darthandy
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Everything posted by darthandy
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Well, with all the cager idiot stories this past while, I suppose a biker idiot story had to show up too. As my wife and I approached a red light today on our way home, I noticed a guy on a Harley approaching from the opposite direction with his left turn signal flashing. He was approaching the light slowly, obviously hoping it would change before he had to stop and put his feet down (So tiring you know!). Sure enough, as soon as the light changed he cranked the wheel left and took off. Of course, since the road was damp (It had just rained a tiny bit for the first time in a while) he had to take it very easy, forcing me to idle slowly forward till he cleared the intersection. It occurred to me that if it had been someone in a hurry to get home and who knew little if anything about bikes, the result could have been nasty. And while bikers would have been blaming the cager for turning left in front of the bike, the fact is that it would have been the biker's fault. What he did was stupid, dangerous and, oh yeah, illegal in this province. We are required to wait for oncoming traffic to clear the intersection before turning left. Trying to beat the first car across the intersection is illegal and in this case could have led to an accident. What's worse is that this idiot probably thinks he's a hot rider now because he "beat me" across the intersection. Some day he'll do that to the wrong person and it will cost him...and I sure as hell will not have any sympathy for him. Morons like that give us all a bad name. Andy
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Yep. I've watched it a number of times. They do some crazy stuff, at times. I believe there is (or there was) and American version put on a year or so ago. Just couldn't match the English version. You cab catch episodes online. Andy
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Didn't have time to take the bike out last night, other than to back down the driveway and run back into the garage. Had to be sure it worked! Got out on her today and immediately noticed a difference. That annoying little "grab" at the end is gone and the take up is much smoother overall. Clutch pull is a bit harder but that will only be a problem in a long, slow traffic tie up and that's what neutral is for anyway. Thanks, Skydoc, for a great upgrade, although I suppose all the new friction discs helped a bit too. I don't know how the previous owner was riding it but I had read here somewhere that the annoying little "grab" or "jerk" at the end of clutch travel was normal for the RSV. I even tried full throttle from 80 KPH in 5th ... if it was going to slip, that was the time. No way. Bike vibrated and made sounds like it was swearing at me, but it pulled up to speed, no problem. Now if only gas hadn't gone up to $1.297 / L today (About $4.95 per U.S. gallon. Oh well, some things you can't fix! Jeff, I don't know what your humidity levels are like there, but here, 93 feels like about 107 with the humidity. Yuck!! Andy
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...got around to installing skydoc's clutch upgrade today. What a day I picked...it's 6:45 p.m. and the temp is still 93 F. I just had supper then went out to finish what has to be the most difficult, complex and frustrating part of this job ... getting the old gasket off the case. Naturally, it wouldn't stick to the cover, so out came the utility knife blade and away I went scraping! I needed a break to cool down (It's more than 93 in my garage - oh to be rich and have an air conditioned garage!) so I just stopped for a few minutes. I heard that the Yamaha gasket has a built-in sealant but this is ridiculous! I even had to trim the silicone-like sealant off the edge in a couple of spots! Oh well, it should take no more than 15 or 20 minutes to finish the job now that the gasket is gone. The urge to use that nice, easy to remove Loctite from-a-gasket was strong (a lot easier to remove), but heck, I've got the new gasket now anyway. The nice article with pictures in the tech library made the job go very smoothly, although finding that little wire holding the last disc was a bit tricky. I'm looking forward to trying out the bike. Interesting note here: I knew that the discs should be covered in oil before installation, so I checked out the recommendations from several sources. Here"s what I got - 1) no need for any oil as they'll get covered when the bike is started (Hopefully they won't overheat and burn out first!); 2) Coat with oil before installing; 3) Soak for 10 to 15 minutes before installing; 4) Soak for 2 hours before installing, and finally 5) Soak overnight before installing. Personally, I was taking no chances and had the plates soaking in oil since yesterday. Andy
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+1 on the 2 sec. / 1 sec. rule. And as Jeff says, on a sightseeing tour, especially if there are curves and hills, a greater interval is even better. We usually put new group riders in the 2nd or 3rd position for the first couple of rides so that the ride captain can better gauge their ability at keeping a proper interval and to see their overall riding ability in the group. Andy
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Thanks for the pic Brian. It explains things nicely, but as I mentioned before, I'm dealing with 3 different slopes to the back wall of my garage so that method doesn't work unless I can find somewhere else to do the work. As for personal taste on headlight aiming ... around here, a headlight shining into a passing officer's eyes is a quick way to get pulled over, so I want to be sure it is properly aimed. Actually, the laser level came in quite handy when I was aiming the Triumph's twin headlights given my floor situation. I guess I'll just have to go find a flat parking lot or some such, with a convenient wall to aim at. Should be interesting when it comes time to explain to the owner what I am doing. Andy
