oconeedan

That is only an estimation...by the time I saw the deer and hit the brakes, I made impact only a few feet later. I haven't seen it, but was told the skid marks were only a few feet. I know I was a tad over 60 before it all started. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes and prayers. Dan

I am fairly new here, have only had my 07 RSTD a couple of months, and hit a deer Friday morning on the way to work. The bike is totaled. I am lucky to have lived, but still have some bad injuries. Crushed left leg at knee is the main issue. Beat up all over. I was on a rural highway, the road drops off steeply on both shoulders. A big doe ran from the left, the first time I could see her she had entered the left lane running to my right. I hit brakes hard but didn't have time to do much. I am not sure if I hit the deer with my knee, or if the bike hit her and I went down on my knee. I ended up on edge of road, bike went off road to right and then veered across the road and down into the ditch. I was doing about 60 mph when I made a solid hit. I somehow had the sense to roll off the road. Somehow found my phone and called for help. I was lucky that I was wearing leather chaps, leather jacket, and 3/4 helmet. All are trashed. I still got road rash on both arms, and left hand (glove knocked off). When it's hot, I usually only wear my short sleeve shirt and always a helmet. If I ride again, I will have to revisit that practice, and consider a light colored mesh jacket and pants. The leathers saved me from serious rash. Right now i am in a splint, and pretty much crippled. Waiting on surgery next week to fix the leg, and then a pretty long recovery period. My wife has taken this like a champ, even asked if I was getting another Yamaha!! I am a very experienced rider, it can happen to anyone. The purpose of this post, is to get you to reconsider wearing at least light jacket when it gets hot outside. I am glad I had mine on. No amount of gear will stop everything though. By the way, Progressive Insurance has been good to work with, they are going to take care of me. I have short term disability insurance at work, thankfully. Dan

NO, if you are using Ride On, no more balancing is needed. Ride on, or dynabeads, they each balance the tire. Don't use both. And don't balance after adding either to a tire. They both work wonderfully, by themselves.

Maybe you can help us all? Can we use a 1157 type bulb and file a slot in the bayonette plug? What was Yamaha thinking?

Ooh sorry, it is a 2nd generation. 07 RSVT. I think it may be computer controlled, the manual states it is on a timer, that stops when the wheel sensor stops. Two reasons for the question: I'l like to increase the time a bit, it seems the signal always turns off a few seconds too early. And also, I am planning to replace running lights / turn signals with LED, and am changing the flasher so it blinks properly with low load.

THAT, is one of the most beautiful bikes ever made. For some reason, the KBB and Edwards don't treat them fairly, and loan value is not good. But, if I had cash in pocket, that is one bike I would go after relentlessly. Congrats on your purchase, I hope it serves you well. They run SO smooth.

How does the auto cancelling turn signal work, is the timer in the flasher, or computer? I suspect the computer, since the owner's manual states that the timer stops when the wheels stop turning. Is there a way to increase the time they stay on? Dan

Maxims...those were fine bikes.

You can polish it out, no doubt, seeing your post about polishing the forks. Use the same procedure, you will need to go to 1000 grit or possibly finer, then the polishing compound. Easy with the power tools, but the loose unsewn wheel can do a good job in the end, especially if you use a softer compound.

Interesting. Miniature what...miniature knives, miniature dolls, trains...? When you said you meant Royalty, I thought you meant one of us. We are all royalty, riding Royal Stars.

So when you say nothing, you mean no lights at all? Are you getting any lights on the dash? Recheck main fuse like dinghy suggested. Looking at the wiring diagram, if you said the ignition fuse blew once, that indicates a problem in the coils or ignitor. If you remove the ignition fuse, try again, and everything lights up (bike won't start with fuse pulled). Then put fuse back in, try to start bike, if it blows again, it sounds like an ignition circuit problem.

I agree with the above. Maybe they can mount the rear wheel on a spin balancer, and check the rotor for runout. He may have a bad wheel from the factory, with the rotor mount not straight with the wheel. After some braking, the rotor gets hot and warps. I think it doesn't have anything to do with the caliper or rest of the brake system, I believe it is all in a warped rotor. Is this bike still under warranty? Even if not, maybe Yamaha will look at it as a warranty issue if the rear wheel is defective.

To use this spider light, you'll have to change the angle of the bulb socket, as it is pointing in a mostly upward direction. I have had this one now, for a few weeks, and I am very happy with it. After evaluation, it is brighter than stock, instant on, and burns cool. The stock bulb is HOT. Also, this LED lights up the license plate well. Do a search on flea bay for " 30W CREE 1157 bulb white". I like it so much, that I am going to get amber bulbs for front turn signals, and convert my rear turn signals to run / flashers using red LED bulbs of same type. These bulbs are only around $7 bucks shipped! http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j117/OconeeDan/30W%20Cree%201157.jpg

Gary, reading a meter is not something that can be taught in short message. But if you are interested, buy an inexpensive one and start learning, it is a diagnostic tool that can be carried over from your bike to your car, and home. To be brief, you put the meter in "ohms", or "resistance" setting. Test with one probe to a wire in the circuit you are testing, the other to chassis ground (like your handlebar or frame). If it reads near zero (less than 100 ohms), then you may have found the circuit. If you find a reading less than 2.o, then you have surely found a problem. The lower the resistance (measured in ohms), the closer to a short. If you measure from the end of a wire, to the other end, it would read 0.0 ohms, indicating it is a short, or straight wire. If you measure from the end of that wire, to nothing else, it will read infinity ohms, indicating an open circuit (meaning no connection at all). I could show you more in 20 minutes, than I could type in a day. SO...find a friend near you that can use a meter, and learn. It is a skill that is very useful. You don't have to have an expensive meter to find a problem or diagnose problems. I would suggest that you don't test household electricity without a small amount of training, it doesn't take much AC voltage to kill you. Please don't take that the wrong way. Dan

It sounds like you have a short somewhere, and likely only where you did the work. Bad connections usually won't blow fuses. If you know how to use a meter, check for a short...I would start with something in the handlebar area...brake light circuit, cruise control, turn signals, or horn. If you don't know how to use a meter, try pulling fuses for horn, turn signals, brake light, and cruise control (all of them). Replace main fuse and turn bike on. If it does not blow, you are narrowing it down. Then add one fuse, turn bike back on. Keep going until it blows the main fuse, and you found it. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. I am pretty good with electrical problems but have not had my Yamaha long enough to "work on it". Dan

Of course! A fresh set of "any plugs", may have had the same effect. I have no scientific way of determining if one is better than the other. I ran those iridium plugs another 30k miles before selling the bike, and it ran well when I sold it. I believe, that iridiums may be better, but certainly not any worse than standard plugs. On that one item, that you replace only once every few years, I'll pay the extra 30 bucks or so and buy the premium plugs. This is based not only on my experiences, but with other testimonies that state that starting is easier. I have heard others say that they had an increase in fuel mileage, also. It is one of those things that may boil down to "personal preference".

I never had sea foam give my plugs problems, but I only run it once in a while. Generally, bike doesn't run quite as good with it, but better after it. I like it once a year or so. Dan

Thanks Chief. AT2 here.

I listen to the thump thump of an armadillo.

My last bike, I ran the original plugs past 90,000 miles with no problems. I put in NGK Iridiums, and found it was slightly easier to start. No fuel mileage advantage, no hp gains. BUT, I have read testimonies that say that the easier starting was not only a big plus, but saves your starter....much harder to replace than plugs. My next set, expensive or not, will be iridiums. Dan

I feel stupid.

The smoother ride is not your imagination. Ride on (and DynaBeads) will give you a smoother ride, until the tire is completely worn out. And that will be long after it "should" have lasted, good balance extends tire life. I won't go without...

Pretty cool Vito!

My bike clicks nearly every day, but I am in the South. Even though you may have stored the bike properly, old fuel is usually the first thing I would suspect. I would drain (put in my truck), and refill with new gas.

Condor, I like that knob you mentioned. Yes, fill shell with epoxy and let it set hard. Drill out the proper size, add a little more epoxy, and slide it on. It doesn't stick out too far, but is easy to reach. Yes, I do intend to replace the rubber valve stem with a metal one when I get the tire changed. And all I did was epoxy a standard plastic cap into the shell. I did not do the rear, as it's angled and I didn't want the extra weight bending it when riding. So shells may not be everyone's cup of tea, but you can use anything you want for a choke knob....dice, little ball, barbie head, little skull, or one that you turn out of wood.