Dave77459

I searched the site for cruise issues, but didn't find something quite like this. I rode my '06 RSTD for hundreds of miles in the rain recently. Once, it simply disengaged the cruise on it's own. No bumps, or anything. It would not re-engage. I turned it off and on several times, but nothing. I figured the rain had caused a short. However, an hour later I tried it and the cruise worked as normal. Yesterday, I rode in perfect hot sunshine and it happened again. I was on the interstate, no vehicles around, right hand in my lap, feet on the highway pegs. Other posts suggested that the brake or something was brushed, but I was definitely far away from the controls (excepting the clutch). I was on a great road and the cruise simply disengaged. As before, the ON light remained illuminated as if it was working properly. With my previous experience, I turned it off, waited 15 minutes and tried again. It did work. Then, a bit later, it disengaged again, this time on a curve. Another turn off and wait, then it worked again with no further problems. I saw in one or two first gen posts that the cruise is attached somehow to the vacuum system. I don't know if this is the case on second gen bikes, but I do know that a cracked hose and/or cap is a suspect in my recent backfiring issue. Could this be related? Other ideas? Dave

Yep, I know that either the rubber caps or the intake manifold nipples were getting cracked... these are the ones removed when the carbs are sync'd, yes? Gunboat noticed they were showing signs of rubber death at the Houston MD. That seems a pretty likely cause given the evidence. I'll get new ones and see if that solves the problem. I would infrequently hear minor backfiring on deceleration some time ago. If I don't hear it afterwards, I'll be more confident. Thanks! Dave

That could very well be. But, I opened the lamps and one of them had what looked like a burn mark on a wire inside. It looked like some of the other wires were pressing it. I carefully repacked the wires into the lamp and haven't had a problem since. BUT, my problems were infrequent, every three months or so, and it hasn't been that long. Dave

+1 Exactly right. My passing lamps have a habit of popping the fuse, I think it is a pinched wire. Then I lose all front lighting. This was the way the dealership installed the lights, following the instructions. They also wired the lights to turn off when the highbeams come on. I ran a wire under the tank this past weekend for a circuit straight to the battery. I'll put in a relay to the running lights to turn them on and off with the bike. I want my passing lamps on all the time, high beams or low. Dave

Hey Jim, I'm in the hole for vacation now (doh!), but this same buddy wants to take a Colorado ride in late summer, and the group I am in always does a fall Kerrville/Twisted Sisters. But now you've done that, so... I'll keep you in mind on the next one. You can see by my /.sig that I have a bunch more states to get colored.

The carbs were sync'd by Gunboat at the Houston MD on 3/21, then allegedly again by the dealership a week before my trip at the 16,000 mile checkup. The bike was smooth at speed (little vibration), so I am thinking it isn't a sync issue. Maybe.

I have a question about octane. On my recent trip to the Grand Canyon, the RSTD was backfiring like my dad after beans. I'd crest a hill, and let off the throttle in preparation for the switchback. When it got near idle, I'd get a loud POP. I usually run 87 Octane, but most of the stations I saw had 86 Octane, and 89. Not wanting to have too little Octane, I put in the 89. It had no effect on the backfiring. Am I right in thinking the backfiring was incomplete combustion in the engine, resulting in combustion in the exhaust? I definitely have soot in the exhaust tip. Does that mean I was running too rich, and should have used the 86 Octane? Should I be concerned? Dave

I see that I can't upload the KMZ--too big! So here's a screen cap of the route from MapSource. Yes, I really enjoyed the southern route. It was almost the same length, but new territory! It was a great ride!

Just more photos.

