BlueSky

I think they all can have their issues. Valve train/cams can be a problem with the "hemis" from what I've read. Chevy seems to still have cam wear problems on some engines. Ford starting in 2018 has the stop/start feature on all trucks that I don't like. The new 10 speed autos that ford and gm developed together has its issues. I think the new ZF 8 speed German design trans that RAM uses is a good trans. I don't have to worry about rust here in Wilmington, NC so that isn't a concern for me. Flyinfool very rarely hits my area. Toyota may be the most reliable truck but over my life time, every time I thought about buying one, the salesmen were so arrogant I walked. My

I don't have any real preferences any more. I have a 14 yr old Dodge Magnum and 17 yr old F150. I bought a 2013 Infiniti for my wife. Prior to that I bought a Mitsubishi and a Mazda for her. I bought a Chevy Cavalier, Buick skyhawk, Pontiac sunbird, and a Ford Contour for my daughter, a Ford Escort and a Mustang for my son, and a Focus, Miata, Mustang and another Miata for my Stepson. If I bought a new truck it would probably be a RAM or a Toyota. New car might be a Dodge Charger or Chrysler 300. I loved my hot rod chevys in my youth but soured on them due to lots of repairs.

Yep, the design is bad but I bought a new 2000 f150 with the 5.4L engine and put 105k miles on it with no issues. My friend who bought it ran it up to 170k miles with no issues. My current 2002 f150 5.4 has 154k miles on it with no blown out plugs so far. Probably will blow one tomorrow since I said that . This one lasted over a million miles! http://www.millionmilevan.com/ Ain't no perfect vehicles out there. The guy who makes the South Main Auto Repair videos says Chevys and Dodges pays his mortgage and for his kids college funds.

Yeah, on the 97 -03 5.4 2V engines the factory torque spec was too low considering the heads only had about 4 or 5 threads for the spark plugs. We've learned that plugs should be torqued to 28 ft lbs and they won't blow. The repair is not that bad. But you need the right tool to repair it. Lots of youtube videos about how to repair it using a Timesert tool.

How's the election looking Skid? Are you a shoe-in?

Very good point. I prefer the stickiest tires available, not the longest lasting, and I don't know which ones fit that description. The rear Dunlop Elite 3 that has the hole has almost all of the tread left on it. I suppose I agonize over new tire purchases too much whether it's for my autos or motorcycles. I should have taken Mike G's offer of two free Shinkos a while back!

Movies and video games glorify shooting and I really believe that is part of the problem. Add to that so many kids grow up without a father disciplining them.

Beautiful day today. I decided to go for a ride on the RSV. But it was harder than usual to roll it backwards out of the garage. The rear tire that didn't look all that flat had less than 10 psig in it. Pumped it up and sprayed some windex on the tread and the first spot I sprayed started bubbling. Looked at the dates on the tires and the rear is a 2012 tire and the front is an 07 tire, possibly the original. The bike has 23k plus miles on it and the front still has some tread left. Looks like I need two new tires:Sad_0241: Looks like I also need a motorcycle jack. Any recommendations? Miss having a center stand on the RSV. The Goldwing has one and the BMW touring bikes have a center stand. The Gen 1 has one. But Harleys don't have one and that's the standard now.

Read the forum for all the information you can find on carbs. Some carbs can be brought back by using different cleaning products. Put a bottle of seafoam in the tank or my favorite Gumout with PEA. There is a procedure called shotgunning that may be effective. Cowpuc has a procedure too that worked for him in several circumstances. There is a manual in the tech library for this bike that will help. Several of us have bought a video of how to clean these carbs. There is an email somewhere on the forum for the guy who made the video. Damon_Ferraiuolo@msn.com Damon's video is on Vmax carbs but they are almost identical as ours.

I just assumed you would look at video #2 since the one I posted was #1 . Video #2 does cover those parts you are questioning.

Well, it ain't my video. I watched it a couple years ago and googled it for this thread hoping it might help. Sorry. I assume you have looked at the dwgs in the manual or on partzilla or similar parts web sites?

Does this help?

According to my shop manuals that are on a disc, the 1st and 2nd Gens do have the same rear gear, 2.567. The trans gears are the following: 1st Gen 2nd Gen 2.600 2.529 1.772 1.632 1.347 1.200 1.068 0.960 0.906 0.786 And the Vmax rear gear is a 3.082 ratio from what I see when I google.

Is the rear gear ratio the same in all 1st Gens and 2nd Gens? The 2nd Gens are geared really high and are the changes all in the transmission?

Yeah, when I switch from my other bikes to the RSV my left foot is confused. I can see why the H/T shifter is liked because you can shift while wearing huge boots. I've started just using the toe part of the shifter.

Be easier to fix 2nd gear?

Man, I'm sorry to hear that. It must have been a painful fall. In Jan 2010, my last day of work at a plant northwest of Richmond, when I left the rented house to go to work that morning, the melted snow dripping from the roof had frozen on the front steps and my feet went out from under me with my back slamming against the steps. I got up and went to work. After work, I had to load up all my stuff and drive home. My back was so sore I had difficulty loading the truck. But, I was lucky in that I didn't break anything that I know of and my back healed, well sort of. If there were back replacements available I would be signing up!

An infrared thermometer is a great tool to have to check exhaust pipe temps. I think they are as cheap as $20. All 4 should be the same temp is they are working the same.

You might want to check the diaphragms in the carbs to make sure they don't have pinholes. And make sure the sliders are working freely.

I would also unscrew the spark plug caps from the wires and check them for resistance. The OE caps should be 9 to 10k ohms. If they have been replaced with NGK caps, they are probably 5k ohms. Look at the copper core wires. If they look green at all, clip a half inch or more off until you get to shiny copper wire and reinstall the caps. The wire might be corroded at the coil end too?

Happy Birthday Cowpuc! :dancefool:

If you haven't watched it, you may want to watch the attached video that covers adjusting the front forks.

After months of carrying my Ruger LCP .380 in my pocket with a loaded magazine, it was covered with lint. I was wondering if it would fire reliably like that without cleaning or lubing it. I was also wondering if the magazine spring was still strong enough to load reliably. So I took it to a firing range and it fired every round of several magazines without a hickup. Good little handgun.

Dumb question but did you check again to verify the rear gear is full? That sort of issue sounds like it would be in the rear gears or trans.

Well, now is a good time to repair 2nd gear if you want it repaired. It shouldn't be a lot of labor or cost involved if you could find a mechanic who is familiar with how to repair it. Like Puc and many others have proven, the bike will be reliable without 2nd gear if it is not important to you.