Great White

I just went looking to see if I could find if his license was expired or revoked and he has a "gofundme" page: https://www.gofundme.com/5q6mbheg Holy crap are people cutting him up in the comments section!

Yeah, it' probably the horizntal cylinders and thier crash bars that make it possible on a 'wing then....

Nope, I don't ride reckless at all. You're using my words to meet your agenda without context for those words. It doesn't take much to grind the Venture on tight low speed corners I work and I can do it at the speed limit too. All it takes is a late turn in and haul it over (various reasons for late turn in: potholes, debris, shiny spot in the road I don't like the look of, etc) and it's scraping. Or a strafe a hairpin or switchback and I'm leaving steel and aluminum on the pavement. That's at the speed limit too. Just the actual speed limit and not the advisory speed limit that's on the yellow sign. Now if I was scraping my FJ I'd be saying I'm pushing it way to hard on public roads. Thing is, the limits of my skills are higher than the Venture's ability on twisty roads. The FJ is the opposite: it's limits are far higher than mine. I got all my "Recklessness" out of my system in my teen years on a racetrack. Now, am I a perfect law abiding citizen that never breaks a traffic law? Nope. No one is. I've been speeding before, I've made illegal u turns, rolled stop signs, and so forth. But buddy boy in the video shouldn't even have been on a bike on public roads. That's a very different mindset and a very different law breaking. He had his license revoked/suspended. Whatever he did was deemed unsafe enough to pull his license. He proved it was pulled for good reason in the video. They also pull licenses fo the safety of everyone else on the road so buddy boy wouldn't be out there endangering everyone else who has proven to be able to safely and responsibly operate a vehicle. Still doesn't mean the car driver isn't at fault. He is. He's facing criminal charges. As he should if it is proven to be intentional. In the end, sad story all the way around. They're both @ssholes at the end of it. Just one is a bigger @sshole than the other... Edit: just went back and read it again. Says "invalid" license. That could be revoked or he forgot to renew it. Need more info on the particulars of that license breach....

I bought one off eBay earlier this year for 10 bucks. here's a snap from the auction: http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/WkcAAOxydB1SeDOL/$T2eC16RHJHEFFm!!1QU!BSeDOLQPzQ~~60_57.JPG Here's the auction, but unfortunately they're all out: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/360783776444?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT I paid less than the auction asking price because they accepted an offer I made. I think Yamaha still has them, but you're probably going to pay more than 15 bucks. If your bike doesn't have it, I would install it. Heat kills anything electrical. Either right away or over time. Yamaha came out with the kit to retrofit earlier bikes and it was detailed in a tech bulletin. It was incorporated in later model from the factory and that's pretty much all the proof you need to say you need it. Edit: HOLD THE PHONE! Here's one for 10 bucks on ebay and if you jump on it you can get one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-Stater-Coil-Oil-Cooling-Kit-90891-30014-NOS-/231661818159?hash=item35f01ed12f:g:v~kAAOSw3ydV19bN&vxp=mtr Says they have 6 left when I checked. Can't go wrong for 10 bucks....

I don't like to admit it, but hard to go wrong with a 'Wing if long distance is your thing. Hey, that rhymes!

Not necessarily. When a passenger gets on the assumption is the guy piloting is legally able to do so (skill is a different story). The passenger on a bike is also in no real position to stop the pilot from doing something wrong (unlike my wife in the truck who will loose her mind if I'm even following too close). Now, if she knew he had no license and still got on, all bets are off. Even with him taking her "along for the ride" on an illegal pass. Both parties here are pieces of crap IMO. It's just the driver is a bigger piece of crap than the rider.....

At least you got an intentional last ride of the season. Mine ended when my back went out and I didn't even know the previous days ride to work was going to be my last ride of the season. Look at it this way maybe: your last ride of the season was a memorable one!

My plan to check out for making it easier is to make the rear bar (IE: behind the tire) removable. If it works, it will be remove the center chrome "bumper", remove the lower reflector, remove the center piece of the luggage braces and (hopefully) the tire should be able to come straight out the back. For the axle, I'm looking at doing something with the shock linkage that would let the swingarm drop low enough to clear the muffler. It might be as simple as reversing the bolts that hold the wishbone to the swingarm, but I haven't looked that close at it yet. My bike will likely have an underslung brake caliper (à la the ZX7 wheels) so that won't be a problem. With the axle out, the caliper bracket will drop out of the way. Sounds like a lot of steps when you type it all out, but it's mostly all small stuff and Phillips screws. It's still more than I would like, but simpler than removing all the other stuff. Heck, I've even tossed around the idea of a power extending center stand with a "maintenance" setting that would stand extra tall. I've even seen a Goldwing (youtube) where the guy leans the bike over on to the roll bars and the tire just drops right out when the axle is pulled. I could only dream of it being that easy. Hmmm, come to think of it, I was thinking of making some Delrin sliders for the bars. Mostly in case of dumps or hard cornering, but maybe......

