Miles

Red Rider, you are 100 % correct in that clarification. It has been so long since I did my first SS1000, that I am used to witnessing other riders forms, or using police or forefighters as my own witnesses. Thank you for that clarification. When you're right...you're right.

Ultimately I was able to find ONE set of Flanders 650-08783 handlebars, but it took a lot of looking before I finaly found that one set. Yes, I did get the very last set that Rick at Buckeye Performance had, and they are in shipment as we speak. But I really did check about 6 other vendors, including speaking to Jim Flanders himself, and while all the other vendors advertised that they had them, when you go to the point of ordering them, all of them said they were out-of-stock. Jim Flanders told me that it was all his Dad's fault. (sure?) I expressed to him that there is a large community of riders that not only want these bars, but need them. I also told him that there MUST be a need for them, as all the vendors are out-of-stock. Does that not say something to them? So I called Rick at Buckeye back, ordered his last set, as well as the higher output stator, and will be receiving both on Thursday. It is too bad that when we find a product that works, and the supply dries up, that the manufacturer doesn't recognize that they could make more money by making more of that product, rather than discontinuing it.

I know for a fact that the IronButt Association is not sanctioning this ride, because I have been in direct contact with the president of the IBA, and after several posts back and forth, he not only reminded me (which I have already stated in a previous post) that Guinness no longer validates and certifies these types of distance/time rides, but that the IBA will be sending a post to the officials of this 25K in 25 day ride, asking them to PLEASE stop referring to this as an Iron Butt ride. They do not have the authorization to do so, and...asking for permission AFTER the ride has been advertised as such, is closing the barn door after the horses have escaped. I know that this is not your doing AtlantaDragonSlayer, and I know you were just passing on the news of someone doing a very worthy ride, for a worthy cause. I salute you for that, and again, I really hope the rider is successful in his endeavor. My only real issue is the proclamation that it is a record breaking or record setting ride, and that it is an Iron Butt ride. I am NOT an official from the IBA. I know all the officials, and they all know me. I am close to the president, and my responsibility to him is to report issues like this to him, so that he can take the correct action. But, having said that...one of the records this rider is claiming to be breaking happens to be mine. I take exception to that...when he will be at least 5,000 miles short of my record.

No one has thus far mentioned that there are different types and manufacturers of trailers, and that would also dictate what speed would be comfortable pulling a trailer. From my experience, I have towed one very heavy camping/tent trailer that was terrible at speeds. Then...I changed over to the Bushtec trailers, and speed was enjoyable again. My first Bushtec trailer was actually bought from Bill Bushling, in northern Cal. back in '89. That was the Turbo+2 model, and was very well made, and was very easy to tow at high speeds. Then my second Bushtec was bought after John Preston bought the company from Bill Bushling, and he moved the entire company to Jacksboro, TN. It too was a very good trailer, and when pulled behind my ST-1100, on the Blackrock Desert in northern Nevada, I was able to ride the bike...towing the trailer...at 140 mph. But...a Bushtec Turbo+ 2 is not like most other trailers. They are meant to be pulled safely at speed. Maybe not at 140 mph all day, but very comfortably at 80-90 + all day.

Yeah...because there are no bikes in the pictures:whistling:

My concern for this Kumho 758 tire...165/80-15 is that it has a speed rating that is only a T...which means it is rated for 118 mph. Most bikes run tires that have an H or V rated tires. While we do not usually ride at a consistant 118 mph, there are times... I would hate to overheat the tire at speed, and have it blow out.

Has anyone found a suitable car tire for the rear of a RSTD ????

Brake Pad, those articles are very interesting, and I applaud John Ryan for his rides, but that is not me. I did own an FJR1300, and had just about the same number of miles on it that JR has on his, but I eventually sold it. My ride from PB to KW was done on a 2004 Honda Varadero 1000, shipped in from Frankfurt, Germany to Fairbanks. John Ryan beat my record, and he is the current record holder. While I have ridden to Prudhoe Bay a few times, including doing it on a 2003 Wing, I decided to never do it on a street touring bike again, and stick to dual sport bikes for that ride. The Haul Road can be hard on bikes.

