Freebird

I know you are correct in changing them but I have to be honest, in more than 20 years of riding a Venture I have never replaced one and have never had a leak. That being said, I know that I am wrong and should do so. Here is a link that shows the washers and part numbers. I would be worried about a dealer who couldn't find these. https://www.bikebandit.com/oem-parts/2018-yamaha-star-venture-xv19fjgy/o/m162752#sch1085330

I don't think there is really an aversion against it. I have been using one for many years and it does a good job. I personally think that the vacuum gauge setup is a bit better due to the fact that you can calibrate it and don't have to worry about rods sticking and etc. but I'm happy enough with my Carbtune that I haven't bothered to buy a vacuum gauge setup. I've synced hundreds of carbs with it and have had no issues.

There is a dedicated forum for the darksiders comments and questions but the short answer is that I don't think that anybody has found one that will work on the first gen Venture.

I chose "best traction" because that is really the most important thing. The fact is though, I try to find a happy medium between good traction and long mileage. I had good luck with the original Michelin Commanders but they howled fairly loudly in the long sweepers. I've never run the new Commander II and it may have corrected that issue. I'm running Dunlop E3s at this time. They perform pretty well but I haven't put enough miles on them to comment about the longevity. From other reports, they are a long lasting tire.

In Ohio, open carry is legal. If you can legally purchase a firearm you can also open carry it legally, with no permit. You must have a permit to carry concealed. By the way, I picked up another pistol today. Have read some good things about the new Sig Sauer P365. There were a few issues with the early production models but they seem to have them all worked out now. What a great carry gun. It is actually almost the exact same size as my Sig P938 but the 938 holds 6 +1 rounds and the new P365 holds 10 + 1 round. Also, a 12 + 1 magazine is also available. I haven't shot it yet but look forward to putting it through the paces. It will be a day or two before I can try it out because our guest cottage is rented for the weekend and I don't shoot when there are guests there. They will leave sometime tomorrow.

Ohio is also an "open carry" state. You rarely see people around here doing that though. It is something that I don't care to do for several reasons. I agree with Cowpuc that many don't get the CCW permit for the reason that should the 2nd amendment ever be abolished, the government has a starting list of people to visit. I have been shooting since I was probably 10 years old. It was very common in Texas. I would go visit either of my grandfathers and they would hand me a .22 rifle or a shotgun along with a box of ammo and say "go practice". Those were fun times. I have been a lifetime NRA member for over 30 years. I have thought about the CCW permit for a long time but had never gotten one due primarily to the reasons stated above. I actually brought this up with my instructor and his response was that he had very few firearms that he had bought new. Most were bought used for the very reason that they are not registered to him and if that day were to ever come, nobody would know that he has them. I can tell you that most firearm owners in the USA have at least one or more that are not registered to them. That is not illegal in most states. Though there are many here who would like to see the 2nd amendment abolished, it is not likely to happen anytime soon. It is a big deal to change our constitution and those who would like to abolish the amendment are a long way from ever getting the necessary majority of elected officials or, alternatively, the number of states required to repeal it. If that ever were to happen, it would be generations before they would ever find and confiscate the millions of unregistered firearms in the hands of the people who would absolutely never give them up voluntarily.

Nothing I have done. There have been no changes. You can go into your profile and put them where it says "custom title".

It's a fair question and one that every individual here needs to carefully consider before carrying. There should be no gray areas but, as with most things, there always are. It would take an awful lot for me to ever pull a firearm on anybody but if me or my family or for that matter, people in a situation where a crazy shooter is opening up on innocent people, then yes, I would do so. I would do so knowing full well that I will face an investigation and possible legal issues. You have to decide what is important to you. To be honest, I will probably very seldom carry. I would never even consider using it to prevent somebody from stealing my car, motorcycle, etc. I think that anybody who would steal what I have worked hard for is a despicable human being but it would not be worth me possibly taking a life over.

OEM part numbers can be found in the link that I provided in post #2 of this thread. Firestik makes a very good antenna but either will be fine. Yamaha just wants STUPID HIGH prices for the OEM antennas.

Those look like antennas from a '99 model. About the only thing that Yamaha changes on these bikes for the entire production run was the antennas. I wonder if somebody installed '99's on your bike for some reason. If so, you should just change them both out to the later model style. Never mind, I see that you DO ride a '99 so yours are not the same as what we are discussing. The '99 antennas were a bad design. They would also get corrosion where the antenna is supposed to be press fit over a metal stud and cause reception and transmitting issues. Most people changed them out fairly early on. You can go with the 2000 and later RSV antennas or switch to an aftermarket antenna. I have Firestiks on my 2005.

Well, that was easy enough. Took my certificate to the Sheriff's office this morning. I had been told that it could take a couple of weeks or longer before your permit actually arrived. They did the background check and made my card while I sat there. Took about 15 minutes total and walked out with it. So, I've good for 5 years now and then it's just a matter of going down and renewing it.

