Miles

Brian, every time that you catch me with an error like that, I have to go back and edit my post, just for you (and for me too)

Dennis, the ONLY time I use my cruise control on a bike like a GL-1800 or a RSTD, is when I need to do something with my right hand, and want to maintain the speed I am doing. I do not use it to just cruise down the slab. I want my right hand on that right grip...for the throttle, and the front brake. My left hand gets to wander around...flapping in the breeze, and once it a while it is used...in a clutch Otherwise, my right hand is on the throttle, unless I need to use it to do something other than twist the throttle.

Doug, that looks great. Nice job !

Barry, that is not what I said. I said...I would probably get 45k to 50 k total out of all bikes...combined. Not out of EACH bike. With cuurently having 12 bikes (hoping to sell this RSMTD soon), so call it 11 bikes...I am NOT going to put 45k to 50 k miles on EACH bike this year. Some of my bikes haven't seen the road for a few years, they are just museum pieces now. And while my Ariel Square Four is a good road bike, I am not going to ride that puppy for 45k miles this year. [ATTACH]75569[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]75570[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]75571[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]75572[/ATTACH]

Sorry, I was busy outside "washing" my new bike. Let's see if I can answer some of these questions. I will stay around even after my RSMTD sells, as I really do like this forum. Great bunch of people here. Trader...I am so very sorry to hear about your Father. I wish the best for the entire family. Barrycuda, I will not have 80 to 90k on this new bike at the end of the year. Wow...you are optomistic, or wishful for me. Riding to the 3 VR events I am this year, plus the 3 Flags Classic, and a few other rides, I expect to hit maybe 30k on this new bike. But...remember, I already did over 15k in January, down to Bolivia/Chile' and back. So if I end up with 45k to 50k at the end of the year, on all bikes, then I will be happy. Deepforkriver...there are some accessories already available, but others are slowly trickling out of the manufacturers, like molasses in January. Like the pipes listed above. There is one company...BikeMP3 that is making some very cool stuff for the bike, so I will have to wait on some things. So far I have ordered my new windshield, handlebar risers, aux. driving lights, farkle shelf, belly pan, and a list of other things, as well as already having an appointment in June to have another Russell seat built for me. That means having to ride to Tennessee and back...then to Ohio and back...on this stock seat. OUCH ! Kevin...That '86 Venture in Blue looks very nice. Hmmmm........ I think I have my RSMTD sold already. To someone on the forum. Waiting for final confirmation, and then delivery. Oh, and I have only a few more miles on the new bike, as I have actually been busy the past few days. I am building, by myself, a 30' x 48' raised center aisle barn for my critters. I am not in a hurry, and will take my time with this, but the past few days have been clearing the land, removing stumps, leveling the land, ordering $ 5k in lumber supplies...just to start the process... Whew !

I bought a brand new Honda F6B, and that is what I will be riding the most this year. Given all the bikes I currently own...now 12, including the newest one bought 3 days ago, it is time to start selling bikes. I already built a custom motorcycle garage next to the houses' car garage, just to house the motorcycles that we ride daily. So all of my other bikes have to sit inside my shop, and a friend has a store down in town that he has lots of his own bikes in, so he lets me store some of thenm there. But...I am running out of room, and desire to keep some of these. You may well see a couple of my other bikes listed on this forum, like...my Ariel Square Four. [ATTACH]75527[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]75528[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]75529[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]75530[/ATTACH] Some of my bikes have such high mileage on them, that it is not worth trying to sell them, as they have lamost no value, like...'89 ElectraGlide FLHTCU with over 240k miles on it. Just how much do you think I can get for a 24 year old HD with that many miles on it? I also have a '96 HD BayBoy with 180k miles on it, again, not a big dollar bike for resale. So, I have made the decision to lighten my load of bikes, and maybe cut it down to a respectable 4 to 5 bikes. My wife is going to keep her 3 bikes.

