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LilBeaver

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Everything posted by LilBeaver

  1. LilBeaver
    It sounds like you are in good hands there! And warranty work, while it doesn't pay well, it still does pay the mechanics, so I'm sure if it gets okayed by whoever needs to okay it, they'll be on it.
  2. LilBeaver
    Oh yea, if all goes as planned and nothing else creeps up on me, I should be blowing through Plainview (or west of Plainview on 385) around 5am, Thursday morning. I should return around 3/Aug +/- a few days. I might just have to like this 2k mile commute.
  3. LilBeaver
    Mobil 1 Fully Synthetic 10W-40 or 20W-50 (for summer in Texas). Mobil 1 Filter M1-108. By the way, the Fully Synth 10W-40 comes through my local Sams by the case every once and a while. Which makes it quite affordable. I change mine every 3k miles (as per my 2001's owners manual, but it is also extremely dusty here in west Texas, coupled with 50% of my riding is short trips to and from work).
  4. LilBeaver
    Good plan. I was sort of surprised to see that it took so long for someone to suggest the clutch basket deal (especially since you are still under warranty). Don't let your dealer/yammi mechanic let you think that you have to pay for ANY of this either. It ought to be completely covered under warranty. I have found with my bike that there is more of a variation with ambient temperature than oil weight. Now, my testing has not been real thorough with respect to the oil weight, but I've changed the oil several times now (because of mileage) and have not found anything conclusively relating to a variation in only the weight or type of the oil. Best of luck to you friend! Hopefully you'll get your basket in and have a nice and quiet bike.
  5. LilBeaver
    Yea, no kidding. I've had a rear tire let loose at highway speed before (on my wing). While the bike was okay (and so was I), other than what felt like a minor heart attack and needing a proctologist to remove bits of seat, I would much rather NOT repeat that business again. Especially on the middle of some state highway in the middle of B.F.N. Wyoming or Montana. That and of course, it being a front tire - I am not sure if I could keep the bike up or not.
  6. LilBeaver
    Still in Lubbock, thanks to some bad luck with a tire/tire installer. Should be shoving off bright and early (Thursday) 8/July. Will stop for a night in Laramie, WY (instead of Rawlins - from what I read, Rawlins was sortof a dump...). May or may not head through Yellowstone, but will end the 2nd day somewhere around Bellgrande, MT - mostly because I was able to find a place to stay for a very reasonable price. It will only be a 5-600 mile day, which I am not real crazy about, but, I'll take a shorter day to save significant money on a place to stay. I plan on enjoying the hot tub for a little while at that location. However, the reservation in Bellgrande can still be changed - so I may call an Audible and go a completely different direction. I have had some great suggestions/input from some of ya'll on here - thanks a lot for that! Then, I'll still head to Washington state, as stated in the first post - originally going to overnight in Wenatchee, but that may change because the $40 room I found for the night has gone to 110 for the weekend, so, I probably won't be stopping there. Anyways, I will be taking State/US Highways through Washington, unless the weather is supposed to be horrendous, then I'll just slab it the whole way. Last day will be a short jump from wherever I stop in WA to the Lab I will be working at in Vancouver, likely with a brief stop over near Arlington. I still plan on posting my progress to this thread, including pictures (I found my tripod, thanks for the reminder mini and Brian ) More to come later. Hope everyone has a great week! Oh yea, if you are somewhere near my route and want to ride along for some of the time, you are more than welcome to. Just give me a heads up and I will do my best to keep you posted as appropriate
  7. LilBeaver
    Thanks for the update. Sounds like you are on the right track at least. Hopefully, the doctors are wrong and you'll end up with a COMPLETE recovery, but, you are still breathing, so that certainly counts for something! Isn't it too bad that the healing process doesn't go as quickly as what got you there in the first place? Just imagine... A few seconds and BAM, you're good to go. You, your family and close friends are certainly in my thoughts and prayers.
