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Venturous Randy

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Everything posted by Venturous Randy

  1. I guess I am one of the lucky ones on the shim mod. I replaced the nylon washer with about three washers and went from about .123 to about .093 in thickness after trying even thinner. The bike runs very good and my mileage went from about 38/42mpg on a real good ride to now having rides at almost 49mpg and this is two-up. I have not went on many rides with continued speed in the 70 to 80 mph range, like on an interstate, but the rides thru the mountains running 40 to 55 are doing great. But, in the 70 to 80mph rides before, I bet I was not getting as good as 38mpg. Oh, and I am still cranking it on fairly routinely and not babying it. RandyA
  2. I am also one of those that is a bit on the fence on modulators. First of all, I am one that believes in using about anything to be seen, but unfortunately there are some that a modulating headlight could confuse them to the point of being dangerous. Last summer I was on the way to Asheville on the interstate and met headlights coming at me in perfect unison flashing from one side to the other, just like I have seen police vehicles many times. Once I got closer, I realized it was two crotch rockets running beside each other. For over 13 years I have run strobe lights in my headlight and I even run them at night. Technically, they are not legal because the laws, as I understand them, state that the lights should not go completely out and the brightness for that fraction of a second exceeds the maximum light. But, I also know that they do attract attention and I have the strobe rate slow enough that they do not appear to be emergency lights. I have also noticed that the left lane bandits seem to move over a little sooner if I am behind them. The other good thing is the strobes take a very small amount of power. RandyA
  3. Since you are so "far out there", you should get the award no matter where you show up!!! RandyA
  4. I agree with Condor. RandyA
  5. Yes, I do still remember that UPS truck as I was behind you and I must say, that guy must have know every inch of that road as he was definately hauling, in more ways than one. RandyA
  6. Cute youngun there big guy(and most newborns are ugly no matter what the parents say) Ok, 21, now how may of those are Great Grand Kids? See, I'm not just a grand dad, but Great grand dad. RandyA
  7. When I got my 83 14 years ago, I could hardly ride the bike at night due to the poor condition of the windshield. It was covered with small scratches and any oncoming cars blinded me. I went thru a series of sanding and polishing operations until I made it just about like new and fortunately I never broke thru the hardcoat. Since then, I have always used Plexus routinely and it has really helped to keep it in very good condition. Like some other things we like to use routinely, like Sea Foam, the price has gone up a bunch lately. I used to be able to get the small can of Plexus for about $7 and the large for $11. The last small can of Plexus I bought with tax was about $11 and the big was $15. Now, the small can is almost $17 and the large would be $23 and this was at my independent cycle shop and his prices are pretty good. I also checked the local bike retailer and prices were a little higher. The guy at the independent shop also noted the price increase and suggested I try something else he had. He says it is the same as the Honda polish and works fine. The small can is about $5.50 and the large can is less than $8. So, I bought a small can and so far, it is working very good. It seems to be slightly thicker than Plexus and I am now using less, but it seems to clean and polish and comes off clean. It is a lot like Plexus in the type cloth you use makes a big difference and a cotton towel works better than a blend. Here is a picture of the can. RandyA
  8. This is a C & P from yesterday's local paper. Injured JC policeman to be out 6 months By Becky Campbell Press Staff Writer bcampbell@johnsoncitypress.com A veteran Johnson City motorcycle officer injured in a crash when his bike bottomed out — apparently on faulty pavement — will be off the force about six months while he heals. Still, Bob Tallman, who has been an officer for 32 years and on the traffic squad since 1991, is “in good spirits,” said Johnson City Police Maj. Mark Sirois. Tallman broke both bones in his lower right leg when his foot was pinned between the bike’s muffler and saddlebag, according to Lt. Larry Williams, Tallman’s director supervisor. The crash happened about 1:20 p.m. July 3 as Tallman and the city’s other two motorcycle officers, Tim Hensley and David Smith, were turning from Pactolus Road onto Liberty Bell Boulevard. “There was a section of pavement right where he was turning where they had done some waterline work,” Williams said. “The pavement had settled considerably.” When the bike’s front tire came out of the dip, the rest of the motorcycle was much lower, Williams said. “The right side of the frame caught the pavement and it essentially jerked the bike right out from under him,” Williams said. “He got his right foot caught up under the muffler and it was pinned between the muffler and saddle bag.” Tallman was following Hensley and Smith and apparently crossed over the repaved area at a different section. “Two motorcycles were in front of him. He was just in the wrong path,” Williams said. Tallman underwent surgery to repair the breaks, but will likely be out of work up to six months while he heals. “He’s been riding motorcycles 35 years and this is the first scratch he’s had on one,” Williams said. “We miss him. We only have seven (on the traffic squad) so it hurts us to be short handed.” The Tennessee Highway Patrol investigated the crash while JCPD conducted a parallel investigation. We have had several poorly done road repairs and I have expressed how dangerous they are, especially to motorcyclists. I hate this happened, but I hope now there is more attention on this stuff. RandyA
