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dynodon

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Everything posted by dynodon

  1. my 86 royale is everything I want in a touring bike, except I wish it was new with a new warranty. Nothing like it on the road today. The convenience and storage of a Wing, with better balance. I don't get the "top Heavy" comments about the first Gen royale. I had mine in the local Yamaha shop (RTR in Washington, IL, excellent shop) and the owner took my bike for a ride before returning it to me after service. He was amazed at how tossable it was in the curves. A new 1800 wing will walk away from any Venture, but not REAL quickly. I am a member of GWRRA and the local GW chapter. They are great folks, and they REALLY ride hard! First ride, I had to grab a lot of throttle to keep up, but I did. The ergonomics of my Royale are perfect for me. I am not as comfortable on a Wing. When the time comes to retire the Royale, I am not sure what I will get, but a Wing may be my only choice, as I am not a fan of the "Harley" style of the current Venture. Great bikes, many, many people love them, and they still have that great water cooled V-4, but I want a frame mounted fairing and on-board air suspension adjustment etc. If the Harley look doesn't bother you, you should check out the latest Royal Venture, they are THE bargain for big touring bikes, and that 5 year warranty is also a good deal. Or check out a good used Venture Royale (note the "e" at the end denotes the older version, also the Venture is put in front rather than after like the new bike) because they are still out there, and with even modest care, they last a long time, just like a Wing.
  2. One other thing, I think we should put a time limit on any single item in the hunt, make things easier next time a target goes wanting for too long. I say two weeks is plenty of time. ?
  3. The donut shop thing took just a few days, it has been more than two months on this one. As for Pegscraper, the description didn't say running or not, so 100 point show car, driver or junked, upside down, no wheels, etc count, just as long as you can fairly easily identify it as 1939 or older. Covered in rust counts as brown in my book! A thread that is active is better than a dead one.
  4. I has now been over two months on the last target, that is DEAD DEAD DEAD IMO. If someone can't find it in that time, then people have lost interest. Time to change the target. If nobody else objects, I will suggest, strongly, that we go with my new target, or the last guy set a new one if he is still around. If we don't hear from him by the time someone gets the new one, then that is that. I think that is reasonable. Scavenger hunts should not be super easy, but if it goes two months, that is reason enough to move on. On the other hand, we could just leave it as is, and I or someone else can just start a new one, and get going again. I think it would be easier to just change this one.
  5. This thing is dead. The costume character just isn't working. I know the last person is supposed to set a target, but how about I set one, and then excuse myself from the hunt? We need to get going again with something you can actually find when riding around normally. NEXT TARGET: I am into old cars, and you can find them most weekends till winter, so how about: You, your bike and a car older than 1940 (1939 or older). Bonus points if it is brown (gold, tan, copper, brass, or just plain brown). Go for it, let's get this thing going again!
  6. Be sure to try one on, because you may not be able to return a mail order helmet. Also, be VERY careful buying a super cheap helmet. Is your head/life worth more than $100?, if so, then spend more and get a better helmet. IN this case, you really do get what you pay for almost every time. HJC makes a nice modular (chin bar flips up to make putting on, and dealing with glasses etc much easier) with a super neat flip down sun shield INSIDE the main shield. This I like. Modulars aren't quite as strong in an accident as a true full face, but the compromise is worth it to some. I like the Nolan helmets, mainly because of the neat one hand capable chin strap attachment mechanism. Haven't seen this on any other, I am sure they have a patent, but there may be something similar from some others. I don't like dealing with D Rings after years of autocrossing and track events. Nolan has removable liners, take to sound systems easy, and you can get most models with headsets/microphone already installed.
  7. I just got and installed the one from Wally World recommended by Iowawegian. Made a small mount from aluminum strap stock, will have to post pics. Works pretty good. Ordering one of the Mugs from here to go with it.
  8. I forgot to take a picture, but found a hitchhiker in my radiator yesterday, a grasshopper. Still alive....but not for long!
