Tisunac

Maybe an ignorant question but.... who is Rick? And yea, I'm definitely trying to stay away from the junk ones.

I need to replace my rectifier (2nd gen) and would like to get the best one. Any suggestions where to get one? And also how they differ - I can see them (brand new) from $27 to $90 and more. The description and the look is about the same...... Thank you.

Big Lenny, That would be phenomenal!... Hahaha... I'll try it as soon as I get home from work. I was planning to check the battery first and go from there....hoping that it IS the battery (the least expensive solution). Last night was dark and late and I just parked it, happy we got home Sorry to hear about your ordeal but I'm glad it was only the battery connection. Thanks for your suggestion and your time.

I had RK on mine for a while and they were very nice, deep "throaty" sound. Than I had a chance to purchase a Screamin' Eagle ones and I did. The difference - Screamin' Eagle is 4" (RK is 3.5"), and those I got have downturns and I was looking for that look (kinda ol' school). Sound was about the same as the RK's but somehow I felt a better performance. The bike acted like it can "breathe" better... Still have the RK's in the shed...

Thank you, that is very helpful. I appreciate it.

My wife and I went for a short 50-60 miles ride yesterday. On our way back, about 20 miles from home, my bike started acting unusual - first our intercom died, than came back, died again and went on and off for several times before quitting completely. Almost at the same time bike started stalling when accelerating in a second gear. First just a little bit, than more and more... It scared us a bit since we were riding in the middle of nowhere and it was late in the afternoon. Stalled only in a second gear, as soon as I shifted into third it was running fine. Had to stop twice at intersections and it stalled in both first and second gear but then sounded fine after shifting into third. After quite a bit of stalling (never died completely) we approached our neighborhood. And as soon as we rolled on our driveway THE BIKE DIED! I guess my faithful bike brought us home first and than died!... Since it was late (dark) I didn't touch it and will see what's going on today, after work. Any suggestions? The bike have absolutely no power, nothing works. My guess is either the alternator or the battery. Any known "usual suspect" since it started with the intercom and then stalling? Is it okay if I jump start it from a car (never did it before)? My battery is about 2-3 years old, gel battery from Battery Plus, the best one they had... The bike is 1999 Venture with around 33K miles. I rode the bike several times in last week or so with no problems...

This is quite a bit more - the class itself is $475 and that's if you are using your own bike. If you want to use their BMW1000RR than it's $200 more. The leathers rental is $75 (one peace leathers, helmet, boots, gloves). Still, in my opinion, worth every penny. It took me a while to convince myself to invest that much money in riding training but it was worth it.

I did something similar - kept my Venture and got a 2006 Vstrom 650. Wife and I still using Venture for "our" trips but when I go by myself, 9 out of 10 times I will take the Vstrom. She won't ride with me on a Vstrom complaining that I'm "sitting in her lap". Well, you can easily get spoiled on a Venture... It is a fun bike, light, nimble, easy to lean in a curve, comfortable enough, plenty of acceleration (for an old guy, at least).... I like it a lot. Of course, like with any other bike, I had to "adjust" it to fit me better. I have the opposite problem (6'3", around 250lb) so I put handlebar risers, lowered my pegs by 1,5", Sargent seat, bigger windshield with Madstad bracket,... Fits much better. For performance - Michelin Pilot Road 4 tires, Sonic Springs, fork brace, tighten the springs and rear shock. Completely different bike, hugging curves with no problem (used on the track for the riding class with California Superbike School with no problem). For comfort - backrest (a must for riders with back problems), heated grips, Givi trunk with light, tank bag, gps with power socket,... combined with engine guard, rear sliders (just in case), center stand, skidplate, wider kickstand plate. Coming soon - additional led lights front and back, Wolo horn, power shelf,... You can play with that thing and add a ton of stuff. Great support online, a bunch of manufacturers for after market farkles (both big and small). At the demo rides I rode a 2014 Vstrom 1000 and it was a very nice bike, a lot of power and torque. Buying an used one (and for a good price) left me with some money for all the farkles. And trust me, you'll want them all hahaha Enjoy your new adventures!... file:///C:/Users/coptshop/Downloads/IMG_1826.JPG

