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V7Goose

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Everything posted by V7Goose

  1. V7Goose
    OK, I have close to 1,500 miles on my MT66 tires now, so here is an update on them. First, I had them significantly over inflated for a few hundred miles - not on purpose, just on dumbness! I have always run Avon Venom rear tires at 48 lbs. I tried them at max pressure of 50 lbs once and did not like the way the bike felt - kinda squirrelly and jumpy in rough corners. Dropping them to anything below 48 lbs completely solved that. Well, the MT66 rear tire has a lower load rating than the Venom (74 vs. 81), and when I was setting up the bike after all the repairs this spring, I guess I just automatically set the tires to the same pressure I always use on Venoms. On the way down to the Texas Hill Country last week we had a lot of cross wind, and the bike felt a lot like it had the one time I ran Avon Venoms at max pressure. That should have been a clue for me to check the pressure right then. The next day, after riding the first of the Three Sisters, I was still not very impressed with the handling, and I finally decided to check the pressure when we filled up in Leakey. The pressure was right up where I had set it, but this time I got smart enough to double check the sidewall - Oooops, max pressure on the 150/80-15 74H MT66 tire is only 42 lbs! Once I dropped the rear tire to 42 lbs., the bike handled like a dream again for the rest of the trip. One negative side affect of dropping the pressure was increased road noise from the tires. This noise is not bad, and certainly not related to wear at this point. In fact, I don't hear it at all when running at highway speeds with my visor closed, but it is noticeable at 50 - 60 MPH with the visor open and no music playing. These tires have a fairly aggressive tread, and they do make more noise than Avon Venoms. The MT66 tires are also significantly taller than new Avon Venoms in stock size. I use a maintenance stand when washing my bike, and with the Leveling Links on my bike, new Avon Venoms both just barely touch the driveway - I can easily turn either tire by just lightly lifting up on the fender. Not with the Pirelli MT66s! On the same maintenance stand, both tires are now FIRMLY stuck to the driveway, and lifting up very hard on the fender just barely allows me to turn either tire. This is not a bad thing, of course, just something to be aware of if you happen to be too short for the bike already! Over all, I still like the Pirelli MT66 tires. Of course I have a lot more miles to put on them before I will know how they wear or if they start making noise in corners like Brickstones do. But at this point, considering how much cheaper the MT66 tires are than Avon Venoms, I'd buy them again if I needed to save a few bucks. Only time will tell how long they last, so I'll report back periodically as I wear them down. Ride Safe, Goose
  2. V7Goose
    Just make sure you follow the recommended items in the manual and use the correct oils and keep your receipts as proof you did it. They cannot deny your warranty unless they can reasonably prove that something you did caused the specific problem you are claiming. In reality, they will never even question it unless you engine seizes up for lack of oil in the next week or two! Goose
  3. V7Goose
    Sleeperhawk, you better slow down, ya hear?! You're making me feel bad. I got 40,000 on my 05 (one replacement shock), and 10,000 on my 07 (still on original shock), so you're just racking up too many miles!! Stop it! Goose
  4. V7Goose
    Not an optical illusion - that 2nd one belongs to my brother, visiting me from Georgia. In fact, we are riding down in the hill country today - gonna hit the three sisters before the weekend traffic get too heavy, I hope! Ride Safe, Goose
  5. V7Goose
    Just posted my 2007 Royal Star Venture: http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=1180 I have my 2005 QuickSilver back on the road, so no longer need the second RSV! This is a fantastic bike in EXCELLENT condition, but I just like my original 2005 a little better. I picked it up with 3,000 miles on it, them put another 10,000 hitting Daytona and the Florida Keys this year. Added a lot of extras. This bike is a sweet running machine with no significant whine, and I'd love to place it with someone who will love it and use it! Goose
  6. V7Goose
    I have written in detail in the past about the technical cause of after-fires, so I won't repeat it all here again. The short version is that about 99% of them on these bikes are caused by a vacuum leak from either cracked covers on the intake vacuum ports or torn vacuum hoses on the other two ports. The caps on the two unused ports will crack and leak within about two years (seems to be very poor quality rubber, despite the overly thick size). I farted around trying to seal them with a number of products, and even tried sliding them over pieces of plastic bag with little luck. Replacing them is a quick and 100% cure. The vacuum hoses on the other two ports (that activate the AIS valves) are quite thin and very easily torn if they are pulled off with pliers when synchronizing the carbs. You need to carefully check them for cuts near the ends of the nipples and cut them back if you find any. Goose
  7. V7Goose
    I know this will fall on deaf ears here, but I'm gonna ask it anyway - why go to all the trouble to disable your pollution control device when it does absolutely nothing for you and dirties the air? If you have popping on decel, then you have other problems that are easier to fix than what you are trying to do, and by disabling the AIS, you won't stop the problem as well anyway. Frankly you are only masking the problem you should have fixed in the first place. Popping on decel is generally very easy to fix on these bikes - I can guarantee from personal experience that when it is set up correctly and the obvious problems repaired, the 2nd gen bikes do NOT pop or backfire. Sorry for the contrarian attitude, but maybe some here are actually being misled by all the talk and would like to hear a different idea? Goose
  8. V7Goose
    Several of us have had this problem - take it back to the dealer. It will be covered under warranty. Goose
