videoarizona

Merry Christmas! While I relax in the sunshine. Grins! But not really....60s during day but near freezing at night. Almost decent riding weather except the wind can be strong and chilly! Be well, stay safe and have a nice Holidays!!! David and Pat P.S. Thanks Don for the Holiday decorations on the site! Nice!

Will have to watch. Thank, Earl. I too enjoy youtube, but have found that much of the "information" is really nothing more than a personal experience or opinion...neither of which I'm interested in. Much of it is flat out wrong. Discovered this when researching adding a lithium battery to my trailer RV.

Agreed. Will miss the yard, but we can still have gatherings wherever you both end up! Just don't forget the critter in the pond....

Agreed. Will miss the yard, but we can still have gatherings wherever you both end up! Just don't forget the critter in the pond....

Prayers Up!

Prayers Up! Wishing you and your family a successful operation and a wonderful Holidays with a speedy recovery!

Went for a ride today. Had to take a break from loading the trailer for a trip to the Colorado River this coming week. Need to get out of town and relax!

They did a review of the Yamaha Star and an HD. Interesting comparison. However, You can tell the writer is an HD person, they couldn't even get the Yamaha picture correct! It's an older 2nd gen Venture!!? I'm not going to link it... Not worth reading to be honest. D

The Twinkie is the oval part that sits low down between the cylinders. It sits crosswise to the engine...ie...across the gap between the cylinders. Besides the water pump, it's the only other place where water and oil come together and you can get a leak. The gasket is simple but tricky to install. Download manual from this site.

Did you follow through on the vacuum test? Is the problem electrical or mechanical? Do you have vacuum leak in CC system or anywhere else? Did you try setting the cruise at speed then immediately hitting the resume button? Sometimes that helps it lock in faster. Ie, ,"set", "resume". Is there a self test built into system? I don't remember and didn't look through the manual. Doing this by memory.

It's the white, fluffy stuff I used to love....lol

Just a note to wish all my brothers and sisters a Happy Thanksgiving and the beginning of a wonderful Holiday Season! Be well, be happy, be content with what you have! Hug your family... Take a break from shoveling, look up, stick your tongue out and catch a snowflake.... Listen to the silence. I grew up in snow... But that time is past for me.... I'll be in envy of you snowbirds.... As I dust my scoot off and go for a ride today.... Smile..... david

Update: It seems Honda, among others, have come out with new mid line model cruisers. Yamaha has none. I've been watching. There are 2 new V4 models out as well. It's getting interesting out there...

If you decide to sell the 1300, PM me. I might be able to help out! Grins.....

Ever since I sold my VStar 950 Tourer, I've regretted it. Comfortable, nimble, fast, sips gas, great for touring around the state. Kawasaki ( among others) are bringing back mid size cruisers. Yamaha? Nope. This W800 retro looking cruiser with ABS and other modern goodies for under$10k is a fantastic opportunity for the K group. I am doing some serious thinking in this direction. Why Yamaha dropped the VStar 950 and the VStar 1300 is beyond my thinking. A touch of modernization and they would have kept the market position they enjoyed with those two cruisers! Anyway, enjoy the picture. Kawasaki has outdone the British with this bike! From pipes to wheels! David

Does the base look like this bulb?

I decided to go with the brake pads Earl @skydoc_17mentioned. It's the least expensive way and the lowest amount of engineering. I was already considering @WIZ's thoughts with adding the valve to the rear system but really am tired of dealing with brake lines. To many years of fiddling with fittings and leaks!!! Earl got the pads out to me right away. Hope to get them installed in next few weeks. We are heading into our sailing season here in Arizona, so I'm spending time on boat. And camping. And riding! getting busy for me...! Thanks @WIZ and @skydoc_17....

You might want to email Kuryakin. I believe they have led bulbs for Yamaha. Your bulb might be just an amber 1157 bulb....? Regardless, know that you will still have to either buy a load resister or a new/ modified flasher relay. Led bulbs don't have the resistance needed to properly trigger the relay. A load resister adds resistance to the circuit, mimicking the original incandescent bulb. So you gain less heat, brighter flashing but no gain in battery savings.

Holy Moly, Tony! Here's hoping your clients hang in there with you and you heal fast... Man, glad you are still with us! Prayers Up! David

No clue. I'm not at home so can't look. But if I can remember when I'm home next week, I'll confirm what I have and then research for you. David

Not much going on in Arizona Land. Been working on travel trailer. Switched to lithium batteries. Not plug and play as many say. Not if you do it right! Spent this past week working on sailboat. Found two water leaks in the ports (windows). They cracked from the heat this summer. Guess it does get warm here! Lol. RSV had been sitting quietly in garage. No time to ride this past month. But getting into prime riding season now. The heat seems to go away overnight in the middle of October each year. Just got some new rear brake shoes from @skydoc_17.They will go on in the next few weeks. I'll find time between sailing weekends and camping weeks coming up. That's it from the Southwest. Sorry to read about all youse putting up your V4 beasties for the Winter. be well...

Anyone heard of such a thing? Only once I've hit the rear brake to hard and almost highsided. Only takes once. TIA, David

Funny how those packages just keep on coming..... My house too... But I'm swapping out 2 golf cart batteries with 1 lithium in the trailer... And it's not just a swap! Lot goes into the move. I'm learning as fast as I can....

Agreed. Trying to copy HD is/was a ridiculous waste of time. The Star rider idiots that influenced Yamaha to design the Star Venture should have been taken out and hung. Seriously angers me.... It's obvious they had no clue.... (I could feel @cowpuc's disappointment when he saw the Star Venture for the first time. We were on the phone when the bike rolled onto the stage. Such a huge letdown for us.) To continue: There are rumors of a liquid cooled V4 touring scoot behind introduced this coming year by another company with a +$30k price tag. I'm waiting to see more and will share if it comes to be! Yamaha had also dropped the ball on street cruisers. The VStar 950 Tourer and VStar 1300 Tourer we're excellent bikes. Handling, performance, reliability and the huge fun factor were what made those cruisers so good on the road. My biggest mistake with a motorcycle was selling my VStar 950 Tourer. Look at all the 900cc cruisers out there now! It seems everyone has one except Yamaha. Perfect for just about any type of riding except dirt. I guess you could call the Yamaha Niken a mid level cruiser, but you won't find one at a dealer... So what good is it? Regardless, Hopefully Yamaha learned their lesson with the Star Venture. Great bike in so many ways but not really a Yamaha..... Just another copycat trying to survive in an HD world. I'm sure Yamaha will get back into the touring business in a few more years. And if they build it "their way", it will be a seller. But it will be too late for me to enjoy.... I'm nearing the end of my run on 2 wheels. Been a great ride since 1965. Maybe another year to go. We shall see... And yes, if the Star Venture had been what we were hoping...I would have bought one right then there... David