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thebighop
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Everything posted by thebighop
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I went to the lowerin links & narrower front tire. It handles better at all speeds
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I am gonna go out on. A limb here, and predict that it won't snow in Michigan folr at least another month...LOL
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the guy that told me about adding oil thru the air line had triked his RSV, and he kept the mono shock and added two air bags... I assume most trikes would do the same...duuno. But if this experiment doesn't pan out I am going top order the Works and just limp on the old busted shock till it arrives. Not too thrilled at tearing it down twice but ya do what ya gotta do...I am in Michigan..it could be snowing in two weeks...LOL
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Actually...I did do a search...but there is way more chatting than info, so I opted for the direct course.... I seem to recall being told at some point that the rear shock could be rebuilt...but it's been a while ago, and I can't remember every thing I am told... Besides, I was hoping to find a member with a good shock that wanted to sell it...
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Thanks Midnight...that's better than the OEM I have been quoted here..Works sounds like the best bet though, except a 2 week build and then shipping time...I need it yesterday...Right now the bike is my primary transportation...and it's too blamed hot to be sitting around... I am going to try something before I buy...a friend said he adds oil thru the air line. I am draining it now and will try filling it with spindle oil or shock oil, which ever I can find first, and see how that works...if I have to fill it every day, it is less hassle than shelling out a that kinda money for a replacement...this shock is only 4 years old and has about 45,000 miles on it..
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I have a 99 RSV, yesterday the tail end started bouncing up and down like an old Chevy pick-up with just leaf springs... It's holding air OK, so I am assuming I have an oil leak...as the boot is covered with what looks to be old dirty oil. Can the rear mono shock be rebuilt? Does anyone have one(good one) reasonably priced? By reasonable I mean...the dealer here want $718...I want to spend a lot less. Any help about how to fix it or locate a decent priced replacement would be greatly appreciated...
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I would play it safe and look your policy over.... I would call your insurance companies main headquarters office and ask some questions without telling them who you are. Mine told me that the tires have to be DOT approved...they could be made of balsa wood for all they really cared.
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Hey Gary... Dang, I gotta get on here more often. I am doing OK...I think I may have to park the 99 for a while....it's snowing and blowing....wind chill of 0 degrees. The bike couldn't be better....90,000 miles and still no wrenching on the engine. Replaced the drive hub at 65,000 due to an problem with keeping a seal...it kept leaking the rear end fluid to the point that I had worn the gear to near nothing....and I added a Barnett clutch because the OEM was slipping a bit and I was doing Iron Butt Rides.... Otherwise I am running a CT and loving it and just recently converted to Harley Ultra Clasic mufflers...sounds pretty cool too. I haven't noticed anyone running around here on a 2000 RSV. I live on the north boundary of the Mounds by Genesee, and know of a guy at Genesee and Fances that has a 2007 or 2008...but that's all I see around here.
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I doubt if it was the beads...they were still flowing around in the tire like they were supposed to. There was no slime, nor any dampness inside. The tire looked to be in real good condition...no uneven wear or anything to indicate a problem, and up until that moment, I hadn't experienced a bit of shake, bounce, or wobble. It happened all of a sudden like. I had been riding all day on two lane, 55mph roads and got on the expressway to head north and home, and hadn't gone more than a mile or so when all of a sudden it started bouncing....It was right around the 68-70 mph mark by my estimate. ( with the BFG on it the speedo was off by about 7mph...slower than it was actually reading ) Once I got it home, I tried to get it to do it again, but it never happened... I might have had to duplicate the entire day to reenact it again. But since I was planning a Florida trip, I went ahead and changed it.....It only ran me $57, so it weren't no big deal, and I got over 28K miles out of the tire. It's all good in my book.
