RDawson

I'm thinking that curved member looks a lot like a chunk cut out of a 1st gen white wall.

I hear ya Puc. I can and sometimes do my other tires but I don't know of anybody changing darksiders on the side of the road. I do carry a plug kit in case of those small punctures. Mounting bike tires usually depends on my mood. Sometimes I use my homemade tire breaker, sometimes I'm feeling lazy and go to the tire shop. That being said I've never been good enough to do it in 20 minutes, usually spend that much time stretching my back and cussing. Now I gotta tell you that CT stuck like glue in those WV mountains.

The costs I'm seeing for mount and balance on this and another thread are wild to me. I sometimes do my own but take the others to my car tire guy. I buy all my auto tires from a locally owned tire shop, he still does business the old way. The price of a tire always includes mount, balance, valve stem, lifetime rotation and flat fixes. He knows he will get all my business for every vehicle we own and even takes care of the tires that come on a vehicle we buy. Another perk I get from him is a lot of tire machines can do Venture rims, his included. He doesn't sell MC tires but will mount them for $$$$$FREE$$$$$ for customers. I balance my own. He will also sell and mount dark side tires, he did mine and several others I know of. The only downside of dealing with someone like that is there is always a wait to get in the door, he treats everyone that way. Only shop I've used for 25 years.

I don't believe that seal is going to help with pressure. Did you bleed the master at the banjo bolt? I just went thru the same thing on my sister's Goldwing and couldn't get pressure until I bled it there. Make sure to protect all the plastic from fluid, pump the clutch a few times and crack the banjo loose and see if you get air bubbles. Once you get the air out there bleed the slave again. Air gets trapped at the highest point right at the master many times.

That sounds great. Loose planning has us leaving on the 9th and going to Lexington to spend the night with the kids. Leave there on the 10th and take a couple days touring around to get to your area on the 11th or 12th. Would love to meet up with some of the West NY crew, maybe even a little ice cream. It doesn't give us as much time as originally planned but I have to be back to dr.

Dr appt has changed our travel plans. If everything works out we'll head out on the 9th and slowly work up to Niagara and maybe hook up with y'all on Friday for the ride to Don's. Having to do the trip in reverse to be back sooner.

The roads are as good as you described. Awesome area.

I finally got around to looking at the fuel receipts. 1096.7 miles-29.32 gallons of gas= 37.4 mpg. Mostly interstate around 80 mph with a few hours of two lanes in the mountains.

I keep seeing posts on the MK1 seats. I'm have an MK1 seat on my 86, they interchange. I put the OEM seat back on for long rides, it has a rest. Just take it off cause the cover is torn.

I pulled the trigger and pulled out at 5:00 a.m. yesterday. Running the slabs with light traffic I was making killer time averages. 150 miles per tank, pull over to fill up, fill coffee cup, deposit old coffee, and back on the road in 6 minutes. I was running a 68 mph overall average. Down by Bristol TN a trucker I was passing rolled down the window and hit the air horn with a big wave and thumbs up. Made me wonder if it was a Venture rider, a past or present member, or maybe even Brake Pad himself. In my glaring brilliance I never even thought about the cb since I never use it. Kicking myself. Things changed when I got into VA. I found the North Scenic Highway, 2 lanes of awesomeness. Took that up into WV and followed 19 and 3 up to End River Gorge. I spent about 3 hours playing on the back roads of West By God Yammer Dan territory. I pulled over and did a post search on Yammer's funeral, I had forgotten he wanted cremation, I was gonna hang a gremlin bell on his stone had there been a grave. Even I64 is an enjoyable ride in that area around the mountains. The puzzling thing to me was the number of cars with dented bumpers and trunk lids. That was before I got on those back roads. I'm fairly sure after seeing some of those curves they were rear ending themselves on those roads. I hit some pretty bad thunder storms around the WV-KY line and waited them out and lost 1 1/2 hours there. The run across KY was uneventful and I rolled in about 1:00 a.m here. 1096 gps miles in 20 hours, not a great speed average but that wasn't my goal. I will be going back to VA and WV, great riding over there. I don't know if I'll send in the IBA paperwork or not, I'm satisfied I did the ride with or without the patch. A couple shots at the VA WV border.

If that's the original from '83 I bet the innards don't look as good as the outside.

Thanks. I'll download the app.

Looks like the stars have aligned and no major weather is forecast on the route. Gonna change the oil today and do a once over of pressures and fluid levels. Plan is to be rolling around 5 a.m. I'll do the WV detour and hopefully have time to meet my daughter in Lexington for a coffee on the way home.

I cant get them either when on my iPhone. They work on my laptop, problem is I use the phone usually.

Hey Skid are you coming to Don's? I have a set with P clamps. Not sure what they are but I went back with originals when I bought the bike, I like mine quiet.

I talked to a friend today here in KY whose parents live just off this road. I just mentioned the area and he immediately said "you have to ride 19 on your way thru". He doesn't ride but knows the area well. Thanks again.

A trick I use in spots like that is to thread a long stud or a bolt with the head cut off into one side to help line things up. Then just back it out once I get a few bolts started. Lined up many car transmissions that way in my younger days.

I'm sure you know but I'll mention it anyway, when you set the cases together they should meet up flush without forcing them. Had a friend to try to pull case halves together with the bolts when it didn't seat correctly, it's a sick feeling to hear when that aluminum cracks. He didn't have something aligned correctly and broke the case bad enough to have to buy a new one.

If I'm running on schedule for the SS that looks like a great detour. Thanks. Will definitely try to make the time.

Thanks. We're are also thinking we may come back through there a little slower and ride WV on the way back from Freebird's next month.

I had tentatively set aside some time to head out and do a loop through Mobile AL Friday and knock out an SS ride. Weatherman says high 80s and sunny there, not ideal conditions. My second route is to go through Nashville and Knoxville to Wytheville VA, up to Charleston WV, and back across KY to the house. Looking at 2 weather maps, one says great weather that way with sunny skies and temps in the 70s and the other says rain. This week is my best chance to do this before the dr cuts me loose to go back to work, with 5 months of being off the catch up will keep me hopping for a while. Ill be running the slabs the whole way, anybody have any input on I81,77, and 64 in the Virginias?

T-5weeks and counting so a shameless bump.

Glad to hear it went well. It's never an easy thing to do. Been thinking of your family a lot today.