CMIKE

A zumo 660 rebuilt already...they just started shipping them 4/30/09. Noooo.

The local Harley dealer puts on rider schools once a month. They call it the Riders Edge. The use the MSF books so it can't be half bad. Since my kid (17) is working on trying to get his motorcycle endorsement, we thought it would be a good idea for him to get some training to help make him a safer rider. I figure it could not hurt me so I signed up to go with him. Yesterday was the first class. Thrusday and Friday 5 PM to 8:30...Saturday 8 AM to 6:30 Sunday 8AM till 4 PM. Maximim 6 to a class. We have 3 ladies and 3 guys including my son and me. The Ladies - 2 has never sat on a bike. One has a bike but does not know how to ride it yet. The other guy is military and required to take this course to ride on base. They told us Harley will pay us $50 to go to the class..."Any of you own a Harley?"..none of us had a Harley..."oh thats too bad" they said with enfaces. First class. (my impression) Sales pitch. We get there at 5 PM...have introductions and then a dealership tour. They show us the Motor Clothes each line of everthing they have. Boots, helmet, t shirts, jackets pants, rain gear huggies, Coffee cups and ceiling fans. We have to look at 10 different jackets pointing out the features of each. Pading here, zippers here, this type of collar and this type of collar. You get the idea. Then we move to parts...they show us all the different chrome they have and the lines of chrome you can use, performance parts and OE parts. Sales...show us all the families and models of the bikes Harley offers if they did not have them all the showed us pictures of them...talk about financing, warranties, and adding accessories during the sale and financing it all. Went around to the Service department. Talked about scheduling appointments and how long it takes to get your bike serviced...that all they do...how they handle warranty work. "Normal guy cannot do the maintenace on these bikes" All the time the prices was over the guys head what it cost to do 1000 and 5000 mile service...400 and how much? (My God ) with small print...oil and supplies extra. Then we got into the class...the real reason we were there. It went pretty good...we covered some good stuff. 2nd night tonight and they told us we were gonna get to try on all the motor clothes tonight. I just hope I can keep my composure...I do not want any of that stuff with HD on it that cost $100 more just because it has HD on it. Some of that stuff...I would not wear to a halloween party...even if it has skulls on it. Come on...we are paying $300 a head for this school...they do provide the bikes for training (buel) All for them to try to get a sale out of the deal and working very hard I might add. It is not like I hate Harleys or nothing...just do not see paying more money for a name on an item... Most of that same stuff is at the Yamaha dealer $100 less without the HD on it. Harley is a good bike as far as I know. They have some beautiful bikes but I learned the you are not finished paying for it when you purchase it. Maintenace seems very costly after taking that tour. To me you look kind funny riding a RSV with a jacket on that has Harley across the back and front in 4 inch letters. It is just me or WHAT?

I know some retailers have the new Zumo 660. Most that have them in stock are asking retail $799.99. I found several stores with the 660 listed for around $650 but not shipping till July. I hate to pay the hefty price tag of over $600 for this thing but...I sure hate to pay the full retail of 799.99. Where is a good deal on a Zumo 660 NOW without paying that gosh awful full retail price and some even make you pay shipping. Help! Wife is gonna kill me if I sink whats left of my retirement into a Zumo 660.

Buss makes a 6 circuit aux fuse panel that is just the right size to mount on the panel to the rear of the battery. There is a plastic panel between the battery and the rear fender. I put a couple of screws with nuts to hold it where I wanted it. You can use use a #8AWG about 12" long to supply power to it. They make them in 6 and 10 circuits. The 10 circuit is a little big but it will work. I used the 6 circuit. I used this for my passing lights, emergency air compressor and for a separate circuit for my battery gauge. Got room left for the GPS when the Zumo 660 comes out less than retail. Auto zone has them for about $8. JP cycles has them for $44 #ZZ38165 You can buy them on line. Buss ATC Fuse Panel 6 Gang 30Amp http://img.jpcycles.com/zoom/zz38165_A.jpg http://www.thefind.com/sports/browse-ganged-fuse-block I have one of each (6 and 10) of somebody is interested. Pay the shipping and my cost.

I know according to what shop you carry your tires to...you may get different answers...I have had folks tell me all kinds of stuff about the balance dot...but I am sure the the dot should be at the valve stem...at least on the Dunlop tires. I have always changed my motocross tires..and we would put the dot next to the rim lock...which are heavier than the valve stem. The Dot indicates the lightest part of the tire See this from the Dunlop website: http://www.dunlopmotorcycle.com/infocenter_tiretips.asp?id=16#tip "All Dunlop street tires should be installed with the yellow balance dot at the valve"

I got this from the Dunlop website. Usually recommedations like this help to keep you out of trouble...but it could be with all the lawyers and lawsuits now days...they have to post this kind of stuff...again it is about RISK Tolerance. Can I change my tires from bias ply to radial or vice versa? Bias and radial tires have significantly different dynamic properties. They deflect differently, create different cornering forces, have different damping characteristics, as well as other differences. In order for radial tires to be introduced into the two-wheel market, it was necessary to change certain characteristics of the motorcycle. The introduction of the radial tire led to such things as modified frames, new steering geometries and suspensions. Therefore, it is recommended that a motorcycle be used with the type of tire construction that it came with originally. If a change is to be made, then it should only be done if the motorcycle or tire manufacturer has approved the change. Above all, do not mix bias ply and radial tires on the same motorcycle unless it is with the approval of the motorcycle or tire manufacturer. Front and Rear Tire Matching Remember, correct matching of front and rear tires is important to obtain optimum performance and handling. Follow the Tire Selection guidelines. Mount only tires marked “front wheel” on front positions and only tires marked “rear wheel” on rear positions. A new front tire with a worn rear tire can cause instability. Mixing radials, or mixing radials with bias or belted bias tires may adversely affect handling and stability. Always fit Dunlop Sportmax, Sportmax II D204, Sportmax touring D205 and Dunlop D207 high-performance radials in pairs. It should be noted that many factors other than tire incompatibility can affect the handling of a motorcycle, including the weight and height of the rider, mixing worn with unworn tires, and the fitment of luggage or fairings. Consult the motorcycle manufacturer before making modifications from stock.

Metzler tires? Tires are probably one of the most neglected item on a car/truck or a bike. If you disagree with this...look at the tires on the cars next to you as you drive around. Most folks rarely even look at thier tires and if they do...and they think they are low...they might pull in and put some air in them till they look about right. They probably do not own a tire gauge to properly measure the tire pressure. So they guess at it. Well on the RSV...I know it's kinda of pain in the butt to check the air pressure on the rear tire so most may not do it as much as they should. I know i have read of many cases where folks have had the metzler tires come apart on the RSV. Why did it happen? Not really sure. Maybe they did not maintain the pressure correctly, maybe there are some Metzler tires that cannot stand up to the weight of the RSV and maybe not. Chunks missing from the tire puzzled me. I am not sure I want to take the chance. If it is related to tire pressure, I would probably not have an issue with it...I check my tire pressure religiously. I am not sure I am willing to risk injury of myself or passenger and not sure I could enjoy the ride constanly thinking about what i know about the tires I have on the bike. One thing that is so good about this site...you can learn from others mistakes and misfortunes. If you are comfortable using a tire that has been reported here as problem on this bike...then we hope and pray you have good luck and are not injured if something happens. (Please be careful) WE ALL have different tolerances to RISK. You may not pull out of that driveway with a car anywhere in sight...I may feel I can make it just fine. You may take that curve faster than me... some folks will plug a flat tire and run it 20K more miles and some will not... is it all about risk tolerance and what we feel comfortable with. I have never run Metzlers and probably never will...I feel you only have 2 tires...and I need both of them to ride safely. Remember is it all about Risk Tolerance. My opinion only.

Here is a really good article on cool riding gear I found this while surfing the web a while back...Really this whole section on riding tips has some really good stuff in it...some you probably know about... This is the one on apparel choices for comfort...to keep the sun off bare skin and stay cool...but be protected in the event of a crash. http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/streetsurvival/safe_motorcycle_riding_apparel/index.html

Wait you forgot something... Repeat...until you cannot feel your nose.

Mine fit in an old computer monitor box...I have the pillow top on my 07. You will be very very happy when you get it back...It is well worth the money spent... Rick does a great job.

Same here except right highway bar...tyrap included

Yes GEN32-1157 I had to do some mods so my tail light lens would seat back into the rubber gasket.. Some folks here said they did not have a problem with it, but I noticed it cause I had some wax on the tail light lense...could not see it till I removed it and reinstalled it with the LED board. You could see the lense did not seat back tight against the rubber seal, in fact it was held off the thickness of the LED board. I took a dremel tool and ground off the studs in the inside of the tail light lense to get a good seal. LED turn signals go good with these also. All my LED's except the reflector replacements came from them... Reflector replacements I found at JP cycles... I can get that number for you but I need to find that catalog.

Good Question... Thats what I like about this group...always thinking. As Far as know...some folks refuse to pay that big price like you and me did for the Yamaha Trunk Spoiler...since the LED's are not that bright. To me it really helped the looks of the trunk lid and added something the bike desparately needs on the back end...more lights.. The trunk spoiler LED's are Running and Brake lights...and they look good but not as good as the new technology Genesis LED's which are very very bright...(almost blinding) The light strip that is inside the I believe is a flexable LED strip...not sure what would be brighter in the flexable line of LED's, it may take some experimenting to figure out what is actually brighter. IF you were around some place that stocked some flexable stripps so you could see them in action before you ordered them you may have something. I ordered some other dual density LED's for my bike and they are not as bright as my tail light and really not much brighter than the LED's in the Trunk spoiler... Take a look at this video and you will see what we mean by not very bright... Everything on the back end is working off a strobe unit 3 strobes then steady high density...but you have to look close to notice they are all strobing... The tail light is a Genesis LED unit...very bright http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=32917 Hey if you find something let us know... I know several here are interested as I know I sure am...

