RedRider

+1. To purchase a used RDL, you need to be close to the height and weight of the original owner. RR

Keith, Miles hasn't been in here for a while. Leather is a bit more comfy, but you need to feed it yearly. Vinyl is what you expect. Velour is a bit cooler but holds water. If you ride 'spirited', Velour does not let you slide around as much as will leather/vinyl. I have the leather and like it. My brother has vinyl and he likes it. Personal preference. RR

If you are going to a specific destination (as compared to riding somewhere else every day), pack them in a box and ship them. I've done that when I had a 4 day meeting in NC. Was riding the Smokey Mtns for a couple of days on the way down. Worked great. Pack all the dirty clothes back in the box and ship back. This is really handy when you need to ship dress shoes. With my big feet, they take up way too much room in the saddle bags. RR

Stock seat was good for about 100 miles. Began to use pads (sheepskin, Airhawk) and got it where I could do 1000 miles, but was sore afterwards. Specifically, the tailbone. Had Rick Butler do his mod and it improved. The RDL took care of the problem completely. Some folks need it adjusted, mine was built correctly first time. I can now ride multiple 1000+ mile days without my butt hurting. Other things come into play (back, shoulders, knees, elbows, etc.) but not the butt. The real question is - How far do you want to be able to ride? FYI - I have no experience with the Ultimate seat. I have heard only good things about it. RR

Keith, If you have the coin for a Russell Day Long, go for it. I have never heard of anyone being disappointed about buying a RDL. If you look at the seats run by the Iron Butt guys, there is a very high percentage of RDLs because they are comfortable. Next Friday I will be embarking on a 6 day Butt Lite (think Iron Butt Rally butt only 6 days rather than 11 - run by related folks) with a Russell on my Venture. I went through mods, pads, and a Corbin before I broke down and bought a Russell. That will be the first purchase on any new LD bike I purchase. If you intend to put on major miles, a RDL is the only way to go. However, 'major miles' is relative. If you are looking for a 500 miles per day seat, there are other options. If you want 1000+ miles per day, RDL stands alone. RR

Mike, If you bypass and find it is your fuel pump, take the back off the pump and look at the contacts. You may be able to clean them up and save the pump. Or....Somewhere on here is a link to replacement contacts for the OEM fuel pump. That is what goes out on them. After July 12th, I have an extra pump you can use until yours is fixed/replaced. Unfortunately, I need it until then (multiday LD rally coming up and it is my spare). RR

Sure would make checking rear tire air pressure easier. Unfortunately, have depleted the farkle fund for this year (and likely next). RR

One pair. They also can be trimmed. RR

Carry on Wayward Son Green Eyed Lady Low Spark of High Heeled Boys Royal Scam Jailbreak Smoke on the Water RR

Being a bit over 50, I need to wear cheaters to read. I had a problem reading the text on the GPS and/or notes in the tank bag window. Did some searching and found stick-on bifocals. Tested them while riding the MN1000 last weekend. I was shocked and amazed at how well these did. Found the Hydrotac brand from Amazon and order a couple of pairs. Stuck one at the bottom of my face shield an inch or so right of center (I am right eye dominant). While looking forward, I don't notice it. When I want to view the GPS, just look down and the GPS is crystal clear. Want to look at tank bag notes/map, tilt your head a bit and it is like wearing cheaters. 100% satisfied. It stayed on while riding with the face shield up. It stayed on while wiping the inside of the face shield to remove streaks. Had to move it once and it was easy to remove and reapply, but won't fall off. It is about the size of a 50 cent piece cut in half. Highly recommend. Available in all strengths. http://tinyurl.com/olxjtab RR

Suck-up

Ummmm, right. Was thinking something else. Good catch.

There is a small ring bracket in the air filter box to hold the end of the hose. No reason to make an attachment nipple for the hose as that would be a small diameter fitting. More liable to plug up than an open hose. Works fine as is. And, you are right. It is the crankcase breather hose. RR

Congrats and well done. RR

Well, got home about 4:00 this afternoon. Great time was had by all. From 8 am Saturday morning to 8 am Sunday morning (with a 3 hour rest bonus), I racked up 1156 miles and 5500 points. Oh wait, that was only 4000 points. Lost the points for the rest bonus since the starting receipt didn't have a computer printed time on it. It's one of the rules and I should have caught it. Anyhoo, That dropped me from 3rd place to an also ran. Oh well, had lots of fun, road lots of miles, and am ready for Butt Lite 7 in a couple of weeks. That is a 6 day rally. RR

Here are pictures of my rally ready Venture. The hose for the water jug is attached to a keyring return thingy. Take a drink and let it go. Snaps the line out of the way. RR

