LilBeaver

If it really is that easy, then, it would seem like that would be a reasonable way to go (but that'll be up to Eck and whomever else is around/available to help).

Well in THAT case....

Okay folks. I am home now, so will likely be on here more. I am not very close (geographically) to Lowell, BUT, if no one else closer wants to step up and take charge of the fund, I can go ahead and do it. I am familiar enough with pay pal and after the collection can either make a weekend trip out to see him or find some way to go ahead and get the cash his way. I will wait until later today before just doing it - but, I can start a new thread (as well as note at the end of this one) if I end up doing it. EDIT: Unless someone pms me otherwise (ie you are geographically closer to Wildhair), I will go ahead and setup the collection fund. I will use a separate PayPal account, setup explicitly for the collection for this effort. I will start a new thread this evening with all of the appropriate information in it (paypal address/donate button, w.e.). Just please be patient with me to get this going as I do have a few other time-sensitive work-related items that need to get done first. I will post again to this thread as well as start a new one when I get it all setup.

Well, I did say that I was going to keep everyone posted throughout my trip; that obviously did not happen. Immediately after returning home from this road/work trip I had to repack and head to the airport for a conference. Now that I am home from the conference, things have settled down a little bit and I have some time to go ahead and put together a trip summary. I have a total of several hundred pictures that I have taken on the road, a few have been put up in this thread and I will put up a few more sample shots either in this post or in the next post – but in the interest of bandwidth and server space, I probably won’t post a whole heck of a lot. I’ve got several up on facebook that I think I will go ahead and link here and open up for public viewing, for a week or so, that way ya’ll can see them and I’m not taxing don’s server space. My total trip mileage was only 5,432 miles from 8/July – 2/Aug/2010. My trip was supposed to start 28/June with a stopover for the cruising the koots rally – but due to a tire tread separation, the replaced tire having a sidewall issue, then issues getting that tire replaced in a timely fashion I was forced to miss the rally but was able to hit the road with reliable equipment. So, the morning of 2/Aug, I was out the door. Day 1 (8/July/2010) Total: ~700mi. Woke up with the expectation of riding through nasty weather all day. After looking at the weather radars and doing some quick math, I delayed my start for a few hours and managed to hit only a total of 30 minutes of rain or so the entire way. This day I went from Lubbock, Texas to Laramie, Wyoming totaling somewhere around 700 miles. Took US-84 NW out of Lubbock, 4.5 hours later I was in New Mexico. I took I-25 north to Pueblo, CO where I diverted to state roads and whatnot up near Ft Collins where I picked up US-287 and took the last 80 miles to Laramie, WY where I stopped for the night at a Best Western that I would suggest anyone avoid at all costs. The room was okay, but upon arrival I was charged a different rate than what I was guaranteed online (which I had the printed reservation guarantee with me and everything). Had I been in a car and there was another choice in the area I would have been out of there in a heartbeat. Given the circumstances and regardless of the argument with the clerk – I called my CC company; they said they’d take care of it, so I stayed the night anyways. Enough about that. The good news with the crappy skies and cloud cover is that the temperatures were in the high 70’s or low 80’s for the daytime. Once in Colorado, the skies cleared and the temp dropped. When the sun went down, the temps dipped to the low 50s. Day 2 (9/July/2010) Total: ~550 miles Up and on the road by 6am, I started out west on I-80 to Rawlins, WY (100 miles on expressway). Fueled up in Rawlins and didn’t see an interstate for the rest of the day. North on US-287 out or Rawlins and headed towards Yellowstone. The sky was blue for most of the day and the temps were in the 70s or maybe low 80s, but it was fantastic all day. My first stop that was picture worthy was at Beaver Rim (I didn’t even plan that but it happened). Not only was the view fantastic but as I was putting my side stand down I saw a bike pulling strong up the road that looked like a royal star. He pulled into the scenic turnout I was in and sure enough, it was a late 90s royal star. He had put on a set of mm venture bags, a real nice crash bar, and he had a sheepskin cover made for the seat from a leather smith a hundred miles up the road. We chatted for about 30 minutes or so, took some pictures and hit the road. I realized just now that I don’t have any pictures of his bike. We took pictures of our bikes and us and whatnot – but apparently I didn’t get any that were of his bike with my camera, I was positive that I did; oh well. We exchanged contact information and