SilveradoCA

I made it into Calgary yesterday, and swung by one of my favourite bike shops for a replacement oil filter. "Yep, we have lots in stock. Do you want a crush washer for the drain plug too?" "Sure." "OK, here you go. The girl at the till will ring you up." "Thanks." I walk over to the young cutie behind the till. "That's $27.86..." WOW! That is by far the most expensive oil filter I've ever purchased. Crazy. I'll spin it on today, and forever cherish how much better it will be than a filter half the price!

Thanks gang. My subtitle for yesterday's ride is "You can't spell funnel cloud without the FUN!"

Not today, but yesterday: I swapped the original factory mirrors back on. The previous owner had put some lame-o billet mirrors on her. They looked nice enough, but were about the size of those little oval motel soap bars. In other words, totally useless. Bonus - not only are the stockers much bigger, but they give a much clearer picture, as though they are vibrating less than the aftermarket units. I also changed the oil. I decided to use Rotella T6, both because it has been well reviewed here and elsewhere, and it was on sale for $41 for a 5l jug, vs. $31 for the Rotella T4 dino oil. I noted an immediate change, and not for the better. The engine and transmission are much louder now, and neutral is harder to find than before. Fun fact: I asked for a Napa Gold filter - he looked it up and it would be a 1358. They were out of stock, but he pulled the specs on a 1356, and it looked to be identical, other than being about 5/8" longer. Same diameter, thread pitch, relief valve pressure, etc. Before I pulled the old Yamaha filter off, I made sure the length would work, and it would. However, the filter made hard contact before sealing: the threaded portion is convex, rather than concave. Back on with the old Yam filter; I'll change the filter in the next day or two, and top up the oil again.

