OB-1

Take a cattle prod along if you're going to ride where those bicyclists are! My wife and I wished we would have had one when we ran in to several thousand of the pesky boogers strung out on US550 from Ouray to Durango, CO, in June. They made travel downright dangerous!

VR Assistance List... We live about 70 miles west of Sturgis if anyone has problems; just don't call at 0300hrs for bail money cuz it ain't happening!

We use the Synthetic version in our 06 Midnight Venture. No problems, no issues, no oil consumption.

Anyone in the market for a Ford Excursion? We've got one we need to sell and it's listed in the classifieds.

We only got a little over 10,000 miles out of our E-3 rear tire; we're not impressed with their mileage. So far, Michelin Commander's have given us the best mileage at just over 14,000 miles for the rear tire. Trying an Avon Venom today... We'll see how long the Venom lasts for us.

This sounds like the same rational used to come up with the theory of "Global Warming".

:backinmyday:30-years ago when I was stationed in Texas we would stop at a gas station and soak ourselves with their water hose, fill our helmets with water and then put them on and ride. We would repeat this ritual every 60-90 minutes depending upon the heat, length of the ride, and water availablity. We were normally bone dry and begining to sweat again in 90-minutes. Of course back then I didn't have speakers in my helmet or wear eye glasses...

We don't have "Mic-Mutes" on our bike, but I have had a problem with the CB push-to-talk mic switch. I think that "Mic-Mutes" uses the CB push-to-talk mic switch to toggle the intercom, right? If so, the problem could just be oxidized, (dirty), switch contacts. I simply opened the handlebar controls and cleaned and greased the switch contacts. The switch is very simple and easy to clean.

Yes, ride Beartooth Pass and the Chief Joseph Parkway when in the Yellowstone area. Much of the Yellowstone summer crowds and road construction should be gone when you make your trip. Prepare for cold weather riding. Expect night time temps to drop to the mid 20's with daily highs in the 50-70 degree range. Cold mornings, nice days, and cool evenings are to be expected. Major snow isn't likely at that time, but it could happen. A bad snow shouldn't cause more than a one day delay. If you're in to bathing in mineral hot springs, put Thermopolis, WY, on your route. Ride Montana highway 83 from Sealy Lake north to Highway 35 and 206 into the Columbia Falls/Kalispell area, but don't ride these roads after dark. These roads are very scenic and loaded with wildlife. "Going To The Sun" highway is terriffic along with US-89 south to MT-49 to US-2 back into the Columbia Falls/Kalispell area. Sounds like a great trip! PM me if you add the Black Hills to your trip and want some riding company.

Thanks for all the kind comments. They have been passed along to my wife. We should get the back back from the dealer tomorrow with a brand new rear shock replaced under warrenty .

