camos

Is that a real question? I'd say everyone eats fat and oil is one version of it. Making informed choices about the fats one eats can significantly affect the length and quality of one's life. Other than that, oil is pretty good at removing labels from jars and gum from hair.

Good one, that was very nice of Microsoft, considering how long it has been since they stopped supporting XP.

Personally, I can't see a dual sport being any good at all for real touring. Transcontinental is not the least subjective, it means transiting the continent and since we in North America have paved roads that go all the way across and up and down the coasts and even diagonally, no off road capabilities are required. As I have said before, the FJ 1300 could easily be factory modded into a very capable touring bike. With better HP than the Venture, 140 HP, although a bit high revving is probably quite adequate for long distances. All it would take is to make the rear longer to fit a real passenger seat with trunk and drop those silly exhausts down to parallel to the road so decent sized side bags could be attached close to the bike instead of 6 inches out. Not to forget about moving the foot pegs to a more neutral position. Yamaha would then have a modern version of the great idea they came up with in 1983. Probably the same could be said for the V-Strom. Not to deny the value of a cruiser style MC like the RSV, with a lightened up fixed fairing with the V-Max engine would work very too.

Ya, got it. I used to keep my grocery list clipped to the fridge and managed to forget to take it with me close to 50% of the time. Since I always take my phone with me for safety reasons it made a lot of sense to me to use it for something. Installing an app is as simple as going to Google Play and downloading the app to your phone or to iTunes if you have an Apple. Lister is free and easy to use. There are lots of other apps of course but after trying a bunch I ended up with that one because it was easy enough to use and flexible enough to create a list for each of the stores I shop at. If, like me, you don't have data then the phone can connect to Google Play over WiFi.

If you use your laptop to connect to the Internet, staying with XP is not a wise decision. That WannaCry hack that caused so much trouble and was been in the news a little while ago targeted a vulnerability in Windows that was patched last March...almost two months before the hack attack.

Yamaha is still making the V-Max so they are probably still making the vale tool. What's in a part number, the V-Max part number is 04105. Here is a link to one. A little more expensive than the one I bought but can't stop inflation. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-VMAX-XVZ12-XVZ13-Venture-V-MAX-Valve-Shim-Tool-04105-/192042659944?hash=item2cb6a27068:m:mCXpbmtQrhNEaPcSUWIhcKg&vxp=mtr Looks like they are rare as hens's teeth, only found two listings.

I'm with FF on this. When it comes to touring, smooth matters a lot. Do the math, the V-Max with fuel injection would totally rock because having two V-Twins just has to be twice as good.

I got my valve tool on eBay about a year ago for $40. Might be worthwhile looking there before pulling the trigger.

I've been using Drupe for a while and really like it. The call block currently only sends calls to voicemail but hopefully will add a feature that will totally drop calls that are not on the contact list. Recently put in a request for that feature. Besides call blocking, probably the most useful feature of Drupe is that you can also drag and drop a contact to any app to call or text, such as SMS, What'sApp, Skype etc. Condor: I use my phone in a similar way to you but have found the phone to be very useful for keeping shopping lists and a to-do list. So far I like Lister the best for that.

Not to disparage the PO but there are more than a few guys on here who were told a similar story and found it not to be true. Seafoam will not harm your carbs but it does need to have at least a small opening in the jets in order to be able to clean them. It is possible for some crud in the carbs to be loosened and then cause a blockage but if that is the case then the carbs are not working properly to begin with. There are lots of Seafoam threads on here. What I like to do occasionally is to put about 1/3 of a can in half a tank of gas, run it for a few minutes to get the mix into the carbs and then park it overnight for a soak. It can be left to soak for a few days if that is how your schedule works out although, if you have the time start it up and let it idle for a bit to get some new mix into the pilot jets. Take it out for a run and work through the RPM ranges from zero to wide open. If you get any smoke out of the exhaust that indicates the carbs were not clean enough. Yes, check the plugs but don't toss them. Instead wire brush the contacts and check the gap. Running Seafoam in dirty carbs has been known to crud up the plugs. Check that all four plugs are creating a bright spark. Pull the caps off and check the wires are not corroded.

It's the long oval fitting between the V of the cylinders. There is a hose going up to the bottom of the air box that handles crankcase ventilation. The Twinkie itself has oil and coolant running through it so acts like an oil cooler. The VR Tech section probably has almost everything you need to know about maintaining these bikes although probably not in as much detail as the carb video does when it comes to opening them up. Before you open up the carbs make sure you have the rest of the engine running well or you could end up chasing your tail. A few treatments of Seafoam would be a good thing to do before getting into the carbs. Might be all you need to make it through the summer OK.

