RedRider

Just to clarify Patmac's post, the slippage will not be the starter clutch, it will be the gear shifting clutch. Different animals. And it isn't the synthetic vs. the non-synthetic. It is the additives. Car oils have anti-friction additives that do not play well with wet clutches (Ventures have wet clutches). +1 on the RotellaT (no experience with the Castrol). Personally, I don't like how the clutch feels and the bike sounds with synthetic. Been running dino oil for 140k miles and are pretty happy. RR

Hey - did you buy this off Craigslist a couple of weeks ago? Is it a blonde version with the plastics removed? I called to buy this and it was just sold. Anyway, my estimate is that you have a starter clutch issue. Not rocket surgery to fix, but not 'oil change' easy either. Some others with more 1st generation experience will likely pop in here to offer better advice. However, I suspect this is what you are facing. Do a search for starter clutch in the 1st Gen Technical section. RR

He has been going through the boxes of stuff that came with the bike. Garmin Street Pilot 2720 (in perfect shape) with a mount already installed on the bike. 6 oil filters, 3 inner tubes, extra mirrors, a Wolfman tank bag. Unbelieveable!! RR

I have never had the dash buttons stick. Not sure what would cause that. Perhaps spray a little contact cleaner in there. As for the running light switch, it is normally a rubber boot next to the 12V outlet in the lower clutch side faring. It is a push button type switch. Do you have the auxiliary lights installed on your bike? RR

KLR engine won't produce more than about 25HP anyway. Might want to stick to the marine outboard. Anyway - the KLR Kaper was entirely successful! 2008 KLR650 with a 685 kit installed, doohickey done, full aluminum panniers, skid plate, heated grips, multiple windshields, motorcycle jack, boxes of extra parts. Looks in near perfect shape. Son reports even the tires and chain/sprockets look good. He signed the title which is in his name and has a matching VIN. $500. It is in my son's truck heading towards Phoenix. The seller was moving and needing to simplify his life by getting rid of stuff. The KLR was one of the stuff he needed to get rid of. Will have better pictures tomorrow. We are still trying to determine the catch. It is just too good to be true. RR

Didn't think of that --- Here is the text of the ad:

Saw this ad on ADVRider and couldn't believe it. It has to be too good to be true. 2008 KLR650 for $500. This is even better than Puc's Crud for $1000 - well, maybe not. I bought it and my son is driving up from Phoenix to ABQ to pick it up. Will know in a couple of hours how bad it is. Heck, the extras are worth the $500. If the bike is salvageable, it is just a bonus. We shall see. RR

There is on O-ring on the outside. It will come out, just a little stuck. RR

27mm is the correct size. RR

Lugnut, Which lights are you referring to? The 'stock' running lights are also the turn signals. Many Ventures have the auxiliary running light bars with PAR36 bulbs in them as a replacement for the stock light bar. If it is the aux light bar, the installer usually puts a button switch in the inner faring next to the 12V outlet (clutch side, down low). Make sure this is on. Hopefully, that is all this is so you don't need to split the 'gaining' again . RR

Have changed out the rear tire lots of times. Generally only remove the brake side pipe along with both saddle bags. Still using the original gasket on the OEM pipes. And yes, lift with adapter works. Now, depending on mileage and where you ride, you may find the bolt that clamps the muffler on is really rusted. I have replaced both sides with a SS fastener. Helps lots. RR

Mr. Bird, Give the RDL a thousand miles and you won't want to remove it to even change the battery. Going back to the Corbin will be like sitting on the edge of a board. Best seat evah!! Great looking bike. Welcome home. RR

I assume the HID headlights are run through a relay. Replace said relay with a 10 second delay relay and you are good to go. RR

Better than the wife announcing "You have to sell the trike, we're having a baby!". RR

I assume this is a 2nd gen. Having done a few clutches, you have made a good choice with the Barnett. Couple of things. 1) If you are using a solid innermost friction disc, you don't need the wire. Gently remove it (so it can be reused when you don't like the limited clutch handle throw); 2) You don't have the discs aligned properly. Take it apart and carefully replace one at a time. Note the flat that has two notches in it. This is critical to the alignment. There are two corresponding dots on the clutch housing that mark the proper orientation of the clutch discs. I think this will take care of your issue. Make sure you are using an IN-LB torque wrench on the clutch pressure plate bolts. They don't take much and will easily strip out. Good luck. RR

The pump is made by Progressive. HD just sticks their label on it. However, when I was buying one, the HD labelled unit was the same or less than the Progressive. And it was in stock locally. Works great. 7 psi max. Just a reminder - DO NOT USE A COMPRESSOR ON THE FRONT FORKS!!! IF YOU DO, YOU WILL BE REPLACING FORK SEALS IMMEDIATELY. RR

I am going to be on the SE side for a short while on Saturday. Homestead High area (my folks live there). Once I leave, I am heading to Angola to visit a friend and then heading south. Going to Angola takes me right through that area. If you have 10-15 minutes, I would be glad to stop by and walk you through taking off the faring. It is pretty easy once you've done once or twice. Lemme know. RR

Yup, to do it correctly, you need to split the faring. It's easy to do though. Where in FtW do you live? RR

Does that mean the CL guy showed up for the VMax? RR

Jeff, On 1st Gen knowledge, I bow to your superiority. Didn't know you could do the shims without pulling the carbs. It also makes sense about the valve issue. Will be interesting to hear. RR

1st - Valve shim check. First mechanic is likely used to working on older HDs where they need a top end refresh every 40-50k miles. I would bet on a tight shim. Don't run the bike until you get this part fixed. If it is a tight shim, it can burn the valve/seat which will require significant work to repair. 2nd - Seafoam for the carbs 3rd - if the Seafoam doesn't work, need to pull the carbs and clean them out. It is likely you will pull the carbs to do the valve shims anyway. So, skip step 2. Good luck. Let us know how it turns out. RR

This is a great topic for those that ride long distances (I do). My sign of fatigue is when corners are no longer smooth. When fully rested, it is a clean sweep through a corner. When fatigued, I seem to step through it (turn, straight, turn, straight, etc.). Time to get a hotel. RR

2000 changed OEM shock at about 110,000 miles. Installed Baron. RR

Don't worry. They'll send up an ironing board and iron to get the wrinkles out. RR

I regularly get over 15k miles out of an E3. Haven't run one all the way to bald since I have a tendency to do my miles in chunks of several thousand at a time and starting a trip with a marginal tire is foolish. Usually keep my older tire for a backup if the new one gets cut, but haven't had to use it yet. Would like to see how many miles I could actually get out of an E3. RR