After thinking long and hard for a few months, weighing all pro's and con's (con being a price; pro being everything else) I finally decided to take a riding course (Level 1) at California Superbike School. One-day course at Virginia International Raceway in Danville, VA, one of the nicest tracks in the country. So, I would like to share my experience with you, just in case that somebody consider any type of a riding course. I am not associated in any way with the CSS, just sharing CSS has been doing this for 34 years and I couldn't find one bad review for their school online. Any other riding course have a few unhappy students (which means nothing, I know...) while every CSS student was praising their way of teaching. So, I've decided to give it a try... First of all - on their website and marketing material they claim the school is for every type of bike and every rider. When you get there soon enough you will notice that 90% of the bikes are sport bikes ("crotch rockets"), including the bikes they use for the class (bmw1000RR, phenomenal bikes but still pure sport bikes). And when you get on the track most bikes will fly by you since they'll be on a sport bikes. DON'T LET THAT DISCOURAGE YOU! Because what you will learn on the class can easily be transferred to any type of the bike! I took a class on my "other" bike - Suzuki Vstrom 650. I tried their bmw1000RR and could not make it comfortable (I'm 6'3", around 250lb). I wish I could cause I wouldn't have to trail my Vstrom there but..... The registration started at 7:00am, if you don't have a full gear you can rent it from them ($75 for full one-piece leathers, boots, gloves, Schubert helmet). They divided us in 3 groups (don't know the criteria) and you go 20 min in class, 20 min on the track, 20 min break. Five different exercises, all about cornering. Starting with the easier ones and gradually go towards more difficult ones. Teaching in the class is first class - they KNOW HOW to explain it to you. After 20 min in the class the exercise made perfect sense. After 20 min of practicing that exercise on the track you really understand what they were talking about. One track coach is responsible for 3-4 students so he will "visit" you on the track, observe you and show you how to do it - he will ride in front of you pointing it out exactly what should be done and observing you on the mirrors. Following him makes it even easier to figure it out. After the track time you meet with him off the track for a consultation and questions. Very valuable time. Five exercises took all day (we were done just before 6:00pm). They feed you (breakfast, snacks, lunch, drinks,...). After all day you crave for more.... Money well spent. It made me a whole better and safer rider. Two days after I took my Venture for a ride and felt that I can lean that 900lb machine in the curve like it is a sport bike. Yes, you can ride faster but that was not my goal. I wanted to feel secure and confident when cornering and I achieved that. GREAT JOB CALIFORNIA SUPERBIKE SCHOOL!

So, since you are getting rid of the Venture, are you getting a Vstrom?

Go to Charlottesville VA Craigslist and type Venture in the Search column - you'll get quite a few to chose from. From a 2012 brand new one for $14900 to a nice 2002 Midnight with approx. 20Kmiles asking $5900. And several others.... And I'm sure you can do that in almost every city, I've checked a few places in NC and the supply is plentiful. In couple of months the supply might not be as diverse but the prices will go down... I guess at this point the Ventures and maybe Vstroms are the best bang for the buck - for $5K-$6K you can find an excellent, reliable bike that will last.

How do you like Sonic Springs? I put them in my Vstrom and it was 100% improvement in handling!!! I had no idea I can do that in my Venture, too. Does it handle better in curves? How 'bout in very slow speeds? Where do you see the difference? Thanks for your input. And sorry for highjacking the thread..... but I guess it's relevant.

Politely disagree - once you blow your seals, they are gone... I bought a HD digital hand pump, very precise. But, as they said, it's your money...

SAME HERE !... Around 275lbs rider+passenger, maybe 10-15(ish) lbs in all three bags.....

To pile on what everybody said.... Just came back (Sat) from a day-long 435 miles ride in Virginia and West Virginia. Beautiful roads on both sides of the state line.... Without suggesting you exact route - rt250 and rt33 are great, rt250 have more curves and switchbacks (not that 33 is lacking any), especially crossing the state line. Rt 28 is great, rt39 also. Avoid rt1 - too narrow, bad pavement... Area around Seneca Rocks is nice, great rides there. If you can, visit Cass - nice roads there and a cool old-fashion logging train can take you on the top of the mountain. Gas stations are few and far between, top off any time you can cause you don't know when the next one is coming. Same apply to food - not very many restaurants, even fast food ones. Prepare yourself. Rt16 was very nice south of the New River Gorge bridge (another must-see) but I didn't like the north part of it - bad pavement (BAD!), badly constructed curves... Rt219 is a nice diagonal communication throughout the state. If you wanna go all the way "down south", you don't want to miss The Back of The Dragon (not the same as The Tail of The Dragon). It's 33 miles of curves and switchbacks between Marion and Tazewell. Very enjoyable, fun ride that sometimes feels like an obstacle course hahaha. Blue Ridge is nice to see and ride but not for a 100+ miles, at least not for me. The speed limit is low (better that the Skyline drive, but still) and after a while the scenery is kinda repeating. It's great for a 30-50 miles stretch and than swing back to rt56 or rt60 and hit the curves! You'll love it. If you decide to cross to Virginia, don't miss rt231. While in Luray, you can take rt211 over the mountain (lots of curves) and than at Sperryville take rt231. Beautiful nature. Different than WV - more rolling hills, less mountains, nice curves.... Almost forgot - while on Blue Ridge Parkway stop by Devil's Backbone Brewery (a stonethrow from the Parkway) - great food and phenomenal beer. It's in VA though but well worth the stop. If you like waterfalls, the highest waterfalls on this side of the Mississippi are there - Crabtree Falls. Easy hike to the top where you can have lunch with a million dollar view...

EdSets have an option to hook up earbuds instead of the speakers. It's already on the set, no need to change anything... I didn't try it yet but I will try it soon, hoping it will help with wind buffeting noise....

I got J&M basic set when purchased a bike used. It was OK but nothing special. I've upgraded it to Edsets system and I believe it's better. Feels like a high quality, cables look durable, connections click when connected, waterproof, you can take mic off when not using. However, I was expecting more bass response and....no, not really. I guess you can't get more bass with factory stereo on Venture and small helmet speakers, no matter the quality. It's still a nice set, though. Another thing - if something goes wrong you can buy separate cables, mic, headphones, etc..... Ed is a great guy to work with, always ready to provide any info.

Looks like a nice product and a horrible website. I've tried to see those photos but you can't stop them - they keep on running So, good luck seeing them in 2 sec....or wait for another loop. I've seen people mounting another trunk on it (from Ebay, either Venture or Harley one, or an universal one), it's a great add-on for a longer trip and certainly easier than a trailer. Post some photos when you can....

Great job! Would you make and sell them? I believe there's a market for them here on the forum. Especially painted in original color. If you decide to make them please let us know here.... Everybody who travels 3+ days on a Venture should have one in a garage...

Air Hawk make a pad especially for male riders, with a cut-out for "boys" and a tail bone. Check their website, it's the most expensive one, the one shaped differently than others. I had it before on my Vulcan 1500 and it worked very well but when I bought Venture it felt too high for me (I'm 6'3") so I sent my seat to Rick Butler and I love it now. Vastly improved over the stock. Risers helps, too.

My wife and I did a 3-day, 990 miles Memorial Day weekend in WV, but we came from the other direction (central Virginia). We took rt250 from Virginia to West Virginia - a lot of great curves and switchbacks! Than at Seneca Rocks took rt219 south - one of the nicest roads you can find! Spent a night at Princeton, next day took Coal Mine Heritage Road - I believe everybody should see "the rise and fall" of coal industry there - several small coal-miners towns that are now a "ghost towns". Not pretty at all but an eye-opener... Than took rt16 north to New River Gorge bridge - great place to stop and see one of the architectural "miracles". Very impressive!... Continuing north on rt16 was not a good idea since road from that point is in really bad shape and needs repair. Rt33 from Elkins going east is nice - wider with nice, easy, long curves.... You can ride The Back Of The Dragon (not to be mistaken with The Tail of The Dragon) - rt16 between Tazewell and Marion. Around 32 miles of curve after curve after curve.... Some of them rather challenging (go on YouTube and check it out) but fun. A place where you can stay and do a couple of daily rides - Old Clark Inn in Marlinton (Pocahontas county), if it's not too down south from you. The Inn is catering to motorcyclists and the rooms are affordable (around $60-$70 with breakfast) Nothing fancy but clean, and owners are riders and will help you with planning the rides or anything else. Scenic Highway is very close by, as well as Cass railroad (cool place to visit). West Virginia scenery is beautiful, roads are good (for the most part), but be prepared - you won't find gas stations on every corner so fill in every time you can. Same thing with food - in parts that are beautiful there's no fast food restaurants so plan accordingly. Have fun!...

