Leaderboard

For us East Coast riders that live in the Northern part of the country, (except for those crazy Canuc's that seem to ride ALL year long!! LOL) it has been a LONG winter! With temps starting to creep up, and flowers starting to pop out, it looks like spring is right around the corner. Which brings me to the point of this post. It's time to take a GOOD close look at your scoot BEFORE you head off into the wild blue yonder! Tires: There is nothing between YOU and the road except two skinny pieces of rubber, my friend! Get down and have a close look at the two marvels of modern technology that keep YOU and THE ROAD separated. How's that tread look? Is the air pressure correct? What about the sidewalls, are there "cracks" in the rubber surface screaming that your tire needs to be replaced. Please don't ignore these signs that your tires need maintenance! Air Filter/Filters: When was the last time you pulled the cover on your Air Filter? Is it caked with dust and to your surprise there are "critters" living in there? Your engine can't breathe if the Air Filter is plugged up. This effects gas mileage and performance. Show your scoot some love, and change out that filter if it has been a few years. As my wife would say, "I'm Worth It"! Well brother, your bike is as well! Engine Oil/ Filter: Now, just because you only put 900 miles on your bike the last two years, doesn't mean you can change your oil and filter every FIVE YEARS! Engine Oil breaks down over time, and the result is the creation of acids that score bearings, piston walls and fog up the sight glass on the side of the engine. Most of us have a decent amount of money tied up in our motorcycles, so the cost of an oil change is money well spent, in my opinion. Please don't forget that our bikes have a "wet clutch" which means that the clutch pac and transmission gears are lubed with the engine oil. Oil for a CAR with Friction Modifiers CAN NOT be used in a Motorcycle, PERIOD! I can't stress this enough. You will send your clutch to an early grave if you put the wrong oil in your bike. Please be careful! Brakes: As much as I like to go FAST, I always keep in mind that I also need to be able to STOP! Take a few minutes and remove all three brake calipers from your bike. That's right, I said REMOVE all three calipers from the rotors. (Leave the brake line connected!) There are only two bolts holding the caliper on the mounting bracket. I suggest you blow the brake dust off of the inside of the caliper body, check the condition of the caliper pistons and seals, (Is a piston stuck, are the seals leaking, etc.!) If the pads are thin, replace them. If you have a stuck caliper, or a leaky seal, the calipers can be rebuilt. Repairing a caliper is a LOT cheaper than replacing a BRAKE ROTOR! Not to mention the difference in stopping distance between a good set of brakes and a bad set might be the back window of a soccer mom's SUV! There are also performance upgrades in the form of R1 4 piston calipers that can be added to your bikes that give even better braking action. Don't take my word on it, look into it or PM me. Fork Seals: Because the front "shocks" on our motorcycles are built into the lower fork tubes, there are two seals that keep the fluid in the lower fork tube, and not on our front brakes and wheel! If you see an oily ring around the chrome tube that comes out of the lower fork tube, then this means that the fork seal is starting to leak. There is a cleaning method to clear up a seal that is "seeping" a bit, but if that seal is leaking to the point that oil is dripping down the lower fork tube, then it is time to replace that fork seal. Now the skill level for this service is a bit higher than changing oil, and you might want to consult a local motorcycle repair shop, (NOT a Stealer, I mean Dealer) to take care of this project. It's best to be "Real" with yourself about your mechanical abilities with a job like this. But weather or not you do it your self, or have a repair shop do it, It needs to be done all the same. The money you will save in replacement brake parts if you have a bad leak will outweigh the cost of this service, in my opinion. Clutch: Next to the "Oil Debate" is the "Which Replacement Clutch Do I Use" Debate. I am not even going to address that issue here and now, BUT if you drop your scoot down a gear and roll on the throttle to pass a semi truck on the highway, the LAST thing you want to hear is the motor winding up, and your bike NOT going forward in a hurry!! Let me repeat that! If you try to pass, and your clutch is slipping, then you need to address this issue, PRONTO! I personally believe that the BEST tool that a motorcycle rider has is the ability to avoid and evade a dangerous situation. Bar None! If I "drop the hammer" on my scoot, it's because I need to be somewhere else at that moment, because if I'm not outta' there in a hurry, I'm in an accident. Clutch slippage is NOT an option for me, and it shouldn't be an option for you either. Please address ANY clutch issues BEFORE you actually need your bike to get outta' there quick. Lighting: Let's be honest, NOT replacing burned out light bulbs is just plain TACKY! But on top of that, it could create a safety issue with your visibility! As motorcycle riders, we have always had an issue with BEING SEEN! I can't tell you how many motorcycle accidents I have heard about and the first words out of the cage driver's mouth have been, "I didn't see that rider" before I ran over him, then backed up over him! (Just Kidding) Make sure ALL of your lights work, and even explore some new technology like LED Headlights or other types of accessory lighting. It may save your life! Now there are other things that you should be looking at on your scoot, but this list will give you a good starting point. The point I am trying to make here is "Look you bike over the way you looked at your Girlfriend/Boyfriend, Wife/Husband ON YOUR FIRST DATE! You didn't pull the trigger on that project without giving him/her a good "Once Over" , (Let's hope not anyway) So since everyone on this forum claims that their scoot's are their "Second Love", then don't disrespect your bike by not taking good care of her. My dad used to say, "If you take care of your bike, Your bike will take care of you! Ride safe out there! These are MY thoughts, for what they are worth. Earl

