Bobby G
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Everything posted by Bobby G
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Magnet for oil filter???
Bobby G replied to DanC's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
Thanks for the heads up Randy. I'll be ordering mine tomorrow! -
The whole of north GA from the ATL on up was a glaze of ice yesterday and this morning, creating massive gridlock and literally thousands of accidents, but the forecast for later today and tomorrow is back into the '50's, so as soon as the rain and drizzle stops, I'm goin ridin!
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My independent guy in Canton GA charges $40/hr, but $60 for HD, as he is recouping his investment in all of the "strange and expensive" tools he's invested in. He is not as quick as a standard dealer, but he's meticulous and thorough. I don't mind leaving either of my scoots with him for 4 or 5 days for service or repair, as he usually goes over and above what I've asked him to do, only charges cost for parts, and only charges for the listed number of hours the service book says a typical service or repair should take, even if he spends 3X that much time to do it. He just loves working on bikes. As a certified mechanic on all Japanese brands, and a retired Yamaha engineer with 30+ years experience, I trust the guy without reservation. My RSV will never see the inside of a dealership, unless I can't get it to him for some reason.
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Finished decorating my scoot with some left over LED's that we didn't use on the tree, along with some garland, a cute little teddy bear, and of course, the reason for the season - - a manger scene mounted on the trunk rack. Can't wait to run it around town when it warms up a tad. I have the two light strands running off a small 12v converter, and it works great. Just plug-n-play.
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Yeah, and how bout that Metrodome roof collapse today! Holy cow, you'd think that the designers of that thing would have engineered it for a major snow event in MINNEAPOLIS!!! Duh!!
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Yep, snow means people up north buy snow plows, snow throwers, salt spreaders, and snowmobiles, all of which my company finances for buyers who can't pay cash. Snow = more business for retailers and more money pumped into the economy, and with most manufactures picking up the tab for 0% interest programs, it's good for the consumer as well. I LOVE SNOW!!! (As long as I don't have to deal with it personally!! LOL!!!) Gee, maybe I'll get a bonus this year!!
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Spent practically all day out yesterday, starting with the Wreathes Across America ceremony at Canton National Cemetery, then a nice ride, a stop at Hooters for a late lunch, then off to see the grandkids, then back to the ranch by 5pm. Great day for some riding. Right now it's 41 degrees with a wind chill of 33, and still damp from the overnight showers. Temps will continue to drop throughout the day to a low of 28 and WINDY (probably going to feel like 15!) But I'm still headed out to the Toys for Tots M&E over in Woodstock (heated gear will be on!) and to show off my newly decorated bike for the kids (lots of lights, garland, Santa Bear and even a manger scene on the trunk rack!). "Neither rain nor sleet nor snow nor dark of night"......well, you get the idea. Just hope the rain, sleet and snow don't enter into the equation!!
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Ken sells and installs over 5,000 tires a year - all brands and on all makes and models. He's the best around, and has been in this business for over 12 years at the same location. He's a two-person shop (he and his wife), and his inventory and overhead is very low compared to a traditional dealer. Customers line up for his service come early Spring and throughout the year, but this is his slow time, and tire prices are pretty stagnant right now, so I'm sure that has something to do with the cost. He locked these prices in for me through 1/31, so I'm sure I'll get them done right after the Christmas craziness is over. I'll also have the opportunity to do some "wheels off" maintenance while he has the bike on the lift if I want (splines, etc.). Other than tires, he only does brake pads, but no other maintenance. Thanks for the comparisons. I thought this was a great deal.
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I got a quote on new tires for my '99 RSV today from my local M/C tire store in Woodstock GA (that's all they do). Seems like I've paid considerably more than this in the past. Here's what he quoted me: Metzler 880's (installed): Front (150/80/16)- $131.89 Rear (150/90/15)- $157.05 Total: $288.94 Dunlop E-3's (installed): Front (150/85/16)- $117.23 (Dunlop sizes them as an MV85 for some reason) Rear (150/90/15)- $137.25 Total: $254.48 Just curious how this stacks up to all-in prices everyone else has seen recently for these two brands. I'm partial to the 880's (as many of you know) due to the performance and mileage I've gotten on my last two sets - 15K+ and no failures of any kind. Think I'll stick with what's worked for me, but the price on the Dunlop's really surprised me, but Ken told me to expect a price increase in February when the new mfgr. books come out.
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Which LED Signal LIghts?
Bobby G replied to Seaking's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
I've had the 15' LED light bar from Diamond R mounted under the trunk for about a year, and I think it provides all the back-end visibility and illumination that I would ever really need. I'm told by everyone who ever rides behind me that it's as bright and visible as any lights out there, day or night. http://diamondraccessories.com/yamaha/proddisplay.php?name=15%60%60%20Slimline%20LED%20Lightbar -
I avoid riding in the rain when it's cold enough to need them, so I really don't know. (Nothing worse than being wet AND cold at the same time, especially on wet, slippery roads!) But I'm sure they will still function OK, especially if you treat the leather with a waterproof spray ahead of time. They also came with slip-on glove covers made of a waterproof poly material, but I've never used them.
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I run the fused connector straight off the battery and up under the tank, and back again down under the Hopnel tank bib to a bib pouch that holds my glasses, garage door opener and other misc. stuff. I just hop on the seat, plug in and go. It's easier to get to that connector there then if it's popping up where the seat meets the tank. I also have the matching Gerbin heated vest that plugs in series with the gloves when really needed, and that's what plugs into the main connector to the batt. But I only wear the vest when it's really freezing out there. I'm going to do a little stitching on my coat to have the glove wires be able to be pre-installed so I don't have to "fish" them through the sleeves every time I put it on and take it off. What a pain!