  8. LilBeaver
    First and foremost, thank you to those who gave me a call and let me know what your thoughts were on the tire (I will leave names out, just in case you don't want to be identified on here). Interestingly enough, as tracked in the thread, overall I ended up with differing opinions on cosmetic vs. major problem. So, what decided for me is the fact that my tire was loosing some air (a significant amount over the course of 24 hours). To identify where the air was coming from (I suspected the valve stem) I sprayed a little soap and water on the area with the split and it bubbled up - so, no riding on this puppy . Arrived at my dealer this morning, right when then open. Walked my tire/wheel in, set it down, exchanged the typical 'good mornings' and whatnot, explained that this tire came from their dealership and was installed a few days ago, has less than 10 miles on it and has been under weight of the bike for maybe 12 hours total (It has been jacked up most of the time - thanks again CarbonOne (Larry) for the nice adapter with legs!!) Pointed to the area on the sidewall with the split in it and the service guy said, 'oh my'. He apologized profusely and said that they would take care of it. They said it should be ready to go first thing tomorrow morning (they didn't have a replacement E3 in stock, so they've got one on the truck for tomorrow). So, provided the next one is newer than '3707' and is not screwed up during mounting, I guess I cannot complain too much other than missing a few days of my vacation time and now two days of work. But, I'm going to try to not get my hopes up, just in case this next install gets botched too. Thanks again for all of the input, I really appreciate it! This site is SUCH a great resource. By the way, you folks in the pacific northwest that are on the VR assistance list, you better lookout, I've got your numbers!! Hopefully I won't have to call any of yous for assistance though
  9. LilBeaver
    Thanks. And I agree 1000% that I much rather find this NOW while I am sitting at home in my garage than find out at 70 M.P.H. In the middle of Wyoming or Montana. I guess stuff happens, so I'll just deal with it. This is my plan. It just stinks that my dealer isn't open on Monday. It might just be cosmetic as it seems to only go through the first layer - but I really don't know a whole lot about tires, so I am going to push for a replacement anyways. After all, it's my butt on the line. And I paid for a brand new tire, this one has less than 20 miles on it. This shouldn't be there. That is sort of what I was thinking too. However, I looked over it really carefully when I picked the tire up and do not recall seeing this little mark - but I was so focused on getting it back home so I could get on the road, I could have easily missed it. Thanks for the info, I'll make sure to point that out to the dealer if they give me any issues about this. Thanks for the input everyone. Hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th!! -- Even you Squeeze... even though it is just another day for you :325:
  10. LilBeaver
    I should have thought about that a little more thoroughly before I posted. Thanks for correcting me.
  11. LilBeaver
    This is ridiculous. I cannot believe this. Not only did I miss the Nelson meet because of dealing with tire issues (along with a few other things, one involved a broken Kitchen window in my house). Now, I am going to be even LATER. My brand new E3 that I got on last Wednesday, now has a split in the sidewall. I was packed, ready to go and doing my final check over everythign before I went to bed for the night (to get up and take off tomorrow morning ~ 5) and what do I see? A split. Yippee. What do you all think? This tire is literally brand new, I have less than 20 miles on it. Sadly my dealer is closed Sunday and Monday so I have to wait until Tuesday to get anywhere with this. Someone shoot me. Maybe it is nothing, I don't know a whole heck of a lot about tires, so maybe I am over reacting... By the way the date code on the tire is 3707 - which I expressed my displeasure with to the dealer immediately when I saw that, but of course, they get what they get from the warehouse and as long as it is within the 5 years they can sell them.
