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phertwo

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Everything posted by phertwo

  1. phertwo
    I have a set of the Ultimate seats. I love it. My girlfriend would always complain about my stock seat and how uncomfortable it was and how she could only ride for an hour. After I got the Ultimate she came on a trip to New Orleans and back, a 7 day venture, 6~7 hours a day. Other than her just saying she was sore, she has never complained about her Ultimate seat. Ever. However, she saw the pillow top and said that that is what she would prefer. They only ever want pillow tops... Too bad they would look nuts on a RSTD I think. Well, at least with an Ultimate driver and a pillow top passenger. I can't speak for the Mustang seat, but the Ultimate is pretty darn good. There aren't many other options out there though..
  2. phertwo
    I was also looking at the Kawasaki Nomad. It was either the Nomad for the RSTD. Honestly you can't go wrong with either bike. But make sure you are aware of the differences. Royal Star Higher RPMs (3000 to 7000 rpm) are fully usable. Excellent powerband from start to finish on every gear. You don't have to change gears as often. Carburetors - require maintenance/syncing (easy enough), but work very well. Cruise control - if the '98 has it that is Vulcans Lower RPMs (vTwin). So you get big torque but not the crazy power ceiling of the royal star Fuel Injectors - does give better fuel economy Really just sit on both, fire them up, take them for a ride or ride as a passenger at bare minimum if you can. And know that you can't go wrong with either of these bikes.
  3. phertwo
    Dammit. That means that I have to go drop another few hundred on replacing my Scala Q2's. I'm blaming you BigLenny!
  4. phertwo
    I bought the Royal Star because of the longevity of its notorious engine. You will have maintenance and the occasional problem part (every bike has them) but other than that this bike is one of the best. You won't wear this bike out, it will keep going and going. A '98 in a royal star is pretty new. Not much has changed on them over the years - same engine, same parts.. Don't worry about higher mileage, in fact its probably a good thing to have a bike that has been rode often. I say go for it.
  5. phertwo
    No no! You guys got him wrong! That's the latest in motorcycle safety. If he falls off he will simply roll to a stop.. I just hope they aren't brickstones or he might have poor handling..
  6. phertwo
    Most everyone? You mean there are some old geezers here that were born after the age of 29? They are the true 1st gen'ers I'm guessing...
  7. phertwo
    29. Not many of us younger guys around, but from what I can tell we are the mature ones.
  8. phertwo
    stanG, do you know if this radio comes with an antenna, or do you have to get it separately? Thanks!
  9. phertwo
    I really like this radio/amp! Thanks for the post! I'm on an '05 RSTD with Handle bar speakers. The amp is just shoved/crammed in the lower right cowling, which I am not happy with. I have it all wired to an mp3 player that is on a ram mount cradle near my left handle bar controls. I'm also not happy with that setup as its hard to control the volume and change the station/song with gloves on. It also feels gimmicky just floating around there.. Once I get some spare money to burn I think I will get one of these and mount it beside my retro tachometer. What is great is that this unit will fit into the same mounting cup as my tach. This should keep things nice and clean and easy to use. I'll post a pic once I get around to doing this. http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/phertwo/retro%20tachometer/IMG_8552.jpg http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/phertwo/retro%20tachometer/IMG_8553.jpg
  10. phertwo
    I had my electrical woes last year. I initially bought a new battery and a new R/R thinking that that was the problem, but it wasn't. It was a burnt out stator in the end. I upgraded it to the higher output stator and I haven't had a problem since. I would start with running the bike, unplug the stator harness and test the AC voltage across each of the leads. The resistance ohm reading on my stator seemed to check out, but it was only until I did a bike running test to see what my stator was actually putting out did I discover the problem. If the stator is putting out equal voltage across each of the leads, then you move on to the next possible issue. If the voltage is out of wack, the stator has turned crispy.
  11. phertwo
    I'm paranoid about this kind of stuff happening. I park my bike at the top of the property near the town while the cottage is way down by the water (out of eye-sight). So I put on a Scorpio Alarm with the motion detection. Anyone walk near the bike and it starts chirping right away.. If they stick around it starts screaming. Theft of opportunity is no longer a worry for me - gives me good piece of mind now. I'd recommend it.
  12. phertwo
    I got the Q2 for myself and my girlfriend. My father also has one. It is invaluable for discussing driving plans while driving in town, and I was a big fan of this system initially. But its starting to get on my nerves. I'm starting to think of it like a cheap walky talky now. The battery life was 8 hours initially, but now its less. It doesn't die, it just starts to crackle uncontrollably. Mind you we both have half helmets so our microphones are exposed to some wind (behind the windshield at least). If we are traveling slowly we can have a conversation, but at most speeds its a challenge. At highway its almost impossible without constantly shouting "WHAT?". The mic has to be planted right on your lips to make it work - something that really bugs me when my girlfriend decides to carry on a conversation and always neglect to have the mic where it should be... Ugh. Its just a frustrating annoyance now. I don't use it to all the functionality that you are looking for, but I'm not really happy with the product overall. It could be way better in my opinion. It is still invaluable for navigating 3 bikes together through cities and traffic, but its a pain on the open road.