Okay, here goes... Buddy, in answer to your question about what did I do with all those donations? The ride I did in May, 2003 to break the record for the most miles ridden in 30 days (the Longest Month) was done without asking for donations from the public. So the answerr is...there were no donations to turn in to anyone. I did have several corporate sponsors for all my rides in 2003, and I was setting serval records that year, while I rode the 107,781 miles in that one year. That is the final number that the IBA gave me credit for, after all their mapping computations. My odometer showed 109,785, but after corrections...well...the IBA has the last word. GeorgeS, as to why I am now riding a 2006 RSMTD rather than another Wing...after all those Wings, and all those miles on Wings, I wanted to go back to a bike I had previously owned, an '06 RSMTD, and I really like the looks, the engine, and all the tech specs of this bike. RandyR, yes there are a lot of Dairy Queens between Alaska and Florida...I lost count of how many. I have (tried) to stop going to DQ, as I am (trying) to lose a few pounds. As for the seat I will settle on...very good point abnd qiestion. I am currentlu using the OEM seat. That will change next week. My new Ultimate seat will be delivered next Thursday. It is perfect timing as I have a ride down to Auburn, CA. planned the folloowing week. The Ultimate seat company gives a rider 14 days to try out their new seat, and if I do not like it, then I can contact them for a return of the seat. Coincidentally, I also happen to already have an appointment to have Russell Day Long Saddles built me a new seat for this bike. That appointment was made months ago. Getting an in-person appointment at Russell is about 3 to 4 months in advance. If the new Ultimate seat does not work for me, then I will send it back to them, and ride down to northern Cal. to have Russell bult me a new seat. I can tell you...this will be my 10th seat built by Russell over the years, and when they build a seat for me, I am guaranteed that the seat will be perfection. AtlantaDragonSlayer, I have actual;ly sent a post directly to the people in charge of the ride this gentleman is doing. Let me say again, I want him to do the ride, I support him, and in fact have sent in money for his cause. Go forth and do it. Just don't call it a record ride when it is more than 5,000 miles short of the record. Yes, I said all this to them. And, I have sent all this to the president of the IBA, and he has looked into it, and he is also contacting them. Now, your question about how does one qualify for an Ironbutt Association Saddlesore 1000 ? It is all about doing the ride, and having someone witness your paperwork at the start and finish of the ride. There are hundreds or thousands of us that have done these rides and are now volunteers to be witnesses for others that want to do them. I have dozens of witness forms in my office, and I am happy to get up in the middle of the night (if there is a Dairy Queen near by) to witness any riders effort. Amd...there are many, many people all around this country that will do the same for you. You can also get a police officer or a fireman to witness the forms. Go to the IBA website...www.ironbutt.com you will find all the info you want, or simply ask me in a PM. Having ridden and completed mkore than 150 of these Saddelesore 1000's, and more than 100 of the Bunburner 1500's and more than 50 of the Bunburner Gold 1500's and several times of riding more than 2000 miles in 24 hours (yes, it has been done), I encourage people to challenge themselves and their bikes against the clock and the distance to see how far and long they can go. This type of riding is NOT for everyone. It is slightly twisted, and if done wrong...your brain gets twisted. If IBA style riding is not for you, then simply ride...enjoy life...and visit all those Dairy Queens between Alaska and Florida.

Of course, we can only base our decisions on what we have owned or ridden in the past. My choice...as the article asks us...if we could only have one, which would it be...mine would be yet another GL-1800 ABS. I have had three of these, a 2003 Wing that I rode to 107,781 miles in ONE year...a 2004 Wing that I rode to slightly over 80,000 miles in six months, and finally a 2006 Wing that I just traded in last September for my second 2006 RSMTD. With a little over 300,000 miles on those 3 GL-1800's, I think they are a great sport-touring bike...heavy on the sport side. I equip my Wings to be endurance/long distance bikes, not your daddy's Wing that was meant for toy runs and light parades. If you really must go from Seattle to New York City in under two days, then why not do it in comfort. But...you folks that like your Ventures have your own point of view. Must be some reasoning behind it, eh?

