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Smokee

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Everything posted by Smokee

  1. Smokee
    Peace Officer since 1976. Last 32 years as a firefighter/arson investigator, currently Fire Marshal in the bluebonnet and ice cream capitol of Texas!
  2. Smokee
    My '07 RSV has had the "tick" since I bought it with 1 mile on it (28,000+ miles ago). I've used Yamaha oil, Amsoil and Mobil 1 and the tick has remained. It fades away after the bike is fully warmed up though.
  3. Smokee
    Betcha the 2nd Gen as part of the Star line-up won't be around much longer either, considering accessories are getting hard to find and the only 2010 model choice is the beautiful black with silver flames on it (gag!). I had a friend fabricate a toe shifter for my '07 but it turned out bad so I kept using the stock shifter.
  4. Smokee

    Roadstar

    Smokee replied to Godlover's topic in Watering Hole

    I bought a RS Silverado new in 2005. Loved that bike...very strong, dependable, big enough for me (I'm 6-2/250) and gorgeous to boot! But after 2 years, we decided we wanted a touring bike, so I sold the Roady and bought the 07 Venture. I love having cruise control, fairing lowers, sound system, intercom, etc. I miss the Road Star sometimes...but then I go ride the RSV and it all goes away. In a perfect world, I'd have both bikes!
  5. Smokee
    I installed at set of 2" Baron's risers on my 2007 RSV right after I got it. All I did was removed the caps from the bars and laid the bars on the (well padded) fuel tank, slid the risers into place and installed the caps and bolts. The throttle cables don't have any extra slack in them now, but it's been 3 years, and not a single problem yet. There's no binding anywhere from lock to lock.
  6. Smokee
    Two years ago on my 2007 RSV, I installed a heavy duty (30Amp), marine grade, sealed toggle switch in the little hole where the OEM passing lamp push button switch goes right next to the 12VDC outlet in the fairing. I cut and spliced the switch into the Hi beam circuit, using soldered connections with double heat shrink. The idea was to be able to switch off the headlight when cranking, or when stopped on the road at night with flashers on, or just to help charge the battery better while idling (leaves only the tail light, spoiler light and front "park" lights on). I used that location for the switch because I didn't like the push button switch for the passing lamps (can't tell when it's "on" or "off" by feel) and I chunked it. I installed another similar toggle switch in the inner fairing, just left of the 12V hole, to operate the passing lamps. Could have used either location for either switch...doesn't matter. Anyway, after finishing all the wiring and mounting of the switches, I applied liberal dabs of Dupont clear silicone sealer on the switch screws and on the switch bodies (inside the fairing) to keep things from vibrating loose...sort of "welded" the switches to the inside of the fairing with the silicone...a technique that came to me in a blinding flash of inspiration and works great. The switch for the headlight is rated for way more amps than the light draws, so I didn't see the need for a relay (used 14GA wire with soldered connectors). I chose to switch the Hi beam rather than the low beam so that if my switch circuit craps out and the Hi doesn't work, I can still run at night with the low beam on and get home. So, now when I flip the switch to "off" and push the Hi/Lo switch to Hi, the headlight is disabled. I realize this may not be totally "legal" but I don't run it that way on the street. Also, if I hit the Hi beam switch and the blue indicator light does not come on, I know I've forgotten to flip the toggle switch on. It works great for me.
  7. Smokee
    I have over 5,000 miles on my Venoms and I'm just starting to see a little wear in the center of the rear tire...no visible wear to the front tire at all. Great traction and handling, too.
  8. Smokee
    Yep, 1-1/16" fits fine. I got mine at Lowe's.
  9. Smokee
    We check on our mount the night before and make sure she's well shod, well fed and that the saddlebags are evenly loaded. Then, early in the morning we strap on our leather boots and chaps, a good warm jacket and our gloves, and most of us pull our hats down low and solid on our heads. Then we ease our mount out of her stall and let her warm up slow as we head for the trail...then it's off for a day of riding as free as the wind! At the end of the day, we feed our hungry mounts, wipe 'em down and put them safely back in the stall. We kick back with our feet up and sip a cool adult beverage with our compadres while we talk about all places we went and the things we saw...and about our mounts and how each of them ran that day. Sometimes we do that under the stars with a nice fire burning or maybe in a cozy cabin with the fireplace lit. Then finally we drift off to sleep with those visions of today in our heads, mixing with anticipation of what tomorrow's ride will bring. No, there's no similarities there...I must have been mistaken.
  10. Smokee
