Midrsv
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Everything posted by Midrsv
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After all of the discussion of improved slow speed handling that leveling links provide I decided to make a set last Friday. Following the instruction posted in the technical section I made a set from 1/4 x 1 1/4 steel bar from Home Depot. After letting the paint on them dry I installed them and took slow trip around the neighborhood. Wow, they did improve the slow speed handling. Great! I thought. So yesterday I had a 300 mile ride planned with my riding buddies going over roads we've been on dozens of times. A lot of twisties and sweeping curves with good smooth pavement. We hit the curves and the bike was a handful to keep under control. It was extremely "twitchy" and required constant corrections. Without the links I could just set the bike up lay into the curves with a smooth transistion through them. I know it's contrary to popular opinon here, but I don't like them and I plan to go back to the stock links today. Dennis
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Thanks Bobbie, Those photos pretty well documented the weekend. What fun! Dennis
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Valerie and I took a little spur of the moment trip to the Smoky Mountains this weekend and we were joined by Eck and Konnie, Sleeperhawk and Mechanic and B2Dad, B2Mom, Stroker Ace and Denise also stopped by. We had a great weekend and as always it was great time to be with the VR family. While Bobbie took enough pictures for all of us I did manage to shoot a few. I've place them on my web site and they can be viewed at: www.traynorphoto.com/smokies2010 Thanks everyone, Dennis
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The earliest Valerie and I will be able to get on the road tomorrow is 1:30 so it will probably be 5:45 or so before we get to the Red Roof, depending on how the traffic flows. Dennis
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That's Great Eck. Right now we've got reservations at the La Quinta Inn in Pigeon Forge. I don't know anything about the place I just picked it off the internet. If you have someplace better in mind just let me know before 6:00PM tomorrow. Red Roof Inn 2510 Parkway Pigeon Forge, TN 37863 865-908-6633 Our plans are to try to get on the road Friday afternoon by 1:30 or so and it will probably take us about 4 hours to get there. We'll get there in time for dinner and shopping. I think you have my cell phone number so call anytime if you wonder where we are. We look forward to seeing you and Konnie again. Dennis
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I think my wife and I are going to take off for Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge Friday and ride around the area on Saturday. Of course her idea of riding around the area means to the nearest outlet mall. But I'm sure we'll make the trip over the mountain. If anyone is going to be in the area and wants to get together send me a message. Dennis
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I have a SPOT and recently used it on our 4400 mile trip west. I was less concerned with safety because I had others with me. My main reason was to let family and friends keep track of our progress. The emergency help was a bonus. Although I will have it on and with me any time I ride alone. Here is a link to my recent track. http://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=6473 You'll have to set the history back a month or so to see all of the trip. Dennis
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NO!!! I had the same problem with my bike. The screws were also missing from the bar and it was held with a wire tie. They tried to blame it on me that I had left the screws out when I was in there installing some wires. We had a little debate about that and they ended up paying for everything. I didn't pay a cent. I had mine fixed earlier this summer. Dennis
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I'll get it mailed out to you tomorrow. As for payment just make a donation for whatever it's worth to the Venturerider.org site or to St. Judes and I'm happy. Dennis
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I have the Zumo 550 with XM and wouldn't want to be without it. Not so much for directions as the radio and telephone. It sounds like you ride a lot locally and I am guessing you commute as I do. Being able to answer calls on the bike is a huge benefit to me. It's not uncommon for me to get a call on the way home with instructions to pick up dinner if I want to eat. Dennis
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Is this the ring you need? I too tried the POS Ajure lights. I wanted halogen lights so I switched mine out for Vstar lamps. Much better. If this is the ring you need let me know. Dennis
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Need opinions on Whirlpool Duet Front Load Washer and Dryer
Midrsv replied to Midrsv's topic in Watering Hole
I'm not dealing with a salesman. The model is a WFW9470. A steam washer and dryer. Dennis -
Need opinions on Whirlpool Duet Front Load Washer and Dryer
Midrsv replied to Midrsv's topic in Watering Hole
Me too. However, I'm really struggling with this purchase. The price is right but I've read quite a few user reviews which indicate a high repair rate on Whirlpool front load units. There are a lot of satisfied users as well. The failure rate on Samsung and LG seems to be less based on the reviews I've read but they are about 25% more expensive. I've been told that the Whirlpool units are built in Findlay, OH and I like the idea of buying from a US company and factory. I'm just worried about future problems. I can be swayed at this point. Dennis -
Need opinions on Whirlpool Duet Front Load Washer and Dryer
Midrsv replied to Midrsv's topic in Watering Hole
Thanks for the input. You guys are starting to scare me away from Whirlpool. I have access to an employee sales program that allows me to get a pretty good price on the units. I went by Lowes and HHGregg at lunch and it seems that a similar LG or Samsung set would run $800 to $1000 more. Are they worth it? We don't have kids and wouldn't be heavy users. Dennis -
I know this isn't bike related but you're a large family to throw the question out to. My wife and I are looking at a top of the line Whirlpool Duet front load washer/dryer set. The price is right. I've looked at online review sites and see a mixed bag of opinions. I see the same from other manufacturers reviews. So, I'm looking for input from real people with first hand knowledge. I can get the top of the line set for about $1300 which is about $800 less than Lowes price. Should I look elsewhere? Does Whirlpool make a decent set? Thanks, Dennis
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Been there done that! I've switched to a Mustang seat and so far it's working for me. My wife still prefers the original pillowtop seat. Here is a thread I started about it a while back, http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49596&highlight=mustang I tried the butler mod, having a seat reworked locally with gel inserts and then the Mustang. In my opinion the OEM pillow top seat is good for about 1 season for me, about 15,000 miles. After that it feels like I am sitting on the frame and after about 30 minutes I hurt. The Mustang is a harder seat and at first doesn't "feel" as plush. I questioned the purchase when I first got it but I stuck with it. Either my rear or the seat got broke in. I recently completed a 4400 plus mile ride and not once did I have the pain in my rear. I got tired of sitting which would have happened on any seat. Now my wife prefers the pillow top. She likes the softer seat. Another issue with her seat is that it is slanted forward slightly. Just enough that she feels like she's sliding forward. I've talked to Mustang folks about that and they confirmed that the design has a slightly forward pitch for the passenger and I asked if there was anything they could do to rework the seat and improve it. They said no but referred me to someone in Florida that might be able to. Right now I'm thinking about trying to come up with some wedge type cushion for her to use on the longer rides. There may be a better seat out there but I haven't tried it yet. Check out the link above for photos. Dennis
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Another vote for the Harley Ride Planner. That's all I've used the last couple of years. Dennis
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I stopped by Cyclegadgets.com in Eureka Springs and picked up RAM mount for my SPOT. You could put it in your saddlebag but it needs a clear view of the sky to transmit. If you only used it for emergencies or just turned it on to transmit an OK message that would work. For route tracking you would need to leave it on and open to the sky because it wakes up and transmits your position every 10 minutes. For a while I had mine strapped to the luggage rack on the trunk. Dennis
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I believe the rebate is for the first generation which is bigger than the 2nd gen. Dennis
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I have a SPOT and used it to let friends and family follow our track on a two week trip that I just finished. It can be used to signal for help if you are outside cell phone area because it uses satellite communications. It is not a two-way communicator and it merely signals that you need help or it provides a means to send a preconfigured message text message or email to your contacts that you are OK. Here is the track for my recent trip: http://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=6473 For more info on SPOT go to www.findmespot.com Dennis
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It's a keeper. While my rear got tired of sitting I never had the tailbone pain. Dennis
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Bob, go to http://www.findmespot.com/en/ and check out the SPOT Overview tab at the top of the page. Basically it is a small device that sends a signal to a satellite with your position information. If you have an emergency you can hit the SOS button and it will send a message to a control center that will dispatch emergency response personnel to your location. If it's not a life threatening emergency such as a flat tire or your boat motor conked out in the middle of the lake it can send an message to someone you designate that can call a tow truck in that area and ask that they come to that location and give you a hand. Since it works via satellite it could be helpful if you're out of cell range. Which I was many times on this last trip. There is an optional service that provides tracking data which is the real reason I bought the unit. This way family and friends could follow our location in near real time. Within 10 to 20 minutes. Dennis
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After just returning from out 4400 mile trip I did a little analysis on the mileage. I have an Iphone app that I tracked the mileage with and I was able to export the data to Excel. Minimum tank average = 24.44 mpg Maximum tank average = 43.305 mpg First 10 tank average = 29.897 mpg Middle 10 tank average = 37.2 mpg Last 10 tank average = 32.78 mpg Maximum fill = 4.947 gal Minimum fill = 1.868 gal The first 10 tanks would have taken me through western KY, AR, OK, TX and NM while the last 10 tanks would have been through SD, MN, IA, IL, IN and KY. The middle 10 would have been between Santa Fe and Estes Park. The terrain for the first 10 was probably a bit more hilly with a rise in elevation and the last 10 would have been more flat with a reduction in elevation. The middle 10 would have been in the mountains at slower speeds with high mountain climbs followed by quite a bit of coasting down hill. At every fill-up all 3 bikes with me took between .3 gallons and 1.2 gallons less fuel. I spoke with another tour deluxe rider in CO and he reported similar mileage. Dennis
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Some of you have been following our ride for the last two weeks. Just wanted to let everyone know we made I made it home late last night. We started out on a two week loop around Kansas and Nebraska (in that we didn't touch either state). We left on the 18th and tavelled to Sikeston MO, on to Eureka Springs AR, through OK and the TX panhandle to Albuquerque NM. From there we went through Durango, Montrose, Telluride, Carbondale, Frisco, Estes Park and then on to the Black Hills of SD. We left Hill City SD Friday morning and made it home to Nicholasville KY last night, 1376 miles. Overall we covered 4410 miles in 14 days. It was an incredible trip. We saw very little rain, maybe 60 to 90 minutes the entire trip. It rained several evenings after we were settled at our hotel. We had no flat tires or equipment problems. Traffic was not a problem with the exception of a couple of lane closures for paving. It was a bit hot on the way to NM but after that the temperatures were quite comfortable. We travelled desolate highways, high mountain passes, beautiful canyons, and lush grasslands and forests. We saw many windmill farms. We live in a beautiful country as I'm sure you know. I had posted a few daily reports with links to the day's photos and some of you may have looked at them. I've combined all of those into a single link with all of the photos. If you care to see the photos they are at: www.traynorphoto.com/2010biketrip I also carried a SPOT unit. I highly recommend that if you have people at home trying to keep track of you. We had family following our track and it helped them know that we were safe and still moving. It entertained my 86 year old father-in-law as he sat by the computer with his road atlas following our progress. The SPOT track can be found at: http://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=6473 We've began planning this trip about 9 months ago so it will soon be time to plan next years adventure. We're thinking about the Oregon and N. California coastline. But you never know. Back to work tomorrow..... Dennis
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We got on our way home today after dropping my wife at the Rapid City airport. She made it home this evening and I made it to Clear Lake, IA, about 620 miles. We did manage to ride through about 10 miles of the Badlands National Park. A few photos are posted at http://www.traynorphoto.com/day13/ If we ride hard tomorrow we may make it home. About 700 miles to go. Dennis