zagger

Well waddya know - I sorta wondered who's t-shirt I was signing! zagger

You and I aren't that far apart. Maybe we should meet up someplace by the river and go for a ride? I often ride up to the Merrimac ferry and watch the boats for awhile before heading back home. For me, there is a small winding road covered by shady trees most of the way up to the ferry. Unfortunately, this summer a small bridge is being rebuilt and I have to take the sun-baked main roads if I want to go up there. Oh well. Anyway, let me know if you want to hook up sometime. zag

Lots of bars on ebay. Like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1983-83-Yamaha-Venture-Royale-XVZ1200-XVZ-1200-Handlebars-Handlebar-Handle-Bars-/151807597676?fits=Make%3AYamaha%7CModel%3AVenture+Royale&hash=item2358701c6c:g:HuoAAOSwLqFV7dKL&vxp=mtr I really like the adjustability of the venture handlebars. For my setup the stock bar ends were too long, so I welded on shorter ones. Really quite comfortable. zag

Or better yet, just let the folks who actually have the 15K worth of veggies, sell it for 15K and not grind them up at tax time. I would de-fund 90% of all gubmint activities - public health and whatever other excuse they have for draining everyone. zag

What? Giving up the last 2 or 3 miles left on those tires? Geesh. You must be made of money or something. zag

A real labor of love! Looks great! zag

"Did you check Costco or Sam's Club to see what they might have?" Not yet. On Amazon, these things run from $30 to $1085! Of course, I lean towards the $30 price point! I just wonder if hauling one of these things around all the time is "worth it". On the other hand, I haul around a tire plug kit just for the good mojo. I figure that if I'm actually prepared to fix a flat, I probably won't have one! Fortunately, my batteries have died in my garage. Not on the road. zag

Just wondering if you have any positive/negative experiences with these things - and if you have one that you would recommend. https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Car-Battery-Jump-Starter/dp/B010MRCOL8/ref=sr_1_26?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1499873383&sr=1-26&keywords=jump+box There are lots of choices with all sorts of prices. After having a battery die, I'm thinking about getting one. zag

Maybe the higher priced, non-ethanol stuff, is old stale gas because nobody actually buys it! I sure don't. Only the cheapest junk goes in my gas powered stuff! zag

I'd be curious to know if crashes increased significantly in recent years now that maybe a third or more of car drivers are fiddling around with their cell phones while driving. Paying partial attention to driving cars while changing lanes and negotiating stop lights seems to me a likely source of cars crashing into bikes. About an hour ago I was driving my car home from the store and a line of cars making a left turn through a protected light ahead of me just kept on coming towards me even after their light changed to red and my light turned green. Lots of honking by other drivers. I don't waste time honking, I just look to take actions which improve my chances of survival. I'm always on "DEFCON 1" when I'm riding around cars - which I try to avoid by doing most of my bike riding on deserted back roads. I would bet that the majority of motorcycle crashes are the result of actions taken by cars around them on the road. zag

You might want to consider moving the foot controls forward so that your legs aren't crunched. My controls are 24 inches forward from the stock position and seat height doesn't matter very much. This arrangement is very comfortable for me. Of course, I don't have any plastic bodywork to work around - maybe forward controls wouldn't be possible on a stock bike. Just something to consider. zag

About a month ago I started out on the bike and saw black clouds heading my way. So I turned back home and was glad that I did. Big hail pounded down on my house - quite a few houses in my area needed new roofing. I cannot imagine trying to ride with these things dropping from the sky. zag

Ohhhhhh! That is a new one for me. Thanks! zag

OK, what does ctfw stand for? Searching online only got me "crazy taxi fare wars". zag

I used Dyna Beads in the past but getting them down the valve stem can be a real struggle. Seems like the OD of the beads and the ID of the valve stem are just too close. The beads tend to pile up in the valve stem and refuse to go down - except one by one in a line. Not so easy to do. I used a blunt electric engraver tool which vibrates to help with the process - some help but not total happiness. Then I asked myself why I was struggling so much for something which was supposed to be easier! Now I just use the weights and quit trying to be clever. zag

It's not going to rain is it? I wasn't planning to bring my galoshes. zag

See y'all real soon! zag

If you expect justice on the road while riding a bike, you are expecting too much. With a small movement of your right wrist, you can eliminate interference from nearby cars. Kicking cars is just nuts and will get nothing in return. Just peel out and leave 'em! zag

Geesh. Get on it and GO! zag

Illinois charges tolls on the main highways in the state. Of course, the exact same highways go through the neighboring states which do not charge tolls. If you don't want to stop at every toll booth along the way and pay even more, you are forced to buy an electronic "Ipass" which is supposed to automatically identify you as you drive through the toll area and deduct the toll from an amount that you have deposited in your Ipass account. The downside is that the Ipass things often don't work. So then you get a bill for $66 sent to the license plate owner on the car, instead of the normal ripoff charge of $6. You can search the Ipass website, find a phone number, and then wait on hold until hell actually freezes over in an attempt to correct the billing. Of course, you never will hear anything like, "Sorry for sending you such crappy equipment that you are forced to waste your day waiting on hold to sort out the billing!" I just got off the phone with the barely understandable foreign accented Ipass guy. After getting the erroneous charge removed, he then asks, "Is there anything else I can help you with?" I said, "Sure, how about removing the tolls on your highways so that Illinois is just like all of the other states in this part of the country?" Turns out that he cannot do that! Never would have guessed. On top of all that, Illinois is going bankrupt! http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2017/06/12/Could-Illinois-Be-First-State-Go-Bankrupt What a bunch of scheming losers! Sorry - just felt like venting and doing anything I can to dump on Illinois. If my wife's parents didn't live there, I would make every effort to never set foot in the state! F-em! zag

Plus - what you create yourself will suit you perfectly. Keep at it! zag

Hi, Decided not to haul my camping stuff and just made a reservation at Hickory Hill. See y'all on the 27th! zagger

Thanks! I originally modified the bike with extended hydraulic forks but hated the slow handling caused by 9 inches of trail on the front end. Although the leading link actually moves the front wheel even further forward, the trail is much shorter (around 3") and the handling is great. Strangely enough, the leading link even eliminated the "chopper flop" when the bike is parked. When I had the straight fork tubes, the front wheel would always twist all the way over to one side or the other when the bike was parked. Now it just sits there and has no tendency to go either way. Didn't expect that, but I do like it! zag

It's in the standard first generation location: under the seat. A small part sticks up in front of the seat with the gas tank filler and cap. Some people see that section and think it is the entire tank - one guy grumbled that his lawn mower had a bigger gas tank! zag

I rode the black beast to a nearby town for their annual car and bike show. The weather was a bit rough in the morning with heavy rain, but it finally cleared off and became just hot and humid. Lots of custom cars but only two custom bikes showed up and we both got awards. The award was presented by some young boy scouts who seemed very nervous and our picture was taken for the local paper. Pretty funny. Lots of inquisitive folks wondering what the heck they were looking at. Anyway, I did get a "suitable for framing" plaque and and card good for 10 car washes! Could be worse! zag