Gray Ghost

Glad to see you got another one. Looking forward to seeing you guys again when we finally get all moved back.

There is a lot to do there, even if you aren't hitting the bars. We were finally able to get to the Dry Tortugas the last time we went down. That trip takes up a whole day, but we felt it was worth the time and money. There are dinner cruises that claim to get you out to where you can see the sunset better. I am sure they do for the most part but for some reason KW does not like me and there are always low lying clouds when I am there. We have done the glass bottom boat thing but I wasn't as impressed by that. You can find opportunities to snorkel, kayak, jet ski, etc. I did my first jet ski ride on a tour around KW, I would not recommend it as a beginner. If anyone is retired or active military in your group, there is an ITT at the Sigsbee Navy base where they can get discount tickets. It saved us a bunch on the Tortugas trip.

Not sure where you read that. Phelps was never in the military, therefore ineligible for military honors or burial at Arlington.

I think somebody intercepted the package and switched out the items. Those sure don't look like the pipes I sent you. Good Job!

I need one.

The 2004 color codes

I did the mod, but your finished product came out cleaner than mine. Good job.

Hope it heals quickly.

We are scheduling out big trip to start this spring. We plan on running our wheels through all the lower 48 in one trip. Natchez Trace, Rt 66, Pacific Coast Hwy, etc. What I have been doing is laying out the places we really want to see in Garmin's Base Camp program, then figuring out how we want to get there. One of the books we have used for ideas is Road Trips USA. It has a lot of information about interesting places along the way. We are also fans of Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives and there are places you can find all the places they have featured. Enjoy the planning.

Transferring the GI Bill was one feature of the Post 9/11 program. Don't think it was available on any of the others. I used the Viet Nam era for a couple of years, never did get signed up for the Montgomery version after the VN one stopped. But with the recall I did that made me eligible for the Post 9/11. In January I will be ending up doing two years of training at MMI. It has been interesting, got training on HD, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki. Would probably have just transferred it to one of my sons, but there are some time restrictions I didn't meet.

If he was undercover as part of an investigation of the group he was riding with I would have expected him to remain in "character" but the articles indicated that he was not investigating that group but was riding with them in his off duty time.

This info is from Suzuki Factory Training. HD and Yamaha say the basically the same thing. Battery identification: 12N12A-4A-1 (example) The first number (12) indicates 12 Volt battery, N stands for Nippon (Japan), the next number 12 indicates 12 amp/hr, the A refers to a particular size in the 12 A/H series, the 4 after the dash stands for the terminal set-up, the A indicates the vent (if present) is on the left, and the last 1 indicates the type of terminal. Set-up of Lead Calcium Maintenance Free Battery 1. Remove filler seal strip while listening for sound or air rushing into the battery. If no rush, the battery wasn't sealed properly. 2. Remove the cap strip from the acid pack and set aside. 3. Insert nozzles of acid pack into battery and press down evenly to pierce the foil. Don't spill any liquid. 4. Leave acid pack in position until the container has emptied into the battery. (If the packs are not draining evenly, slightly tapping on the packs can help) 5. Once the packs have emptied, let the battery sit for a minimum of 1 hour with the caps off. This will let the most of the fluid to absorb into the plates. There may still be loose fluid visible in the battery. Full absorption may take up to 72 hours, if there is still fluid visible after sitting for 72 hours, do not use the battery. 6. Loosely insert the caps into the filler holes while charging. 7. Using a battery charger (for maintenance free batteries) follow the charging rate printed on the battery. If there are two rates, the higher is the "boost" rate. Use that rate. 8. After charging, let the battery sit for 1 hour to cool down. 9. Firmly press the caps into place. 10. Check the battery voltage. It should read a minimum of 12.5-12.6 VDC. If it does not, repeat the charging procedure. If it is still low after the second charging, replace it. Battery load test on bike. 1. Disable the ignition system so the bike will not start. 2. Connect a voltmeter to the battery 3. Crank the vehicle for 15 seconds 4. Battery voltage should not fall below 9.5 VDC

We decided that for two up touring we wanted to go to three wheels. I had never ridden a trike, but thought that we might like a GW version (I wanted reverse if we were on 3W). As part of our looking, we went to the local Yamaha dealer that also has Can-Am and GW trikes. First I test drove an RT (I'm 5'11), while the handling is different than a motorcycle, I thought that I could get the hang of it, and it did feel pretty perky. Then I started on a triked F6B. Didn't even finish riding it on the same route before heading back. Just my opinion, but I felt more comfortable with the handling of the two wheels forward over two behind. We went on a 350 mile ride after getting it and I have been using it commuting to school. In the downcheck side I would have to say the amount of tupperware to get to anything, the amount of heat generated, the MPG is lower than the RSV (that may change as I get better acclimated to the sled). On the upside, I have found it comfortable (with Utopia backrest), I am getting used to the semiautomatic transmission and like it alot, rode backseat yesterday for about 30 miles in traffic and didn't have any problems. What I am learning is that this sled likes the higher RPMs. Folks coming off HD will probably have a harder time acclimating. The sweet spot seems to be around 5 - 7K, I don't get into 5th until over 65 mph.

I wore a set of BTEs for awhile, I wear a 3/4 helmet and had problems with the aids coming off when I pulled the helmet off. Switched to in-the-ear aids a few months ago. They are better at fitting under a helmet, but I have a lot of problems with wax and it clogs the ITE types a lot. The BTE aids were easier to clean.

A good addition to using heat for a stubborn bearing is a product by Loctite, forget the actual name, but it cools down an area quite rapidly. Spray that just on the bearing after heating the area and it should loosen up even more for you.

Attached is an extract from the latest Yamaha Tech Update. I don't see anything about the wiring harness.

So sorry to hear of his passing. He was a good man and will be missed. While I know it is hard to lose a loved one like that, I am reminded of an old saying that we shouldn't waste our time in sorrow over the loss of such a man, but rather that we should thank God that such a man lived.

We are looking at doing the route next spring. Found a box set of DVDs about the road at Walmart that was pretty informative. Now have a set of the "Here It Is" maps for the whole route.

That is correct You were testing to make sure that the stator coils were not shorted to ground. It should read OL to show that there is no electrical connection between the points your meter leads are on. If you are not using a tach to see what RPM you are at when measuring, you could easily get the differences you see.

It is fairly common for the antennas to get put on the wrong side when they are being set up by the dealer. Check to make sure the antenna is connected to the black box under the trunk. Then do the SWR tuning.

We are up for it.

Very sad to hear this.

Sorry to hear this Steve.

Happy birthday, mini!

The Yamaha Venture (snowmobile) uses CVT. We've been working with snowmobiles in class all week and they are pretty interesting. Those suckers can make some power and go like all get out. They even race them, this clip is snowmobiles against hayabusas [ame] [/ame]