Changing the rear diff gears to be that of the V-Max gears makes all the difference in the world. As so many have already said,. it is the very best performance upgrade that you can do to your bike. The 2nd gen Ventures and RSTD bikes have very high gearing in 5th., which makes it all too easy to lug the bike at slower speeds, and you don't really get into the bikes powerband until you get that engine up into higher RPMs. By replacing the rear diff gears, it really gets the bike into the usable powerband. I had John Furbur install the RSMax gears into "my" diff, as I sent him mine, and he replaced the gears, and...WOW...what a difference.

I have placed an AD in the classifieds for the sale of my '06 Royal Star MIDNIGHT Tour Deluxe. If nothing else...it will make for good reading.

This is THEE only forum I choose to partake in, and I believe that these Wing guys will let me stay here. As for the missing trunk...it does not come with one, just like the RSTD does not come with a rear trunk. But I will add one, that can come on and off. In my case, the rear trunk will be sitting forward of where most people put a rear trunk, and it will be over the passenger seating area.

Well, James, here is your research: Mother Honda stopped production of the GL-1800's at the close of the 2010 model year, and moved the entire production facility to Japan, from where it was in Marysville, Ohio. I had been to the plant in Ohio several times, and had two of my Wings on display at their mini-museum, because of the miles and records I had on those bikes. Due to the production facilities moving, there was no 2011 Goldwing produced. When they finally opened production in Japan, they started with the new Wing, the 2nd generation of 1800 Wings, and that was the start of the 2012 model year bikes. I highly doubt that quality control has suffered at all. The Japanese employees do a fine job of building cars like Hondas, Toyotas, Subarus, etc, and they do a great job of building the Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Yamaha bikes over there. I will say that the fit and finish of this bike is excellent. I think that people are looking for a pre-2012 model because of pricing, as the 2012 and 2013 models are more expensive, and...it takes a year or two for riders to get used to a new body style, like the new 2nd gen Wings have. Example: When Honda first came out with the new GL-1800's in late 2000, as a new model for 2001, there were many riders, including myself, that were so used to the boxy GL-1500's, that we waited a couple years to get used to the newer bodywork of the GL-1800's. After a year or two, and seeing that the new GL-1800 was actually a much better bike, fuel injected, aluminum frame, lighter, faster, better handling...then we started to buy them. And...Patti...my Dear...it has been pointed out to me that it would be better for me to ride fewer miles on my '06 RSMTD this year, so that it sells with fewer miles on it, than to ride it to all the VR events I had been planning on, which would have added 20,000 miles to the bike this year alone. I would love to show my RSMTD, and all the work I have done to it, as it is 100 % ready right this minute to travel cross country many times this year, but...knowing that a buyer would like less miles on the bike, and...would like it in the condition I have it in right now... I will absolutely ride the new 2013 F6B to all the VR events this year, and even let anyone named Don (and there are several of them on this forum) take the bike for a ride. It has been spoken...it shall be done.

Okay all ye Wing riders, I am now back on a flat 6 engine. [ATTACH]75428[/ATTACH] 'nough said.

Patti, don't you be getting me in trouble here. I plan on making that 2415 mile ride to your place in 2 days, and I would rather not be sitting alongside the highway waiting for someone else to catch up.

No, the seating position is quite different. There is close to 27 % more room on the top of the riders position seating area than on a standard Wing, which allows a rider to better choose their sweet spot, and settle in. I did find that even on the short ride home yesterday, I am definetly going to need to change the seat, most likely to a Russell Day-Long Saddle. I will contact them on Tuesday, and see what they have to say. You also sit a lot lower on this bike...which is good...in that a Russell seat does raise you up about 1.5 to 2 inches. This bike is so new to the marketplace, that many of the aftermarket manufacturers have not completed making accessories for this bike yet. I know that Kuryakyn is still working on making "all black" mounting hardware for their highway pegs. I have found that it would be smart to only buy...at this time...those things that are serious neccessities, and then wait for several more months to see what else comes out down the line.

