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Snaggletooth

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  1. Snaggletooth
    What? Me? I got nuttin' against those that are vetically challenged. I aways offer to hold them up to get stuff off the top shelves at the store. My first serious relationship was with a gal that was 4'11" tall. Like I said, I'm a bit past that mark. I had to put paper towels in her shoes so she could go on the rides at the amusement park. She was the one that broke off the relationship. Not me. Something about getting elbowed in the head everytime I turned around to look for her. She never did try to work on our problem. She stayed 4"11". Just wouldn't meet me half way. See what happens when ya drag me into this stuff. Mike
  2. Snaggletooth
    Ya know, looking at what happend I can see why it didn't throw any red flags for passerbys. A couple three bikes parked next to each other and one guy pulling off a rear light. What does that look like? Somebody changing a light bulb. Heck, I've seen guys at that location crawl under their cars and pull the drain plug and drain the oil onto the lot without a pan. Push the car back and put the plug back in, fill it up with the oil they just bought at the store and drive away. Nobody even notices. But in this day and age where cars sit with the alarms systems blasting away and people walk right by without a look or the bat of an eye. Not their problem right? The sense of community is gone. I see all these groups holding marchs and rallies saying they are going to "Take Back the Neighborhood!" Why did they lose it in the first place? Nobody wants to see what is going on around them and step up. The situations would probably had not turned so bad if someone, anybody had stepped up and said, "That is going to stop, right here, right now!" But I'll be over there tomorrow and stop in at the Police sub station (that is right inside the door of Wally World) that is 75 ft from where my bike was at the time and just file a report just for the record. I'm not out anything except some agravation and a lil time. Mike
  3. Snaggletooth
    I've always been pretty happy with mine. I hit the reserve light usually around 160 and have had some great days hitting 226 before I topped off. That is moderate speeds 55-65 on back roads and just cruising it. But today I ran down to Kansas and Missouri to see some friends and had the bike loaded down with tools, cooler, trunk bag and everything I could carry. I was running Interstate at 75mph, or better headed into the wind, about 13 to 20 mph and it only pulled an average of 34.5 in 635 miles. Not unusual at those speeds and conditions but I was hoping for a little better. But your numbers sound about average for the bikes. Mike
  4. Snaggletooth
    I gonna say I was taught long ago by an experienced old wrench bender to do it this way. We were doing it on twin carbs but I've had problems with my idle circuits on this set so I'm hoping it work when I get the set I'm going through now finished up. I'm sure the carb guys will let me know if it's right or not on the four carb rack. Set the air screws to the suggested setting, in our case 2.5 turns out from bottom. Find a smooth idle point with adjustor screw to start. Hook up a manometer and balance the carbs as per instruction to as close as possible. Start with first carb turning IN the air screw slowly until it starts to stumble and back it out until smooth idle again. Adjust idle as needed. Second carb the same. And so on and so on for the number of carbs. Then check sync again and make final adjustment and reset idle to spec. But for this to work the idle circuits have to be clean and functional and ALL leaks have to be taken care of first. The 2.5 turns is only a recommended starting point. The final setting for each carb could be all over the place at the end. Like I said I have problems with my low circuits so I can't say this is the right way. But it has worked for me in the past on other setups. So opinions?.........Thoughts?........ High fives? ...... Stick to the back of the head? Mike
  5. Snaggletooth
    Me thinks somebody has been watching to much TV! But heck, you're right. I'm only two years away from the vintage plates.
