luvmy40

I went out to pick up some steel round stock to finish the mods to my new HF, POS tire changer. I stopped at Home depot to check prices and then went to a local surplus type store called Star Supply. HD was cheaper for the same stock so I went back and picked up a piece of 1/2" and a piece of 3/8" round bar stock. On the way back to HD I stopped at the Harley Davidson dealership to see if they had any Kuryakyn wind deflector wings in stock. No luck but they should have a pair next week. I strapped the bar stock to the luggage rack and motored on to the local Yamaha dealership to pick up the last rubber grommet I had ordered a couple weeks ago and also got a locking nut for the rear suspension schrader valve that has been missing since I got The Beast. Then back home via the local Sparkle Market for a couple steaks and salad fixin's. About 80 miles round trip. Here's the tire changer:

OK, that's weird. The first time I clicked the link to ebay those caps were $6.95 + $23.00shipping. The second time I clicked in they were $7.95 + $30.00shipping.

$23.00 shipping? Wow! The factory caps are 10K ohm. Someone with more experience on these systems will have to weigh in on whether the 5K ohm caps would work. I'm not sure I'd want the 90deg caps either but that might not be an issue.

Kinda hard to load the mash ton, hot liquor tank and boil kettle on The Beast!

I've got the Blazer BH103h/l horns on The Beast. They are rated at 132 Db and they are LOUD. They blend in nice with the black plastics as well. I got mine as a pair at AZ but I don't see the pair listed anymore. http://www.blazer-international.com/productdetail.php?itemno=BH103FBL&cat=12

That flashlight was sitting there when I got there, about 11:00am Friday. Edited to reflect the actual day I arrived! I do suffer a bit from CRS syndrome. But, the flashlight is NOT mine.

I bottled my first batch and went to kegging immediately. Bottling is way too much work! I use Pepsi Kegs and made a six keg kegorator from a medium sized chest freezer. Once bitten by the brew bug, you'll probably want to go all grain. That is the way to get the most out of you money in brewing. Though there are some excellent extract kits out there. I actually haven't brewed anything in way too long. I'm going to have dust off and sanitize the mash ton and get to work!

My handle is in reference to the pistol caliber, .40 S&W I was the proud owner one of the very first Smith & Wesson, M&P Compact pistols chambered in .40sw and that was when I started perusing the shooting/gun related forums. So, luvmy40 was born. The irony is I haven't owned a .40sw caliber pistol for quite some time but I'm stuck with the name cause I'm too lazy to change all my forum accounts!

There aren't any "bearings" on the TC Bros. controls. They don't need any. I know exactly where they are but they are buried. I'll dig them out tomorrow.

If I didn't ride in the rain, The Beast would never get a bath! I'm afraid to actually wash her. The plastics might just disintegrate!

I'll dig them out and take a look to see if they are usable for sure. I know they will need one of the long grade 8 bolts that mount the peg to the bracket. I'm not sure how you'd mount them on the gen one, but I know my linkages will not be of any use to you.

That's a nice starter kit! What're ya gonna brew up first?

I'll be heading out in an hour or two. I think I'm going to take the scenic route out SR303 through Richfield and Peninsula rather than the Turn Pike. It's been a long time since I rode that route. I wonder if the Winking Lizard is still there? It was a favorite day trip mid point or destination back in the day.

I ran the TC Bros forward controls on my Seca 750. They work well but are not much to look at. I still have them and considered mounting them on my Maxim 750, which is the bike they were actually designed for, but I never got around to it. They're banged up a bit as My son decided he was going to drag a knee and snagged the pavement with one right about the time he decide he didn't like forward controls on "His" Seca. Well, I had given it to him for a graduation present so...

The Kuryakyn Universal mount highway peg works perfectly for me in this position; I'm 5'8" and have a 30" inseam. There is knock off, Kuryakyn style stuff out there that are rather well made and quite inexpensive. I got a good deal on the real McCoys on ebay quite some time ago. They have been mounted on 4 or five different bikes over the years.

I pulled the skirt, loosened the mufflers, pulled the caliper then the axle. With the rear tire flat, I just had to cock it a bit of an angle to drag it from under the fender. I had to have some help to reinstall. Me and the boy lifted the rear end a bit and the wife slipped the wheel/tire in under the fender.

Today I had a new Shinko rear tire mounted and balanced at Penn-Ohio Cycles(formerly Youngstown Cycle Supply) in Boardman, OH. They took great care of me and rushed the work as it is fairly long drive for me and a minor emergency on my part. A big thumbs up to them! Removing the rear tire on The Beast today made me vow to invest in a bike lift before I have to do it again. Oh my aching back! Got her all back together and installed weather proof bullet connectors to the electrical wiring on the rear skirt. I cant believe anyone would install that skirt without electrical connectors. The irony to this story is the fact that I bought a HF tire changer and MC attachment Sunday on their Memorial day sale and with a 25% off coupon. I ordered a nylon demount/mounting head but have not received it yet so I haven't set up the tire change station yet. I could have saved $25.00 on the mount and balance. The bad news is the only tire they had that would fit was a 130, not a 140. She had a 130 on the rear when I bought her so I figured it wouldn't hurt one more time. The good news is, Penn-Ohio's price on the Shinko was only $10.00 more than Dennis Kirk's price and no wait.

According to the date code, the front Shinko which has been on the bike since I bought it, was manufactured the 3rd week of 2015. It was brand new when I got her.

I highly doubt they were even close to 10 years old. I'm just saying I don't know how old they are/were. Like I said, when I bought the bike 3 years ago they still had the new tire stripes and nubbins. I just doubt they were actually brand new. They were probably laying around a shop somewhere for a few years before the PO put them on to sell the critter. I actually just wore the rear out without keeping an eye on it. I'd have sworn it looked OK about a month ago it was worn flat and had fibers showing in several spots. It was just my stupid complacency. Anyway, I got a new Shinko mounted, balanced and installed today, so I'll be at Freebird's Friday afternoon as planned.

It's not my favorite 2 wheeled activity either! I was very fortunate that I was only doing about 25 mph in a shallow turn when it popped. I've never had a high speed blowout on a bike on the road, I've had dirt bike tires blow many times. When it blew out last night I heard the pop and instantly thought I'd thrown a rod or fragged a valve then the rear end squirelled up on me and it felt like I was riding through deep sand. I limped her home as I was only 1000 yards from my driveway when it happened. Rolling about 1 mph and listening for metal scrapping. BTW, On the lighter side, I got to use the four way flashers for the first time! I still thinks it's cool that these bikes have hazard flashers. I'd never owned a scooter that did before.

They may be 10 years old, they just don't have 10 years of miles on them. I'll check the date code today when I pull the wheel.

The rear tire on The Beast blew out on my way home from the day job tonight! I knew the tires were older than I like but the tread was still good and they showed no signs of dry rot or cracking. Last month when I had the bags all off I checked the rear for tread wear and it was fine. 3 years, and about 2500 miles ago they looked brand new. The one thing I don't like about the Venture is not being able to see the rear tire at all. It was pitch black and I din't even try to see what happened. I'll dive into it tomorrow. I hope I can find a tire locally in time to get her back on the road for MD. Dennis Kirk says I can have one delivered on Friday, but what time?

Does the '88 still have linked brakes? If so that is probably the problem. You'll need to bleed the front caliper linked to the rear MC. On the '83 it's the left front caliper and there is a metering valve located on the steering neck. I know some of the later models had a bleeder on the metering valve but the '83 doesn't. If yuo don't have a bleeder, look for Puc's video on bleeding that sucker. Also take a good look at the short hose going from the rear MC to the steel line that runs up front. Mine was seeping brake fluid the entire length.

My '83 XVZ12TK (base model) has "Venture" in script on the luggage.

Yeah, Len(chacal) is a miracle man. He's saved more Yamaha XJ bikes from the scrap heap than I can imagine. I suspect, but have no proof that he owns the forum. It may not even be any kind of secret, I've just never bothered asking.