(I'm putting this here, and letting some moderator who is smarter than me decide where it really goes.) Last week, I took a trip from Houston to the Grand Canyon and back on my RSTD. My buddy and I left Sunday and returned Saturday. Total trip distance was 3320 miles. I've delayed posting not because I had to recover, but because I wanted to post good pictures. :-) I'm also hoping to attach a Google Earth .KMZ file so you can follow along. I take my GPS everywhere with me, so I have a good track of my actual path. Day 1 we left Houston. We drove to Marfa, Texas via the long way. By that, I mean we headed to San Antonio before going to Del Rio. We stopped in Langtry to visit Judge Roy Bean's haunts, then pressed on to Alpine. We turned off path and did a circle of the Davis Mountains before we ended in Marfa. We saw the famous Marfa Lights. It was a good day, and only 700 miles. I might add that I was a bit afraid that I wouldn't have the range necessary to get between gas stops on this trip. I bought two MSR cans and filled them along with some Sea Foam. I never did need them, but having them along gave me the confidence to really test my bike's range. Day 2 we drove from Marfa to Safford, AZ. We stopped to take in the Prada Marfa, and hit I-10 at Van Horn. We actually split up in Deming, NM. He had family to visit, and Silver City called my name. I ran straight up to the city, choking on a dust cloud from a tailing operation. Ugh. That meant I needed to clean out my throat with a beer in Silver City. ;-) The next stretch is a keeper. I headed north and turned west onto Hwy 78 through Mule Creek. The highway through Apache National Forest is awesome, going from plains to forests to expansive horizons and switchbacks. I crossed the border into Arizona in a forest with a cattle grate. Awesome. Unfortunately, descending down the mountains into Safford meant I entered a furnace. But a nice Mexican dinner and cool shower had me primed for the next day. Day 2 mileage was a respectable 468 good miles. Day 3 was even better! We got an early start and had breakfast at the Morenci Motel on the edge of the Morenci copper mine. This open pit mine is enormous! It is literally eating mountains. Oh yeah, the breakfast was pretty good too. Leaving the mine and heading north, we soon forgot the working world. We were on US 191 through the Apache National Forest, the Coronado Trail, and it was superb. We kept climbing and climbing through switchbacks on good roads. Then we descended, only to climb again! It was glorious! Then we descended into Alpine, AZ for gas. After that, we ran into our first rain. We were planning to take another mountain road west, but opted instead to zip over to Show Low. That stretch of US 60 has fierce crosswinds, which were fun at first but then made me wonder about my huge windscreen. As we entered Show Low, we got wet. But a longish lunch in Show Low let the rain pass by, leaving humidity in its wake. We took US 60 from Show Low through beautiful terrain, ending our day in Globe, AZ. That too was a nice stretch, but pales compared to US 191. However, the scenic overlook in For Apache Indian Reservation is truly stunning. Day 3 clocked in at just over 300 miles, largely of fun twisty roads. I need to add that our next trip will not end in Globe, which just didn't offer the amenities we wanted. Day 4 we rode up Hwy 87 to Clints Well through the Tonto National Forest past the Roosevelt Dam. We stopped off to take photos of the saguaro cactus blooms and discovered from a friendly ranger that high above us were cave dwellings! Very cool! We stopped in Payson for gas, and decided it was a much better overnight destination than Globe. The trip from Payson to Clints Well to Flagstaff was also a keeper. It wasn't challenging, but it sure was beautiful! After a BBQ lunch in Flagstaff, we rode through a torrential downpour to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The rain drops were huge, freezing cold, and laced with ice (it felt, and, I heard later, literally). It was heavy slogging through what could have been beautiful terrain. I don't know; I couldn't hardly see through the stuff. But, as we approached the Grand Canyon the weather cleared and we could enjoy the grandeur. To say the Grand Canyon is stunning is an understatement. We were