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BigShell

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Everything posted by BigShell

  1. BigShell
    Hey Goose... If you can find the code where the smilies are inserted into the text, maybe you can have a space inserted right after each smilie. Kind of a pain, though. You would have to fix it every time you upgraded that module.
  2. BigShell
    I've logged every fill-up in my '05. My average in about 40k miles is in the low 30's. The last 8k have been with the Vmax gears and my average dropped about .1 mpg. I did get near 40 once while riding the in National Forest in western Arkansas. Slow, easy and wet ride that day. I usually run speed limit +5 mph (real speed, not indicated speed). On the highway, that means my speedometer is reading 80+. Most of my riding is just to get where I'm going. I do slow down for pleasure riding, but that's the least of my miles. I also don't waste time getting up to speed or when I pass someone. That's why I like the Vmax gears. Low 30's... boring compute... still beats the cage!
  3. BigShell
    I have one like the one in Condors link (Smartire). Here is one on Ebay (current bid of $78 and reserve not met). I paid $94.99 + $28.70 shipping out of Canada. The company ( SmartTire ) that makes them is getting away from the motorcycle line. I don't have it installed yet. Been waiting until I need new tires. The sensor is mounted inside the rim on a band the goes around the wheel. Kind of like a big hose clamp if I understand correctly. Sealed unit. When the battery goes, the unit goes. Maybe Smartire will install a new one or maybe I can figure something else out when that time comes. In order to save battery, it only sends a signal when the wheels are turning. Won't do you any good if you're wanting to see what the pressure is before you mount. Got to do that the old fashioned way... the Beer30 way!. My wife's car has tire pressure senors which feed into a dash display. One day she was driving down the highway as usual when a tire warning came on. She was losing air pretty fast. The warning came on before she felt the problem and it allowed her to get safely off the road (it had picked up a big nail). That's what I'm looking for... early warning. I'll use it to remind me to air up also... but mostly I want to know when I need to stop! Doug
  4. BigShell
    Amen, jt. And remember... sometimes we fight with ballots instead of bullets. Doug
  5. BigShell
    I've got RSTD bars on mine. It's a good mod. You'll want the RSTD end weights also. The RSV weights aren't the same. You'll also need longer upper front brake line, upper clutch line, and throttle cables. The bars angle back at a sharper angle which changes the wrist position. I wasn't too sure I'd like that, but it proved not to be a problem for me. They pretty much make the cigarette power adapter useless. Maybe you can find an adapter to squeeze in there. I never used mine, so no problem. The bars are definitely wider, You're going to catch more air on your hands. In the summer, I run a cut down and vented stock shield and like the extra air. In the winter, I put on a wider ClearView. That moves the air further out and so far this season it has done a good job. It's probably about the same air you would get with stock bars and shield. One day I'm going to put the RSTD bars on the risers (if I can find them!). Not sure the cables/hoses/wiring will reach that far, though. I think that would give me what I'm searching for... at least as close as any bars out there can come. Sure wish I had a good hydraulic pipe bender to play with! Doug
  6. BigShell
    I would like to see some pics of these brackets. In the summer I use a cut down stock shield. As colder weather approaches, I change out to my taller, wider clearview. Some folks talked about the mounting holes/slots. Mine has all closed end slots. I pull the shield three or four times a year. Never found a loose screw. I don't see how any shield could pull out of the fairing. Break, maybe, but not pull out. Is flexing all bad? I guess I could see it adding to material fatigue and failure in some cases, but it also dissipates energy that would otherwise be directed toward other points... points that may not be made to carry the load. Then again, I don't know all that much about this stuff, so that could be all wrong.
  7. BigShell
    Glad you're OK and thanks for the reminder. I've been meaning to order some new avons, but kept putting off. I've got maybe 12k on the rear and it looked to be wearing even with at least 2k of good rubber left when I did an all around the tire check about 500 miles ago. I would rather have the tires sittin' here waiting to be put on than the scoot sitting waiting on tires.
  8. BigShell
    I've got two Fiams, a steble, and both stock horns on my bike. The stebel I mounted under the trunk. I bought a high and a low tone Fiam and mounted them by the front cowling, under the airbox and on top of the crash bar. The high and low are mirror images of each other so one mounted on the left side just right and the other on the right side. The Fiams and the stebel all run off of one relay. Few people even notice the horns... until I hit the button. In the last pic, you can see I used the straight bracket that came with the horns. I tied into the airbox support and let the horn bell sit on the crash bar. I've put 25 to 30k on the bike since mounting them. No problems yet.