    My 2007 RSV has done it a few times in the year and a half since I bought it...always when hitting a significant bump at highway speeds. It won't turn off, it just disengages. I hit the resume and everything's fine. I ride a lot with 2 fingers covering the front brake lever, so I sometimes wondered if it was me accidently bumping the lever when I hit a big bump... but it happened this week and I know my fingers were all on the grip, so that theory's out the window.
  11. Smokee
    I just replaced my original plugs at 11,000 miles ('07 RSV). When I took out the original plugs, i was happy to see that they looked great. But, I have to say that the bike starts easier now with the new ones in place...needs less (or no) choke to start it cold.
  12. Smokee
    I had the OEM passing lamps installed by the dealer when I bought the bike, so they had the little push button switch mounted next to the 12VDC outlet on the inner fairing (as per Yamaha's instructions....no relay...just tapped into a hot wire with a splice connector). Since you can't tell if a pushbutton switch is "on" or "off" by feeling it, I installed a 20 amp sealed marine quality toggle switch in a hole I drilled in the left side of the inner fairing to the left of the 12V outlet. I used a 30 amp relay from Auto Zone to power the lights from a fused 12 gauge wire I ran from the battery, under the fuel tank, up into the fairing. I wire-tied the relay to an existing bundle of wires under the fairing in an area where I knew it wouldn't rub against anything hard. This set up has worked great for a year and a half. I can tell the lights are "on" by feeling the switch position. I run them at night and a pair of Moto Lights mounted on the calipers in the daytime (installed same kind of switch and relay for the Moto-Lights also). As a side note, I used the hole where the push button switch had been and installed yet a 3rd 20 amp sealed toggle switch there that turns the high beam headlight circuit on and off (no relay used). I did that so I can turn off the headlight when starting the bike, or at other times when the bike is running but I don't want the headlight on (parked, warming it up, etc.). Works great!
  13. Smokee
    Man, if I got 18,500 out of Michelins I wouldn't even look at another brand!
  14. Smokee
    I picked up a dark colored foam rubber ball in the toy section at Wally World that was about 2-1/2" in diameter, cut it in half and wedged each half in between the bars and the fairing, just outboard from the riser clamps. It's been a year now and no cracks or other ill effects. The stock bumpers are still right there where they were...haven't fallen off yet! As for the bars now hitting the plastic shroud around the ignition switch, it hasn't been a problem at all.
  15. Smokee
    I tried Amsoil 20W-50 MC oil last year because my Amsoil guy got it by mistake (instead of the 10W-40 I normally use), and I needed to change oil before a long trip and didn't have time to wait. I put it in and ran it for about 7,000 miles and that was several thousand miles ago...no discernable problem (although, it puzzles me how you'd know you had an oil problem unless the engine locked up or something). Anyway, my '07 RSV has always made the "tick" when it's cold, and it's usually gone in about 30 seconds or so. With the heavier oil, it lasted a little longer, but still went away as the oil got circulating. Contrary to what some have said, I think RSV engines have hydraulic lifters...and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong....but that would account for the "tick" as the pressure in the lifters come up. Wouldn't it?
  16. Smokee
    Does anybody know of a longer shifter for the RSV? One that's about 2" longer in the toe part and the same length in the heel part would be perfect. I'd even give up the heel portion to have the toe part about 2" longer. Smokee '07 RSV
  17. Smokee
    Dang! Gotta miss it again! We have our annual BFD fundraiser this weekend in Brenham, so we won't be able to get over there. My "ranch manager" and I both grew up in Navasota...moved away after high school (early 70's). I actually met Mance Lipscomb and heard him play a few times. The first was when he came into my best friend's dad's TV repair shop to pick up his old Fender amp. He hooked up and played a while to test it out. I didn't appreciate it then as much as I do now. Hope y'all have a big time! Smokee
  18. Smokee
    Check out Baron's 4-2-4 slip-ons for the RSV. They look like a pair of double-barrelled shot guns pointing out from under your saddlebags! And the sound?..... "ooooohhhhh.....aaaaaahhh".
  19. Smokee
    Baron's 4-2-4 slip ons with the stock baffles! Put 'em on my 07 RSV a year ago and have been super pleased since then. You can get an assortment of slash tips, or you do like I did...run 'em without tips...looks like a double barrelled shot gun poking out from under each bag. No rejetting. Great sound. See 'em at Baron's website....buy 'em at phatperformanceparts.com.
  20. Smokee
    You're right about your body blocking the XM (or Sirius) signal...it's because we're made mostly of water. Like others, I've had my XM antenna (magnetic) stuck on top of the sound system box, under the fairing, for a year or so and it works great. I do get the occasional signal loss when riding North. I think this is because the antenna slopes toward the front of the bike, so the angle from the satellites (over the equator) means that the edge of the antenna is seeing the sats, instead of the top of the antenna. I just like having the antenna out of sight from prying eyes and out of reach of sticky fingers.