treated to a gorgeous sunset, and returned to our rooms in Tusayan (hint: the 7 Mile Lodge is clean and inexpensive). A good dinner made us forget all about the rain. Day 4 was a short 328 miles, made seemingly longer because of the rain. On Day 5, we made a hard choice. We changed our plans and started heading back. We were told that Arizona was getting their monsoon early, and we could expect rain every day. Rather than take mountain roads when we couldn't enjoy the vistas, we chose to save those for another day. Accordingly, we drove through the gorgeous segment between Flagstaff and Prescott knowing it was to be our last truly beautiful stretch. I have been through Sedona, and the overt "mysticism" is annoying to me. The red rocks really are beautiful, but founding a tourist enclave based on that is not my cuppa joe. We had lunch in Jerome (fantastic burger with cream cheese and serrano peppers mixed in!), and I much preferred its grittiness and more biker-like attitude. After Jerome, we had to make a dash to Prescott, where the heavens opened again. We rode through very nasty weather down the freeway to Carefree, where the rain paused. We skirted sprinkles down Hwy 79 all the way down to Catalina. A nice steak and cold beverage later, we were ensconced in our room at the Best Western. Day 5 was a truncated 375 miles. Day 6 began in rain that made the commute through Tucson a bear. We rode on the service road of I-10 for miles, thanks to construction blocking all the on-ramps. Stopping at every light and getting rained on was crap. But the weather cleared enough that we decided to take a chance and visit Tombstone. I'm glad we did, because the turn off I-10 was a turn for the better. My photos of Tombstone show white fluffy clouds that make my tale of non-stop rain seem like a nut job's ranting. However, we weren't back on I-10 for a half hour before it began raining again. By now we had loads of experience riding in the rain. Even so, when we got to the Texas border we had to either stop or put on snorkels. An hour's wait and an early dinner, and we fought El Paso's afternoon rush hour traffic. Things got floody again on the far side of town, making the ride up to Van Horn very ugly indeed. I actually lost my buddy after the Border Patrol checkpoint when he exited into Sierra Blanca hoping I'd stopped there. I didn't realize he wasn't behind me for a few miles, but then there was nowhere to turn around. The next 20 miles to the first overpass to stop under were bad. Finally, he pulled in and explained that he simply couldn't see me. Together we rode to Van Horn, where a brand new Hampton Inn seemed like a slice of Heaven. We'd begun the day thinking we might do an ironbutt home. But the rain turned our 1000 mile aspirations into a 512 mile slog. The last day was a mix of nice weather and rain, perhaps half and half. The worst moment of the trip happened on the 1604 bypass around San Antonio. The road is covered with tar jagged snakes. My buddy pulled out to pass a car in the rain, and I accelerated to do the same. As I did, it seems like my rear tire got into a tar-snake that had settled, and stayed there. My rear wheel weaved wildly at 55 mph. I let off the throttle and kept the front wheel straight. I don't know if that is what I was supposed to do, but it worked. I regained control, fought the burst of adrenaline, and kept on. We parted ways just before 1604 met I-10. He was heading to Victoria to visit his parents, and I was headed home. I don't know if he was as lucky, but I got to drive through the heaviest rain yet. Cars were pulled over to the side of the road, but I was dry inside my Frogg Togg's and just kept going. I felt like I wouldn't be dry until I was in my garage. The weather did clear as I got off I-10 for the last time. I had a nice little run home from then on. Day 7 ended at 628 miles, with a trip total of 3320 miles. It was a good one. I regret missing some great places, like Mount Lemon, but that just means I need another trip. :-) Thanks to the members here who gave me some great suggestions on where to visit. As a final note, when I bought my RSTD, it was 2 years old with only 2000 miles. Since I got it late last July, I've put on 18,000 miles and she now has 20K on the odometer. She was meant to be ridden, and that's my plan.

I really loved the Twisted Sisters too, although we skipped the cattle guards of 336 for an uphill race up Hwy 55's sweepers. Did you guys pull into the Frio Canyon Motorcycle Stop for the t-shirt? LOL Did you happen to see TxMotoFoto out there? If so, they probably have your photo: http://www.txmotofoto.com/ Dave

I installed a fuse box the day before I left on a 3300 mile trip to the Grand Canyon (post coming, pics not ready and I know how you guys are!). When I got home, I stripped her bare to clean her up. While she was naked, I snapped a photo of the fuse box install. Note that I have since cleaned up the relay, which was installed before the fuse box! Based on some web advice, I ran a negative ground post. That will make it convenient to install those gadgets that come with paired wiring. While I had the tank off, I also ran a pair of wires to the headlight for a future re-wiring of my passing lamps.

I dunno. Some police seem to prefer ticketing out-of-state vehicles. I suspect it boils down to how a particular officer feels on a particular day, and if he is looking to ticket you. http://home.ama-cycle.org/amaccess/laws/result.asp?state=nm Interestingly, you must have 1 mirror and turn signals. You must also have eye protection unless you have a fixed windshield.

I agree! The magazine is interesting too, as is the insurance discount. Didn't see that one coming!

I am a member, but I don't go to the website, ever. Thanks for the pointer. Dave

I am leaving Sunday on a trip from Texas to AZ and the Grand Canyon. w00t! I saw via another thread that some states have requirements for retroreflective material on helmets, and that got me wondering. Are there any laws in NM and AZ that I should be aware of? Dave

I think difference between that link and other instructions I have seen is that they create a negative post on the fuse block and run a negative wire from there to the battery. Then, you can use paired wires, hooking the positive to the fused lead, and the negative to the post. I guess the benefit is that you don't have to look for someplace to ground local to your new equipment. I guess? Thanks for your answers. I appreciate it. 10 gauge is what I was thinking.

If you go to the Stebel site, to access the information you are forced to sit through a page for 30 seconds that specifically states that Stebel products are marketed exclusively with Stebel branding (excepting some globally recognized brands that are not disclosed). Given this aggravating screen, it seems more likely that Wolo is a Stebel horn, relabeled, not the reverse. I haven't looked at the Bad Boy packaging recently, but if it says it is made in Italy (the only place Stebels are made, sayeth the annoying screen), then Wolo is a Stebel. Otherwise, Wolo is a rip-off. *shrugs* Dave

Thanks for the link to directions. I am, sadly, still a bit confused. I got the BUSS P36 ATC FUSE PANEL 15600-06-20 (pic included... looks like others in this thread). I finally found one at Advanced Auto Parts. Yay! I am familiar with running the hot from the battery. The instructions linked above also run a negative that is not "strictly necessary". They drill a hole in the plastic and thread a nut. Then that bolt becomes the negative post. A lead is run to the battery negative. Yes? Or the frame? My intended application is to run power wires under the tank to the front for powering passing lamps, auxiliary power, etc. With the negative post as suggested, I can run two-wire bundles. One (the red wire) goes to the fused connector, the other (black wire? brown?) to the ground post. Yes? In our collective opinions, is it better to use this two-wire approach, or to always make a local ground? As an immediate example, my air horn now runs the ground to the engine block/mounting bolt, a run of 5" or so. Is there a benefit to running it back to the proposed post? Should I run a fused hot connection to the battery? Is there any danger from leaving exposed terminals, if there are no fuses in the block? What size wire should I run to power the fuse box? What size to the ground? The more I work on this project, the more I understand. But then, with more understanding comes more questions. Thanks for your help.

Most of them I have seen distance information. For example, Stebel says their's is: 115 db(A) @ 2 meters 139 db(A) @ 4" Most I have seen put that it is 4" in the fine print. Dave