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rough running bike
darthandy replied to xxRoger1xx's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
[quote=xxRoger1xx;700329 I will work on the bike myself with the help from the people on this forum. I have received only good advise and what to look for and how to do the repairs needed. $12.00 is an easy decision to make to join. Thanks everyone. +1 on using this site to work on your bike. I have saved hundreds of dollars (I know this for a fact) by getting help from our members in doing work on my bike. As well, check out the tech library section ... it has a downloadable workshop manual at this link: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1828 There are also a number of articles on doing some of the more commonly required jobs on these bikes. Dacheedah makes a good point. If the bike was running well then suddenly started running poorly, it sounds more like a bad tank of gas then a problem with the bike. Start with the Seafoam and go from there. We'll be here to help when you need us. Andy -
Well, there were a couple (!) of Harley's near it at the Friday the13th gathering in Port Dover this past Friday. Hmmmm ... I wonder! Actually, I need to know if it's level from front to back, not side to side. Since I'm dealing with a sloped floor, if I can get the bike level, then it's a relatively easy matter to figure out where the beam should hit at the 40 foot mark using my laser level. But...I need a starting reference point with the bike level, front to back. Sorry ... once again I have failed to properly explain myself. Must have been affected by those nearby Harley's on Friday. tx2sturgis, your method is what I would normally use but my garage floor has a "break" in the centre so the back half has more slope than the front and as if that weren't enough fun, the driveway has a different slope as well. Our flatland areas up here are cold with fairly short riding seasons. I'd rather stay where I am. I can't afford to move where you are so up North is where I must stay. Andy
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Yes it is but I was thinking of the side to side adjustment. When I first got my Triumph, it seemed to have poor lighting. When I checked it I discovered that someone had played with the adjustment screws and the aim was way off. Much better lighting once the lights were properly aimed. I wanted to check the Venture's as well just in case. You can never have too much lighting on a bike! Also, I'm not too sure I want to try that adjustment while riding. the knob isn't exactly a quick and easy reach. Thanks for the info Playboy...that's how I usually do it. Micarl, I'm not sure I understand what you mean. How will a level placed against the rear rotor tell me if the bike is level? Andy
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NorthEast / East Canada Destination Suggestion?
darthandy replied to ablumny's topic in Watering Hole
If you're looking for cooler air, I should warn you - it was 91 F. here today and they are calling for 93 to 95 F. tomorrow. Of course if it's 105 F. where you are then I suppose that still may feel cooler! If you go far enough East, there are some nice roads and views in the Atlantic provinces and then along the St. Lawrence River back through Quebec and Ontario. I guess it depends on how much time you have and how many kilometres (or miles) you want to rack up in that time. Andy -
Actually, up here in the Great White North, we use Black Fly asses - they're metric, you know! And what I'd like to do is to check the aim on my headlight and then use that to set the aim on my passing lights. Oh Playboy, is that what we refer to as a "Half-assed" remark? :rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf: I should have known this would become toilet humour! It always seems to get us - in the end! Andy
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On my Triumph, the gas filler cap is parallel to the ground so I can put a level on it to see if the bike itself is level. But is there anywhere on an RSV that I can put a level to check if the bike is level? Neither my garage floor nor my driveway are level - and by different amounts too. Andy
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Did you put in the Dyna Beads before seating the tire? I wonder if some of them might not have got caught between the rim and tire bead during the seating process causing the tire to seat incorrectly. That might also have caused an unbalanced condition leading to the "hopping" sensation you mentioned. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the beads should be put into the tire through the valve stem after the tire is properly seated on the rim. I'm not sure if mounting the dot to the opposite side from the valve would have caused that much of a problem. Andy
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As with any event like this, there are a lot of curiosity seekers. I suppose a lot of them go to see the "big tough bikers"! Apparently they've never seen me! Personally, I think the 10,000 estimate for number of bikes was low, but that's just my opinion. At least they keep the cagers out of the down town area so there is some (more or less) manoeuvring room. The article mentioned the peak of 175,000 in 2010 and the writer thought that yesterday's number represented a drop in interest. I disagree. The 2010 event was the 50th event (Not the 50th anniversary, by the way) and there was only one Friday the 13th that year so it generated more interest. As there were 3 Friday the 13th's this year at lot of people went to one or the other but not all of them, so that would keep individual numbers down. In the end, it's just fun to see the bikes and watch the people! It's not for everyone but it can be interesting. Andy
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Nadine Chalais
darthandy replied to Condor's topic in Inspirational, Motivational, Prayer Requests, Etc.