Well, that was a day. What's known as 'Fun - Type 2'. I've been planning a trip from Fort McMurray in a round-about loop through BC to do some fishing; fishing for fish, and fishing for work. You may remember that in 2016 one hell of a wildfire tore through Fort Mac; it was dubbed "The Beast" by our local fire chief, and by the time the smoke cleared, about 2500 homes were burned. I've been a carpenter by trade, and homebuilder/project manager by profession, in Fort Mac since 2005. I've built almost 200 homes and a bunch of condos etc. in that time, so the fire hit my clients pretty hard. In just one neighbourhood, I had built 55 homes, and the Beast left only 6 of them standing. Two years and change later, we're pretty much done. Add a group elected to governance that doesn't have two wits to rattle around in their collectively empty heads, and this town built on pulling fire from the ground is pretty much done too, at least as far as growth is concerned. So, I'm looking for a place to happen, next chapter. My working partner has moved back to Campbell River on Vancouver Island, and that part of the world is booming. Also, having had his woman decide to part ways with him, he did the sensible thing and bought a boat. (He's not a biker, in spite of my best efforts.) So, I'm off to cruise down through Calgary to see my family (and lend some moral support to my sister, who's about to separate from her husband of 10 years), then off to BC to stay at a friend's cabin on Shuswap Lake, before spending the Canada Day weekend with my other sister in Vancouver, then on to Campbell River for some salmon and business fishing. On the way back I'll criss-cross through the Okanagan and Kootenays before heading up through Jasper National Park and onward to home. I got a late start today, but no matter, as I have no agenda. It took me a couple of rounds to figure out my load on the bike, as I'm muling a bunch of stuff for other people. I had hoped to make Calgary this evening, which is a 750Km trip. Hit the road at 11AM... lots of time. I'd fuelled up yesterday evening after changing the oil in the bike. When I breached the castle walls headed afield, I had 35Km on this tank of fuel. Next fuel is 204Km down the road, at Wandering River. No problem. Sun was shining, and in spite of a ferocious, gusting, shifting, quartering headwind that had me tacking to and fro like a wannabe Captain after the Auld Mug, I was grinning like a fool and maintaining a solid Grand Touring pace. Problem. It turns out that on this day, under those conditions, my RSV will go 10.5Km less than required on that amount of fuel. Part of me honestly thinks I have an issue... that's only about 23 US MPG. Carburetor problem? IDK. I briefly thought about hoofing it, but that stroll would clock just a few klicks short of a half-marathon. I called AMA (AAA for you American folks) instead. A little less than an hour later, I was rescued with 10l of fuel and a handshake. A piece of free advice to my fellow riders: if you have to run dry of fuel, pick a hot, sunny day with a wind blowing. The sun keeps you warm and smiling, and the wind keeps the bugs off you, mostly. Also, horseflies are hungry and relentless, but also slow, and stupid. Freshly fuelled (or half way, anyway), next stop was Grassland, about 55Km away. No problem. It was sprinkling a little as I pulled away from the gas station there, so I pulled over again and put on my rain jacket. About 5Km Eastbound out of Grassland, the sky ahead was as black and hopeless as the inside of an empty gas tank. Having driven this route hundreds of times, I knew the road turned South shortly, but... problem. To the South was another huge storm cell, just as big and black as the one dead ahead. Soon enough, that big sweeping curve appeared, and I knew what I was up against; I was going to try to thread the needle between two "daytime heating effect" supercells. Am I brave? Yes. Am I stupid? Probably also yes. I was ready to turn around if need be, if I had to, I guess. Some of you probably live in an area where this phenomenon happens, and are familiar with what can come along. Rain. Hail. And tornadoes. Not always in that order. These are the kind of formations that put air traffic controllers in panic mode, and give insurance agents heartburn. Riding in between these two monsters was exciting to say the least, with powerful gusts shifting left, then right, then head on, then from behind. Total windshear from all four cardinal points, interrupted by occasional perfect, eerie calm. Now heading South between the two storms, there was blowing, sheeting rain coming sideways from my left, while off to the right, just ahead of the black heart of the thing, was an undulating white curtain wall - hailstones raining down. I could see the hail quite clearly at times; this is somewhat remarkable, given that it was probably about 1500m away. (Later there were some reports of hail larger than 3" in size.) And yes, I did see the sight I had hoped not to; the sight that made the hairs on my arms pop up like prairie dogs: at least one shallow funnel cloud toward the tail end of the Eastward storm cell. It didn't fully form or make ground contact that I saw, and I heard no reports of a tornado once I got into Edmonton. Amazing as it seems, for about 80Km the road snaked and turned and wound left and right, and the storms and I danced a waltz of menacing charity, and then I was past and through, sun shining, and hardly even wet. Two minor misadventures made enough tempting of fate for one day, so I decided that instead of pushing on the last 275Km to Calgary, I'd stop in Edmonton, and maybe see if I could catch up with a cute little filly named Megan, who works at my favourite watering hole in the area, and rides a Suzuki SV650. She was off today, but filled with a Brooklyn Burger and a couple of pints of 100th Meridian Amber Lager, I crossed the road to my usual hotel and settled in to write this up. I'm SilveradoCA, and I didn't ride through a tornado today after running out of gas, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn tonight. Catch you on the road.

If I can't get a result I like by cutting this (or the stock one), I'm going to have Clearview custom make me one at the right height, with a vent.

I think that's probably the same shield I got from rayzar. It's wider than the stocker as well. You're 4" taller than me, so it makes sense that 13.5" is still too tall. I have no passenger to worry about for wind exposure, so I'm happy to go as low as I need to.

I was ready to cut the stocker had I not found rayzar52's post. I'm a carpenter by trade, so cutting it isn't scary. I will likely do so before I order a custom one, to dial in the best height. Do you think a metal blade would work any better/worse than a plexi-glass blade in the jigsaw? I can easily get either. I had thought to use either a compass or a string to mark the arc parallel to the OEM shape.

