gerryh

Over the years I've probably had 5-6 different rainsuits complete with rainboots. It seems like the suits that kept me the dryest always made me dripping wet with sweat as soon as the rain had stopped. And then there was the issue of fighting the rainboots on & off, and this was usually done on the side of a busy highway. If you're just riding home from somewhere, getting wet can usually be corrected as soon as you get home so there's no real harm done. But if you're traveling on the road and you or your boots get wet, you may end up riding in wet gear (especially the boots) for the next day or so. Not much fun. The best rainsuit that I've used is anything that is completely nylon inside and out. I emphasize "completely nylon" no PVC or plastic anywhere. Stearns is one of the more common manufacturers but there must be others. The key here is nylon inside and out. It is very waterproof. Very lightweight so it folds up very compactly. And best of all, it breathes. You can wear it between the downpours without taking an inside the rainsuit sweat bath. Also, I got tired of fighting with the rainboots on the side of the road, so I bought a pair of Cruiserworks leather completely waterproof riding boots. They're a little pricey but they work as advertised. I've worn them for several years in some real frog chokers and my feet have always stayed dry. And because they're leather, not vinyl or PVC, they breathe, no sweaty feet. Unless you're planning to pull over every time you see rain on the horizon, or unless you don't mind riding wet, you should bite the bullet. Spend the money and get something that works. Every time you're riding in the rain and you're still dry, you'll be so glad that you spent the extra dollars. Gerry

I have an 08 RSTD and my hitch attaches just with the bolts on the back. I just towed a smallish trailer 8200 miles and the hitch worked just fine. However, my rear end did go bad somewhere around the 6000 mile mark. I actually rode it with a screaming rear end for the final 2000 miles until I could get the scooter back home and take it to my dealer. Before I left on the trip I had the rear end fluid changed and switched to the Mobil 1 synthetic instead of the original Yamaha rear end fluid. Don't think that the fluid change contributed to the problem developing but it is disappointing to have something as major as a rear end fail. The service manager and the mechanics all say that they've never seen a rear end fail on a Venture or a RSTD. I wonder if anyone else has had any rear end problems or even if they have towed a trailer for more than 8000 miles over the course of a couple of years. The trailer is one of the smaller models, all fiberglass, 12 inch wheels, and doesn't weigh over 150 lbs. I may have had 100-125 lbs. of clothing, etc., new tires, and plenty of grease in the bearings. Is the RSTD or the Venture just not up to the task of towing a relatively small load? Your guess is as good as mine.

My '08 RSTD has developed a tremendous loud whine while I was on a recent road trip 2000 miles from home. It didn't seem to effect the bike's performance so I pushed on and eventually made it home. When I took the bike to the dealer, they tell me that they've never seen anything like this, but without taking the rear end apart (where the noise seems to come from) they think that I have a bad pinion gear or bearings. The noise is only present when I am using the throttle and it goes away completely if I get off the throttle. It is present in all gears and it appears to get louder and change in pitch the faster I go. This is not the clutch basket whine that we've heard so much about. I have that also, but it's a pretty minor thing. How did your noise present itself? If you want to contact me directly my email is gheather@bellsouth.net. Thanks. Gerry