I am asking this politely, and in no way do I mean to disparage anyone. I saw your post, clicked on the link for the website for the proposed ride, and in several places it states that this ride...the 25,000 mile ride in 25 days is going to be a World Record breaking ride, and that the folks from Guiness World Records are going to be present to verify and validate this as a World Record. Again, I say this politely, but...Hmmm... are you sure? I ask that because there are a few of us that are listed on the IronButt Association website as having completed and been certified as having ridden over 30,000 miles in 30 days, and one guy that did slightly over 31,000 miles in 31 days. I say he is a wanker , because I currently hold the record for the most miles ridden in 30 days, at 30,681 miles. The 30 day ride was the original format, as it was called...The Longest Month. Also, Guiness no longer validates and certifies rides like these...I know...because a few of us have done the Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Key West, Florida in under 4 days, and Guiness has informed the powers-that-be in the IBA that long distance speed rides are no longer listed. I ask you...PLEASE do not take this as a rant on my part. I just think that someone has the wrong info, and while it is GREAT that the rider is raising money for such a good cause, I think advertising it as a World Record breaking attempt is far fetched, and using the term...Ironbutt...on his website could have the powers-that-be of the IBA contacting him to ask him to please stop doing that. ( I know...been there...done that)

Golf&Venture, while I HATE riding in extreme hot weather, and even worse if it is humid out, like in Florida...I have found that staying hydrated with WATER works best. Take in as much water as you can, and suppliment it with your choice of either gatoraid or propel, whichever tastes best to you. Do NOT drink alcohol when it is really hot out, as a way to cool you down. Does not work...if you are still going to ride. I also recommend always wearing a long sleeved shirt on top, and a lightweight jacket on top of that. To really stay cool, remove the jacket...soak the long sleeved t-shirt in lots of water, and then put your lightweight jacket back on. If you ride without the jacket, the air will dry out the t-shirt. If you ride with the wet t-shirt under a light weight jacket, the t-shirt will stay wet for a long time, keeping you cool. The cool neck scarves also work well. Whether worn around the neck, or around the forehead (if it fits under your helmet), it is important to keep the blood going TO your head as cool as possible on hot days. Get TWO of those gel filled cool neck scarves...wet both of them...put one on around your neck...put the second one in a one gallon freezer ziplock bag that is also filled with ICE. When the first one loses it cooling ability, switch them out, and use the second one. Keep doing that all day, and you will never be too hot. Try LDComfort under clothes. They are designed by a member of the IronButt Association, and made right here in Aberdeen, WA. They work very well for long distance riding, riding in hot or cold weather. I have three pairs of their shorts and long sleeved t-shirts. On a very long trip, that is all I take for under garments, as they are very comfortable, and wash/dry very fast.

djh3, I did not use any stainless braided lines to begin with, until I fully tested the system, and proofed it all. Sometime this Winter, when we are covered in snow (hopefully), I will most likely change out all the fuel lines to the stainless braided lines, most for show than protection. The way I have them routed, all the fuel lines are well protected. As for your wife playing games on her phone...when riding on the Interstates...next time she does that, turn around with your left elbow, accidently hitting the phone, knock it out of her hands, it goes bouncing down the road, and she now has to watch the scenary go by as you ride. IMHO, cell phones are good for one thing...making phone calls, when the car or bike is stopped. Whoever invented playing games on cell phones, or even online, or the Play stations...obviously did not ride motorcycles.

I have just completed the test ride after the installation of my aux. fuel tank. All went perfect. Not a problem in sight...or hidden. Of course, I have done this a time or two before, as I have installed aux. fuel tanks on 11 previous bikes, so I kind of have experience doing this. However...this was my first time on a RSTD, so there is always something new...or things to learn. We all know about the stock tank...nothing new there. And if the bike is ridden at a steady and quick pace, it can consume fuel a little faster than I want to have to stop. Therefore...add aux. fuel. The tank I bought is the 5 gallon tank from Tour Tanks. Here is the link to their site: http://www.tourtank.com/TourTanks.html I am 100 % happy with the product, and the additional hardware kit that needs to be bought along with the tank. Everyhting is top notch, no junk here. As you can see by the pictures, I ride a solo bike. In place of the rear seat is a leather rear fender bib, and on top of that is the Yamaha rear fender rack (in place of the rear seat. On top of that rack...I mount a 10" x 18" aluminum rack I got from Aerostich. Then I mounted the Saddlemen bag onto that aluminum rack. All of the leather(fake leather) bag and aluminum rack are through bolted to the yamaha rear fender rack, with 3/8" u-bolts (4 of them) so it is very solid. Then the Tour Tank slides down into the Saddlemen bag...with an extremely snug/tight fit. There is no way that fuel tank is coming out of that Saddlemen bag unless three of us tug with all of our might. The vent hose up next to the filler cap is routed up over the top and far edge of the tank, then down to one of the side pockets of the Saddlemen bag, where I have hidden a catch tank, with secondary vent to the outside of the catch tank. The red petcock on the left side of the solo seat, attached to the yamaha chrome seat rail, works perfectly. I routed the fuel hose to a brass T-fitting that is spliced into the OEM fuel line about 4 inches above where the fuel filter is. The tank I chose from Tour Tank is tank design # 2, meaning it has two exit bungs at the bottom of the tank, one at either end of the bottom of the tank, so that all fuel is drained from the tank, despite cornering. I filled the tank with 2 gallons, filled my regular fuel tank up all the way, then went for a ride. I started out using only the aux. fuel tank, with the main tank turned off at the OEM petcock. The fuel from the aux. tank flowed perfectly, and after 82.7 miles I had used up the two gallongs I put in the aux. fuel tank, and had to switch fuel petcocks on the fly. Simply turned off the aux. fuel tank, and turned on the main fuel petcock, and after a moments hesitation, fuel was flowing again, and zoom... This additional 5 gallon fuel tank "could" give me a total capacity of 10.3 gallons, however I will not fill the aux. fuel tank up all the way, so the max I will put in it is 4 gallons...just to be safe. Even with that additional 4 gallons, I now have a very useable 8.5 gallons, without any concerns for running low. With that capacity, I can run...at speed...for 350 to 400 miles. That is what I am used to, and this will now satisfy my need to go as far as I want to. [ATTACH]68554[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]68555[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]68556[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]68557[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]68558[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]68559[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]68560[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]68561[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]68562[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]68563[/ATTACH] Take a look at the pictures. If you have any questions, let me know. And to answer the one burning question...my wife rides her own bikes...all set up as solo seat bikes, so I don't need to carry a passenger. Want to give your wife or girlfriend the greatest gift you can...give them the gift of empowerment, by having them ride their own bikes.

Golf&Venture, I see that you are from Buckley. Next time you ride by going south, wave Howdy.

Well...well...not to have those midwesterners in Minnesota outdo us folks on the Best Coast, I thought I would pass along that the Classic Japanese Motorcycle Club is having it's annual Swap Meet and Bike Show in Auburn, CA. at the end of this month, on Friday, June 29th. to Sunday, July 1st. Here is the link to their calendar, and you will have to scroll down to get to the end of June to see all the details of the event: http://www.cjmc.org/calendar.html There is Flat Track races on Friday night, not affiliated with the swap meet and show, but in the same fairgrounds area, so we all just walk over to the flat track races and have a hoot. It has been popinted out to me that this is somewhat near Condor...hmm...so maybe he could show up too.

Does anyone know of, or have seen anywhere a larger version of the hard saddlebags for the RSTD ? What I want (ha ha ha) is to have my '06 RSMTD bags be taller, or higher. The width, length, etc. is fine, but IMHO these bags are too small. I am used to much larger saddlebags, and a tour trunk. Since I have a bike that did not come with a tour trunk, and...I have removed the rear seat and passenger backrest to make my bike a solo ride...I have a need for much larger saddlebags. As for the idea from some of you that I could install a rear rack, and put a tour trunk on that...I already have a rear fender rack, in place of where the rear seat was...and bolted to that is a newer aluminum rack, and bolted to that is a Saddleman Leather trunk that is used to house my Aux. Fuel Tank (another 5 gallons). So there is no room for an additional trunk in that area. If I cannot find a suitable aftermarket saddlebag that fits nicely in place of where my original OEM hard bags are (and I do have the yamaha chrome rails that go around the saddlbags), then...my choice would be to either have a plastics manufacturer alter my current bags to be about 4 inches taller...simply the slice and paste method, which would still allow me to utilize all the OEM mounting system, the OEM lids and locking systems. All I would be doing is extending the height of the current bags, to raise the top of the lids up to the level of the rear fender. That would give me approximately 42.395 % more storage space (I did say it was approximate). Or...failing that...I could find a good leather saddlebag maker to make me a complete set of new saddlebags, hard formed...that would be of the perfect size, and that would be close to looks to match the bike. If they are hard formed enough, they would be as good as the OEM bags, only larger. So...all you longtime searchers, have you heard of or seen any larger saddlebags that will fit the RSTD ? If not...and if I have my current ones remade my a plastics (ABS) manufacturer into what I have described above (with pictures to follow), would anyone else be interested in having this done too? Thanks,

GeorgeS, you don't live that far away from me...and I have everything on my '06 RSMTD that you are looking for. Really ! Let's go private, and I will meet up with you, show you all the solo rider stuff on my bike, and then we can get you started in the right direction. I have the solo seat, the yamaha solo seat chrome rail around the seat, the Yamaha rear fender chrome rack that goes in place of the rear seat...blah blah blah. I will send you a PM, and we can get together.

