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Bummer

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  1. Bummer
    Wow. That's definitely a mixed moment, both bad and good. Glad he's ok.
  2. Bummer
    Ian, A number of years back Irene and I stayed in KOAs in Colorado: Durango, Canon City, Estes Park, and Gould. Plus a couple of places that aren't there any more. We also stayed at National Park campgrounds. The KOAs had full facilities where we could wash clothes. The one in Red Lodge, Montana even had a hot tub. The park campgrounds were quite rustic, but the Park Rangers put on informational talks and such in the evenings. We alternated, more or less. It made for a good trip, and we could travel light without a lot of trouble. While you're in Durango don't pass up the chance to ride the Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway. Wow. Then there's the big three: Pike's Peak, Mt. Evans, and Trail Ridge Road... I've really gotta plan another trip out there. By the way, do you know how you can tell a Grizzly from a Brown bear? The Grizzly's breath smells like pepper spray. Maybe you should find out what kind of gloves Yammer Dan had.
  3. Bummer
    Very short version: Higher altitudes allow any water in your hydraulic system to separate out of the hydraulic fluid more easily. When you squeeze the lever or push the pedal the water absorbs the pressure. Since the water absorbs all the squeeze, the thing on the other end doesn't move. The older the fluid, the more water, the worse the problem. The clutch won't disengage the engine from the transmission, the brakes won't squeeze the pads against the disks. The gear you're in is the gear you're in, and stopping can be a problem. What doesn't work, and how much, depends on which system has absorbed the most water, and how much water it's absorbed. My brakes didn't give me any trouble, but my clutch almost went away.
  4. Bummer
    Nope. My '06 has been to the top of Mount Evans, Pike's Peak, Trail Ridge Road, and The Beartooth without any carb work at all. Irene, on the other hand, will require some work before I take her up Mt. Evans again. She got altitude sickness the last time and has vowed to whup on me if I ever make her go up there again. That only showed up above 13,000 feet. You might want to change clutch fluid before you head to the high elevations. Many years ago I went up Mt Evans on a First Gen with old clutch fluid. I had pretty much no clutch at the top. It came back just fine as we went back down. It was a live-and-learn moment. Since then I've changed hydraulic fluid throughout at the suggested interval, just like the book says. Turns out there really is a reason.
  5. Bummer
    It's not too hard to see why the truly big stuff doesn't get to go there. No RVs Past This Point gets pretty serious. I 70 through Glenwood Canyon is pretty amazing too. Then there's 40 through the Steamboat Springs area... Ok, now I have to plan a trip back out there.
  6. Bummer
    Yep. Guilty. If I'm within a State or two I'm riding the Beartooth. The Chief Joseph's a very nice ride too. But ahhhh, the Beartooth. I've never made it to Going To The Sun, though it's on the list. Too busy riding the Beartooth. As already mentioned, Wind River Canyon is also a beautiful ride. Irene and I camped at a KOA just east of the Tetons - probably the one Hummingbird's talking about. That was a beautiful view to wake up to! The whole area is quite spectacular. When I'm out that direction I like to hit the big three: Pike's Peak, Mount Evans, and Trail Ridge Road, but I usually do those toward the end of the trip. I use the other tall places to get used to the altitude. The real problem is that there's so much to see in the Rockies that you just have to pick and choose for any trip. Eventually I hope to make it up toward Banff and Jasper.
  7. Bummer
    Skyline Drive starts in Front Royal, Va. The Blue Ridge Parkway starts where Skyline Drive ends. Follow it and you'll end up at the Smoky Mountain National Park. The Dragon is the bottom edge of the park.
  8. Bummer
    Congratulations, Dennis! That is definitely one of the top rides in the US, if not the World! I hope you get a chance to ride the Chief Joseph, and especially the Beartooth while you're in the area.
  9. Bummer
    Congratulations on getting out. When I was healing up after having my left leg crushed by a cager I found that riding was easier than walking.
  10. Bummer
    Get on 66 and follow the Ohio River Road signs. The Overlook restaurant is in Leavenworth. Well worth a stop for both the view and the food. Emery's ice cream parlor is in Corydon near the court house if you can catch it open. Also in Leavenworth there's The Dock restaurant. Not as fancy as The Overlook, but it's right on the river and the frog legs are good. There's also 145. 37, particularly north of I 64 to Paoli. 150 heads over to West Baden Springs. There's a resort there that's well worth the look for the outrageous architecture. Nice garden too. When are you going to be there? Irene and I are planning a Meet & Eat around Brown County for August (just have to post a date) and possibly one in the Corydon area for September.
