OldBear
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Everything posted by OldBear
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I did look and ride 'em all. Comfort for wife was also a big consideration. After looking long and hard and trying 'em out we went with the RSV (June 09) and have never looked back. Great machine, outstanding warranty, proven design, bulletproof engine AND it was more comfortable for the two of us than ANY of 'em. For what it's worth, the new Kaw Voyager was #2 and the Hardly Ultra was #3. The Vision was VERY uncomfortable for the wife (ok for me) ditto the GW and the LT. I also was kinda tired of all the tupperware on the GW/LT and Vision. IMHO Mo'cycles should be steel and ya should be able to see the Mo'
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Stop is Corbin KY and you can't miss it! The "Original" KFC.... No tolls on any of the parkways anymore, just beautiful, interstate class roads with NO traffic. Enjoy your ride and welcome to the Bluegrass state... By the by, if ya feel adverturesome, head over to Bardstown, each lunch at the old stage stop on the square and THEN hit the "Bourbon Trail" and tour the distilleries..... Ride Safe!
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66 Bridgestone 90 with "Rotary shift" (just keep pushing the shifter DOWN--N, 1,2,3,4,5,N,1....... What a hoot, and the I upgraded to a 67 Yamaha 305 Cross Country ( a BIG motorcycle:thumbsup2:...
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Yeah, well, that's true, but COULD you HURT the looks of it??? I will admit though that they ride pretty nice though...too bad it's got that George Jetson bodywork....
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Has anyone tried the braided stainless steel brake lines on the RSV? I've got 'em on my Duck and they are FANTASTIC!! REALLY made a significant difference in brake feel...will it do the same on the Venture? Seem's to me like the brakes are a little "soft", at least compared to my old Duck or the FJR I traded for the Venture. I really like "solid" brakes. Any ideas? THANKS!
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If you get it be VERY careful!! I bought a '95 Ducati three years ago with 4k miles on it, in excellent shape, but had been sitting since '98 when the original owner developed vertigo and couldn't ride anymore. It started ok, but wouldn't idle. Well, I got it, took it to the duc shop and had 'em go completely through it (6k service, carb rebuild, new tires, new timing belts). Got it back and it looked and ran great, HOWEVER, on the first ride, 15 miles from home a car pulled out in front of me when I was running about 65. They were a good distance away so no problem, I simply squeezed the front brake lever to scrub some speed, which it did just fine. To my surprise, when I'd slowed to about 30 mph the front wheel LOCKED (and I had JUST RELEASED the brake lever!!!) I slid to a halt and thanks to a merciful God there were no other vehicles coming. I could NOT move the bike outta the road!!!! Talk about rattling your cage. Anyway a guy stopped and helped me move it, called wife and she came and we loaded it up and took it home. Time we were ready to load it, the brake had released.....hm... Anyway, but to the shop and the found rust in the master cylinder which caused it to "lock", it would eventually bleed off, BUT the bike wasn't rideable 'till I got a new master cylinder. The mechanic and service manager said they had NEVER seen anything like it:95:. Anyway, got it taken care of the had enjoyed the bike ever since. MORAL of STORY--IF you buy and old bike that's been sitting for a while, check ALL systems carefully BEFORE you ride it!!!!!!!
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So how well do cowboy boots work with 2nd Gen Controls?
OldBear replied to GG54172's topic in Riding Gear
+1 on slick leather soles. Went into a gas station one time and put foot down in some spilled fuel. Zip, foot went out from under me and I durn near dropped my (much smaller than a Venture). Since then, I wear motorcycle specific boots with an antislip sole. -
I've had good luck with Olympia Motosports gear, specifically the Airglide jacket and pants in hot weather. You get real decent airflow and still have some protection. Not as good as the AST I wear when the weather is cooler, but a BUNCH better than bare hide or cotton....
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I gotta agree with the ATGATT guys. I ALWAYS ride with helmet, boots, jacket and riding pants. In cooler weather it's an Olympia Motorsports AST w/Ranger pants, In hot weather it Olympia Airglide jacket and pants. Helmet is either Arai Corsair (when solo) or Nolen 102 when touring two up. BMW allroad boots. Yeah, even the vented stuff gets hot in hot weather, BUT it's a lot more pleasant than road rash and/or skin grafts:thumbsup2: I've used the evap-o-dana's, and just and oldfashioned large handkerchief rolled up around ice cubes and tied around the neck, and it helps. The cooling vest noted earlier looks like a great idea and I'm gonna give it a try. Remember, if it's too hot for gear, it's too hot to ride, and it is NEVER too hot to ride!
