Venturous Randy

I walked by it about four times and I did look at it as I passed. Randy

Ditto on wishing Eileen the best. One of the problems we encountered, especially on long rides, was to not get off the bike and walk around enough. I remember times when we were 50 miles from home and I would stop and get gas and it was an argument to get Linda off the bike to stretch a little, plus I did not like to gas up with her on the bike. She just wanted to stay planted and then when we did get home, she was about too sore to move. I am still trying to figure what to do with my bike. It is sitting on the carport and the Deka battery will no longer hold a charge due to a big power drain that I have not found yet. Linda decided no more bike riding for her last year and the Miatas have taken over for pleasure rides. The last time I was on the bike, it reminded me of the one time I sat on a Honda Ruin, which felt huge, and this is the bike I have put over 150,000 miles on and I used to be comfortable just tossing it around. I don't think the bike has changed any, but I seem to have. Randy

Another thing, the Biltmore House gives a good discount if you are a veteran. Randy

Mine has done this off and on for years. It especially does it if I am running my fog lights. Another thing mine does is if I touch my brakes just enough to cause the brake lights to come on, usually the brake icon will go off for a while. Randy

32 is OK, but it turns in to a gravel road in about any direction you go. I believe Sterling Rd is also a gravel road at some point. Randy

A couple things to consider; To ride I40 over toward Asheville is a pretty ride, except for one thing and that is the trucks. The truck traffic is very heavy thru there. Also, I would also recommend The Biltmore Estate highly, but if you go when it is hot, it can be miserable in there. There is no AC and only some big fans blowing around hot air. We went earlier in the spring when the flowers were in bloom and it was beautiful. Randy

Well, how's it going on the non smoking? Randy

Were you checking the oil with the bike level, or was it sitting over on the side stand? Randy

Yep, my feelings exactly. It seems that the interest in the Asheville Rally is the lowest since we started it. I just told myself that I am going to go camping and if anyone wants to join me, we will thave a good time. Whether it is because of money issues or what, there has been very little expressed interest this year. I hate to say this will be the last Asheville Rally, but it may be, and it would be a shame because we always have a wonderful time. What makes it even worse for me is my bike is sitting on the carport and was only ridden about 250 miles last year and none this year. The Deka battery will no longer hold a charge and I have a big power drain somewhere and I don't seem to have any enthusiasm for finding it. Now, if Linda and I want to go play, we will take one of the Miatas. I guess I am just getting old, but I do still like to have fun. Randy

Yep, my dyslexia popped up and I did not notice. As usual, you guys had my back and are correct. Randy

And man I'm feeling old at 65. Randy

88 would be metal. Randy

Did you swap the carbs over too, to get the correct vacuum pickup, or did you just run it with the boost sensor not hooked up? Randy

Wondering if anyone has suffered any storm damage with what's been going thru their area. We got hit with 60 to 70mph winds, hard rain and very close lightening and a little hail. We were lucky as we have a lot of very tall trees and we do have a yard full of limbs, branches and leaves everywhere, but so far I don't think we have any significant building or vehicle damage. We did have a couple camping on a local lake get killed when a tree hit their tent. Randy

I belong to the Maxima/Infiniti site, but don't go there much. I have a used 04 Izuzu Rodeo that I replaced the engine in that appears to have the same problem. Randy

Keep in mind that you can not use the R-6 calipers on an 83 without going to 86/93 forks and rotors. The bolt hole spacing is different and the caliper/rotor alignment is also different. Randy

Also, make sure the bypass valve under the radiator is positioned correctly. The tops of the letters should be pointing toward the 5 o:clock position. Randy

You sure have been dealt some challenges in your life, no doubt about that, but it looks like you are determined to overcome them, and that is good. Not sure about your situation, but I am seeing the challenge many men have when married to a woman with prior kids. No matter how long they are married and no matter what those kids do, they will most always come first in the mother's life and her husband will be a distant second. I am seeing this in my life on a couple of generations and it can be hard to deal with. I believe that if a man marries a woman with prior kids, he needs to keep it in his mind that he will never truly be her first priority, no matter how bad the kids turned out as adults. Sometimes it is more subtle and sometimes it will hit you like a brick wall, but it will be there. Anyway, that's my opinion and that is what I am seeing now around me. I was married for 41 years and am happier than I can remember in a long time, if ever. It can be amazing how making lemonade can be so good. Randy

Who was it that said "There is a sucker born every minute". Glad you are not that sucker. Randy

I am happy with the R-6 calipers, MKII forks and rotors and SS lines I did on my 83, except for one thing. I used the brake pads that were with the calipers as they had a lot of pad left. I also left the bike setup with the integrated braking system and the rear brakes feel very good and the front brake that is integrated with the rear works good. I am also still using the original front brake master. With the SS lines, I have a full hand brake that is very firm. But, my problem is it takes a lot more pressure on the front brake caliper than before, especially when the brakes are cold. I may either need to go to EBC HH pads or go thru the caliper and see if it is working OK. On others that have done the switch, did you have any problems with the front brake? Randy

Just remember, we are like Hotel California, you can check out, but you can never leave. Randy

Well, if you put a 68 pound crankshaft in it and unplugged a couple spark plugs, it would feel more like your Harley. Yep. good point on all the 2nd gen gears being lower with the V-Max final drive, compared to stock. Randy

This would be a good candidate for a V-Max final drive with the added weight, especially when starting out. Randy

To add to what Freebird said about 2nd gear, if it happened to have an 85 engine in it, you would want one with a serial number on the engine of 1413 or above. But, I doubt it is an 85 with the smaller trunk. It would be interesting to know what kind of seat it has as the driver seat appears to be very low and the backrest would be good. It also appears to have MKII rear passenger floorboards on it. Randy

I missed if you changed the final drive to a V-Max. I have to say that the 2nd gen transmission ratios and the V-Max final drive is about as good as you can get. It makes pulling out so much easier with the lower 1st gear(10 % lower) and that higher 5th gear(5% higher) is just enough that I don't have that constant feeling on the interstate that I need one more gear on my 1st gen. Randy