1BigDog

....from buying a Harley. Yea, I know but this guy had a really mint low mileage 2005 Ultra with all the bling. His wife told me he was looking to sell it and I asked her to find out the price. KBB shows it as 8200 trade value, high retail is 14k so I figured somewhere in the middle of that would be a good price. She came back and said he wants over 15k for it. I could get a 2008-09 with the 96 engine and six speed for that price. His was the 88 with 5 speed. So I passed. I wasnt looking but this bike was exceptionally clean with only 13 on the clock. At least my RSV is paid for.......

There has been posts over the last year about joint replacements. I had mine done (right knee) about 1.5 years ago. If you are considering a replacement joint dont wait as long as I did. My quality of life suffered badly because I waited too long and I made life hard on those around me as a result. And even though the pain is sharply decreased and I cant kneel my overall well being is up over 100%. I will need a left knee shortly and my plans are to do it sometime next year then ease into retirement unless it fails completely like my right knee did. So, if you are looking into one, do your research, find the right doctor/hospital and get it done. There are different knee brands out there, just like bike parts. Some are chrome too! You wont regret it. But keep in mind that sometimes these things do fail. The following is a link to a forum that will address some concerns. They have been great with me as far as providing info and encouragement. http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/main.asp?webtag=onourfeet&nav=start&gid=2060019511

Most of you know that I have been a member here since Sept 2004 and have always been treated with respect even though I have ranted from time to time. Same goes for some of the other forums that I have belonged to. A little over a year I ago I bought my Mustang GT and sought out some Mustang Forums and joined most of them, all providing some camaraderie and helpful info so I could dump endless amounts of cash into the car (sounds familiar, right?). At some point I discovered a pretty hard core group of Mustang people with a pretty hard core forum so I joined. The have some pretty hard ground rules and have no problem calling someone a "f***tard" if they feel you did something wrong but they also have some great info to put out from some hardcore people who actually dump serious money into their cars. Over the few months that I have been there I have posted about 43 posts and was always treated with respect...until post 44. I inquired about headers and accidentally posted in the wrong section. Next day my post was moved, as I expected it would be and located it in the proper section. OK, great. I saw there were at least 8 posts....good. 5 of them berated me for either not doing a search, which I did, or posting in the wrong section and I was given a "Reputation Point" (demerit point, like in kindergarten) after I expresses my disbelief, nicely of course, on the forum. After several points you are banned. These points are usually given to someone who has caused harm to the site or ripped off someone or something of that nature. So, they awarded me a point for either posting in the wrong area or having the nerve to answer them back. Lets just say, my last post on that site is not printable here. I told them they may as well go ahead and ban me and I erased all of my info. Im just too old and not that kind of a lightweight to put up with this kind of crap. So, like I said, appreciate sites like this one because there are some really ****** up sites as well out there. Vent over......

Double Whammy Weekend here this weekend. On Sunday we celebrated my grandson, Gavins first birthday here. Those who remember my posts from last year know that he was born 2 months premature. He's doing great now and you can never tell that he was a preemie. Ill post some pics when my daughter sends them to me. We also celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary today with a 150 mile ride and a Rib Eye dinner. Ran along the ocean on A1A S, hung out at Vilano Beach into St Augustine then back to town to eat. She sure dont realize just how lucky she is.......

Freebird is selling his 99 RSV.....the world will never be the same now. Oh the humanity of it all.

My grandsons first birthday is coming up at the end of the month. He loves Mickey Mouse. Hallmark stores have a "Totally Ticklish Mickey" for about 30 bucks. However they are completely sold out here in town. Tried Amazon and they are also completely out of stock. If someone happens to see one in their Hallmark card store would it be possible for you to pick it up and send it to me? Naturally ill pay for all expenses. Its like Cabbage Patch dolls all over again..... I just need one...LOL Thanks....Jeff Totally Ticklish Mickey Mouse Stuffed Animal Hallmark Gold Crown Exclusive $29.95 Find A Store http://hallmark.ugc.bazaarvoice.com/8532-en_us/5_0/9/rating.gif 1 review Write a review Facebook Pinterest Twitter Google Plus http://www.hallmark.com/assets/images/icon-email-sm.png http://content.hallmark.com/hallmark-resources/ecommerce/logos/2612_pdp.png http://content.hallmark.com/hallmark-resources/ecommerce/finished-goods/13-06/images/totally-ticklish-mickey-mouse-anytime-stuffed-animal-1kid3185_518_1.jpg Listen to Audio Watch Video View Larger

