Freebird

I've seen this happen several times. I've found that a nylon tie will keep the wires out of that area.

Congrats on your new bike. I hope you love it as most as much of us here do. As for your question, that is perfectly normal. Mine feels HOT to the touch after putting some miles on it. So...just ride and enjoy.

Sure sounds like the antenna may be grounded. Are you SURE there are no frayed wires in the connector that you installed or that you don't have it grounded on the mount?

MamaMo's is better. That Betty Boop is HOT HOT HOT.

There are several ways. Here are a couple. Click on the VR Assistance link in the left menu. It sorts the memberslist by state and only shows those who have signed up for the assistance. Click on the "Members List" link in the upper menu bar and scroll down to the state or province that you want to check. It returns ALL the members in that area. Don

Yes..I have done it with success. I should add...I did it on an XM radio but I wouldn't think there would be any difference.

I have cut and spliced them but it's not that easy.

A momentary push of the PTT button, front or rear, turns the mics on. You can then use the CB as usual until you do another momentary push to turn them off again. It really is a nice system.

It it usually due to something that has been posted in that thread. Give me a thread for an example and I'll take a look.

Yep...I recently installed Mic-Mute and love it. See this thread. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=992

Here is a program that I had posted about before the big crash and just wanted to put it here again. Although the site now has automatic image resizing for profile pics, avatars, and images posted in the threads, it is NOT a fool proof system. If your images are HUGE...there could be time out problems before the pic is resized. Also, auto resizing does not work in the vBPicGallery at this time. There are many programs out there for resizing images but if you use Windows XP...there are NONE easier than the one at the following link. Once you install this little program, all you have to do is open the folder where your pictures are saved, right click on the file name and choose "resize" from the context menu. A box will open up with options. The default option is 640 x 480 and that is the one you want to use. Just click "OK" and it will save your picture at the proper size and resolution to upload. It will NOT write over your original picture...it will save it as a new picture with the same file name except "small" at the end. This program will not create a new icon on your desktop or anywhere else...it will simply create a new link in the right click context menu. This is the ONLY thing I use now for resizing pictures. It is simple and very effective. So...just click on the following link. Scroll down until you see "Image Resizer" in the right menu, download and install. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/xp-downloads#2TC=powertoys

I think that just about everybody in the world sells them. I think I picked mine up at a Pep Boys auto parts store. I know that most all motorcycle accessory stores sell them also.

Yep....I have the JR. also...I keep it plugged in all the time...well...when I'm not riding.

Well....I'm getting in late on this one but I too am an XM fan. I have a unit in the house, one in the wife's car and one that I move between my work car and the bike. I've never been disappointed in the XM selection and especially like the classic rock channels, the Loft, Heart and a lot of others. I also listen to a lot of talk radio when I'm on the road for work and am a big Glenn Beck fan. I also have an IPOD that I've had for over 4 years and never had a problem with it on the bike. I use it when we get in the mountains with heavy tree cover which can cause signal loss on the XM. Plus....I use my laptop in my work car and since my ITunes is loaded, I can play my IPOD music without the ipod by simply plugging my computer into the cassette adapter. Don

This tech tip covers numerous possible solutions, including the proper alignment of the rear drive and simple greasing of parts of the final drive clutch hub. One point of clarification to pay attention to when talking to your dealer is the difference between the final drive "clutch hub drive pins" (also called Clutch Pins in the figure on page 3 of the Tech Tip), and the clutch hub "drive splines." The pins fit into damper bushings in the wheel assembly and are NOT visible until the hub is removed from the wheel. The drive splines are on the outside of the hub and mate to the final drive when the wheel is mounted to the bike. These splines are what you see on the left side of the wheel when you remove it from the bike. These are clearly labeled in the Tech Tip. If you have had the shop try to fix this noise at least once without success, the noise you hear is probably coming from dry "clutch hub drive pins," not the drive splines. If you tell your shop to make sure the "splines" are greased, they are probably doing just that, and this does NOT solve your problem. If we all use the correct terminology when talking about this problem, we have a much better chance of getting all these Yamaha mechanics educated about the right fix. Thanx for listening, Goose BTW - although I do not know this for sure, I also suspect that the noise is probably caused much more from bushings not fully seated (as described in the bulletin) than just dry pins, so the wear marks on the drive pins should be closely examined as described in the Tech Tip. __________________