I referred him to this site and he said he’d check it out. He is from Sacramento, CA and he was headed up to the Stampede rally. Anyways, I saddled up and continued through the parks, it clouded up and rained on me all the way through Yellowstone, which was sad but I still got to see the park. While in the park, I saw a man pull his mini-van off the road and then get out to chase a bear into the woods – that was funny but sad at the same time. And I also met a couple that is currently going to Northern Michigan University – where I graduated from May of 2007. Apparently I tutored the gal in Physics, but I don’t remember… Oh well. By the time I was close to exiting the park towards west Yellowstone, it was dark – so unfortunately I missed seeing Big Sky, MT in the daylight but the extra time spent in Yellowstone, taking pictures and enjoying the limited sights that I could see I think was worth it. I probably would not do that ride again that time a year, thanks to all of the traffic and tourism, but that is the first time that I was through Yellowstone so; I figured it was worthwhile for this part of the trip. From West Yellowstone, I went north through Big Sky. Despite some questionable blips with my electrical system, I did make it to Belgrade, MT where I stopped for the night. Other than Yellowstone the traffic was basically nonexistent. Temperatures dipped again into the low 50s at the end of the day riding through Big Sky, but it was still a decent ride. By the way, some of those highways are REALLY REALLY dark all by yourself. Got into the hotel, which was quite nice considering the 50 bucks I paid for it. Towards the end of this day, I ended up with an absolutely terrible headache (something that I rarely get), runny nose and some other cold/flu like symptoms. So, that night was rough. I managed to get a little sleep and hit the road early the next morning. Day 3 (10/July/2010) ~580 miles Despite the health woes of the previous night, I hit the road a little later this morning, and decided to take the interstate the whole way – just in case my body decided to relapse into whatever the heck it was that I had manage to come down with the day before. Montana was boring until I hit the western edge. Boy was I surprised. Some beautiful roadway that wound through some mountains, despite it being an expressway, it was a good balance for a day of really easy riding. Northern Idaho was the same way (all 55 miles of it). Washington state, on the other hand, was not quite as boring as the Texas panhandle, but it came in a very close second. Temperatures and weather this day were quite nice as well. Mostly clear skies and lovely temperatures. I arrived in Ellensburg, WA where I stopped for the night. Despite the pool closing time being 10pm, the lovely gal at the front desk agreed to let me use it later. *snickers* So, I sat in the hot tub (which was actually clean, hot and nice) for a little while – which helped my back and my head a lot. Thanked the gal at the front desk, got some dinner then hit the hay for the night. Day 4 (11/July/2010) ~300 miles Woke up this morning feeling great. It was a little cool out, but the sky was clear and I was good to go. Made contact with Larry (SilverDeer) and planned on having lunch with him once I got up to his neck of the woods. I departed Ellensburg, WA on US-2 and took that all the way to I-5 where I headed up to Arlington, WA to have brunch with Larry and his lovely gal (I’m sorry, I am absolutely terrible with names ). We spent quite a bit of time chatting, eating, and looking at each other’s bikes as well as taking some pictures (which did get posted somewhere here). Some great people there – you Washington folks that don’t get together very often are missing out on some great people. Well, back on the road and just a short hop to the border from there. While getting back on, I dropped it into 3rd to accelerate up and get around a few cars (and to verify what I had felt before) I felt the engine rev way up but I wasn’t going any faster – awesome – but with keeping that in mind, I took ‘er easy and made it safely the rest of the way. My wait at customs was a grand total of 2 cars and 10 minutes chatting with the customs agent. Apparently driving 2k miles to work when I could have flown, put up a flag for Canadian customs. But, we got over that hurdle and I was 30 minutes from the lab. Pulled into the lab around 330 or so and as I was headed in to meet up with my boss and colleagues, I got a whiff of myself and decided that I had better go shower first. So, with an about face I headed back to the bike and actually ran into one of my collaborators while I was mounting back up. Now for 3 weeks of work… with the occasional break for some riding and meeting up with a few locals Mileage: 42,443 -- 44,598 To be continued… (sometime in the next couple of days) Facebook Album Links: Day 1: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2174096 Day 2: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2174098 Day 3: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2174104 Day 4: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2174106