  9. V7Goose
    Browse the Superbrightleds.com web site and you can find just about anything you want. Goose
  10. V7Goose
    I not only would, I DID! When I crashed my 05 last summer, it looked like the insurance company was gonna total it, so I bought an 07 while I waited and let my shoulder heal. In the end, 99% of the damage on the 05 was cosmetic and I was able to repair it for FAR less than the insurance company estimated. I now own two RSVs, and neither one have a significant whine - some do have it, but it is actually a relatively small number of bikes sold. I really love my silver 05, so I'll be selling the almost new 07 soon, but if I needed another bike, the dark gray 08 or the beautiful Raspberry and Sand 03 would be the only options I would consider! No other bike made today can meet my requirements for beauty, comfort and reliability!!!! Goose
  11. V7Goose
    OK all, if you read my first report in this thread that said the MT66 Pirelli tires made the RSV fell nasty, go back and re-read it - I have changed it a lot, and here is why: When I started riding the 05 after repairs from my accident last summer, the first thing I did was check the tire pressures and put them right. After all, the bike had just been siting from August to April! After a couple of days riding, the bike began to feel heavy; I rechecked everything and the front tire was a little low, so I pumped it back up. The next day, the handling was terrible, and I made my first post warning about how bad these tires seemed to be - I was WRONG. Long story, but the problem turned out to be that I got a bunch of sand in one spot on the tire bead when my front tire hit the curb and I high-sided in my accident last summer. The tire held air fine for months, but I guess when I started to ride it, the tire flexing allowed the sand to work down into the bead more and started it leaking. Soooo, when I said the bike handled bad with these tires, it turned out to be with very low front tire pressure! Today I pulled that tire, cleaned the bead well, and all seems great again. I'm sorry for any confusion, and I am especially sorry for badmouthing a tire that might not deserve it! I just now have a bit over 100 miles on these Pirelli MT66 tires, so I can start riding them with less worry of another slide-out. I'll update y'all when I can definitively say more. Ride safe, Goose
  12. V7Goose
    Wow Don, I still don't understand how you accomplish so much while working from hotel rooms and dark alleys! We certainly appreciate what you do. I was a CIO before I retired last year, and I sure wish more of my staff had been like you! Get some rest, OK? Goose
  13. V7Goose
    http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=20815
  14. V7Goose
    Gee, like that is a minor issue on a motorcycle! Why the h**l would anyone want to ride at all with that limitation??? Goose
  15. V7Goose
    Those are the ones that I have - they filled the order quickly, and I have been quite pleased with the bags. The only problem was that they spelled my name wrong in the embroidery! Irritates me every time I look at them, but at the time I didn't think it was worth fighting to have them replaced and not have to pay return shipping too. Oh well. Goose
  16. V7Goose
    NOTE: This first post in the thread has been changed by me for reasons explained below. If you have already read it, read it again - it is very different now. Positive review of the MT66 tires. First, just a little background for those who don't already know about me - I am a complete fan of Avon Venom tyres for the RSV. I have done a LOT of testing various tires, new and worn, and shorter suspension links to raise the rear of the bike; you can find a lot of this info if you search for some of my oldest posts. Now even though I love the Venom tyres, I just can't resist testing other options, especially when there is a cheaper price involved! I put a brand new set of Pirelli MT 66 ROUTE tires on QuickSilver (my 05 RSV) last summer, then proceeded to crash the bike on my way out of town that night when the slick new tires broke loose in a surprise curve! Busted me up enough that I couldn't ride for about four months, and didn't do much good for QuickSilver either. Well, she's back on the road again, and I've already learned a few things about these tires. I think I like them. The load range on the rear tire is less than with an Avon Venom - only 74H. That is the same as the stock tires, so no problem there, but I would prefer to have the higher load rating as a margin of safety. When I first mounted them last summer, I didn't notice anything specific about them - they seemed to handle fine for the one short test ride, and then for the thirty miles or so before I went down. But most of that was on the freeway, so not much of a handling test. At this point, let me note that I had Leveling Links on the 05 then to raise the rear of the bike, and as I have previously written in great detail, raising the rear greatly improves the slow speed handling, making even the horrible stock Brickstone tires feel reasonable. Well, after the crash, I bought an 07 RSV and switched the leveling links to it while the 05 just sat and waited for me to fix it up. I finally got most of the repairs done and have started riding QuickSilver again (so far WITHOUT the leveling links), and I am happy to report that these Pirelli tires make the bike with stock suspension feel light and agile. Slow speed handling my be as good as the Avons, but I still have more testing to do. I cannot yet report on speed handling on the curvy roads. I have compared the width and profile (shape of the curved surface) with my brother's Dunlop 404s, and the front tire is almost identical. MUCH narrower and more curved than a Brickstone in the same stock size of 150/80-16. I'll report on the comparison with the Avon Venom soon. I'll also be covering a couple of thousand miles on them in the next week or so, so I'll be able to give y'all a full report on them soon. In the mean time, the prices look good compared to the Avon Venoms, and they seem seem pretty good, so if you have to order tires before I can complete the testing, you might want to consider the Pirellis if you are tight on money.. Goose
  17. V7Goose