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Roger that... for that much you can get a nice new Venture AND a pretty decent pickup!
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What WAS the damage? Frame? IF it looks ok and, MORE importantly, IF IT RIDES OK, it may be a real deal. Be sure though to find out how it rides/tracks. ALSO, what are the laws re "salvage title" for a road bike in your state? Can you GET license plates/insurance for it? Check it out before you spend your $$. In know in some states, at least in years gone by, "salvage", meant that you could not license/insure for street use!! Caveat Emptor, but GOOD LUCK!! If ya can title it and it looks good and rides good, who CARES what the title says, You get a cheap ride:innocent-emoticon:
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Bluetooth Wireless set/communications
OldBear replied to thecount's topic in GPS, Audio, Electronics
I've got a Scala Rider teamset (rider and passenger intercom) that also handles bluetooth for the phone. Pretty satisified with it (at least enough not to spring for the high $$ headsets to use the wired intercom that comes with the bike:301:) -
It's always a tragedy when we lose a rider, especially in a single vehicle incident (bad ENOUGH ya gotta dodge the cages!!) My sincerest sympathy for her family. The Dragon, as noted earlier, is a seriously intense place-combine a very challenging road with high volumes of MC traffic AND some folks who think they're Valentino Rossi and it's not a nice place to be. Too often folks get in over their heads, esp. on technically tough roads. When I see all the young dudes on their 150 horse sportbikes I cringe a little. I KNOW back when I was bulletproof I would've use all 150, and I'm sure some of them do too. High horsepower + inexperienced rider is ALWAYS a recipe for disaster. Too often folks ride for a few miles, think the "know" the machine and get in over their heads. A thought to remember: Evil Kneival (not known as the sanest rider out there) said "If you ever get where you think you know how to ride PARK IT"......
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Y'all might want to consider calling the local health department...sounds like food poisoning from here (tomaine delight? botulism suprise?)
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loudest cheapest slip on pipes
OldBear replied to BLUERIDGEBORN's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
Then too, what about YOUR hearing?? If you're riding the darn thing, YOU get to enjoy (?) that racket full time.....Loud pipes almost inevitably result in the RIDER experiencing far more noise than can be tolerated without PERMANENT hearing loss!!! Can you say "tinninitis"? I ya really wanna bug 'im, put on a LOUD stereo outside, then leave on your quiet bike and let him "enjoy" the stereo 'till the wee hours... Easier on you, cheaper, and no long term health problems! -
Rode a Vision Tour last fall and I've gotta agree with Freebird. I will add that when I rode it (on a LONG test ride:cool10:) it drove out pretty nice. I liked the electric windshield adjustment, heated grips, etc. The bags are VERY small though, and while rider comfort was really good, wifey noted that passenger comfort (for her at least) was awful....even the salesman said it looked like she was "riding the saddlebags" (and she said it felt like it too!). Then there's the "look" factor... Dunno if I could ever get past it...I know pretty is as pretty does (and it does look a LOT better from the saddle than from the side:hurts:) but man, that is a seriouly UUGGLY motocycle!
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Decency comes in all sizes, shapes and colors, and oftentimes from where it's not expected. Many (MANY) moons ago I was riding in northern Illinois on I-57 on my (then 1 year old) 500 Suzuki Titan when I had a flat on the rear tire. I pulled off under an overpass, put it on the centerstand and went to work. Just then a BUNCH of rough looking dudes on Harleys come rolling up and STOP.... This doesn't look good, but I'm stuck..... Uh oh.... Well, long story short, they helped me patch my tube and I would up riding on south with 'em for a couple hundred miles. Moral of story: Don't judge a book by it's cover:337:
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It's also worth noting that there is a MUCH better warranty on our RSV's than the HD. I know HD builds a pretty decent machine these days, but being an oldtimer I still remember the old "ride 'em out and push 'em in" times. I looked at the Ultra but, frankly, liked the RSV better (and momma liked it a LOT better:innocent-emoticon: Frankly to me what's important is THAT you ride, not WHAT ya ride!
