dynodon
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Everything posted by dynodon
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Star Touring has the best deal I have found on flag poles. $25 for members.
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My '86 VR has what I want for the most part, and I like the looks. I like a frame mounted fairing and hard luggage. But I know soon I will probably want something newer, so since Yamaha doesn't make anything like that anymore, and neither does Harley really (their one frame mounted fairing bike is ugly to me) and for some reason I don't aspire to a Wing, that leaves the BMW K1200LT touring bike. I have been looking at used ones on e-bay to get an idea of values, and they seem to be about the same as wings. Would like to ride one. If I ever get one I promise I will wave at all of you, be nice and never forget all the "little" people! LOL
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First, synthetic oil CAN be mixed with regular oil with no ill effects whatsoever. In fact the many "blended" oils are just that, synthetic and regular in a 50/50 mix usually. The only possible ill effect is you are not going to get the full benefit of running a synthetic oil. Second, I suspect that the prohibition against switching oils in diffs comes from policy with positraction differentials on cars where they use a plate type diff with some material, or in transmissions with syncronizers with clutch type material. In some cases, the type of lube you have will soak up the soft materials, and when you change lubes, the new lube won't really have an effect for a few miles till it replaces the old lube. Sometimes, in transmissions mostly, it can change the feel of the shift a little, but if the lube meets the standards, there isn't any harm. In a diff like the Yamaha bikes, there is no posi since there is just one wheel, and you can change lubes all you want, since the gear metal won't really soak it up any. Don Amsoil dealer.
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I am a proud member of VR and also The Venturers site, but am also a proud member of Star Touring with Chapter 242 in Central Illinois. It happens that the local group I found and ride with is mostly affiliated with Star. We work closely with our local dealership for chapter events and they give us a discount. I look forward to riding in some VR and V events this coming year, in fact, our Star group was at the Illinois ride-in with the Venturers earlier this year and were welcomed into their evening event! I don't see a reason why all three can't get along. The rules on the vest with Star (as I understand it, I may be wrong) have to do more with the outlaw bikers and how they get all upset with certain back patch placement etc. I probably will just get a second vest to use on other events and with things like the Patriot Guard.
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Just visited the HD web site and saw the commerical. Haven't seen it on any channel yet. I don't think it is totally bad for the biker community, but it does for sure play on the past history and the "image" that bikers used to have. I am surprised that current HD management would approve it. the current president even had a letter on the recent Blues, Bikes and BBQ event web site promoting more common sense on exhaust noise before the world backlash makes bikers become quiet! I have never been the recipient of any bias against non-Harley (i.e. import) bikes. Have never had a Harley, but would like to try one out to see what all the fuss is about. They don't make one right now that really appeals to me, I love my '86 royale, and hope Yamaha makes something similar again soon. This all Harley "look" all the time is rather boring. Went to the Stonehead leather shop in Utica IL a couple times this summer and while surrounded by Harley's I felt just fine. Commented to many of them how nice their bikes looked and got some respect back. Of course I don't visit a lot of biker bars, but our Star riding group does get to biker locations once in a while, no problem to date.
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Lights are more about aiming that wattage. Your Venture Royale has an adjustable headlight, so what you should do is have someone sit on the bike on a flat rstretch of road and you walk a hundred feet away or so, and see what the light looks like. If you adjust the high beam so that it doesn't dazzle the eyes (be sure to kind of bend over so your eyes are at eye level for the typical car driver) then you should be able to run the high beam all the time, but then your low beam will be pretty much useless. I find it is better to aim the low beam a touch high, since most of the time in busy areas you almost never use a high beam, and I prefer to have that availabe so I won't aim mine low like above. So I guess I am saying do as I do, not as I say? Same with the aux driving lights. They will do their best job, that of making sure people see you, without annoying people if you aim them a touch low like a low beam But I know lots of guys that run them so they really burn the eyes.
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I would be interested in a reciever style for my '86 Royale. Powder coated black. Let us know, and thanks for working on this. Don
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Aston Martin towing a bike on a trailer? Sounds like an enthusiast set up to enjoy two of the best things in life, a great car and a great ride. Hey it takes all kinds, I respect the "biker" with cut off sleeves, no helmet and bugs in the teeth with a sleeping bag (if that) on the back bar and nothing else in the way of comforts. I like my Royale with all the gadgets and luggage space. I have friends with trailers that ride two-up and do overnights all the time, they camp or want room for all the stuff that two people need. Great! My wife rides, and between our two bikes we probably won't need a trailer, but if we do, I will get one (had one years ago) and it won't make me less of a biker or cut into my fun very much at all. I may even trailer our bikes to a far away destination so we can enjoy riding when there, but not worry about other problems. It's all about having fun your own way.
