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darthandy

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Everything posted by darthandy

  1. darthandy
    Planning on going with my riding club. Hopefully, I'll be able to find you guys this time. Never did the last time ... must have been looking in all the wrong places. Andy
  2. darthandy
    In the article, someone says that "She didn't mean to do this"! Really? And what did she think would happen when she started to drink and take drugs that day, knowing that she would eventually get behind the wheel? Give me a break! She knew what she was doing when she started to get high and she should be judged on that basis ... of course that won't happen, but we can dream can't we? Andy
  3. darthandy
    We'll be busy getting ready for our riding club's tour into the wilds of Pennsylvania at the end of that week, so making it this year won't work too well. If you do your trip to the Falls and someone wants to cross the border into our land of snow and ice (88 F. today), I would be happy to meet them and give them a ride up the Niagara Parkway or other Canadian side points that might interest them. I mean ... a guy needs a break from all that trip preparation once in a while, right? Andy
  4. darthandy
    I'm in need of a new windshield and was wondering if those of you with the Baggershield could tell me ... is there any kind of breeze or ventilation coming through the joint where the two parts meet? I was thinking of going with a wider Clearview with the vent to get that extra bit of a breeze when the temps hit around 32 C. (90 F) - like today for instance. From what I've read here, my wife may get a break from some of the buffeting with the wider shield, but that extra breeze would be nice in the heat. Yeah, I know, I'm getting old and wimpy but hey - we've paid our dues - now we deserve a little comfort. Anyway, with the sale on at Baggershield, that shield looks a bit more interesting to me now. Andy
  5. darthandy
    OH GR347! 7H47 M34N5 1'M JU57 45 W4RP3D! Andy
  6. darthandy
    Mine is a 2000 that I bought last July. As I was cleaning it last fall, prior to putting it away for the winter, the left bracket broke off and fell into my hand! It doesn't happen overnight - you'll want to check for cracking up near the holes for the screws. I'm just glad it happened the way it did so that I didn't have to replace the deflector as well as the bracket! What seems to happen is that the bracket starts to crack and then rust sets in and it fails that much faster. Adding some longer nylon bolts to the bumpers is cheap insurance IMHO. Andy
  7. darthandy
    Wishing for all the best in his fight against a nasty enemy. Andy
  8. darthandy
    Keep in mind that the brackets for the lower deflectors have rubber bumpers that should rest against the fork covers to keep the brackets from flexing till they eventually break. Since these attach to the light bar, you will have to either extend the bumpers (Using longer bolts - nylon ones work well) or replace the brackets with the stainless steel ones from DiamondR Accessories. Andy
  9. darthandy
    You people have me blushing! Thank you all. This forum always gives me hope for a better world. Thanks, Andy
  10. darthandy
    I've had a few people wonder why I got back into biking some years back when money was and still is so tight these days. My career took a major hit 20 years ago and another one 10 years ago, so we have had to watch every penny, especially since my wife finally had to retire. I work at a crappy, frustrating job (commission only) that pays $12,000 in a good year and about $4,000 to $5,000 in a poor year (One good year in the past 7 - mostly poor to fair for the rest) with not too much available in retirement funds. At 64 years of age I can only hope to retire by the time I hit 75 - if I'm lucky. Now, as has been pointed out to me - I could sell a couple of bikes and a car (Only need one car if I don't work) and with the insurance and maintenance savings and selling the house, I could retire now - and sit at home watching TV all day! No thanks! I enjoy riding - the bikes, the open air, the people - everything! The house will hopefully be sold this year (It's bigger than we need, but the market is crap for this one around here) but I'll keep the job. Why? Well, as I've told others, I want to live not just survive. The day will come soon enough when all we can do is sit and watch. I'd like to try and enjoy life with my wife while we still can. We have had some tough times and made a lot of sacrifices to make sure that our girls had a good education (They each have a University degree and a college diploma) so that they wouldn't get nailed like us. Now we want to enjoy life as much as we can. So why this story now? My neighbour Ben, a good old fashioned Italian gentleman turned 75 this year. He was still working at his job (Low stress - selling men's clothing in a high end shop) and trying to save up for a better retirement after he and his wife put their two girls through school. Well, I found out yesterday that Ben has been diagnosed with Leukemia - this after having heart problems for the past 12 years. I've always tried to help out (Clean out their driveway every winter since he can't and paying to have it done gets expensive in a bad winter.) but there's not much I can do to help him now, except be there for him. So ... I continue to not put off having some fun with my wife (Awww come on - get your minds out of the gutter!) on the bike and enjoying life as best we can. I'm not a spiritual or religious person, but Ben is and I'm sure he would appreciate knowing others were praying for him. So you're welcome to send a few his way. He may not be a biker, but he is "good people" and deserves a break. Thanks, Andy
  11. darthandy
    Small possibility but could the gas cap vent be blocked? If all else fails, you could try starting the bike with the gas cap open and seeing if it continues to run. Andy
  12. darthandy
    Haven't had to pull mine yet so I don't know if there's a good way to pull out the front plugs. As to the gap ... even if they came pre-gapped, I wouldn't risk it given the bouncing around those plugs take when they are shipped. Get a spark plug gauge (The "wire" type is best) and check them yourself. It's a very cheap tool and then you'll know for sure that you have the correct gap. An incorrect gap can have a bad effect on how well the bike runs. Andy
  13. darthandy
    Got mine today. They look great!!! Looking forward to putting them on my vest, jacket, my other vest, etc. Andy
  14. darthandy
    I have my tires installed at a small, independent shop about 24 km (15 Mi.) away. He doesn't mind as it is more $$$ for him and I buy accessories from him as well (His prices actually tend to be better than the local dealers). Plus, since I get good service and reasonable prices, I usually try to send him business from my friends. While I understand why a dealer would rather install what he sells, I think he is missing a good opportunity for some other sales and some good P.R. Andy
  15. darthandy
    Thanks for the update. Looking forward to receiving mine. Enjoy your vacation! Andy
  16. darthandy
    Not a very polite implication. I too have had excellent service and pricing with MC SS. The fact that you didn't like your treatment does not make everyone else here a liar. Come on now ... let's be adult about this. Andy
  17. darthandy

