Midrsv

When we take our annual cross country bike trip we like to use some form of location tracking so our families and friends can follow our progress. I've been looking for an iphone solution to replace my SPOT unit for location tracking on trips. Since we ride with friends and stay on paved roads I really didn't need the emergency features of SPOT and couldn't justify the annual subscription expense for just a couple of weeks a year. I just wanted something that would track our location and plot our track on a web site. Thanks to a post on ADVRIDER.COM I found the solution, its SWconnect from the app store. It interfaces with my existing Spotwalla account. First you need an account on spotwalla.com and an iPhone. For info on the software go to http://rvtechtools.com/swconnect.html. You then create a trip on Spotwalla with the timeframe you want to capture. Then a web link is created that you can send to your friends. From there they can check in at anytime and see your position and track history. I downloaded it and set it up. Took a little ride through the neighborhood to see if it worked. It did. Just like the SPOT data. Except you have to have a cell signal to transmit the data where the SPOT unit used satellites. If you're in an area without cell service the software buffers the data and then transmit's it when you get service again. If you interested it's all free. Just create a Spotwalla.com account and download the app. Here is the track for my test ride. https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=d5ac556a52c7e4ac0 And here is a link to our 2012 trip that was created with my SPOT. https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=4e6e4ff8a01b0feb1 I'll be using SWconnect on our trip this year instead of Glympse or SPOT. Check it out if you have an iPhone. Dennis

That was good for a laugh today. I've got that vision in my head now. Dennis

I mount my Drift camera using a RAM suction cup mount. http://www.rammount.com/part/RAM-B-224-1U With it I can move it to different locations. Front of the fairing, saddle bag side, trunk side. It holds very strongly. But I do have a cord connected to the mount and the bike at all times in case it releases. I've ridden hundreds of miles with it in place. Dennis

Went out for a short ride this afternoon and decided to play with my Drift HD camera. This is a 20 mile (round trip) ride from my house to the KY River Palisades area along US 68. The fun starts at about 6:30 in the video. Sorry about the audio. On the return trip I moved the camera position and had to disconnect the microphone and the onboard mic was picking up too much wind noise. The last 2 or 3 miles as you approach the river is one of my favorite stretches to ride. Dennis

Yes Eck, Valerie and I have been very fortunate to be able to see so much of the country. We have plans to go back to SD, WY and CO this year. Dennis

I've ridden it both ways. I prefer riding west to east. I think most of the views were better from along that edge when you looked down into the valleys and canyons. Also, it seemed like most of the pullouts were on that side of the road. Going east to west I think we had to cross the other lane often to pull off for a photo op. You can't go wrong either way. Here is a link to photos going west to east: http://www.traynorphoto.com/glacier/index_8.html And here is a link to photos from east to west: http://traynorphoto.com/glacier_2012/index_36.html The links are where the Glacier photos start. Dennis

I would have to vote for Beartooth Pass between Cooke City and Red Lodge and Going to the Sun highway through Glacier National Park. Dennis

That sounds like a good deal Eck. The last 20's I bought for my Tahoe were around $1200 (Michelins)

Here's one guys opinion....

This was news to me.... FBI Admits All Registered Motorcycle Owners Are On Classified Gang List | WashingtonPost

We also looked at Outback. They have a similar model. It all came down to the details with floor plan. Laredo was the only one with this particular layout. It is a 2015 322RL. For interior photos go to: 2015 Laredo 322RL

There are many options to consider when wanting to "snowbird". We considered motorhomes and toy haulers and ended up with a 36' travel trailer with 3 slides. Our intent was to have a place to winter and not travel with the rig. We started with used 28' trailer as a test the first winter. We then bought a lot in a condo park in Florida and then upgraded last year to our current trailer. Lot and trailer combined I probably have less money invested than what most motorhomes would cost. Based on our friends comments and experiences here are a few options to consider. In addition to the MH you could have a toy hauler. May not be finished as nice inside. One friend has a very nice 5th wheel that he leaves stored in Florida when he goes home. He tows his motorcycle and golf cart down with a van and has a service place his trailer on and off the lot. One friend had a really nice 40ft diesel pusher MH and moved from it to a really nice 5th wheel trailer and diesel truck to pull it. He said it was much cheaper and easier to maintain and he didn't have to tow a car along with him. The lot behind us has a really nice 38' diesel pusher which is a very nice coach. However, our 36' trailer is much more comfortable to live in for extended periods. If you're going to stay in one place once you arrive at your destination, do you really need all of the battery inverter and generator systems on the MH? Much more to maintain when you will likely always be plugged into a power pedestal. In our case we don't use the trailer to travel. It's just a winter home and we leave it in storage in Florida when we go home. The only downside to a travel trailer over the other options is outside storage. MH and 5th wheels both have much more storage in the basements. Here is a photo of our current setup. Good luck in your search.

I lost the shifter bolt on my 2007 RSV about 200 miles from home at the start of a 4500 mile trip. Pulled off an interstate exit ramp and went to down shift and found that my shifter wasn't there. Looked down and it was on the floorboard. I managed to get it back on the pivot shaft and made it to a gas station. I took some zip tie strips and secured it the best I could. Continued on my way with no problem. A couple of thousand miles later I passed a NAPA store and decided to stop to see if I could get a replacement. I found a bolt and washer that worked and continued on. Once I got home I replaced it with the correct screw from Yamaha and made sure to use Loctite. Dennis

I saw a motorcyclist today that was an accident waiting to happen. He was riding in Florida with a dark colored bike (sport bike) and no headlights. I almost pulled out in front of him and I have decent vision. There are a lot of seniors down here who probably wouldn't have seen him. Dennis

Congratulations on your 25th. On our 25th my wife said she was going to Hawaii with or without me. We had a great trip and have been back 5 times since. If you make it to Maui and need something to do one evening, I highly recommend the Warren and Annabelle show in Lahaina. It's a magic and comedy show based on the characters of the Andy Griffith show. Check it out. http://www.warrenandannabelles.com/ Dennis

I had the same thing happen. Fortunately I was local at the time. I stopped at a light and when I took off it felt like I was dragging a sled. I pulled over and I could smell hot brakes. It released on its own and travelled on. When it happened the second time I took it in for warranty work. The told me my caliper was rusted and it wasn't covered under warranty. They cleaned and rebuilt my caliper and charged me a couple of hundred bucks. The next day it started dragging again. I had to fight with Honda to get them to replace the caliper and master cylinder. They did. On a recent trip I thought I could smell hot brakes at a stop but didn't notice any dragging. Dennis

Can't help you there Eck.

Eck, I too use Tyre. When it installs the setup defaults to Tom Tom gps. In the settings you can change it to Garmin. Once I became familiar with the Tyre interface I really like it. To assure you stay on the route you want just make sure you add more waypoints than necessary. Dennis

I hear you Joe. The park where my lot in Florida is located started out as a condo-travel trailer park in the mid to late sixties. Back then a big trailer was maybe 24 feet like an Airstream or Holiday Rambler. Since then it has morphed into park with about 70% permanent homes with a mixture of stick built and modular homes built to hurricane standards. The rest are concrete pads that are used for RV's. I just had the concrete redone on mine to so that it will better handle the larger trailer. And it's only 700 feet from the ocean. So once I get the trailer to Florida I'll only have to move it 2 times a year. From storage to the lot in the fall and back to storage in the spring. I think my truck can handle that. Dennis

We made it home with the trailer late this afternoon. It towed fine and I felt comfortable at 60 to 65 mph. The trucks didn't bother me as much as my previous 28 ft trailer. Probably due to a better sway control hitch (Equalizer). The PDI went well and we didn't find any issues. Dennis http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/06/aqe5uba8.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/06/urupyse5.jpg

Believe me, I will be careful. I've only got to pull it 200 miles to get it home and I've got all day to do it. I'll be in no hurry. When I take it to FL I'll have a friend with a 3/4 ton diesel take it down for me. I'll just use my truck to put it on my lot in the fall and take it off in the spring. Dennis

We won't be taking it south to Florida (where we'll leave it) until late October. It will be in our back yard until then. Dennis

Barry, about #4. I've found many friendly GW riders and many of them are on the board here. I ride with several other GW riders and they are just like the VR folks you know here. However, I did attend one GWRRA local chapter meeting and did not care for the group. They were nice people but I just wasn't into all of the organizational stuff they do. I would rather ride. The GW internet forums don't come close to this one in camaraderie. I guess they are just too big. And don't let all of the plastic bother you. It's snaps off and on easy enough. Once you learn how, working on the GW is just as easy as the Venture, except the air cleaner. Dennis

We had a new travel trailer on order and it is in and ready to be picked up tomorrow. It's going to be like the tail wagging the dog. I have barely enough truck to tow the empty trailer. The trailer at 36 ft and 7700 lbs is just under my Tahoe's 8200 lb tow capacity. We will be going slow and easy all the way home. If you pass us on I75 southbound give a honk. We're buying a Laredo 322RL like this one: http://www.ballantynerv.com/rv/victor+ny/keystone+/2428/keystone+laredo+322rl Hope to get 7 or 8 mpg on the way home. Dennis

You're right Joe. But the next time I have a bad day riding it will be in a better area than Taos. We made it home yesterday around 5:45. 3810 miles overall. Dennis