Hahahahaha...so true.

This is not your usual oil thread because it's not about motorcycle oil. Found an informative slide show that talks about the oils and fats that we eat. Figured it is worth passing along to those who might care about the food they ingest. http://www.msn.com/en-ca/health/nutrition/the-13-best-and-worst-fats-on-the-planet/ss-BBBozgt?li=AAggNb9

Yes, that's pretty much normal. I have ridden on the flat at 30 MPH in 5th without noticeable vibration. Applying throttle under those conditions requires a gentle and gradual touch though. Also, it requires more gas, ie: more throttle twist, just to get a small increase in speed compared to when using a lower gear. To me that indicates the likelihood of poorer gas mileage and is not the best choice for normal riding..

So how were you doing it before? I think keeping to around +/- 3000 RPM should be the most efficient because that is where the max torque is. A fairly obvious test for optimum RPM is if after up-shifting more throttle is required to maintain speed.

I agree, didn't he say it smelled gassy after a ride? Just guessing here but possibly float levels or blocked jets causing a little overflow?

It normally would not be lugging at 2500 RPM but out of sync carbs might just make over the line since the cylinders might be fighting with each other. In any case, you will find RPMs below 2500 will not give you good performance or good mileage. The Venture really picks up her skirts between 4000 and 6000 even right up to the red line. Shifting at 7500 makes the front end bounce.

Apparently there is quite a discussion on the pros and cons but then we all know what the Internet is like. My shower is overhead so there is no confusion for me. Seems to me spinning is the best option if you want full coverage. As for what gets done first, I start at the top and work down. Seems only logical. So here is another hot topic: Should the loose end of a TP roll be on top or underneath? For me, I prefer on top as it makes it easier to find the end without having a long tail hanging down. Seemed only logical. Curiously, my father preferred the other way. Never understood that but when I was visiting him I would always "fix" it for him. Hahahahaha, good times.

The manual addresses the height of fluid in the rear MC. I can't remember what it actually says but something like just below the bottom of the filler hole when the bike is on the center stand and level. In any case, that is where I have been setting it for years and have never had a lockup due to over filling. If you try filling to that level while on the side stand it will most likely be over filled. There is a cutout on the MkII MC for a level window. Would have been nice if Yamaha had put one in it. Although, the cutout is a little lower than the bottom of the fill hole so perhaps it was decided that level was wrong and so they went with what we have.

In the same controversial context, do you normally face the shower or do you face away from the shower or do you spin?

The front wheel won't spin like they do on a bicycle. The rear even less so due to the shaft and rear drive drag. Any sound when turning the wheels is not a good thing. I think it can be considered a given that the brakes on these old bikes need more attention than they usually get. Best thing to do is take off the caliper and the pads then pump the brake a couple of times. If all the pistons do not move approximately in unison then they are potentially a problem and should be cleaned. The pads and pins can get rusty and should also be scraped clean. The pistons are about 1" long and can be extended 5/8" - 3/4" before they fall out. Use a green scrubby, Scotch pad, to clean the piston. The pistons can be pressed out one at a time with a compressor. Not so easily done using brake pressure as I found out yesterday. While the first piston came out easily it made a bit of a mess with the brake fluid and got a lot of air in the system. After spending close to two hours on getting the piston back in and bleeding the system I decided not to try removing a second piston that way. Just cleaned around the rest of the pistons. There was some crud in the one that was done and so I think removing the others would be a good thing to do, just need a better method of doing it.

Another one is dragging pads due to stuck brake pistons.

What FF says. Something that helps is after cleaning and tightening the terminals cover them with petroleum jelly, better known as Vaseline.

At 2500 RPM you are close to lugging the engine, depending on what you are doing with the throttle, so an out of sync carb might take it over the line. You will get better mileage if you keep the engine at or above 3000 RPM. Since it is free, might as well sync again and see if that fixes the vibration.

That's my concern too. Some of the things that are being asked to be built in would be much more expensive than after market versions that likely to be better and which have the possibility of an upgrade as technology progresses. I'm thinking particularly of GPS and sound systems. It might be just me but my preference for mounting a GPS is on the handle bars which can be closer to my eyes which makes it safer to look at while riding. The other thing is sound systems. I would like to see an FM radio with a Bluetooth system which both transmits and receives so it will connect to both headsets and a music source. Forget building in XM Radio, just make the built in radio accept the connection to the XM. I can't remember what the actual formula is but something like every dollar spent in the factory translates to $100 on the showroom floor. The Venture Royale was built like a Cadillac and for the time was as costly as one. The mass market cannot afford a Cadillac.