Freebird

You will find good dealers and bad dealers regardless of the brand. I always HATED walking into my local Yamaha dealer. I seldom did unless it was an absolute emergency that I needed something and then they usually didn't have it. The exception was the service manager. He is a great guy and rode Ventures for many years. He knew his stuff but unfortunately seldom actually did any of the work any longer and often had his hands tied as to what he could do by the arrogant owner of the place. Even if you asked a favor, for example when one of our members at MD wanted to go down and have a tire put on because his developed a problem on the way, we were told to drop it off and they would troy to get to it in a day or two. The local Honda shop did it while he waited and for half the cost. I had a Yamaha dealer in Texas that was excellent at the time but I've walked into several that never even approached me to say hello. Same with the Harley dealers. Most have gotten better over the past few years but there are still those out there that think they are doing you a favor by even acknowledging your presence. I'm finding that most are very good now though.

I agree. It is stupid. It is also very likely that the flags had nothing to do with the issue but they are using it as an excuse to deny the claim. In my opinion, this comes down to a dealer issue. I know of some riders, of HD, Yamaha and other makes, that have been told that pulling a trailer will void their claims for certain issues. Clutches, transmissions, etc. More than one Yamaha dealer has stated that fact and even the manual states that trailers should NOT be pulled. I have a hitch on my Harley and my service department told me that they simply look the other way. I've had some Yamaha dealers tell me the same thing. In the end, it often comes down to knowing and having a good dealer. To be fair though, I know of some Yamaha dealers who have denied warranty claims for some pretty stupid reasons and it is usually because they call Yamaha corporate instead of taking care of the issue in house.

Geeze....I'm glad that I'm not the sensitive type. You guys need to come over for a visit. I can take you to several Harley dealers within a few minutes of here that have plenty of bikes on the floor. You can choose about any model and color you might want and ride off on it that same day. Now as for the clothes and other stuff. I love it. Yes, I have two HD coats, a number of shirts and Eileen does also. I love being able to walk into most any HD dealership and being able to buy and walk out with not only clothes but pretty much any accessory that I might want. For me, it's not just a Harley thing. I would have loved to been able to buy RSV clothes, accessories and etc. so easily. The fact is, they just offer very little and what they do offer you pretty much always had to order it and wait, sometimes for MONTHS, to get certain things. I did end up with a couple of shirts and ONE generic Star jacket but that was about it. Most of the metric companies are just very poor at marketing their great bikes. I'm sorry, I'm not bashing the Yamaha. I loved the RSV and it will always be one of my most loved rides but Yamaha has very little vision when it comes to marketing. Add to that the fact that they started discontinuing many of the RSV accessories several years before they even discontinued the bike and it just makes you shake your head and wonder what the heck they are thinking. Yes, I love the shirts, caps, jackets, etc. regardless of the make that I'm riding. I've met and made many friends over the years due simply to the fact that I would be in a store or wherever and somebody would comment on a shirt or cap and start talking about bikes. It's not about advertising for the company but often about meeting people who share your interests. Now I'm going to my corner and nurse my wounds.

Should be 27mm. I have one if you want to stop by and borrow it.

What year is the co-workers bike? The '99 models had crap antennas that often did that. They changed the design in 2000.