Start with the fairing supports, then the harness, then the harness components (relays, modules, etc). Power it up and make sure it all works. It's easier to work on an electrical fault/mis-wire/etc while you can get to it freely. Then start adding plastics. Basically, work from the inside to the outside if you can....

No disagreement here, but the rider has culpability in why the situation developed in the first place. he also knowingly placed his passenger in that situation and should be held responsable for her injuries just like the driver of the car.

Given the way the story is changing each time he tells it, I think the Crum guy did it on purpose and should be held culpable for his actions. But I also think that people are missing the fact that buddy on the bike shouldn't have even been on the road in the first place....

I would say that has more to do with the age group that is drawn to the hyperbikes (ie: young, full of p!ss and vinegar, little sense of their own mortality). I was one of those young guys once and yes, I was riding the "hyperbikes" of the day. Yes, I probably took more chances than I should of. I was once full of p!ss and vinegar too, I've got no more vinegar at this age but lots of the other one..... But given enough time, those young riders either grow out of riding (was more about image for these guys) or move on to the sport touring bikes. Sport touring bikes are often 8/10's of a hyperbike and damned near capable of scaring the pants off you, but the gents riding these tend to be a little older and a little more responsible. They're also aware they don't heal as fast and crashing hurts both the body and the wallet.... But if I were to put my two cents in, I've seen more guys doing stupid crap on straight pipe hogs and metric cruisers around these parts. They're often middle aged to just a bit older, wear those cut off leather jackets with big patches all over them that generally mean nothing, and just being a bunch of @sses and a general nuisance. Loud, taking up space all over the place, passing in places you can't, doing whatever they want where ever they want, etc. I guess they think they're bad @asses or something cause of the bike or clothes they bought... I guess what you ride means not much about how you're going to ride it. It's more about where your head is while you're riding....

Different by province in Canada. From the NS drivers handbook: Pavement Markings Pavement markings work with road signs and traffic signal lights to give you important information about the direction of traffic and where you may and may not travel. Pavement markings divide traffic lanes, show turning lanes, mark pedestrian crossings, indicate obstacles, and tell you when it is not safe to pass. Rules about solid and broken lines Yellow lines separate travel lanes moving in opposite directions. White lines separate travel lanes moving in the same direction. A yellow dotted or broken line is used as the centre line on a two-lane, two-way road where passing with care is permitted in both directions. When the centre line consists of continuous double solid yellow lines, you cannot cross them to pass in either direction. On a two-lane road, passing with care is permitted if the broken yellow line is on your side of the centreline markings. Single solid white lines are used as right-edge lines along the roadway and for guiding traffic travelling in the same direction. Single solid yellow lines are used as left-edge lines on divided highways. If you see the reverse, you are travelling in the wrong direction. A single solid yellow line marking the centre of a highway permits passing in either direction when traffic, sight distance, and other conditions are ideal. I would suspect traffic laws are State mandated in the US like they are in Canada by the Provinces. But, who knows?

I must have missed where they said he had no license? If so, not only should the guy not have been on the other side of the double yellow, heshouldn't have been on the road at all. Looking worse and worse for the biker the more that comes out.....doesn't excuse the car drivers actions, but it wouldn't have happened at all if the guy wasn't illegally operating a motorcycle. If it's true that he wasn't licensed that is......

yup, I've seen that one too. Still a PITA. I'm looking at modifications to the bike that would make tire removal easier and while on the side stand. Would like to not have to remove a muffler to do it too. I have a few ideas on how to make it happen, but I need some time in the garage with it to see if it's possible. Geez, who designed this thing that if you get a flat you have to take most of the bike apart to fix it....

I can't get this heavy bike on the centerstand with a 2x4 under it. I've tried. I just don't have either enough weight or leverage. I suppose I could ride it up on a 2x6 and try the 2x4 under the centerstand. But then I'd be risking it falling over when I try to get my feet down....