That is different...Does that not look like a big ole fishing lure or it is just me. I am sorry...I had to look twice to see how many hooks it had on it. Folks need to paint their bike any color they want...make it yours with any modification you can live with good or bad. It really don't matter what others think...

Yep I thought I did mention it- "4 way flashers worked fine without the loads." See my profile...the LEDs on the sides are under the trunk above the side of the bags...they are not Knight riders...they are dual density 6" bars from Custom Dynamics "...photos "RSMV Modifications so far" LED's under the side of the travel trunk, saddle bags as well all the rest of the improvements I have added..." Let me know if you need more photos...I think I have more. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/picture.php?albumid=276&pictureid=1934 http://www.venturerider.org/forum/picture.php?albumid=276&pictureid=1927 LED on top of the trunk lid is the Yamaha wing/fin LED not too bright at all. But it looks good in a place that really needs something IMHO. Helps the lines of the bike. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/picture.php?albumid=276&pictureid=1926

I installed the Custom dynamics turn signals for front and rear...I did not like the dynamic clusters since I had installed them on a Harley of a freind of mine...they did not seem as bright as the straight single color LED's there is not as many of them doing the job. Plus the wiring is a little more of a pain in the you know what... http://www.customdynamics.com/yamaha_turn_signal_retro.htm Make sure you know what kind of bulb you have in the turn signals... Mine has the BAZ 3 pins and the 7507. There is a place on that website to help you determine what you have. I did install the load equalizers cause the turn signals were blinking very very fast...140 per minute. DOT I think says 60 to 120 per minute. Some folks think the 140 per minute is OK...I wanted to get it a close to stock as possible and wanted the cancelling feature to work. 4 way flashers worked fine without the loads. I install the "Metric Signal Stabilizer" from custom dynamics. http://www.customdynamics.com/loadequalizer.htm Scroll down you will see it. You could probably just change out the flasher to an electronic one...but I had to much money in all this to order something that I was not sure it was gonna work and have to wait a week on the rest of it to get the bike finished. I also did the LED turn signals on my son's VStar custom and wife's cousin's 05 RSMV works everytime just make sure you have good connections to the right wires. I soldered mine used heat shrink on all my connections. Under the bags... The first accessory I bought was one of the Knight Rider license plate frames. It has a sequencing LED (back and fourth left and right) that flashes on high intensity for about 5 seconds when you get on the brakes. (all the functions are built in to the LED unit) I really liked that to wake up the cages on your tail. Then I started looking at mounting something under the bags. I found just the knight rider LED without the license plate frame on the custom dynamics website. I bought 2 of sequencing LED with flashing brake alerts and they come with 3M tap for mounting. Mounted them on the bars under the bags that hold the bags with a fabricated mounting bracket to accept the 3m tape mount. (used a small peice of aluminum angle with a flat bar and a clamp to mount it). It took some time to get them at the same hieght and where they looked right to me...level and back under the bags some... I wanted to be able to remove the bags without messing with the wiring. But there was a problem...they did not sequence and do the brake flashing alert at the same time. They looked like a wig wag unit...blinking and flashing like a fire truck. You could not tell if I was stopping or turning or which way I was turning. This was not working as planned. You would think all the electronics would be the same...they should all work the same...not so. #$$%$$@#$@%@$!%$*&*#@#$@# I cussed for a few days about this. Then I orderd the same LED cause (I liked the size and intensity) with just a dual density. They are just brake lights now. I did have to put a diode in series with them to make everything work right cause it was triggering the strobe unit due to the voltage passing through them. (about 8 volts).. you could make them into Turn signals if you wanted by using 2 diodes to keep the two circuits separated. I wanted to keep Ambers for the turn signals on the back. Here is the link to the Knight Rider stuff http://www.customdynamics.com/knight_rider_led_light_bar.htm#Knight_Riderz_LED_License_Plate_Frames Strobe unit is programmable...flash or strobe I am strobing the LED wing on the travel trunk the tail light and the lights under the bags...the only one you really notice is the tail light since it is the brightest LED taillight I could find. Genesis LED's again from Custom Dynamics. The strobe unit can be found here. http://www.customdynamics.com/led_strobe.htm I mounted the load equlizer under the trunk (one for front and rear) ran extra wires under the rear seat to make this happen and mounted the strobe unit under the seat. I did not mix LED's with incandescent (stock bulbs) so not exactly sure what kind of results you may encounter if you do this...probably not favorable but nothing that can't be worked out... I also replace the reflectors on the sides of the front and rear with LED's...they are turn signals. Look at my profile...photos "RSMV Modifications so far" LED's under the side of the travel trunk, saddle bags as well all the rest of the improvements I have added... Custom Dynamics has some good folks for tech support if you need them. All this stuff I did was pretty straight forward but I did call them on some advice about blinking the reflector conversions (bought them from JP cycles) with the exsiting load equalizer and using relays to do this. They know what they are doing when it comes to LED's. Let me know if you have any more questions.

