet at the gate added for the Blues Brothers movie.

Hey, from one old bird to another and the rest of the crew here...Happy Thanksgiving! I managed a ride yesterday, but it is raining again now. Hoping it quits in time for a Turkey day ride.

Distracted driving laws probably aren't going to say much about CB. For some reason talking on a CB or even an FRS isn't nearly as distracting as talking on a Phone, and certainly not anything like texting! Truckers are unlikely to give up CB for something with such short range as Bluetooth, although FRS has lots of uses but that won't be much good unless the industry in general goes with it. Truckers are a lot like Audiophiles, and techie types, they love their CB's and love messing with them. My son drives, and I have had a CB in all my vehicles since the 70's.

Being adverse to some new technology, I have a question. Can you use the bluetooth technology to talk between bikes on a ride, bikes apart by as much as 1/2 a mile or more? I was under the impression that it was very short range technology. I need a system that will let me talk from the lead to the tail of a long line of bikes from time to time. Also if bikes get separated by some distance. CB still does the job for me. Handling wires is just something to get used to. Plus, I like being able to talk to truckers or get road info that is going to be more up to date than any GPS.

I think it was this site where I heard about using bicycle drink holders, the kind that attach to the lower front frame, on a motorcycle. On my '86 VR, I made a mount from aluminum strap for a cheap holder from Wal-Mart, that has a rubber strap. With this I can hold everything from the Venture Rider thermal mug (GREAT!) to a big gulp, and it even looks decent. You just cut off the top part that snaps in those funny shapped water bottles so you can get stuff in and out easier. For my wife's Shadow Ace Tour, we found an all aluminum model (she won't ever go for the big gulp so doesn't need the adjustable feature) and mounted it similar to the handlebar and it looks great on her bike with more chrome/aluminum May have $10 plus about 2 hours time in both of them!

Just put the National Cycle hand wind guards on my wife's Honda Shadow Ace Tour. She loves them. I just bought the Tourmaster heated gloves for my '86 VR and I love THEM! We took a nice 45 minute (one way) ride today in 40 degree weather and the wife liked the protection from the Nat. Cycle devices, and my hands were perfect with the gloves. Nice thing about the TourMaster gloves is they come with everything you need, controller, hard wire adapter etc. Got a good price through WingStuff.com