Well, my qualification was at 2:00 today. Classroom requirement was already completed and state law requires 2 hours of range training and the proficiency test. I got there around 10 till 2 and the instructor said that we had to be there for two hours to satisfy the state requirement. He told me what was required and it is really pretty easy. At 21 ft., 21 consecutive shots within a 9" group. If one shot is outside the 9", you have to start over. We stapled up a target, I put my first 21 shots well within the 9", I was qualified. Most shots were within about a 3" group but I had a couple that were maybe 4" or so out. That was about 2:10. So we spent the next hour and fifty minutes just target shooting and having a good time. Did a few exercises that I really enjoyed. I took the test with the .45 Kimber Ultra Carry but I also too the Sig 9mm and the Ruger GP100 Match .357. The guide rod didn't get here for the Sig but I had managed to put it back together with the spring and no guide rod. It shot fine. New guide rod should be here Saturday and I'll put it in then because the Sig will likely be my carry gun if and when I actually carry. He had some steel targets out about 75 or so yards. They were probably 18" in diameter. I had no problem ringing them with the .357. Didn't try with the 3" barrel Sig or Kimber. I think I could have done ok with them though. Anyway, it's all done and now I just take the certificate to the Sheriff's office tomorrow and apply for the permit. Not sure but I think it takes two or three weeks before I will get it in the mail.

OK...ignore what Don just told you. He got the first half wrong and the last half right. The CB antenna goes on the left side. AM/FM antenna on the right side. They both fold. The AM/FM antenna does NOT have a coil and should be on the right side. Antenna with the coil is the CB antenna, LEFT side. If you trace the wire from the bottom of the CB antenna, it should go into the box under the trunk.

The CB antenna should absolutely have the load coil. Look at part number 35. https://www.bikebandit.com/oem-parts/2005-yamaha-royal-star-midnight-venture-ca-xvz13tfmtc/o/m145390#sch524850

OK....here is my entry. It may be ugly but I love it. It belonged to my grandfather and I've been shooting it since I was about 12 years old. Steven 311 Double 12 gauge. It used to have 32 inch barrels, I think they were. In a dumb moment, many years ago, I cut them off to about 18 1/4". I would like to buy another set of barrels for it if I can find any. I bought one set but they didn't lock up right. There are some minor differences over the years.

I've got one that I'll post in a little while. It's in the top of the closet in the bedroom where my wife is taking a nap. I know it's not loaded right now and would probably need to be if I woke her up.

I would bet that you are correct. Shooting left handed I do fine but that is likely because my right hand is still dominated and as you say, I am probably pushing more with it than I do with my left hand when shooting from that side. I think that I just need more practice. It's been a long time since I've done a lot of shooting. Will try to make it. Will look for you if I do.

I haven't done a lot of shooting over the past few years. I don't know how often I'll actually concealed carry but finally decided to take the training and get my permit. So I took the classroom part of the course online last week. I will finish up tomorrow with the 2 hours of required range training. I've been practicing here at the house a bit and have discovered that my shooting skills aren't what they once were. I think that a bit part of it is the fact that I went blind in my right (dominant) eye about 6 or 7 years ago. I had hoped to take the class with my Sig 9mm but upon disassembling it on Monday to give it a good cleaning, I discovered that the guide rod is missing so I can't put it back together until I get one. That's another story but my research revealed that they use a two piece guide rod where the actual rod screws into another moon shaped piece and can drop out when they unscrew. I have no idea how long it has been missing. Ordered a new one piece rod but it likely won't be here by tomorrow. So, I've been practicing with the Kimber Ultra Carry II .45. I used to be a decent shot but am having a terrible time now putting the shots in the bullseye. My grouping is pretty tight. The test is only at 21 ft. so that is what I'm practicing. At that short distance, I often put shoot tight enough that there is just one large hole in the target. BUT....that grouping is consistently about 2" - 3" to the left of the bullseye. I know it's not the gun because I was doing the same thing with the Sig and also the Ruger GP100 .357 revolver. It's ME. I, just a few minutes ago, decided to try shooting left handed and I actually did put them in the bullseye. I really don't want to shoot left handed though. I prefer the gun to be on my right side to access with my dominant hand. I'll work through it. Will take some time though.

That would be a very interesting project but since starting this forum many years ago, I've never seen mention of anybody trying it or having drawings for them.

Well I put down another 120 gallons yesterday. This one is for broadleaf weeds. The last time I used what was supposed to be for crabgrass control and some other weeds. We'll see how this one does. I've tried Bayer, Spectracide, Round Up, Scotts, and probably about everything else. I just haven't found anything that really controls them.

Looks great. That bike is going to look fantastic when you are done.

Nice job. I would have hated to remove the tach but heck, we don't have them on the second gens so I guess it's not a big deal.

There is only one K&N filter for the RSV and yes, they work with the chrome overs. If you are talking about the "Dog Bones", I don't know of any chrome ones but you can get Diamond Cut ones from eusa1.

From almost all reports on the clutch basket whine since the RSV was first introduced in 1999, oil choice has really not made any difference. I've used Mobil 1 Racing 4T full synthetic motorcycle oil since buying my first RSV in April of '99, it is my preference and is what I will continue using. This is my 3rd RSV and the first one that I felt had a louder than normal whine. There are other very minor issues that people have reported over the years. One is that they have a hard time finding neutral. When I bought my first RSV, the first service was included in the deal. I took it in to have that first service done and they used Yamalube. I left the next day on about a week long trip and within about a thousand miles, I was having a difficult time finding neutral and the engine was just generally noisier. As soon as I got home, I swapped to Mobil 1, which I used in everything else already, and never again had any issues. Mobil 1 is just my choice, not trying to convince anybody else that they should be using it.

I guess I'm a bit old fashioned when it comes to rifles and shotguns and even pistols. I love shooting but also really love the craftsmanship that goes into the guns. I just don't care at all for all the kevlar, polymer and even the laminated wood stocks. Give me a nicely figured walnut stock over any of those. Yes, I know that there are some advantages to the plastic stuff but I don't care. I want REAL wood.