RedRider

Wow. Even the air conditioner on a Goldwing couldn't keep up with that heat. Stay cool. RR

Running in the UP during the MN1000 rally at about 10:00. Few of the stations up there have pay-at-the-pump and I hit reserve going to a bonus location. Checked the Garmin and it pointed to 2 stations - each about 15 miles away. I knew one of them was closed because I had just passed that way and wanted to get gas. Headed towards the other and hoped they were open. Dropped the speed to 45 mph to improve mileage and made it there at 10:20. They were closing at 10:30 and did not have pay-at-the-pump. Put in 5.7 gallons. Too close for comfort. To have missed that station would have screwed the whole rally for me. RR

Check the back pads while you are at it. Again, easy to change if needed. You don't even need to remove the caliper. If you see the rears showing uneven wear, you can swap them in to out, out to in. RR

Agreed. Blue Loctite would probably hurt otherwise. RR

We will see if the 'Uninsured Motorist' portion of my insurance goes down. Not likely. RR

Actually, about half of all the RR have some gravel portions. Mostly the gravel is well graded, but I have been on a couple that were pretty rough. Fortunately, I was on the KLR at the time. RR

Very nice. RR

The AirHawk doesn't help much with airflow, but does wonders for the sit bones. A sheepskin is nice for airflow. Never tried the beads, but have heard good things about them relative to airflow. Also, a little bit of GoldBond in the shorts does wonders. RR

All of them do. But, as far as I know, only Wisconsin has implemented a program to 'declare' them and offer a minor incentive to ride. RR

With blue loctite you will not likely be able to remove them by hand. I occasionally need the assistance of a pair of plyers to get them loose (it may also work to get them snug). RR

There is a guy on advriders.com that has made up a patch or a sticker to commemorate anyone doing 100+ Rustic Roads in a year. It is in the Central Regional Forum. For anyone not familiar with the Rustic Roads program http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/scenic/rusticroads.htm RR

It might taint the bacon. RR

Both the owners manual and the service manual can be downloaded off this site. All your answers are in there. If you need some specific help on something, give a holler and we will be glad to chime in. [ame=http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1828]Download the Owners and Service Manuals - VentureRider.Org[/ame] RR

Just called my dealer (and they are a pretty good one) and asked about a valve shim adjustment. With tax, just under $250 - not bad. I also asked about setting the float levels - $350 - ouch! I advised the service manager that I will probably be doing these both myself and asked about exchanging shims. He stated that they would just swap shims if they have what I need. Call him when I am doing it and he will check to see if they have the right shim in one of the tech's kits. They will swap them straight up. I am lucky to have a good dealer to work with. RR

Salsa Red 2000 are fastest! RR

Yup, I got my email also. Bought them anyway. It was still a really good price. RR

OK, Guys and Gals, With the new information V7Goose posted about an economocal source for valve shims, I have decided to tear into the machine and do the 2 items that have scared me: 1) Set the valve clearance 2) Set the float height on the carbs Shims have been ordered, tool has been ordered, beer fridge is still not re-stocked. I don't know if anyone else wants to tackle this project with someone who hasn't successfully completed the task (heck, I've never even tried), but, if someone is interested in watching/supervising, I will let you know when it is going to happen. Just to let you know, I will NOT be cleaning the garage and ManCave this time. You will see it in whatever shape it is in at the time. However, there is still more venison in the freezer. RR

Just ordered mine. I think I will try to tackle the shim adjustment just using the great writeup you provided. Now I need to get the tool. RR

Those Rumballs are really tasty. One of my boys didn't realize what they were and popped it in his mouth. He was quite surprised. Had to hide the rest of them. Thanks again for coming and the contribution of the venison polish sausages and rumballs. RR

Something seems fishy about this post. RR (OK, somebody had to say it)

Thanks Kevin, 20 pack BudLight added to this, 12 pack PBR bottles added. End result:

It is supposed to hang from the lowest point on the bike for maximum protection. Generally hang it from somewhere on the lower frame or centerstand (if you have one). RR

The TW200 is a very fun bike. It will go thru anything and is easy to ride in gnarley stuff. Being street legal is a bonus too. If you can get a good deal, you won't be disappointed with this choice. RR