Submitted by Tony Dathan. Problem: One of the common complaints about the Yamaha passing light kit for the RSV is that it mounts so close to the fairing that removing the fairing becomes very difficult requiring one to either remove or loosen the passing light bracket. Installation: When the bracket arrives you will need 2 3/8" NC x 3/4" long bolts and lock washers. I got these at Home Depot for under two bucks. Undo your light bar. Use the 8mm bolts to fasten the bracket where the light bar was and then using the 3/8" bolts bolt the light bar to the bracket. Most of us that have the bracket can now split the fairing without touching the light bar or at least just loosening it a few turns. Might depend on the actual lights you have. Basically you undo the light bar, put the bracket where the bar was, then mount the light bar to the bracket! How to get one: You can contact me at dathan@shaw.ca The price at this time is $27.50 USD. That includes the postage as well! The following are some shots I've taken in the past! #5 shows the clearance between the back of the light and the fairing. This started as a way of my being able to clean between the light and the fairing. Taking the fairing off without touching the light bar was just a huge bonus!

I really liked the sound of my Khromewerks. Plenty loud and a deep sound. I finally got tired of loud and sold them but would probably buy the same ones again if I wanted to make noise.

That is a very common problem on the '99 models. The antennas are junk. Yamaha re-designed them for the 2000 model year. It's very easy to change them just as you are thinking. You can actually very easily replace the cable with a new one with the regular cb connector. You can just cut the end off yours and solder a new one on or you can stop by many truck stops and find a short, 12", cable with the right connectors on it. It just plugs into the cb under the trunk. The cable will have the Motorola type connector on one end and the cb connector on the other. I think mine cost me around $7.00 or so. After than, any aftermarket antenna will work. I went with the Firestik because they have a tuneable tip and they also make a matching FM for the other side. Don

I've found that around 14 is pretty good. At least...that was about as loud as I could use it without problems with wind noise and etc. Now with the Mic-Mute, I can run it up around 16 or so. I'm really looking forward to the results of your winter project...now THAT sounds cool.

How do you know for sure that yours isn't transmitting? If it's because she can't here you...make sure her volume knob is turned up. If that's not it, try her helmet on the front to make sure it's not a problem with the headset.

Not that expensive either. http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/safety-vest/safe-lites-beaconwear.htm

They are kind of hard to see but if you use a flashlight, you can see them. They are covered with little brass caps. You have to use a long screwdriver to pry the caps off and the screws are under them. Don

You can find a lot of it on Ebay. Here is one example....10.00 buy now and 10.00 shipping. http://cgi.ebay.com/STAINLESS-STEEL-SHEET-POLISHED-304-22ga-028_W0QQitemZ120028002862QQihZ002QQcategoryZ92089QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Here is a search link to the entire list: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&from=R10&satitle=Stainless+Steel+Sheet&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=44074&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search

Freebird Centerstand Installation Note: Since I am no longer making these stands and there have been some requests for the measurements, here they are for those who wish to make their own. The large holes on the U Braket and straight bars are 16mm. The ground out slot on the bottom of the bars are so that the stand will break over the proper amount. If it doesn't break over far enough, the bike will roll off the stand. If it breaks over to far, it is almost impossible to get the bike off the stand. You want it to break over so that it is just past vertical. The stands all vary just a bit so I always assemble them first and then grind the slots on each one until I get it right. I also grind all the sharp corners before painting. Just enough to put a nice rounded corner on them. You don't have to but it just looks nicer. You will notice that this one has the tab welded on. I later started having these stamped out at a machine shop so that they were one piece. It was just easier for me that way but welding works fine. The installation of the Freebird centerstand is pretty simple. Before proceeding in purchasing or installing one of my stands though, I should point out a couple of things. 1. Will this stand lift the rear wheel off the ground? Yes, if your suspension is STOCK it will lift it maybe a half inch off the ground. If you have installed the Diamond R leveling links, it will NOT lift the tire off the ground. I have the links on my bike but even though my tire is no longer off the ground, I find the stands very useful for oil changes and etc. 2. Can you still use a bike lift with the stand installed? I do. The lift WILL rest of the stand at the rear but I just let it. It has worked fine for me. If not, it only requires the removal of 4 bolts to drop the stand off. 3. This is just a note more than anything else. These stands are made from used centerstands off first generation Yamaha Ventures. I have them available as I can locate stands. I have the brackets available all the time so if you have or can find a used first gen stand, I will sell you only a bracket. You can also buy NEW first gen stands for somewhere around $85.00. So even if you buy a new stand and one of my brackets, you will still have less than $150.00 in a centerstand. 4. This is not an exact science. There are some variances in the old stands and I've seen some cases where the angled tab on the bottom of the second gen or RSTD have been slightly bent...or mashed down. I have test fitted every stand that I sell on my own bike but I sometimes get an email that the holes do not line up perfectly. That is usually not a problem. If you follow my directions and leave everything loose until all the bolts are in, you should then be able to tighten everything up and it will work fine. If there is a small space between the U Bracket and where it rests on the bikes frame...don't worry about it. I promise that the first time you put the 1,000 lb. bike on the frame...that space will go away. 5. I grind the inner part of the foot pad off so as to prevent it from hitting the exhaust shield. It will still be very close but should not touch. If it does, simply remove the stand, lay it on the ground and WHOP the foot lever with a sledge hammer. It will bend enough to clear. So...after all that...here are the instructions. This picture shows the existing tabs on the bottom of the bike where the stand will bolt up. Place the stand under the bike and insert the rear bolts into the holes. The existing holes are a metric size just ever do slightly smaller than 5/16". I supply 5/16" bolts so you will need to run a 5/16" bit through those holes...or you can purchase slightly smaller metric bolts. It's very easy though to run a bit through the holes. Now just swing up the horizontal bars and place the 3/8" bolts through the holes. The bars of the bracket go OUTSIDE the tabs on the frame. If they don't line up perfectly, just wiggle it around until you get them in. Tighten all the bolts and the stand is now mounted. Installing the spring is the next step. Place the LONG end of the spring through the small hole on the left horizontal bracket and take the spring OVER the top of the bikes frame. The other end of the spring connects to the existing tab at the bottom of the left stand leg. This picture shows how close the foot pad comes to the exhaust. If it touches or you feel it is too close. Just take the stand back off and bend it out a bit. Do NOT spread the legs of the actual stand...just hit the arch of the foot extension so that IT bends a bit further out. This is how it looks all mounted. On the stand from the side. Close up with bike on stand. From the back

