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My sister and I headed out on my 1999 Honda Valkyrie Interstate crossing the boarder at Port Huron, destination- northern California. We allowed ourselves 6 weeks for this adventure but ended up completing it in 32 days. We drove up the east side of Michigan to Mackinaw City and across the Upper Peninsula and across the northern states. I learned that the Mississippi River headwaters are in the upper part of Minnesota-never knew that before. The landscape started to get interesting once we were in South Dakota as we toured the Badlands, Custer State Park and Mount Rushmore. We bought a national park pass at the insistence of the park ranger which is good for one year and it more than paid for itself as we explored multiple parks over the trip. We headed to Billings Montana and the next day drove the Bear Tooth Pass-that was spectacular. Full concentration and eyes on the road when going up the pass and the views were amazing. Stopped several times to take it all in. Spent 3 days in Gardiner and used the Travel lodge as home base as we explored Yellowstone. Kept my eyes open to get a picture of Kevin Kostner for my wife-but didn't see him. 😁 My wife told me later that he was killed off in season 2 anyways. I think it was the perfect time of year to be there as the crowds were not too large yet and it was plenty warm. We saw some majestic landscape as well as pronghorns, black bear and cub from a distance, bison and elk. We said goodbye to Yellowstone after seeing Old Faithfull and drove to Idaho Falls and had a down day as we found a nice Best Western right across the road from the river and some green space. They even had peddle bikes we could sign out, so we explored the market and the restaurants along the river. This was a cool hotel as the GM was the one making omelets in the morning at their continental breakfast-a nice touch. The hotel had been in her family for over 50 years. We met a group of young people while sharing a beer at one of the local outdoor patio's. The one gentleman was an Evie Knievel fanatic and insisted that we go to Shoshone Falls and see where Evel Knievel tried to jump the Snake River. We never considered this attraction but glad we checked it out as the falls were spectacular. From here we made our way to Craters of the Moon National Monument. This wasn't on our list of things to see but we were driving right by, it looked interesting so decided to stop. It was amazing to see all the small flowers blooming amongst the old lava flows indicating the resiliency of nature finding a way to flourish in this desolate environment. I didn't realize how desolate parts of Idaho and eastern Oregon are and also very desert like. I made sure to fill up at every gas station in these parts and also carried a small jerry can which fit nicely in my saddle bag as it had a tapered fit to take up less room. We literally drove hundreds of miles without seeing a home and the one's we saw looked like they had been abandoned, a testament to the harsh conditions of trying to make a go of it as farmers in this area. It appeared that the successful farmers need to use spray irrigation-otherwise there would be not much of a crop. Headed to Oregon and Crater Lake National Park (got to use my park pass for the 6th time) to check it out. Well worth the ride in. Still snow on the sides of the road as we got higher in elevation. Beautiful water, almost purple in colour. No water gets in from external sources and it's not spring fed, so there's no silt at all in the lake and has this amazing colour. Also, the deepest lake in the USA (thank-you Google) as a result of a volcanic explosion. From here, on to northern California to see the redwoods. Toured Redwood National Park and then up the coast of Oregon. The Oregon coast was beautifully rugged and was cool and overcast for several days so we decided to have a down day in Bandon. (It's helpful the iPhone records the location of most pictures when recalling names of places). This was my sister's favorite part of the trip on the Oregon coast. This was probably my least favorite part because as the driver, this was the most challenging for me, following Hwy 101, fully loaded pulling a small single wheel trailer through the twisties and up and down was tough. Also, made the mistake of not checking tire air pressure enough and my tires could have been pumped about 4 lbs higher so there was some wear starting to show. Made it through Washington and crossed into beautiful British Columbia. I'm convinced that there is no part of BC that isn't beautiful...at least the parts we saw. Stopped to see my nephew in Kamloops for lunch. The best part of ride for me was from BC to Banff Alberta on the trans Canada hwy. The bike was easier to drive on this hwy and the scenery was just amazing with snow covered peaks around every corner. From here it was the trans Canada all the way to Winnipeg, then south and crossed over once again into Minesota and back to where we started. When we crossed back over into Canada the boarder guard asked, "so where are you coming from"...I smiled and said, where do I start? Made it safely back having travelled 11 K kms. All in all a great trip...and my sister and I are still on speaking terms😀 Bucket list ride completed. Mark

Yep, there are handle bars, a seat under your but, throttle to twist, air in your face, invisible on the road and an eye to the sky or rain clouds. The rest is different. The lean is different, steering is different, cornering has a learning curve, wind can come from your back and make the flags fly forward,,,, but once learned you'll be surprised at the wonderment of it all.