Don't know him from Adam

A quick hello to my new tribe. Today I became married to my new love...... her name is Bertha, 17 years old and she's 868 pounds of the most beautiful liquid silver I ever laid eyes upon. Bertha and I have great plans of WV mountain meanderings, smokey camp sites, cool fishing holes and too much greasy roadside eats. This is going to be an epic summer! Bertha and I are happy to be here at the Venture Riders Org. Your info has already been a huge help.... and I suspect it will continue being so. Ride Safe, Pete and Bertha of WV

Always a great reminder of good advice. Maybe even more so for seasoned riders since we sometimes get to comfortable and overlook whats important. BTW who you calling crazy?

Great post Don. I've been to most of the rallies you've mentioned at one time or other. We've enjoyed and attended almost all of them at one time or other with some being yearly. I believe the biggest, attendance wise, was Fort Collins, Colorado with well over a 100 bikes there. We really can't say which ones are our favorites as several rallies have been attended multiple times over the years. Meeting folks here from this site is what has drawn us to these rallies as much as touring the country. While I no long own a RSV I still try to attend 1 or 2 rallies per year just to touch base with people I've met over the years. A couple rallies not mentioned we've attend was Don & Patti's (B2Dad & B2Mom) meet & great and the Root Beer Run put on by Mike & Cheri Eykamp.

Welcome to the nut house From ........... Alabama

Scary. I always assume the worst case scenario is awaiting me on the other side of hill or around a blind curve where I can't see. Drop a gear, slow down and put my fingers on the clutch/brake, just in case. Pays off a very small % of the time, but keeps me 100% alive.

Thanks for posting. We all need this.

Thanks Earl, great reminder!

Ditto on that Earl. Great write up! Thanks.

Great advice and tips. Good for any rider.

The truth is, like most such organizations, our membership is way down. Maybe as the weather gets better it will pick up a bit. I think that there are numerous reasons. Platforms like Facebook have made it easy for people to set up a group. Though I hate the format and the fact that you can't have different areas for different topics makes it more difficult to organize posts so that they it is easier to find what you are looking for, if you don't mind all the ads and tracking then they are a cheap and easy way to form a group. Another issue is that many of us are getting older and not riding as much and some not at all. Some stay just for the friendships after they quit riding but many don't. I had hoped that the new Star Venture would take off and that would help but it doesn't seem to have done so. Many groups are losing membership. I just recently learned that Star Touring has shut down their site and is no longer an active club. Some of the chapters are attempting to pull together to keep things going in some manner but they had lost a lot of chapters and members. I am told that Alan Cease, who was the leader there, is in bad health and I believe at home on Dialysis. Though I never really knew him and we had a bit of a spiff early on, my prayers are with him and I wish him nothing but the best. All this being said, not everybody puts themselves on the community map. I just looked and we have approximately 350 supporting members at this time. At one time, we were up too nearly 2000. Will it ever come back? I have my doubts. Will I shut down this site because of it? No way. As long as there is interest, we will continue to move ahead and maintain the many friendships that have been made here.

Not just you Nor’easter folks. I had one of my firefighters show up to work on a Harley fresh out of storage a few years ago with 12lb in the rear and the front didn’t even move the gauge.