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Freebird

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Everything posted by Freebird

  1. Freebird
    Well....I'll just take numbers 94 and 101. Neither are the favorite that I have seen of those models but they would do.
  2. Freebird
    Go to this page. http://www8.garmin.com/vehicles/ In the right column it lists models that are voice compatible. Appears to be only some, maybe all, of the Nuvi series.
  3. Freebird
    I've pretty much been sold out of VentureRider Guardian bells for a while now. I actually had a handful put back just in case but they are gone now. So...I'm certainly in no hurry to order more of them if you all have what you want but if there is any demand, I will order more at any time. Just let me know. Here is a link to them if any of you don't know what I'm talking about. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=17406
  4. Freebird
    NOTE that this will not work for all Garmin units. The Zumo 550 is NOT voice compatible and many others aren't also.
  5. Freebird
    I agree with your questions and as I said, I was not satisfied with her responses. She said that the change was made about 2 years ago and I already see some date codes that fall within the past year. I am also not at all convinced that ANY of the things listed in the tech bulletin are causing the cracking because I treat these tires no differently than any other tires I've owned and have not seen the cracking problem. I was very courteous to her but the last thing I told her was that I thought that they still have a problem and that I wouldn't be recommending their tires to our members again until I know that the problem has been addressed.
  6. Freebird
    Yesterday I sent an email to Avon tire in regards to the cracking sidewall problems. Today I received a call from the corporate office in Stow, OH. It was a fairly lengthy conversation. The call was from a very nice lady with the title of Sales and Marketing Manager. I had told her in my email that within our organization, the Avon was by far the most recommended tire for our bikes. I explained to her though that there had been numerous reports of the cracking sidewalls and that many of us are no longer recommending their tires for the Yamaha Ventures and Royal Stars. Her response was that a couple of years ago, there was a change in the way the tires are poured and that she hasn't heard of any problems since that time. I don't know if that makes sense or not because though there is a current survey, there has not been enough input yet to really get a feel for the dates. I also suspect that many of the tires are long destroyed so there is no way of us getting those dates. She told me that they recognize it as a problem if they see a return rate of more than 1/2% on any specific model or even size tire. She said that she saw this go to about 1% before the change was made in how the tires are poured but it seems to have been OK since then. I told her that I am not convinced that the problem has been resolved. She then went into the usual spill about all the things that can cause a tire to split. I responded to that by telling here that my bike has been stored in the same garage with various tires for about 10 years and that the Avon is the only one that has exhibited this problem. The conversation was friendly but I didn't feel that anything was resolved. She did send me the following document that explains some of the things that might cause the problem as well as some other information. Most of it is common sense but there may be a few things that you will find interesting.
  7. Freebird
    Probably not a bad idea....but I'm also not finished...uh...discussing this...with the Oberlin Inn. I am very disappointed in this. I want a better explanation of why the rooms are being canceled. If it is due to an unforeseen issues that are requiring that the rooms be taken out of service, that is one thing. If they are taking them away to give to some other group, I am going to be slightly hot under the collar. I hope that is not the case. My wife says that people don't like me when I get mad.
  8. Freebird
    I just called and spoke to Rex Engle. What he told me was that something came up where it is NOT that the rooms are being rented to others but due to some apparent upgrades that they did not know about, the rooms will not be available at all. I don't know if that is indeed the facts but it is what he told me. He said that he had to take rooms away from 3 different groups and that he was aware of our past business with them and took the fewest away from us. That still did not explain it to my satisfaction and I expressed my displeasure that this was happening and told him that it would likely affect our business with them in the future. What he said was that they had to cancel 10 of our reservations. I don't know who those 10 are but apparently they have been notified. I am very irritated over this and made him aware of that fact but did manage to pretty much control my temper at this point. I am really sorry that this has happened. The next nearest location is probably the Days Inn in Amherst, OH. That is about 15 miles north.
  9. Freebird
    I don't know. I thought it was all worked out. I sent them our logo and they were supposed to get back to me on the best size and location of the logo and then I didn't hear from them again. I just sent them an email and should know something by tomorrow.
  10. Freebird
    You can find better prices on J&M at: http://www.sierra-mc.com/ They sell J&M but cheaper than you can buy direct from the manufacturer. If you are looking at the higher end units, take a look at Edsets also. Much better sound in my opinion. http://www.edsets.com
  11. Freebird
    How do they measure as compared to the Avon or even the Dunlop 404. Looks like they are 85 series where are stock tires are 90.
  12. Freebird
    I just made a change. I've only made the change to THIS forum for now to see if it works. So please do some testing. Post some Ebay links to this thread and lets see if they work.
  13. Freebird
    No problem at all. Thanks.
  14. Freebird
    OK folks....this is the last call for Maintenance Day shirts. I will take orders through the end of this week and then be placing the order with the vendor. If you want one, please get your orders in as I will not be placing another order.
  15. Freebird
    Mountains for me...no contest at all. I LOVE the mountains.
  16. Freebird
    Yes, that is because the tech libraries are read only.
  17. Freebird
    Just screw them off and swap sides with them. Takes about 2 minutes.
  18. Freebird
    I agree...those would be changed immediately. Mine are not nearly that bad and I have no problem riding on them but I'll sure be watching them after seeing those pics. I'm at a loss folks. I really like the way the Avons handle and feel but I just see no excuse for this cracking issue. Therefore, my official stance is that I will not be recommending them any longer unless Avon acknowledges that they have a problem and do something to correct it. That really narrows down my choices. At this time, it's either back to the Michelin Commanders and just tolerate the slight noise in the long sweepers or try the Dunlop Elite 3. I am a bit apprehensive about the Elite 3 as I have already read of two folks here who had them blow at while almost new.
  19. Freebird
    I agree...that is a rare find. As for the second gear issue and the frame problem though...yep...they WOULD apply to that bike. It would probably be a long time before you had to worry about it but I'm not sure that I wouldn't just address both issues right off the bat and never have to worry about them again.
  20. Freebird

