cmiles3
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Everything posted by cmiles3
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What worked for me to clear up carb problems was to put a full can of Sea Foam in a full tank of gas. Keep your rpm's higher than you normally run; I tried to keep it at 4,000 and up. You'll burn through a tank of gas faster, but it also opens up your floats a little more, and gets more gas flowing. My '87 had been sitting outside for a year, with only 800 miles by the previous owner. Mileage was down to less than 30 mpg; a long day of riding with friends to Eureka Springs and back revving higher punched it up to 40 mpg. Wish I was riding with you; it's going to freeze tomorrow. Should be dry, so I'll ride anyway.
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Frost came close last night, but not close enough. Low 60's at noon; low 30's in the morning. Should be back in the 70's sometime this week. Wish you Canajuns would quit sending that stuff south. Oklahoma will have to pass a law to stop northern illegal immigrant weather patterns.
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Desktop>Properties>Settings Should be a box with "Screen Resolution" on the left side, middle of the window. Adjust your resolution higher (to the right). See if that works.
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Try a local custom bike shop. They will work on anything. Kool Rides in Owasso helps me out when there's something I can't/won't do. Don't know what you'll do to estimate plastics; not available except for a few pieces. Repaired plastic estimates?
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Sherry, It means Tom is a bona fide hero. He earned the Silver Star Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, and a Purple Heart. The Silver Star is the third highest medal, awarded for valor (in the face of the enemy). The Bronze Star is next; awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. If it has a "V" in the medal, it is for bravery. The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed in service. George Washington wanted this to be the highest honor awarded, but times have changed.
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My battery is from WalMart. Has the hole for the electrolyte sensor. It was in stock when I stopped to look. Not a bad price as I remember. It's going on 2 years, no problem. Oh, there was a problem. It was slow starting a few weeks ago, so I pulled it out to test it. Electrolyte was low, so I topped it off and it's been great. Have to pull it to get a good look at the levels, though.
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If a tire "grows" a half inch during it's life, I don't want that brand of tire on my 1st Gen. That's too much. Sounds like the factory has a quality control problem. Again, I don't want that tire on my bike.
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Had AVG free version, had same problem. Tried rescheduling but it wanted me to upgrade. Switched to Avast; no problems.
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If you haven't ridden the Natchez Trace, you should at least part way. Speed limit's 50 mph, so you may not have time.
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If you want a "V" nose, you could do what I saw in Texas while working on debris removal after Hurricane Rita; a lot of the workers used plywood & drywall screws to add the "V" on the front of their debris trailers.
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I've managed to lock up my rear brakes a time or two. Usually when there's sand on the road; normal braking, then the rear tire loses traction on a sandy patch. No crashes. The only times I've been down while braking have been front wheel lockups while turning. Not supposed to brake & turn, but what do you do in the middle of a turn and a cage cuts you off? Since my brakes are linked, I can't use rear brake only. I apply the pedal gently about half the time, but then apply the hand brake and use it to modulate the braking effort. I also practice emergency stops at least once a week. So far, the emergency stops I've needed have worked without skids.
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Here in the suburbs of Tulsa, houses are going for $125,000 to $250,000. Of course, you can pay as much as you want, or as little, if you want an older fixer-upper. Bought my house in the middle of a prairie in 1979 for $72,000; neighborhood grew up around me, with crackerboxes selling for $130,000 in the 80's. New additions across the street are selling for $250,000 and up. Housing construction has slowed, but I live in the fastest growing county in the state, so it hasn't slowed much. At the moment, financing is tougher and more expensive, so some people aren't buying right now. Haven't heard anyone having problems selling, though.
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Varies by state. Oklahoma requires 200cc or bigger to ride the freeways.
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A friend has the local Vespa dealership. She's ridden the MP3, and let a lot of others test ride. Another friend rode it to Eureka Springs from Tulsa, in the rain while his scooter was in the shop, waiting on parts. He says it's a nice ride, very stable on slick surfaces, takes rough roads well (you only get half the "bump" when you hit a pothole). Best part is it feels like a 2 wheeler; it leans, corners, and rides like a sport bike. The 3 wheels only act like a trike when you park it. There's a switch on the handlebar to lock the forks. An elderly friend, looking for something more stable to ride, tried it, but didn't go for it. He's riding a new Honda trike. Haven't tried it myself, but sounds like a worthy ride.
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Good points, but I've "road tested" Joe Rocket's textile jackets, and First Gear's Mesh Tex. Both performed well, and were in good shape after the accidents. The Joe Rocket was totaled by the EMT's , who like to use scissors on anything you wear (lost my pants, too). The jacket should perform unless you're planning to go down at high speeds, and slide to a stop. Leathers will perform better, but may not provide adequate protection unless you get the real thing- racing leathers. At moderate speeds, textiles might "melt" but should prevent road rash. The fabric & the pads are considered sacrificial protection; they hold together long enough to ride out the accident, then it's time for new gear. Best, racing leathers. Next, everything else- including most of the leather jackets you see.