  9. BigShell
    If you are asking specifically about this group, I came to learn more about my bike. I stayed to learn more about the people here. Others have posted these feelings with better words than I can come up with. If you are talking more generally about why bikers often join together in groups, I think the answer is here: We accept the risks in order to enjoy the rewards and want to be around others who feel the same.
  10. BigShell
    I'm going to have a vent of some kind! The GW vent in my Clearview stopped working after a month or two. Handle finally fell off. Clearview sent me a new vent. They are not the easiest to install. I use the tall, wide Clearview as my winter shield. When I pulled it off a few months back, I noticed that the GW vent frame was cracked. It still worked though. I'm not sure our shields are shaped right for the GW vent. I (and I'm just speaking of me and my skill level) wouldn't want to cut holes a in shield that costs as much as the Clearview. If I could, I would try to talk them into another vent. The round ones are fine. If they wouldn't do that, I would look at alternative shields. If I felt I had to have a Clearview, and the only vent they would install is the GW, I'd take it. I've got two round vents in my cut-down stock shield I use in the summer. They don't give me the same blast as the GW vent, but they keep the air moving well enough. In the hottest part of the summer, I use an evaporative vest for the 40 minute ride home. Enough air comes through those round vents to take about 2/3's of the water out of that vest.
  11. BigShell
    They've been wondering where he was!
  12. BigShell
    When Allen (Cat 5) came through in 1980, I was working the oil patch around Goliad operating a high pressure pump truck. I was on a location by myself when the the storm came in. Spent 24 hours in the cab of that truck getting rocked back and forth. No food... lots of water, but it's hard to catch water in a coke can! At least the radio worked. Last big one through here took 3 of my trees with it, but no other damage. Only thing I'm a little concerned about right now is the 'tent' garage I have set up to park the bike in. It's bolted down to the concrete and pretty well protected on two sides. Think I'll through an extra rope or two on it though if it looks like we'll get hit.
  13. BigShell
    Check this thread for tire code info. The "B" indicates bias (vs radial). The "H" is a speed rating. H=130 mph The 71 and 80 are the load ratings: 71 = 761 lbs 80 = 992 lbs My last order from SW Moto: 305303 Avon Venom 150/80HB-16 Front 305321 Avon Venom 150/90HB-15 Rear I'm getting around 14k on the rear. I can get more on the front, but so far I've changed both at the same time.
  14. BigShell
    The Zumo Forums would be the place to check to see if that is a common problem and how it is being addressed. These things are only imperfect machines. I had mine set for shortest route one time. The highway took a long, big radius curve to the right. The frontage road cut that corner much shorter. The Zumo had me exit the highway for two blocks then get back on again. It was correct... the distance was shorter... the 30 mph speed limit and two stop lights did slow me down a bit though. The Zumo isn't alone in mapping and routing problems. My Lowrance sent me down a dead end road once. Another time, I was low on fuel on the edge of nowhere. The Lowrance routed me from the edge of nowhere, down gravel roads to the middle of nowhere. Not a gas station in sight... not even a house... not even a gate in the fence! I asked again for the the next nearest fuel and prayed I had enough to get there. I did, and all ended well... other than the jokes I still get from the two other riders that were with me! Electronics aren't the only things that can get you on the wrong route. I've used paper maps that didn't show roads or worse, showed roads that were no longer there because of new construction. I've learned to shake my head, smile and enjoy some roads I might not have seen otherwise. I sure ain't worth gettin' worried about.
  15. BigShell
    I forgot about the slots. Don't know if I've been lucky or you just got a bad one. I have about 30k on mine. Mostly highway. Been over 90 mph more times than I will admit to. Over 100 a few times. I've fought some decent winds when I ride near the coast. Once I rode 150 miles at 70+ into a 30 mph headwind the gusted frequently to over 50 mph. Last time I took it off, the only damage I noticed was a crack in the vent itself and some minor scratches. I will take a closer look at it when I put it back on for the winter and I'll keep a little closer eye on it. I would like to see where yours failed. I've got several email addresses and get 100 - 200 spam emails everyday so I don't like to post my address where it can be harvested easily. I'll send a pm with my email address. Again, I'm glad you're ok!
