924gtr

I gave the exhaust tips a quick look, too, and I thought they had an embossed "LA" logo on them. Could they be be from Baron's alter ego, LA Choppers? I wasn't very fond of the seat treatment. I thought it looked a little like an over stuffed sausage. The back side of the seat didn't seem very well thought out or finished. From the back of the bike you could see the fender loop that the pillion seat hooks into.

You can't see it in the pics, but my white '04 is parked directly behind this one. He (she?) had "Venture" on the saddle bags and all the correct stuff like the radio (Where were the antennas?) and the lower fairings. Only things missing were the trunk and antennas. Definitely a trunkless RSV.

This afternoon the group I was riding with Stopped in Prescott, WI at Cabana Joe's. This trunkless (and badgeless) '04 was in the parking lot. I know there has been some discussion on the forum about this. I never did find the owner so I have no information other than these pics. Enjoy!

Hi All, This thread has been dead for quite a while and this post just might bury it. Red Wing is pretty much out of the motorcycle boot business. Apparently it just wasn't profitable. Any RW motorcycle boots you find out there now will likely be closeouts. If there's a RW boot model you're particularly fond of, you might just want to rush out and find a RW store and look for them at a closeout price before they're all gone.

I was thinking the exact same thing! PLEASE, someone with bigger nads than me give it a try.

I have one from Kuryakyn that clamps to the handlebar. Has a lighter and a weather cover. I think it was about $60.

That's the best description I could make. The deer had apparently been grazing in an alfalfa field just prior to the whacking. The front of the bike was covered with the deers previous lunch, gut and blood. yuk! It just sort of exploded over the front of the bike.

Thanks again for all the well wishes. I'm totally bummed out about the bike. I don't know yet whether the insurance company will call it a total or not. I've seen bikes on those auction house web sites that sell salvage bikes that aren't nearly as wiped as mine is. I'm afraid it's a goner. I'm really sad because I had just recently gotten it where it was truly "MY" bike. I plugged the AIS and did the Jason mod. Which by the way I have to recommend doing both of those things. I had my Kuryakyn longhorn hiway pegs adjusted just right. Kuryakyn iso grips and a Ram mount for the GPS. The Utopia backrest was just right. It was GLORIOUS! In a sea of HDs it shone like a beacon from heaven. That wasn't all so bad, though. After we got home from the ER, I took stock in what was left. Lying in bed I cried like a baby. I could have lost my wife. My loving life partner for the last 28 years could have been taken from me by a hoofed rat. I'll never miss a chance to tell her I love her. Thanks again for your thoughts. -- Rick Paraphrasing the movie "The Replacements"... Pain heals, chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever!

Thanks for the well wishes. Does anyone know where I can get another '04 white RSV? I'm gonna really miss the ol' girl.

This time it's me. My passenger wife and I whacked a deer broadside at 55mph on Tuesday eve. My wife walked away and I got hauled in the ambulance on a backboard. A little roadrash on my hands and arms. Textile is NOT as good as leather. Helmets DO work. The worst of my injuries is that my back is sprained. CT scan showed no new injuries, just aggrivated old injuries. I firmly believe that the bike saved our lives. The rails did their job. We didn't get trapped on the bike. The deer sort of exploded. -- Rick

I too am a rather round fellow. I wear a couple different jackets. I got them both from motorcyclecloseouts.com . My all-weather jacket is a Fieldsheer Nevada. Nice jacket for the price. Waterproof. Well vented. The fleece liner, however, is really lame. It seems to be a rather poor quality fleece. I've done best by wearing another light jacket or sweatshirt under the Nevada and stayed plenty warm. The quality of the stitching on Fieldsheer products probably isn't a pretty as Joe Rocket or Icon, but it is certainly durable enough. I have 2 jackets (one is mesh), rain pants and armored riding pants that are all Fieldsheer products and am very happy with them all. All of them are textile. My wife has 2 jackets (one is leather) and she also seems to be quite happy with them. We've gotten all our jackets from http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com and couldn't be happier with the service. Make sure you checkout their "hot deals" and closeout deals. You can really save a lot of money. I almost forgot. When ordering Fieldsheer mens jackets, get a size larger than you would normally wear. I normally wear a 2XL but have had to get 3XL jackets. They seem to run a size small. -- Rick AKA 924gtr

I've been a member here only a short time and I'm surprised how many thread topics are near and dear. If you take a look at the upper right corner of my post you see why this one interests me. I have a friend that is an executive with Red Wing Shoes (us locals just call it "the shoe"). Infact, many of my riding friends are employees of the shoe. The motorcycle line was in fact created to compete with the H-D branded boots. Those H-D boots are made in China for Wolverine, Michigan company. Funny thing about it is that both brands of boots roll (or is that walk) off the same assembly floor. Draw your own conclusion whether one is better than the other. I wear RW 979s when I ride. I have now for over 2 years. They're just as comfortable today as they were when new and that is VERY comfortable. The vibram soles are made from a softer grade of rubber that really cushions foot impact on hard surfaces. The only real signs of wear are on the soles and some minor scuffing on the leather that can be dealt with by using polish or other leather care stuff. I also wear RW 965 steel-toes on the job. They are a great boot too. They have the same cushy vibram sole as the 979s. I got these because my job gives me an allowance of $100 for safety shoes. I absolutely hate wearing safety shoes, but it's better than broken feet. If you keep 'em mink oiled, wet and muddy conditions won't destroy them nearly as fast as if you don't take care of them. The soles aren't going to come apart from the upper just because of a little water. They're sewn together. Another thing that keeps shoes alive is having them fit by a shoe professional at a shoe store. If the shoe fits your foot correctly it will bend in the right place and work as designed. In case you were wondering, I don't get a sweetheart deal on Red Wings. I pay full price for my non-safety boots. -- Rick AKA 924gtr

I'm relatively new here to VentureRiders and just came across this thread. I also feel that I need to chime in because you're talking about my home turf. All the things you mention are true and if I may be so bold, Ill expand on some of them. The River - Can't beat it. All roads seem to lead back to the river so you can get back to your scheduled route. The Eagles - They're so many of them that most of us locals aren't really that enamored by them anymore. They seem to be almost as common as backyard squirrels. That's a bit of an exageration, but they are pretty cool to watch if you've never seen many of them. Locks and dams - They are really fun to watch when barges are going through. If you like girls in bikinis (and who doesn't) watching pleasure boats go through can be quite interesting. On really hot summer days it's better to go on the Minnesota side during the peak heat of the day. The bluffs shade the road and it's much cooler. The Wisconsin side is open to the sun almost the whole way. Eating places: (We don't generally go for "fine dining" when we're out on the bike.) On the Minnesota side: Hastings - RJ's Pub located just below the Mississippi River bridge in old downtown is great for "burger and fries" type of food. My wife likes their Buffalo chicken sandwich. Not bad prices, either. Red Wing - Andy's Bar located about 3 blocks off Hwy 61 on Plum St. My favorite is what they call a "buffalo fish" sandwich. Fried cod fillet with buffalo wing seasoning. They have 3 heat levels for the adventerous. I like the middle level of heat. Excellent. The Bierstube on Old Main St. Specializes in German cuisine and has a very full menu. Ok prices for good food. Liberty's at the stop light on the Minnesota side of the Mississippi River bridge. Very good menu of American favorites. I'm partial to the Ribs and Chicken dinner. The Roxx next door to Liberty's is an excellent burger and fries place. It's real tiny, though and you might not get a seat. Lake City - The Old Bank Bar in downtown is another place tha has good burgers and fries. Wabasha - Slippery's made famous by the movie "Grumpy Old Men" is pretty good, but I've only been there once and it was very busy and I'm sure that wasn't their best day. Pioneer Club located south of Wabasha buried away on some windy 2-lane road is a unique place. Go south of Wabasha on MN 30 until you see a sign pointing to the Pioneer Club and follow that way for several miles. Pay close attention because you could easily go right past it. Good food, live music on weekends, great prices. It's right on the river and the mosquitoes can get bad out on the deck in the evenings. Winona - There are a couple places downtown that are pretty good. Jefferson Pub and Bub's (pronounced boobs). They both have great food but Bub's keeps me coming back for their All-American burger. A half pounder with just about anything you can think of to put on it including a fried egg. I also really like the chili fries at Jefferson Pub. Both of these places are within a couple blocks of the river bridge. On the Wisconsin side: Nelson - The Nelson Cheese Factory is an absolute must-stop place. The worlds best ice cream. You can get a 2-scoop cone for a buck. Pepin - The Garden Pub & Grill is a semi-outdoor kind of place. Great burgers and great pizza. It looks like a park shelter house with only one real wall and open on 3 sides. to find it, just look where all the bikes are. There's another place that I can't remember the name of. It's something like "George and Martha's". Great home cookin' kind of food. And real inexpensive. This is where the local folks eat lunch. Maiden Rock - I'm going to put a plug in for my friend Tracy who runs a place called the Lakeside Bar. Great little bar with a real great clientele. No food except a free popcorn machine. It's located next door to Ole's Bar. This place is dicey at best. Last time I was there the food was great. I've heard from other folks that it's not so great. Seems that the ownership has changed a few times in the last couple years and quality goes up and down. Bay City - Mike's Baytown Bar has great food at good prices. They have a real good Friday Fish Fry and on Tuesday .25 Buffalo Wings. They also make the best bloody mary (virgin or real) on earth. I've rambled on long enough. There are a lot more things of interest on this route and I'll be more than happy to write about them if anyone cares. One other thing. Wisconsin has a lot more rest stops and overlooks along the river than Minnesota does. Not every stop has to be one where you spend money. -- Rick