Semi-retired

Thanks for all the great thoughts/ideas, guys. As follow-up, I DID cast my fate to the wind and left the "extra" oil IN, (whatever amount that is that makes up the difference between the middle and the top of the glass)....and put about 500 kliks on over 3 rides in 5 days.....and I haven't seen any dire consequences.....so FAR! Mind you, I haven't pulled the air filters yet to have a look-see! I'll do that today; and if they're clean and dry, I think I'll "leave well enough alone" (as our parents all used to say!!) Thanks again for the tips and tricks on analyzing engine for gasoline contamination.......WITHOUT having to engage a long distance lab fee! Cheers from the great whit......er, hot North!

To be honest, that was ONE of the reasons I posted this question: I've had this kind of recurring nightmare in which I imagine that the somewhat overpowering exhaust smell from my bike is due to burning oil; but I can't VERIFY that that's the cause because my oil level never diminishes in the viewing window. But...and here's the REAL nightmare-ish part of it...it turns out that one of more of my carb floats are allowing gas to drain into my crankcase, so the oil level "appears" to be maintained...BUT it's with ever-more-thinning oil because it's diluted with more and more gasoline as time goes on. Hence, the nightmare: oil level looks like it's fine.........but it would ACTUALLY be half oil/half fuel eventually, with a viscosity rating of about TWO!

OK, all you SUPER techie guys out there. I consider myself a 7-8 outta 10 when it comes to wrenching, but there ARE certain things I haven't done 100 or more times......OR suffered bad consequences in a given subject area....so, I'm curious to know TWO THINGS...... 1. How much overfilled IS the engine oil on a Gen2 if the level is at the TOP of the viewing window rather than the CENTER? Is it overfilled by 2oz? 6oz? 16oz? 2. What's the WORST thing (or two) that could happen if I don't go to the trouble of draining whatever that extra amount IS back OUTTA the engine after inadvertently putting in too much? I KNOW what the "common knowledge", "rule of thumb" and "best practice" answer is....("always keep it in the middle).....but I'd like some REAL LIFE, fact-based, actual CONSEQUENCE responses, please, guys! Alright. I'll go wash and wax it while the experts chime in! 🙂Thanks. OK. I washed the bike, and I'm back. Not seeing a lot of scary warnings, so, either there ARE no super scary consequences......or all you guys are super careful about adding the fresh oil ONE OUNCE AT A TIME to be sure NOT to go over the half-way mark in the window. (Or, the dealer changes your oil for you and you never LOOK in the window! LOL) Come on, Carl, YOU know everything: where do YOU sit on this?

Now THAT's the s**t I'm TALKIN about! Thanks, buddy!

Sorry, Thomas....I misled you with my initial post. We're not looking for touring ideas IN Niagara Falls. We're FROM Niagara Falls. We know everything there is to know about it. We're looking for help in terms of good roads and points of interest between Allegheny National Park and Letchworth State Park. Our understanding is that there is something around there called "the Grand Canyon North".....or something like that...with lots of hills, valleys, scenic outlooks, waterfalls, etc. If anyone's toured that area or LIVES in that area, we'd love to hear from you. I guess what I'm asking is: does anyone know how to get from Niagara Falls to Coudersport WITHOUT using a slab?

As much as I hate to say it, Don..... a) My membership DID expire, sometime, gawd knows when exactly b) I went to post something in the Wateringhole today regarding an upcoming trip we're planning, and..... c) I didn't KNOW "a" had happened d) there was no indication on the page that the reason I couldn't post was my expired membership. There was no indication of ANYTHING. I was just presented with a page that I could "read", but no visible indication of HOW TO post....and no visible explanation/notification of why I couldn't. e) I even emailed marcarl to find out what was going on....so you KNOW how desperate I was! LOL f) I DID take a screen shot of the entire homepage of the Wateringhole Forum, so if you're interested in what I saw, and why the solution eluded me, I'm happy to send you a copy of it. In fact.....let's try it here..... I know, I know..... - mws.michaelwilliamscott@gmail.com - Gmail.html

Hi, folks! Another couple, my wife and I are planning a 2-day, 1-night scoot over the border (from St. Catharines/Niagara Falls, CA) in the next week or so. Because of our time restrictions (pets and elders at home) we want to pack in as much as we can in our brief allotted timeframe. We plan on staying at Laurelwood in Coudersport just one night, (midweek to avoid as much "competitive" weekend traffic as possible) and we hope not to have to be in the saddle for more than 4 hours on either day. Has anyone got any suggested routes and/or must-see destinations that we should be putting into our travel plans? A friend of our frequently goes to Allegheny Park, but he's a madman and makes it a "day trip". His only comment was, "If you go, be sure to stop at the dam". Not sure what/where that is, but any confirmation of that.....and addition of roads we'd love and other sites to see......GREATLY APPRECIATED. Thanks for any and all suggestions.

