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bamico

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Everything posted by bamico

  1. bamico
    Starkruzen, Afraid I have to +1 with jemorrison. I have a Venture now, had an RSTD prior. Your cruise control switch is where the 4 way flashers are on the Venture. (You may find you get mixed responses on your question as the bikes are very similar, however, the cruise switch is in the fairing on the Venture, so when Yamaha added cruise to the RSTD, the control had to go somewhere... they used the 4 way flasher location on the rt handlebar control) I know I've read posts on this site on how other users have added the 4 ways flashers to thier RSTDs. May be worth a search. Hope this helps. Bob
  2. bamico
    Look at that... multiple posts in the time it took me to respond to your original post... Congrats, again.
  3. bamico
    Midnite, Congratulations on the Venture and welcome to the site. I believe your bike has a 5 year tire to tire warrentee, so, anything and everthing is a warrentee issue. Give the post a little time and I'll bet you'll get a number of comments from the others members out there with points to consider/check into regarding your issue. I personally have not experienced the issue you list, although, my Venture is an 07. Enjoy your bike! Bob
  4. bamico
    Dealer told me that the Ammonia in Windex will discolor the shield. I use Plexus on mine. Returned the clarity of the shield so I can now see through it at night. $8 Plexus was a lot cheaper that the new ClearView shield I was expecting to have to buy.
  5. bamico
    I actually heard the same rumor about FI and an MP3 from a dealer. The dealer had the same concerns about the 2010 emissions... was figuring it pretty much a guarentee that FI would be on the 2010. Other interesting point... not sure if any of you had read it, but Rider did a comparison article of the Harley Ultra, the Victory Vision, the Kawi Vulcan and the RSV. RSV tied for 1st with the Harley... its drawbacks... you guessed it... 4 carbs and a tape deck...
  6. bamico
    tbbrider, I have the wind vents that Gibvel mentions on my 07 RSV as well. Makes a huge difference. Cooler in heat, warmer in cold. They mount to the crash bar. I''ve got Kuryakin highway pegs with offset mounts on the bike as well (in case you were wondering about spacing). They do not replace the lower cowlings, but mount to the crash bars and fit into the curved space on the outside edge of the lower cowlings. Hope this helps. Bob
  7. bamico
    I've had the same experience as OB-1. Manual process. Dealer installed them and they were practically pointing straight up... higher than the high beams. Oncoming drivers were not happy. I had to take them apart and re-adjust. Its a manual process. The one tightening screw secures both horizontal and vertical adjustment. The light has to be removed, then the housing adjusted with the single nut/post, then re-install the light, turn on the lights, check the level, and repeat until you get it where you want it. BTW, you loosten the nut enough, your directionals will also move on you. I found putting the lights on while holding the bike upright and aiming it at a wall, side of house, garage door, etc, will get you pretty close. Fine tuning is a matter of riding a bit and adjusting from there to where you want them. Also, make sure once you get the right spot to tighten them well. After my dealer install, I had one of the passing lamps vibrate loose. I was out riding one night, and all of a sudden, the right side of the road was illuminated... light spun 90 degrees to the side of the road. Hope this helps. Bob
  8. bamico
    Absolutely covered under the 5 yr warrentee. Just had my lower left cowling replaced. Same issue. Dealer told me its a known issue. Trick is (according to dealer, and as stated in another post on this thread) to use the 2 washer backed mounts to keep the thing on. The 3rd mount (with the plastic mount and rubber grommet) should be kept fairly loose. Even if you go a turn or two from completely tight, the engine/riding vibration will eventually crack it. As others have stated... just stick to your guns. Bottom line.. 5 year tire to tire AND the ABS plastic breaking is a KNOWN issue. Same with the travel trunk... same ABS plastic. Bob
  9. bamico
    Waterbug, Could be a repetitive motion fatigue issue as well. As others have stated, grip exercizes may help. Even more important though is stretching. Try this... Take your left hand, fingers together and straight out (as if preparing to salute). Grasp your left hand with your right. Bend the left hand back toward the sky, in the direction of your upper forearm. (bending the wrist... moving the flat fingers up and towards your wrist watch). You'll feel the stretch in hand and forearm. I have to do this on a regular basis on long rides due to an old injury in my left hand. Hope it helps. Bob
  10. bamico
    Not sure if this helps at all, and you very well may already know this,but you can use the cruise control to give you some info... If you turn the main cruise on, the ready indidator lights will go on on your right panel when you shift into 4th. And of course your OD indicator goes on when your in 5th. So... that gives you 4 & 5. I know once in a while I like to know if I'm in 3rd or 4th, so I don't shift into OD. Hope it helps. I have looked around a bit, but haven't found anything. Bob
  11. bamico
    Its both actually. You have to be in 4th or 5th gear, and I believe you have to be going over 50mph. Take a look at your indicator lights next time you're out. They show when you have the ability to set the cruise (4th or 5th gear as previously stated). Also, if you have the cruise set in the low 50s, and approach a hill, the delay in the bike's responding to needing more acceleration may drop you below 50mph, which will disengage the cruise control. Ride Safe. Bob
  12. bamico
    Dave38, No worries. All in good fun my friend. Excellent question on the handling. I know opinion is mixed on this. It was one of my concerns going to the Venture. A point to start... when stating low speed, I mean 1-2mph, parking lot turns, slow race type speeds. Doing maneuvers from the Ride Like a Pro DVDs (which IMO helps as well), etc... I agree with your statement that without doubt, the Venture is more top heavy than the RSTD, I can feel the difference at low speed on a hill while turning. The Venture has a tendancy to want to fall over (not good). Especially when riding 2 up. Wait a minute... maybe I am getting old... nah, must be the bike I think the difference is in 3 main areas: 1) Tighter handlebars on the Venture. With the RSTD, I couldn't lock the bars at low speed because it would pinch my legs. So it was always a jerky motion as I tried to max out the turning/leaning. 2) My wife is much more comfortable on the Venture as it has passenger grab bars. As a result she's much less jumpy back there at low speeds. As a result, easier for me to handle the bike. 3) I find the top-heavy nature of the bike can be used to ones advantage at very low speed. Go to turn tight and the bike will effortlessly turn and fall into the turn (much like the Harley Ultra). Comes out pretty easy too. I think this could also be a factor of less range that one has to push the handlebars through. I always found with the RSTD I had to really lean on the bars to get the bike back upright. Not as much with the Venture. Having said that, I miss that wide handlebar position on the wide open stretches. I have read that going to smaller tires makes a world of difference, although have not tried it. Hope it makes some sense. At least that has been my experience. So much of this is all about what feels right for each person and tweaking the adjustments. Enjoy that RSTD... fantastic bike! If it wasn't for the wife getting into riding, I'd still be running mine (not complaining though...). If $ and space weren't an issue, I could actually see myself owning both. Have a great day and Ride Safe. Bob
  13. bamico
    spyder, Yamaha's official term for them is lower cowlings. I've never seen covers for them, although have found that cleaning them and then spraying/wiping them down with Plexus really helps with the bug issue. They certainly are prone to scratches. I'd be curious to hear if you find anything. They're pretty flexible and at least in my experience crack pretty easily if overtightened... that was a costly/frustrating lesson. I'm wondering if they're strong enough to hold a leather cover? Hope it works out for you. Ride Safe Bob
  14. bamico
    Dave38x, Geezers on road sofas ?! Ouch... Ok, I admit I was concerned a bit about the old guy factor when going from my 2005 RSTD to the 2007 Venture. Having said that, after a couple of hundred miles, riding 2 up, that Venture saddle is much appreciated. That, and the #1 passenger was looking for more comfort. When the passenger is happy, everyone is happy... makes for much longer rides too. Plus, some increased weather protection, an audio system and some extra storage are always good things... Surprisingly it even handles better at low speed than my RSTD. Just throwing in my 2 cents for us old road sofa riders Enjoy your RSTD. Without a doubt, that was the best all-around bike I've ever owned. Ride Safe. Bob
  15. bamico
    Jude's Dude, Had a 2005 RSTD myself, 13k miles before trading in for a Venture (wife needed more comfort...) Never experienced the braking issue you describe. Congratulations on the bike, you'll love it, toughest part, as you mentioned, is getting used to the higher RPMs on the V4. Yes, its been a pretty wet season here in NE. Been riding inbetween the raindrops since the Sunday pm of Americade. I live in Nashua, NH, where are you in MA? Good luck with the new pads. Bob
  16. bamico
    I looked into this at length when I had my 05 rstd... never found a solution. You're right in your earlier post, the bars off the venture will not fit directly on the rstd, they rely on the different trunk of the Venture. Having said that, search some of the old posts and you may get some ideas. Some of the other members have done some amazing things with trunks and different support brackets, which may give you some ideas for passenger hand rails. Also, at one point I remember seeing passenger armrests that may help you as well. Good luck in your search.
  17. bamico
    BigBoyinMS, You had stated that you're looking right at the top edge of the new shield you bought. My question is, how tall are you? I'm 6ft tall and am trying to decide between the Clearview Large and/or the medium. I'm thinking that the Medium may have me looking right at that edge as you'd mentioned. I'd appreciate any thoughts you may have on the topic. Thanks in advance. Bob
  18. bamico
    Joelmark, Had the same problem with my wife and our 05 RSTD. I ended up going with a gel pad from Saddleman. It doubled her riding time before needing a rest stop (from 1hr to 2hrs) plus she claimed it made the end of the day much more comfortable. She claims its not an added comfort you feel right away, but you realize after an hour "Hey, I don't hurt like I usual od". Cost me about $100. Good Luck ! Bob
  19. bamico
    Speaking, I've got an HJC FS-2. Its a 1/2 helmet, with speaker pouches integrated into the chin strap. The way it's designed, you can zip out the lower 1/2 of the liner on hot days and still keep the speakers in. Reasonably light weight and fits in one of the side bags of the RSV/RSTD once you park. Good luck in your search. Bob
  20. bamico
    Thanks again for all the direction. Dealer ended up ordering the replacement cowling under warrentee. Griped a little bit, but once he saw how obvious the damage was, he ordered the part. Have a great day. Bob
  21. bamico
    Thank you for the responses. Seems like the cowlings were torqued down too tight... back to the dealer we go... I'm going the check on the oil level this weekend. Have a great long weekend. Hopefully you're somewhere away from NH where we're expecting rain through the entire weekend...
  22. bamico
    Was wondering if any of you have had this issue... i have a 2007 RSV I was looking at the bike last weekend and noticed the lower cowling on the Left side of the bike (as your sitting on it) was cracked in several places. ~2" long total, 2 or 3 cracks where the plastic screw in piece/protrusion joins the cowling. I took the cowling off and found the vent tube that is mounted near the back of the air intake was dripping oil down into the cowling. Not enought to have it run out the bottom of the cowling, but enought that it pooled a bit by the plastic mounting bracket on the cowling. The bracket/protrusion was broken clean off. So, couple of questions.. what is it venting and why would there be that much oil? I've had the bike for about a month, have had the cowling off to install some chrome, and this is the first time I've had oil leaking. The vent tube did appear to be butted square against the air intake (so it wasn't venting freely) if that make a difference... If the oil was sitting on the abs cowling, would that weaken the plastic enough to have normal vibration cause the cracks? I didn't drop it or bang it against anything, its almost as if the cracks came from stress of the cowling nuts being over tightened? Just to make it fun, the dealer was the last one to take the cowling off and re-install it. I'd appreciate any thoughts... Bob
  23. bamico
    BS from the Dealer. Manual says straight unleaded. 20k on mine, never an issue. Also, no matter what, its 5 year warrenty - tire to tire - on the bike, independent of owner/owners. 5 years, complete bike, period. Hope it works out for you.
  24. bamico
    Congrats on the new bike. You'll love it. I had an 05 that I put ~14k on. Took me forever to get used to the higher RPM, but as folks on the site have stated, get used to it, that's how they run. The thing that freaked me out the most is how it felt like I needed to shift again when in 5th gear doing ~70. Running a Venture now, same running characteristics. I have noticed that on curvy, hilly roads ~50mph, its best to resist the temptation to shift into 5th... bike will lug terribly if you shift into 5th too soon under these conditions (as stated in the other posts). In my experience, this is the engine/rpm NOT the driveshaft. It will run like a top in 4th. BTW... you'll have NO problem keeping up with your Harley friends, even 2 up... just have to keep the RPMs high. There's some interesting threads on the site about how high you can run the Rpms before the rev limiter kicks in... its something really high like 60 or 70 in 1st or 2nd. Bottom line is.... if you think its too high, you're probably not even close. Again, good luck, enjoy the ride, you'll love it. You'll find folks on the site most helpful. Nice picture btw... great looking bike. Bob
  25. bamico
    Steve, Have had the same issue, and solved it with the same approach the others listed. Pressure on the top of the bag cover (seems to free up the latches), also pushed/pulled the top of the cover, pried the cover open, etc. It did end up working. I try to keep the latches very well lubed, as in my experience it doesn't take much to get them to sieze. Hope it helps. Bob
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