  16. BigShell
    I'm glad you two are OK! That had to be scary! I am a little confused, though. I have a clearview with a vent and it is held in place by 6 screws just like the stock shield. Do you have any pictures? If there is a problem here, maybe we can come up with a fix. Doug
  17. BigShell
    I was ok with stock bars and risers, comfort-wise. I didn't like the way they hit the ignition cover and I think things look better mounted in the original position but those are small things compared to comfort. I haven't tried the flanders, but they have the same height as stock and I liked the height the risers gave me. The RSTD bars are 2 inches taller than stock. I really wasn't looking for the extra width, but decided to try it. I like the set up with the RSTD bars. My only concern is winter wind on the hands from the extra width. When it gets cooler, I'll put the wider Clearview shield back on. That might move most of the air around my hands. Won't know for a couple of months. Are they more comfortable than stock + risers? Best I can answer is they are at least as comfortable... probably more comfortable, but for me, there wasn't a huge difference. Handling is a little improved because you have more leverage with the extra width. One person said it was like adding power steering to his bike. I didn't notice that much change. I think I still want more pullback. I may pull the bars down a little and see how that feels. I still want to try the RSTD + risers too. I installed the longer hoses and cables you need for the flanders (and you do need them for the RSTD bars) but I'm not sure that will be enough to do these bars + risers. I bought the bars from Flatout: [/url]http://www.flatoutmotorcycles.com/fiche_section_detail.asp Since mine is an '05, I looked up the 2005 YAMAHA XVZ13CTTC/XVZ13CTT > Steering Handle Cable While the bars are under $90, I found the RSV end weights don't fit. I ordered the end weights (end grip), bolts and end plugs. Total just under $153 + shipping. QUANTITY REF# PART Part # PRICE 1 1 HANDLE COMP 1D6-26110-01-00(replaces 1D6-26110-00-00) $88.88 2 3 END, GRIP 1D6-26246-00-00 $28.74 2 4 BOLT, SOCKET 91314-06075-00(replaces 90110-06123-00) $1.52 2 5 PLUG,SPEC'L SHAPE 90338-06162-00 $1.71 The big cost is in the cables and hoses. I got mine from Buckeye. Told him I wanted the same cables that he sold for the the flanders upgrade or stock + at least 2"... which ever was longer. Flatout's shipping was pretty reasonable if I remember right. Call and see what they would charge for shipping, then call Rick and see if he can meet or beat Flatouts prices. Nice to get everything from one source if it works out. Comfort is a personal thing. The best I can say is that so far (still thinking about cold air on the hands) this has been a good move for me and I don't want to go back... but I'm still searching for a little more pullback (at least I think I want some more). Wish I owned a good tubing bender!
  18. BigShell
    I'm running with the RSTD bars right now. They've got 2" more height, 2" more width' and 2.5 " more pullback then the stock RSV. Here is a thread were I first aked about this mod up until the time I ordered the bars: Handlebars Here is a thread with a few pics from the time I got the bars thru a decent test period. RSTD handlebars on the Venture I like them for summer bars, but I'll have to see how I like that extra air on my hands when it cools down a bit. I'm still thinking about trying the RSTD bars with the risers just to see what that is like... just too many other projects right now. About the only ride time I get is back and forth to work!
  19. BigShell
    Real Name = Ol' Moose of the White Werewolfes MC Road Name = Ol' Titty Squeezer of the Hell's Beerguts MC Both are half right. Should be Ol' Moose of the Hell's Beerguts MC hhhhmmmmm... Wife = Ol' Momma of the Nutcrushers MC
  20. BigShell
    My vote (wild guess) goes to the IC level. Could be the mic is picking up engine/exhaust noise and feeding that to the headset speakers while lowering the other audio signals (priority to IC ). Would not affect regular speaker output. That wouldn't explain why it would suddenly start happening unless you were recently messing with the controller and accidently turned up he IC.
  21. BigShell
    I downshift through the gears when stopping. Not so much for the breaking (front brakes do good job), but I always want to be in a gear appropriate to the speed I'm going. If I need to maneuver in a hurry, I don't want to be in so low a gear the rear locks or so high a gear the engine lugs.
  22. BigShell
    Yep... I'll still take them. No hurry. It's for one of those low priority projects I may not get around to, but ya never know! Just let me know how you want to be reimbursed for shipping.
  23. BigShell
    I like that Goose, I don't have an opinion either. I just won't have a bike without one. If you're afraid you'll confuse someone, you might consider turning the headlight off completely... wouldn't want the single headlight to be mistaken for a far away car. I use mine all the time... unless I'm not lead in a group ride... but, like Goose, I have no opinion. I don't own a pair of boxers as describe in that post, so no comment there.
  24. BigShell
    I live a little SE of San Antonio. Weatherman keeps promising 4 to 6 inches of rain, but nothing yet... Everything so far has been well south of us. I hope that 4 to 6 inches does come our way and I hope it takes 24 hours or more to fall. We need the rain and need it to soak in.
  25. BigShell
    That is great news, Don! Thanks for the update... I needed some good news today! Prayers continue!
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