Below is my wife's description of our ride to AZ and back last month. ARIZONA IN JUNE? It was June 14th, early afternoon, when we left for our big motorcycle trip south to Phoenix. We had planned this trip for weeks; even a few months. The forecast was for a few sprinkles, the temperature was in the mid 60’s and Mike took the dog to the neighbors for her stay. He had mapped the routes going and coming, reviewed them, re-routed them, changed them and finally I printed ‘em! I had made the remark that he couldn’t get us down there and back without a map…(There are few destinations where he needs a map). Then I regretted it, and printed out the maps, anyway. The trunk on the bike was full, side bags were stuffed and I had tied an additional nylon bag above the right side saddle bag. I had rain gear on, since it was in the low 60’s and had drizzled. On top of that, I strapped on my fannie bag and another bag went over my head across my chest holding maps, binoculars, mp3 player and a camera. Behind the windshield, my tour guide and husband wore his NRA leather jacket. Off we went to Arizona! In no time at all we were in Wheatland, where we bunked for the night with dear friends Connie and Clyde. We always have a great visit with them and talked until late-thirty. After coffee the next morning, we made our way to Laramie and then into Colorado. The Black Canyon was an unbelievable sight, looking down thousands of feet from the edge of the highway! It is in the Curecanti National Recreational Area in SW Colorado. The rocky slopes are really black and give this canyon an eerie look. Fortunately there was little traffic and we were almost alone looking over the edge at the viewing area. We stayed in Montrose, CO. in a nice hotel for under $100. The lady at the desk gave Mike directions to a great Mexican restaurant and we called it a night! On Wednesday morning, we headed south on #550 toward Ouray, CO. Some sign said to beware of bicyclists… As we drove through Ouray, we didn’t seem to be drawn to anything resembling a breakfast place, so continued on over Red Mountain Pass. Above Ouray looking down, this little town resembled a European village tucked into a mountain crevasse. And then there were bicycles….! For over seventy miles, on very steep, twisty black-top, there were literally thousands of Kool-Aid drinkin’ bicyclists!! They wanted the whole highway, too! There were cops on motorcycles trying to ride herd on ‘em; trying to keep ‘em in single file to the right of the traffic. It wasn’t workin’!!! It was bicycle day for thousands of these plastic headgear-wearin’, bike shop fashion-wearin;, one track minds sitting on a little bit of a butt seat; paying no attention to the string of campers, pickups pullin’ trailers, and mad tourists behind them on a 10% grade downhill!!! They’ve got to be some brave cuss’s because they’d be a tangled up mess of plastic and shiny spokes, if one of them brake-burnin’ motor homes would have lost their grip comin’ off the mountain!! We were wishin’ we had a cattle prod… We’d have given ‘em a thrill they weren’t expecting on bike day over Red Mt. Pass! After playin’ Mario Brothers with bicyclers, we finally made it to Silverton, CO. and they had breakfast, too! This little town is rich in mining history and old architecture on Main Street still reflects the old west Spanish influence. A little café with a sign that said “home-style cooking” caught our eye and we had a really good late breakfast, while we relaxed the nerves a bit, as well as our butts! When we finished breakfast and visiting with folks from Iowa sitting near our table, we suited up and rode through the San Juan National Forest toward Durango. We got off the highway before Cortez and into Mesa Verde. Cliff dwellers lived in the sides of these sandstone cliffs less than a hundred years A.D. and their homes were still intact for a glimpse into the lives of these natives who lived in a cruel, hot desert. From there, we drove through Cortez and south into the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation. Then, as we drove into the Navajo Indian Reservation, a sand storm blew in with 40-50 mph. winds blowing sand across the highway. The sand accumulated on the side of the highway like a snow drift! At times it was hard to see the vehicles ahead of us. Gallup, New Mexico was a welcome sight and we found a really nice hotel with a Cracker Barrel restaurant within walking distance! With the temperatures rising every day, we made our way south to Phoenix on Thursday. We entered Arizona and took a detour into the Petrified Forest National Park. It was just that; a detour. We both agreed it was a bit overrated, since we saw nothing but petrified logs lying here and there as we drove through the park. We’ve got petrified wood laying in our yard in WY! If we were rock-lickers (geologists), I’m sure the experience would have been worth the boring, hot drive. From Holbrook to Payson, AZ., the temps were still tolerable in the low 90’s, but after we stopped for gas in Payson, we kissed our 90’s goodbye! As we expected, it heated up and by the time we made the winding road, going down in elevation, it got hot! By the time we saw the Phoenix city limits about 2 and a half hours later, our thermometer said 104 and 107! As we hurried through busy four lane traffic, I made it a point to look around and noticed no other motorcycle riders were riding. We hadn’t seen any for a couple of hours! Guess it IS hot, if the locals aren’t riding! Bet there were a few comments about this bike with Wyoming plates driving in Phoenix traffic at 107 degrees! With a phone call, we found Mike’s son’s house. Pat and Jen were a welcome sight and their air conditioner felt good, too! It was moving time the last we saw them; we had helped them move from Colorado to their home in Phoenix. They were getting ready for a graduation supper that night and we hopped on once more for Mike’s cousin’s house. Julia and Randy were waiting for us and they made us feel at home in their large, comfortable Arizona house. Friday was graduation for Mike’s daughter-in-law. She graduated from Midwestern University’s Pharmacy school and the ceremony for these 150 doctors was impressive with the ceremony of robes and colors. After the ceremony, we joined Pat and Jen at their home for a reception with two other friends of Jennifer’s, who also graduated with her class. Saturday morning, Julia and I met Jen and her family at a “Farmers Market” in the park. Now, I’ve been to a “Farmers Market” before, but this one was top shelf! There wasn’t a vegetable there that wasn’t raised organic! Free range chicken and duck eggs, grass fed beef, organic fruit and vegetables galore and even some goat cheese! THIS goat cheese was really good and as my mind remembered how much room we DIDN’T have on the bike, I had to pass on buying goat cheese and other yummy temptations to take home, but I did get some to eat at Julia and Randy’s. Sunday morning Pat and Jen joined us for breakfast and Julia fixed up a great breakfast, including duck eggs from the Farmers Market, for all before we had to pack up the black beast on two wheels. It was over a hundred degrees, again, and we hurried the bike north after a great visit with family. Through Congress, Prescott and Jerome, AZ we rode and our plans were to avoid traffic and not go through the Grand Canyon. We were fueling in Flagstaff and as we watched the forest fire burn east of town, we asked various other travelers if they knew whether our highway north was closed. We sipped on bottled water and watched a couple of boys. They were working as a team at this gas station taking turns approaching customers. They showed those who cooperated the contents of their box of bargains. We saw potential buyers shake their heads, “No”… The boys didn’t get anything sold while we were there… One of them looked a lot like the Karate Kid in the movie. Nobody seemed to know about the closure of the highway, but as we left Flagstaff going east, we were stopped. The highway northeast was closed due to the forest fire and the fighters trying to get it under control. We had to backtrack and drove right through the Grand Canyon National Park! Mike had been there in the early 80’s, but I had never seen it. It’s depth and immensity is amazing!! We were there for the last few hours before sunset and the views were gorgeous! We ran out of daylight and had to drive through the Navajo Reservation to get to Page, AZ, where we found a room. It is near Glen Canyon National Recreational Area and a beautiful contrast of blue water and red rock cliffs make for an awesome view the next morning. On we went to Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument and the “Hoodoos” in Bryce Canyon National Park. Hoodoos are tall needles of rock formations. From Boulder to Torrey, Utah in the Dixie National Forest the scene was out of an elk hunting magazine!! I took pictures trying to capture the white bark on aspen trees in the foreground while catching the pines and canyons in the background. The temperature dropped to the low 60’s and the elevation rose to over 9000 feet for one of the most scenic highways we’ve ever seen!! There were barely any vehicles on this stretch of road and the twisty curves had “Mike” written all over them! Breathless views of aspen valleys and timbered peaks were sure to be home of big bull elk! More than once during our trip I thought of how difficult it would be for anyone to find us, if we went off one of the many curves on those mountain tops. Mike also made mention of it many times and I told him, “You watch the road and I’ll take the pictures!!”. I remembered the copy of our route I intentionally left on my computer desk at home… We pulled in at a Days Inn in Torrey right behind two other groups of bikes. Friendly riders exchanged conversation with us and invited us to join them for supper at the only eatin’ place open after 9:00 pm in town. We enjoyed visiting with these three couples from South Carolina. One was a retired banker, another; a retired HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) business and the other; current operator of the HVAC business. Since we ate outside, a game of horseshoes provided entertainment over and above the southern drawl of our new friends. Then it was of Glen Canyon, Natural Bridges and to Blanding, Canyonlands National Park and Moab, Utah. Since we had spent a little more time than planned being a tourist, we had to make Rifle, Colorado by bed time, and we did! Another nice, reasonably priced hotel; this time with a rib place within walking distance and we, with our tired butts, were happy! We stopped in Craig, CO the next day after a grueling, rough ride north of Rifle, although the scenery was gorgeous. It seems the rear shock on the bike was failing and with each bump, we had little or no shock absorbing function. I returned a couple of calls to find out a storm had gone through our area that left trees uprooted, roofs blown off and dumped 2-3” of rain. I called a neighbor to hear nothing extreme was noticed where we live. Mike made some phone calls to find out we had no other options, but to keep riding (he wanted to send me home in a car and was worried about my back). I folded my air cushion in half and thanking God, I had a much more comfortable ride as we pointed north. Before we cleared the Colorado border on highway 13 going into Wyoming, we met three semi trucks. The third one in line tried to pass the two trucks ahead of him and we were almost stopped and were driving slowly on the white line, before he cleared to get back in his lane… That was too close! Granted; motorcycles are hard to see, but he nearly made the mistake of his life; and ours… From Rawlins, we headed north through Muddy Gap, Casper and arrived at home in Wyoming by 7 PM! The storm had done little damage to our buildings, rain had been gone long enough for us to get the bike home on our gravel-less gravel road and we thanked God and were grateful for our very awesome and safe trip on the bike.