That fine gentleman gave me - free of charge - a shorty windshield he had in his Pay It Forward thread. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm nowhere near the 6'9" tall rider for whom the stock unit was thoughtfully designed. My new one is a Show Chrome unit, slightly tinted, about 4" shorter than stock. It showed up in the mail today, I slapped it in place (too easy, 5 minutes tops - plus I was happy to find that only one of the cowl trim tabs on my new '08 was broken previously. Off for a ride: it's better for sure. The top is honestly right around my line of sight, depending on if I'm in "slouch" or "attack" position on the seat. That said, I can get my view up over top of it if I sit up VERY straight, as though some misanthropic headmistress might whack my knuckles with a ruler. That will be helpful in rain, or in the evening with a shield full of bugs. I'm awfully glad to have it, as I have a 4200Km trip lined up for the end of the week. I'm positive that had I kept that OEM unit in place, I would have gone out in a tiny mushroom cloud soon enough. I think ultimately I'm going to have to get Clearview to custom make me one in 'Sons of the Shire' size; based on the measurements I took, it will need to be about 2 or 2.5" shorter than this for me to be really happy looking over the top of it. That would make it 6-6.5" shorter than stock. Has anyone ordered a custom size for Clearview? What was the turnaround time like?

My dad used to eat those, and Cherry Blossoms, as if they were going out of style.

Provided the bike was actually in good shape, I'd buy that... it would probably have an asking price of about $10K up here in Canada.

A friend send me a text this morning asking if I wanted to go for a ride. Obviously I want to go for a ride... The ride turned out to be the annual Motorcycle Ride for Dad charity ride, benefiting prostate cancer research. It was a good time; a 322Km round trip, poker run, 50/50, burger & dog BBQ put on by our local roller derby girls, and great weather. We skirted a rainstorm that left some water on the road, and my suspicions were confirmed: whomever specified the stock windshield height was either delusional, or Dutch. It is WAY too high, to the point of being hazardous when covered in water and dirt from tires ahead of you. Thanks to rayzar52 here on the board, I have a shorter one en-route to try. The highlight of the day was that, in spite of the relatively uncommon nature of the RSV vs other bikes, and being surrounded by an armada of Harley's of every description, the ride started out with not 1, nor 2, but 3 2008 RSV's. It was like triplets. A 'fifth column' maybe? Good times. Now it's shower o'clock and beer-thirty isn't far off.

I met my commercial agent to sort out the rate increase on my biz insurance, and had her quote my auto policies as well. I now have the following insured - all are $2M liability, full collision and comprehensive coverage: 2012 F150 XLT 4x4 2008 RSV 2009 Springdale RV travel trailer Total yearly cost for the 3 is $2280 per year. I think I did well; this is about 35% less than I was paying via AMA per my earlier post. This is with Cooperators Insurance. They have a very good reputation for fast and thorough claims settlement and payment.

Whether Norc ammo is corrosive or not is a known quantity. All of the stuff for com-bloc guns is; 7.62x39, Tok ammo, etc. The stuff for NATO country guns typically is not; 45ACP, 5.56x45, etc. The ammo is almost all new old stock military supply contract ammo. I did have a case of 5.56 that was marked .223Rem, and in 20rd boxes though. It is ALL dirty though, and loaded hot. Like MAX LOAD hot when fired over a chrony.

When applying anti-seize to plugs, only put a light coat on the tapered shoulder seat of the plug, NOT the threads. It melts and runs down into the cylinder, fouling the plug, even the high temp stuff. I learned this after applying a liberal brushing to the plugs in an old GMC 350ci V8.

I was going to look at this bike before I found the one I bought. I think it has what you're looking for? If you contact the seller maybe he can tell you about what he installed. Link to the ad is below. https://www.kijiji.ca/v-touring/fort-mcmurray/03-royal-star-midnight-venture/1349573253?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

Not surprising. A family member - executive in an insurance company - tells me that BC, the LML in particular, has the highest rate of fraudulent accidents in the country; people making you hit them to get a payout from your insurance. Usually a whole car full of people.