Don, the performance on this F6B is actually much better than on the first gen GL-1800's. I have not ridden a second gen GL-1800 yet, but after owning 3 of the 1st gen 1800's...an '03, an '04, and an '06, there is a remarkable difference is power and speed on this bike. Just to bring some folks up to date (and I just found this out yesterday), Honda is labeling the 2001 thru 2010 Goldwing 1800's as 1st generation, and the 2012 and later Goldwing 1800's as the 2nd generation Wings. I know there is some bodywork changes, but I wasn't aware of performance changes, until I rode this yesterday. Not having ridden a GL-1800 in 2012 or 13, I am not certain if the performance changes are simply due to weight lose on the F6B, or something else. I do know that the F6B weighs 91 lbs less than a fully loaded out Wing. I also see that the F6B speedo reads up to 150, where as the previous Wings...2001 to 2010 only read up to 130. Having put approx. 300,000 miles on my previous 3 Wings, in total, I can say with certainty that this F6B is faster, and lighter. Yes, it looks stealthy, and it does look like something from a Star Wars movie. I would bring it out to the Freebirds' MD in June, so that I could let people ride it, but...I would like to bring my RSMTD, in an effort to fit in, and an effort to maybe catch a buyer for the RSMTD there. But even after I sell my RSMTD, you folks won't be rid of me so easily. I am paid up for another 14 months, and it will be fun to ride the F6B to some of the VR.org events.

Oh No...you didn't ? Why you...low down dirty rascal.

Okay, all you nay sayers, I can actually take pictures, so that no one can post..."this thread is no good without pictures". Bought this puppy yesterday, and rode it home 125 miles in the rain. It now has a total of 130 miles on it. Anyone care to "venture" how many miles will be on it by the end of this year? The first pic is of my small motorcycle garage, that is used to house only the immediate bikes that my wife and I ride on a daily basis. Since I will be riding this, one of those in the bike garage will either have to go join the others in the shop, or...be sold. [ATTACH]75412[/ATTACH] The next 6 pics are of the new bike...a 2013 Honda F6B, also called a GL1800B. I have been busy all morning ordering a slew of new parts for it. [ATTACH]75413[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]75414[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]75415[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]75416[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]75417[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]75418[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]75419[/ATTACH] Now, I have to say, and I honestly will make this as short and quick as possible (if that is possible for me)...I had my eyes set on buying a 1st Gen Mark II bike. I looked far and wide, got it down to two bikes...one in Illinois, and one in New Hampshire. Almost made the deal on the Illinois bike. Then...it struck me, I would be better off to get a newer sport-touring bike, so I changed gears:biker:, and decided to go after a 2003 ST1300 ABS bike. There were reasons for that specific year and model. Whittled my choices down to a bike in New York, and one in New Hampshire. (what is it about New Hampshire having bikes that I want ? Then, before committing to one of those, I found a CL ad for a dealer down around Portland, OR. that had a new...but a demo...model of the 2012 ST1300 ABS bike, with 4400 miles on it, for under 12K. I called them, went down there (with my wife so she could drive the car back home) and I attempted to make the deal. Lesson # 1...I learned this the hard way back in 1997 when I bought my first BMW...always do a test ride of a bike, before you buy it. I thought I was such a smarty pants, that I already knew everything there was to know about this BMW, back in '97, that I had no need to test rider it. HAH ! Did I make a mistake. So I test rode the new 2012 ST1300 ABS yesterday, went all of 2 miles, came back to the dealer, and said...NO ! The bike no longer works for me, with the way I sit and the style of riding I do presently, so I told them NO, and my wife and I were getting ready to leave. The store owner was saying goodbye to us, and at the last minute he said to me, since I am all dressed for riding, why not try out the new F6B, and let them know what I think of it. No one at the dealership had ridden one yet, and they had not sold one yet. Okay, I am dressed for the bad weather, so before I take everything off, these folks want me to test ride a bike for them. HAH ! After the same 2 mile test ride, I came back and said...let's make a deal on this bike. The deal was actually made on a new...still yet to be PDI'd, all Black standard model, not the one I test rode. And, I got the bike for $ 17,500.00 plus tax, license, etc, which is one huge saving over the suggested MSRP of these bikes. In all, I saved over $ 3,000.00 on this bike, and the dealer has now finally sold one. Rode it home, 125 miles in the rain, and the first thing you notice (which I already knew) was that the shorty windshield has to go. Many new parts are already on order, and... I am now going to be selling my 2006 Royal Star Midnight Tour Deluxe. The ad for it will be placed on the forum classifieds in the next day or two, once we have dry enough weather for me to take some really good pictures of it. I will say that my '06 RSMTD is in excellent condition, with all the stator upgrades, R/R upgrade, new Barnett clutch, very recent Valve adjust and new valve gaskets, the AI system has been completely removed, brand new rear tire with less than 50 miles on it (Dunlop E-3's front and rear), and so many other things, I will have to sit down and write it all out. Just keep an eye out for the ad, as the price will be a special VR.org forum price, and not the same as the price listed on CL. Whew...I tried to keep it short.

Gene'o, here is the link to the Great Pacific Northwest Meet & Eat. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=358&day=2013-4-27&c=1 As stated above, it is April 27th, a Saturday, In Lacey, WA., which is slightly north of Olympia, and a little south of Tacoma. I am hosting...there is a special gift for all forum members that attend...and I hope to see you there.

Wow !!! I go out and buy a brand new bike today, and while I am slaving away at the dealership...you folks come up with a new contest. I guess this means that I am now entered into the contest. How about if we allow the rider that actually rides their motorcycle the farthest to get to Freebird's MD, also share in the room ???? Well, I tried:confused24:

As a follow up to this previous discussion...I did in fact go out today, 4/6/13, and buy a brand new, all black...standard model of the 2013 Honda F6B Sport Cruiser. Rode it home about 90 minutes ago, in the rain, about 125 miles from the dealer to my house. YES...darn it...pictures WILL be posted tomorrow. It is night time here now, and rather than take pictures at this hour, I will take them in the morning, and post them, with haste.

That is hilarious.

Kevin, I will not be bringing my Carbtune Pro to the M&E...because it is a Meet & Eat...not a Maintenance day. As for "lots" of 1st gens passing "any" second gen...(and I know it was meant in jest)...I truly believe it all depends on the rider. I have no doubt that a 1st gen is a faster bike than a 2nd gen. That is a fact. But...given that most motorcycle riders do not ride their bikes at the maximum speed that the bike is capable of...then I would say that it depends on the rider as to who is faster on which generation of Venture. Besides...2nd gen Ventures are NOT as fast as RSMTD's. That is what the M in Midnight is for...after midnight, we gonna let it all hang out:cool10:

Kevin, thanks for the info. The one on e-bay is not as nice as I would like, and I really do like a brand new one. I am very good at maintaining the clerity of my windshields, so I would like to start with a new one. The Cee Baileys are cheap...in price...compared to a Clearview. But price is not a concern for me. I want the best I can buy. I was not able to find the correct Slipstreamer windshield to fit a Mark II. Must not have looked in the right place. Anyhow, I will probably go with the Clearview. Costs more, but a great windshield. Thanks all:bighug:

Pete, I do wish you had sent me a PM before doing this valve adjust, as there are several of us in the area, and at least one of us could have come to assist you. Whew...now you are in a tough spot. Any chance you can move the cams...via the crank...to possibly slip a feeler guage under the cam lobe, so that the cam lobe rides on the surface of the feeler guage, and uses the feller guage as a slipper tool, so that you do not mess up the valve bucket ??? I don't think there is a possibility of pressing down on the valve bucket with enough force...when you have to do two buckets at the same time, to allow the cam to clear the valve bucket. Once you do get this...unstuck...hopefully you will NOW know that if you remove a shim...you put another shim back in that same valve bucket...before you do anything else. And, you should not be removing both valve shims for the same cylinder, at the same time. Just do one at a time. If you need help...if I can be of any help in this situation, PM me, and I am available tomorrow, and most days next week.

Do you mean like this: http://clearviewshields.com/shop/product.php?id=82 I do like Clearview windshields. Have had a lot of them on many different bikes.

Dave, I sync mine about 3 to 4 times a year, since...having the Carbtune Pro...it is easy to do, and the tool is already here. Another way to tell when it is time to sync your carbs is..."if" and when a 1st gen Venture passes you...then it is time to sync your carbs:rotf: