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Bummer

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  1. Bummer
    Thanks. Irene sits on the back clicking away, then I massage them on the computer. You'd be surprised how many started out at an angle, or way off in the distance. I still have the STAR links on my site, but it's more of a kindness to them than anything, I haven't been a member in quite a while. I paid to join when I bought my '05 Midnight (never got that free year they kept talking about), but found that the folks online tended to be, um, well let's say, not very nice people. At $50 a year I don't need a someone in a trivial leadership position getting all punk in my direction every time I (or someone else in their first year) ask a question. Unfortunately I was unable to ride with any of the locals and develop any bonds with the group (crushed leg, bone graft, and all that - lost the '05 in a crash that Fall) and I wound up settling here. I really don't mind the way it turned out. I've made quite a few great friend here. That's what counts.
  2. Bummer
    Even a standard type cassette has more dynamic range than a CD or any digital format. CDs have the midrange compressed pretty badly, while digital formats compress everything, and the most popular formats tend to be the worst offenders. Today's digital formats are designed to satisfy the tin ears of teenagers who think bass that rattles the chrome off their beater Neon with the coffee can muffler sounds great. If you could record a cassette off of a pristine LP you'd have far better fidelity than is available on any digital medium today. Unfortunately, since everybody's pretty much stuck recording off of CDs there's no benefit. (Suddenly my collection of LPs, that were played once to record to chrome cassette, seem oddly valuable.) CDs and MP3 players are about convenience, not high quality audio.
  3. Bummer
    The trick is, when you hear the banjos you keep moving. No problem Kevin, nobody can make all of 'em. There are just too many. Glad you had a good time.
  4. Bummer
    Amateur shrinkologist time: It's about insecurity. A guy with insecurities makes a crack. The other guy's insecurities cause him to question his choices. The first guy wouldn't have made the crack if he wasn't worried about his own choice, but that doesn't occur to the second guy. The second guy is now worried about what the first guy made a crack about. The first guy is happier because the second guy is less happy than he was before. Now the second guy is looking for something to make someone else less happy, which will make him a little less unhappy. The cycle continues. Doesn't work very well on me. I love my ride and I don't care what anybody else on the face of the planet thinks about it. As a result of my security I tend not to poke at others in an attempt to fire up their insecurities. If they poke at me I know they have insecurities and on the right day I'll try to pick at that scab. (I know it's wrong, but sometimes...) Most of the time I'm happy to welcome everyone on two wheels into the brotherhood. As to a lack of change in the Venture: First there's simple manufacturing reality - change costs. The economic situation is already driving the price of foreign made goods up. Second, why mess with what works? It's not like Yamaha has a lot of Ventures sitting around unsold. Finally, in reference to the Voyager and Ultra Classic costing less, so what? They're both V-twins. Why in the world would I want a V-twin? Why would I want belt drive? I already have the most beautiful cross country touring bike made. It's paid for. It's blinged out the way I like it. I'm a happy camper. Security is a cool thing.
  5. Bummer
    We'll be happy to have you there if you can make it. I don't know about goat trails, but I think Leadwolf will agree that I find some very, uh, scenic, roads. I'm still trying to get a handle on my video editing software so I can post Dennis' Central KY M&E. I found some extremely scenic roads on the way there too. Personally, I thought it was a very nice way to bypass Cincinnati.
  6. Bummer
    Eck, my friend, you'll be welcome any time. Nobody can make all of them, sometimes nobody can make any of 'em. That's life. We just try to enjoy what is. It turned out to be a great ride. We're glad you like the pics and video. The first three videos are my favorites from that ride.
  7. Bummer
    It was a very small group, me, Irene, and KDFranzen, but we met, we rode, we ate, and we had a great time. The ride was through some very scenic Kentucky and southern Indiana areas. We plan on doing this one again next year, though probably a week or two earlier. The leaves were a little past their prime this year. Photos here. Videos here. The main page, as always, is here (with corrected Wine Country videos). By the way, the first four are through the most rural area. Numbers five through seven are the Ohio River Road. The last one is in Corydon itself. If you go here you can see them in full screen mode, though the resolution isn't the best - old camera.
  8. Bummer
    I found, and corrected, a problem with the videos. The Wine Country videos are now the correct ones. I had accidentally re-posted the older Michiana videos instead. FYI, the music is supplied by YouTube. I'm not sure what I think of all of 'em, so you may want to play your own music of choice instead. My four year old grandson likes 'em.
  9. Bummer
    Congratulations! We're glad to hear that everybody's doing fine.
  10. Bummer
    Yep. Leadwolf's right. We were there doing the Ohio River loop that was posted in the Meet & Eat area. Or, put another way: So that was you. We saw two other Ventures on our trip and one was as we waited at The Overlook. By the way, on our three day trip we saw one Ferrari, and one Bently. We saw lots of Fords and Chevys.
  11. Bummer
    Glad to see you back, Lowell. Irene and I hope things keep getting better for you!
  12. Bummer
    You might want to look at this article. It's a single antenna mod, but it's basically the Marshall mod plus (minus?). At least you can see some pics. There is a link to the Marshall Mod site, and there are links to parts.
