BlueSky

A small set of picks are cheap and work well pulling out the washers and o-rings. I put a tiny bit of sticky gasket sealer on the end of a screwdriver to pull out the screw when I was working on the carbs while they were on the bike.

I used K&L needles and seats in my Kawasaki carbs and they did great. Yep, if a float has a hole in it or is saturated depending on the material and sinking, that would explain the gas coming in.

Cool! Do you still have the pick-em-up truck?

They try to hide and are very hard to see sometimes. They may still be in the carb.

Kind of like lying to your girl friends to get what you wanted back in the day!

I worked in the engineering profession for a large electrical utility. What I saw was that expectations for women engineers were lower than for men engineers. Women could get a good job evaluation and promotions for performance that would put men engineers in jeopardy of getting fired or at least a bad job evaluation.

Ever since I was in the Army, I can sleep anywhere on most anything. I've spent several nights on the floor in the airport using my carry-on as a pillow. I was 69 the last time. I prefer the foam mattresses. We have a couple of those in the house but the master bedroom has a really firm coil spring mattress, one of Sears best with two layers totalling 4" of memory foam on the top that I added.

Nice looking bike!

If you have a welder and a cutting torch, go for it.

Count the caliper pistons. the MkIIs have 4 piston calipers.

Check the fuel level per the manual instructions with the engine running to confirm your settings.

Why don't you check the fluid level when it is leaking by connecting a tube to the drain and opening it. Compare to the other carbs if necessary. If the level is high you know the needle is leaking on that carb. I used a clear tygon tube that fit tightly over the drain tubes on my venture to check the fuel levels in accordance with instructions in the manual.

A locksmith might just change the lock so your key will work. I had a 1981 Honda CB900C that a PO had installed a Goldwing fairing and jury rigged the GW trunk and saddlebags on to the bike. I changed the lock on the trunk so the ignition key would work by taking it apart and removing or moving the tumblers around so the ignition key would unlock it. Take a look at it and see if you can disassemble the lock.

Some years ago, I was thinking about a used Airstream travel trailer. I had always heard they were the best. My research revealed that the longer trailers, about 30' I think, had frame problems in the rear. The rear actually sagged on some of them, on the super expensive Airstream! So, I would agree with Flying Fool about considering frame strength. Travel trailers are typically engineered to be as light as possible so probably not much margin on the frame strength.

I don't know if the CA models are like my 2004 Kawasaki Concours but it didn't have carb overflows. If the fuel valve failed and the fuel needles leaked, gasoline would flood the engine and possibly cause hydrolock which typically bent connecting rods when the engine was turned by the starter.

So sorry to hear this. I met him briefly at two of Skid's Myrtle Beach meets.

That is what I think also. I tie the front wheel securely to the rail in the front of the trailer so if the bike moved in relation to the trailer it could only happen if the tire flexed. Shouldn't hurt to leave it in neutral though since the bike is tied down tight. I think I will do that in the future just in case.

Is that canister a charcoal canister? Our old 81 6 cyl Ford Granada back in the day was flooding when the engine was off. Finally figured out the charcoal canister was flooded and when the engine was shut off the canister was vented to the carb and heat from expansion was pushing the gas into the carb. I could look into the carb after shutting off the engine and see gas squirting into the carb. Could this be a similar situation?

I like the color. I see a couple of dealers on craiglist in my area offering new 2014 deluxe models that are black. Cheapest dealer is about $12,6xx plus $350 shippng.

Okay, must be that new model that Honda made by turning the ST into a cruiser. A CTX?

Sounds a lot like a ST1300 with some add-ons.

Yep, I think I tied mine down around the fork tubes at the brace. I also tied the front wheel to the front of my trailer and also had two straps on the rear.

I hauled my 89 venture home on a 5' x 8' open trailer like Lowes sells. It wasn't long enough. Ended up loading it diagonally to get it to fit with the tailgate/ramp up which had to be up. Then there was so much weight on the right front of the trailer that the bed tilted down on that corner. I was afraid some trailer welds would break but they didn't.

Seems like there aren't that many newish smaller bikes with an upright seating position. Plenty of cruisers if that is your style. My Kawasaki ZN700 has a dry weight of 498lbs and is so easy to push around the garage. Pushing around the Venture is a high risk situation, high risk of it falling over. The "adventure" bikes seem to be the latest craze. The one liter Vstrom weighs just over 500 lbs and might be a possibility. And they aren't that expensive to buy used. The BMW RT bikes supposedly have an upright seating position and all day riding comfort. Ain't cheap though.