  9. Please review Asheville Rally information in rally section for updated information for those interested. RandyA
  10. Enjoy!! I must say that I envy you. RandyA
  11. In my old hot roddin days, I used to carry what was referred to as my "Holly hammer". I used this to hit my Holly carb when the float stuck and this is what you are experiencing. What you probably have is a small piece of debris in the valve seat. You may be able to get it loose by pecking on the float bowl ar you might have to drain the carb and with the needle away from the seat, it may flush the seat clean or you may can use a strong dose of Sea Foam to break it loose. If all that fails, you can take the carbs off and give all of them a good cleaning, especially in the pilot jet area. There is a bit more data available on some of things I have mentioned if you do some carb searches. Not the end of the world, just some work. Just keep us posted and we may be able to help you. Oh, and what are you meaning by the "jet needle hole"? Usually, fuel will come out of the overflow hose. RandyA
  12. I never made it into Vietnam, but I am what you might refer to as a Vietnam "area" vet. In 72 I was in Ubon, Thailand, 30 miles from Laos and 45 miles from Cambodia in the USAF helping out those F-4 Phantoms. It seemed like it was 106º and about 106% humidity and when it rained, it really poured and then 15 minutes later the sun was out and that steam was going back up. I have several friends on the wall and that's a very video, thanks. RandyA
  13. Great to hear what you are doing for such a classic bike. #1 priority when the rear tire is changed it to remove the rear end and clean and grease the driveshaft on both ends and the lugs on the inside of the hub assembly. A good moly based grease will work fine and everytime the rear wheel is removed, do it again. Some have a problem putting the driveshaft back into the u-joint, but it is real easy. Just take Visegrips and clamp over the lip of the cup end of the driveshaft and slide it up into the tube. The u-joint will be hanging down so catch the lip of the u-joint with the driveshaft and then raise it to about level, rotate it slightly and it should slide right in. If it takes you more than 30 seconds, you ain't doing it right. But, it does get easier everytime you do it. Then when you get the driveshaft seated into the u-joint, you can slide the rearend cup back on the splines of the shaft and install the rearend. RandyA
  14. It ia amazing I can get into a post that is almost two years old and read thru it. Then all of a sudden, I reach where I responded already and then I look up and see the timelines involved. This one looks like it could have been a whole show for Jeff Foxworthy, like; "If your best man wears camo to the wedding, you just might be a redneck....etc....." I hope the whole bunch of them are still doing good. RandyA
  15. Several years ago I went to Walmart and picked up a couple of fog/running lights for about $16. I mounted them in the front vents which are useless to me with the lower fairings removed and I really like how well they work. They give a good pattern out to about 100 feet and also give good light down around my feet. Since I have them wired to the battery thru a fuse and switch, if for some reason I blew the main 40 amp fuse, which I did once, I still have lights and I think that is a great safety feature. I also upgraded my MKI headlight to a MKII light assemble and with a PIAA headlight bulb, I actually have pretty good lights for an 83 model. RandyA
  16. I don't think putting a 2nd gen in a 1st gen is going to be doable due to the exhaust not coming out the same and other things. I know this is about two months old, but I wonder what he did. RandyA
  17. The bypass on the piping below your radiator is the same thing as taking the thermostat out. You could check to make sure it is in the correct place, or change what you have and see how it does. The tops of the letters should point toward the 5 o'clock position, if my memory serves me correctly. And yes, on some vehicles, not enough restriction can cause an engine to overheat as coolant is flowing too fast thru the radiator to be cooled. RandyA
  18. I put a set on my 83 and they are supposed to be Kevlar. They work about as good as the average pad I have had over the years, but they sure are not as good as the EBC's. Those were very good, but I did notice more rotor wear with the EBC's. RandyA
  19. Keep in mind Lew that he is comparing a 2nd gen and you are a 1st gen. RandyA
  20. I have a Whistler radar detector mounted in my left vent with a remote on/off switch. It looks fine to me and works good thru front plastic. RandyA
  21. The trick is to go by doing a wheelie and when you get to the end, do a big "stoppie" on the front wheel. Oh....sorry.... I see you are not on a 1st gen. RandyA
  22. Ditto, I agree completely. rANDYa
  23. Squidley, I have known you for a while now and you are really a great guy........But Cupcake?............Some things just ain't right!!! RandyA
  24. Thankfully, you were not hurt worse than you were, and especially not being run over. Several years ago I came around an off ramp that went back under the highway and about half way thru it I went into a serious 4 wheel drift due to diesel fuel being poured everywhere. After making it thru it, I pulled over and called the police for them to come look at it and get someone to clean it up. I was real glad I was not on the bike. One of the things that is done on our mountain roads is the inside edge of a curve where people will tend to drop off will get too deep. They will bring in gravel and fill the groove back up and these same people come back thru spreading the gravel back out into the road. RandyA
  25. If you are talking about the Asheville rally, it is scheduled for August 11-15. Look in the rally section and please consider coming. We have a great time. Usually, the Rooster Tail is one of our rides. If I am in a hot dogging mood, I actually like going up the mountain better. I just like being able to slow it down quicker. RandyA
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