    intercom

    darthandy replied to chippego's topic in Watering Hole

    Also, the passenger has a volume control on the lower left of the backrest / armrest. And be careful not to put the volume up too high. We did that on the main volume and the passenger volume and got a feedback squeal through the headphones that caused me some hearing damage. Really painful at the time. Andy
  18. darthandy
    Thanks. I had already thought about the Mic-Mutes since I get a lot of wind noise from my wife's helmet through the intercom. That will be my next purchase after a Clearview windshield. I'm hoping the wider shield with the flip at the top will help to lessen the breeze hitting her back there and make things a bit more comfortable for her. And, that might drop the wind noise as a side benefit. Either way, the Mic-Mutes are on the "to do" list. Then, it's to decide the height of the windshield. The stock one is about 3 inches too tall for me to see over and as I discovered the first time I rode the bike in the rain, seeing through the shield is not fun. And when stopping (I know this is weird) it seems to cause me some balance problems. There's something about looking through a shield full of dots.... Andy
  19. darthandy
    That's kind of an extreme way to stay alert but hey, whatever works, right? :rotf: Andy
  20. darthandy
    My wife and I were heading out with some friends to the Heroes Highway Ride in the rain yesterday when I suddenly got an ear busting shriek in my headphones. It was really painful and lasted several seconds. I pulled up beside the leader at the next traffic light and told him I had a problem and to pull into the next mall. I got a couple more blasts on the way and was in real pain. Finally pulled into the lot and turned off the ignition just as another one hit. I checked what I could and my buddy tried his headset but nothing there. I was afraid it was an electrical problem and I didn't want to risk riding another 150 KM and possibly breaking down on a major highway in the rain, so the others went on and we unplugged our headsets and went back home. Once there (With my ears still ringing!) I started testing the system and by accident, discovered the problem - my wife had turned her volume up to max to make sure I could hear her over the extra noise from the rain and wet roads. I turned the main volume up as well and what we were getting was "feedback" from the intercom system! When it shrieked, I dropped the volume for the passenger and the noise stopped. It was worse with my IMC headsets than with the J&M set, which wasn't surprising since the IMC have always seemed to have a more sensitive microphone. Anyway, that's something else we'll have to watch in the future. Now I have to head to the doctor's to see just how badly I may have hurt my ears. My first bike with an audio system...it never occurred to me that this could happen. Yet another - painful - lesson. Oh yeah ... I was wearing some Icon waterproof Patrol gloves and they got thoroughly wet inside and out. It seems they have a design flaw - the waterproof liner is stitched to the inner and outer liner of the glove. Guess what happens when you poke dozens of little holes in a waterproof line - IT ISN'T WATERPROOF ANY MORE!! Fortunately they were still under warranty so I returned to the dealer and exchanged them for some Teknic gloves that have a tab all along the edge of their liner so that when it is sewn to the inner and outer layers, it doesn't get poked full of holes leading to the interior of the glove! Oh and our first time used, less than a year old Frogg Togg pants leaked at the seams and nicely wet our bottoms - such fun! Andy
  21. darthandy
    I have. Works reasonably well but so does pledge. I've read in another thread that frequent use of RainX on stock windshields will cause them to darken - which is probably OK if you're looking for a tinted windshield. I find that water doesn't run off as quickly as on my car windshield but that may be because the windshield on the bike is more upright. So there you have my experience. Andy
  22. darthandy
    That was Ruffy. They were polished aluminum rather than steel, but the friend who had made them was back to his regular job and wasn't making any more of them. You could get these brackets which are said to last forever: http://www.diamondraccessories.com/yamaha/proddisplay.php?name=Fork%20Deflector%20Brackets or read V7GOOSE's post on how to modify the bumpers on the stock brackets so that they won't break again: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=42697&highlight=aluminum+fork+deflector Don't know of a cheaper source for the deflector itself, though. Good luck. Andy
  23. darthandy
    ...to your friendly, neighbourhood mad house! You'll enjoy dealing with the inmates! The oil (and filter) should be changed every 12 months or 8,000 miles (13,000 km). Valve clearances need to be checked every 28,000 miles (43,000 km). It's possible to do it yourself but it can be a somewhat tricky job if you are not used to this type of mechanical work. This link http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1828 should take you to the Technical Library section, where you may download both the owner's manual and a service manual. As well, a search of the forum will often bring up descriptions as to how others have performed various tasks. Enjoy! Andy Oops ... took too long to type! Here's a better answer yet!
  24. darthandy
    When you split the fairing, check the "hot wire" for the driving lights. It's quite possible that the installer used one of those blue power taps with a small blade inside that cuts through the wire's insulation to make contact with the mating wire. Those taps are useless and fail early. Take off the tap and solder the wires or, better yet, do as suggested earlier and run a separate wire from he battery to a relay to power the lights. And add a relay to the headlight as well to drop the load on the ignition switch even more. Well worth the time and trouble. Andy
  25. darthandy
    PM means Private Message. Only the sender and recipient can see it. Go to the left, near the top under "User's Login". You'll see below that the words Private Messages. Click on that and it will bring you to your inbox and you can proceed from there. As for PayPal, you will need an account to use it. Andy
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