I'm not much of a picture taker, so please bear this in mind with the few pics taken and the dubious quality of same. Also, please feel free to fill in lapses in recollection since the old brain could use a good synchonization itself today. It all began with the timely arrival of KevinsDa1 on Friday evening. We put the finishing touches on the place and headed out for fish in the truck. We then stopped by the fair and checked out The Guess Who. Back to the house to begin the initial assault on the beer fridge. Up early on Saturday, KevinsDa1 and I head off for a 45 minute ride to the Mineshaft to meet the SE guys for breakfast. We were met by IH Truck Guy, rumn1, Flyinfool, and gac-ride. As we were being served, we were greeted by the contingent from Hammond. Jarrejx, YamaQman, and Walter the Winger made their grand entrance and sat down to partake of a hearty Wisconsin style heart-attack-on-a-plate. Good stuff. We all headed back to Fond du Lac and began to welcome riders and to stage the fine machines for service. Ultimately, we had 3 CarbTunes going and probably sync'd 12 bikes. A total of 15 bikes came in for at least some of the weekend. I forgot to have a guestbook, so I will probably miss some of the participants. Please post on here (or shoot me a PM) if I excluded listing your presence (unless you are actually in the witness protection program) and I will update the thread. We had: KevinsDa1, Flyinfool, IH Truck Guy, ScooterBob, Red1, RUMN1, gad-ride, jarrejx, Walter the Winger, YamaQman, easu1+wife and daughter, Danimal and brother, Jeff2053, and wkoepke. Theresa (easu1's daughter) was a big help working on the bikes. She is going to be the maintenance goodess in another 10 years or so - mark my words. About 2:00 we headed out for a pleasant ride thru the Kettle Morraine State Park. Some fine twisty roads with beautiful overhanging trees was par for the course. We then ran 7 Hills Road for a little up and down action. After this, we sync'd carbs on another bike or 2 and got YamaQman's bike down in the shop to review some wiring. If any of you get an opportunity to witness YamaQman's bike, it is a sight to behold. He has added an array of LED lights that is simply amazing. There are a few pictures (poorly taken) that begin to show the extent of his work. We took off the tank and did our best to clean up some routing of the wiring. YamaQman has a nice winter project to reroute some of the wiring now that he has gotten all the lighting where he wants it. I really look forward to seeing this bike again next year (and you too YamaQman). Flyinfool brought some venison polish sausage to suppliment the venison keilbasa for dinner. They were very tasty. Combine this with the outstanding rumballs he baked made a great meal and desert. All the sausages, baked beans, most of the 'kraut, summer sausage, and cheese got swilled down pronto. Surprisingly enough, the rabbit food (baby carrots) didn't seem to diminish in any way. What would your mothers think? An award was provided for the best looking bike. YamaQman took that award although there was some tough competition with the multitude of fine 1st Gens and beautiful 2nd Gens in the running. For some reason the Wing just didn't make it to the finals (sorry Walt - very nice bike though). Roland - display the venturerider.org decal proudly. A couple of Mr. Clean Washing Systems were given away as Garage Door Prizes to Daniman and KevinsDa1. KevinsDa1, ScooterBob, and IH Truck Guy hung out for the night and we made the final assault on the beer fridge. While it is still standing, the shelves are much more lightly loaded than just a couple of days earlier. Also, thank you ScooterBob and IH Truck Guy for the contributions to the fridge. You will note the virtually untouched collection of green bottles. Starbog didn't make it. Again, thank you all for a great weekend and your contributions to making this a successful Maintenance Day. May not be able to squeeze one in again this year, but next year for sure. Now that I know a little more about what to expect, it should be easier to prepare and organize. Ride Safely and Ride Often. RR

To All Who Made the Trek to Fond du Lac: Thank you for a great time. I really enjoyed meeting all of you and spending some time getting to know you and your fine machines. Once Kevin gets an opportunity to show the 'before' picture of the beer fridge, I can then show the 'after' picture and you will understand why it has taken this long to post any pictures. It's 3:30 in the afternoon, I am sitting here still in my pajamas, drinking water, and processing good memories of a great day thru a very slow processor. Please understand that I also had to have the house cleaned up before Mrs. RedRider gets home or 1 of 2 things would have happened - 1) I would have no more time to ride for the balance of the summer; or worse 2) I would have LOTS of time to ride for the balance of the summer. Not that much to clean since most of the festivities were outside. However, the pace of cleanup is a little slower than usual. Pics and full report coming shortly. Glad all arrived home safely. RR