aharbi

Aaahhh - no thanks

Agree, I missed a met & greet in AR for same reason, couldn't get pressure to bleed clutch. Except I replaced with SS lines and added a speed bleeder. I let it sit all night with a wire tie holding in the clutch lever and I tapped each hose connection with a large wooden dowel and rubber mallet to "encourage" the little bubbles to leave. AFTER I got assistance posted here. Yes a PIA and very frustrating also makes you feel stupid not being able to complete such simple task. :-( Keeps you humble.

I've had it happen to me a couple of times, mostly at group event rides. But I've got so used to checking it before I start the bike it never bothers me anymore. Never associated it with Harley riders but could be. Maybe it's part of the Harley riders course :-)

30K miles ago I changed mine to NGK Iridium IX (DPR8EIX-9). Had the tank off a few weeks ago doing the ignition bypass relay mod and checked the plugs. Still look like new.

Looked like he was on a KLR650

I gave up long ago trying to make the Venture audio/CB work with bluetooth & iPhone. I have two sets of helmets for the Venture. One with the old wired J&M that we use for group rides needing the CB. The other is SENA SMH-10, intercom, iPhone, GPS, MP3. I prefer using the bluetooth SMH-10. Have used it two full days in a row without charging it - no problems. Also, it can be charged while riding if you have a 12VDC plug. I installed one in the trunk and have factory one in the front cowling. As I have several bikes that require pairing differently. I bought a third SMH-10 to snap on/off my helmet paired to the other bike when I ride solo. So I don't have to unpair - re-pair each time. My suggestion; forget about the Venture audio, it's old dead technology. Go bluetooth. If you need the CB use your old helmet. Also, USB device charging. I found a pocket three prong surge protecter (for laptop) with two 110AV plugs and 4 USB charging ports which is great when we travel. In a hotel you quickly run out of plugs and run the chance of leaving a USB charger behind.

What part of SA? It's sprawled out and kinda flat. The Alamo is in center city downtown. My daughter lives in SA. It's a growing city - lot of highway construction.

Not on the Venture. I've had them on a dual sport, kind of annoying, never worked for me. I ended up replacing the windshield with a taller one. I have a clearview on the Venture and love it.