  21. Smokee
    The main thing about installing the Baron's risers is to not make it more than it is. After I'd read all the posts about cables not being long enough, about removing this and that, etc., I was just about convinced to send them back without even trying. In reality, installing both of them took me less then 30 minutes during my lunch break the day they arrived! Just pad the tank with a towel or blanket, pop out the chrome plugs, remove the stock bolts and while holding a little tension to the rear on the bar with one hand, slide the new riser in from the outside...repeat for the other side. Insert the new bolts, adjust to your liking and you're done! The rubber bumpers will stay right where they are...and will no longer touch the bars. After installation, the bars will touch the shroud around the ignition switch when turned to full lock, but it isn't a problem because you'll never ride the bike with the bars at full lock anyway. I couldn't believe how much better the bike handled after I installed the risers. It was the 2nd best money I spent on my 07 RSV (the best money spent was for Baron's 4-2-4 slip on's!). Smokee
  22. Smokee
    I nearly bought a Zumo 550 just to have the XM feature last year, but since I had 2 or 3 XM receivers just laying around the garage, I opted for the Zumo 450 (which I LOVE!!!) which doesn't have the XM feature. I installed one of the older Delphi Roady2 receivers that has the FM transmitter built in. Even so, I hooked up a direct aux. input connection for it so I wouldn't have to fiddle with tuning radio stations on the FM to hear the XM. The other added benefit from having the Roady2 with the built-in FM transmitter is in areas where AM/FM reception is non-existant or only in Spanish, like in the Big Bend region of far west Texas. On my last trip out there, I took along a little $10 Sony AM/FM radio that runs on 2 AA cells, and is smaller than a paper back book, and I took a 120VAC power adaptor for the Roady2. So, at night, I could plug in the Roady2 in my cabin or hotel room and listen to it over the portable FM radio! Worked great, with the only down side being having to also connect an XM antenna and deal with the cable, but hey, the whole mess fits into a little stuff sack and packs right into my saddle bag luggage. It's sure nice to have XM when you don't have any other link to the outside world. Now, if I can just afford to upgrade to that Zumo 550 with XM, traffic and Weather!
  23. Smokee
    I bought a 6V hard-wire power supply for my Roady2 on-line and connected it to the aux. power outlet wiring under the fairing (the "cigarette" lighter circuit) using spliced, soldered and shrink-wrapped connections...used zip ties to secure the box part. I stuck the mag-mount antenna right to the top of the cassette deck/radio housing (it "sees" the satellites right through the plastic fairing). The fairing doesn't interfer at all with the XM satellite signal, and it puts the antenna completely out of sight. I ran the power wire, the antenna cable, and an audio cable all in some 1/2" black wire loom up to the left handle bar. I used a RAM mount for the Roady 2 and mounted it to the handle bar right in front of the left speaker...so that the left end of the speedo and the left bank of indicator lights are just visible. It works like a charm and is VERY solid! I used a 3-way stereo splitter from Radio Shack which I plugged into the audio input on the sound system (see article elsewhere on this forum for instructions) and I ran one cable to the the left handle bar for the Roady2 as stated, and another cable to the right handle bar up to the throttle housing where I clip an iPod Shuffle onto the metal throttle cable tube right by the mirror base...fits perfectly.... and plug it in to the audio cable. This puts the iPod within reach of my right index finger as I ride, and puts the Roady2 within each reach of my left hand. One note: if you have both the iPod and the Roady2 turned on and playing at the same time, you get really funky sound quality. So, you have to remember to turn one off when playing the other. Oh, and buy a box of cheap sandwich bags and put a handful of small rubber bands in the box, and toss it in the trunk. You'll have rain proof covers for the Roady for years.
  24. Smokee
    Amsoil 10W-40 MCF Motorcycle Oil at the 600 mile oil change, with Bosch filter. It's on the 3rd oil change now (at 8,500 miles) and no apparent problems. Shifts a lot smoother than with the factory oil. Anybody ever thought about using Amsoil's 10W-40 "ASO Formula 4 Stroke Scooter Oil" in the RSV? It has nearly identical specs (see the fine print lab test data) and the API ratings exceed Yamaha specs (wet clutch compatible, SG, etc.) as the MCF oil. The specs say it's designed for air and water cooled engines. It's about $3 per quart cheaper than the MCF 10W-40.
  25. Smokee
    We sure would like to make the M&E...at least long enough to stop and say howdy...since you're so close to us. The 24th is our 33rd wedding anniversary, so I might be told we're doing something else that day! But keep us posted, and we'll try to make it! Thanks! Smokee & Nurse Debbie
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