Bobby G
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Everything posted by Bobby G
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Boom, I absolutely agree with you - - the family's wishes should always be honored and respected in all aspects of an honor mission. But as a former RC with quite a few missions under my belt as well, I can tell you that not once in my meetings with family or the CAO did the subject of what flags to fly on the escort ever come up, nor should it have. IMO, they are burdened with way too much else on their plate to have to deal with something like that, and are usually too out of their mind with grief to be thinking clearly about it to know what is appropriate or not. Position of bikes in front or back, where the family cars are, etc. - - yes, this is discussed and usually is important to them. I have a 3X5 PGR flag, but personally do not like flying it on a funeral escort, and if it was my call as a RC with no family or CAO preference, I asked anyone who wanted to fly it to stage toward the back of the escort, away from the hearse. Other RC's have no problem either way. But I've been on a few missions of late as a humble flag line member where it became a source of "heartburn" for some members and leadership (not me), which is why I mentioned it.
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http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TRIKE-Intruder-wheeleez-trike-unit-CUSTOM-/250788136139?pt=US_motorcycles&hash=item3a642344cb Saw this bike for sale on eBay, with a Wheeleez third wheel on it. Was fascinated by the 3rd wheel and how it worked, but also was not expecting in the video to see that the Intruder 1500 had a reverse gear. Pretty cool! The video sound quality is really goofy, but it's a very interesting customized bike. I am helping a friend whose husband died last year (riding his Goldwing) to sell his "other" bike - - a 1991 750 Intruder - - and was scanning eBay to see if any were for sale and what they were going for. Didn't find any, so if you have any insight into these things, I'd appreciate the feedback. It's in good shape and has 37,402 miles on it. Just about 100% stock. KBB says it's worth about $1,200 in trade, so I'm guessing it might be worth $1,600-$1,800 in a private sale. I'll post pics next week after I get it to my place.
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Fully agree. It really doesn't matter, as long as the patch is always subordinate to the American flag in its positioning on the vest or jacket. And no rockers! The bigger source of heartburn lately seems to be the flying of the PGR blue and yellow flag on funeral escorts. Some folks don't care, and some folks bristle at the sight of anything other than an American flag or the branch of service flag in a funeral escort, especially anywhere near the hearse. I tend to side with the latter position. Fly it in a parade if you want, but otherwise, leave it in the saddlebag when honoring a KIA or a deceased Veteran.
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My wife prefers the ride we get with the Showchrome 13" extra-wide shield to the stock shield. Much less buffeting. My girlfriend, who is a little shorter, doesn't care. (Did I just say that? )
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I honestly just can't relate. I don't know how you guys up there do it. I think the longest I went this winter without riding was maybe 3 weeks - - in and around that stretch in early January when we had the worst ice and snow storm we've seen here in years. Other than that, we've been out just about every week. (Gotta love heated Gerbings!) And now that Spring is REALLY here - was 85 on Saturday and will be in the mid-70's all week - I'll be out every day, even if it is just to the corner store. Hope Spring shows up there soon in the northlands!
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I'd say it was about a 6 on the drive-me-nuts meter, and now it's about a 3-4.
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I started using MK early last year when I hit 40,000 miles on the '99 RSV. I put in 4 - 5 oz. every 3rd oil change. I use a good 20W50 synthetic oil and a good filter (usually Mobile 1). I have experienced no clutch issues at all, and the engine purrs like it's new and the whine (chirp) is all but gone. So yes, I'm a fan. However, if I do start to experience any problems with the clutch, I would likely discontinue using MK as a troubleshooting measure to see if that may be part of the issue.
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Beautiful scoot!
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Several economists have all come out lately in support of gold hitting the $2,000 mark before it levels off. It's trading today at about $1,600, so there might still be some very positive upside, as with silver. I've also heard that several foreign currencies are a very good hedge investment right now, including Canada, Australia and Brazil. And real estate of virtually any kind - as long as it has a mountain or ocean view, or at least ready access. And with interest rates at historic lows, these same economists also support borrowing as much money as you possibly can, as long as you can cash flow the interest, which is minimal. I took their advice, maxed out my HELOC with a 3% interest rate, banked it, and borrow from myself when needed. No more high interest credit card debt, car or bike payments, or anything else. And the money I save each month on now-retired high interest debt gets plowed back into the HELOC cash fund, so I'm basically paying myself back, and I get a nice tax break at the end of the year. Under normal circumstances, I would never be a proponent of borrowing for anything, but these are NOT normal times we live in. Savings rates are terrible, money is cheap and very available, and the market is just too unnerving for me to get too deep into. On a side note, I did hit a bit of a home run with oil stocks last year, but I'm throttling back on them too. Way too much crazy crap going on, even though we are seeing record oil prices. Scares the crap out of me.
