lonewolf96

I got a short clip yesterday leaving work. Looks like the WAV file type that my recorder saved it in is not supported by the site. I sent you an e-mail. reply and I'll send it to you that way.

Tried it once on my cell phone but it had too much wind noise. I'll try it again on my way home today and see if I have any better luck with my recent phone upgrade.

I have these pipes on my RSTD. Here's alink to what I used to pack mine a couple years ago. It's in 2 layers so I seperated the layers and cut a piece to fit around teh baffle. it was a little loose at first but after running it for a week or 2 the packing expanded to fill the void. http://www.cruisercustomizing.com/muffler-packing-11-inch-x-16-inch-x-1-inch/part/DS-160-1112

I went through this on 3 sets of avons. I switched to E3's after that and hav enot looked back. From my experience those cracks only get worse the longer you wait. If you can get it warrantied, switch to E3's and save yourself the hassle of changing them again in 6 more months.

I love my RSTD and like tunes too so I bought a set of bluetooth earphones and just put my smartphone in the saddle bag and let it play as I ride. I can ride about as long as I care to ride in a day with this setup.

Check out Yamaha Sports Plaza if you are going to do it yourself. I searched around when fixing some deer damage on my RSTD. I had to replace the tank and lower fairing and got them both from Yamaha Sports Plaza for $200 less than my local dealer wanted for just the tank.

Go with the E3's. Avons have an issue with sidewall cracking. I've been thru 3 sets of Avon's in teh last 18 months because of it. Finally got tired of changing tires so I wen't with the E3's. They seem to have a little less wet weather traction but it's not a major difference but no issues in 2000 miles so far and no signs of wear on them yet.

I'm not sure it's one you would want to use on your bike but.... I had a lady behind me one day flashing her lights because apparently the speed limit wasn't fast enough for her. When she finally could get around me I called her a few not so nice names and told her she was #1. When I saw her license plate it was UR2ME2. I guess she must get called those names alot.

I have the same Barons mufflers as you on my RSTD. I've run it without the baffles, with the baffles and have also wrapped or pack the baffle. So far I have settled in on the packed baffle as my prefered sound. You can get a package of it for about $15 from Cruisercustomizing.com and most other places that sell aftermarket exhaust. This is what I used http://www.cruisercustomizing.com/muffler-packing-11-inch-x-16-inch-x-1-inch/part/DS-160-1112 . It's in 2 layers so you can seperate it and and trim to size with scissors and have enough for both mufflers. It will be a little lose to start with but once it heats up it expands to fill the void around the baffle pretty snug.

Don't forget the hard saddle bags on the 05 and up models verses the soft leather on the older models.

With everything you are describing it sounds to me like you are dumping more fuel in than you need and not running on the lean side. This would cause the plugs to foul, be really black and sooty, and also can cause a lot of carbon buildup on the valves which could cause the lower compression. It sounds like someone has really been screwing around with your carbs. If it were me, I'd pull the carbs and check the jets to make sure they are in the correct locations and of the correct size. The jets for these carbs are not all the same size from one carb to the next from the factory and if they get moved to the wrong carb it will cause some issues. There is also a Carb jet kit out there that some people seem to think they need after adding K&N filters and drilling the mufflers but it's not needed. If the previous owner installed that jet kit then it will cause a lot of what you are describing, it was designed for the 90's model TD not the '05 and up models (they have different carbs). I had a friend try the jet kit on his RSV and had the same issues you are describing, didn't take him long to decide to remove it and go back to stock. I'd also check the float levels while I was in there as that has some affect on your MPG. There are a couple of really useful threads on removing and adjusting the carbs in the tech section.

Mine did something similar. If the motor was running, increasing the voltage in the system, mine would sort of flash and with it off they wouldn't do anything. I added a 2nd load equalizer to the front signals in the headlight housing and they worked. You will have to get 2 equalizers I believe. They have 2 leads normally but I think they are only capable of applying X amount of load per equalizer so hooking both wires to the same light does not double the load for you. Check with the tech guys at Custom Dynamics. They were very helpful when I installed mine and had issues. They even sent me a free equalizer when I ordered 1 to try to solve my issues just incase that wasn't enough.

Do you currently have 2 load equalizers tied to the front turn signals? I had to use 2 tied just to the front lights on my 08 RSTD otherwise they did some weird things. Make sure they are both on the wires for the turn signals and not the running lights also.

My 08 RSTD came with Bridgestones. I think I got 7K miles and the cord was showing on the rear.

Almost. I had a dead pine in my front yard and I was afraid it would fall on my house.I was carrying a ladder to the front yard to put a cable on it to pull it into the yard and away from the house. My neighbor saw me with the big extension ladder and asked what I was up to. When I told him he said he'd be right over so he could tell the paramedics what happened.