cowpuc

I succumbed to the dark side a longggg time ago and agree,, more carbs! They like me better. I do prefer mine to be non-CV though. I get better performance out of those..

Hand impacts with a real good tight fitting impact grade, 6 point socket work best for this. Also try retighening the bolt that you have broken loose to take some pressure off if you have two bolts pinching the same location. I have also used the ol hitting the bolt side at an angle with a punch to break it loose very effective. I have even used that method very successfully on the smallest of screws. Especially when I have a steel bolt/screw threaded into aluminum.

WOWZY WOW WOW WOW!! Good score Corporal Newkirk!! Ya done got blessed,, again!!!!

Mom Yam did read my list and followed it pretty well.. She just did the opposite of what I, and many other members suggested LOL.. check this out: 1700cc V-4 "V-Max" motor.. Detune it if you must (just like before) but please,, dont do another V-Twin - got enough of em.. You guys can do it,, I KNOW YOU CAN!! but everyone knows the modern rider wants the pleasure of no hp, good vibes and feeling the burn as they ride.. get with it man! Shaft drive! BELT's wear out and we can make a few bucks for replacements, we are in the business to make money on part sales.. EFI with a tunable tuner - even if its an add on - please provide one so we can tune it!! no chance Engine guarding. but then the rider who LOVES heat couldn't get it what he loves. Adjustable bars like on the first gen. no no no,, those adjustable bars on the MK1/2's were a big mistake. we actually lost money on the loss of handle bar sales for that mistake. Fixed Fairing. here ya go Puc,, just for you!! THAT IS ONE COOL FRONT END FOLKS!! Imagine those intakes on the front feeding a 175 hp COMPETITION DESTROYER!! good night that woulda been AWESOME! Get the same Doctors who advised you on constructing the seat of the 1st Gens (cant remember what you call those guys) to advise you on this one - my kids, wife and I LOVE what they did!! Keep the seat height difference between the rider and passenger no more than 3 inches (2 is great) - raising the passenger higher causes weight imbalance and makes slow speed riding harder. how bout we make this one a 1000 pounder instead Ease of removal of the trunk(s) for changing rear tire. we are suppose to make it HARDER for you to work on it, not easier.. Center stand. what,, that is wayyy to old school for the modern rider. Forward boards with normal foot pegs located rearward so standing up while riding is still possible, shift and brake levers at both locations (no heal toe please). the modern day rider has no interest in learning how easy it is to handle a bike because their standing up. Grease zerks on all main pivot points. Puc is crazy, no one wants to lay down and grease/pull maintenance anymore. Explore which tire sizes are the most common and build around those standards so tire choices and finding them are easy. This was a real good one! One that I actually spoke with the Yam reps at Sturgis about when I noticed the odd size rear tire on the back of the new Venture. I asked why Mom Yam did not stick with a more traditional tire size, something that would give the rider more choices in tires, not less.. They just shrugged me off. I did have that same Rep look up the price and choices of current tires at that time for the tire size Mom Yam had chosen. There was only ONE tire available at the time and that tire was listed at over $500!!! Honestly,, the rear wheel itself was CHEAPER than the tire! Made my point in asking for this in my wish list.. Enclose the motor well to keep ANY objectional heat off both riders BUT - use lots of venting with plenums to act as heaters when needed. what,, dont you know,,, modern cross country touring riders would rather look good showing off the motors while being burned than being comfortable while riding or stuck in traffic.

The issue is that the larger in cubic inch you go the more heat is produced. I rode my 78 shovel head all over the country and spent a TON of time on it exploring the desert. While it did get warm, its 74 inch V-twin shedded heat NOTHING like these big V-Twins of today do. I got a hunch that the 1800cc air cooled beemer will be one hot puppy as it cools its jugs/heads on the riders legs, wayyy more than the 750cc flat twins did. I also see a LOT of potential damage happening there when someone drops one.

Since its car tired on the rear and no use for motorcycle tire on the front now I would look at going dark side on the front too. Wayyy higher mileage plus more surface contact with the car tire may be a plus.. maybe...

Here ya go @circa1968!! Check this out! Met up with Terry just outside of Moab Utah on one of our 2 month bike trips out west. What a fantastic conversation we had with him. My wife and I enjoy coasting down mountains on our Yamaha Venture - our record of a non stop coast so far is 29 miles at 36 minutes going down into King's Canyon in California. After explaining this to Terry we found a common interest in the silentness he experiences on his Electric Bike (a Zero) and totally understood my interest in what he and his friend, Craig Vetter, are all about!! This was AMAZING!!! More about Terry can be found at: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1...