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I just traded a very low mile 07 FJRAE for my Venture. The FJR has an incredible engine, and the "auto clutch" is perhaps the slickest thing I've EVER ridden (and I've ridden for 40 years), and handles GREAT, HOWEVER, the Feejer's have a Major problem with turbulance/windnoise, and the comfort (compared to the Venture) is poor. Yeah, it WILL fly, but about 400 miles a day and I was done. Worse, I ALWAYS had to wear earplugs to make it quiet enough (windnoise) to be able to ride. (This is NOT a problem on my old 900 Ducati OR my Venture). I went through 5 windshields looking for the answer and never did find it. The seat left a lot to be desired. I tried a Corbin, but that didn't help much and Momma could never get comfortable on it. Finally, I gave up and went for the Venture, and have never looked back. Yeah, the sport tourer's cool, BUT for traveling long distances in the real world, the Venture wins hands down IMHO:cool10:
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Rode one a couple months ago. Not bad at all one up. Electric windshield is pretty cool. However, the saddlebags are TINY and really not very practical. Also, the wife was VERY uncomfortable the saddlebags were in entirely the wrong spot and she was basically "on" them when riding. The looks were a bit much for me too and the combination helped my decision. Victory has a very good reputation re owner satisfaction, however with all else being considered I just couldn't go for the vision. Also, I had found a Tour Premium for $19K....If you want one SHOP online!!
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Ya gotta remember that up until just a FEW years ago ALL motorcycles (and cars, and trucks) used "old fashioned" carburation....(Yeah, I'm old enough to remember when the ONLY "injected" vehicle around was a "fuelie" vette!. Anywho, back in the day we all got along just fine, whereever we went, with our "old fashioned" intake systems. Long story short, you shouldn't have ANY problems whatsoever on 99.9% of the roads you'll ever travel. (and, there's one less magic box to go south and leave ya stranded!!
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I had a P32 Keltek I liked a lot, however I wanted a little more power. Went to the P3AT. Consistently ran into failure to feed problems/ejector problems. Tried a second generation-same issues. Sent it back to the factory, got it back and the same problem occurred on the second magazine I ran through it. Since both my son (a career marine) and my brother in law all had similar problems, I gave up on it (as did they) and went back to my old J frame smith .38. They MAY have fixed the problem in the last couple years-don't know, however when using ANY small auto, be sure to buy several brands of ammo and run a BUNCH through it to be SURE it will go bang, each time and EVERY time. Any piece that won't is, at least IMHO worthless as a carry piece. With that said, I've found a pocket holster in the left front pocket of my riding pants works well (I'm a southpaw).
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Great machine. I came VERY close to buying one last year (Dealer lied to me about price, raising it $1500 when I came in to buy over what he'd quoted me on the phone!) I got PO'd and bought an FJR. With that said. it is NOT as comfortable as the Venture. They're quick and corner well, BUT they have nothing over an FJR, Connie, or Honda ST except a significantly larger pricetag. They're a very nice sport tourers, but they all will come up "short" comfortwise compared to a full boat tourer like the Venture. One of my big complaints on the whole "ST" group is that while they have power out the Wazoo, most of it is located WAY up in license endangering range. Run any of 'em "through the gears" and you'll find yourself WELL beyond warp factor one with a couple gears still to go. FUN, but....I've found I actually enjoy the Venture more and if I wanna do the twisties thing, my old 900SS Duck handles that pretty well. Test Ride an RT for a good long distance before you decide to purchase to be sure that you and it are a "match". Good luck!!
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Talking to a guy on a wing in front of a restaurant when this dude in a pirate suit comes by on his way to his FLHTBMF straight pipe special. The wing rider made a comment about the Venture being a "nice bike". The pirate hurrumphe'd and muttered "(six letter word for comdemned followed by three letter racial slang for Japanese) copy of Harley". The wing nut, quicker on the uptake than I paused, looked at the Venture closely and then said "you're right, looks just like every other water cooled V-4 shaft drive Harley out there". Mr. Pirate IMMEDIATELY responded "Harley don't make no......Aw (four letter word for fecal matter) !! He went stomping off while the wing nut and I cracked up:big-grin-emoticon: A good time was had by all!!
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Had one of the "green light trigger" magnets on my feejer..worked pretty well on getting otherwise non-responsive lights to change. (Forgot about it when I bought the RSV though... Gonna pick up another one of these days!