  9. I have an '86 Royale, and think it is a very maneuverable bike at slow speeds. Now. When I first got it I thought it a handfull, but I got the Ride Like Pro DVD and practiced, and now have fun flinging my bike around. When you really learn to lean, and how to countersteer, you will start enjoying some of the low speed turns on your routes. I regularly drag my pegs and people I ride with that have sport bikes are usually amazed at the angles I reach. It is fun, and as long as you keep in mind the surface (don't try wild angles on gravel for instance) and watch speeds, you will be able to take any big bike and not worry if it is top heavy or not.
  10. I got the same LED setup as RiderDuke for my wife's Honda Shadow tour. We really like the extra light, and the fact that it doesn't change the look of the bike. The lights are not very bright in the sun if the sun is on them, but in other conditions in the daylight you can see the running lights a little, but the brake lights are nice. At night the running lights are very good, and the brake lights are also very good. They don't appear to harm the light from the stock turnsignal bulbs any at all. A good choice if you want to keep the factory look.
  11. From what I can tell, these are not Michelin tires, but Maxxis brand tires. The Michelin logo is a bit misleading, but I think they are also advertising closeouts on selected Michelin tires. I don't know anthing about Maxxis tires, never heard of them. That the dealer is not supporting them anymore says something, but they are probably a good buy, and shipping is free.
  12. A friend of mine warned me about losing masts and flags, especially with the type of fold-down mast that has the plastic chrome parts. The bottom part will just break if you aren't careful. What I did was put a plastic wire tie around my trunk rack near the mast, another around the mast just under the flag, and a third connecting the two. Now if the bottom part breaks and the flag falls off, the mast and more importantly, the flag will stay with the bike (yea, might put a few scratches in before I notice it, but it is an older bike). Just my solution.
  13. close but no cigar. Riding with the local Gold Wing group through Eureka IL Friday evening, there was a costumed character near a park where there were some baseball games going on. I should have just told the group I would meet them at the restaurant and turned around. By the time we left, I had forgotten about checking to see if the "suit" was still there.
  14. The second style is what my '86 VR had, but it didn't come with the backrest (or tools, or owners manual, or passenger intercom controls...previous owner or dealer kept or lost them!) So I tried to buy one and never could, so I bought one of the same style for a Goldwing! Had to bend the side in just a little, but it fit fine. Have all the mounting hardware for the wing left over though. Paid under $100 for the Gold Wing outfit. Been trying to buy an original VR tool kit, but there is one guy on E-bay that keeps buying them for $150 or more! tried to talk one guy into just selling me his, but he knew how much they had been going for. I wound up buying a kit from someone on the list off his wrecked Royal star Venture. Added a few bits and have my toolkit, just not with that neat zipper bag. If anyone wants the mounts for that Wing backrest, I will send it for the cost of shipping!
  15. Enjoy your ride through the US and fly your Canadian flag alone proudly, if you add that second pole, then fly an equal US flag, and I agree, your home country flag goes to the left, or "its own right" as some say as you face it. So as you sit on the bike, the flag of honor would be on the far right. Have a great ride, and thanks for visiting the US and spreading some of those more expensive Canadian dollars around!
  16. I bought the Kuryakyn Iso pegs with stirrups. Several of us in my group have these, and they are so adjustable, and versatile. Not cheap, but the quality is there. the offset allows a bunch of room for those with long legs. Like having a forward floorboard, but without the size, wind resistance or bad looks. Here is a link so you can see a picture, check around for prices though: http://www.kuryakyn.com/products.asp?bn=metric&ci=3690 better link(edited) this link shows the pegs with stirrups, then you add the offset mounts and you have the best combo.
  17. Was riding 20+ years ago with a regular short sleeve shirt on and got a bee up my sleeve. Was approaching a country 4-way stop and slid the bike to a stop, put the stand down and ripped my shirt off right in front of a couple carloads. I think they might have recovered by now! LOL I try to ride most days with a long sleeve shirt with knit cuffs, that stops that problem. For pants, I bought some Velcro strips from a sewing supply house. Overlap and stick one side to the other side and you have a neat velcro strap to wrap around your ankles. I use them mostly on my chaps in colder weather when they tend to flap when I am on the forward pegs. Not pretty, but they work, and are cheap and no sewing.
  18. Have you ever seen that You-tube video by an American biker in, I think, Japan about the various waves bikers have? He has a helmet mounted video and is a good rider, going through heavy traffic like a pro, while demonstrating various waves, ending with his wild mockery including turning around looking backwards and waving both hands like shooting guns (or something similar). well, yesterday, I came upon a biker (Harley of course) that seemed like he had seen that video and was making fun of those of us that do a brotherly wave at other bikes. He took both hands up in a "quotes" style series of moves. Made me laugh. Still, am sad for the mostly Harley riders that seem too stuck up to bother waving at a metric rider. Guess they are too busy dreaming of being in the next "Wild Hogs" movie! LOL
  19. I can't see where the location of the load is of any concern other than it isn't good to have more weight up top, so they are usually at the bottom of the antenna, unless very small. my 86 has the single antenna, and it works well. Any antenna will work if you set the SWR. The longer the antenna the better though. Just that sometimes it isn't practical to have a 102" whip on your bike!
  20. A local car dealer has a costume character of a candy bar (Sweet Deals on cars!) LOL I don't get by there very often, but if I could figure out when they record their big commercial for SAT AM air, I could drop by and irritate them. I say set a new target, make it easier and get this thing moving again. It was fun to watch and try to plan a picture.
  21. Thanks man, that was sooooo funny! Just takin' your pecker out for a ride!
  22. my recent 4000 mile trip in my cage to Seattle and back had me longing for my bike sitting back at home (I was going to a car convention I put on, so I had no choice!) Every rest stop where there was a bike, no matter the brand I walked over and talked if it looked like they were at least somewhat open to conversation. All were friendly. I also joined the local GWRRA chapter because they have a lot of rides I like to go on, and they accepted me and my VR just fine. I wave to about every bike I see, about 80% wave back. usually it is a chopper style or Harley bike that doesn't. I just laugh, they are the ones with that "golden thing" stuck up you-know-where, and I am having fun. The wave is about 2-wheel comraderie. I haven't settled on a "style" yet, sometimes just pivoting my left hand up on the grip, sometimes I go low, sometimes high, sometimes I jump up and down and sometimes I wave both feet (ok, maybe a couple of those I don't do) Sometimes I forget to wave, and maybe they think I have that "thing" stuck up there. All I know is when we go out in the wife's 78 VW bug convert, we get more smiles. So a lot of bikers must be really thinking too hard!
  23. dynodon

    CB help

    Not going to be there, but I have one in my toolbox, but that doesn't do you any good. Do you have a radio shack store in your area? Or a regular CB shop (there are still a few around, usually combined CB,stereo shops). Radio Shack might test yours for free, most shops will do it for just a few bucks if you ask nice. If you get near Peoria, IL, I will do it for free!
  24. I think he means it bounces when he puts it up and it bangs against the stop and then bounces back a time or two. Mine does that, I stop it by keeping my toe on the lever till it is almost all the way up. It won't hurt anything though. My lever was a little loose and a minor tightening of the bolt made it nicer and less "bounce" if I just flip it up.
  25. Service manual on my '86 says to fill to the bottom of the opening/threads on the fill hole. As mentioned the top thing is just a vent, and should not be removed. I use a large syringe that my wife gave me that she uses to give horses medicine. I put a clear vinyl hose on the end and can put in exact amounts at any angle without a mess. Takes a few fills of the syringe, but is a lot easier to work with. You can get these at any TSC, Farm & fleet or other large animal supply store or vet. I also use it to top off oil if necessary.
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