Stoutman
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Everything posted by Stoutman
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Freebird, you are to nice. Let me see if I understand Hank's logic. A person that spends his own time and his own dime to provide a forum for people to share information about motorcycles is accused of supressing information on that same site because it is NOT about motorcycles. Some peoples kids.... Doesn't pay to argue with people like that. They will kill you (or assasinate your character) just to try to prove their position is correct. What a thug. Thank you Mr. Freebird for all you do for the GOOD people of this forum.
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I've used CPAP for 7 years and I wouldn't trade it for its weight in solid gold. Never felt better in years. The old surgery is not very successful. It is usually most succesful when people can lose weight. If I could lose weight I may not need the CPAP. That said there is a new procedure for sleap apnea sufferers. The new surgery is called the pillar procedure and was approved about two years ago. They implant three small silicone rods in the back of the throat. The procedure is done in the doctors office under local anesthetic. The rods help support the soft pallet that collapses and is the cause of the obstruction in many people. Over time scar tissue forms around the rods and adds support. I'm going to get it done next year. I waited until it had been around a few years before deciding to try it. Everything I've read says it has a much higher success rate than the standard surgery. Ask you're ENT doc about it. If he doesn't know about it then ask another one. Best of luck with your mask. Compliance is easier for some than others. I fell in love with my CPAP after it gave me the best nights sleep in years. One thing that helps me is sleeping on my side. I also use a 4 inch wedge pillow to slightly elevate my head and shoulders. Keep going back to your ENT for advice until you can make it work. Check out the pillar procedure. It may be something that can help.
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Good for you. I know a good recipe for venison spagetti sauce. And thank you for thinning the herd. Everyone you get is one less I have to worry about on the highway.
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I just figured my RSTD was making an unkind comment, kind of like that horse that headed for the low branches of an oak tree after I plopped my 300# behind on its back.
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This happened to me when I was younger and rode my dirt bike everywhere. Had two kids decide to play chicken with me on a neighborhood street where my girlfriend lived. I slowed down and came to a complete stop. One of the little idiots ran right into me and fell over. His mom came unglued and started screaming at me and running toward me. Her neighbor also witnessed the scene and called the cops. Turned out these two punks had the run of the neighborhood with Mom enableing her little darlings. I didn't do it, but was tempted to come back with my 1941 one ton Chevy pickup and turn those kids into a grease spot. Bill is right. It aint the bike, its the upbringing of the person hanging onto the handlebars.
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Well, I don't know what to think of this article exactly, but if it's true it could mean I'll have to go back to writing letters to the editor. Says on the following link to CNN that software developers have developed a "Stupid" filter for on-line forums that automatically puts stupid comments in the trash. Wonder if they can build one that works as an interlock on the car's ignition? http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/11/12/100954554/index.htm?postversion=2007110712
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There is also a concept in law called joint and several liability. I learned about this when I fixed airplanes. If the mechanic screws up fixing your plane, but the jury decides that the airplane maker or the parts maker is also partly responsible, say 10%, they can assign all the liability to the one with the deepest pockets. This is how the slip and fall lawyers make all their millions. They don't sue the mechanic, they sue the mechanic, and the airplane maker, and the parts provider. Not to say a motorcycle dealer would not have to pay. They surely would be liable if there was an incident, and for the total depth of their pockets, not just for the cost of repairs. I'm not sure I'd do it either if I owned a shop. Even if you win you still have to pay for your defense, along with higher insurance premiums. My dealer will mount my tires that I purchase online if I take the wheels off the bike. But if I'm going to do that much work I just go ahead and mount the tires myself, and save the trip to the dealer. Almost as fast if you consider travel and wait time.
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OK, I know it was not anybody here, but I read this news story about biker gangs attacking motorists and had to share. Giving fellow bikers a bad name I wonder if there is anything else to this story that is not being reported?
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There are some interesting stats in here. Registrations are up 51% overall and fatalities are up 59%. Seems like a pretty close correlation to me. More new riders means less experience leading to increased fatalities. The other thing that caught my attention is they push helmets, but virtually ignore other safety gear (except lights). Then they assume that people will wear a helmet because it is free (or included with the price of the bike). It is a slick presentation, if a bit one sided.