If you take a very close look at picture # 5...you will see that they very cleverly stitched a copy of a fly onto the front area of the seat, right next to the red spyder web. As the bike was saying ,"come sit on my seat, said the spyder to the fly". I am LMFAO at this. I know it is a real fly, sitting on the seat, but what a perfect picture. Cool !

Jeff, I rode this ride back in 2003, so it has been 9 years. There is somewhat of a generic route that most folks in the IBA subscribe to, irregardless of where you live. Most riders prefer to start up in the far eastern corner of the country, i.e. Maine, and finish their ride up in the far northwest corner, i.e. Washington. Ironic...that I was born in Maine, and now live in Washington. The reason this particular route is chosen is because it also lends toward doing the 49th state, which is to ride up to Hysder, Alaska, so as to include that in the ride. Ron Ayres was the first (if my memory serves me correctly) to do the 7/49, or 7 days and 49 states. He wrote about it in his first book...Against the Wind...and named several of us that assisted in escorting him through some of the states along the way, just to be company for him, to lend a hand mechanically if needed, and to zoom him through states that we may have been more familiar with than he was. While I do not have the exact stats onm the exact route that I used, it is safe to say that I held very close to the same route that the majority of IBA riders use when doing this ride, as it has proven to be the most efficient.

Steamer, thank you.

Now you have gone and done it. There is no looking back now. Next thing you know, you will be advancing to those BunBurner 1500's, the Coast to Coast rides, the 10/10th's, and someday an entry into the big show...the IronButt Rally. Congrats on your ride, and welcome to the dark side.

Hey all you folks that use the maps of the USA and Canada on your sig line...how in the world, or where...did you get that couple of maps, that you can color in for each state you have ridden through, and the Canadian provinces ???? Is it going to piss anybody off if I color in every state...except Hawaii, and also color in all the Canadian provinces. Yes, I have in fact ridden to all 48 lower states, and ridden all over Alaska, and ridden to all the Canadian provinces. In fact, did all 48 lower states in less than 10 days. So, please...tell me where I can get one of those cool sig line maps. Thanks, Miles Million Mile Rider AMA - IBA:bighug:

Thanks to all that responded or rear this dialoque. Maybe what I should have been more clear about was wanting to put Radials on the bike, and secondly putting a lower profile tire on the rear. I don't really have any desire to go wider on the rear tire, but sometimes that is the effect when going lower, and with radials. As RSTDdog stated, and I had already comfirmed, we cannot get a radial tire for the rear of our bikes in a size 15". The smallest diameter they make a radial tire in for bikes is a 16", unless you get scooter specific tires. The bottomline is: I wanted to acheive as many miles out of my tires as possible, and hope to improve the handling over these bias belt tires. Too many years and miles on GL1800's, ST1100's, ST1300's, and FJR1300's. Thanks for the input, and I will now have to settle for bias belt tires. I can still go slightly lower with the 180/70-15 bStones. Time will tell. Miles Million Mile Rider AMA - IBA:backinmyday:

Pam...it would be very wise to buy the correct oil filter wrench, like the Honda brand one, or a good aftermarket one. Here is why: I have owned 3 GL1800 Wings...ridden them to a total of just over 300,000 miles. I have changed the oil and filter on these bikes a combined 75 times, and always change out the oil drain plug gasket/washer. When I ride coast to coast, I always take the oil filter wrench with me, a 17mm snap on wrench for the drain plug, a new drain plug gasket/washer, and a new Honda oil filter. All of this is wrapped up nicely in a shop rag, and stuffed into my left saddlebag of the bike. I can stop at any Walmart across the country and go inside, buy a drain pan, four quarts of oil, and go outside and change my oil. I leave the old oil in the drain pan for the Walmart service shop. They are not always happy, but...hey...my job is to change my oil and make more miles that day...not make Walmart happy. By using the correct Honda oil filter wrench, which is very light weight, and slim, so it packs easy, you will always find it easier to change the filter, and not have to haul out the large channel lock pliers, or take them with you on a road trip. For less than 10 bucks, the correct tool works better than anything else. I would send you mine, for free, except I have a case of Honda filters that work perfectly on my '06 RSMTD, so...I need it. Miles Million Mile Rider:bighug: