DragonRider

Yes, I forgot about that, that was around $231.00 if I remember right, given to Mary Nicole the little angel that graced us with not one visit, but two.. we gave half of the 50/50 raffle to her and the winner of that raffle gave her winning to her also.........sorry, I forget who that was, but it was an awesome moment.

How is your search for a trike going, or are you contemplating having the 99 triked?

We are a little over $2200.00 for this year, since this years Vogel was structured different we didnt raise as much as we usually do. But we will collect more at the gathering and add that to the total, I am hoping to reach at least $3000.00. Our very first donation in 2005 was $500.00, and our largest was $10,400.00. Last year was a little over $4000.00. To date we are close to $40,000.00 since 2005.

Got mine...................wohooo...................

Been there done that....................

The date is set for our annual ride to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The date is Saturday, October 3, 2015. We will be meeting at our usual place, Flying J/Pilot Truck stop that sits between the junction of I-55 and I-40 in W. Memphis, Ark. We will be meeting there between 11:00/11:30 am for lunch, then we will ride over to St. Jude in Memphis, about a 5-10 min. ride across the Mississippi River. We will be touring the hospital and then presenting them with the proceeds that we have collected this year for the "Kids". If you haven't visited St. Jude you owe it to yourself, it is something that will touch you, to see what they can do for these "Kids" is something that you can't put into perspective till you see it for yourself. Please come out and join us, its something that will change you, ask anyone who has been. Take a moment and look at the picture below. The very young man sitting on his brothers lap is Brayden Shields, he as been a patient at St. Jude almost since birth. That picture was taken 5 years ago. Today after many surgeries he is an active 6 year old thanks to St. Jude, and everyone who supports their work and research. This is a picture of Brayden today.

On the 83 there is the infamous 2nd gear problem, usually occurs around 65,000 miles, check to see if it has been fixed or upgraded before you buy, you dont wont to have to repair a 2nd gear problem on a new to you bike. I had it happen to me, after it was fixed the 83 was flawless. The 85 could have the same problem, they rectified it in the middle of the run for 1985, so you would have to do a vin # check to see if it is updated. The 89, if it runs, looks good and everything works, that would be the way to go, they had all the bugs ironed out in mid 85. Welcome to the group, you will like it here, I have been a member since 2005. There are some crazies here, but they are harmless.......................

Well is says it fits XVZ1300, but I have never seen one on any of my Ventures, someone else will have to chime in on that. I will check the part number on it to see.

Procrastination is our worst enemy!!!!!! We all do it at one time or another.

Has anyone found another source other than Yamaha for the gaskets that go between the muffler and the collector. I find they want anywhere between 18.00 up to 26.00 apiece for them. That is an outrageous price for a gasket.

Well Joe, I see you finally found out what those poles are far............I would have never thought that in a thousand years................

Dan, if you like the 99 and it runs good, go ahead and trike it out, doesnt matter the year, the trike kit from any reputable company will make it look great. You got the base for a great trike so take advantage of it. I am sure you wont regret it. I wish mine had ir suspension and easy steer, it can be a bear and bumps..........you dont want to know. After riding the Cherahola, my arms and shoulders were so tired and didnt ride the Drqagon.............that was a first for me.

There is an 87 located around Macon, they have been trying to sell it for 3 years now, they were asking $5800.00 for it. It may still be available.

Nothing wrong with your pics Joe, they came out great, thanks for posting.

My 83 had he second gear go out at 81,000 miles, I started skipping 2nd and rode it that way till it started getting hard to shift and sometimes getting stuck in 1st or 3rd. I had an 86 motor donated to me so we just swapped the tranny from the 86 into the 83 and its still going strong. You will need a special compression tool or make one to change the split washer on the shaft. Maybe someone has a spare tranny they can sell or donate to you. I did it with a little help from my friends, didn't really want to, but with the write up in the tech section it was easy.

Congratulations to the parents and grandparents..................

My biggest pet peeve is people who drive on multi lane hwy, doing the limit or less in the left lane and refuse to move over for people traveling faster. Left lane is for passing, not for poking along.

My first job was when I was 15, paid cash daily, and no taxes taken out. We lived next to a gentleman that owned the construction company that was building homes in the subdivision we lived in. He approached me one day and asked me if I want a part time job after school, all I had to do was ride my bike around the subdivision where he was building the homes and close all the windows and doors since his employees failed to do so most of the time, it took me all of about 2 hours to do it and I made $25.00 a week, working Mon. thru Fri. Did that for about 6 months, then I got a job with him cleaning up the construction office after it was closed, got bumped up to 60.00 a week for that. Now my first real job came as a senior in high school, working at the Burger King, cant remember the hourly pay, but I think it was less than $2.00 an hour. Now Uncle Sam did get his cut of this pay..............

Thats not a problem Skid, my problem is I sometimes put them down when I am on the trike..............

Eck, I too sometimes have that feeling, for the time since hosting Vogel, I did not ride the Dragon, I wasn't prepared for it like I usually am, I had not ridden much prior to the event so when we got there I was tired and sore and just sat there with a couple of others while everyone else rode the Dragon. Well today I took out my new to me 87 Royale for a short spin after cleaning it up and fixing a few things that needed fixing. Let me tell you, I enjoyed being on two wheels so much that I cant wait to go on another ride, even longer, in fact I was thinking about trying to get together with you for lunch. I have plans on selling it but I am on the fence about it now, but if I do, I will be buying my old 83 back from Jamie, because he is giving up 2 wheels in favor of three. I cant make up my mind, I love the 83, but I really enjoy the 87 also. Decisions, Decisions.

No Comment!!!!

Not what Charlene thinks though................................

Got the 87 all back together, had to repair a few tabs and fix some electronics. Did a lite cleanup on her with protectall and got her shining a little bit, but where she really shines is on the road, feels totally different than the 83 that I had, but still handled really good. Looking forward to taking her out for a nice long ride one day, but just short ones for now to make sure I got everything right. Attached are a few pics of both bikes. The trike is a 93 I picked up almost 3 years ago. The 87 I bought from another memeber here close to me.

I want to thank Big Tom and everyone who attended the NY Rally for being so generous in donating to the "Kids" at St Jude Children's Hospital. Aussie Annie offered to take some t shirts while she was at Vogel and we obliged her with what we had left. She notified me yesterday of what the NY bunch did and I was overwhelmed at your generosity. Every penny goes a long way in helping find a cure for not only operatic cancer but other childhood diseases. Without our help and everyone else who supports St. Jude that would not be possible. Thank you and God Bless each and every one of you!

This post is useless without pics.................Rule # 1 invoked!!!!!!