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There's a Dark Side Forum in the Delphi Forum that has a cool patch . I am a member there... try this link for the forum... http://forums.delphiforums.com/DarkSiding/start and this link for the patch... http://www.mambaville.com/mambamerchant/
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I had a high speed wobble with both my BFG T/A Radial, and my 165/80 Kumho. The wobble went away as I got either broke in and found my sweet spot. I think it has a lot to do with the sidewalls...they aren't made the same as a MT, and tend to sway a bit.... Once the tire has been ran out a bit...maybe 500 miles...possibly over 1000, and you get the air at the right psi....I think the overall integrity balances out and the sweet spot makes the tire work just right for that particular tire and rider. I ride aggressively...I had the wobble at 80mph plus on the BFG before breaking in and adjusting the psi. With the Kumho the wobble didn't show until 90mph. After about 500 miles and adjusting the psi down to 32lbs...I can do over 100 and with no wobble. My break in psi was 45lbs on the BFG, and 38lbs on the Kumho. I am convinced that each tire, rider and ride style combination is unique. By reading what others are doing, and experimenting a little, you can find a starting point and work into your sweet spot. Also I think that the more you ride on the CT, the better it's going to feel...or should I say the more you ride on the more you'll get used to it, and it will feel better. I don't even think about it anymore....At first, I was watching for anything out of the ordinary and trying to analyze what was happening.....now I just ride, and don't even remember half the time that I am on the darkside until someone notices the weird tire on my bike...LOL
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Sorry it has taken so long to get back to this... I use dyna beads so I don't think it was an out of round problem....I believe the dyna beads work, and do a great job. I inspected the BFG while still on the rim and didn't see any of the tell tale dimples in the side wall that are generally present when a belt has broken, and did a thorough inside and out looky see when it came off the rim...still no positive indication that a belt had broken. I am thinking that possibly the side wall had given up. Here's what was going on. I had been riding for over 200 miles on a sunny day in the high 70's low 80's. I got on I-23 in southern Michigan headed north and back home, when at about 75mph by my clock...(which was about 7mph off due to the BFG so I was probably really doing 68-70) the tire strated to bounce. At first I thought it was the road bed, since it does have tendency to be wavey in that area, enough so that I really notice it in my truck. I slowed down about 5mph and it stopped...accelerated back up and it started again. About the third time I did it a guy in a pick up pulled along side and started pointing at my back tire...I glanced in my mirrors to check traffic so I could pull over and stop, when I noticed the semi behind me flashing his head lights at me...he pulled over behind me. The driver said it looked like the tire was trying to throw the tread right off the tire. We rolled it ahead and couldn't see any damage....He said it looked like the tire was flopping to the side or like the tread had a zig zag in one spot. I rode it the rest of the way home on back roads at 45-55mph and didn't experience it again. I drove it for a couple more weeks on back roads around home, and hit 80mph a few times, but it didn't do it again. I am thinking maybe the sidewall gave out, or i could have been the warmer weather and road bed conditions and how hot the tire had been from running some 200 miles...I dunno. I was planning on riding down to Florida for Biketoberfest, and decided to change it just to be safe.... I got a good 28,000 miles out of the BFG, and would highly recommend it to anyone seeking to go to the darkside...but since I changed to the 165/80 Kumho...and have had a chance to clock a little over 500 miles on it so far...I would have to highly recommend this tire too. Our choices are marginal at best, and those are two tires that I personally know work great on a RSV.
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I had a 155/80 BF Goodrich T/A Radial on for about 28,000 miles and just recently changed to a 165/80 Kumho. ( I broke a belt in the BFG riding on Michigans roads, and could no longer run at highway speeds, so I opted for a new tire.)\ The 165 at 32psi just clears the drive shaft cover. I doubt if you'd be able to run anything bigger. It would fit in the space allowed, but the first time you hit a bump or hole, it would rub the shaft cover. I kept a close eye on the new tire for the first 500 miles, and never saw any place where it looked like the tire rubbed the shaft cover.... In comparison....I really liked the BFG T/A Radial. I couldn't believe how well it handled... Then I changed to the Kumho....WOW! I like it a lot more than the BFG. It corners better and rides a bit smoother, especially at highway speeds. I have had it out in cold wet weather and it handles it real well....stops good too.
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I finally came to a point where a tire change was necessary... I had a BF Goodrich T/A Radial on my Venture for the past 28,000 or so miles, but a belt broke , so I decided to change it. It wasn't a problem as long as I kept it below about 75 mph by my speedo, which because of the difference in size of the BFG from a stock tire the speedo is off by about 7mph , so I estimate that it was about 68-70mph, and the tire started to bounce. As long as I kept the speed down it was fine, but I had planned to ride to florida for Biketoberfest so I decided to go ahead and change it now. I didn't make the trip to Fla. however.... I installed a Kumho Power Star 758, 165/80 R15. I bought it on tires-easy.com for $32 and $15 shipping, another $10 got it mounted. It took 110psi to bead it, and I am running it at 38psi for the first 500 miles as a run in before taking it to hopefully my sweet spot, which should be 31 or 32psi. So far the tire performs really nice....smoother actually than the BFG was. I think that's due to it being a bit wider and taller. Barring a belt breaking, I fully expect to get 35k-40k miles out of my $57 investment. Not bad compared to the $140 Elite III that only lasted about 7500 miles. I have pulled my little cargo trailer loaded with about 250lbs of camping gear and stuff over thousands of miles using the BFG and it worked great. I am anticipating much the same out of the Kumho....
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Howdy... A friend of mine just traded a motorhome for a 05 RSV with only 1800 miles on it...It has a set of Sampson Mufflers that he says are way too loud...wonders if stock 2003 Harley Soft Tail mufflers will fit on it. I told him that Road King Muffs fit , but I don't know of any others that do... Can anyone provide an answer? Thanks, Steve
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I have found reviews on most of the tires we can use on the second gen Ventures... if you want them I can look them up again and post the links... For my own personal preferences...and I don't mean to knock anyone's choice of tires, nor criticize any particular tire...this is based on information I have gleaned from over two years of researching the use of car tires on motorcycles... I myself would shy away from all but the Federal Tire in the 165/80/15 ss657, and the BF Goodrich T/A Radial in the 155/80/15 for use on a Venture... Those two brands have never been reported to blow apart while installing nor shred as they have been driven..... A few other brands that build the size needed for a Venture have blown apart while setting the bead...some have shredded while being driven....and many have been installed and worked out OK......so like I say...I am not trying to criticize here...just posting some cautions I currently use a BFG T/a Radial, and have approx 11,000 miles on it with no problems. In the late 60's I had a 1964 Hydra Glide Harley and used VW tires front and back. The ride was always a thrill...tires back then weren't engineered as well as they are today, and you just never knew how they were going to hold out in any curve or turn..... The tires today...as long as they are a quality product with proper ply ratings....are far better and offer much more control when used on a motorcycle. I haven't found anyone using a CT on the front...due to size restrictions mostlt....but I am guessing were it possible to use one...the ride would be outstanding. My suggestion would be to check out a few of tjhe new sites that have started up due to the growing interest in using CT'son bikes... try googling Riding the Dark Side as a starting point....they have links to many others and you can speak with others using CT's and gather a lotof info before you make a decision on what to purchase or how to install and maintain them.
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I found the specs for the BFG T/A Radial...below. I can look at my BFG and get the ply ratings if you want them... You can check this link for the Federal specs.... federaltyres.com.au/ss657 at the bottom of the Federal page there is a pdf link that displays a spec chart the 165/80/15 is second from the bottom on that chart. http://www.customwheelsdirect.com/html/images/tires/BFGoodrich/goodrich.jpg Radial T/A byBFGoodrich Tires Specifications for tire size: 155/80/15 UTQG: 400 Max Load: Max Inflation Pressure: 35 psi Tread Depth: Nov-32" Rim Width Range: 4.5-5.5" Meas. Rim Width: 4.5" Section Width: 6.1" Tread Width: " Overall Height: 24.7" Revolutions per Mile: 842 http://www.customwheelsdirect.com/html/images/tires/BFGoodrich/RadTa.jpg
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Howdy... Just wanted to acknowledge your Iron Butt membership... I am Iron Butt Association member number 31124 Steve
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that's a trick question.... Yes...the feeling is...different. Not bad...just different, and it takes a few times to get where you don't notice it. At first it freaked me out a little...but the more times I rode on it the better I adapted and the better it felt. It just didn't feel like my Venture felt with the stock rubber on it...and I don't think that riding all day without some breaks would make the transition any better...it will take, riding a while...take a break...ride it again...take a break, and ride again...by the third or fourth time you should be good to go with out even thinking about it... I don't even think about it until I park somewhere and someone comes up and says...hey, you gotta car tire on your bike!!! To which I act shocked and surprised and say.. 'I do...Oh No!!!!' I parked at Wal-mart shortly after I put the CT on and this guy walks up and says...'nice bike, I heard you pull up and it really sounds good...Oh my God...you have a car tire on it....' I smiled and said 'Yuppers...I just put it on.' The dude then went on the tell me that it wouldn't work. I asked him...how the hell you think I got to Wal-Mart?...he said...'oh.' Seriously..I like the feel much more than I ever did a MT. I have better control through curves, I can lean way into them, the ride is smoother, and I get better mpg too... I have 11K on this tire and it isn't showing any wear...aside from the typical grime that a tire picks up... you wouldn't know it had been used at all. I fully expect to get 35-40,000 miles out of it, and I only paid $53 for it and another $10 to mount it.... I also use Dyna Beads to keep it balanced.... http://www.innovativebalancing.com/ well worth the money and trouble....
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Chris...here are the pics you asked for... Steve [ATTACH]26102[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]26103[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]26104[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]26105[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]26106[/ATTACH]
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It took over a week for the stealership to get my ignition switch in, but I got it and installed it yesterday.... Now if spring would just hurry up and get here... Too rainy to ride today....temps in low 50s and upper 40s.
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I used my Dremel to cut slots in the heads, but couldn't get enough toruqe on the screw driver to turn the bolts out, so I cut through the nuts and split them...the bolts came out with no problem after that... There's enough loc-tite on the threads to keep a couple of Harleys from vibrating apart.....LOL I checked with my lock smith buddy....and he said he couldn't do anything to fix my switch, and he's one of the best at fixing that type of stuff.. It's just plain worn out...it is more a matter of the switch wearing out and the inside falling apart than it is one of just bad contacts and such... The key won't turn without a lot of fudging and twisting and the fork lock won't move at all. I ordered an new one...$169.60. The dealership wanted $179 plus yax, but they gave it to me for $160 plus tax...(6%tax) I'll get it early next week....probably come in by dog sled by then.... Oh...new bolts (as if!!!) are $10.95 each....Ha! I have a lot of nuts and bolts here after 32 years of working for GM/Delphi...I am sure I can find a pair that will work out. Thanks for the help....
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Thanks Boomer... I am gonna try slotting the heads and see if they'll twist out...otherwise I am gonna cut them off and replace the bolts too.
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My ignition switch is about shot....I can't turn it to lock the front end, and have to fish around for a spot that will give me ignition.... I need to know how to remove the switch to replace it, or get it repaired.... Have any of you taken one out? What tool do I need to remove the bolts? A replacement switch runs around $150.00, and I don't want to have to pay the stealership to do the work on top of that... Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Eagleeye... IfI understand your question correctly... The answer would be , yes. I run a BFGoodrich T/A Radial on the rear and a bias ply Dunlop Elete III on the front, and it is working fine.... In regards to the lowering issue..again,I would have to say , yes. The CT you mention will generally be of a smaller diameter than the stock or OEM MT you would otherwise use. Although, you don't specify the profile of the CT you mentioned, as in 165/60, 70,etc... I have the lowering links installed, and with the BFG on the rear, I can't say that the difference is really noticeable...at least not after the third or fourth ride anyway.... You will notice almost immediately, that the front will have a lighter feel, and low speed manuvers, like a right turn from a standing stop, will be much easier.
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