One of the most enjoyable things I do on my bike is a leisurely ride through the Texas country side. I'm the guy that actually reads those historical markers along the roadside. My perfect ride is 50-55mph, no traffic, no one "pushing you down the road", taking all the time in the world. I always have two cameras and a tripod with me. The camera I use when I ride is a 10MP Olympus Stylus (f3.5-5.1) waterproof autofocus point and shoot. I wear it around my neck with a camera strap so I won't drop it and always have it with me and have gotten quite good at shooting from the saddle. I got a new lens (Leica 50mm/1.4) very fast lens enabling me to shoot with very small apertures reducing the depth of field blurring the back ground (boken effect) for the Lumix camera I carry in the topcase. I'm not a professional photographer by any means nor would I consider myself a good armature. I just like taking pictures on my motorcycle rides. Here goes. I see the Texas "Hill Country" off in the distance ahead of me. One of my Favorite rest stops to get off the bike and get a drink of water. This is a panorama picture. http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/P1010911_stitch_r.jpg~original Texas (Dakota) vervain http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin001-20140422-134806.jpg~original Prickly pear cactus budding http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin002-20140422-134855.jpg~original The whole prickly pear cactus http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin003-20140422-134925.jpg~original Indian blanket http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin004-20140422-140748.jpg~original and another http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin005-20140422-140844.jpg~original some more http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin010.jpg~original The Bluebonnets are fading from the landscape they are going to seed. Bluebonnet seed pods. http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin006-20140422-141140.jpg~original Indian paint brush. You saw lots of these from my last post. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?p=829748#post829748 http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin007-20140422-141359.jpg~original Pink Primrose (note the tiny little red mites) http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/P1010899r.jpg~original I park the bike. I start hunting for my favorite flower, a cactus flower. They grow in rocky terrain, among the rocks. Found one! They don't grow very big, only six inches tall and two inches across. Because of the size and the spines they are often called the hedgehog cactus. Because of the pattern of the spines they are also known as the Lace cactus too. (Echinocereus reichenbachii) http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin046-20140422-142530.jpg~original Just beautiful. The petals look like shining silk. http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin014-20140422-142933.jpg~original A closer look. http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin012-20140422-142843.jpg~original and another not far away http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin021-20140422-143107.jpg~original and one that appears to be growing out of the rock. Well I must say this made my day. I never expected to find half a dozen so close together, on this rocky hillside. http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin023-20140422-143135.jpg~original I continue my ride. We have had a wet spring, not as much rain as a few years ago but enough to bring out the wildflowers. Yellow Poppies. http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin028-20140422-163929.jpg~original Pink (with white edges) Poppy http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin032-20140422-164212.jpg~original Orange (California) Poppies (note the Bluebonnet in the back ground) http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin037-20140422-164323.jpg~original Red Corn Poppy http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin039-20140422-164457.jpg~original It's getting warm (94°f) I've traveled 185 miles so far today. It's time to turn around and head home. Although the cactus are budding north of Austin I hear they are in bloom further south. The next morning I head in that direction. Fifty miles south of Austin I take some promising backroads and find fields of flowers. Often times I can't get the pictures I want because there is no place to safely pull off the road or I'm afraid of getting the bike stuck in the dirt. It doesn't take long - I notice this prickly pear straddling a barbed wire fence. http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin002.jpg~original Some close-ups with my new lens, love this lens! http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin003.jpg~original http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin004.jpg~original When focusing for my next shot I notice another cactus - Desert Christmas cactus (Opuntia leptocaulis). What a nice surprise. http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin008.jpg~original As I walk back to the bike, I shoot a picture of a purple Texas Thistle http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin009.jpg~original I take a few more backroads I've never been on. And drive by this huge prickly pear. I make a u-turn and park in a farmers driveway and hike up to it. This cactus is probably 8 feet tall and 20 feet around with two other good sized ones behind it. No longer flower sniffin - now cactus sniffin :-) http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin011.jpg~original http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin012.jpg~original http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin014.jpg~original http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin015.jpg~original http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin016.jpg~original http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin017.jpg~original Back on the bike. It's mid afternoon and I'm getting hungry and I'm not far from Lockhart TX the BBQ capitol of the state. I order my brisket and sausage, sliced to order. http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin019.jpg~original iPhone selfie, not the best picture. http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin018.jpg~original Unsweetened tea, "wet" brisket (has some fat), sausage link, German potato salad, sauerkraut, dill pickles. A Texas tradition in serving the meat, they slice it, put it on butcher paper, weigh it, you pay for it, hand it to you to eat - no plates. http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin021.jpg~original and this place doesn't ever offer forks. But they do have a sink in the dinning room to wash your hands when done eating. http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin020.jpg~original Thanks for ridin along - later.

Personally I'd go for a new Indian Chieftain.

Don't bring tools you don't know how to use. Don't bring tools to take apart something you have no idea how to fix. It's less expensive to buy new undies and socks at WalMart then pay to wash them. No one can find out what you smell like at 70mph a credit card and cell phone can fix anything If you're warm and dry you can drive thru hell even in the rain Make a few test runs, take notes on what works and what doesn't I use crocks as slippers, beach shoes, sandals, etc. they weigh nothing, can get wet only pack what will fit in the bike trunk/saddlebags, I pack a cover and my crocks in a trunk rack softbag. Much lighter up high bulky items. Enjoy the ride.

The technology is there/here. Smart phones can sense movement. So texting software can be stopped/off while moving if they wanted it so.

I have a GPS that keeps "tracks" of where I've been. Once a week or so I upload all the tracks to Garmin Base Camp software. I can view each track with time, date, speed, altitude, mileage. I can use the GPS data from my camera and match it with the "track" and tell you exactly where I took each picture. It's great for building a new "route" you can take the highlights from each trip and make a new one.