Too complicated, Carl. I like BlueSky's nice, simple two-word type of answer. 🙂

As god is my witness (as the expression goes)...I KNOW I should have had (and maybe even DID have) this convo 15 years ago when I bought the bike........BUT......and it's a BIG BUTT...... .....any conversation about LOWERING the center of gravity of ANYTHING seems to come off completely counter-intuitive as soon as the word RAISING appears on the page. And, inevitably, every post or article I've ever seen about making the Gen II less "top-heavy" contains the phrase "raising the back end". When I think of my bike ('03 Midnight)...I think of a woman. When I think of a woman....I think......oh, no....I'm backing out of this one right here and now!!! Just, can SOMEONE please give me the 25 word (or as close to it as possible) explanation of "WHY RAISING ANYTHING COULD POSSIBLY LOWER THE CENTRE OF GRAVITY". Thanks, guys.

Bill, Dennis, Carl......thanks very much for the input. As usual....you've provided a great variety of suggestions.....so much so that I can probably perform a "product shootout" and do a formal REVIEW a couple of years from now. Between the rust inhibitors and the nice "related" comment about anti-UV for the sunshade!...you've probably, as a TEAM, just doubled the life expectancy of my "rig". Thanks, again, as usual!

I just brought home my latest acquisition....and I picked her up for a mere $699!! Nope, not a Gen 1 or even a "basket case" Gen 2. What I bought was a new PERGOLA from Lowes! Before you get upset with me for bringing up something TOTALLY non-bike-related....the sooner you guys help me get this thing assembled (under strict orders from she-who-must-be-obeyed), the sooner I CAN get riding. You get it, I'm sure. Here's the question: The manufacturer themselves warns that "The steel components for this pergola are treated with rust inhibiting paint that protects it from rusting. HOWEVER...due to the nature of steel, surface oxidation (rusting) WILL occur. (My emphasis, yes, but I'm sure their copywriter WOULD have done it if he thought he wouldn't get fired!) They go on to say "don't scratch it during assembly"....but/and when you DO, "a very light application of regular cooking oil" can remove the rust. I'd rather not get into "cooking" the paint....OR, the nuts and bolts holding this thing together. Do I hear any suggestions for "RUST PREVENTION" during assembly? WD? Silicone grease? Aforementioned "cooking oil"? (I'm not averse to following "orders" LOL) Unobrustium? I'm not opposed to the idea that the nuts and bolts might need something different from "larger expanses" of metal. (Some of the comments on Lowes' site suggest that every metal-on-metal contact point should be treated with SOMETHING.) Any and ALL thoughts greatly appreciated. Thanks, guys! (https://www.lowes.ca/product/pergolas/allen-roth-11614-in-w-x-11614-in-l-x-943-in-h-tanblack-material-freestanding-pergola-canopy-included-878763)

Yup. I LOVE that pic of Kevin. I told him, right after he "adopted it" that it made me think of Neil Young...which was very much a compliment (and meant as such) in my mind. He was "unphased", which was Kevin's classic, laid-back style.

Attaboy! God knows.......these ARE the days we just HAVE to laugh.....otherwise we'd cry. (And that's SO un-Navy-ish!) 🙂 Be well, kiddo. (I haven't even checked where you ARE, so I don't know whether to safe "Ride safely".....or, see you in the Spring!!

Whaddayamean? Like, don't drop the Armorall? LOLOL

Yup. And it's never just "quiet"..........it's.............TOO QUIET! What the hell's goin on up there!?!?!

I believe the caption says, "I'm just running out to pick up some milk, honey". VIDEO-2020-09-11-12-34-59.MP4

About unattractive television journalists they say "He has a good face for radio!" The Warthog ain't winnin any beauty contests either.....but she sure can fight. Always been the epitome of what my dad used to call "form following function". When lives depend on it, ugly works!

Thanks, Don. You must have heard me/seen me "wincing" at the thought of paying $100 for a set of ratchet wrenches (great 50% discount at crappy tire, but STILL 100 bucks)......just to get a 10mm for this job. (Yeah, I know, guys, the set would come in handy for dozens of other jobs........sometime.......in the future. But I'm trying to get myself into downsize mode, not "yet another-set-of-wrenches" mode. I've got socket sets and combination wrenches coming out my ying-yang (in the garage...in the basement...and IN THE BIKE) and when we (sooner than later) make the move to the townhouse/condo, I can think of about 500 pounds of tools that are gonna be at the top of the MUST GO list. I'll give that seat-shuffle a try.

And, here, all this time, I've been removing the rear WHEEL! Who knew!?!

So many emblems ... So little time!

Yeah! SO easy, the top half of my left one fell off by itself last Summer. Selling? PM me.

Thanks for the concern, Bob, but what you're seeing is likely a scratch. This old baby IS a 2003, and I don't coddle it. (probably why so many bolts are always coming loose! 😁) That said, sorry Yamaha, but I don't think I've ever owned another vehicle that has dropped as many bolts out of itself as this one.

Hey, Dion, thanks for the tip! Who'd a thunk WIFEY'S "toolbox" would enter into it?