Venturous Randy

Our thoughts are with you and your family and hope you have a safe trip. RandyA

I got my very first motorcycle. I was 13 years old and my dad took me by the motorcycle shop and we picked up a brand new, candy apple red, 1964 125 Ducati Bronco. That was my introduction to motorcycling and I have been hooked ever since. I did take about twenty years off and started back at about 45 years old and have ridden about 160,000 miles since. I have been very lucky and so far, have done pretty good and it is still a big part of my life. RandyA

Wow kiddo, another birthday? Wow, so many for the Mini. RandyA

I, like many 1st genners just leave the valve on reserve all the time. For me, with monitoring my mileage since the last fillup, the easy to read bars, the blinking light and also knowing I have at least 50 miles once the light starts blinking, reserve all the time works for me. Also, with the difficulty of changing the valve while riding, I would not want to chance having to change the valve in traffic. I also would not want any accumulation of trash in the bottom of the tank over a period of time. RandyA

One of the great things about your story is the kid thanking you. In today's world, I see so many kids that were never taught that when someone does something for them, they should show appreciation and thanks. The other thing I hear is when I thank someone now days is I get back "no problem". To me that kind of negates or dismisses my thank you. Again, ya done good Eck. RandyA

It would not hurt to grease the end that goes into the u-joint, but the critical end is greased with the rearend grease. RandyA

Great job Eck. Now the next thing to do is to show them how to fix it with your guidance. The kid already had an idea what caused the problem and that is a big plus. RandyA

I don't know where it was taken, but I know why, does that count? RandyA

His "half as wide, twice as much mileage" does not fly with me. Yes, with the weight difference and the aerodynamics, I can see a substantial improvement. but with 1200cc's, why can we not get 60 or 70mpg's? RandyA

Unless Dan is just keeping it for him. RandyA

Another thing is make sure the serial # is above 1413 or you may be dealing with the 2nd gear issue. That is a lot of weight to pull around and you may want to install a V-Max rearend if you buy it to get it moving a little easier and either way, gas mileage is going to suffer. Also, you would be happier with it if you live where the terrain is flat. Yes, if you want reverse, make sure you have a stout GF/wife or both. RandyA

The person that owned it turned traitor and went to a 2nd gen. The person that now owns it did the same thing and should give his 1st gens to someone that will love and appreciate them. RandyA

I think I know maybe three of them. Two for sure, I think, and that's a definite maybe. Randt,

I guess I could ride around the block, or maybe ride by the Social Security Office. RandyA

If the bike has sat for a while, turn the ignition on and cycle the kill switch on and off. You should hear several clicks each time you do it. After you do it several times, it should stop. This should also give you an indication if a carb is leaking down some way if it takes a bit to stop. If you do not know if the drive shaft has been greased, you should think seriously about taking the rear end off and removing the drive shaft and greasing the splines on both ends. If the drive shaft has not been greased, sooner or later, it will eat up the splines on the drive shaft and the coupling and can leave you stranded and may also be costly. RandyA

The magic number is serial # 1413. I have an 85 with the serial # in the 5,000's. I was lucky. RandyA

Unless I am misreading something, it is supposed to die when you cycle the kill switch. That is what it is for. RandyA

Heather, you need to get a good feel for how everything works before you take the gearsets out, or at least apart. look to see how much the second gear dogs engage and also look at that fork and see if it has been scored on the tips on one side and in the "U" section on the other, as this will indicate if the fork is bent. If you have already removed the gearset's, practice putting them back in and putting the bottom half on. You will be glad you did later when you are trying to put it together when you have sealer smeared on it. RandyA

Linda and I have ridden for five years and had a tip over once each year. Fortunately, she has not had any serious injuries, other than some elbow scrapes and soreness. I did have some the rib injuries last year. The closest call for her was two years ago when we tipped over to the left and the rear crashbar actually pinched her shoe off her foot. This one could have easily crushed her foot. There is no real good way to get off in a tip over, but to me, leaving your foot on the rear peg/foot board would not be the best. On a 1st gen, which will go all the way to the ground. the passenger's 1st point of contact will be their elbow and shoulder. The best way may be to swing their leg out as wide as they can and try to step away from the bike and as they fall toward ground, try to roll. Then again, you can practice, practice, practice. RandyA

Wade, I wish you and Heather the best, but I do have to say, that is a lot of bike for a first bike, unless she has spent some time on an automatic bike. It takes a lot of seat time to get comfortable in traffic when you are first starting out. RandyA

I found what really worked good for me is the four wheel moving dolly from Harbor Freight. You can sit the motor in various positions and it is very easy to move around. When on sale, you can get one for about $8. I may try to post a picture. RandyA

Puc, we need to get you a copy of Blue Highways. It is the story of a teacher that lost his job and prepped a Ford van and made a treck all around the country. The term blue highways is from the old maps having the back roads colored in blue. Very well written and interesting book. If you happen to be riding along and see a used book store, there is usually a copy available for a buck or two. If you can not find a copy, I will send you one. I think you will enjoy it. RandyA

Hey, Puc, have you ever read Blue Highways, by William Least Heat Moon? RandyA

I replaced the reflectors on the side of my bags with some LED lights I got at Walmart and am very pleased with the way they work. I removed the reflectors and drilled holes to mount the lights and run the wired through. I then ran the wires along the walls of the case and put some of the aluminum tape that has a very sticky backing. I also put quick connects on the wires that run to the harness so when I remove the bags, I simply unplug them. These lights stick out less than 1/2 inch more than the reflectors and give off good light to the side and even from the back. RandyA

Hey, think how many people are shorting out now while they are driving. RandyA