The wife and I rode to lunch after church yesterday afternoon. DANM, IT WAS HOT!!!! We got about 100 miles in before we found the shortest way home and put it up. It was a fun ride, but very different than a bike and was even different from the Venture Trike I had. I will get used to it and am looking forward to our first long trip. Probably to the Northeast so I can ride in the 7 states I haven't ridden yet. 😁

This past Monday I picked up a used 2021 Can Am Spyder RT Limited. It was well maintained an in EXCELLENT condition with only 362 miles on it. A fine older gentleman and his wife had a pair, and he sold his due to neck problems. I am very lucky to find one in this condition for a decent price.

First day of riding (in a parking lot for my wife). She has never ridden by herself and only been a passenger behind me for 7 years! But she’s game to learn to ride! I’m very proud of her!

I call this Surtur's Dog. Drone shot in WNC.

I was able to get out last weekend for the First Time since the stoke in April. Still a little shaky with backing the bike up without the sure assist but everything else was good. Was a little nervous but all was well. Hope to get out between raindrops this weekend.

You. You. Traitor. Well, I guess you can park it beside my Road Glide.

I did indeed....'Still Riding the Star Venture'. Today was dry, hot and very humid but this did not stop me from riding. It is a blessing to get another round of wind therapy. Ride safe wherever your destination may be.

It won't be long, she'll be "riding into the sunset' and you'll be left alone by yourself at home. Just kidding... Glad to see she has a sweet smile on her face. That CanAm is a perfect match for your wife.

Beautiful Machine..... I'm Jelly.....

Looks great. Hope you get many years of pleasure.

...and they lived happily ever after. Congrats on the CanAm. If I were you, don't worry too much on mpg. Focus on the good times. Ride safe.

Well, we pulled the trigger and bought a CanAm for the wife. We were vacationing in Roundup MT with our son and his family and my wife was checking the FB marketplace for CanAm’s and one popped up that was in Billings, an hour away. It was what we had wanted but were not looking to buy one 1200 miles from home. The price was right and God orchestrated the details, so Monday at noon, we were leaving Billings with a 2017 CanAm in the family! It does kinda stink that the car gets 20 mpg more than the bike! Now all we have to do is teach her how to drive it since she has never ridden her own!

Well I'm a bit late posting this as it occurred on this past April 19th, and on that day, I replaced the standard manual petcock with a vacuum operated petcock. Got tired of remembering to get up and go shut it off hours after parking the bike. But also on that same day I did something that some may consider controversial if not downright heretical - I removed the fuel pump from my 2nd gen 2001 RSV. I've only ridden 675 miles since then. With no issues. Many of those miles in the twisties of the Blairsville, GA area including hwy 129, as well as high speed interstate cruising. Gravity seems to work just fine! So if you're on the road and your fuel pump gives out, just re-route that fuel line directly from the petcock into the carb inlet and cruise on!

I have ridden 2 175-mile trips in the past week and did really good with the Venture. I'm going to keep riding it solo for a while but want a Spyder to ride with the Wife. Going to look at one Sunday and I'll share how that goes next week.

Some camp at Vogel state park, some rent cabins at the park. Most of the others stay at seasons inn in Blairsville. The events are riding curvy roads during the day and hanging out in the evenings. There is no sign up or fee. What it cost depends on where you stay. It's just a bunch of laid back folks who like to ride and enjoy some comradery. Hope to see you there!

Paul, we hate to hear that but maybe later. Next year we should be back at Asheville but where ever we are you will be welcome to join us.

Only 16 days! Time to start packing

Good morning to all. Beautiful Saturday morning over here. Both bikes will have new plugs today. Found the best deal for RSV plugs online for $3.50 a plug. I still remember they cost less than a dollar two decades ago.

Nice looking machine!!

Good evening to all! The week is almost over just like that, but I've been riding since Monday leaving all cagers home alone. The weather has been conducive for riding and have been taking advantage of that opportunity. Some maintenance is upcoming for the RSV and SVTC and looking forward to install accessories on both bikes. Ride safe and have a relaxing Thursday night.

It is a different animal for sure! But you can squirm around and change positions without tipping over. Stretch out and put your feet on the front fenders, play with all the electronic gizmos the RSV doesn’t have etc!

What I've found out.... Clutch - Side Stand - Neutral Safety interlock system has MULTIPLE intermittent faults in the wire harness. Figured the bike is 25yrs old and trying to find wiring faults in tight confines is probably causing me to break more contacts than I'm fixing. I ended up bypassing the the safety system and the bike is working fine. My other MC does not have any of the safety interlocks, so I'm already accustomed to checking for neutral before I turn the bike on. Not necessarily helpful to anyone else, but at least a resolution.

Glad you made the trip and got back safely. It's a once in a lifetime experience at your age. Thanks for sharing.

They sold the RV a good while back. I think they were living in Tennessee.

I've been gone for awhile but is Robert Butler still around? Both my RSV and RSTC came with "Butlerized" stock seats and they are awesome. He does great work at what used to be a very reasonable price.

I did send him a text. I actually hand carried mine to him as I was already going to Dallas on business at the time. I have LOVED mine this whole time. Did 2 Saldde Sore 1000's and probably 20 800 mile days on it, butt never bothered me. I just saw an almost new set on ebay for 200. owner took them off at 10,000 miles, so I bought them and can move on with life.

August 13-17. I’m not sure if we’re heading down on the 12th or 13th. I’m going to trailer down for a change, not sure yet how the back will handle long trips. Some of us are staying at Season”s Inn in Blairsville, others camping.

Nice ride! It will be a blessing to you, I’m sure!

Looks sharp! Congrats!

This one left this morning. One more to go if I don’t change my mind.

Steve you still thinking about going to Vogel?

Very nice! Congratulations!

Thanks for the reply! Had great but very hot and humid day but didn't look like it was going to be as it it rained so hard last night that it was hard to see even with wiper on high(making sure signs I distributed were still up) wife said we made $110 dollars, which she doesn't think we will have another sale again! Got really windy around 1pm as we were getting ready to put things away (both sun shades we had set up were blown over) ended up taking 2 car loads of stuff to Good Will so they can distribute to needy! Have to wait till tomorrow to pickup bike from oldest boy's garage as I kept it there so it was out of the way! Will get out tomorrow!

Been out a few times this week but mostly late afternoon as temperatures were a bit too warm out to be comfortable. Wife talked me into having yard sale so will be busy tomorrow. Selling all her coats, chaps etc as she hasn't rode with me in 4 years so just taking up space!

I hope it isn't so. Don will always say...

My guess is that there would be slightly more on the front than on the rear.

We’re looking at one this afternoon for the wife.

Black Cherry got her yearly bath this morning. A little late this season, but I've been on the road a lot this year.

I got mine out and found a crack on the right side fairing on my 89 VR, so I patched it with with ABS cement and it seemed to hold but when I took it out for a nice ride, about 100 miles, the fairing recracked and ended up braking the attachment points on that side. Seems for some reason the 36 year old plastic got brittle on that side. Heading out to the Motorcycle junkyard down the road a ways to see if I can locate a solid replacement. They have a lot of Venture parts out there and hopefully I can find one that isnt in too bad of shape. Rick F.

It is also possible if you havent change out the brake fluid in the past number of years, you might have some moisture in the system and just need to flush some fresh fluid thru the whole system. Dont forget the the left front rotor and caliper is part of the rear brake system also with an additional bleed located up near the triple tree. Check the service manual on the correct bleeding sequence for the bike. Hope this helps. Rick F.

Funny you mention that. This past weekend the wife and I were at the VJMC gathering in Blairsville, GA. Long story short, I did drop the bike on its left side in a parking lot incident - barely moving - and the wife fell splat to the ground helmet slapped the asphalt. She just got a little scratch out of the deal thank the Lord - he was watching over her - no headache at all. Not a scratch on the bike that I could find...not even a reflector out of place - the guards did their job!

Paul, this usually a small group of folks, and is a very laid back get together we talk about where we are going to ride and go. We welcome everyone no matter what you ride. Trina and I will be camped out at Vogel State park.

Paul, It's always a good time, good riding and good food. This has been going on for nearly 20 years.

It occurred to me that you might check the rear brake caliper also. Its hidden and your leak might be there.

These are the four specific brands and patterns that I'm always looking for. From the top. Fight 'm Rooster, Case, Schatt & Morgsn, and Bulldog. .

And that’s why we are where we are today.

[h=2]Submitted by BongoBobNY Electrical Trouble Shooting Results/Help **UPDATED INFORMATION***[/h]OK, time for me to TFU (Test For Understanding)... You may be over testing, all you really need to do is first unplug the stator from the wiring harness located near the fuel pump, and arbitrarily label the 3 white wires A, B, and C. The stator end is the plug that heads down to the bottom of the bike, not the end that heads up to the wiring harness. Now, using an ohm meter on the highest scale, first read the resistance from each wire individually to ground. All 3 wires should read infinity ohms to ground! If there is NOT an open circuit to ground then one of your windings is shorted to ground and is defective! Next, with the ohm meter on a lower scale, read the resistance of all 3 combinations of wires, A to B, A to C, and B to C. All 3 readings should be almost equal, say within 1% of each other. If they are NOT almost equal, then one of the coils has a shorted turn or two and should be discarded! It is very important that these tests are done with the stator disconnected from the wiring harness!!! Of course, the bike should be turned off as well. The above is known as static testing, which should be done first. The next step is to dynamically test the stator! With the stator still unplugged, switch your multitester to AC volts using the 200-volt scale. The output of a stator is AC volts, just like a generator because, in essence, that is exactly what it is! You are going to be measuring the voltage between the 3 combinations of wires just like you did when you measured the 3 coil resistances, NOT each wire to ground! Start the bike, and measure the voltages at idle. You should see some arbitrary voltage somewhere between 10 - 20 volts AC on each combination of wires, and they should all be approximately equal. Next, increase your RPM's to say 2000 RPMs. Your AC voltages should be much higher, say around 50 volts AC on each combination of wires, and should all be still pretty much equal. Increasing your RPMs to 3000 or higher should give you voltages closer to 100 volts AC. The point being, the voltages should all increase uniformly with increasing RPMs! It is also important that these readings are done with the stator disconnected from the system as there could be the possibility of a defective R/R dragging down the readings when connected! I am going through this detailed information to make sure you, and any others reading this, are PROPERLY testing their stators operation! I would hate to see you condemn a stator if you did not test it the right way! I also need to mention a somewhat uncommon but possible failure with stators, and that is a thermal problem where when cold, the varnish on the wires acts as an insulator, but when it heats up the varnish breaks down and shorts out the windings either to itself or to ground. The result being your stator tests fine when the bike is cold, and you go for a ride. Sometime later the varnish breaks down and you loose charging to the battery once the bike heats up! So, what you have to do is warm up the bike considerably and then while still warm, repeat the above testing! OK, so if your stator is both statically and dynamically function properly, AND you have tested your battery with a load tester and you are absolutely sure it is good, then the last test is to determine if your Regulator/Rectifier is operating properly. With your multimeter now switched to DC volts this time, measure across the battery. You should see somewhere around 12.5 volts give or take. Now start the bike, and at idle you should see a little more voltage but not much. When you increase your RPM's the voltage should increase as well! At 2000 RPM you should see maybe 13.2 volts, give or take, and at higher RPM's you will see more voltage up to around 14.5 volts at high RPMs. There should be a point where with higher RPM's the voltage will no longer increase but remain the same regardless of how much more you increase the RPM's. This maximum voltage is what your regulator is set to regulate at, and no two regulators are exactly the same! I would discard any regulator that does not regulate at a minimum of 13.8 volts, and also discard it if it regulates anything higher than say 14.8 volts! The last test of the R/R is to test if it is rectifying properly! What a rectifier does is converts the AC voltage coming from the Stator to a DC voltage that the bike's electrical system uses. Rectifiers can go bad or worse only half bad, where they will sort of convert to DC but will also have some AC riding along with it! To properly check this you need a device called an oscilloscope, but you can effectively test this with your multimeter turned back to AC volts on a lower scale and put it across the battery with the bike running at a higher RPM. You should see darn near zero volts AC at all times and all RPMs! You may see some tiny amount of AC voltage that could be coming from anywhere, but it should be below 0.1 volts AC! If you are seeing anything like 1 volt or more, there is a chance part of your rectifier section of your R/R is defective and should be replaced!! Hope this helps you, and others out!!!