darthandy

For what it's worth, I got a Clearview in stock height but 2.5 inches wider (per side) with a bit of a flip at the top. My wife said it didn't really do much to reduce the buffeting at highway speeds. She's only 5 ft 2 in. so it's not like she sticks way up in the air on that back seat. I tried opening and closing the vent to see if reduced vacuum behind the shield would move the pocket of still air further back, but no luck. The best cure seems to be a good quality full face helmet - at least the noise level is lower (For her I mean!). Andy

Yeah, I can see where that would be a problem. In my case I can just about flatfoot it at a stop so I'm OK. I have touched the floorboards down on occasion so I really wanted the extra clearance. I belong to the Gold Wing Road Riders Association and some of the guys in our chapter ride their 1800's like sport bikes. Of course, their bikes have stiff frames, good suspension and a surprising amount of ground clearance, so staying caught up can be a bit of a challenge at times. The levelling links really helped me there. Andy

I got 18,000 mi. out of my Dunlop Touring Elite 3 front and I've got around 8,000 mi. on my rear E3 and it still has good tread. I've heard a couple of complaints about wet weather handling on the forum but I've had to ride in some pretty wet weather with them and they handled very well and I don't usually crawl, if you know what I mean! I just replaced the front and it was with another E3. The only (mild) complaint I have is that they are somewhat noisy in turns - kind of a moaning, almost siren noise. But I can live with that given how well they perform and last. Andy

That's not entirely correct. The effect on handling will be the same but you lose some ground clearance whereas using levelling links will gain you a bit more clearance. It may not be much but doing the Dragon last September without my links, I could really have used the extra bit of clearance - especially on the one right hander about halfway down! Andy

It's usually been 4 to 5 riders who are "regulars" and then a few others who occasionally show up. Rides : along Ridge Road to Hamilton; through the middle of the Peninsula to Dunnville; along the Niagara Parkway to Niagara Falls or even Fort Erie (if no one minds getting home late.) and other routes around the area.. This year I started trying to plan and advertise a route ahead of time to encourage more members of the GWRRA chapter to which I belong to come out more often. With a roster of 71 members you'd think that we'd get a few out even in the middle of the week, but while plenty of them come out to the "dinner out" evenings and bowling in the winter, they just don't seem to want to ride - at least not with the group. We've tried to keep rides short enough to have people home by around 9:30, but that still hasn't been enough to coax them out. The chapter president wanted to make the ride a Chapter Event, but I won't do that unless members start coming out regularly. For now, it's just our private, no fees, no dues, no patch riding club. We get together, lie about - oops, I mean discuss our bikes and abilities and then ride to somewhere that has ice cream and then head for home. Since our present "membership" extends from Grimsby to Port Colborne, we chose Vineland as our meeting place as it was more or less centrally located and has direct access to the QEW in case someone is late getting to the meeting site and needs to ,er, hurry a bit. Andy

You handled the situation exactly as it should have been. A conversation with a drunk is more worthless than talking to a wall - at least you can get an intelligent echo off the wall. I never drink and drive or ride - my father was a trucker for 35 years and I still remember many of the stories he told of coming up on accident scenes (or witnessing them) and all too often, the driver had been drinking. There's just no excuse for doing it. Andy

I belong to an "unofficial" club that meets every Wednesday night for a ride through the Peninsula. We've been meeting for the past couple of years and I thought I'd invite any members here who would like to join us. I realize that Marcarl has one on Wednesday nights as well, but Brantford's a bit far to go from here to join a ride, especially since it starts around 6:30. As for us, we meet at the Tim's in Vineland on the North service road and leave at 7:00 p.m. I usually send an email reminder to members on the prior Sunday or Monday and I try to include a link to Google maps showing the proposed route. That way, people know where they are going and can get an idea as to how long they'll be riding. We usually aim for an ice cream stop before heading back home. Rides are typically and hour or so long as we head for the ice cream. The length of the ride home depends on the route taken to get back. Some people have time for a slow crawl back through the countryside while others may need to rush back a bit faster. We don't play road racer or try to set speed records - the idea is to have a pleasant cruise through the back roads (Better scenery) while avoiding highways as much as possible, especially the multi-lane type. If you'd like to try us out, you can send me your email address to receive the reminder or just show up on a Wednesday night. Thanks, Andy

Odd - I've had E3's on my RSV and have done quite a bit of rain riding with them with no problem. Then again, I usually take it easy on a wet road as it is more difficult to tell if there's something on it besides water. I have iht slippery spots that showed heavy stains of some sort when the road dried up so it would seem it was something else that caused he problem rather than the tire. In fact, I just replaced my front this week and, of course, given this season's weather, I've already had to ride it in the rain. No problems. Andy

To do that kind of damage would take about 110 to 120 mph minimum. I feel sorry for the gf and relatives. You just can't fix stupid! On a racetrack, everyone is headed in the same direction and you're not likely to find someone turning in front of you. That's why those speeds are normally reserved for that locale. Even at my youngest and stupidest, I knew better than to hit high speeds in residential areas - you just can't be sure what will happen. Then again, my father was a truck driver (Big rig) for 35 years and he used to tell me about some of the nastier accidents he saw - that was enough to make me a wee bit more cautious! Andy

Thanks again. I'll tell my sis to watch for it. As soon as I get it on I'll return the other. Andy

At some point in the past, someone had installed a lowering kit on my RSV. Later on, someone replaced the links with stock ones but left the bracket to put the caliper in the underslung position. I would like to get a stock bracket for the rear caliper to put the caliper back where it goes. Is there somewhere besides the dealer to obtain one of these? I checked Bike Bandit but they don't seem to have it. Also, is there a spacer or something else required or is it just the bracket? Thanks, Andy