Our deepest and most sincere condolences. I wish we could do more. I can't begin to imagine how you feel. Andy -
Thanks, folks. I couldn't see the province (Or state, for that matter but it was headed towards Niagara Falls). It was the flash of colour - Ontario plates are white with blue lettering and this one wasn't. Crazy thing is ... I can't remember what colour I saw ... only that it wasn't white with blue lettering. The mind does odd things at times like that, doesn't it? Andy
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Our thoughts are with your friend and his family. Andy
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So I'm heading home from a Tim Horton's where our club had just met. I'm on a 4 lane section of what is mostly a two lane road and getting ready for a left turn to the exit ramp leading to a 4 lane limited access highway (I hate when they cheap out and put the exit and entrance ramps side by side like that!). As I prepare for my left hand turn, I see a Jeep Wagoneer or some such, with out of province plates, come barrelling up the ramp from the 4 lane. I slowed and checked the driver's head and, sure enough, he's looking behind me and just rolls through the stop sign at a good speed and directly into my path. By now I'm on the brakes and the horn and the a**hole gives me a dirty look - I guess he didn't like me honking. I swear, it took every ounce of willpower I had to keep from hanging a right (There was no oncoming traffic and I had the time and the room) and chasing him down. A few good kicks into his car's pretty blue doors (Or preferably his ugly face!) would have felt soooooooo good. But, once again, I realized that I'm the one who would have had the chat with the men in blue so I swore at him (Had to do something - he was too far to hear any way) an continued on my way. What a week - still don't know what's happening with the wife's car after Sunday's deer encounter and now this. Hope to relax in Port Dover tomorrow for the 13th. I need a break about now. Andy
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Yeah, mine works like that. I have to really crank up the sound on the MP3 then the volume is OK. Andy
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Congratulations and good luck! Sell many bikes and be happy! Andy
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Haven't seen this posted so I'll pass it on just in case. Highway 6 is under construction from Jarvis to Port Dover. They (Port Dover) have said that there will be no construction on Friday, but that doesn't mean the road will be in good shape. If you come down on Hwy 6, turn right (West) on # 3 (Also called Talbot Rd.) in Jarvis to Cockshutt Rd. and turn left on Cockshutt. That will take you into Port Dover the "back way". This also means that you don't have to fight your way through the crowds going up the hill on Main St. to find a parking space. Makes leaving easier too. By the way, Cockshutt changes names a few times as you enter Port Dover ( Silver Lake, Patterson and Chapman). If you want to get further away from the "downtown" area, turn right on St. Patrick or St. Andrew (After crossing the bridge over the river in Port Dover) and follow that for a while then left up to Main Street. Better chance of getting a parking spot up there. The weather is expected to be clear and hot so remember your sunscreen and stay hydrated. The crowd starts to get huge by about 10 or 11 so the earlier you get there, the better. I'm going up with a group from the Goldwing Club and we're leaving from the 2X4 Diner in Wainfleet at 7:00 a.m. Andy
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It's not necessary to press both the select and reset buttons to get the clock. Just hold down the select button for a few seconds and the clock will show up. Press select again to get back to the odo and trip meters. Andy
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Prayer request
darthandy replied to Yammer Dan's topic in Inspirational, Motivational, Prayer Requests, Etc.
All the best thoughts and wishes from us. This is bad enough when it happens to an adult but it seems so much worse when it happens to a child. Andy -
I'd strongly advise you to go with better connectors or solder the wires. Every time I have used those "scotch lock" power taps they have eventually malfunctioned. They will feel "tight" but the connection is poor and gets worse with age. Get rid of them. You'll be a lot happier. Andy
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Well, if he can't get any good info from a Suzuki forum, tell him to come here and we'll help him! Andy