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Skippy® Reduced Fat Peanut Butter Spread Due to Possible Health Risk
Bobby G replied to flb_78's topic in Watering Hole
Choosy bikers choose Jif!! -
We pub crawl on the Softail from time to time, and our Shadow 750 ACE and the VTX 1300 were also perfect around town bikes in our stable. I regret selling the VTX more than I can tell you.
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Patriot Guard Riders are going to be in a big demand now
Bobby G replied to polecat54's topic in Watering Hole
I'm glad the PGR in WI is also doing some of these missions for our active military and retired veterans. It's important. Our WWR group in GA is doing a welcome home mission tomorrow for two brothers in the Army - - one returning from A-stan on leave, and his younger brother who just finished boot camp and will be shipped off shortly (destination unknown). Showing these guys the love is a huge boost to them and their family, and reinforces the WWR mission that no American Warrior will ever be forgotten, ignored or scorned ever again. Right after that, I'll be standing with my PGR brothers and sisters for a Vietnam Vet who passed away on Monday. He may never have had anyone tell him "welcome home" while he was with us, but we're sure not going to let that happen ever again. God help any UG's (uninvited guests!) who dare to show up for either of these missions! They will be the one's who are ignored and scorned. -
The set I got on eBay were good, not great, but will certainly do. I rode in some pretty cold weather without them, and I didn't know how much of a difference they really make now that I have them back on. I plan on finding a nice gloss lacquor paint to match the bike color and will paint the back of them to match, like several others have done on here. I like the look. I saved the old set to test the paint on before I paint the new ones. I might try Krylon's new chrome paint to see how that looks too. Good luck in finding a set.
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Patriot Guard Riders are going to be in a big demand now
Bobby G replied to polecat54's topic in Watering Hole
I've been a PGR flagline member since '07 and am also a former Ride Captain here in GA. Since that time, we have only had the protesters here twice, and both times, we had hundreds of patriots show up to shield the families so that they never even knew they were there. We form a wall of flags, turn our backs to the hate mongers, and never, ever acknowledge them at all. The local law enforcement literally surrounds them for their own protection so that passers by won't kill them. One cop told me that they just stare at them in hopes that they will cross the 500 foot barrier by one inch, so they can arrest them for violating the law. At one protest, they even had the paddy wagon there just in case, and in full view of the protesters so they knew they were serious. I still try to make these PGR honor missions when I can, but we also make every effort to love on our military and veterans while they are still with us through the Warriors Watch Riders and their various "feel good" missions. It really balances things out emotionally for us, so that we don't "burn out" on the constant requests we get for funeral missions. You can check them out at http://www.warriorswatch.org. They are not as big numbers-wise as the PGR, but the mission is just as important, and they have things going on in most states. -
Most gas retailers earn net profit of less than .05 per gallon. Oil company's net ROI usually accounts for upwards of 40% of the retail sale price. And yes, it is a "futures" pricing game, and the future looks grim, at best. I personally think we're seriously headed for $4/gal+ by June here in the Southeast, and far more up north, and in CA. I agree that investment in oil stocks is a good idea right now, for sure, and most of the power sports OEM's will certainly benefit from any long term rise in gas prices as well. Scooter sales will spike first, then sport/hybrid bikes, then cruiser/touring bikes. The EV market will also see pretty big gains, and companies like E-Z-GO, Tomberlin and Club Car who heavily market their new street legal electric cars (LSV's) will also start to see more public acceptance of that type of alternative transportation in many urban markets. I think this upheaval in the middle east is just starting. Iran's provoking push through the Suez Canal, Egypt's new look, Lybia, the ongoing mess in Iraq and A-stan, other Muslim countries in turmoil in Africa and Micronesia, etc., it's all related. And it's not ending in my lifetime. If you're not ready, GET READY! And get your kids and grandkids dialed in on it too.
