YamahaLarry

Also, not sure if you can see it well in this image, but there is a ghosted image of the Justice League on the "hood" and only visible in sunlight. It represents my heroes, the children battling cancer.

Thank you. Lots and lots of work has gone into this bike (well, the 99 too). It's all HOK (House of Kolors) paint, Voodoo Violet Kandy with silver and purple base coat. Pink and purple were Princess Emma's favorite colors, so I chose a shade of purple in her memory. 2 coats primer 1 coat of their base 2 coats of each silver/purple base where required 4 coats Voodoo Violet Kandy 4 coats of their show clear Pinstripes are painted under the clear and are in Superman colors in memory of Superman Thomas J Sullivan of Ashville, AL. Six year old boy that lost his life to cancer and really the one that got me involved in supporting childhood cancer. Colors are red/blue/gold - replaced Superman yellow with gold to represent childhood cancer.

Tribute to Princess Emma Mitchell, 6 year old girl from Oxford, AL that lost her life to cancer. Bike was painted in 2015 in her memory. It is gold paint under 4 coats of clear.

Thanks dude. It was a lot of hard work, and slightly bruised ribs made it even more difficult, getting in certain positions, and worst part was breaking that rear axle nut loose on day 2. Still got a few loose ends to tie up, but so far I am very pleased.

So, this wasn't you?

Lots of hard work went into transferring all painted parts, shot, wheels/tires, etc. Before (the day I picked it up in Georgia and rode it back to vacation resort in Sevierville) After transferring bunches of parts from my 99 RSV (need to clean my camera lens I guess)

I did and skydoc17 had a kit that I used. Had all the shims I needed to change all the intakes to the upper limit Had to also change out 2 exhaust shims that were "out" of tolerance" and had the shim to put one of them to the upper range and the other is closer to the lower range. The other 6 exhaust valves were pretty close to the center of the tolerance range.

Prayers up for your brother cowpuc, and for your mom and the rest of the family. Keep us updated of his progress, because that is what we are expecting, is progress.

Some of you know I have been riding a 99 RSV for several years now and had a custom HOK paint job done in 2015 in memory of a 6 year old girl from Oxford, AL that lost her life to cancer and use it to run lead/escort on 20+ charity rides a year. The 99 is a good bike, just wanted something a little newer, a few less miles and the pillow top seating, plus I found one in Georgia for a very decent price. So, what I've been doing for 2 weeks with injured ribs is transferring all the body parts from the 99 to the 2009, upgrading the audio, installing new led flashing white lights to be used on the bike rides, and while I had it torn down, buffed all the painted parts with 3 step compound, adjusted the valves, sync carbs, changed much of the fluids, greased splines, etc. And I also changed out mufflers to Road Kings that were a dealer pull and swapped the rear shocks (one on my 99 was only 1 year old). To get her completed by this past Sunday morning for a breast cancer ride, I had to work on her from about 8 AM Saturday morning til about 7 AM Sunday morning, no sleep, and only stopping to get a bite to eat and to screen print 45 tee shirts for the ride. Got a few loose ends to tie up, like swap the aluminum levers (brake/clutch) to the chrome ones from my 99, swap out the little plate between the 2 side covers, install the ground effect lighting that were originally on the 09, and recut/apply 3 childhood cancer decals that were removed for buffing. So, anyhow, got it done and wiped down (waxed the parts prior to assembly) for the ride. So, the only test ride was the 2 miles from my house to where the registration was for the ride. She rode like a DREAM and the sound of both the audio upgrade to Polk db402s and the RK mufflers were AWESOME. If you are looking for an inexpensive exhaust upgrade, I do recommend the RK mufflers. They are a very tight fit and will have to really work hard to get the all the way upon the header pipes, but the sound is great. She's got some grunt now. And IMO, the Polk 402s for 65 bucks a pair are really a step up over factory. I forgot to put the cones on the back of the speakers and will have to go back into the front cowling for that, but they sound great as they are. No real deep bass, but the volume is a boost as is the crisper sound. Will try to post some pics in the next couple days. Didn't have time yesterday to take any, and after catching up on missed sleep, just didn't have the time this evening. While being a mechanic in a prior life, couldn't have done this transition without all the helpful information I have gained from this website. Best $12 annual recurring bill a man can possess.

WOW. And I had already planned on getting a new AGM from Batteries Plus in a week or so because I have heard so much good about them. Guess I need to rethink that one.