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Congratulations!!! Glad to hear that everything turned out well. One of my kids was an emergency C-section as well, and it's a little scary when they all jump into high gear like that. All the best.......
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Not on my momma's boy's '99RSV they don't!! I'm on my second set of ME880's, and have 15K on both the front and rear, and my first set had over 18K when I changed them out last February. And not a bit of rubber ever "chunked" off any of them. I'm sure it's happened, as it probably has on most brands, and to each their own preference, but my experience with the 880's are very good now for the last 3+ years.
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Went for a ride this morning, and it was 21F with a wind chill of 11F (very unusual for this time of year, even in north GA!). I had my Gerbin's on high, full face helmet, down coat, thermals and chaps, and I was actually very comfortable. My toes started to feel the cold after about 40 minutes, but my hands never got cold at all. I can't imagine riding in any cold weather under 40 degrees with just heated grips and no heated gloves. The Gerbin gloves I have are not overly bulky either, so it's a no-brainer decision for me on this one.
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Ooops..... Sorry for not getting some pix on here. Mom and baby are doing great, but big sister (19 months old) is still a little suspicious of who this invader of her space is! Can you say "jealous"?
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Granddaughter #2 was born yesterday at 3:53pm - - Teagan Ryleigh. 7lbs 13oz and a very lanky 22" long. Mom and baby are great, and me and Grandma are on top of the world! Can't wait to get Teagan and her big sister Paisley out for a ride in a few years (well, maybe more than a few!). I must admit that I loved raising my kids, but this grandpa thing is really a blast!!!
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Fraud protection is generally standard with most larger card issuers, and it saved our ass on more than one occasion. Another good idea is to make a photocopy of the front and back of all cards you carry in your wallet, and keep it in a safe place in the event your wallet is lost or stolen. That way you'll have ready access to all of the account numbers and bank phone numbers you'll need to freeze or suspend them until you get them changed out. I carry 2 personal cards and one corporate card, plus a debit card, drivers license, AAA card, AARP card, and a few others, and there's nothing more aggravating then trying to locate all of these numbers after the fact to start making these calls.
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I have stock plugs and K&N air filters, and I consistently get 43 to 46 mpg in generally all conditions, except on long highway runs at high speed. I never get the low fuel warning before 180 miles, and usually not before I've gone 200 miles. (The mpg's drop to 40 when we're riding 2 up.) Not sure why you experienced such a dramatic drop with the changes you made, but would suggest you ditch the high performance stuff and stick with stock parts.
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Forget the laptop PC and move up to an iPad. Will solve all of your communications and internet problems, and fits anywhere.
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Met Leno at the Aprilia/Moto Guzzi dealer meeting in October. He's a big endorser of Aprilia, but will endorse just about anything for the right price. For some reason, he's much more into sport bikes than cruisers, a little strange for a big guy like him, but to each his own I guess. Still had a good time seeing him do his entire stand up routine surrounded by motorcycles. I think the EV market in the U.S. is on a much slower track in terms of overall acceptance of electric vehicles in the marketplace, despite the "green movement", but it's here to stay. Electric powered street legal cars (or LSV's), motorcycles, hunting ATV's (buggies), are either already here or will be in the next few years. But you are right - - it's the battery technology that is driving it, and it's just not there yet as far as I'm concerned.
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My son-in-law is one of the super geeks at Google, and once he showed me a program they run that captures nearly anyone's email or social network input on FB, MS or even Yahoo. He actually brought up my last 20 unencrypted FB entries! It is amazing how much of what you type on a BB like this one can be seen by some folks (hi son!). They have access and know how to use it. He can't hack anything that is encrypted like bank accounts, PayPal, purchases, etc., but unencrypted stuff like this site and Facebook are a piece of cake. Pretty scary, ain't it?
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It's actually pretty basic. It's the difference between paper elements and synthetic fiber elements. I like Mobil 1 because, while they are fairly expensive, their fully synthetic fiber elements do a much better job filtering small contaminants than the conventional paper elements found in cheaper filters. But despite their excellent filtering capability, these filters still flow well. Mobil 1 oil filters are manufactured by Champion Labs (same mfgr. of K&N filters).
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I hesitate to weigh in on this, because based on past posts about this, I am totally in the minority on what I think. But performance is performance, and for me, there is no substitution for good results over the long term. So I will stick with what has been used in my '99 RSV since it was new - - Yamalube sinth oil changed every 3K to 4K miles, and a Mobile 1 duel stage filter. In 10 years, never a hick up in the engine (other than a recent bout of either bad gas or a clogged fuel filter, which has now been rectified). However, any quality brand 20W50 synthetic oil, especially Mobile 1, would be welcome in my bike if Yamalube was not available. But I will never sacrifice on filter quality. A cheap filter (ie: Fram) will never be used on this boy's scoot! If I lived in a colder weather climate, I might have a somewhat different take on the viscosity of oil used, but this is what works for me from a composition, frequency of change-out, and filter standpoint. My engine with 60K on it runs like new, so that's all the proof I need.
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Congrats! Babies are the best. We had our 18 month old granddaughter with us for a sleep over last night, and it's always a blast.