    Dreaming

    Freebird replied to TDunc's topic in Picture Folder

    Yea...I don't want it. I DO want to RIDE it though.
  21. Freebird
    As stated already, the Nolan helmets come with the quick release buckles. We really like ours. I don't know if they are exactly the same as these or not but the Nolans are DOT certified and I don't know that they could be if the buckles were not.
  22. Freebird
    I might give them a try but do they actually make the exact size for the rear? Isn't it a lower profile tire? Yea, like I said, I plan to keep riding this one as I don't think it is unsafe. It is only maybe half worn out so unless it gets a lot worse, I'll not change it right now.
  23. Freebird
    I hadn't thought about it but I guess it was my warmest first ride. There have been some decent days over the past week but always raining. Yesterday was probably close to 70F. I didn't even wear a jacket.
  24. Freebird
    OK...it wasn't very far but I did get out on the bike for the first time this season. Only got in about 40 miles but it sure felt good. Bike had been sitting all winter on the battery tender and a full tank of gas with a can of Seafoam. It started as soon as I touched the starter button. Got a little ride in and then just before getting home, I had a long stretch where I could see a mile or two ahead of me. No cars on either side of the road so I wound it up to about 110 MPH for just a few seconds. She is running great and it sure felt good to get some wind in my face. The bad news is that a thorough inspection of the tires does show just a bit of cracking starting on the rear. This is an Avon Venom and I'm hearing WAY too many reports on this problem. I don't know where the rest of you are seeing the problem but these are very small cracks...about 1/2" from the rim. Mine are very small and each one is maybe 3/4" inch long or so and they almost make a dashed line around the tire with each one being maybe 6" apart. I'm not too concerned about them at this time and will continue to run the tire but will keep my eyes ... er...my EYE on them. With repeated reports about this issue though, I guess these will be my last Avon tires. It's a shame because I really like the way they wear and handle. I guess next time I'll either go back to the Michelin Commanders or else try the Elite 3.
  25. Freebird
    Yes, here you go. BUT....you can still ride until you get it fixed. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=493
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