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A lot of good advice here and some funny comments. I started riding with a group in Central Illinois with the Star Touring group (most of us also are here too). They follow the speed limits mostly, and try to stop every hour to 1.5 hours. Since we have some spouses along two-up, it is good to stop a couple times in a day long enough to walk around and even do some shopping! Plan 20-30 minutes per stop with most groups, time to get gas, something to drink or snack on, and stretch legs. For lunch plan an hour or more. Leave plenty of free time in the schedule so if you go overtime on a stop (small bathrooms will slow things up!) that way you won't have to crank up the speeds to meet your next waypoint. Great comment about the rubber band thing. I call it the slinky syndrome, where the tail gets whipped hard on any string of vehicles. You can plan on the tail bike or car of any caravan of say 10 or more, having to really speed up to keep up when the pack stretches and then contracts. If in a group of 10 or more, keep lead bike speeds at or under the speed limit. I was in a 100 car caravan as the leader once. I was told by the organizer to go 45- 50 mph on a 70 mph interstate, and keep speeds as steady as possible, and it worked great. That is an extreme example though.
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Hey Sarge! you mentioned teaching the "boss" (rider I assume) how to get off in a tip-over. I have never heard of a method for that, but can't say I looked that much. Would you mind going over the procedure for both riders on a slow speed tip over? I assume high speeds are just hope for the best? My wife and I went over when my royale hiccuped and stalled taking off from our house this summer. I stepped out and was OK, banged my right ankle on something, but the wife just tried to stay on the seat and I grabbed her leg and eased her to the ground. Worked OK, but was there a better way?
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I don't see center of gravity as a big problem, if the trailer/load is stable behind a car or truck, it would be stable behind a bike. In otherwords, a safe load is safe, behind car or bike. Same with unsafe.
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There are some good reasons NOT to let a bike or car sit on jack stands (or the center stand). Especially cars. Lots of car bushings on the suspension are designed to be in a neutral position when the car is on its suspensions. when you lift a car off the ground, you put all those bushings in tension that can cause premature failure. Bushings that are designed to slip instead of just flex are not a problem. Tires won't be hurt by sitting with their weight on them. Some will have a short lived "flat spot" that should go away in a mile or so, even in cold weather. Springs won't fatigue from sitting on their suspension because springs age with motion, not from sitting in tension. Finally, you do expose parts of your suspension, like the forks or shocks, to air that don't normally see it. That is why construction equipment should be run to their shortest position (think bucket on a loader etc) for the hydraulic rams rather than let them sit extended. I collected this info from decades of storing old cars and listening to others that have done it even longer. The same stuff should apply to bikes.
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I have been using CB's since the early 70's. Even actually got a license back then! I guess that Yogi knows that to use that linear, he needs another person with a linear to reply if they are more than about a mile away. I have a CB in everything I drive/ride. On the bike I use it to talk to others in our group, and we use channel 1. Sometimes when alone, or if I want to check traffic I will go to 19. When I was on the road in route sales (in a Nova cage) I was accepted almost as much as a trucker, since I made my living driving basically. But now as a "citizen" I rely on the fact that my son is an over-the-road trucker to give me some street cred with the truckers. Best story on my bike was 20 years ago I had a "one hander" type CB with my own homemade speaker in the helmet. Whip on the back. Had to pick up the mike to talk, but could hear. Trucks came up beside me and lead trucker was talking trash about squashing the "road lice" beside him. I replied that I wouldn't appreciate that, and he was shocked I could hear him. turned out he was an OK guy, and we had a nice conversation for several miles. Never felt the need for a lot more power, most can't reply anyway. Don
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Steve, I know how you feel. I hadn't ridden in 20+ years. First kids then bad hips kept me off. Dr. said he didn't like me riding with all that metal in my legs, but after a while I decided that riding was what I wanted, so bought a nice '86 VR. After I got my riding chops back I asked my wife to ride with me (she used to ride her own bike back in the day) and I loved it but she felt cramped and I could not find a way to easily move the trunk on the bike back. So I bought her a bike! found a sweet Honda Shadow Ace Tourer and she is now going for rides with me. I remember when we were riding before how nice it was to look over and see her going down the road. Still is nice. But I hope once in a while, she will hop on the VR with me.
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Nothing like kicking a company that is trying to sell US made goods. I understood the reply, they employ lots of US workers, make shoes in the US of US made parts IF they are available. They also have some made offshore. I thought it was a good response. Don't see a reason to put them down for it. I am wearing US made boots bought at Farm and Fleet. They are pretty good shoes, at a fair price. Don
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I would think the load index would not be a good indicator of how soft a tire rubber is. The load rating of any tire has almost everything to do with construction and very little to do with tire compound. Auto tires can have very low or high load and speed ratings, with widely varying tire compounds A google search didn't bring up anything but load ratings and nothing to do with tire compound. Just saying it isn't a good gauge of how sticky a tire will be.