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Replacing fairing clear protectors
Bobby G replied to jryan's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
Any particular kind or brand of paint for this kind of plastic? Latex or acrylic? Glossy or semi-gloss? And did you only paint the back of the deflectors or both sides. Nicely done..... Thanks. -
Anyone ever use this supplier or have any comments they'd like to share about them? I currently have a clear Showchrome shield, but I'm thinking about getting a gray tinted replacement, and this is one of the options I'm checking out. Thanks. http://www.ceebaileys.com/yamaha/royalstarventurews.html
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Thanks Condor. I agree - - proper tire inflation is critical to performance and tread wear, and I check mine at least weekly. On the 880 reviews, most of what comes up on the problems with 880's in the past date back to a bad batch manufactured in a now-closed Brazilian plant in 2007. That plant was not able to conform to the quality management system certification (ISO 9002) bestowed on Metzler in 1995. The 880's are now produced exclusively in Odenwald, Germany, and the plant is actually owned and operated as a joint venture (no pun intended) between Metzler AG and BMW's parent company, Quandt Holdings AG, which owns 54% of BMW. And virtually all of the problems with the 880's from that period can be found on discussion boards on threads that date back to 2008, most notably the H-D forums and the GL1800 forums. And of course, right here in Venture-land. My point is that since manufacturing and quality control is now centered in Germany at what appears to be a state of the art BMW-run production facility for motorcycle tires only, the quality of 880's produced over last 2 or 3 years should not be lumped in with a limited run of poorly produced tires from over 3 years ago. That's like saying that the Jaguar is a crappy car because they had a two or three year run of clunkers with bad electrical systems back in the late '90's. Things change, even if on-line discussion forums continue to carry the message of problems that existed in the past. My experience with the Metzler tire on my RSV since I got the bike in March of '09 is outstanding. Both I and the tire professional I entrust my bike to feel that any Metzler production issues that may have existed before are fully resolved and well behind them, and that any company that's been solely focused on producing motorcycle tires since 1978 (the company started in 1863!) for virtually every kind of bike in existence, from touring to racing to off-road, who held the 24 hour world speed record TWICE, who were the first to introduce the 0 degree steel belted radial, and who out-sell Avon, Dunlop, Bridgestone and Parelli combined, must be a pretty damn good motorcycle tire manufacturer with a quality product. But more than that, the ME880's ride nice, they are quiet, perform equally well in the twisties and the interstate, are competitively priced, and are proven to last for at least 15,000 miles - at least on my scoot! Sorry for the rant. I just thought some perspective needed to be shed on this question. I hope everyone has a great upcoming Spring and Summer riding season - - on whatever PROPERLY INFLATED tire you trust your life to.
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After changing out my fuel filter last week, I repositioned it so that it sits comfortably up under the seat in front of the battery box, nestled in with the myriad of other hoses and tubes that occupy that space. There was plenty of slack in the bottom hose that runs between it and the fuel pump to do this. It is not in a straight up-and-down vertical position as it was in its original position, but it's not laying horizontally either. More at a 45 degree angle now. I've put about 1,000 miles on it since the change out, and no issues whatsoever. Where it is now, I can get to it for future replacement and only have to remove the seat.
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If you have to inflate a venom to 50psi cold to keep it from cupping or to improve sidewall performance, than just move up to the ME880's, which for my money are the very best performing tire for the RSV. 40-42psi in the rear, 38-40 in the front. Never a problem, and 14K to 18K tread life in the rear, with even better on the front. And they are as quiet as any tire out there. The stated problems on this forum about them "delamanating" or "chunking" are totally overblown and were related to a very few cases where this happened. Why the 880 is so continuously demonized is beyond me. My experience can't possibly be the "exception", when my motorcycle tire store in Woodstock GA - which sells and installs literally thousands of them each year for riders that run both the mountains and the interstates - also attests to this performance versus other brands. I am not bashing the Avon's or the Dunlops (I actually preferred the 404's on my VTX for years, and Dunlops are ALL we ever run on the Softail!), but the bad rap on the 880's for the RSV is just nonsense. Just my 2 cents......
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C'mon Ruf....don't be a Metzler hater! I've had two sets of 880's that performed better than any other brand I've ever had on a MC, and got over 15,000 on each set on my RSV. Not sure what "delamination issue" you're talking about, but I've seen Venoms with chunks of rubber missing on the tread perimeter, and Dunlops that didn't make it to 8,000 miles. IMO - the ME880 is a great tire for the RSV!
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Going to be in the high 60's to low 70's here in GA straight through next week. Finally out of the deep freeze this winter threw at us. We still had some snow on the ground in my neighborhood as recently as Monday!
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This is one of the strangest things I've seen happen to a headlamp. It's on the Harley, not the RSV. We left the house on both bikes at 3ish on Saturday with no damage (I know this because I personally cleaned the windshield and lights on both bikes before we took off), and came home at 7ish to find that this had happened. No signs of a rock hit or any other kind of impact at all from anything, and no real change in temperature extremes. It's actually a really beautiful spider web looking pattern, and it's cracked completely through the full depth of the glass. The only thing I can imagine is that it's a stress fracture that's been building since we had the new lights installed at the dealership over 2 years ago. Just thought I'd post this since it's such a pretty picture of the damage!
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Just about the greatrest video I have even seen.
Bobby G replied to petekadish's topic in Watering Hole
This is why many of my biker peeps never miss an opportunity to ride - - heat or cold, rain or shine. Hope we can keep doing it into our 80's!