  13. Bummer
    Brad, just click on your browser's "back" button. It should take you to the page prior to the picture display page you're on. (If not, let me know and I'll add a button.)
  14. Bummer
    Here are a few photos and videos from Leadwolf's Annual Michigan Fall Ride. The music for the videos was chosen by YouTube.
  15. Bummer
    Congratulations all around! Irene and I hope they have a wonderful life together.
  16. Bummer
    That should be a very interesting bike. I've rebuilt a couple of those engines a number of times. If I dig deep enough I'll bet I can find a set of those alloy pushrod tubes and an oversized oil pan somewhere in the basement.
  17. Bummer
    Westfield? That's what the kid up there told me. In my case he might be right that the oil I'm seeing isn't from the shock. There are hoses in front of the shock he's blaming it on. Since the oil isn't simply on the clevis and the relay arm he may be right. The problem I have with this is that there's more to the shock than just air and oil. There's a spring that can fatigue, and there's basically a standard style shock inside the whole thing with parts that can wear out. Leaking air and oil don't necessarily tell the whole tale. Irene's complaining about bumps. Now, this could be because of her back being broken in a sledding crash many years ago, or it could be the shock not working as well as it once did. I figure I have six months left on the warranty. There's a good chance I'll hit 50k miles by then. If the shock lasts longer than that I'll just buy an aftermarket shock. If it's oil on the corrugated rubber boot on the bottom of the shock, he may be righ. Today. If it's bouncing, keep pushing him. Oh, and when he looks at it make sure there's no air in the shock. I suspect that may help make the point.
  18. Bummer
    Rick Butler has a write up on the original shock in the Second Gen Tech section. On the older shocks you could remove the schrader valve you add air to and squirt a little oil in there. The shocks made since '05 appear to be different. Yamaha added a vent tube that routes up along side the battery. They pretty much have to be made differently internally or the preload air would just vent out the hose. Assuming (with all the danger inherent to that) the vent is to let the oil chamber breathe without losing oil, it would seem that one could put oil in the vent tube. I have not tried this, though.
  19. Bummer
    It won the TT Zero (zero emissions race) with an average lap speed of 96.82 mph. It topped 140 at one point. Interesting that they have a zero emissions race. I guess they mean zero emissions at the track.
  20. Bummer
    Is there room on the complete list for an "Active Member" check box? Best of both worlds, and all that. Is there room left in life for sorting through the whole list and checking off all the active members?
  21. Bummer
    You keep telling yourself that. Maybe eventually you'll come to believe it. I won't. BTW, the Venture is a rip off of the Indian design. Not a square corner on her, as compared to HD which is a homely mix of angles with a couple of confused curves thrown in. You don't even want me picking apart HD's 1901 technology. (Potato potato potato - registered trademark of Harley Davidson. ) Love what you ride. Be emotionally secure in your choices. Let the other guy love what he rides. You'll both be a lot happier. I, three (four, five, six), couldn't resist.
  22. Bummer
    Ventures are rare. I like that. Bugatti Veyrons are rare. Pagani Zondas are rare. Ford Tauruses are a dime a dozen. So are Wings and Harleys. (Ok, a lot more than a dime, but there are a lot more than a dozen.) I have a Taurus. It's the vanilla family car that I don't really care all that much about. I have a Venture I ride whenever I can, which is just about any time I'm going anywhere. As to the psychology of the moment, why are they concerned about what you ride? Generally this sort of thing is a manifestation of their doubts and fears. They want you to join them so that they don't have to worry about having perhaps made a mistake. (Everyone agrees with me so I must be right.) I pretty much never worry about what the other guy's riding unless it looks like it's going to reach out and hurt me and mine. I love my bike and am confident in my choice. I never try to talk people into buying a Venture. In fact, I usually tell them "They're rare. You can't have one." Now, if you'd have come to the August Meet & Eat you could have ridden with a bunch of Ventures. We had 26 bikes, and fully half were RSVs. We also had a really pretty Tour Deluxe and a couple of fine looking First Gens. We'll do it again next year. Hope to see you there.
  23. Bummer
    Sorry, but love makes people do strange things. When I look at a Harley I see a mishmosh of square corners where nothing really flows, artistically. I see 1900s technology with a little modern stuff hanging on it so the Motor Company will have something to brag about. In this case I see a fairing that's better looking than a batwing, but still an afterthought. When I see a Harley I see a Venture's homely cousin. But they have great chrome! Naturally, I wish you well in your course of action, but I just don't get it. I had a Harley once. They'd have to pay me to go back.
  24. Bummer
    How about this from the original site. (Microsoft breaks all sorts of stuff for those of us who don't use it, but I can usually get there in spite of 'em.)
  25. Bummer
    Yamaha has an oil brochure available (bottom of the page). They've changed their oil lineup and some of the old oils are no longer available. The brochure states that if the owner's manual specifies 20W-40, 20W-50 should be used. Interestingly, they do not offer a 20W-50 full synthetic, but rather a 15W-50. That is what they appear to be recommending for all non-racing sport bikes and cruisers. When I asked, 15W-50 is what my local Yamaha dealer suggested I use.
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