You do NOT need to get an international driver's license so long as your current Aussie one is valid and you will not be driving in the U.S. for more than 1 year. Australia is one of the countries that have an exchange agreement with driving licenses, etc. It would be in your best interest, for while you ARE driving here, to keep your D.L and you passport on hand - just in case you do get stopped. The passport provides a confirmation of who you are and just when you entered this country. When I get some time later, I'll post the links to the official laws that state this. By the way - I know this because I work with a visiting professor that is Austrailian and his official appointment is for just under 1 year. I helped him look into the requirements for D.L. etc, since he bought a car and such. For your own reference and in prepping to come visit you may want to contact the appropriate embassy near where you will be entering the country and chat with them about what your intentions are. They can definitely set you up with whatever other information you will require. If you have your own auto/bike insurance in Aussie land you can check your policy to see if you can add on a bike that is purchased and driven outside of the country but I suspect that your best bet will be to just do it all state side - or maybe find someone willing to 'buy' the bike [in their name] and insure it with you/quickstep as the primary driver - and you can just reimburse them for the actual cost. I am glad to see that you are considering this instead of renting one over here as I am pretty sure that you will save a SIGNIFICANT amount of money this way.

I often contemplate selling my RSV for another wing. After my last trip came to an end, I was feeling a bit cramped on my RSV and thinking that I could be on a wing and feel the same way (with highway pegs of course) so... Hmmm...

:sign yeah that: :sign yeah that: (Even though it is coming from some sub-human missing link thing ) Don't believe that it can be done - check out the pictures. And I thought these were beyond saving. The only spots that I couldn't manage to get at were the areas around where they mount (but after really close and further inspection, it appears to be mostly cosmetic), but since they aren't on my bike all that often, I don't really care - if it breaks I'll find some way to patch it and fix it or live without. In my opinion, if the 'rust spots' DON'T come out, then MAYBE you ought to consider subsidizing SOME of the return. What is the objection to the other person keeping the pipes? Is it purely the cosmetic blemishes? Do they not like the sound? Change their mind? EDIT: Okay so the before and after pictures that I had thought that I had, I don't. I can take after pictures, but that won't do you any good. I have shown some before and afters of a different set of pipes that I cleaned up - not the spots that aren't shiny are the places where the internal parts were riveted into place. The pipes that I had were rusted, what looked like, pretty bad - but they came out just as shiny as these did.

Done. I had thought about starting another thread, but was a little reluctant because I didn't want to be redundant - but I think it is a good idea. Hopefully the videos ARE moving along (and it will get to you soon) and people just aren't posting here or letting me know - but Hopefully we'll find out soon.

:happy65::happy65::group cheers::happy65: WELCOME HOME!!!! Thank you for your service and sacrifices!!! :thumbsup2: :usa::usa::usa::usa::usa:

Bump - And for those of you that have seen it and sent it on but are still on the list, PLEASE either PM me or post here so I can keep the list up to date. I haven't heard from anyone in a while either in this thread or via a message to know where these videos are actually at. If you still have it and have had it for a while, lets keep it moving so others can see it too please. ******* Okay folks, for the last couple of months I have been swamped with work/travel (mostly for work) so I started slacking off on my attempts to locate these videos and keep them moving. But to be quite honest with ya'll, un-answered PMs, e-mails and phone calls weren't helping either. For those of you that got back to me with the information you did have, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, as for the rest of you that I contacted - I am rather disappointed that you could take the time to send me a quick note back. Regardless, out of respect for the folks that have been on this list for a rediculously long time, patiently waiting to view and pass on as agreed by requesting to be on this list, I would appreciate if whoever currently has copies of these would do the following: 1) First and foremost - POST TO THIS THREAD indicating that you have a copy of the video and when you will be passing it on. 2) Look at the list and figure out if it is accurate as to where you are on it - if not, then in the post that you make for #1, indicate how it ought to be changed. 3) Be considerate and follow these simple guidelines to be fair to everyone else. What I really hope is that the videos have been making their rounds according to the order listed on this thread and that folks have just not been updating that they have it and have sent it to **whomever you sent it to**, and that we are making our way through it - but don't worry, I'm not holding my breath on that one. Thanks for your time - thank yous ESPECIALLY to those of you that donated your copy of the video for everyone to learn from :happy65: So again, c'mon folks - lets get these moving again.

Hopefully whatever you find it'll be obvious when you see it so it will be CONCLUSIVE. Intermittent electrical problems are the worst... well, intermittent ANY problems are never any fun... To be quite honest with you, I have been so freaking busy with work I simply do not remember how comprehensive I was with that posting and after I posted on this thread I started to wonder if I had actually posted it or just THOUGHT about posting my problem and solution... Anyhoot, :080402gudl_prv:

I posted about symptoms basically identical to this a few weeks ago - I couldn't find any info on it, but, I guess I wasn't the only one. I won't repeat what has already been said but what I found was: 1) Since trip was reset, radio reset, etc - loss of power to all of bike = not the common ignition switch problem 2) MY issue was loose connection where the main fuse and battery cables connect. While I was at it, I cleaned the main fuse connector - but one of those little screws were loose and I confirmed it by wiggling it with the key in the ON position and I was able to duplicate the symptoms. One of the battery terminal screws were loose as well - but wiggling that did not cause any change in the electrical power to the bike - so it was def. down by the main fuse. Hope that helps.

1 year in prison and/or a maximum of a $5,000 fine, unless you get caught in the act or are armed, then it is a maximum of 15 years, unless someone is injured in the process, then it can be up to 30 years; that of course, is all before you get to the border. Once you cross the border, there is an additional charge that will run you up to 10 years in prison, in addition to the theft charges. Oh... on second thought, maybe that is not what you meant...

Meh - I wouldn't be so eager to say nothing to worry about... But hey, maybe that's just me. The 'pop' you experienced - could you be a little more descriptive. Was it a pop out of the exhaust? Under the seat? in the front? Did it sound like a small explosion, electrical arc... etc You mentioned that you could feel a slight jerk in the handlebars - that is a start...

Lookin' good!

I'll admit that it did get pretty nasty in the afternoon. But it sure was nice when the sun went down! I won't be in Lubbock forever... another 2 maybe 2.5 years tops, so if you are close, wherever I am - just let me know, there is always time for ice cream

First and foremost welcome to the site! Now, after a quick scan through I didn't see pictures of it, although I believe it was mentioned... I have the Radientz (from 'BikerHiWay') 32LED tail lamp plug and play replacement (lifetime warranty and total cost was 50 bucks, I think), and a 15" LED strip (from a truck stop; total cost WITH mounting hardware was maybe $20) that bolted right on between the helmet locks -- there is a write up on this, somewhere in here - I may do a quick search for it, but if not - it ought to be easy to find. SilverDeer and I compared tail lamps (he has the 100 LED plug and play replacement) as shown in this image here:

I know I have found times where I would like to see/watch the clock AND the trip meter without having to push and hold the 'select' button to toggle between the two...

it is probably a good thing for you that I didn't have a hitch on my bike... Although getting an unlicenced/untitled trailer through customs may have been a trick... Nice job!!