Thanks for the learning experience. I will try not to make this mistake when working on my bike; besides, there's plenty more mistakes I can do on my own.

Only 40,000 on our 2006. Our only problem has been the rear shock which just failed and is presently being replaced under warrenty.

Thanks Gentlemen! The new "wing" we looked at yesterday sure was nice, but the payments weren't so we'll we continue to ride our very nice and completely paid for Venture. The only reason we were at the dealer was to get the rear shock replaced under warrenty. We'll need to remember to stay out of the "show room" when we go back to pick up our Venture.

Howdy All; I'm trying to come up with a selling price for my 2006 Midnight Venture. It's basically stock with passing lights and LED brake,tail and turn signal lights added and it has 40,000 miles. A local dealer wanted to give us on $6200. Any ideas what our bike might actually sell for? Thanks!

The first place I would check is the battery and the battery connections. A high resistance connection at the battery terminals or an open cell or shorted cell in the battery could be the cause. Could be the ignition switch if the battery and the connections are in good shape.

I've thought all along that this thing was a scam and it appears I may be right. According to the reports, there's no way a rider could follow the route because several of the roads don't intersect. The rules specifically state that the rider must stay on the approved route to win. We'll see what happens on the 4th...

We were down in Phoenix two weeks ago and I'd swear our bike was cooler than the heat coming off the pavement.

Your bike is still under warranty.

Obviously your co-workers can never be plumbers.

I've been to a number of NRA Anual Meetings and they have always been first class affairs. I highly recommend the Members Banquet too.

I'm considering buying this Harbor Freight trailer: http://www.harborfreight.com/600-lb-capacity-78-inch-tag-along-trailer-66771.html Harbor freight says this trailer is only rated for 55mph. The clerk at the store made a point of telling me this limitation. Has anyone had any problems pulling this trailer?

Thanks for posting the link to the story of the RoadRash Girl. This girl has an amazing story of pain, survival, and thankfulness. Her story is a short and compelling read that I high recommend.

I lay the wheel flat on the floor, usually on a towel or cardboard to protect the rim, and then walk on it. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. When it doesn't I lay the wheel on the floor under the bumper of the pickup truck and put a hydraulic jack, (bottle type), between the two and start jacking. The bottom of the jack is placed on the tire at the edge of the rim. This always works.

Here's what HJC says about their helmets: Helmet Replacement (All Models) http://www.hjchelmets.com/images/block.gifhttp://www.hjchelmets.com/navigation/support/warning.gifhttp://www.hjchelmets.com/navigation/top_menu/top_menu2_margin_block.gifAlthough your HJC Helmet is constructed with the best materials available to offer a long-lasting product, it will eventually need to be replaced. Immediately replace your helmet if: • It has suffered an impact. Your helmet is only designed for ONE impact. An impact may fracture the outer shell or compress the impact absorbing liner. You may not be able to detect this damage. Any impact in a crash or a drop from as low as 4 feet is enough to damage your helmet. • The shell, lining, or retention system is damaged. The helmet shell, the impact absorbing lining, and the retention system must be in good condition to provide you with the most protection. http://www.hjchelmets.com/images/block.gifEven if your helmet has not been damaged, it needs to be replaced every 3 to 5 years depending on how much you use it. Over time, UV rays and adhesive and component aging will damage your helmet. Wearing a damaged helmet may increase your risk of serious injury or death in an accident. If you are unsure if you need to replace your helmet, contact HJC America before using your helmet again. Using Your Helmet Correctly http://www.hjchelmets.com/navigation/support/warning.gifhttp://www.hjchelmets.com/navigation/top_menu/top_menu2_margin_block.gifTo reduce the risk of serious injury or death and to help prevent damage to your helmet:http://www.hjchelmets.com/images/block.gif• Never adjust your helmet accessories while riding – Only make helmet adjustments when stopped. • Never drop your helmet – Dropping your helmet may crack the shell or damage the protective foam. The damage may not be visible. Your helmet is only designed for ONE impact. Refer to "Helmet Replacement for more information on what to do after helmet has been dropped. • Never wear anything between your head and your helmet – This may reduce the effectiveness of your helmet. • Never hang or hook your helmet on anything including mirror stalks, handle bar, or sissy bars – Doing so may cause damage to the helmet protective foam or liner. • Never use insect repellent on or around your helmet – Insect repellant may damage your helmet’s visor, shell, protective foam, or other components. • Never expose helmet to gasoline or gasoline fumes – Gasoline may damage your helmet’s visor, shell, protective foam, or other components. - If you have any questions on what other substances may damage your helmet, please email us at info@hjchelmets.com. Helmet Disposal http://www.hjchelmets.com/navigation/support/warning.gifhttp://www.hjchelmets.com/navigation/top_menu/top_menu2_margin_block.gifIf you buy a new helmet, destroy the old one to ensure it cannot be reused. Do not sell or give away your old helmet, even if it has not been damaged. Over time the protective foam in the helmet will adjust to the contours of your head. If someone else uses this helmet it will not provide them with as much protection.