I have orderd the ones from JC whitney that they said would fit a RSV and they do not fit...had to send them back. Prozak...got any photos? what will they cost. I like the concept of the River Road products...water bottle on one side...pouch the other side. Let us know. I think several of us Venture folks will be interested in something like this.

The beloved Venture in stock form is severly lacking in lights on the rear end. I was always nervous about cages not seeing me from the rear. A guy I know got hit stopped at a red light cause the driver of the car was looking up at the red light. The biker was not seriously hurt since it was a slow speed accident but there was no need for this. The addition of extra lighting and converting every light except the head light to LED's would have to be my favorite mod. Next would be the addition of passing lights on the front. Then getting her ready for the long trips...Trunk rack, saddle bag liners, back rest, foot pegs, XM, lower adjustable vents and currently waiting on the Zumo 660 to come out...they say by the end of this month.

When I put mine back together...I did not use nothing. If you look at your photos you can see a little orange around the bolts...that is the orginal sealant. It is a silicon based sealant they use from the factory. I figure the flange connections would seal good enough since it is not like I am gonna forge any water or at least no plans to do that, so I elected to leave the sealant off. It not like you are trying to seal if off from leaking oil or something. If you wanted to put something back...a very thin coat of Permatex silicon would be fine after a good cleaning of the surfaces. While you got all that apart be sure to put some moly paste on the all the splines before re-assembly. Splines on shaft, splines on the rear end to drive unit and do not forget to coat the drive pins.

We used some Royal Purple in some big generators offshore for a while did not have real good luck with it. Some saleman sold the company on their oil to extend oil changes. It was just a little more than the petroleum based oils. They did regular oil analysis and saw a gradual increase in particulates in the oil indicating wear on some of the engines. I do not know about the Max cycle stuff...never used it and do not know anybody that has. Amsoil website list it as down the list in wear protection. I do not know if it is accuate or not...but other wbsite sites may say it is the meat of the matter as for as motorcycle oil is concerned. Seems most folks here use Mobile 1 or Amoil in a synthetic. I use Amsoil and have had really good luck with it in a lot of different applications such as Motocross racing bikes, generators for campers, VW diesels...Oh yeah in RSV and VSTAR. I actually picked up 2 MPG in my VW diesel (42 city and 50 highway) It may be some good oil. Try the Royal Purple and give us a report.

In the motocross world we change grips almost weekly. We use gasoline, any color of spray paint, and some brands of contact cleaner will melt some grips to the bars (so becareful and don't melt them to much...but the best thing I have found is 3m weatherstip adhesive, either color (black or yellow. This is availible at most automotive stores. It is most of the time cheaper than Grip glue and works as good or better. Removal is done by compressed air or water like Eck said. The water method will get you wet if you don't watch out. We never tried hair spray...but I bet it works just like spray paint.

Not sure of the actual hieght of the my seats now but If you are having a little trouble reaching the ground...get Bulter to work on your seats and tell him about your problem. I would suggest you try to keep the stock seats on the 07 bike...most agree they are the most comfortable around. I got the Butler mod on mine and I can now flat foot the bike at the red lights. I have a 30 inseam only 5'7" The Butt Butler is Highly recommended from a lot of folks here.

I don't think it will cause any problems. You probably like me remember our dads talking about if you start using one oil stay with it...if you swap brands it will start using oil. I know folks who swear that will happen but techincally I do not see how it is possible unless one oil had built up a bunch of gunk in the engine and other one flushed it out. I use Amsoil in a lot of engines at my house. VW diesel, Venture, Vstar, Generators, Racing bikes, enduro bikes. I think Mobil one is a good synthetic oil also...do not think it would really be that much different that what you are using. Amsoil has some good products and I order them straight from Amsoil.com. Buy enough that the $20 prefered customer status saves me some money so I get it cheaper than I can buy it at any retailer I have found so far. Try the Mobile one if you want to. I may try some of it myself one day.

I thought antiques were expensive. Just kidding...I could not resist that one since you first gen folks do not miss a chance to go after a 2nd gen.

Custom dynamics. Best LED tail lights I have seen so far. They also have LED turn signals and load equalizers. Check out this link http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=32917 Read down in this link for web links to purchase parts.