Tisunac, Your clutch may be fine. These V4 engines don't have the same power band as a V-Twin. In other words, you don't shift until a much higher RPM than a V-Twin. I may be telling you something you already know, but..... Take your bike out to a country road and crank it up. Get to 25 mph in 1st gear. 60 in second. 90 in third. Don't worry, there is a rev limiter so you can't hurt anything. Once you find the power band and shift accordingly, you won't lug the engine any more. Now, if you are hearing the RPMs drop after you fully engage the clutch - like the clutch is slipping and then grabbing - then clutch work may be needed. Easy upgrade. And yes, the mountain roads of West, by God, Virginia are wonderful to ride. One of my favorite places. RR

It is a huge PITA as you need to remove both the outer and inner portions of the fairing. Not hard, just a PITA. Once you get the complete fairing off, it is straight forward (you do have a FlyinFool steering bearing nut tool, don't you?). While you have all this apart, it is a good time to take the front forks in to have the springs changed out to Progressives. RR

Yup, there are lots of nice fuse blocks out there. I have a Centech AR-1 on the Venture. Full up too - need to add another one or quick adding electrical stuff. The KLR has a Fuzeblok FZ-1. That is a really nice fuse block as it allows you to have each circuit either switched or not. RR

I've been following your saga and am glad it has come to a good conclusion. Chasing electrical gremlins is difficult and frustrating. You've done well. Now, go ride and think HD no more. RR

The Long Distance Rally season is upon us. Getting the bike ready for a really good year and thought I would share the preparation. First rally is this coming Saturday (6/21). The Minnesota 1000 is a 24 hour scavenger hunt style rally during which I will generally cover 1000-1200 miles. It starts and ends in Stillwater, MN (Minneapolis/StPaul area). Second is what I am really looking forward to this summer. The Butt Lite 7 is a 6 day rally of similar style to the Iron Butt Rally (IBR is 11 days). This will be my first multi-day rally so will be interesting to see how I hold up. The BL7 also starts and end in the MN/StP area with an intermediate checkpoint in a location that will be announced the night before the start. Third is more of a flower sniffing rally. Mrs. RedRider will be joining me for an 8 hour Team Lyle New England rally out of Rutland, VT. We will then ride around the NE experiencing some of this country's most beautiful roads and vistas. In preparation of this grueling schedule, over the winter the bike received the following love: - All new fluids - brake, clutch, pumpkin, oil/filter - Upgraded to SS brake and clutch lines - Spline and pins lube with Honda Moly60 - Drive shaft splines lube with Honday Moly60 - New front brake pads (rears were fine) - Hagan rear shock (OEM finally died) - Progressive springs in front (actually, this was done 2012/13 winter) - New front and rear wheel bearings (2012/13 winter) - New battery - Valve shim check and adjustment (did it without removing carbs - it can be done) - Carb sync - New fuel filter - Purchased backup fuel pump (thanks Squidley) - Cleaned and recharged K&M air filters - Replaced fuel lines and fuel filter on auxiliary fuel tank. - Gave its annual bath including leather food for the seat. - Bike currently has 113250 miles and ready for a lot more. Also, - Added a second Zumo 550 - Added a SPOT satellite tracker - Added a hydration system (work still in process). - Have a set of new Dunlop Elite3 tires ready for after the MN1k. Plenty of tread for a couple of thousand miles, but not for 7000 or so expected during the Butt Lite. - Added a Laminar Lip to the windshield (should arrive on the brown truck today). Will update this thread with pictures when I get an opportunity. WooHoo!! I am ready (OK, almost ready) to ride! RR

Groan is the rear shock getting lubed up. Goes away after a few miles generally. Check shock for the proverbial drip. RR

Textile. Firstgear Kilimanjaro jacket (available in tall sizes) and HT Overpants. When warm, I will wear them over just LD Comfort shorts. Have ridden through snow and Death Valley in this set up. And, they are on Closeout at Motorcyclegear.com (formerly New Enough)

If you're heading through Wisconsin, I have a lift, a full beer fridge, and an extra bed available. Be glad to host and help out where I can. RR

Which side of AZ? NM side or CA side? If on the CA side, there is a Walmart Supercenter (with Tire and Lube) in Kingman, AZ. You can purchase an aluminum turkey roaster pan and a jug of oil, change it in the parking lot, and they will recycle the used oil. If on the NM side, there is a Walmart Supercenter (with Tire and Lube) in Gallup, NM. On another note, and just for reference, the oil change interval recommended by Yamaha in the owners manual is 8000 miles. And this is for standard dino oil. RR