  11. Bummer
    No doubt about it. One cornfield canyon looks pretty much like the next. We'd always be lost if it wasn't for soybeans.
  12. Bummer
    I run a modulator on the high beam of my headlight. A sensor stops the modulation when it's too dark. I go to low beam when I'm in a group ride, unless I'm at the front. The rest of the time, in daylight, it's on high beam and modulating. It's legal in the US and Canada. I also have a modulator on my passing lamps that's activated by my horn. While I honk the horn(s) my headlight stops modulating and my passing lamps start. I don't really know if that's legal, and I don't care. I've met the bumper, up close and personal, and I'm not real interested in it happening again. Folks have pulled over. Doubtless some have become angry. A couple have done very stupid stuff to let me by. I'm sorry about that, but the bottom line is that they saw me. That's the whole point. I can guarantee you, nobody has ever been as POed at my modulator as I was at Armando when he ran me over.
  13. Bummer
    Irene and I got lost a couple of times when we were there for last year's International. It was great! Fantastic roads, and we always seemed to wind up back at The Hub. We'd love to be able to make this Meet and get lost some more, but things being as they are, I don't see how. (big sigh)
  14. Bummer
    Lest it appear that everyone is unhappy with the heel/toe shifter: I use mine all the time. I haven't stuck my toe under the shifter to pull up since I moved from a First Gen to a Second. In fact, I found it more difficult getting used to the position of the foot boards. I'm very happy with it just the way it is.
  15. Bummer
    Congratulations! Evansville? Hey, it's worth a try. No guarantees, but it's on the calendar.
  16. Bummer
    While we're thanking people for stuff related to the International, I want to thank our dear friends Aussie Annie and Quickstep for sending stuff for the raffle. I got first pick. (First out of the "fish bowl" - wasn't even paying attention yet - they had to nudge me.) Got myself a nifty 'roo patch. Irene picked the red shirt. Thanks a million for sending 'em!
  17. Bummer
    That seems like a very good idea.
  18. Bummer
    I understood him. It was something called "history". Isn't that amazing?
  19. Bummer
    There's info on installing a pair of Fiamm extra loud electrics inside the fairing here, but I've never seen a Stebel there. The Fiamm info is about two thirds of the way down the page. They are pretty loud at around 130 dB, and work well mounted inside the fairing. I've seen these horns sold at Pep Boys and Autozone.
  20. Bummer
    And a great big THANK YOU back at you for doing it!
  21. Bummer
    Irene and I made it home OK. Did you?
  22. Bummer
    Welcome! Any chance you're running the engine too low in its range? Lots of people who come to the Venture from a V-twin do. (Don't know what you came from, just mentioning.) Mine only whines a little between 2500 and 3000 rpms. Its happy revving to the high side of 7000 rpms (got a Dyna3000). I treat the sound as an indicator that I need to downshift. Generally I try not to use fifth gear below 65 or 70. Of course, some do have a bit of a problem, but most are just suffering from under utilization. If you haven't already, take it out and bump it against the rev-limiter a couple of times (second gear - this'll take you just under 100 in third), just to find out how tight it'll wind. Not all the time, mind you, just a couple of times to train your ear and butt. It won't hurt anything. These engines are perfectly happy running one rpm below cut out (and some over, actually - that's what the Dyna's for). A tach is also a very handy addition. Oh, and good luck with the pipes. I run stock most of the time, though I do have a set of Baron's 4-2-4s I picked up used. I had to make baffles for them. They came without. Now that's loud!
  23. Bummer
    Just don't ask how I know.
  24. Bummer
    Pretty much. The clamp has no bottom section and can be moved around some. When an RSV gets dropped it can (usually?) land on the heavy cast pieces the footboards are bolted to, saving it from most damage. This often bends the front engine/crash/whatever bars slightly. Since the air deflectors mount on this bar, a change in the bar position changes how the air deflector is positioned. This is a good reason to look into Carbon One's crash bar stiffener-uppers. If the upper tip of the air deflector is touching the lower fairing, you might have to bend the crash bar back down a tiny bit, since they tend to get bent upward.
  25. Bummer
    My CB antenna broke at the load. I replaced both antennas with a single Firefly for about $75. The dual Firefly system works better than stock. The single Firefly setup works better than the dual - looks better too, though that could just be me. Single antenna conversion instructions here.
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