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So OK Suggestion as to where to get them? Don
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I have seen girls (not body builder types) pick up a fully loaded Electra Glide without any help. There is a method, one hand on a handlbar grip, turn the wheels all one direction and put your but on the seat with your feet together and knees bent, then grab something with your left hand near the bags or rear frame. Then DO NOT lift with your arms, but start scooting your feet back and push with your legs on the seat. You should be able to walk it back to vertical without throwing your back out. Several sites go over this, am sure it is on here more than once. Also the excellent RIDE LIKE A PRO IV DVD not only goes over how those motorcycle cops get their bikes to turn on a dime and lean without fallling over at low speed, but they go over this technique. Good investment. Just google the name and be amazed.
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I think tipping amounts vary depending on where you live. LA or New York, costs are high and tipping is probably higher. I live in the great plains. Farmers, pickup trucks, small towns. Even in the local "big" town of Peoria (100,000 people Wa HOO!) costs are pretty low compared to bigger metro areas. I try to tip around 15%, but will leave a penny if service is really bad. Like one person said, I don't blame the wait staff if the food is bad, IF they make an effort to fix the problem. IF the food arrives cold, that is usually the problem with the waiter/waitress. I will tip more for exceptional service. If the service is real bad or real good I will tell the manager/owner. Bad service means I probably won't go back to that place ever again. Lately I have decided that the first hint of bad service, I get up and walk out. Will pay for drinks if they have been served, but there are too many choices to put up with crap.
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DO NOT use slick 50, they even got sued by the government because they lied in their ads! BAd stuff for cars or bikes. Also, it is not true that engines won't 'break in" on synthetic. Every corvette for the past decade or more is built with a first fill of Mobil 1. I think the same with most high end German cars. Engines will break in just fine on synthetic. I know an excellent mechanic that otherwise is logical and sane, but he is so off-base on synthetic that we just agree not to talk about it. He has worked on my cars many times, I just don't talk to him about oil.! There are so many "old mechanics tales" about synthetic that I won't go into here, but as an Amsoil dealer myself, I did the research and like their lubricants very much. Did the research before buying the first quart. As a dealer I pay about K-Mart Mobil 1 price for Amsoil. Also, about warranties, there is a law that says a manufacturer can't void a warranty because you don't use their own "brand" of oil/parts. As long as the oil meets the specifications, they can't say squat about you using it. Doesn't stop some of them from trying though.
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Think your little cross country trip was an adventure?
dynodon replied to flb_78's topic in Watering Hole
Good God, I read the entire thing in one sitting! Even when I was younger I would not attempt such a trip. They should publish a book. Amazing -
When I did the change on my '86, I used a big medicine syringe from my wifes horse medicine cabinet. I did ask first, and now it is mine! hahaha Anyway, any farm store should have these, or any vet. They hold a few ounces and you can fill it with a short section of clear hose on the end. comes with its own case and cap even! Super easy, and you can put in the exact amount, and it is small enough to get almost anywhere. I also use it to top off the engine oil since that is hard to get to on the V4 Yamaha also.
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Man, that brought back memories! About 1966, I and a few friends went to the nearest "big" town (we lived in Arthur, IL, pop 1800 on a good day), Decatur IL and found that they had a place that rented the new Honda 50cc motorcycles (really just tall scooters). Without ANY previous motorcycle experience, but lots with a bicycle, we took off in downtown saturday traffic. At one stop light we were all trying to pop wheelies, and I did one just about like in that Arab video, except I wasn't wearing all that loose clothing, had tie on shoes, and managed to run with the bike, keeping it in the air till I remembered I had to twist the grip to get it to slow down! No harm done, and my days of popping wheelies were over! How we got through that day (and many others) without killing or maiming one of us is a mystery. Yes, we lived a dull life and took our excitement where we could in Central IL back in the 60's!
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I was trying to fit my round body from a number of on-line sources and nothing fit. Great prices are nothing without good service. I went to Stonehead in Utica, IL and they got in the stuff that fit and made sure I was happy. They don't have a web site, but if you are ever near there (on Interstate 80, halfway between Chicago and Quad Cities, near Starved Rock State Park) give them a try.
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I got back into motorcycling this summer after about 20 years off. I had always believed in and worn helmets. I also do track days/autocross/drags in cars and have a selection of helmets for that. I started on my bike with my car helmets, but they didn't have enough air flow. I then bought an older Shoei helmet from a friend, 3/4 open face that was comfortable and worked till the weather got real windy or cold. I then got a Nolan N-42 at the suggestion of someone that said they were very quiet. Well, they are kind of quiet. The N-42 is tight for the same size as other helmets, and was really tight in the ear pockets. Well I took a razor blade and cut out some of that funny white stuff inside that isn't real important is it? (just kidding) Really, just took out enough to let my ears not sit too tight against the lining, and also made a small cut to let me mount a J&M intercom setup. The N-42 does let some wind noise around the face shield, and the sun shade can rattle quite a bit if not tight against the shield. Overall, not bad, but not as quiet or calm as I hoped. Luckily I got it nearly new off E-bay and didn't pay full price. Over the years in my car racing, I have found Simpson helmets to be top quality, high price, but not nearly the highest, and I may look to see what they have for next summer.