Venturous Randy

It is not uncommon for me to be searching for something in the garage and run across a plastic bag of stuff I bought at Harbor Freight and forgot I even have it. My problem is in the garage I am bordering on being a hoarder. Randy

If you call the number I posted, they can tell you which site you had last time. Randy

Nap, huh..., you must be posting from work. Randy

Gary, I just called and all D section is open. I just booked D 21 again. Call the 828-686-3121 number. Skid, are you staying Fri and Sat? They only have you booked thru Thursday. Randy

Hey, it made for some good snuggling in that little camper when it was raining. We've not been in much rain in the Time Out camper yet. Randy

OK, we are on the calendar for August 17 thru 21. This appears to be the only weekend not have any rain according to the Farmers Almanac so you can make your plans now. (Ewww, I hope don't regret that) Randy

A couple years ago I picked up a used 2nd gen starter from Pinwall for about $49. It has worked great and on several occasions it started the bike when it was hot where I know the old one would have had a problem. Personally, I would rather have a used 2nd gen Venture starter than some off brand. I do realize that Pinwall has gone up significantly on their prices lately. Randy

Up under the fairing, there is a short crossbar on the frame that I use with ratcheting straps. I will pull the bike up against the front of the trailer and put it on the side stand. I will then hook the strap on the side stand side of the bike to an attachment point on the front corner of the trailer and snug it. I will then go to the other side and hook the strap and ratchet it down to the point that the bike will pull the up vertical. I will then connect to the top of the rear crash bars and to the trailer to the point they are pulling the bike toward the front of the bike. The last thing I do, since I don't have a wheel chock, is to wrap the ends of the ratchet strap around the front wheel where it meets the trailer frame to make sure it does not let the wheel move side to side. The thing I like about this is I am connecting higher than the forks at a solid point. Even though it is up under the fairing, the strap does clear the fairing. It also makes it safer for me when I am undoing the straps to reverse the order and not have the bike want to be pulled over. Anyway, this has worked for me for 20 years with this bike. Randy

Linda and I sure hope so. Randy

I always like to give a little time to see if a week or so earlier or later might help those that may have kids starting school or another conflict that may make it difficult to attend. I sure hope you and George are able to make it. Randy

Sounds OK to me, but if a different date would help more folks getting there, PLEASE speak up. BTW, Asheville is the funnest and most laid back rally and the best riding roads of them all. Randy

1st of all, are you sure that you are loosening the correct bowl drain screws and not the air mixture screws? Another thing when trying to fill the carbs is to turn the ignition switch to on and cycle the KILL switch instead of the ignition switch. This also makes it easier to hear the pump if you have several keys. To me, it seems very unlikely that all four carbs would get blocked at the same time. On my 83, if the bike has set for a long time, I will have to cycle the kill switch 15 or 20 times until the carbs fill up. Another thing about many of these bikes is to not give it any throttle while cranking. When mine gets a little cranky(no pun intended), I will choke to full choke and while cranking slowly move to off choke. If it does not start, it will usually always hit a couple times. Randy

At about 6 in the morning, we will have the first full moon on Christmas since 1977. We won't have another full moon on Christmas until 2034. The last time was during the Star Wars opening. Randy

Hey Eck, you need a nap. I bet you were up all night. Randy

And why does this not surprise me? Randy

We are past the winter solstice and the days will start getting longer. Randy

Yep, I would say it's totaled, but, it looks like it done its job protecting them. Do you know what happened yet? Randy

How about Limpy Fool? Randy

I did it a long time ago on my 83 and it was a BIG improvement. I recommend it highly, BUT, it is not as easy to swap it over as you would think it would be. The best way to do it would be to find someone parting out an MKII and get all the pieces necessary. It has been a long time since I did mine, but I will try to go through what you will need: Headlight assembly Trim around headlight Complete adjustment assembly Left side upper frame Frame that holds dash Lower brace that connects the fairing halves together You can use the chrome trim from your MKI, but there will be about a 1/4 inch gap between the trim and the light trim, but it looks like it was made that way. Like I said, there is a lot more to this than you would think it would be. It is not hard to do, especially if you can find a bike to get all the parts from, but if you have to buy all the parts individually from ebay, it could get costly. Again, I will say that it is a great improvement and well worth it. Randy

Linda and I took a ride across the mountain to Chimney Rock, NC and had a wonderful day. Not on the Venture, but the Miata with the top down. What was also neat was just after we parked and walked across the street, I heard someone shout out and looked around and it was Rooster. We had a great visit and I got to see his latest toy. He got rid of his Porsche and now has an absolutely beautiful Mercedes MLK convertible. It is the one about the size of my Miata with over twice the horsepower. Hmmmm. As we were standing there talking, a black 2nd gen passed by, but we did not get a chance to see if we recognized them. We watched to see if they were going to loop back, but never saw it again. I hope those that had a chance to get out this weekend were able to enjoy it and were safe. I know that I saw a lot of motorcycles today. Randy

Puc, I have always said that timing is everything. In this case, going to the ER and seeing the right doctor at the right time was great. Best wishes to Tippy and you from Linda and me. Randy

There are probably a lot on here that would love to ride at the combined rate that you noted. And their bikes probably would like it too. Randy

Years ago I was coming up the interstate from Birmingham back to east TN alone and I encountered a funeral procession moving along in the right lane. As I was moving past the procession, just slightly faster than they were going, I came upon the Hurst. As I got close to it, I could see that the casket inside was covered with Old Glory. As I slowly passed, I stood as best I could on the foot pegs and gave a sharp salute. I sometimes wondered if any of the cars following noticed what I did. Randy

So, you are on a two lane road and top a hill and meet an approaching funeral procession, what do you do? Here in the south it is real common for people to stop in the lane until the group of vehicles pass. Some may pull off the road if there is room. And with so many cars having daytime driving lights, it is difficult to tell who is with the funeral procession. If you are on an interstate and come upon a funeral procession that is going the same direction and a little slower than the speed limit, do you pass them? Just curious about what others think. Randy

I have not seen him on here lately. Randy