One of the things we have access to in Canada which you guys in the US do not, is the product line made by Norinco in China. I understand that they are prohibited by law from being imported into the USA. Say what you will about cheap Chinese goods (I do, often!), but there have been some gems at incredible prices from Norinco at times. To whit: I bought a couple of 1911A1's a few years ago. They are real, honest actual forgings - frame and slide, as well as small parts. Nothing cast or MIM. The milling sometimes looks like it was done by high school shop class kids, but they function well, and are an excellent platform for upgrades/customizing. The price was $400 CAD. Did I mention for the $400CAD price tag, they came packaged with a crate of 1000 rds of brass cased 230gr ball ammo? Crazy. Also popular is their M305S rifle. What it is, is a forged M1A. Depending on the specimen you got, the machining and assembly might range from just acceptable, to actually quite good. One I had was objectively as good as a Springfield M1A that I saw at our range, sans the Gucci go-fast bits. It was imperative to check the headspace on them though; quite a few were out of spec. For many years they were priced at $425. A crate of 760rds of steel cased, copper washed 7.62X51 ammo was around $200. One of their biggest sellers here is/was 5.56x45, 55gr brass cased ammo. 1120rds in a case for $250ish. These make for fun, affordable plinkers. I load my own for hunting/precision rifles, but at those prices I couldn't be bothered to load in volume for soup can hunting.

I have the exact same symptoms tonight; no low beam or driving lights, hi beam works fine, fuse isn't blown. I'm going to have a look at the wiring for the driving lights tomorrow.

I've lived in Fort McMurray for 13 years, and one of the things I enjoy is the long, long daylight we have in the summer. It's really something to get off work and have hours and hours of light to do things. (In the dead of winter, we have about 6 hours of useful daylight per day.) I have a little tradition of doing something on the eve of Summer Solstice right until it's "dark" outside. This year, the sun will not touch the horizon until 10:21pm; twilight lasts from 11:28pm until technically 4:33am when the sun rises again. We don't experience full dark at all between May 1st and August 10th, though the sun is below the horizon. When I was the president of our shooting range, we used to hold a Solstice shoot where we'd BBQ, then shoot trap & skeet until it was too dark to see the clays anymore (around midnight), then have a monster bonfire. This year I'm going for a ride. How 'bout where you are?

Great work; that's a super deal, and that is my #1 favourite colour. (Has to do with the fact that my very first bicycle was an electric blue Stingray that I got for my 5th birthday. Blue ones always turn my head!) A couple of ideas for online purchases: set up an email address ONLY for online deals. I use Gmail. That way if you do get phished, you can just abandon that email addy and setup another one. If you are concerned about getting robbed or ripped off, let the buyer know you're serious, and ask to meet them in the parking lot of the police station. You will either: have a good experience, have your time wasted by a no-show scammer, or... meet the crook with the biggest set of brass balls ever.

$2.00 beer can cozy? NOW you're speaking my language! That's less than a can of Krylon. Love it. Someone remind me to tell you guys about the camp stove I made from a Heineken can and a penny.

I'm not too worried about the seat, or getting flat footed honestly. As is, I can flat one and have the full ball of my other side down. I may have the seat re-worked to narrow it some though. I'm going to try some HD take-off pipes. They seem to run about $100-150 a pair online. Seems like a cheap fix if it works to my liking. I hated the heel shifter on my Road Star as well; I just never got used to it. It's just counter-intuitive to me, so why bother? Too many miles on dirt, standards and sport bikes I guess. For the short term, it's nothing I can't fix with a grinder.

Hey Uturn, I found the bike in Beaumont. After searching for a couple of months for the right one, I'd say there are only about 100 for sale in Canada at any one time. Are those the Commander II's you mounted? My front has lots of life left, but I think I'll go with a 130 when it's time to replace it; the feedback here seems positive. A tire that's fixing to give you ~20,000Km is pretty good in my books. The 'shield is the original OEM one.

Hey rayzar, I'd love to try that shorty windshield, and happy to pay the shipping. I would guess about $25-30 by Canada Post to T9H 4W1... PM me!

Thanks; there are no whips or fringes, but it's possible that one of the levers has enough free play to contact the switch hitting a bump. I'll have a close look. How does the cruise work; from the wheel speed sensor, by vacuum, or some other way? I believe I noticed the bike losing speed first, then the RES light would come on. There weren't any hills on this trip (during CC operation) that were any kind of challenge for the bike at an indicated 120ish in 5th. It's almost like the CC just stopped giving throttle input. Then I'd reset it and it would be fine for quite a while. I actually wondered if the throttle cables might just need a lube.