Here are my thoughts after riding about 300 miles with the Vmax rear upgrade: I like the acceleration and around town riding. On the interstate however I like to cruise around 80-85. I find the engine winding pretty good at 75 now and I keep looking for that overdrive gear which is now gone so to speak. So, do I like it? maybe about 60%. Ill ride it until my rear tire needs to be replaced, which should be in another 11k and make a decision then as to whether I keep it or go back to stock. I still have the stock unit in the shed.

So, after many set backs, frustrations and a knee replacement the bike is finally finished for now. I have not ridden with the exception of 1 day last month since April 2011. One day that month my knee decided to lock up on me while I was riding to work and it was a pretty bad ride.I parked the bike until after I had my knee replaced the following Feb but never in my wildest imagination would I have thought the bike would have been down for so long. Somewhere, after all of the mods that I have done and all of the money I threw at her I lost interest. Didnt care if I ever rode again. I still worked on her when I felt up to it in the hopes that someday I would regain a spark of interest again. My Mustang took up some of my energy as I threw myself into the car for a while. Now that its where I want it to be I found some twinge of feelings toward the bike again. I never cut corners on the bike so if there was a short cut I would rather have let it sit as long as it needed to then short cut it along. If I did something to it, it had to be right, not half-assed. Well, today, after some help from Muffinman the bike is finally running like a new bike. All that was missing was a final tweak here and there and shes done (for now). By for now I mean that once I am satisfied that she stays running good then there are some cosmetic finishing that I need to do over the 1 month of winter. Polishing the engine fins, removing the chrome that is fading from some of the engine/carb billet covers and polishing them and also polishing the floor boards. ToyOdie also spent several hours with me adjusting the valves a few months ago with thanks to RandyR for the loan of his shim kit. Ill start front to back: Chrome front and back wheels, Polished R1 calipers, polished rotors, Polished beer cans, shaved and polished lower legs, polished lower tree, chrome upper tree and risers. Complete fork rebuild with all new innards as well as Progressive springs. Couldnt have done it without Rick Butlers advice and guidance. New neck bearings and races as well as new wheel bearings and seals. Flanders bars, extended Barnett throttle cables, SS brake/clutch lines all around. VMax rear, new EBC HH pads all around as well as fresh DOT 5.1 fluid. LED and HID lighting. Polished master cylinders and brake/clutch levers. Removed the cassette player and made a storage compartment. Polk 401 speakers all around. Dyna beads in both wheels...yes, they work great. Im sure im leaving something out but thats all I can think of for now. So, me and Jeffy took a nice ride out for some dinner. I needed to see how I felt on the bike after being off her for so long. I was a bit tentative at first but as I got reacquainted with her I realized just how much I have missed riding a bike. I still need a little more work on my rusty skills but that will come as I ride more and more. Sorry this was so long winded but I needed to get this off my chest.

Im posting this reminder here in case some of the newer members havent seen the thread in the M&E section. So far we have about 20 or so coming. There's always room for more. This is a great chance to put a face to a name and to honor a great member who was taken from his family and us way too soon. I need to notify the restaurant by Monday to hold a section for us. I plan on being there rain or shine. Ill cage it if I have to if the weather is really bad. Im not that tuff anymore. See the link below for more info. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=79762 Ruffy and Jean and possibly 2-3 other couples Brake Pad and wife M61AMECH (Steve) and wife Barrycuda and wife Tufftom Gez Grey Ghost and wife Rick Hayward??? brd7666 Peterbooth and wife Bodasefus