Rear chrome "bumper" has to come off and so does the reflector. Center fender also for clearance. Then at least the RH bag bracket has to come off. This is if you don't have a bike lift table that is. It's just a bloody nightmare overall. Very poor design.

Yup, too true. My 83 will spend at least a couple weeks a summer under it's cover since we're away from home base (garage). Timely topic. My cover could use a wash since it's been put away wet a couple time this past summer before I could hang it dry at home.

I deleted this at first because it a fairly hot topic, but will say it now: If the guy hit them intentionally, he's going to be up on charges. But the bike shouldn't have been there in the first place either. If it does play out in the way it looks in the video, all we are seeing is the meeting of two @ssholes and the inevitable consequences of that type of mix. The only one I feel sorry for is the poor passenger on the bike who had the decision made for her by the @sshole piloting the bike. Wanna talk about manslaughter? The guy piloting the bike should also be charged with it.....the passengers injuries are a direct result of his illegal, careless and negligent actions. Much like the captain or a ship or aircraft, the pilot of the bike is also responsible for the welfare of his passenger. More bikers should remember that....

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Not so much. I can do most of the work myself. Machine a Venture hub down to size and hollow out the Zx rim. Basically, you do this: http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/big_crbst_32463_132142910146293_109734549053796_298713_1106811_n_zpspnullycw.jpg And you end up with this: http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/_57_zpsbgzehp7i.jpg In a nutshell, that's all Kosman does to make the 17" VMax rear wheels. I'll just farm out the tig welding since you need to be good at that stuff. There's also other ways about it. Here's a gent who did what I was originally thinking about building: http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/PIC00221Small.jpgoriginal_zpsdoj9emmn.jpg http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/PIC00223Small.jpgoriginal_zpsdmbg91jb.jpg http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/PIC00230Small.jpgoriginal_zps27bqyzhb.jpg http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/PIC00234Small.jpgoriginal_zpsvnrivxui.jpg Basically, he made his own splined drive to mate to a standard style cush drive. I don't know if I can get the offset right that way though. He had the advantage of making it for a custom XS1000 so his offset could be built as he saw fit: http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/PIC00259Medium.jpgoriginal_zpszrsnwrfa.jpg You can see even custom built, the offset is horrible. There's just not enough room to do it this way without accepting horrible offset to the RH side or a custom swingarm and drive shaft. IIRC, he used a double joint driveshaft in the end. Can't really remember, stopped following his build a long time ago. Most of the wheel swapping info for Yamaha shafties is for the VMax. Without machining work, most seem to usually result in an offset to the right side. Yammy shaft wheels that will go into the drive: FJR1300 - offset is very bad, so much so that the VMax guys won't use them. need major modifications to work. XJ900 Diversion - Not sold in NA, but reportedly slots right into a VMax rear swingarm assembly. It's also on a 4.00 width rim. Even a old CBR600F2 wears a 4.50 rim so you're limited on tire choices with the 4.00. Unknown if the offset is to the right on the Venture like a VMax wheel is on a Venture, but it's a fair be tit is offset to the right if the VMax guys are hunting them down. BT1100 (Bulldog) - Again, not sold in NA. Apparently slots in like the Diversion wheel. Info sketchy on rim width, but I think it's wider than the Divy rim. Of those three, only the FJR is sold in NA. The rest would have to be brought in from overseas. The exchange rates are horrible. BT1100 wheels are rare as hens teeth and expensive if you find one. Any one selling a Divy 900 wheel seems to know it's a swap for a VMax and wants a dear price for it. Toss shipping on top of all that and you might as well just buy a converted wheel from Kosman....

Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. I found a good, straight 2004 R6 17 x 3.5 front wheel complete with rotors and bearings. 100 bucks to my door, so I'm into it all for front and rear wheels for 160 bucks. Not too bad and not too much to cry about if it all falls through the floor. We'll see how it matches up with the front of the Venture. I'm not really interested in a full front end swap, so it will be axle's and spacers spun up on the lathe for me. Any front end swaps are going to end up with forks that are shorter than the Venture forks and I'm going to loose enough front end height swapping to the 120/70 17 tire as it is. The rotors are likely to be 320mm, haven't looked it up yet. If they are 320's, I'll just keep the 83 front forks and make adapter plates for the R6 blue spot calipers. I'd have to make plates for the 86 forks with 320mm rotors anyways. The 83 forks are in way better shape than the 86 forks (IE: rust pits, mileage, messy lowers, etc) so thy're just a better choice. 320mm rotors with monoblock calipers will stand this damned thing on it's nose! The rim is coming with a tire on it, but it's probably ratched. They usually are. It will do for a roller so I can test it's fit in the garage. Speedo drive will be another issue. Hopefully there will be enough space int he fork legs to work one in. Other wise, I may look at a drive of the middle drive nut or something. Man, this whole process would be so much easier if it was just a chain drive bike.......

Loosing the rear tire in a turn on throttle application sounds like buddy didn't know his own bike and the kind of power it wields (assuming clean pavement and good tires up to temp). Leaned over in a turn calls for smooth, progressive and judicious power application for a good hard drive out of a corner. Whack it open and you're gonna pay. Modern sportbikes have enough power on tap to pretty much break the rear tire loose at will anywhere. Treat it with respect or.....well, he found out the "or" part. People seem to think modern sport bikes are easier to ride. To a certain extent they're right: they're easier to ride fast than say, an 80's sportbike. But IMHO, modern sportbikes are harder to ride because if your skills aren't up to snuff (and 95% or the riders out there aren't up to snuff for a modern sportbike), it's gonna bite you right in the azz when you try to pull that "hero move". Being bold doesn't equal being good. Big difference between the two. I know guys seemed to be all "stoked" about "riding the dragon". Personally, I have no desire to ride that particular stretch of road. Ever. Any road that has a tree dedicated to pieces of crashed bikes is not the road for me. Not because the road scares me, but the azzholes (squids, cops, trucks, RV's, etc) on it do. Anytime a road becomes "popular", it becomes dangerous and no longer fun. I prefer good twisty back roads with decent to broken pavement that no body knows about. That's motorcycling nirvana. Leaning, scenery, smells, nature, sounds of the bike, the joy of just the right gear selection, nailing the apex, braking just right, driving hard out of the corners, less than perfect pavement making the bike move about beneath you and forcing you to pay attention to maintain control and honing your skills. Getting better each time you run it. Minimal to no traffic to break your rhythm. Roads you can run 7, 8 or 9/10ths on bikes like my FJ1200. On those roads, I find my zen. And yes: I'm greedy and selfish. I don't share these roads with anyone when I find them. That's how they get ruined for everybody. Just like "The Dragon".

Well, I figured it was worth exploring a little further so I ordered another ZX wheel (with brake disc but no sprocket carrier)off eBay. The one in the pics above is earmarked for my FJ1200. 60 bucks to my door for another one, so not much to loose if it goes in the crapper. I'll take my spare swingarm and clearance it a little bit more and I was planing on a brace for it anyways. I'll likely turn the center cush drive out of my spare 86 rear wheel and mate it to the ZX wheel. The 86 Venture wheel is pretty much a mess anyways and I don't have the brake disc for it either. It's structurally sound, but cosmetically a corroded mess. It looks like the Venture cush drive can be machined to nicely friction fit in to a hollowed out zx wheel and still leave the ZX brake disc mounts in place. It should be a simple matter for someone good with a tig to weld the two pieces when I'm done. I may even use the freeze/heat trick to lock them together and then the weld will just be backup. Using the ZX disc gets me away from that 86-92 rear disc availability issue. I also use the rear brake differently than most people. A rear disc that isn't very powerful works perfectly for me. I typically just drag a rear brake to settle the chassis in corners or for low speed parking lot use against the clutch/throttle. I'm thinking it should work well with the VMax final drive and the 2002 RSV transmission. The 170/70 R 17 has a higher weight rating than the original bias ply so I'm good there. The 170/70 is a little less than an inch smaller than the OEM tire so it should reduce final drive ratio. Should give it vmax like gearing in the lower gears and still have a deeper overdrive 5th than a stock 83-92 Venture. And not that the Venture is a corner carving machine, but a brace on the swingarm should help stabilize things a tad better. Might be needed if I can get another 20-30HP to the rear wheel too.....

Well, the swingarm already has a "relief" in the LH arm for tire clearance. If you get the 170 just right, it clears. But the 17" rim is dangerously close to where the necked down portion widens out. There was a bang on wheel weight on the rim i was using and it was striking the arm where it widened out again. If I were to try the 17 rim, I'd probably take a bit more out of the swingarm tube for a touch more clearance.