I TOTALLY agree with you @XV1100SE.. I have been on the E-motorcycle thought for a good while now and have mentioned "hybrid" for a long time.. Personally, I think the 1st manufacturer who produces a GOOD hybrid so stopping for recharge is not necessary will be onto it,, big time. Our little Hyundai Ioniq hybrid regularly gets +60 mpg and will maintain +50 mpg while cruising triple digits for long hours. What an amazing vehicle. It will also run its AC for 13 hours on 1 gallon of gas maintaining 68 degrees inside while its +100 degrees on the desert, its unreal. I still think the 1st one to go Hybrid with a touring bike so +100 mpg can be maintained at highway speeds will definitely be onto something.. Forget this electric car nonsense, until both Canada and the U.S. has the infrastructure to support the needs of mass produced electric vehicles and battery tech increases so a 500 mile range is easily doable the electric car is a no dice for anything other commuting short range BUT even then,, in cold climates where people get stranded on hiways for an overnighter,, woe to those who are caught with a current (no pun intended) electric car even for commuting..

WOWZY WOW WOW WOW!! BEAUTIFUL pics and brother,, what a fantastic trip!! THANK YOU for sharing and allowing the virtual ride along!! @Steve S,,, 11th picture, bottom of the mountain,, see the cave? Did you wonder what that was and if you could get to it?? Bears? Gold mine? Pirates Den? LOL... Where was that? any idea?

That was ALWAYS a dream of mine too brother.. Just spend the summer going door to door all over the country and Canada... DING DONG,,, "Hi,, I am Puc, this is TIPPY and that is Tweeks, we just stopped for second to say Hi and meet you. Would you mind signing Tweeks and letting my take a picture?" oh,, and can you make me a sandwich and point me toward the road cause we got lost and Joe n Bobbi are not here to rescue us LOL.. GO FOR IT JOE n BOBBI!! GO FOR IT!!!!

WAYYYY COOL!!

12mm too Unc!! that is EXACTLY where my mind went when I read the lead into this much needed thread!! Another one would be an 18mm plug socket.. Rare as hens teeth just when you need em the most! Thin wall, 1/4 drive, 6 point, deep well with opening deep enough in the bottom for the top of the plug.. Give me a 6 pack please,, and a nice Cuban Cigar to boot LOL

Tip and I are thinking about catching the Buffalo roundup in South Dakota while heading west to visit the kids in California and the roundup is usually in a similar time frame as your ride/meet/greet/adVenture/camp fire/eating contest/telling stories time at your place Or. Due to health issues no plans are written in stone yet but if everything lines up we will stop and camp in Trooper (our Ioniq hybrid mini-mtr-home) and enjoy some refreshing catching up with all you lop eared varmints. Please keep us all posted as you proceed with the planning for another one of your most excellent outings my friend and I will continue to follow this thread. Love you guys!! Puc,,, and Tweeks n Trooper and of course Tip!