:happy65: You won't be disappointed [at least based on what you told me you were looking for in them]. They come with a 2 year warranty, and that covers the patch cable. That is my only real complaint about them - I am on my 3rd set of patch cables now, but they keep replacing them and apologizing, so maybe someday I'll get a set that doesn't go bad on me.

I too have yet to run into an Autozone, Murray's (which I believe is now under the name of O'reilly's), Napa or Wal-Mart (that have an auto-service center) that won't take used oil. There were a few places that asked what was in it (coolant, etc) but other than that, no problems.

Oh - I made it home late Monday evening. I haven't been around here much due to having to get caught up with some work related items. I suppose I could have mentioned where I was.

Wow, I haven't been on much in the last several days due to travling and just now saw this thread. Although I believe anything that I have to say has already been said I will answer FLB's question. Yes :stickpoke::rasberry: In all seriousness folks I am amazed that some of you will openly feel that because someone chose not to open their personal information up to the world wide web that automatically makes them some horrible person. Quite frankly, I don't like my last name anywhere on here and was really hesitant to put my phone number for the first couple of months of my membership (and DIDN'T). Did I magically become a different person because I decided to add my name to the assistance list after I hung around here a while and got to know a few folks a little better. While almost all of the members I have met in person, spoke with on the phone or interacted in a public sense have seemed to be good people, there are a handful on here that I know have ripped one another off or were involved in some sleezy shenanigans that make me hope they never call me some day asking for help with something. I have met with FLB on a few occasions now, 2 were business transactions (one turned into a mini M&E where we shot the bull for a few hours, and met an interesting character) and one was a maintenance day. Take what you want from his comments, he seems like a good guy to me. He offered to help me with a handful of things - changing my shock for one, and offered a lot of very good mechanical advice on a few other items. I just finished a 5.4k mile trip, changed my oil in a parking lot and didn't think twice about it. A member here offered for me to use their garage while I was in town, and among other things, I ran out of time to do it while I was there as well as decided to run a few more miles on that oil before I paid Canadian prices for oil (I had a filter on hand). In the future, if I was going to need an oil change on the road and knew that I wanted a dealer to do it, I guess I would have planned ahead enough to at least have the dealers phone numbers on hand as to where I thought I was going to stop and call ahead. After all, it shouldn't be a surprise that you are going to want to change your oil. A tire blowout, flat, spring a leak somewhere, have some mysterious fuel pump or electrical issues, a windshield snaps off - okay, those while you can plan ahead for some, sometimes stuff just goes wrong and you have to deal with it. Even if it was a day or two ahead of time, that would give them the opportunity to work me in or allow me to make different arrangements, but maybe that is just me. I know on my last trip, I had a series of unfortunate events that seemed to put me at the mercy of dealers within a few hundred miles of me and other members here. I realize that in any of those cases, any of them could have just said - shrugged it off and said that it will take however long it takes or whatever, but I am quite thankful that we have the supportive network we have here to help on the road as necessary. It is comforting to know that anywhere we are there is the possibility of assistance within a few hours of just about anywhere you are. Whether it is someone with parts nearby, someone willing to overnight parts to you, or receive parts for you so that you could stop by, pick them up and install them as needed. In any case it is nice to be supported by so many good people. I am often impressed with the stories I hear about HD dealers that are so willing to stay open a little late to help a traveler. I have also heard similar stories about some Yamaha dealers (either parting out a showroom bike to get someone moving again, or personally driving some throttle cables to someone a few hours away, etc.). I do also try to keep the 'poor ones' noted as if I am on the road and have an option to stop at a particular dealer for something along the way, I certainly like to support those that have shown good customer service and a general interest in participating in good business practices. I suppose I will stop here since I am not really adding anything to this at this point...

Are you sure this isn't Nina being bored with the straight and steady riding? I know I feel that way with some of the riding around my home...

Well - you two are both wrong. He showed up in a good lookin' truck. As for the rally - we talked a little bit about where to have get togethers and whatnot, but I didn't get 'roped' into anything... yet...