The flowers are out and starting to fade or be overgrown. I noticed some of the landowners mowing along the road and in some fields. Yesterday I road from north Austin to Independence and back. At times on "improved" dirt/gravel roads. Here are some of my pictures. Enjoy! http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014001-20140409-102304.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014002-20140409-102934.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014003-20140409-104015.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014004-20140409-104411.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/P4096864_stitch.jpg~original http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014006-20140409-105304.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014007-20140409-105842.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014008-20140409-105858.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014009-20140409-110046.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014010-20140409-112052.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014011-20140409-114509.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014012-20140409-114519.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014014-20140409-115336.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014013-20140409-115422.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014015-20140409-121251.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014017-20140409-124856.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014018-20140409-140900.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/P4096948_stitch.jpg~original http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014020-20140409-145618.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014021-20140409-150032.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014022-20140409-150139.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/FlowerSniffin2014023-20140409-165211.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/DSC00369.jpg~original http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/2014%20FlowerSniffin/DSC00363.jpg~original

You can spend a bunch of money depending on what you want. Here is a picture of mine, clock on the left, thermometer on the right. These are made by Marlins I also have some by Formotion which I prefer but they are on another bike, same style - chrome, white dial, waterproof, handlebar mount. http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/Odessa%20Ride/OdessaRide099-20140228-174908.jpg

Can't wait to see the pictures. You worked very hard for two days on it.

The learning curve to Windoze 8 is steep. Not easy nor intuitive, but give yourself a little time and it's usable. As stated it was primarily designed for a touch screen. Hence the soon to be released update. As an operating system I have had NO problems with it, no BSOD, no hangs, no reboots. I did however loose 20 or so of my old favorite programs which weren't compatible. I have since found replacements for them. I do not have a touch screen so I will be installing the "mouse user" fix. Funny - I'm sitting here typing this and realize I'm running Linux. Which by the way my macine boots into by default.

Thinking about going. What route you taking?

They are to release an update to make Windoze 8 work more like Windoze 7. Easier using the mouse since their tablet was such a big hit

I agree, change the fluids and ride. Valves don't need to be done till 26,600 miles. Steering Bearing are such a pain on a RSV that I'd check if they are tight, if no problems let them go till they wear out. It is as much work repacking them then to just replace them. Rear arm pivot bearings, I checked at 27K (also a 2004) and they were fine, I repacked with Honda Molly 60 paste (get it at the car dealer, much cheaper than cycle shop) I won't check again till 80k. Following charts are from the YAMAHA Service Manual for the XVZ13TFL http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/Motorcycle/Maintenance3-1resized.jpg http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/Motorcycle/Maintenance3-2resized.jpg

and the tail light?

I rewired my passing lamps. The PO had spliced the headlight wire so bad that only 3-4 strands of wire remained. I rewired it with a new headlight pigtail connector. I now have my passing lamps wired to a relay off the battery under the seat. I used the white 12vdc "spare plug" to power the relay and mounted a very small toggle switch under the seat thru the plastic backing. The switch turns the power on/off to the relay and hence the passing lamps. It is easy to reach with my left hand - like scratching my butt.

That's what I love about this site. The willingness to help and share their personal experience. I like to review them all and pick my options based upon what my skills require. There's always more than one way to "skin a cat". Thanks everyone, appreciate the help.

I don't recall the crash bars ever being bent, at least not during my ownership, it looks straight to me. But who knows about the PO. How would I know? or what should I look for? I don't know what you mean nor how to make an aluminum doubler? I would appreciate more information, or a picture. Thank you, I appreciate the help.

Looking over the bike the other day and I noticed fine haireline cracks around the mounting bolt on the lower left fairing. Stress cracks? (ignore the spring bugs) http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/Motorcycle/IMG_0643r.jpg So I removed the fairing, they appear tobe worse than originally thought http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/Motorcycle/IMG_0642r.jpg and to add insult to injury, I noticed this as well when I removed the lower fairing http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/Motorcycle/IMG_0641r.jpg Any ideas on how to fix both the cracks and repair the "push fitting'? Anyone have experience using this? Does it work? http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/aharbi/Motorcycle/IMG_06481r.jpg