Look familiar

Years ago, before Mom Yam revealed her failed attempt at producing a new Venture that "will turn the touring upside down" and would "set a new benchmark for all touring bikes in performance, handling and comfort" @Freebird started a thread called "let the discussion begin" here on VR. Many many of our club members responded and most of the club echoed the same "wish list". I am going to post here my response in that thread only because I still stand by it. I, like most here, followed the new Venture from start to finish and I even chase it to the unveiling at Lake George with MUCH excitement. Tweeks, TIP and I went out to Lake George for the unveiling with cash in hand and ready to buy/order that new 1700cc 175 hp shaft drive machine that I was SURE Mom Yam would be unveiling. I know for fact there were others on site that day at the unveiling with the same hope/dreams and intent, I spoke to many of them. @videoarizona was actually on the phone with me (or texting, cant remember) and clearly heard my response as soon as they started the 1st bike (they had two) hidden behind the curtain and I heard the familiar sound of ANOTHER FREEKING HD CLONE V-TWIN. I think my response was something like "ohhh crap". Like many others there, I had no interest in buying one after that. What a shame,, I am 100% certain that had Mom Yam actually completed her promises stated above there would be one in my garage right now as well as MANY others here. At the unveiling I actually heard Mom Yam's competition LAUGH and watched them walk away saying "no competition here thats for sure". I know for a fact that at least 4 of those people who said that were Honda Reps. I was so disheartened,, embarrassed, I had NO INTEREST in even test riding one then BUT, after a few months of reading promotional's, Tweeks/TIP and I did cave in and went to Sturgis that year for test riding and to ask questions concerning some other promises Mom Yam made about the bike. I took my infra red temp gauge and video camera along with a list of questions from fellow club members and we headed out on Tweeks. At Sturgis I asked the Yam Factory Reps about the question of air cooled V-Twins being HOT and how Yam solved that issue as I could not see any indication of such on the exterior of the bike. I also asked permission to take some temp readings.. They refused to allow me to take ANY temp readings on the Demo bikes and simply said YAMAHA FIGURED OUT THE SECRET TO SOLVING THE HEAT ISSUE WITH AIR COOLED V-TWINS. From that point on I was told to write Yamaha for any more answers to the questions both the club members and I had. While I still 100% believe the new venture could have been a REAL DEAL trend setter and could have been a real boost for Mom Yam and our sport and they would have sold like Hot Cakes had they of just listened to the faithful Venture riders of which I am one, I am still not quite sure what happened to the (supposedly) huge backing from the V-STAR RIDERS I met at Lake George who stood on the stage there and claimed they had designed the bike. It does not appear that even that group took a liking to the new bike. When they rode the bike up onto the platform at Lake George my first response to Tippy was "I SEE POLARIS VICTORY WRITTEN ALL OVER THAT THING! I WONDER IF ARLEN NESS LEFT POLARIS AND HAD HIS HAND IN THE DESIGN". Strangely enough, it seems the Polaris Victory riders ended up being the main supporter of the new Venture from what I see but even they didnt have the numbers needed to keep the steed in production. Fact is, IMHO, chasing Harley Davidson is/was NEVER a good plan. HD riders are in love with HD,, the sound, the vibes, the ride, the clothes, the QUALITY in both paint and looks.. I have owned and ridden MANY Harleys and LOVED em all so I get it BUT,, its wayyy to late in the game to even think about challenging HD, thats not possible. Their piece of the pie is theirs alone, they somehow survived the ages and have EARNED respect and honor in the Industry for doing so. Mom Yam should have forgot about chasing HD and focused on fulfilling her promises leading up to the unveiling,, I am still very very sad that she didn't. Here is that "wish list"/response to Freebirds thread entitled "let the discussion begin",,, I still wish it!! LOL: """"""I have been a Yamaha enthusiast for many many years and they have proven to me over and over again that they are TOPS!! Owned a couple early YZ monoshock MX bikes way back and they were AWESOME!! My little RD350 and RD250 (remains still in my basement) were giant killers - proving Yamaha's superiority in R&D!! My 73 XS650 beat across the country with me on its back several times, chopped it and rode it many more miles until sold. Bought a brand new 650 Special, AWESOME "cloned" mini Harley that saw the west too!! My faith in mother Yamaha has been proven 5 times over by my continual riding of the 1st Gen Ventures starting in 1987 until present day with my 83 that has almost 300k on it!! Fact is, folks at Yamaha, I AM READY FOR THE NEXT PHASE!! All that said, here is my feeble wish list: 1700cc V-4 "V-Max" motor.. Detune it if you must (just like before) but please,, dont do another V-Twin - got enough of em.. You guys can do it,, I KNOW YOU CAN!! Shaft drive! EFI with a tunable tuner - even if its an add on - please provide one so we can tune it!! LED lighting. Engine guarding and saddle bag guarding. Adjustable bars like on the first gen. Factory tank and windshield bags. Fixed Fairing. Get the same Doctors who advised you on constructing the seat of the 1st Gens (cant remember what you call those guys) to advise you on this one - my kids, wife and I LOVE what they did!! Keep the seat height difference between the rider and passenger no more than 3 inches (2 is great) - raising the passenger higher causes weight imbalance and makes slow speed riding harder. Ease of removal of the trunk(s) for changing rear tire. Center stand. Forward boards with normal foot pegs located rearward so standing up while riding is still possible, shift and brake levers at both locations (no heal toe please). Hand warmers. Key removable rear trunk and bags. Grease zerks on all main pivot points. High output stator even though it has LED's. Double check the gear sets in the tranny and make sure they ramp up solidly. Oversized clutch to insure NO slippage in high gears with xtra weight. 42 millimeter front fork tubes with progressive springs. Imbed reflective tape (or use reflective paint) in paint lines (like pin striping) so all profiles of bike light up when grazed by car lights. Add a large foot onto side stand - tired of bending over to pick up stand plate after parking on loose ground. Explore which tire sizes are the most common and build around those standards so tire choices and finding them are easy. Remember those long grips you used on the first gens? Use those, I love bending them back onto my knees. Enclose the motor well to keep ANY objectional heat off both riders BUT - use lots of venting with plenums to act as heaters when needed. Windshield it so the rear rider remains in the protective air pocket - functional vents in shield and fairing to adjust air movement if needed (hey,, could be asking for servo operated shield but I dont care for more things to go wrong). 6 speed Over drive tranny. Use GOOD solder, especially with ECU pins. QC the daylights out of it! DONT go cheap and trust the Chinese!! Dont short us on wire harness leads so wiring is tight - xtra 1/4 inch really helps!! Make fairing panels easy to remove but not so they fall off. Supply printable shop manual disc and printed well written owners manual. Supply GOOD factory tire pressure guage. Chrome is out for me, I LOVE dull stainless (like the pipes on the "New" V-Max),, matter of fact,, build mine with no rustable chrome and all dull stainless!! Intercom, CB and radio would be nice.. Keep the tape deck. OK, if you REALLY are reading this and you like what I am talking,, PLEASE make mine just a little faster in stock form than anyone elses.. Not that I would ever use the extra pazzaazz but I have buddies that I gotta compete with and just KNOWING I have the fastest one would be worth an extra grand to me:big-grin-emoticon: I KNOW you can do it!! Keep the faith mother Yamaha - I AM!! Puc"""""