Bobby G

After our near-death experience last night while driving home in the Silverado 4X4, there will be no more feet-dragging on getting a very loud air horn installed on the RSV. As we rounded a country road curve heading toward our subdivision at about 6:30pm, a small white car came screaming at us at what had to be 55+ mph in a 35 zone, heading right at us - in our lane! How we avoided the head-on collision is a miracle, but it involved some intuitive accident-avoidance techniques and a damn loud horn. That little car and the idiot driving (who I'm guessing was on their phone) just missed us, ran off the road back on their side, found their way back on to the blacktop and disappeared in the darkness. My wife and I just sat there and couldn't believe what had just happened. I have to admit that I've been in some close calls before, but that one really shook me up. I've been meaning to install the Stebel air horn for some time now, but never got the bracket to get the job done. That will be rectified this weekend! There are just too many cell phone addicts out there who can't stop texting or Tweeting while driving, and it's gotten too dangerous to not do everything possible to get their attention when they cross the line. My riding and driving skills are good, but they aren't enough sometimes, and my wimpy-a$$ horn is just useless in that regard. Be safe out there, and if you don't have a very loud ear piercing horn on your bike, you need to get one.

Georgia law says that you cannot be cited for not wearing a helmet if you advise the LEO that yours was just stolen, so I know a lot of folks that just leave them out to be snached up! LOL! Seriously, I usually just plop mine on the backrest or hang it from the handlebar, unless it's a really nasty area and I will be gone for awhile. Then it gets locked up.

I'm not much of a mechanic and know less than most about the internal combustion engine, but I do know something about the fuel and oil business. I am convinced that the composition of fuels when it comes to octane levels and ethanol content varies considerably by both region of the country and by brand of fuel. Some fuel blends are more "true" to their labeling than others, and are just a better grade of refined gasoline...among them Shell, BP and Exxon. On a regional basis, where I live in the Southeast, QT gas is on par with the best national brands in quality and consistency, while brands like Kangaroo and Valero are among the worst. QT also has an edge over the other top brands in price. Having said all that, I feel that when we select the level of octane and ethanol content we choose to run in our personal scoots, whether it's 87 or 92, 0% or 10%, we should also be as picky as possible about the brand. I run both a 4-banger RSV and a higher compression V-twin Harley, and I solicit lots of opinion from people I consider to be knowledgeable about engines. Each of these bikes also has their own unique carburation, exhaust and engine timing set-up's. Using their knowledge about what's under the seat and how it all works, and based on how my bikes run and what they sound like and feel like, I have settled into using 87 (usually E10 content) in the RSV and 92 (E10) in the H-D. I make every effort to avoid "off" brands, and use a good fuel additive like Seafoam, Lucas or B-12 Chemtool on a regular basis to keep my fuel system clean and stay ahead of any residual problems that may be caused by the ethanol content or moisture build up. My mileage has also been consistently good (40 to 45 mpg's in both) using these grades in each bike we well. Bottom line is that there is a lot of crap gasoline out there that should be avoided if possible. The trick is to find out which ones they are based on where you live. Fuel distributors and retailers are no different than any other business, and many will buy and resell a much poorer quality of gas if they can boost profits and grow their business. If you think that there is no discernible difference in brands, you are in the majority - - most people would agree with you. But there is. Just my 2 cents.

My '99 has 90K miles now, and no major issues at all. It got a new clutch kit at 40K, a new ignition at 70K, and just had a nice little tune up last week to replace the valve cover gaskets which had a very small leak, coolant flush, plugs, fuel filter, fluids and filters. The plugs were OK, but as long as you're in there that deep, it pays to replace them. The bike has never had a valve adjustment and shows no signs of needing one, and only one carb tune at this year's North GA maintenance day, which also showed that no adjustments were needed. This 4-banger engine is really an amazing piece of engineering, and with regular maintenance should last forever. I think you will really love yours. Congrats!

Steelers: best receiving corps in the league, a QB on pace for his best season ever (MVP?), 5 running backs that can beat you in 20 different ways, an O line that gets better by the week and will get their top pick back in a couple of weeks (DeCastro), and the best head coach and defensive coordinator in the game. I'd say they might have turned the corner, but they haven't played the hated Ravens yet, and that will tell the tale. Personally I would relish a rematch with the Packers in the Super Bowl!

Glad you are on this side of the dirt to talk about it. Nasty looking wounds, but you will heal. I'd ask for $10K, and get a new/used bike....there are a million of them out there for a song right now. My brother always tells me, "dress for the fall, not for the ride". And your pictures show why he is right! All the best.....

A buddy of mine on Long Island just told me that they are now advising that some areas of Long Island and Queens may take up to 4 weeks to restore all power, telecommunications and internet service. We're talking millions of people! This truly is a natural disaster of biblical proportions in its size and scope. Still breaks my heart that my home state (NJ) and so many of the places I lived in and frequented while growing up are either decimated or totally gone. I'm packing the truck and trailer with water, gas, generators, power tools and other supplies and heading to Jersey on Saturday to help out some family members for the next week. Please join me in making whatever contribution you can to the Red Cross. Every penny will help. Thanks.

Meach, I've been in this house for 11 years, have removed a number of trees over the years, and still have more acorns and nuts on the ground then I've ever seen before. It must be cyclical or a result of the lack of rain this fall or something. It's crazy! I will be renting a large yard vac next week to run across the property to clean this up before any of them take root. One thing is for sure - - the squirrels will be fat and happy this winter! Time for my full face helmet to come out of the closet.

Well, I gotta say that this was a blast from start to finish. Absolutely perfect weather, nice crowds at each event but not overly packed, great entertainment (Mustang Sally, David Allen Coe, JB Walker & the Whiskey River Band), awesome accommodations on the beach, no crazy idiots, amazing bikes, amazing bikers and a totally incident-free ride there and back. Just one kind of crappy meal at a place called Shuckem's, but everywhere else was great. Even got new LED's and grips installed. As you would expect, I was totally overmatched by the H-D presence down there, but my '99 turned some heads as well. Apparently the 4-cylinder engine is still something of a novelty among the V-twin crowd and gets a lot of attention. May or may not go down in the Spring, but this was a great get-away.

Put one on my '99 last year. Fits perfect and lovin every bit of it.

Will do. We were there for the Spring rally and it was a blast. I fully expect this one to be as well, although it won't be quite as crowded.

We are heading out tomorrow afternoon from the ATL to PCB for the Fall Thunder Beach rally. The weather forecast is stellar with mid-80's and sun predicted every day. Got a steal of a deal at a very nice beach front condo for $80/night. Sharing with 2 other couples, so it's easier on the wallet this year. Should be a great week and weekend. Hope to see some RSV's there

Good news about the no surgery Larry....heal fast and keep the faith. Prayers up for you. God speed.

Welcome to the PGR family. It is wonderful for our troops and their families to see this kind of support, regardless the reason for the mission. And it does our souls good to step up and step out in support of our Heroes when we can. They're doing their job and we're doing ours. You don't have to, but if you choose to fly a flag or flags on your RSV, I can send you pics of my flag rig for comparison purposes in putting one on your bike.

All the best Larry for a speedy recovery. So glad to hear it wasn't worse. Carrie and I were in a near-miss last Thursday in Savannah that would have been a T-bone hit for sure had the car next to us not taken the hit instead of us. As it was, we got some crash debris all over us and got nicked up a bit, but the "guardian angels" were out working overtime it seems. Bike had to be trailered home. Be really careful out there folks.