  6. Snaggletooth
    Auto part stores sell spray gasket remover. Great way to save time and headaches. Spray it on ...... let it soak for bit a gently scrape it off. Better than spending all day scraping. With the really tough one a few coats should get you through it. Mike
  7. Snaggletooth
    I've seen some stupid stuff in my life and the morons that come with the show but geesh!, I had something happen that threw me completely today. What would be the last thing that you would think that someone would try to steal off your bike in the middle of the afternoon, in a Wally World parking lot at the end of the lane not 75 feet from the front entrance? Something real easy right? Something that would be real handy to just grab and go or cut off real fast right. How about the rear turn signal? Not just the lens but the whole danged thing! I park in that spot 5 days week doing my service route for my part time job. I'm usually in the store for 45 minutes to an hour. Some times less. I was walking up to the bike and saw something on the ground. It was the turn signal lens. First thought was some fool clipped the bike turning the corner. But no, the lens is in one piece. I saw the reflector for the light hanging down and the screws were gone. Got to looking and the taillight housing itself was pulled away from the bike an inch or so. I found the nut and washer for that on the ground under the bike along with one screw from the reflector and the screws for the lens. All they had left to do was jerk the wires loose and it would have been gone. I was ticked! How close did I come to walking up to them while they were taking my bike apart in the parking lot? I went over and asked a few Wally World workers taking their smoke breaks out front if they had seen anything going on over by my bike. Only one gal remembered seeing two other bikes parked by mine in the last 10 minutes or so but they had just left. Got my kit out and put it all back together and headed home. Still smoldering. I'm gonna keep parking my bike in the same spot. I'm going to start keeping an eye on it from the front of the store. I'm looking forward to introducing myself to the fool. He needs to meet me in person. I'm sure he will remember me after that. How bigga sack does it take to pull a stunt like that? Don't answer that.... no need to. Mike
  8. Snaggletooth
    Not really a lot you can do with the 1st gen bike. You can't slide the forks up because of the CLASS system and the air ports in the fork tubes. Lowering the air pressure in the rear helps a bit but depending on the weight load on the bike it may affect the ride. So many here have turned to Rick Butler our "Butt Butler" to modify the seat with great success in gaining a little more foot friction at a stop. Other than that ...... really thick souled boots. But I'm 6'2". What do I know.
  9. Snaggletooth
    Worth looking into. Since I rebuilt the carbs and got the bodies seated into the boots right I had issues like yours. Once I replaced the diaphragms I was able to dial it in and things got better. Idle and starting were the biggest improvments. MPG went up from the 30's to. I average around 42 in town, if I behave, and have hit my personal best of 49 MPG on the back highways keeping speeds around 60 MPH. On one trip I pulled 242 miles out of one tank of fuel. It was almost vapors when I filled up but I was happy with the results. I check the sync once a year every spring and it's never needs more than a tweek. So take a look at them for sure. Mike
  10. Snaggletooth
    Or if you're feeling like tearing into things........this worked well for me inside the fairing. Mike
  11. Snaggletooth
    Not at all Jack. I solved that issue. I stopped answering the phone. If I don't see a number I know on the Caller ID........ I don't need to talk to them. Mike
  12. Snaggletooth
    Hi Mike, and thanks for the advice. I've had the camera set for the 720 setting since I started playing with the editing. I seem to be losing the quality a bit during the process of converting from the Drift .mov format to the .mpg or other formats using the AVC software. I'm looking into other products today for conversion and editing. Been freeware so far and I know I'm going to need better software. But it's a learning process and advice is always welcome. Thanks Mike
  13. Snaggletooth
    This last year has been crazy here. If it's not a squib losing control at high speed it's a another rider being taken out by a cage. Last month a rider was blown off the road by high winds and died from his injuries. Six riders had died within 3 miles of my house since spring. Roads I ride every day. The speeds at some of these guys are getting caught at blow me away. One at 156 mph on one of the busiest streets in Omaha, another at 162 then the big one was 188 mph on the Interstate for 6 miles. That one was looking at 2 years in jail but the judge ended up giving him 6 months and a day of community service for every mph over the limit. He got 163 days for that alone. His Mom defended his actions by saying it was a "split second decision". For six miles? Nope, he gave that some thought don't ya think? But those survived without injury. God takes care of drunks and fools right? Mike
  14. Snaggletooth
    I was out prowling the city on the '84 last evening and wandered into the area where the PO that had my bike before I bought it lived. On a whim I thought I'd swing by and see if he was around. I couldn't remember the house but I knew the street so off I went. As luck was with me I saw him turn around and look as I headed up the hill towards his place. As I pulled into his driveway he was just staring at the bike. All he said when I got off was "That can't be the same bike?" Well, yeah it is. How many other '84 Yammys have ya sold? But the day he sold it to me he dropped it off on a trailer, not running and many parts off the bike in boxes. I could tell he hated to let it go but I only knew a little bit about why. The only time after that was the early summer after I got it he stopped by and I had it back together, street legal and running. He was impressed it was even running at all. That was 2007. His Dad had bought the bike new in '84 from a local dealer. Had it all that time until he got older and wanted a lighter bike but he kept the Venture for the long rides but he passed away shortly after that. The son kept the '84 as it was part of remembering his Dad. It sat in his garage for 9 years unridden, but cared for. Over those 9 years he would find leaks and remove parts to try to fix then. Never got them done and parts went into boxes. I'll thank him for that, they were all there. But we spent an hour talking about the bike. He was shocked at the changes I had made and all the modifactions done. He was happpy the bike was being cared for and ridden. I've put over 30,000 miles on it since I bought it. His Dad would have been happy about that. But it made my night as I knew I had made someone happy, other than me, that be bike was still road worthy and being taken care of like it had been for all those years by his Dad. I just wish the two of them had some decent screwdrivers between them. I mentioned the stripped out Phillips heads I had found on the bike and the son laughed and asked me how many I'd had to replace. "About all of them." Mike
  15. Snaggletooth
    Yep in the recommended sidewall pressure. I've ran the last set of Venoms at the sidewall pressure and got almost 25,000 mile out of them with no problems. I played with lower pressures and found there were very noticable changes in the handling at even at 5 to 10 pounds lower. None of them were an improvement. Mike
  16. Snaggletooth
    Ahhh there it goes. Tried again and it came through. Cyber farts I guess. Thanks Mike
  17. Snaggletooth
    OK..... Who broke the file? Says it's damaged. Or.... is it just me? .....again. Mike
  18. Snaggletooth
    Ok, going with my basic knowledge of electronic stuff of which I have er........ NONE, I would guess one of you wizards out there can fill me in. I have a gizmo that is powered by 3 AA batteries so I'm looking at 4.5 volts. See, I can figure some stuff out. I would assume, and I do love that word, that it would be possible using resistors or other unknown objects I have have no idea of that I could reduce the bikes 12 volts down to 4.5 to power this gizmo with a hardwire setup. So tell me wise ones...... what am I looking for to pull this off? Mike aka Sparky
  19. Snaggletooth
    I used the 2.2k on my when I changed to the DEKA AGM. Hit it right the first time. Mike
  20. Snaggletooth
    Take a look at Cee Baileys stuff. Bit thicker than stock and run from 18" to 24" heights. Didn't see anything on wider though. I installed one a couple years ago and it's done well. Looks like it did when I got it. Took a direct hit from a Grackle last summer at 70 MPH and didn't even flinch. http://www.ceebaileys.com/yamaha/xvz13venturews.html Mike
  21. Snaggletooth
    Man there are so many choices. The Silverstar Ultra is a good choice on a budget along with the Burners from Wally World as driving lights. The first pic is Burners that I had first to start. About $40.00 for both the Ultra and the Burners. A lot have changed over to the HID setups but some minor mods need to be made with the ballasts used because of the way the head light shuts off during starting. I added the 4.5 inch housings on the bike and changed to the standard auto head lights. I used both the amber and clear and currently running the clear. 2nd & 3rd pic. Some mods need to be made for the larger heavier housing. I went nuts and did a whole headlight upgrade (Dingy) to mount the Hella 90mm Projector lights. That is an expensive mod to do and the kits are not availble anymore. 4th pic and more. The last two are the Silverstar on Low and then on high with the 35wt drivers. So how much ya wanna spend is the only question. Mike If I had the money to throw at the light right now I'd hang a set of Piaa drivers on the old girl. Very nice.
  22. Snaggletooth
    Nice looking saddle for sure. The thing is...... let us know how much ya love it after a days ride. Some love 'em....... some hate 'em. I'm hoping the best for ya. Mike
  23. Snaggletooth
    Too fuzzy Fuzzy. No insult intended. I'm sure you're not fuzzy at all. That was taken with the Drift 170 HD. Orginal is sharp and clear. After converting from .mov to .jpg it lost the quality. Guess I should go try something other than all the freeware programs I have. Such a tightwad. Back to the video board ....... Mike
  24. Snaggletooth
    Need to polish that eh?
  25. Snaggletooth
    Never mind me. Just trying a couple things,
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