The relay is not there to protect the circuit from "shorts". It's there to lessen the load on your ignition switch. Yamaha put some rather weak ignition switches on these bikes and running too much current through them can cause them to fail (Care to guess how I know this?). A short in the passing lamp circuit could cut power to your headlight circuit if it isn't wired up properly. The driving lamp circuit should be powered by the headlamp wire but should not be part of the headlamp circuit. Putting in a relay powered by the headlamp circuit with the power to the lamps coming directly from the battery will avoid putting a heavier load on the switch. If you look at the threads indicated above, it should explain how to handle this. Good luck! Andy

Some members say they've had a reduction in the sound by changing to a different brand of oil so you could give that a shot. Mine (a 2000) was bad at first but started dropping in volume last fall and so far this spring, the noise has been more of a minor background thing than the loud whine it had before. It seems to change with accumulated mileage, so maybe putting more mileage on could help. At least it's another good excuse for getting out to ride. Andy

Good advice all around. But ... one thing to watch for. Never assume you have made "eye contact" with someone. There's a good chance they were looking at something or someone behind you and that's what they made "contact" with. If you're going to assume something then either assume they don't see you or that they would like to see what it feels like to hit a bike. You'll be safer that way. Andy

As has been said - ride within your comfort zone - but - having said that, you want to be careful not to wind up as a hood ornament on some cagers car as he/she gabs on their cell phone while blasting past the speed limit. Keep checking your mirrors! This is where good tires in good shape with plenty of tread are important. Bikes are typically better on rainy roads than cars - a bikes greater weight per square inch of contact patch means that the tires "cut through" the water better than most cars so that they are less likely to hydroplane (But watch out for puddles!!) and therefore will do a surprisingly good job of holding to the road even in a downpour. It's actually a good idea to get out for an occasional ride in the rain to keep up your "wet road" skills. Better to get comfortable under conditions that you set up rather than as an unexpected lesson while trying to get home. I hate riding in the rain, but it's almost impossible to ride regularly and frequently and not get caught every now and then. Better to be prepared than to be surprised. Andy

A plug that is improperly installed can "pop" out at speed leading to deflation equivalent to a blowout. The result can rank between scary and lethal, depending on the bike's speed, the road surface, rider skill, etc. Tire manufacturer's don't like to get sued and it's difficult (If not impossible) to prove that a plug was improperly installed. They are doing a C.Y.A. move and you can't really blame them. I've seen this subject discussed in other forums and in the "service" section of bike mags. The consensus of opinion is pretty much as those above have stated. If the plug is properly installed and the hole is not in a sidewall then you are properly good to go. Putting a patch on the inside and/or adding Slime, etc. is good insurance unless you're running Dyna Beads - those would have to be removed or they would stick in the Slime, etc. and quite possibly throw the tire way out of balance. If you are running a sport bike at races and/or track days then a plug is a bad idea. Even the best plug, carefully installed could get thrown out when you are running at top speed and cornering at the limit. One important fact that was left out - once that plug is installed, make absolutely certain that your tire pressure is always at the recommended level or better. An underinflated tire is far more likely to spit out a plug, especially at highway speeds and heavily loaded which often describes the use our RSV's get. After all - they are touring bikes! Andy

I rewired mine to work through a relay - the original set up had one of those "Scotch Lock" connectors or whatever and the lights started malfunctioning shortly after I bought the bike. I have since cut a small opening in the chrome gas cap / ignition switch surround and installed a lighted switch so that I can turn them off if for some reason I find myself having to start the bike in a low battery situation. Andy

The problem was a plug inside the drive gear case that could work loose allowing the oil to leak out into the outer gear case cover. You couldn't tell there was a leak as the oil was held in the outer case. The rear end could then seize up which could be disastrous especially at highway speeds as the rear wheel locked up solid. There were reports of some people being killed in a couple of such accidents. If memory serves, there was a redesigned plug that was made available which could help avoid the problem. As well, checking the fluid level before every ride helped avoid a potential problem, but that was a bit of a hassle. During a cycle world road test in 1986 (I keep my old magazines!) the testers found during one rainstorm that water was being redirected up towards the rider somehow. Andy

I've read that using HID bulbs in reflectors made for Halogen bulbs can cause problems with light being scattered other than on the road ahead. According to some reports, the glare to oncoming drivers can be worse than using high beams. Have any of you noticed this with our Ventures? Do you get flashed at by oncoming traffic or (Worse!) get pulled over by the LEO's? It would be nice to know before springing for that kind of money only to have to pull them off. I know that some countries (England, for instance) have outlawed using HID bulbs in reflectors made for Halogen for just this reason. Andy

Oh boy! I can just see all the UFO sightings being reported now! Andy

... which is why they are only 150 lumens. Even with lights, power costs! Andy

I went with leveling links (Had some made based on a thread in this forum) on mine and it made a noticeable and worthwhile difference in the handling on the bike. I raised the rear an inch and am now contemplating raising it another half inch as I can still touch both feet down and I think this would further improve handling. Andy

They're all the same. Press and hold "select" till the clock comes up. Andy

I'll take one!! Andy

If you were up here, I'd say - "Join the CAA" (Canadian equivalent of your AAA. I've heard that AAA doesn't do bikes, but you could join the Goldwing Road Riders Association (You don't need to own a Goldwing.). You get roadside assistance for your bike with he membership and for an extra $25 per year, you can get expanded coverage for the bike and coverage for your car. There may be others in the U.S. but that's the only one I know of that covers both. Andy