Miles

Carl, that is an interesting article. Good reading. So I guess the shop that did my Super Tenere' last month are rebels. Most people in far northern Cali are rebels anyway. They do not subscribe to the political ways of life of those folks from central cali or southern cali. Go rebels ! It is a good thing we still have the right to lead wheel weights here in Washington State. And if it ever comes to our state banning them, I have a couple of the large boxes of stick on lead wheel weights, and my own balancer.

That is why I never take the service manual on any vehicle as gospel. I have found too many mistakes over the years. Always check at least two sources, before doing the work.

No Pi for YOU !

Don, to clarify and correct on my end...I had received a PM from a less experienced rider today, asking about the Ride On product, and HE is the one that said...our beloved Don really likes this stuff. So, given that you have never tried it, then he misspoke. My apologies for thinking you had endorsed it. Your endosement royalties will now be revoked, and we ask that you return any endorsement checks to the proper authorities.

Very interesting that you say that, because...I just had my Super Tenere' tires changed out on January 29th, 2013, at a shop in Redding, California, and they used lead weights. Yes...lead...not zinc or steel.

Jeff, the simple answer is yes. But...why would anyone want to try it, if even you say that you had to use a HOUSE...and cold water to clean it up. I don't know about you, but I like to use my house for living in, not cleaning my bike wheels. :rotf::rotf::rotf:

Jeff, you make my point for me. You had to use an entire "house" and cold water to clean your bike wheels. That is a lot of cleaning, unless you live in a small house.

Okay, I am going to stick my neck out here, and risk saying something negative about a product, that some of you may in fact like, and I have heard that Freebird really likes this stuff. If you use Ride On tire protection sealant...balancer..., and you have had 100 % positive results from the use of this product...then that is good. I am happy for you. I am obviously not going to sway you away from its' use. However, if you are "thinking" about using Ride On tire protection sealant...balancer...I would "politely" suggest that you do NOT use it, UNLESS...you are a slow rider, never take the bike over 80 mph, or ride a Ural w/sidecar. (love ya Brian) Here is why: # 1 - anytime there is any kind of substance inside a motorcycle tire, or a car tire for that matter, and you go to have the tire changed...you MUST let the shop or dealership know that there is a substance inside the tire...before they deflate and dismount the tire. This includes any kind of internal balancer, or tire sealant. There have been instances where employees at shops have been injured when deflating and dismounting a tire that had sealant or balancer slime inside the tire. At the least...it makes for a messy job when dismounting, as the slime also gets on the inside of the wheel rim area. This makes the shop tech MAD, because now he/she has to clean up a slimey mess, in order to mount the new tire. Making a shop tech MAD at you, when you are having them install tires on your bike...is NOT a good thing to happen. # 2 - it has been shown that 93.14159 % of all inside the tire balancer do NOT work at speeds over 80 mph. If the internal balancer is a loose object, such as the ball bearings or beads, they can NOT keep up with the rotational speed of the tire...above 80 mph. At lower speeds, they "appear" to work okay. I can't speak for anyone else, but I do not ride my bike with a limited speed of under 80 mph. I want to know that "if" and "when" I do go above 80 mph, my tires are still balanced. Example: I had Wingman Enterprises in Portland, OR. install a new set of Avon Cobra radials on my '06 Wing, and when they did, they talked me into "trying" these Concentric Wheel Balancers that mounted to the inboard side of each brake rotor. It was basically a flat plate that bolted to the bike, and on the outside circumference of the flat plate was a round tube, welded to the plate. Inside that round tube was a set of 5 or 6 ball bearings, that were supposed to balance the tires as the bike rolled down the road. This same balancer set-up has been used on large trucks...18 wheelers...for many years. I let them install these...I left from Portland, OR. and rode up to Regina, SK to start the 3 Flags Classic ride, and halfway through Montana I stopped on the side of the road to call the shop in Portland, and tell them how disappointed I was in these balancers. At that moment, I did not know for 100 % if it was the balancers, or the new Avon Cobra radials. I told the shop that it only does this at speeds of 80 mph or more. Their answer to me was, well, dont ride that fast. What? By the time I was done riding to Regina, SK., then riding down to Tucson, AZ., then riding back to Portland, OR. I had over 5500 miles on the new Avons and balancers, and I wanted them off. I asked the service manager to PLEASE take my bike for a ride, and prove it to himself, because...of course...no one else had ever complained about this problem. He took my bike for a test ride, was gone for 30 minutes, and when he came back, he said that he could not feel any problem with the tire balancing. I asked him...what speed to you go? And his answer was that the shops insurance will not let them exceed the speed limit. Well...B.S. He knew that the problem started at 80 mph, but he would not take a 2006 GL-1800 Wing up to 80 mph. WOW ! They ended up "saying" they believed me, and took off the wheel balancers, took off the 5500 mile old Avon Radials, and gave me a new set of Dunlop E-3 radials, and...good old fashioned stick on wheel weights, because my wheels were powder coated black. I have yet to see a tire taken off a bike that had tire sealant inside of it...that was evenly coated on the inside of the tire. If the job of the sealant is to SEAL the tire, in case of a flat...then it should be evenly coated on all interior surfaces. If the job of the slime is to balance the tire...then most likely it will not be evenly dispersed, as it tries to find the light spot to flow to, to balance the tire. Hear me now......I say to "just say NO" to tire sealant/balancers. Find a shop that really...honestly...knows how to properly balance a motorcycle tire, and have them use lead weights on the outside of the tire to balance it. If you tire gets a flat, stop...plug the tire...and then get it repaired or replaced when it is safe to do so. I can tell you that with 43 years of riding, and 1,875,000 miles on motorcycles, I have never had a flat tire strand me on the road...and...have never had a properly balanced tire go out of balance during the life of the tire. Call me old school , but I believe that certain things should be left they way they were, and not messed up with high tech gadgetry.

Okay, I am going to stick my neck out here, and risk saying something negative about a product, that some of you may in fact like, and I have heard that Freebird really likes this stuff. If you use Ride On tire protection sealant...balancer..., and you have had 100 % positive results from the use of this product...then that is good. I am happy for you. I am obviously not going to sway you away from its' use. However, if you are "thinking" about using Ride On tire protection sealant...balancer...I would "politely" suggest that you do NOT use it, UNLESS...you are a slow rider, never take the bike over 80 mph, or ride a Ural w/sidecar. (love ya Brian) Here is why: # 1 - anytime there is any kind of substance inside a motorcycle tire, or a car tire for that matter, and you go to have the tire changed...you MUST let the shop or dealership know that there is a substance inside the tire...before they deflate and dismount the tire. This includes any kind of internal balancer, or tire sealant. There have been instances where employees at shops have been injured when deflating and dismounting a tire that had sealant or balancer slime inside the tire. At the least...it makes for a messy job when dismounting, as the slime also gets on the inside of the wheel rim area. This makes the shop tech MAD, because now he/she has to clean up a slimey mess, in order to mount the new tire. Making a shop tech MAD at you, when you are having them install tires on your bike...is NOT a good thing to happen. # 2 - it has been shown that 93.14159 % of all inside the tire balancer do NOT work at speeds over 80 mph. If the internal balancer is a loose object, such as the ball bearings or beads, they can NOT keep up with the rotational speed of the tire...above 80 mph. At lower speeds, they "appear" to work okay. I can't speak for anyone else, but I do not ride my bike with a limited speed of under 80 mph. I want to know that "if" and "when" I do go above 80 mph, my tires are still balanced. Example: I had Wingman Enterprises in Portland, OR. install a new set of Avon Cobra radials on my '06 Wing, and when they did, they talked me into "trying" these Concentric Wheel Balancers that mounted to the inboard side of each brake rotor. It was basically a flat plate that bolted to the bike, and on the outside circumference of the flat plate was a round tube, welded to the plate. Inside that round tube was a set of 5 or 6 ball bearings, that were supposed to balance the tires as the bike rolled down the road. This same balancer set-up has been used on large trucks...18 wheelers...for many years. I let them install these...I left from Portland, OR. and rode up to Regina, SK to start the 3 Flags Classic ride, and halfway through Montana I stopped on the side of the road to call the shop in Portland, and tell them how disappointed I was in these balancers. At that moment, I did not know for 100 % if it was the balancers, or the new Avon Cobra radials. I told the shop that it only does this at speeds of 80 mph or more. Their answer to me was, well, dont ride that fast. What? By the time I was done riding to Regina, SK., then riding down to Tucson, AZ., then riding back to Portland, OR. I had over 5500 miles on the new Avons and balancers, and I wanted them off. I asked the service manager to PLEASE take my bike for a ride, and prove it to himself, because...of course...no one else had ever complained about this problem. He took my bike for a test ride, was gone for 30 minutes, and when he came back, he said that he could not feel any problem with the tire balancing. I asked him...what speed to you go? And his answer was that the shops insurance will not let them exceed the speed limit. Well...B.S. He knew that the problem started at 80 mph, but he would not take a 2006 GL-1800 Wing up to 80 mph. WOW ! They ended up "saying" they believed me, and took off the wheel balancers, took off the 5500 mile old Avon Radials, and gave me a new set of Dunlop E-3 radials, and...good old fashioned stick on wheel weights, because my wheels were powder coated black. I have yet to see a tire taken off a bike that had tire sealant inside of it...that was evenly coated on the inside of the tire. If the job of the sealant is to SEAL the tire, in case of a flat...then it should be evenly coated on all interior surfaces. If the job of the slime is to balance the tire...then most likely it will not be evenly dispersed, as it tries to find the light spot to flow to, to balance the tire. Hear me now......I say to "just say NO" to tire sealant/balancers. Find a shop that really...honestly...knows how to properly balance a motorcycle tire, and have them use lead weights on the outside of the tire to balance it. If you tire gets a flat, stop...plug the tire...and then get it repaired or replaced when it is safe to do so. I can tell you that with 43 years of riding, and 1,875,000 miles on motorcycles, I have never had a flat tire strand me on the road...and...have never had a properly balanced tire go out of balance during the life of the tire. Call me old school , but I believe that certain things should be left they way they were, and not messed up with high tech gadgetry.

As many of you know, Paul...pmelah...is not doing well, and there is an ongoing thread at: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=75769 I would politely ask folks to please re-visit that thread, and conside the plight of one of our brothers. Thanks to all,

Are they "trying to have a baby"...here in the USA, or over in China ? Hey, your Son already said that products made in China for the Chinese do not have near the quality control that products made for Americans will have. Given that your Son is American, and his wife is Chinese, does that mean that the baby will be only 50-50 on quality control ? Okay, seriously, I hope that your new grandchild comes out with all 10 fingers and all 10 toes. I would not wish bad quality control on any baby in the world.

All the news stations and weather channel were saying that cars were ordered off the roads by 4:00 pm in Mass, and I also think they said in Maine. They said that the Governor of Mass said that anyone caught driving a car on a public highweay would be fined $ 500.00. Ha ! I remember living in northern Maine and in Vermont, and when the snow fell deep, everyone got around on snowmobiles, on the highways. The damn Governor didn't say people couldn't get around by use of a snowmobile, or that they would be fined $ 500.00 if they went to work on their snowmobile. Very quick story...February of '92, and I am on my way to the dealership in Littleton, NH. to pick up my brand new 1991 Honda ST-1100. There is 3 feet of snow outside, and as we drive to the dealership, we are passed by several people on snowmobiles...on the highway. I go into the dealer, (pretending) to want to pick up my ST-1100 right then, and ride it home. (I know I am not really going to ride it home, but I am messing with them). This dealer took a full hour of trying to convince me to NOT take the bike home in the 3 feet of snow, and then they offered to deliver it to my house in Vermont, for free. Okay, I will let them do that. I laughed all the way home, and still laugh about it.

Check in with Earl...at Skydoc_17... here on the forum. He is the resident owner and loaner of the valve shim kit and tools.

Randy, I would recommend that you look into, or be tested for...Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, and...Lateral Epicondylitis. Seriously ! I know of what I speak.

Brian, what MikeWa was suggesting is to "cycle" the ignition key. That means to turn the key to the ON position, but not to the cranking position, then turn the key back off. If you do this a few times, it may...may...help prime the fuel pump. Here is a old tech tip, from an old tech, that most of you youngsters don't know about... I taught my wife this neat little tip, and she follows it every time. I also use this tip on any motorcycle I have that has a fuel pump... Are you ready to learn??? Okay, anytime you go out to your car, your motorcycle (with a fuel pump),, and you get ready to start the vehicle (I do not care if it is a cold engine or a warm engine), you should turn the ignition key to the ON position...allow the fuel pump to prime the system and build up fuel pressure, and AFTER the fuel pump is done buzzing (usually about 2 to 3 seconds), then you can turn the key further to the starting, or cranking position. On your motorcycles, this would be when you would hit the start button. This may sound silly to a lot of you, but...so many time people are trying to crank their cars or bikes over, yet the fuel pump has not had the few seconds needed to prime the system. It only takes a few seconds, and 93.14159 % of the time you can HEAR the fuel pump buzz, while it is priming the system. Once that buzz has stopped, then start the vehicle. If you try to start the vehicle before the fuel system is primed, then the starter has to crank that much longer, and the engine does not start up as smoothly, or run as smoothly, until the fuel system gets enough fuel pressure. So, you are cranking the starter longer, using up those CCA (cold cranking amps) in the battery, dragging an engine through the start-up process longer, and...any mechanic worth their salt will tell you that one of the biggest wear factors on an internal combustion engine is when you are starting the engine. You have not built up Oil Pressure yet, so you are basically cranking over DRY cylinder walls. Hey...just try this. Turn the key to the ON position...wait for the fuel pump to stop buzzing, and then turn the key to crank the engine. We do this on every vehicle we own, and it makes a difference.

Condor, I have to wonder...does this indicate that Yamaha will STOP making the Venture, and will consign or sell the rights to a Chinese company? Or...I wonder if these Chinese models of the Venture will have Fuel Injection and ABS brakes????????????? I went to the website for these, which is here: http://www.globalsources.com/gsol/GeneralManager?language=en&action=GetSupplier&page=supplier/ProductDetail&supplier_id=6008845344137&product_id=1053380372&action=GetProduct&PAsource=PAEX&ADSPPApos=PAEX&WT.mc_id=4002001 And from what I can read of the specs on their bike, which is called...the Royal Star Venture...the bike is an exact match, and exact duplicate of the current Yamaha model. No fuel injection, no ABS brakes. Which ten brings me back to my original thought...that Yamaha is stopping the manufacture of the Royal Star Venture, and either consigning it or selling the rights to it, to a Chinese company. Urrrrgggggg !!!!!! And finally a third and last thought...maybe this is simply an import company, that Yamaha is licensing to sell their product in China.

Fuzzy....I am a Wuzzy. I looked inside my shop, and no mirrors to be found. Then I remembered...I sold those mirrors on this forum last year. Sorry, no Pi for me.

Fuzzy, I do have a set of these. I tried them on my '06 RSMTD, thought they were TOO big, and eventually I used the stalks from these mirrors along with the OEM Yamaha mirror heads, to reposition my mirrors. I will look inside my shop tomorrow morning, and I think I can find these large mirror heads. If I do find them, you can have them, for free. They are in NEW condition.

Buddy, what happened to your '90 Goldwing is exactly why I always try to use a Tulsa Bellypan on my bikes. Allan, at Tulsa Enterprises, makes a Bellypan for the 1500 Wings,a nd for the 1800 Wings. I have had these Bellypans on both of my 1500's, and on all 3 of my 1800's. They make a world of difference, for several reasons, but the most important reason right now is that it protects the very bottom cases of your engine. I know this, as...the very day that I was starting my world record ride for the most miles in 30 days, I bought one of these from the Honda dealer in Everett, WA., where I was starting my ride from, and I installed it in the parking lot. It took me all of 10 minutes to do the full install. At the end of my 30 days ride, after 30,681 miles, certified by the IBA, I found that something in North America had punched a small hole into the bellypan, and there were several other dents in the bellypan. I believe that if I had not had that bellypan on my bike, the object that did punch a hole through the aluminum bellypan would have punched a hole in my engine case, and stopped my ride. NOW...to the point for VR users...I have asked Allan at Tulsa Enterprises if he would design a bellypan to fit the Second Gen RSV bikes. He didn't seem to think there was much demand for one...since I was the first person to ever ask for one, and the sales numbers of RSV's are a small % of the Wings that are sold. I am telling you ALL, right here and now...that if we can get Allan to design and make their bellypans for our bikes, it will be a great thing. I even tried to design and make one myself. Bought the aluminum sheet from Home Depot, made a bellypan, installed it on the bike, but I did not like my own work. It takes the right equipment to form and bend this stuff. I even thought of ordering 100 bellypans from Tulsa Enterprises: http://www.allamericanprod.com/tulsabp.html and then selling them on our classified section to forum members. If we can get Allan to make these for us, as a group, it will bring the cost down, and you will find that these really do work. Besides protecting the lower cases from debris, the biggest advantage is that they help control the sway/lean of the bike in really heavy crosswinds. REALLY ! They keep the bottom of the bike clean, it is easy to remove the front section of the bellypan to change the oil or oil filter. THINK about it.

JohnnyB, that is a lot of cracking. The tires wear does look good, as you said, but those sidewall crakcs are baddddddddd, and not in a good way. How old are these tires????? I know you said 10,000 miles...but I mean how OLD are they...age???

Barry, PM was received, and responded to.

From Hungary and Pittsburg???? Does that mean I get a Goulash Pie and a Ketchup Pie?

Thanks Don, that search engine helped. BTW, I sent you a PM.

Big Tom, with an ice cream cone in each hand...how are you going to keep any fingers crossed for Annie ?

Whew...nice offer, but since I am still trying to lose weight, I will earn one Pi at a time. I mean, one Pi equals 3.14159 pies, so that is enough reward for any answers I provide. Your offering me a case of 12 or 24 pies, times the Pi = 37.69908 or 75.39816 pies. I would have to start sharing all those pies with all the Brians, and Jeffs and Toms on this forum.