Gray Ghost

I-10 in Texas about 16 miles west of Kerrville is 85, not sure how far west that extends.

I have looked at all the parts fiche I can access. Either the cylinder drain plug is mislabeled or they left it off the diagrams. You may have to check with a dealer because if they can't find it on the fiche either they can at least get the dealer help line to figure it out.

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?1828-Download-the-Owners-and-Service-Manuals

Drain the coolant, screw the top of a spark plug into the plug, pop it out and pop in the new one.

We got ours because it was a vehicle we both could drive. But the most fun part of it is that feeling you get when you pull head first on a downhill slope next to a Harley trike when you are pulling a trailer, then when it is time to leave putting that puppy in reverse and watching the look on their face.

Yeah, Mike and Krystal are a great couple. His system goes by three different names depending on who you talk to or what day it is. I was fortunate to get to spend some time working with him doing alignments on Spyders just after I purchased my system. He knows a bunch about suspension, wish I could have sucked up all that knowledge. Glad it is working for you. I never checked into how much it would be to add the other adapters to my set, maybe I'll have to look into it someday. Yes, the heat was a big problem. I was part of a test on a possible fixed before they finally came out with the new vents. On a long trip I would start seeing the gas in the tank boil when I stopped for the second fill up of the day. It is a lot better now, but still doesn't get the mileage of the 1330 triple. And of course there is that whole deal with the valve check, the worst part being that the valve cover bolts on the back of the rear cylinder are almost impossible to get to.

The main reasons I carried the gear was to make a little change doing alignments for those who weren't close to anyone that did alignments (that situation is changing). To explain the alignment situation though, here is the story. The way Can-Am originally did the alignment (toe is the only thing that can be adjusted) was a complicated procedure requiring removing the shocks and wheels, mounting a flat bar along the frame and measuring from the brake rotors. The results once the unit was delivered to the customer was that about 99% of them were not able to roll in a straight line and any kind of loading from hitting a bump would send them in one direction or another. The ROLO alignment system uses a laser mounted in an adapter that fits in the hub and targets front and rear to set the fronts to a toe-in of an inch (works for most folks) over twice the Spyder length aligned to the rear wheel rather than the frame. Since the Spyder uses a belt instead of shaft drive the wheel will almost never be exactly parallel to the frame. Once you have the thing physically aligned then you have to get into the computer to reset the steering angle sensors so the bike knows what straight is. So we have the software to do that as well. Once the Spyder is aligned properly (uses tie rods) it will stay aligned, unless something affects the tie rods, or if you do something that changes how the rear wheel sits in the swingarm. We changed the rear tire on the road and I did check and tweak my alignment after that. You are correct about the Slingshot. The ROLO system can also be used to align the Slingshots and I believe the steps are about the same as Spyders. I know it would require different adapters than I have, not sure if it also requires changing computer settings. You can read more about the system at Spydercomfort.com

I have a 2013 RT so the 998 v-twin. Yes the Spyder has alignment issues which can make them a bit squirrelly, and they could use a beefier sway bar. When we were looking to buy a trike I test rode the Spyder and a Honda F6 trike. Even unmodified I felt that the Spyder was more stable and nimble. I still like the Venture, but for a bike that either I or the wife could pilot on a long haul the Spyder is awesome. We did about 16000 miles in 71 days riding around the lower 48 in 2014 and it was a lot of fun. Do I wish that you didn't have to practically disassemble the whole bike to check the valves, yes, but ask folks about changing the air filter on a Wing. As far as the alignment issues go, a guy that developed a laser alignment system for NASCAR adapted that for the Spyder. Using that system you can get the alignment taken care of fairly easily. (I even carried the system with us when we went on the road so I could do alignments along the way). And there is a beefier sway bar available.

Glad you got a chance to ride on a Spyder - and - expand your vocabulary. My question for Marcarl would be, do you have your J&M CB hooked up to bluetooth? If so, what did it take to accomplish that?

Agree with Marcarl on the vibration and alignment issues. I have a 2013, replaced the sway bar with one a bit beefier which helped with stability. Alignment on those things is a huge issue though. To get good tracking the bike needs to be aligned with the rear wheel and over 90% of them came out of the factory with alignment issues. I have the laser alignment setup and I have seen bikes with just about every combination of out of whack. Once they are dialed in they will roll down the highway quite easily.

It is sometimes hard to contemplate leaving a job with the nice paycheck and the bennies. I did it back in Mar 2011 and don't regret it at all. As others have said, follow your heart. Having peace of mind is worth a lot more than another nickel in the paycheck.

There are some gun bills being considered that would change things up here. Open carry is one of them. It is fairly contentious right now.

Can't make it. Start work at a Yamaha dealer on Tuesday and no vacation time for a year.

Stray electrons from the last time you fired up your snow machine interacted with the forum and blocked your access to that particular thread.

I still love my Venture, but we bought a 2013 RT to do our round the states trip this past summer (16000 miles in 71 days). If you are going to get one, if at all possible go for the 2014 or later model. The 1330 engine gets better mpg, has a six speed transmission and some other good things. If you need to go for an earlier model, avoid the 2013. BRP had redesigned the bike for the 1330 but evidently the engine was ready for 2013 so they put the V-Twin in it. The rear cylinder is right under the gas tank and there is very little air flow under there. The ride is different but it is a fun ride once you get past wanting to lean the bike over. Not having to work a clutch in stop and go driving coming down through NY/NJ was a real blast. Some of the issues with the Spyders as others have pointed out: Tall rider problems - The new F3 (no touring model yet) has some adjustable settings that seem to be more accommodating to the vertically privileged. Also designed to let more air flow to the engine by getting rid of some of the tupperware. Front tire wear - Alignment of the front wheels is critical and most riders have experienced some wear and handling problems. There is a laser alignment system that corrects that problem. Some, but not all dealers, have the system and some individuals also offer the alignments (Disclaimer - I am one of those). Even with the alignment done right the OEM tires wear fairly quickly but there are other tires available. I run Federals now, they seem to be OK. Rear tire wear. Everybody complains about that, but the early 2014s were really bad. A lot of folks go with the Kumho as a replacement. As Marcarl has pointed out, Discount Tire doesn't want to sell them for the Spyder. I got mine by telling them I needed a new spare tire for a four wheel vehicle (forgot which one I said). If you can find a small sedan that takes that size you just tell them that is what you want it for and have someone else install the tire.

The last Windows Center call I got I let the guy get into his speech and then said I sent you my computer after the last guy called me. He promised he would have it fixed and sent right back, what have you done with my computer? It is fun to get them all confused.

Hope all goes well and your recovery time is quick

For quite awhile I got busy and just didn't take time to come on the forum very often. But I nothing I have read from you gave me any indication that you were hating on Yamaha. It is actually pretty unique that you have a site dedicated to the Venture with loyal members who ride different makes.

I'll wave as you drive past, just give me a heads up so I don't spend all year sitting by the road.

I have spent time stationed up north of the frost line. Happiest day of my life was when I sold my snow blower in Wisconsin before heading south for the sunshine. Thought seriously about strapping a snow shovel to the front of the truck and driving south until someone asked me what it was, then going another 100 miles to settle. Seeing the snow yesterday, I guess I should have done that.

Thanks for snowing on my parade Flyin. I may have to call in the snowplows or the National Guard. May even have to get somebody to airdrop some bread and milk.

Puc, we were doing our trip on our own. There was no room at the front of the place to park our Spyder, we were down a side street a bit. The town we took this picture at was filled with bikes. Seligman isn't very big but almost every building was decked out with Route 66 stuff and they were doing a booming business with the tourists. The Snow Cap was an odd little place, the entry door had a doorknob on both sides of the door, stickers everywhere and great milkshakes.

Puc, we saw that same group at the Navajo Travel Center near Chambers, AZ. Also ran into another group of Japanese when we were stopped at the Snow Cap Drive In in Seligman. That group had a tour bus, but also a bunch riding Harleys. The guy we spoke to explained that they were all Harley dealers over in the US for a HD International Dealers meeting and were taking time to tour before heading home. We were so busy talking to the guy, that even though we got a picture of him with our Spyder on his camera, we didn't get one on our camera. The Snow Cap was a neat place though.

Sorry to hear this.