  12. LilBeaver
    10mm regular depth socket and a 1/4" drive ratchet works perfectly for me on both sides. Can R&I both nuts without burning my hands. While many suggest leaving the nuts off, I have found that if I don't have the nuts on I have two undesired effects. 1) My seat wobbles when I sit on it while riding - which I do not like 2) If the wind blows just right while my bike is parked, I end up playing the 'find my seat game' and with as much fun as THAT is, I don't want to have to do that again
  13. LilBeaver
    I suspect that you have a problem with the way that these horns were wired it to begin with. None of the wires should be live going in and out of the horn until that horn button is pushed. Doing the check for 12V on the leads is a step in the right direction, but, it doesn't take that long to trace electrical wiring - especially what you have installed yourself. I'd double check to make sure that the correct wires are plugged into the correct places on the relay, and some electrical checks at the relay itself to make sure the correct wires are going in and out of the correct places. Just a thought and my EDIT: I just reread Monty's post and realize that he has basically already said this. Sorry to be repetitive.
  14. LilBeaver
    Absolutely not. The only time that I have even considered it is when I am stuck, as you describe, and I am on an air cooled bike. BUT, in an instance like that, shutting off the motor and letting traffic move a little, start up, move, then coast with the motor off, works well too. As others have said, the extra junk on the shoulder is certainly part of what I don't want to run over, BUT, between that and cars pulling out on to the shoulder to rubber neck, or emergency vehicles NEEDING to get up to whatever it is, in any of those cases I certainly do not want to be in the way. Yes, on a bike, we endure the heat, etc etc. But what about someone in a car with a broken air conditioner? Should this be extended to them too? After all, they are probably much warmer sitting in the enclosed greenhouse with no air conditioning than we are sitting out in the open on top of our bikes. Bottom line for me, I'll take sitting in the heat over risking running over something, getting hit by a car, or most importantly - getting in the way of an emergency vehicle that really does need to use the shoulder to get wherever they are going. Yea, it stinks to sit in the heat, but, I'll take being uncomfortable in the heat over potentially slowing down help getting to someone that really needs it, or getting my self hurt. There have been too many times that I was in a squad car trying to respond to something running full lights, siren and in some cases the air horn and P.A. system and people that were either too dumb too notice that I was behind them (or trying to get around them), too oblivious to their surroundings or just flat out didn't care and in most cases like that EVERY SECOND COUNTS. So I certainly will not be 'that guy' blocking or slowing the response of an emergency vehicle if I can help it. I hope this addresses your question in the fashion that you were looking. This is definitely my opinion, as you requested.
  15. LilBeaver
    Sweet! Thanks for sharing. Looks like it was a great time
  16. LilBeaver
    I realize that Truck shops don't sell Yamaha parts. However, truck stops and CB shops DO sell all sorts of CB mounts, equipment, etc. Point being that you may find something that is close enough to work just fine for you. Sorry, I guess I could have been a little more clear. If you really want the official Yamaha part, have you tried Pinwall? I cannot imagine that there would be a high demand for the part you are looking for, so you may want to give them a call. Or like you have mentioned here already, maybe someone has converted their bikes to the single antenna setup and would be willing to get rid of the other mount.
  17. LilBeaver
    I'd try the local Truck stop before anything else. If you are interested in going to only 1 antenna (to do both CB and radio) see this feller: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=11486&highlight=antenna or the Marshall Mod: http://www.bludolphintravel.com/gmg/marshallmod.htm
  18. LilBeaver
    By the way I modified my last post to add what hill I was talking about - so it made sense. To answer your question, yes I have been there. If I recall correctly the road to the parking lot is not paved (as of a few years ago) but if you take it easy (and it hasn't rained recently) you shouldn't have a problem getting back in and out with your bike and trailer. I did it with a Goldwing. Although, I was by myself and did not have a trailer. As for it being worth it or not, . There are plenty of really nice places to visit and things to see in the U.P. These falls are purdy, and probably the best that I visited in the Munising area but, they are no Tahquamenon. Hope that helps some.
  19. LilBeaver
    I did forget to mention the time thing. My plan is to overnight somewhere in Washington state. I do not have plans as to where yet, it was going to depend on which route I took and if there was anything worthwhile along the way. Thanks for the tip about the Dam, I'll check it out. I've been down I-90 through Montana a few times. My brother went to college at University of Colorado at Boulder and I drove out to see him (from the Chicago area) so that is how I went out. I just haven't been west of there.