That's all I did, was just snugged them really good with a standard length allen wrench. Most of them were torqued to 8 ft lbs.

If you haven't already, read V7Goose post. Some nice instructions, but he makes it sound easy. Use this along with the service manual. https://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?38340-2nd-Gen-Valve-Adjustment The use of a lift would make it much easier. But I didn't have that option this time. Have bike torn down to basically the frame and engine doing a complete body panels swap over from my 99, so no wheels are on the bike and it is on a jack. IMO, I think a stand would put the bike at a much easier height to work on it. Can't remember if he mentioned it in the write up, but if you are replacing the valve cover gaskets, spot super glue the gasket to the cover, it will make it much easier. And even at that, when working the rear cover over the cam chain, you may still do as I did and knock the gasket out of alignment a little and have to work it back in. Good lighting is essential, as is lots and lots of patience.

I normally like doing my own work. I guess you could say I have trust issues when it comes to dealerships and them actually doing what you request and pay them to do, unless I personally know the mechanic. Most people I have talked with have paid anywhere from $300 to the upper $500 to have this done, but I guess that is not removing anything in advance. What all did you remove before taking it to the shop? And, was it a Yamaha dealership?

Are you saying I'm fat? Well, I am. Tell folks all the time that I am NOT a biker (although I get called upon to lead a lot of charity rides). I am just an old fat guy that rides a motorcycle. And I think you are right when it comes to my knees and back. I lost a good bit a couple years ago (43 lbs) on a low carb diet, but it only took me about a year to get most of it back. Knees didn't give me as much trouble with I was trimmer. Been holding steady for the past 6 months or so and always say I am gonna diet again, like after our cruise in April, or after 4th of July or after our vacation in September. And now it's pushed out to first of the year with another cruise in November and all the holidays coming up. Back to more important subject, got the valve covers back on, intake tee back in, new plugs set and in, water hoses hooked back up, carbs cleaned and back on the bike. All that took me about 4 hours to do. The rear valve cover is a tight fit for sure and took my time to be extra careful to ensure that the gasket is seated properly all the way around. Looking forward now to maybe sometime tomorrow firing this baby up and syncing the carbs. Just came in to look at some of the pics I took on hose and cable routing prior to removing everything to make sure I get it all back like it was. And good thing too. Found where I need to reroute a couple hoses. And yes. It is gratifying once you get a tough task completed. Not looking forward to this task again, but will probably need to try to tackle it every 30k miles or so. For me, that's about 2 to 2-1/2 years.

If I'd had bike on a lift, it would have been much easier. But it's on a jack which required me constantly getting down on a knee to look thru the inspection hole for timing marks. Plus, I'm maybe a little different than most of us that have fallen victim to arthritis. I quit taking meds in 2006 after reading all the side effects of naproxen. That stuff can kill you, arthritis won't. So I personally elect to hurt vs possible dying.

I've been thru Sapphire before. Best I recall, not much there other than the resort.. Back in 06 we stayed at one of our timeshare resorts in Lake Lure and took a day to go out just driving. First stop was Asheville's Biltmore Estate, and drove over the Cherokee, down to Sapphire Valley and to Flat Rock and back to Lake Lure. I also have timeshare available in Sapphire Valley. Haven't stayed there yet.

I am a former mechanic, mostly in the USCG aboard ship and at a aids to navigation team where we had a 45' buoy both with a Detroit-Allison 671. Have been to various schools from Snapper lawn mowers to Pratt & Whitney FT4A2 gas turbines. Even though I used my GI bill in the early 80s to become a software engineer (fancy name for computer programmer), I have pulled wrenches for the better part of 45 years, granted most of it tinkering with my own stuff. I have build small engines, VW engines and Chevy small blocks. But let me tell you, just getting to the valves on this RSV is quite a task when you are going in for the first time. I was about ready to take a torch to that rear valve cover (expecting it to go back in much easier now that I have shifted some cables). And, even when you get there, lots of cranking the engine over by hand just to check the clearances on all 16 lobes/lifters. To make matters even worse, I think I may have cracked or bruised a few ribs this past Sunday and in a lot of pain there, plus my arthritis has been dealing me fits the past couple months. BUT, I GOT 'ER DONE!!!! Now just got to button it back. Many thanks to skydoc for the kit. Luckily what shims I needed, they were there even though a couple valves are a little on the low side of being in tolerance. On all cylinders, the intake valve tolerances were either dead on the low side or just under by up to .02mm. One is still a little closer to the lower side than I would like, but it's close enough at .12mm. All others are .13 to .15 mm. But, EVERY ONE of them had to be swapped out. Only 1 cylinder, #4 , required swapping shims. It was .01mm OVER tolerance. Oddly, #4 cylinder had different intake shims than the other 2. All were 285s except for this cylinder and it had a 285 on the outboard valve and a 288 on the inboard one. Now here's a puzzle for my reassembly tomorrow morning, well, really later this morning since it's 1:00 am here. There is NO WAY that my torque wrench with an Allen socket will fit on 4 of the 8 bolts. Can you say fudge? As I have previously posted, I am in the process of swapping all body parts (painted surfaces) from a 99 RSV to an 09. All left now after I get the valve covers, carbs and all else back in the frame, is to pull the inner front faring. I have done that before. Easier to pull than to put back on routing all those wires/cables. The 09 bike is basically just the frame, engine, wiring and front forks/inner faring. So sometime tomorrow, I will finally begin yanking the parts off the 99, hitting them with the buffer, and installing them on the 09. I got 1 week from now to have it done. I think I got this. Just need to steal a few of the old ladies pain pills. As for the ribs, no I haven't went to the doctor. Not much they can do other than bind me and give me some pain meds. Honestly, the arithritis in my knees is at times more pain than the ribs. Looking forward to finally getting around also to the audio upgrade.

Saw on the news sometime either last night or this morning that there was flooding in NC. Those folks have had it extremely rough recently.

Not sure where you're headed, but I would have to assume maybe the Cherokee/Maggie Valley area perhaps. Hope you have better weather than I did when I pulled into Cherokee. Had just went down to Georgia to purchase/pickup my new to me 09 RSV. The old lady was following me back in the van and just as we were entering Cherokee the bottom fell out of the skies. So, seeking temporary refuge and maybe a bite to eat we pulled into Paul's Restaurant and took a seat on the front porch, which was semi-crowded. The rain let up to a light drizzle while we were waiting on service. A waitress was coming out and serving other customers. After about 20 minutes we inquired about getting service. Response was "not my table". After about 20 more minutes we just got up and left. I wanted to get over the mountain into Gatlinburg before nightfall. Well, as fate would have it. More rain as we topped the mountain. Not sure if you've ever ridden down the TN side of 441 into Gatlinburg, but it is no fun in the rain at dusk, especially on a bike you are trying to get comfortable with. And just as we were hitting the Gatlinburg bypass, I think the contents of the entire skies dumped on us. Short of the story, no more stopping for food. Make it safe back to our resort in Sevierville. Oh well. Rattling over. Safe travels and keep us posted.

I would guess that some of the condos will be back open in a few weeks, but obviously not the same glamour. Heard on the news this morning that most of the electrical grid was going to have to be repaired and may take a while.

Yes. Pretty much leveled. They said that no building went untouched and many of them destroyed. Watched a drone flyover.

I would expect that at a minimum the major truck stops up 75 would be open. That is a busy busy route. Not sure how much damage there was down around Valdosta, but the were on the "bad" side of the hurricane, and it may have been a cat 2 or less by then. I think you will be ok, that's still 2 days away. I despise that stretch of highway from Ocala or so to Atlanta. Sure wouldn't ride my bike up it. I would be hitting the back roads for sure, even if I had to pull in for the night. Not sure where you are hitting 441 at, but I would assume well before Atlanta. I recently rode it from the Toccoa area up thru Cherokee to Gatlinburg. Fairly nice ride. A few traffic lights along the way, but not many.

To quote cowpuc, "WOWZY WOW WOW WOW!!". This morning on Fox News I saw an 18 wheeler laying on it's side in a parking lot. Panama City Beach will never be the same. It is going to take a long time for it to be somewhat of a normal city again. So much destroyed. Sad.

It's actually worse than a trailer park maybe, it is a camper park. Nice campers. Some lady took a parcel of land and put 1/2 dozen or so nice campers on it and rents them out for a flat fee that includes all utilities. So, he may not have a camper when he goes back tomorrow. I would imagine that it takes less wind to cause havoc on those.

We got word this evening that he is okay. He finally decided to abandon his camper and go to someones house and is fine and supposed to go check on his camper tomorrow. Thanks!