LilBeaver

Quite frankly, I agree with him. There are quite a few people that fit that description quite well. I do use facebook, not to meet people or anything but to stay in contact with old friends. The company has said numerous times that they will never charge people to use it, and if they do, I'm done. For now, I can't argue with free. On top of that, I simply do not share anything that I would care if it got plastered all over the place. Like others said too, I don't use the 3rd party applications and keep things simple. Some of that stuff was interesting to look at - thanks for posting it Brian.

Hope things continue to go smoothly for you. Ditto to keeping us posted! You better change YOUR cell phone number if you don't want visitors

I guess I need thicker glasses or something. Sorry about that )

Well, my key was pretty hot today when I turned off my bike. Although my thermometer did say it was 97 out (in the shade), and I was riding for ~4-5 hours or so... In the sun. So, while I don't think I am having premature switch issues, I just figured it was time that I come up with a quick and easy bypass. I know that there is a write up for doing this and cutting the wires on the bike to wire up the bypass for when it fails (and I will probably do this if absolutely necessary), but what I would like to do is get a plug and play setup going, so all I have to do is unplug my faulty ignition switch and plug in my bypass (using the existing wiring). I have also considered dismantling my current ignition switch for inspection and cleaning - as an attempt at a preventative measure. Question: Does anyone have an old ignition switch (failed or not, I don't care) that you wouldn't mind sending me? Either the whole switch or snip the wires as close to the switch as possible (so I have a decent length going to the plug-in connectors left over). I'll pay shipping (obviously). Thanks in advance!! : ) - Rick

Glad to hear it worked out for you!! Did you go from the "H" basket to the "I" basket? or what did you start with?

Good Call!!

Okay so they aren't necessarily obscure... [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g266Uwp6ZnI]YouTube- Arlo Guthrie/Motorcycle Song[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_EFdod4YDo]YouTube- ZZ Top - Sharp Dressed Man (From "Live In Texas")[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIq1LvzSLsk]YouTube- Toby Keith - Should've Been A Cowboy[/ame]

Lol - okay so I guess I could have separated my thoughts a little more clearly than I did in that post, sorry. I do maintain that all you need to do is connect the two ends of the hoses together ('in' and 'out' with respect to the fuel pump) and I don't see why a double-end type connector wouldn't work as an in-line type patch.

Well sounds like things are going in a decent direction. Hope things continue to look up for you don.

Oh. Good call - I didn't even think about that. Although you'll probably be able to settle in mediation/arbitration before you'd even actually make it to the court room, you are correct.

Since the fuel filter itself is rather small, one would probably be better off just keeping a spare in your tool kit. But to answer your question, all you need to be able to do is connect two hoses together - so yes, a double ended connector [with clamps] would likely do the trick.

If you bypass the fuel pump itself I am pretty sure you won't be able to use all of the fuel in your tank. If I recall correctly, 'Seaking' as well as a few others that have had their pump fail, one of the symptoms was that they could go as long as they had a reasonably full tank then the bike would just die. But yea, once you give it a go without the fuel cap on, that ought to give some more info as to what else to look at.

Wow, that is intense. Also note that if you paid via credit card, I have found the protection from the CC companies to be of tremendous help. Hopefully you'll get them soon, with a reasonable explanation and maybe a little cash back or whatever you feel is warranted here. I admire your patience with this.

Uh oh... You guys smell that. *sniff sniff* I think I detect a hint of a 'why' thread comin on! GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!!

Cool!! Looks like a relatively straight forward install. I am curious as to how dry those components will stay. I was talking to another member this last weekend who had installed a cigarete ligher type outlet just to the left rear of the driver seat and said that it was toast after the first rain he rode in. If you end up taking it back apart again anywyas (since you said you might be looking to switch it out for one one each side) you may want to consider putting a little dielectric grease on the inside (rear of the panel) of the rubber cover where the electrical contacts come together or come up with an additional way to seal it up in there - to help protect from corrosion, the elements, etc. Although, now that I am thinking about this, it'll probably stay pretty dry in there anyways - since the OEM main fuse is back there and is fine. Anyhoo, just sharing a thought.

Good call on making sure it IS the fuel pump before you pay some bozo 80/hr to tell you to replace the fuel filter. Actually, I know you've got quite a few miles on your bike, it may be time for the fuel filter anyways. How many miles do you have on your current one? I'd say if you are 10k or more on the current one, you may as well just go ahead and replace it. As far as your concern about them fussing about the trailering and extra wiring - the only thing I could see as a possible legitimate arguement would be if you managed to short out the fuel pump by your extra gizmos - which I think would be difficult to do unless you crossed some wires somewhere (and even at that, it would take some doing to screw it up). Regardless, it sounds like you are on a good track to diagnosing whatever the issue may be. Enjoy the humidity!!

If it does turn out to be the fuel pump, that ought to be covered under the warranty...

You say you need to replace your seat(s)... One thing you may want to consider is getting in contact with Rick_Butler as he has been reworking seats for a long time and might be able to provide some insight into fixing it for you or actually fix it for you. Just a thought as an alternative.

Howdy You picked the best color (although I may be slightly biased) Some feel it is a little top heavy at low speeds. For a 900 lb bike, with a lot of weight up top, I think it is fine. I'm no giant by any stretch of the imagination (5'8" with a 31" inseam). Just STAY OFF the front brake when doing low speed manuvering. I also have an 82 wing (GL1100 interstate). The wing definitely feels lighter (lower center of gravity), but I can still throw the RSV around pretty well. Just take your time getting used to it and like I said, whatever you do, do NOT use the front brake at low speeds - especially if the bars are anything BUT straight. - That is a recipe for disaster. Since you've ridden/owned so many bikes, I doubt you'll have any trouble getting used to this one. If you do, there are plenty of options to help low speed maneuverability and handling that can help account for vertically challenged people, as well as those that are monsters and need the bike raised. I would suggest spending some time on the bike before making any of those types of changes though - that will allow for a 'proper' adjustment period so you can get accustomed to the bike. Only differences from 2001 to 2010 are: - in 03 (or 04) they added a vent hose to the rear shock - Colors - I think I read that in 2005 something was changed with the mounting of the radiator, but that has not been verified and I have only seen that mentioned once - 2010 had some 'awesome' flame stickers, no whiskers - 2009 The CD player as a standard accessory (instead of the available option) - 2004 (+/- 1 year or so) and beyond Yamaha switched the silver/chrome color engine to a blacked out version But these are all extremely minor changes White walls have never been OEM. The Dunlop 404s do have a whitewall option in the correct size for this bike, but the venture never came with that as original equipment. The clutch basket whine thing was not a recall. There is a service bulletin on it, but no recall. As far as I know, the only 'problem' with it is the whine associated with it - some bikes are worse than others. Mine is like a woma... I won't go there. Lets just say, mine has a mind of its own. Some days at certain speeds (RPMs, really) I can't hear it at all and the bike just hums along. Other days, it is quite obnoxious. I think that since it deals with the gear tolerance, ambient air temperature makes a difference, along with several other factors. But again, nothing mechanically wrong with it - it just gets a little annoying after a while (sometimes). It is very much like your royal star. Same motor (I believe), different cams and carbs though - but it is essentially based on the same bike. You too bud, and welcome to the site. When you get there and do your initial inspection on the bike, make sure you take a real good look at the rear shock and look for ANY SIGN of oil dripping from the shock. Push up the rubber cover (it looks like a mini accordion) and see if you see oil. If you see oil, you'll be in need of a rear shock relatively soon (if not already) and OEMs start around 450. The shock is a known weak point on these bikes. Also look at the lower cowlings (the plastic deals in front of the floorboards). Some have had issues with these cracking. Maybe its too late for further negotiation, but this could be helpful in cutting the price down a little so you can have the bike in great condition. Anyways, I'll cork it now as this post has gotten quite long. Again, welcome to the site and I hope that your new-to-you bike is great and gives you plenty-o-miles Any other questions, just hop on and ask. There IS a search function on the upper tool bar on this site, that makes finding things very helpful. Also, for common technical things (maintenance items, etc.) when you click on the 'forum' link on the toolbar, scroll down a ways and you'll see "Second Gen technical library" or something similar to that. There is a lot of good info in there too. Okay, shutting up for REAL now.

Nice pictures!! Thanks for sharing. By the way, when I read this at first I had to scratch my head and read it again. What I had thought I read was: "Lost my $200 camera, I gave it to a bear to hold and for some reason he dropped it off the bike at 65 MPH..." So, here I am with a mental image of you vs. a grizzly, for which you give your camera to, then both mount up the bike and take off. So this 800lb grizzly, on the back of a 1st gen snapping pictures had me a little confused... It has been a long day.

Maybe you should find some with the fishes in them too. Maybe she'll like those. AND as a bonus, if you let her feet ride on the exhaust for a while, when you stop for a rest break you can have a snack too!!

A couple straight clamps on the ends of the wood block (cut to length) that would sort of 'nestle' the block around the floor boards may be an alternative to drilling through the floorboards them selves. Or, cut little tracks in the edge of the block of wood for the zip ties to sit into, thereby eliminating the slop in them all together. I do hear what you are saying about the possibility of them sliding off though. Just some thoughts.

In your first post you said that you get this 'noise' when the radio volume is turned way down. Later you said that you get this noise when you change the volume at all. This would indicate to me that there IS some issue with something, possibly two different issues. First of all, make sure the CB is off, then adjust the volume and see if you still get the noise. If you do, then you can skip down to opening the fairing (although these other options won't take very long and are good to do anyways) If it does not make that noise, go to the antennas on your bike and trace the wires that come from the bottom of the antennas. Make sure that the CB antenna (the one with the little black thingy in it) goes to the black box under the trunk. Then check to make sure that the one from the radio antenna (the one without the little black thingy on it) does not go to that little black box. If it is, in fact, backwards - you'll need to switch the antennas and this could have been the source of much of the noise with the CB. Next, there are two large black (5-pin c-bus) connections under the passenger seat of the bike. Press each one of those together and take careful note to see if either of them were loose at all. Regardless of whether it was loose or not, I'd then pull them apart and press them back together 5-10 times (to help clean any build up/corrosion off). Squirt some electrical contact cleaner in each connector, let sit for 1-2 minutes, then blow out to ensure dryness. Put on a dab of dielectric grease and press them (firmly) back together. If one of the connectors were loose, that could have been a possible source of the problem. The next thing to do would be to pop off the fairing and clean the radio connectors (bundle of 4 large connectors). Before you take them apart, try pushing them together more and see if any of them move. If one of them does, trace the cable back to wherever it goes to - if it goes to the radio head, then you can probably be pretty confident in that it was just a loose connection there. While it is all open, go ahead and clean the connectors anyways, put in a little dielectric grease and button it back up. The next thing to check (to be complete about your investigation) would be the grounds on your bike. The one for the radio system is located under the plastic neck cover piece to the right (brake side) of the ignition switch. You do need to remove the fuel tank to get to this (but that is literally 3 bolts and a hose clamp - real easy stuff). The next ground is down by the horn - a bolt that goes into the motor. And the CB ground I believe is actually under the trunk, but I do not recall if the trunk needs to come off to get to it or not (no big deal if it is, just undo the electrical connectors and take out the 4 bolts in the 'floor' of the trunk). If the problem still persists with the noise when adjusting the volume, then unfortunately, you are probably in need of a new radio head or maybe the amp it self. Some noise, that breaks squelch on the CB, IS normal for driving under powerlines, next to big trucks that have CBs, etc. Lastly, if your bike is still under warranty, I would definitely be on the way to the dealer if none of these checks worked since used the radio controller head goes for ~$200, amp for ~$300 and the CB (if you can find one) for ~$300. New: Radio controller head $600, main amp and CB ~$1200 each. Anyhoo, let us know if you have more questions or run into any other symptoms that could help the diagnosis.