    Bar clamps

    V7Goose replied to sarges46's topic in Watering Hole

    JC Whitney - the heavy three piece chrome ones are only about $3.50 each, if I remember correctly. Whatever the price, they are the cheapest I have found, but if that is all you order, the shipping kind of offsets the savings. Goose
  18. V7Goose
    Here's the one my brother uses on the back seat of his RSV (and Honda Refrigerator). IT is the most impressive bag of this type I have ever seen. It's a bit expensive, but if I was in the market for one, this is the one I would buy. The bag has straps that easily secure to the passenger grab rails; nothing else is necessary. Here's a lik to more info from Kuryakyn's web site: http://www.kuryakyn.com/products.asp?bn=metric&ci=3130 Goose
  19. V7Goose
    I used generic canvas bags in the saddlebags for several years, and nothing special in th trunk. Then I bought trunk and bag liners - very impressed with them and wish I had done it sooner. One special note: do not buy the trunk liner made for the RSV - I bought the JCW trunk liner for the Harley Tour Pak, and it fits PERFECTLY! When fully packed, it looks a lot bigger than our trunk, but it slips righ in. The only thing you need to remember is to leave a little extra room at the rear top by the zipper to account for the slope in the trunk lid. Goose
  20. V7Goose
    Re-seat the plugs several times before you grease them - the problem with the plugs is poor pin contact due to oxidation, so you want to rub them clean by plugging and unplugging them a few times before you grease them up. Goose
  21. V7Goose
    All those round plugs in the fairng are supposed to be secured together in a re-useable zip-tie mounted to the fairing. Just FYI. Goose
  22. V7Goose
    Standard Yamaha accessory - check the online catalog on Yamaha's web site or any of the many parts discounters. Goose
  23. V7Goose
    Here is the thread where I show just drilling another hole in the upper corner of the rails. You can do it on the bench quick and easy. Goose http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=18179
  24. V7Goose
    All the plastic work on these bikes is ABS plastic - even the chrome windshield trim. If you are not missing any pieces, all you need is ABS pipe compound (glue) that you can get at any hardware store (plumbing section). You can use either the stuff specifically labeled just for ABS, or the multi-formula stuff labeled for ABS, PVC and CPVC. This stuff dissolves the plastic and lets the two pieces weld together into one solid piece of plastic - much better than any glue or fiberglass that is supposed to stick the two pieces together. I have also used this solvent to fill gouges in the plastic. Any surface to be painted must be wet sanded, since plastic is relatively soft and gums up dry sandpaper, and you will need glazing compound to fill the imperfections and tiny air bubble holes. If the two pieces fit together nicely, the welded repair using this solvent is absolutely as strong as the original. After you have sanded and prepped the surface, you can paint it with any appropriate paint. To match the original color, I think Color Rite is the only real option. Goose
  25. V7Goose
    You are absolutely correct - I pulled up the 04 owners manual, and it is very different. I guess I'll have to quit assuming all RSVs are the same. If the manual is different, maybe the bikes are too? I am sorry. Goose
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