BigLenny

Nice ride Slowroll! After Yammy stopped making the RSTD, they came out with that bike. Did they ever put a cruise control on it? BigLenny

Thank God it wasn't a Metzler, or it would've started a mile long string of posts explaining why Metzlers suck.

Me three!!!

I think the issue is the bike sat for several years. To the point that he had to take the carbs off and clean them, plus put new fuel lines on. The gas tank was rally bad. He cleaned the tank somehow, but the gas cap seal and internal parts is so bad it can't be used, or something like that.

Hey Folks, Today I ran into a fellow riding a 2006 Venture. He has just recently got it running, and said he loves the bike. I invited him to take a look at our fine site. He said he might just do that. In the mean time, I thought I might try to help him with something. His gas cap has a serious issue, and he is looking for a replacement. He said a new one is $125.00, and he doesn't want to spend that. After I left him, it got me to wondering if anybody here would have a spare gas cap laying around that goes with the RS Venture. He gave me his card and I could contact him if someone had one they wouldn't mind getting rid of. If you're interested, let me know. Thanks, BL

Don, My local zero turn dealer sells full lines of Kubota, Scag, ExMark, Hustler and Bad Boy. He told me Scag is the dominant commercial brand name sold in the north and down the east coast, while ExMark is the dominant brand name sold in the south.

Raggy, Hate to hear about that. I have a friend that has had a professional lawn business for years and he turned me onto Stihl products about 7-8 years ago. I now have 2 Stihl trimmers, and a gas Stihl blower. They have been awesome, with no repair issues. And I have used the crap out of them! I hear good things about Echo also.

BJ, Dixon was an awesome mower! Sadly, Husqvarna purchased them and ended their production. BTW, Husqvarna has benefitted greatly from buying Dixon. They have adopted several quality points from the Dixon brand.

Don, Down here in the south, we mow. And we mow a lot!! It is HOT and VERY HUMID here and that makes it a perfect environment for grass to grow at a rapid pace. It is very common down here to not think twice about spending serious money on a good quality zero turn mower. They're everywhere. It's almost like a status symbol in the south to have a commercial level zero turn mower. Discussing and bragging about ones zero turn is a common subject at the local cafe's in the mornings. LOL. That photo you posted of the Husqvarna is a good mower for the money, but down here someone would remind a person that Husqvarna is married to the big conglomerate Ariens, and so on and so on. In our part of the country, what brand of zero turn you have can sometimes be way more prestigious than what brand of bike you're riding. The serious pro's down here use: ExMark (by far the #1 brand that the pro's use) Scag (Super high quality. like owning the cadillac) Hustler (The original inventor of the zero turn mower) Gravely (Now owned by Ariens, but still operates as separate operation. Very high quality for price) John Deere (Folks buy because of brand name. They use stamped decks, which is not desirable) Bad Boy (Arkansas made brand. A lot of pros will say they're good quality, but not great quality across all of their lines) Dixie Chopper (a mowing animal) Grasshopper (very high quality, but hard to find service places) Kubota (very high quality, but very expensive to repair) Walker (front deck rear bag detailed mower for lawns) Ferris (Not as prevalent in the south, but starting to see more of them. Second to nobody in ride quality with the suspension system). Other brands that are fairly good quality that some pros use, and/or are a part of large manufacturing conglomerates: Cub Cadet Husqvarna Ariens Simplicity Snapper Toro There are a bunch more. It is common knowledge to not mess with Briggs engines, Kawasaki is considered the top of the line engine for commercial mowers down here. but, the Kohler Vanguard is very close in quality. Can't go wrong there. Don't get anything with a stamped deck. VERY PREFERRED IS TO HAVE A DONALDSON AIR FILTER. Make s sure the hydraulic drive motors are a 3000 series or higher. Parker brand drive motors are good quality. What do I own? Kubota ZG227 54". Have had it for 5 years with zero problems. Probably will go to ExMark, Scag, or Hustler with my next purchase. BigLenny

I'm with Bongo on this one. I got some news like that last September at Bikes Blues and BBQ from a Yamaha corporate dude. Said they were gonna announce in December last year. I got all excited and got on the forum here and told everyone of my good news. Well, we all know how that went. So, no more believing Yamaha announcement stories for me.

Yeah, But just think of how many points you're gonna score with your mom when you show up to see her, even though there is a cyclone warning. Now that's screams pure love right there.

Oh no. Here we go again.

I'll be late tonight too. We're hosting of all things, a bible study.

Last night I got all excited about the Toga Party in VR Chat! Put my favorite toga on. Turn on some Barry White music. Jumped into Chat and................nobody...........crickets........ Then, re-checked the thread title. Crap! It's just like me to be a day early for all the fun.

Ugh!!!!! I hate puter problems. I say go buy you a brand spankin new one.

Bert, It's a little scary at first, but you get used to it. I stand hard on the center stand lever, and pull up on the crash bar that goes around the left saddle bag, and it comes right up. Sometimes, if i'm tired from a long days ride, I'll have my wife, or anybody else I'm with, stand on the right side of the bike and help me stabilize it while I'm trying to get it up on the stand. I don't get caught up in a bunch of pride of "having to do it myself". I'm not scared to ask someone to help me. Rather do that, than to drop the dang bike.

Yes, they're great for doing general maintenance while at home. However, I feel just as much, if not more value in having the center stand while we are travelling. When we get to the hotel, I like to put the bike on the center stand. It makes it easier to unload, and load. It also makes it easier for me to check oil level and tire air pressures, and do a thorough tread check before we hit the road. Since our bike is an RSTD, I am loading a large, fully loaded t-bag on the back, so it's best if the bike is level when I put the bag on the bike and strap it down. Wouldn't want to do without it. PS. Look up Rivco's website and find out what rallys they are gonna be at. If they're gonna be at one within riding distance of you, call them and have them bring a center stand for your bike and have them mount it at the rally while you look at the rest of the tradeshow. That's what I did. They go to Bikes Blues and BBQ every year, so I had them install it there while I walked around the rest of the show.

We saw this in Kansas on Rt 66: But, compare that to this from Missouri: Yeah. Kansas struggles in the scenery department. But, to your point, I bet they have great people there.

The trucks. Not the big pic of my ugly mug. LOL.

Bob, We did see this: Does that change your mind any?

This is Red. Loaded down.

We finally got Kansas on our ride map! Oh, wait; I need to color Kansas in on my signature map. Kansas is just up the road from Arkansas, and we've never ridden in that state. Don't really know why. Maybe because I've always perceived it to be flat and boring. Anywho; This past Friday morning, my wife and I were getting ready for work and talking about how the weather man was forecasting a beautiful weekend. We have been doing a lot of work around our house to get it ready to put on the market, and we had planned to work the weekend on our master bathroom, which we are remodeling. However, during our morning conversation Friday, I casually mentioned how it's going to be a perfect weekend to ride, and that we ought to head up to Kansas and get that on our map. She loved the idea, and about 5:30 Friday afternoon we were on the bike and heading northwest. After riding 3 hours Friday night to get into northwest Arkansas, we then rode all day Saturday in NW Arkansas, SW Missouri, SE Kansas, and NW Oklahoma. Then rode most of the day yesterday through the northern part of our beautiful state heading back home. 705.2 miles total. We haven't ridden the bike much since September due to surgeries that she and I have both had, and having to take care of my wife's brother who broke his hip. Having said that, I fell in love with my RSTD again on this trip. What a wonderful smooth running and smooth riding bike! We've had it 8 years, and I get thoughts of getting rid of it. But, everytime I start thinking that, I go on an extended ride with Red (our RSTD), and fall in love again. She just fits me. She's heavy as all get out, gnarly at slow speeds, top heavy, awkwardly wide in the saddle. She wouldn't fit most people in this world, but for my 6'6" 300lb rump, she feels perfect. And this trip reminded me again of my love for that V4 motor. AND, I love the fact that nobody knows what she is! We stopped at The Oark Cafe in the middle of the Ozark Mountains to grab a phenomenal burger. There was to my count 28 bikes parked around the little 100 year old cafe. Several people talked to me about my bike, but nobody knew what brand it is, or that it's a 4 banger. I love that! Back to the trip. The weather was stunningly beautiful, and we took our time and relaxed. Rode the mother road through Joplin, and points west of there for a while down into Oklahoma. It was cool dancing from the Ozark Mountains into the plains of Kansas and Oklahoma, back to the mountains. Went through a nice area in Oklahoma called Grand Lake. I need to take my boat back there. I'm sooooo blessed to live in this part of the country where we have an over abundance of great motorcycle roads to ride. I'll stop babbling now. PS. I know I need to post pics. Didn't take that many, but they're coming.

Oooooooooo! Raven sounds cool!

I have a Rivco center stand and absolutely love it. One of the best purchases I've made for the bike. And yes, they are pricey!

Oldodge, I would say the helmet. He's going to do a lot more riding in the daylight than the dark. All that money spent on a headlight that will get used only when he rides at night, which might not be that often in the grand scheme of things. This would be a perfect opportunity for you to coach your friend on how he should try his best to minimize night riding on a bike. It's a dangerous proposition. A high end helmet is useful every time he gets on the bike. Having said that; Do I ride at night? Yes. But only when I have to.