  20. LilBeaver
    I guess a real question I have is: Is it worth all of the extra time to take the highways through Yellowstone, or is the ride along I-90 across the Rockies just as scenic? I am pretty sure I know the answer is 'of course Yellowstone is worth the ride' but I'd like to hear from some of you that have been through there. Same question about crossing Washington state - is the ride along I90 just as nice as it would be along US-2, etc? How slow are the US-2, and associated highways really, compared to I-90? Thanks!
  21. LilBeaver
    http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=1301+Akron+Ave,+Lubbock,+Texas+79406+(Texas+Tech+University+Health+Sciences+Center:+Human+Resources)&daddr=Rawlins,+WY+to:West+Yellowstone,+MT+to:Whitehall,+MT+to:Spokane,+WA+to:Okanogan,+WA+to:Twisp,+WA+to:Triumf+Research+Centre,+British+Columbia,+Canada&hl=en&geocode=FbOQAAIdk0Dt-SHftHvXyBoG1SmbXFQ1Ww3-hjHY0ntZo5b_mA%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B&mra=ls&sll=33.588597,-101.893387&sspn=0.066066,0.154324&ie=UTF8&ll=47.383474,-116.960449&spn=6.874108,19.753418&z=6 State highways through WA: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=1301+Akron+Ave,+Lubbock,+Texas+79406+(Texas+Tech+University+Health+Sciences+Center:+Human+Resources)&daddr=Rawlins,+WY+to:West+Yellowstone,+MT+to:Whitehall,+MT+to:Spokane,+WA+to:Okanogan,+WA+to:Twisp,+WA+to:Triumf+Research+Centre,+British+Columbia,+Canada&hl=en&geocode=FbOQAAIdk0Dt-SHftHvXyBoG1SmbXFQ1Ww3-hjHY0ntZo5b_mA%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B&mra=ls&sll=33.588597,-101.893387&sspn=0.066066,0.154324&ie=UTF8&ll=47.383474,-116.960449&spn=6.874108,19.753418&z=6
  22. LilBeaver
    Well, since I will not make it to Nelson, BC like I wanted to I figured I can still enjoy my ride to work... Both there and back. I will be departing Lubbock, Texas the morning of 4/July. Heading up to Rawlins, WY for the night. The following morning I'll depart Rawlins, head north following Highway 287 through Yellowstone all the way up to Whitehall, MT, where I will likely stop for the night. Then take the slab up to Spokane, Washington where I will have to decide whether to slab it all the way to Seattle or take US-2, 97, and Highway 20 to intersect with I-5 just north of Seattle. There will probably be an overnight stop sometime in there depending on which way I decide to go. Then the last day will land me at the Lab I will be working at in Vancouver, BC. This route seems better than slabbing it the whole way up there but for you folks that live in the Yellowstone area, I am DEFINITELY up for suggestions. I am looking to see quite a bit on the way but still make reasonable time. Same goes for folks in Washington, I am certainly up for route advice, and would appreciate any and all input. Route advice, the essential things to see and take dorky pictures of myself and bike along the way are all appreciated and welcomed. Thanks in advance! By the way, I plan on posting pictures along the way and some updates to this thread - just in case anyone is interested.
  23. LilBeaver
    So what would cause that? Too many wheelies? Or just 100k Miles?
  24. LilBeaver
    +1 to this. If your goal is a great pasty, then you can't go wrong with any of the Mom and Pop type joints between Marquette and Ishpeming.
  25. LilBeaver
    Thanks for the feedback folks. I too have noticed the Motel6's tend to be the least expensive and most of the time they really aren't all that bad either. I have a few places scoped out already for the first two nights and am still not sure about the third yet, but I think I'll figure that out while I'm on the road. Now, if I can remember where I put my backpacking sleeping bag, it would help make my decision a lot easier! Thanks again.
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