In my humble opinion, it really depends of the climate where you live and how well you tolerate heat and/or cold weather. Also, do you ride in very hot or very cold weather... I've tried soooo many different riding pants while looking for a worm and hot weather riding pants - most of them I find too warm to wear. A lot of riders will disagree with me (and I completely understand that, we are all different) and say that you can ride with riding pants on 90+ degrees weather. To me, it feels like I'm wrapped in plastic. I know it's much safer (hence my search for a riding pants in a first place) but I couldn't stand the sweating within 2 minutes of having them on. Even the mash ones were like that (to me). The other important factor (to me, at least) is a good fit - I found that most textile pants (Tri-tex material, nylon, etc) are quite "deep" (high waist) and go over your waist. It's intentional and it's suppose to prevent shirt from untucking when bending on the bike. Weeeell, if you are not build like an underwear model that feature might cause pressure to your stomach and make a ride very uncomfortable. For some reason, the belt part of the pants is always tighter then the rest so if they fit in a waist than they are too big elsewhere and if they fit everywhere else than I can't button them. Again, just my experience... After a long search, I've ordered a pair of Sliders from Competition Accessories, based purely on reviews (ALL of them extremely positive) from people wearing them. To my huge surprise they did fit perfect straight out of the box!!! They "ride" just right - not too high, not too low. The fit is like your favorite pair of 5-pocket jeans. Excellent Kevlar coverage for Godforbid situation, and knee pockets if you want to put additional armor (I bought D030 knee armor, yet another fantastic product!) and I'm all set. The next day I took them for a 3-day 1000 miles ride in the mountains of West Virginia and they were great. A little warmer than your regular jeans but you can expect that for the protection you get. Temperature was from high 70's to high 80's and I was okay. Somehow, I prefer the feel of jeans (even with Kevlar lining) to feel of plastic on my skin. Granted, in cold weather that would not apply since I would have a pair of long athletic dri-kwik underpants so no direct plastic-on-skin contact. Still, I would prefer the fit of the Sliders jeans to any other riding pants. If you decide to give Sliders a try, read the reviews especially about the sizing (they run bigger). Almost forgot - not that this was the most important factor but they were significantly less expensive than most riding pants on the market. Good luck!...

A few weeks ago I saw a trike with the same "theme" (57 Chevy) on Blue Ridge Parkway.... The trike was a little more practical, you could actually ride it....

I am seriously thinking about it... My clutch doesn't slip but it feels "awkward". For a Memorial Day weekend my wife and I went to wild and wonderful West Virginia, 3 days and 990 miles of curvy hilly roads. We had a great time. However, almost every time I would shift it would kinda hesitate before engage the gear. We would go uphill and I would shift from second to third and crank it up - I would expect that the bike would pull full force and instead it felt like it's "struggling" a bit. Felt like not enough torque... I mean, it shifts and accelerate, just not with a full force/torque. So I was wondering would the clutch upgrade help that. What was your experience prior to upgrade? Did you clutch slip completely or...? Any info would help. And can you post the links with instructions how to do it, please? Easy enough? I'm not an expert, but I replaced mufflers, replaced leveling links etc... Thanks.

Hey neighbor (I'm in Charlottesville, VA), can I ask you a big favor - would you please measure the height of the windshield bags? I have a Clearview windshield with a vent on it (like a Goldwing's) and I'm afraid the bags won't fit underneath of it. The measurement would help a lot. Thanks for your time.