Had a set of stainless steel brake lines up front for a while now, along with a vmax splitter. One of the brake lines started to leak where it meets with the banjo. Rather then trying to replace the banjo I went ahead and ordered the proper ones from Galfer. I have to go back to the original splitter but that shouldnt be a problem. I never liked the way the old lines fit anyway. Fronts were several inches too long and looked out of place. The Galfers have the Y connection like stock. The top line I ordered 4 " longer to accommodate the Flanders bars. Should be here in a couple of weeks. Got them from Phatperformance.com Dealt with them for my Flanders bars and a few other accessories in the past. Good company to deal with. Anyone want the Vmax splitter I will consider selling it cheap.

My daughter entered her son, my grandson, in a cute kid contest. This is something from Gerber products. I would like to ask you all to please vote for him at the following link: http://www.thecutekid.com/photo-contests/20130729/photos-from-pretty-baby-1375109116 Please click on the "most cutest" button. Thanks!!!

http://dixiecrossroads.com/ As you know we are having our Florida Gunboat M&E August 31st in Titusville FL. Usually I dont recommend a restaurant until I have tried it. Steve K recommended it and while I trust him immensely I felt that I had to make the hard sacrifice and try it for myself, er, I mean the club.......So, after a trip to DeLand we headed to Titusville to make the ultimate in sacrifices. We arrived to a very nice sized parking lot. As we walked into the building there was a great outside waiting/seating area where there was a stocked pond flowing underneath. Good place to shoot the breeze afterwards. Inside was spacious with various rooms where we could have some privacy. Tables were spaced out as well, not giving off a cramped feel. Chairs were comfy, bathrooms were clean as was the whole place. Food was excellent. Wait staff was good too. Met all of my criteria for a M&E......so, lets get this show going. 1 month away. Lets try to pack the house. Heres the link to the M&E section here: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=79762

After some back and forth with Parts Shark via their online chat I thought I had the issue solved. When I received this e-mail with my return authorization # and all of the conditions they listed I was a bit upset. The online conversation only said that I had to return the part with its original label. I explained to the guy that the item was apparently re-packaged at some point and the original parts label was twisted, like it was opened once before. I also stated that the shipping box was stamped from the post office as having damage. So, once I received this email I immediately sent them an email (no, you cannot call them on the phone) breaking down our conversation vs the printed policy. Guess what....no response to two emails sent since last Thursday. Basically if I sent the part back and they determined that the packaging was not in good condition as per their rules they will send the coil back to me and charge me shipping both ways. They wont acknowledge my online conversation with Jason. I also protested their 30% restocking fee which is pretty excessive. I asked them to please contact me with some other options but no responses. So, after dealing with them for over 8 years I am giving them the steel toe boot. Years ago you were able to call them and speak to a real person. Now you cant even find a phone number on the site. So, while their prices are good their customer service sucks. Ill eat the coil rather then being burned. Hello Jeffrey, Please, go ahead and send back the parts you would like to return to: PartShark.com 1001 US HWY 31 South Greenwood, IN 46143 (RMA#: ******* YOUR RETURNED PARTS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN: 7-28-13 There will be 30% restocking fee subtracted from the price of the parts you are going to return (Shipping is not refundable)… the rest %70 will be refunded back to the same method of payment used when you submitted that order… Please, make sure that you read our return policy online. • Products must be in original packaging and undisturbed. • Products must be suitable to return to our supplier or ready for resell and in new condition. • Products must be free from all defects, not limited to scratches, dents, tears, wear, and writing. • Returns must include a copy of the invoice in the package. • RMA Number and Invoice/Order number marked clearly on the package(s). Thanks for shopping PartShark.com… http://us-mg205.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?mid=2%5f0%5f0%5f1%5f262045%5fAMPVimIAAJA5Uegr6wC6QB2J3Lc&pid=2&fid=Inbox&inline=1&appid=YahooMailNeo PartShark.com + Greenwood, IN 46143 * E-Mail: Info@PartShark.com

It turns out that by accident I ordered the front coil from Parts Shark rather then the rear one. It was one line apart on the fisch order form and while I dont think I did it PS insists thats what I did. They sent me a return # but also wants a 30% restocking fee. That works out to almost 20 bucks. Most places that I have dealt with have had maybe a 10% charge. I sent them an email protesting the 30% charge so ill see what they say. I have been buying from them for many years so ill see how they handle this one. That being said, if anyone here needs a new front coil for their 2nd gen i'd rather sell it to you then return it to PS. I paid 59 plus shipping. Ill let it go for 50, shipped in the US.

My #3 coil arrived today. Couldnt find anything on it in the repair manual. Muffin suggested that I come in from the left side with a long angle socket. That didnt work so I was poking around on the right side and removed the stebel horn which gave my mitts some access but not enough. Looks like if I drop the right muffler and Y exhaust pipe from the #3 head I will be able to access the allen head bolts. It would have been real nice if Yamaha welded the nut bosses on the other side of the bracket, facing toward the motor rather then facing the wheel. I could have accessed the dam bolts that way with just the stebel horn out of the way. Glad im doing it and not the dealer.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SteveW!!!! I know there will be many more to come......

Theres something wrong here in Florida when it costs MORE to renew your registration for your bike then it does for your SUV or Mustang. 71 for each car/suv and 79 for the bike. I asked the DMV chick whats up with that and she had no answer.......At least they could have given me a senior citizen discount or something. Im really looking forward to retirement in 2 more years....sheesh

As most here know the bike has sat for a while and I got her running pretty good but the other week, coming home from work she started to pop and miss while climbing up a bridge (under load) and as I got closer to home the popping was more prevalent while at low speed. It was suggested to me that my carbs may need to be colortuned as I had the air/fuel mixture screws out and they may not be set right. Today I was able to get around to colortune it and while I had the bike warming up I took a wet cloth and dripped water onto each pipe. Every pipe except #3 sizzled. #3 the water just ran off. So, does that sound like a bad coil to you? I could touch the pipe and it felt warm. Im thinking that after 14 years the coil may be bad after all. What are your thoughts on this before I order one?.

There are plans being considered to have a Memorial M&E to honor Gunboat here in Florida on August 31st. I know we are pretty much spread out over the state. Im up in Jacksonville, Brake Pad is way south, others are in the Tampa area. I contacted Steve and he made some recommendations. My usual spot in South Daytona has closed its doors and another favorite, Martins in Flagler Beach, N of Daytona may be far for some of the more southern members. One of the places Steve recommended is the Dixie Crossroads restaurant in Titusville. Food looks good as well as seating and parking. Not too far off of I-95 either. I would like to know how many are interested in attending this event to honor a truly special member. Personally I would like to see some of the turnouts that we have had in years past where upwards of 30 members would show up. So, any takers??? Ill post officially in the Meet and Eat section once we get plans firmed up. http://dixiecrossroads.com/

Sorry to report that the famous Slim Whitman has passed. For those who remember his voice coming from those late night commercials and were woke up harshly from the screech while you were snoozing in your recliner you will miss him. Actually he didnt sound bad and made quite a bit of money as well. http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-06-19/story/local-country-star-slim-whitman-has-died RIP and prayers sent to the family.

Well folks after 2 long years of not riding, between surgery, bad knee pain, and rebuilding the bike front to back I finally took her out for my first ride since April 2011. Man, it felt good. Im still a little shaky but the bike did pretty good overall. Took it to work and ill see how I feel riding home in the dark tonight. I still need to practice some as I have gotten a bit rusty but the summer is long and im sure ill make the time. Some of he mods includes a complete fork rebuild with new innards and Progressive springs along with 10w Amsoil fluid, new races and bearings, de-burred polished lower legs, beer cans and lower tree, chrome upper tree and risers, Chrome wheels front and back along with polished rotors, Flanders bars, Sky-doc's R1 caliper kit which I removed the powder coat from and polished the calipers as well, SS lines all around, new Clearview shield, VMax rear, valve adjustment and carb sync, cassette deck removal, Polk speakers front and rear and tons of small stuff to numerous to list. Plans as soon as it cools down are to polish the fins and dechrome and polish some older billet parts that are fading/peeling. Not bad for a 14 year old bike.

Im considering selling my Saddleman road sofa one piece seat with backrest for the RSV and was just seeing if there was any interest here before I place it on EBAY. I bought this from another member maybe 2 years ago and it was in excellent condition. I had it wrapped and stored away until I tried it on the bike today for the first time and I find it pushes me too far forward (im a big guy). Its a comfortable seat but I need to go back to my old Hartco seat. It fits my big butt much better. New this seat sells for close to 700 bucks. I also have the matching cover for the trunk back rest. Ill post some pics later on tonight.

Lessons learned I guess. It took me nearly 3 hours to install my new Clearview shield. 2.85 hrs cleaning it and .15 installing it. Why you may ask? I had ordered this shield back in Dec 2011 when they had a half price sale on their blem shields. I received the box and put it away in the garage where it sat until last night. Open the box, take out the tons of packing and place the shield on my table to remove the plastic over wrap. Should pull right off, right? Well it seems that after sitting in a hot/cold box for 1.5 years that plastic wrap will bond to the shield. Only thing that took off the residue was rubbing alcohol and microfiber towels and lots of patience. The stuff was all over the shield. Finally finished it and polished it good with All-Cleer polish and installed it this AM. Looks great now. This is my second Clearview shield. I bought my first one when they first began making them for the RSV, 2005 maybe? Loved it then but when I took the bike apart before my surgery I noticed that the bolt holes were spider cracking after 6 years and maybe 40k. Well I was pleasantly surprised to find the newer shield had addressed this issue with plastic spacers including longer bolts and rubber trim for the underside of the longer ends as well as a weatherstrip and redesigned bottom with the shield. Blemish was supposed to be located on the top edge but ill be damned if I could find it. Price then was 150 with the vent. Not bad for a nice shield. I still have the old one with a vent and if anyone in the area wants it its yours. Just need to pick it up. Bolt holes are not really bad and if it werent for the sale price id most likely still be using it.

I hope you all have a safe trip and great weather going to, at, and back from MD this year. Im sorry that I couldnt make it this year. I will make it a priority next year. Be safe!!!!

This concerns gas prices and what I will call a subtle way to gouge gas prices. I wonder just how many of you have noticed this at your area gas stations. For years there has been 3 grades of gas at the pump. 87, 89 and 93 (or maybe 91) and the prices for these different grades have always been about ten cents difference per grade. Lets say for arguments sake, $3.00 for 87, $3.10 for 89 and $3.20 for 93. This has been the standard for many, many years. In the last maybe 6 years every time the price of gas shoots up to near or over four bucks a gallon the price between these grades also goes up and when the price of gas finally settles down to the low to mid 3 buck mark the price between grades do not go back down but stay inflated. I have watched these prices from lets say 2 sharp price hikes ago settle down to the 15 cent a difference price. Now since the gas has hit the 4 buck price and came back down the prices between the grades are now 20 to 25 cents a gallon difference between the grades. Most of us may not notice this because the majority of the population uses 87 octane. I use 93 in my Mustang and I notice it pretty much so. One BP station here fluctuates his between grade prices by as much as 50 cents from 87 to 89. Mainly see this at the larger stations like BP, Shell and most of the larger stations but also I have noticed similar actions by smaller operations, say 18 cents difference. I spoke to some fuel haulers that I know and they cant explain it other then the oil companies will try and get away with it. I tried contacting some local consumer news advocates that are on the local stations who tout how they look for fraud and to let them know of any but so far none have even responded to any emails. Since after looking up the states definition of price gouging my beef does not fall into this criteria. I would usually just stay away from such stations but it seems that this is the norm now. I just cant get a rational explanation for this huge difference in prices. So, what are your thoughts on this?