  13. phertwo
    It sure is intense driving to and from work with zombie commuters all around you. Thrilling is a good word for it - scary is the other word for it. I know you shouldn't be fearful but its hard sometimes when things move fast. Sometimes I don't mind the traffic jams because there is less of a chance to get hurt when things aren't moving. What I don't like is when commuters go 90kph in a 60 zone, breaking hard, cutting into lanes with no signal... Its a challenge to stay cool and collected. Half of my drive I enjoy an easy scenic lightly traveled route, the other half makes me want multiple straight pipes angled in every direction, maybe even a few machine guns. I don't drive aggressively, I just want rushing commutes to stay away.
  14. phertwo
    I ALWAYS carry an ATV tire repair kit in my saddle bag now. When you are out venturing into those out-of-the-way unpopulated areas you are completely immobilized if you have a deflating/deflated tire. Been there, won't let that happen again. If there is any advise that I can impart to members here, go out and buy an emergency repair kit (make sure it has the co2 tire inflation) at an autostore, walmart, wherever.. They are inexpensive ($20-30) and small. Throw it in the corner of your saddle bag and thank me in the future.
  15. phertwo
    Something else to consider, many accidents go unreported. A simple fender bender involving two cars is technically an accident, but it won't be added to any statistics if the drivers work out the details without getting the cops involved. A simple fender bender with a car and a bike most likely is an accident that will involve cops and EMS since the chances of the rider being hurt and/or the bike being wrecked is pretty high.
  16. phertwo
    Carb sync your machine before you start tinkering with your carbs again. I keep my bike synced up, but I've adjusted it to throw it off sync on purpose to see what happens: The bike sounds like it wants to die, like a wounded animal. Put your bike in sync and start from there. Once you tinker with the carbs again, sync it!
  17. phertwo
    http://video.ca.msn.com/watch/video/road-rage-carnage-in-brazil/1glbj4sni?from=sharepermalink-facebook&cpkey=26d16d18-deb8-4205-a706-3cde26b4a8e8%7c%7c%7c%7c I always envision this happening around where I work. Too many hot-heads behind the wheel during rush-hour. Our bikes may be larger than others, but they are still no match for even a compact car. Stay cool everyone!
  18. phertwo
    Its too the point now that I think you'd be crazy not to switch them out for Flanders! I can't believe I put up with the pain for as long as I did with the stock bars. That and getting a better seat than the stock. Chrome is fun, but comfort is number 1. Bars and Seat should be on the top of anyone's priorities.
  19. phertwo
    I have the Ultimate seat, both driver and passenger. It does lift you up a tad, not enough to make a real difference to me (5'11", 31" inseam). I doubt that you could even find a new more comfortable seat that is the same size as my flattened-out stock RSTD seat. The difference is huge! Not only is the seat very comfortable (soft yet firm, not a pillow top but not a firm corbin saddle either) and perfect in my opinion. The big difference is that it changes your sitting position. I always thought the RSTD seat was painful and made me slouch, lean forward a bit; the Ultimate seat makes you sit upright which makes it so much more comfortable. I rode from Hamilton Ontario to New Orleans Louisiana and back in a week (6~7 hour rides everyday) and never had discomfort. I would never have attempted that with the stock seat. I also have the longer Flanders bars. In my opinion the new Flanders bars should be mandatory. I know there isn't much selection out there for the RSTD, but you really won't go wrong with an Ultimate.
  20. phertwo
    Thanks everyone! I will be looking at the switches more closely this weekend. And yes, the kickstand is up. I'll tell you though, I was getting real scared on my trip when it wasn't starting. I thought that I'd have to do a Fred Flintstone all the way back home..
  21. phertwo
    Okay, here's a problem that has got me stumped. I was heading out on a trip to New Orleans and back when about a day into the trip at a gas station I noticed a problem. My 2005 RSTD wouldn't start up in gear. That is to say, I have the bike in 1st with the clutch pulled - pushed the ignition and nothing... But if I shift to Neutral and hit the ignition the bike with start, then I can shift into a gear. The trip is now over and my bike still ONLY fires up when it is in neutral. Am I going crazy here? I use to be able to start in gear with the clutch pulled. Any ideas what am I missing here?
  22. phertwo
    You could always put a generator in the trunk.
  23. phertwo
    This is why I love the RSTD. I ride with the windshield, my backrest that I converted into a trunk, and the passenger seat off most of the time. When I ride on the highway more often or if the weather gets a little colder I add on the windshield. Or when I go on my weekend trips to the cottage I load it all up and turn it into my touring machine. Versatility is the key here! Otherwise I would give into the urge to buy a smaller bike to boot around town with.
  24. phertwo
    Hog Buyer, I'm going to warn you if your bike hasn't had full synthetic in it already.. Full synthetic can cause the clutch to slip under load in 5th gear at higher rpms. This stuff is so slick, and its a wet clutch, so just to let you know. I put in a full synthetic royal purple in, and it did seem to help the noise, maybe a tiny bit, but after a few weeks/months (don't really remember) the clutch started to slip in 5th. Just be ready to either purchase the PCW spring or kit OR the barnett pressure plate if you start to notice the slip!
  25. phertwo
    Yes, very confusing. That article just confused me even more. I feel that even if I max out on my insurance coverage it still probably wouldn't cover everything. I definitely don't want the rates to climb up even more, especially since I am moving to Hamilton this month. Can you believe it, my car insurance jumps $40 a month for just having a Hamilton address. My agent informs me that this is because there is a higher cause of auto insurance fraud in the city, so everyone has to pay for this burden. But at least my bike will only go up $4 a month, otherwise I think I'd have to take the engine out and put pedals on it..
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