The rear wheel of the bike trails the inside of the front wheel track on curves. It's just the geometry. So, the front wheel could clear the cone, and the rear tire could clear the tennis ball, but it would shave a cone. In other words, you have to clear the cone by a foot or so before your rear tire could clear the cone. That's really interesting. The motorman of our class says the minimum u-turn of a H-D police bike (Road King) is 18'. He is the instructor for the police course, and he was inspiring to watch. We did a maneuver inside a circle painted at 24', with another concentric circle at 20'. He could get it at maybe 19', with some at 18'. It looked impossibly tight. Believe me, his handlebars were locked. Kudos to you for getting inside that 18' circle. I'd love to work on that and show up during the practice hour and demonstrate a 15' circle. I mentioned in my thread about the class that our official class ended around noon. From noon to 1PM, they keep the course up and current and former students can practice. I live 10 minutes from the class, so I plan to go back and wow the instructors. You, sir, are inspiring. Dave

Well, I came away with much. I am glad I took the physical class, because having a live coach there diagnosing what I was doing wrong, and encouraging me, was invaluable. Too, practicing with three or four other bikes kept the energy up. That's my plug for the class. As far as the material itself, I learned that keeping the RPMs going in the engine was key. Most of the times that I failed was due to coasting and letting the bike's momentum drop. Then the bike would dive into the turn and that was it. When I kept up the RPMs, all I had to do was let out the clutch 1/16" and the bike would come back up and I could regain control. It was a miracle! LOL I also learned that I needed to be less afraid of "violent" lock-to-lock maneuvers. To accomplish the weave, for example, I had to lock the bars far left, then throw them far right. That was even more true in the Figure 8. Pktexas took the class with me. He had risers on his Venture that reduced the lock-to-lock travel, making his turning radius that much bigger, and he had a harder time doing the maneuvers as a result. Oh, and I learned that using tennis balls as markers is fine, but when you used curb-height cones on top, the failure rate went way up. With this basic technique the teach, I know I can do U-turns in 22'. I'll keep practicing so that I can reduce that further. Dave

The dealer hooked my Yamaha OEM passing lamps to my headlight. Next time I get my tank off, I am running a fused circuit from the battery. They wired the bike to the low beams, so they turn off with the high beams. It may be illegal in some areas, but I don't want my passing lamps off if I turn the highbeams on. My passing lamps have a toggle switch on them, satisfying that recommendation of yours. I will use a relay powered by the front running lights so that my lights turn off when the bike does.

Hi, I took the actual course today, and bought the DVD. I'll watch it a few times, then I might add mine to the lending library. So, you can take me off the list. Dave

Pktexas and I took the Ride Like A Pro class in Houston today, along with another buddy of mine and a fourth rider. There were three instructors, so we each got a lot of riding and a lot of individual attention. I didn't watch the video first, and I need to be taken off the "lending list" because I bought my own copy. But, I cannot imagine getting the same benefit from the video that I got from the class. Having Wayne or Tom or Kim calling out instruction and fine tuning us was incredibly beneficial. And, frankly, when we got frustrated, they were quite adept at inspiring and encouraging us. The four of us learned at different speeds. My buddy seemed to get it very quickly. A relatively new rider, he had fewer bad habits to overcome. I still need practice, although I know I am on the way to being skilled. I think Perry (Pktexas) had the hardest time, in large part because his 2nd Gen was modified with pull-back bars. They hit the chrome tank cover early, preventing him from turning as sharply as everyone else. He'd mysteriously go wide, and it wasn't until the instructor rode his bike that the problem was revealed. You need a full lock-to-lock range of motion to do these maneuvers, and he wasn't getting it. I'll let him talk about that more if he wants. I'm kinda lucky, because I live 10 minutes from the class. It ran from 8 to a little after noon. From noon to 1:00 was practice, and we learned that we are invited to come back during future class' practice time. Since I live so close, I think I'll get lots of practice. As a corollary, if anyone here takes the class in the future, let me know. I can meet you at my favorite diner, about 5 minutes from the class. Then I can lead you over there, since the directions are confusing. The four of us students came away thinking the class was well worth the money. The instructors were top notch and made learning fun. I highly recommend the class. I'll leave you with a couple photos, and a video of my buddy making it look easy. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=valJiM5uX80]YouTube - Allen Riding Like A Pro[/ame]