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I have both the Draggin jeans and the Diamond Gussett jeans. I find the Draggin jeans to be a bit like a cheap hotel, no ball room. The Diamond gussett jeans have the same kevlar construction, plus they have a velcro adjuster on the cuff so you can get them tight against the boot and keep the air from blowing up your leg. The Draggin jeans are only good for about 5 hours for me before I have to get out of them and into something else. I have a leather jacket, but use it only about 4 months a year here in Texas. I bought the Power trip leather jacket with the removable vest liner. It has vents in the front and back. My only caution here is to make sure your belly will fit. I had to lose 30 pounds before this jacket would fit. Look for a max difference between your chest and belly of about 6-7 inches. This jacket will accept armor in the shoulders and elbows, and has a semi-rigid back pad that does not come out. I have not noticed the armor moving when I ride, and the jacket seems durable, with zipper and snap cuffs. I also bought the Power trip mesh jacket with the removable vest liner. I had hoped that the liners would be interchangable with my leather jacket since they were the same brand, but they are a different size. I wear this mesh jacket almost year round, anytime the temp is above 65 degrees. It fits well, the zippers are durable, and has full armor.
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This is a good point (coffee deficit or not). I have looked at the cheap tires and found that most of them that do fit our bike do not have the proper load rating. That is what I like about the Avon. I push my bikes load limits (I'm a stout guy), and the Avon gives me a higher load rating than the manual requires. I don't have anything against cheap. Sometimes a low price is a manufactures marketing effort to get consumers to try their product. I do share the anxiety about the implied quality though. I'm reluctant to take any chances with my wife or daughter on the back .
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Anyone replaced a freeze plug?
Stoutman replied to dfitzbiz's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
The service manual says to thread a spark plug into the threads of the rubber plug and pull the plug out. To install them is the reverse. Just be careful when you push them in that you push straight in and don't pinch the rubber. I replaced mine when I drained the coolant at the two year service interval. The cost was about $12.00 for the four of them. -
Pros & Cons On Front Tire
Stoutman replied to yamahamer's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
I read the above post a few weeks ago in a different thread. My next front tire will be the Avon Venom in the stock size. I have the leveling links, and currently run the narrow Avon front tire. As my MT90 Avon wears down the bike feels a bit twitchy in the corners when the road is a bit rough. I'm going back to the wider tire to see if it makes a difference. I'll post my results in another 18,000 miles or so. -
Driving lights, stator output, another data point
Stoutman replied to Gearhead's topic in General Tech Talk
It won't draw any more than the fuse rating for that circuit. If you need more in your power budget you can buy 35 watt H3 bulbs from http://www.rallylights.com/hella/H3.asp You can replace your 55watt lights with 35watt and they may be better tolerated at night, plus you'll get the extra 40 watts in your power budget. -
The smallest one I've seen recently is 512mb. Just bought two of them for my kids phones. Do a search on Amazon.com. There is a vendor in Minneapolis called SF planet that sells them via Amazon.
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I bought one of these wheel chocks today for my trailer. Here is a link to the product description. I use the tie downs on the handlebars and compress the springs about half way, then use the rear crash bars to secure the rear end. Putting some duct tape around the s-hooks is a good idea. Glad I read this thread. I have yet to open the box on the wheel chock, but the store display confirmed it was what I was looking for. I'm afraid that trailering the bike is the only way I'm going to get my sweetie more than 6 hours from home. Maybe now I'll be able to take some of those great bike roads around the country with my sweetie on the back. The other thing I did was put a Monroe shock kit on the trailer. It should help keep things from bouncing so much, and reduce trailer sway. Still need to do a test run, but the to-do list has me painting the house this fall before the weather gets to bad.
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Its one thing to win an award. It is a very different thing to actually collect. The guy that runs this church is a disbarred lawyer. My bet is that it is a long time before any money changes hands.
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I was reading an interview with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in Imprimis, a publication by Hilsdale College in Michigan. It reminded me of the moderators on this site and some recent threads that got off topic. I came away with a greater appreciation for the rules about discussing politics and other contentious subjects. Here is a quote from the interview with Justice Thomas as published in the October 2007 issue of Imprimis, when he was asked why he won't discuss ideas with brutes: Once again my hat is off to the moderators of this site. P.S. Calumnies = lies. I had to look that up.
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I understand what you are talking about when you get to riding vs. wrenching. I don't mind the latter as long as I do less of it than the former. But not everybody like to work on their bikes. One thing to keep in mind is that this site is dedicated to people sharing their experiences. The problems you see are a reflection of the entire nation, not just a few riding buddies. You'll see more problems discussed because that is what we do here. It doesn't mean all bikes will have these issues. I'm happy with the reliability of my 05 RSTD, with only one warranty claim in a little over two years. As far as reliabiltiy goes on bikes, I think most of them require more maintenance than a cage. Cages have so much higher production volumes, and have had much more money invested in R&D over the past decades dedicated to just this issue, low maintenance and high reliability. That investment, taken with the huge number of suppliers available to the automotive world, it makes some sense that bikes, with their low volumes, may be a behind the curve by a generation or two. I'm sure car makers like Honda and BMW can translate some of this to their bikes, but it would take a concerted effort by their management. I'm not sure that priority is there given the huge variety of products the bike makers support. Only a small minority of us use the bikes for mega-mile applications like touring where reliability over time is an issue. So many riders use their bikes only in the summer or on the occasional weekend. Given all that, I'd be interested in what you finally decide on. Some well supported research on this issue would be illuminating to us all. By the way, my RSTD has plenty room for me and my bride, and I'm 6' 4" and 300#. (I would not divulge my bride's numbers in the interest of self preservation, even if I knew them.)
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Use that brake cleaner in a well ventilated area unless you want to visit the local poison control center. (Long story, took about two months to get my sense of balance back.) As for the pulse in the brake the only thing I can think of is a warped rotor or grease on the rotor. My rear rotor warped and that was what it felt like. If you can stop safely you may want to just let the pads wear in a bit to see if it improves. I had to measure the rear rotor with a dial gauge to see if it was warped. It was only out of spec by .006 inches. My front brakes had a rubbing sound when they were new for about the first 1,000 miles. After that they were pretty quiet. I have yet to change the stock pads on the front after 19,000 miles. The rear is on its third set of pads. The first set was replaced by the dealer under warranty when I had the warped rotor replaced. The second set gave me about 10,000 miles before they started squealing. Inner pad was down to metal. Put the EBC sintered pads on the third time. Seem to work very well.
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I use my front brake almost all the time. Only use the rear brake when turning or at parking lot speeds, or in a panic. I will drag the rear brake while feathering the throttle/clutch to keep the beast stable at very low speed. Can come to a complete stop then start again without putting the feet down using that technique. That said I have locked up the rear every time I have had a panic stop, even when practicing panic stops. Each time I was going slow enough that I just kept it locked and rode it out. Never went down because of it, but only by the grace of God. I think it is a combination of the 4 piston pinchers on the rear rotor and the high brake pedal giving lots of leverage. Would definitly like to see the ABS option on this beast. I'd buy that option over fuel injection or a reverse gear.
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Homeowners in Texas find themselves in an enviable position. For the most part Texas real estate prices are very stable. In relation to the national market housing in Texas is undervalued by 10 - 20%. Compare that to Bakersfield, California which is reported by USA today to be overvalued by 68%. I've been on the other side of that equation when I sold my home in Utah. I had to hold onto it for over a year after I left and sold it right before they had housing boom. I still ended up with a gain, but only if I didn't take into account inflation. I just hope that this national market doesn't over correct and end up hurting a lot of people.
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I agree with Condor. In the marketing world it's called harvesting your product line. If you have a new design in the works you don't put a lot of money into the current design. You save your ad money for the launch of the new products. Yamaha knows where their niche is in this market. They have a value priced touring bike. Its got a loyal following and is a good bargain compared to the competition. My guess is you'll see something in a few years as long as the market for touring bikes holds. If the market shifts and people don't want the retro look anymore then it all bets are off for a Venture update.
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This month's Road Runner Magazine - Great!
Stoutman replied to Venturous Randy's topic in Watering Hole
How do you rate? Mine has not come yet. My postal carrier has probably borrowed it. I used to get all my Aviation Week magazines late until I had a talk with her about that. -
Better yet, replace your right floor board with a stirrup. Then you won't be able to move that foot except to take it out and plant it on the ground.