How To Install Your Own Hidden Garage Door Opener Have you ever come home and fumbled for the garage door opener in your pocket while trying to steer? One solution I used on my previous scoot was to velcro the opener to the handlebars. Looked kind of tacky plus I always had to remember to remove it when leaving the bike unattended. After I got my new ride ('06 Venture), I decided to make something more permanent and easy to use. Here is how I did mine. Your own installation will vary depending on where you want to locate things, but the concept is the same. You will need to split the faring for this procedure. 1) Go out and buy a small transmitter, or use a spare you might have around the house. The smaller the better, but don't go too small as it will be almost impossible to find the solder points you will need to get to on the inside. http://www.venturerider.org/garage/image002.jpg 2) Key your new transmitter to your garage door opener. Since every model is different I cannot begin to tell you here how to accomplish this. You will need to consult the manual for your particular brand. Once you have it keyed, test it. 3) Go to Radio Shack (or any electronics parts place) and get a Single Pole Momentary On pushbutton switch. The size, color and feel of the switch is strictly an individual choice. Attach 2 wires to the posts (solder is best) and shrink wrap (I shrink wrap everything). http://www.venturerider.org/garage/image004.jpg 4) Now pick a spot on the faring where you would like to have the button. Check locations when you are sitting on the bike to make sure that it is easily reachable and will not interfere with your operation of the bike. Once you have a location picked, make sure that the spot is reachable from the inside the faring. This picture shows mine under the left side. Since the button is black, it's hard to see. Look at the end of the arrow. http://www.venturerider.org/garage/image006.jpg One suggestion: Remove the transmitter battery before starting this next step. It will save you the trouble of having to explain to the neighbors why your garage is not possessed just because the door keeps opening and closing every few seconds. 5) Now open up the transmitter and find 2 contact points on the circuit board that are closed when you push the transmitter button. Solder 2 wires to these contact points and route the wires outside the body of the transmitter. I used a small round file to cut 2 notches in the case where it split to allow the wires to not get crimped when I reassembled the case. This process is what took me the longest to do, in all, about 1 hour to locate the traces and carefully solder wires to them. An ohmmeter is really useful for doing this. Once the case is reassembled (with the battery back in) you should have something like this. http://www.venturerider.org/garage/image008.jpg Test! Test! Test! If you have done everything correct to this point you should be able to touch the 2 bare ends of the transmitter wires together and your garage door should activate. If it does...congratulations!!! On to the next step. If not...go back to step 5 6) Drill a hole in the faring where you decided to locate the button and install it. A good idea is to put some silicone seal on the threads to keep the locknut from backing off. http://www.venturerider.org/garage/image010.jpg 7) Now find a convienent place for the transmitter to sit on the inside of the faring and mount it. I use sticky back velcro just in case I need to remove the thing one day. 8) Connect the two wires from the button to the two wires from the transmitter. Since this is just completing a circuit it does not really matter which wire goes to which. In my case, I just twisted them together and then shrink wrapped the connections. Tidy up the extra wire with a couple of wire ties. Test it again! Put everything back together and you're ready to go. http://www.venturerider.org/garage/image012.jpg