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After my accident on my '84 in 2003, I needed time to heal. Once the healing was done, I thought about riding again. Amy encouraged me getting another bike, so I started looking. Had some doubts, some questions about my nerves & skills, but all that went away quickly when I bought my '87. I'm not as strong, nor as fit as I once was, but it's enough, for now. I can see sometime I won't be able to ride the Venture, but that's a long time from now. Emotional healing is what you need right now. Sounds like you're doing it the right way. One day, maybe soon, you'll look at your bike and you'll know what you need to do. I like to think of it as God's way of speaking to us, but that's giving me too much credit in His sight. Playing with cars is fun. You'll never regret the hours in the garage with family and friends. If it feels like the right thing to do, get it done. Fishing a great hobby. Boats are almost as dangerous as bikes, though. I live near the end of the deadliest 5 miles of highway in the state. 4 fatal motorcycle accidents within 2 miles of home in the last 5 years. Even lost a scooterist on the county road I use to avoid all the traffic on the highway. Now they've started rebuilding it, adding lanes; talk about accident city. Saw a Wing in the ditch the other day; getting towed out of the mud by a wrecker. I've had a lot of could-have-been accidents, but I was looking for them, and avoided them. Most of mine have been slow speed turns involving someone's unexpected action and my reaction; grabbing too much brake, or sand/gravel on the road. The fact that you recognize the dangers is the beginning of avoiding the dangers. You need to be aware; you need to have a plan of escape; you need to have the skills to execute that escape. Those cityiots will get you in your cage almost as easily as on your scoot.
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There's a student conduct code involved. There is a prescribed method for this situation. Might involve requesting a hearing by whatever group is in charge of student ethics violations. Worst case, he gets a poor grade in the class. Best case, he gets a chance to make up the paper for partial credit. Lawyers will lead to a quick trip to the exit door. Even if you win, he loses. The athletics department of most schools have a counselor or two that might be able to give him some good advice. Not that student athletes have ever been known to plagiarize...
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The idea's been around a while; one guy was charged with fraud for collecting development funds for a company to produce one; he spent the investor's money. Not sure I'd like to have one accidently activate while I'm on a rough interstate.
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Animals don't read the operator's manual- they do whatever they dang please. Hit a deer in my Explorer on a county road at dusk; almost at a dead stop. Started braking when the lead deer crossed in front of opposing traffic, then trail deer darted between us when the vehicles were 5' apart. Cracked the plastic grille and dented my bumper. Hit a deer in my Safari on a highway at night; saw it and started slowing while it was a long way off; kept slowing it kept coming, finally hit it at about 10 mph. Shoved the passenger fender back and tweaked the door frame. Hit a cat on my Venture on a residential county road at night; saw it in the ditch, then it darted across the road at the last minute. Cracked the lower cowl (over the oil filter), but didn't have any problems handling the bike. Flattened a 'possum's tail at night on a city street; Amy missed it by several feet ahead of me, but I didn't see it until he was in front of me. Swerved slightly, but heard the "thump thump" as my tires rolled over his tail. Neighbor's dogs are always interesting; they hear me coming, then take off along their fence at full tilt. The interesting part is the hole in the corner of their yard; if they reach it first, they dive through and dart into the street. First time it surprised me; now I adjust speed up or down to throw of their timing. They're not always at the ready, so they surprise me if I haven't seen them for a week or two. Birds are random; sometimes they're slow taking off from the ground, other times they cross at the wrong time. I've hit a few small ones and I'm glad I haven't tangled with the larger kinds. I don't swerve for birds, but will slow to give them time to clear the road. Insects are just kamikaze fools. I've been nailed by all kinds, too often to count. I'm just glad the windshield and fairing stop most of them. The bees, wasps and hornets still get sucked into the dead air behind the windshield, so I'm always wary when I see them; good reason to wear a jacket in the summer. There's all kinds of pets, livestock and wild animals in my neighborhood. Cows are always the big danger. Horses, too, but I've never encountered them loose on the road. Deer rank second, followed by dogs & cats, chickens, guineas, skunks, possums, raccoons. Oh, and frogs; when it rains, there are hundreds of them on the road. I try not to hit them; but it's difficult. At least the turtles aren't moving fast enough to be a problem. -
CJ's 16. Put him through the Basic Rider Course last year when Amy bought a Buddy 125 scooter. He rides with us, usually. He rides to church Sunday evenings for Life Teen meetings. He put the scooter in the ditch the first time he rode it, and low sided on a curve a few weeks ago. Scratched up the kickstand and the plastic, and scraped his ankles, but he rode it home.
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My prayers are lofting in the wind. Hope you get a speedy, full recovery. My short stays in the hospital (both from scooter crashes) convinced me that any day in a hospital is a bad day, except the day you go home. But it beats the alternative, hands down. Set your goals so that you see some progress every day or two. One day seems almost like the rest, until you hit the big milestones. Out of bed, peeing without a cath, walking the halls, heading outside finally... but if you see progress it will make your efforts worth it. You've started your second life, buddy. Treat it well. Tell your loved ones how much they really mean. Tell your friends how much it means when they come to see you.
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Drivers floorboards 86-93?
cmiles3 replied to eagleeye's topic in Venture and Venture Royale Tech Talk ('83 - '93)
Someone posted how they adapted Harley floorboards to fit a 1st Gen. Seems like it only required drilling the floorboard brackets. Probably just as expensive as those sold on eBay. -
There are some xvz1200 side cases on ebay right now.
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Sorry I missed it. This week turned out to be a parenting weekend; had to clamp down on my teenage son. Then we had tickets to two football games; Owasso Rams beat Claremore Zebras, and Tulsa Golden Hurricanes beat BYU Cougars. But I thought about you guys while tasting a brew at the tailgate party.
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Don't know any mechanics in Houston. Start with the dealers, check out the local shops in your area. You'll find a few that will work on it; most will do the basics without complaint; tires, brakes, but you might have problems with carbs & valves. Ask who they'd recommend if they don't do it.