A big thanks to djh3 for this excellent article on converting to the Mr. Gasket 42s fuel pump. Replacing OEM Fuel Pump with Mr Gasket 42s Parts Required · Mr Gasket 42s · 1ea 1/8 in. x 1/8 in. Lead-Free Brass 90-Degree MPT x FPT Street Elbow (lfa-712 Home Depot) · 1ea 1/8 in. x 1/8 in. Lead-Free Brass 90-Degree FPT x FPT Elbow (lfa-700 Home Depot) · 1ea 1/8” Brass hex nipple. (lfa-714 Home Depot) I took the Mr Gasket 42s fuel pump and a dremel tool and cut along the edge of the mounting tabs. Cut carefully so as to not damage the pump. If you see sparks your to deep. http://www.venturerider.org/mrgasket/mrgask1.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/mrgasket/mrgask2.jpg Once you get a nice line across both halves, take a flat bladed screwdriver and insert into the line you have cut. Give it a little twist, you should hear a pop or crack sound of the plastic separating. As you can see in the second picture I used the provided fuel filter also. I needed the length to get back to the supply side anyways and it was free and just put a second filter in the system. I figured no harm. http://www.venturerider.org/mrgasket/mrgask3.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/mrgasket/mrgask4.jpg The two pumps are fairly close in comparison. The OEM is approx 2” in Diameter and the Mr Gasket is 1.5” once the plastic case is removed. I looked for a 1.5” adel or “P” clamp but couldn't find one. So I use good old plumbers strap and some black electrical tape and heat shrink to make a bracket to hang the pump from. You will probably have to rearrange the line to the carburetors a little to keep from kinking it. I had to move it to the outside of the plastic thing it runs in behind the fuel tank coming towards the pump/seat area. http://www.venturerider.org/mrgasket/mrgask5.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/mrgasket/mrgask6.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/mrgasket/mrgask7.jpg Once its all settled in I tightened up the clamp and double checked to make sure I didn't have anything rubbing or chaffing. Pump against something or a fuel line against something that could later give problems. I did install some anti-chaff tape on the fuel line on the opposite side as it was laying against a bracket slightly by the water tank. I found it easiest to remove both side covers, the forward cover that they connect to and the overflow tank so I had room and could see what I was doing, On the final fit with the front cover installed, make sure everything fits inside. http://www.venturerider.org/mrgasket/mrgask8.jpg http://www.venturerider.org/mrgasket/mrgask9.jpg

Most likely the clutch spring is weak. Easy fix.

Wish I could help but hopefully somebody will see this and respond.

I'm sorry but it was a long time ago that I did that. It was either 5/8" or 3/4" but I'm not sure now.

No sure what I did but you are certainly welcome.

I don't think so. Rick Butler is a member here. You might send him a private message.

Well I just cancelled it. To me it was a 7.00 a month waste of money.

Do any of you use the Nav Traffic on your Garmin? I'm thinking about canceling it because it seems to be totally useless to me. Here is a typical scenario. A couple of weeks ago my wife and I were headed north on 71 between Columbus and Cleveland. It was a construction zone and there was some kind of little accident ahead of us. We hardly move for almost 2 hours. Nav Traffic never showed a problem...never a peep out of it. We finally got moving and were almost home. Turned off highway 58 onto 303 and there was not a car anywhere in site. That was when it said "TRAFFIC AHEAD". Didn't see a single car between then and the time we pulled into the driveway. This is not the only time it has happened. It is a regular thing.

HEY...HOLD IT RIGHT THERE! How many RSV riders have had the shifter fall off due to the bolt backing out? How many have had the bolts back out on the rear fender struts? How many have found the trunk prop mechanism laying in the bottom of the trunk? Gas cap screws in the gas tank. Now stop picking on me.

The early models came with a push button switch but it was NOT pre-installed on the bike. It came with the passing lamps and could have been installed anywhere or not installed at all. A lot of people, me included, did install them in the fairing right beside the 12 volt outlet but that is not a given. It just depends on who installed them.

I think that TriStar was company founded by Rick Butler and a man named Dave Henderson. If that is the one, then no, they shut it down several years ago.

I intended to use a decibel meter to check the noise level before and after but got anxious to get started and forgot. I do think that it's a little louder though. It almost has to be with that solid chunk of convertor removed. Unfortunately, it has rained for the past two days and I haven't gotten the chance to ride it yet. As for losing 70 lbs., I doubt it. Everything is the same except that the new header was cut open and the convertor removed and then welded back together. I don't know what the convertor weighed but I doubt it was more than a couple of pounds. Of course I know you are probably talk about the stuff that I removed to get it down. It is all back on now smarty pants.

We all face hard times at some point in our life. At this time, Brown Angel and Lori and facing some tough obstacles. They have not asked for help but I know that they need it. They are making a big move today. Headed to either North or South Carolina, don't remember which but I know they have been trying to sell all that they can to make the move. Angel has a job there and they are on the way. They have no physical address yet but if you wish to and are able to help and can use PayPal, I know it will be much appreciated. You can PayPal to Lori at briante64@gmail.com Every little bit adds up. Thanks, Don

Finally got around to changing the headers on my Road Glide. The later model Harley's put the convertor in the pipe, not the mufflers. It is located right in front of the passengers footrests and creates a LOT of heat. Changed the headers and it runs so much cooler. Tests that I've read says that it lowers the running temp about 20 degrees but I think the heat right on the right side by the passengers feet was much more than that. First picture shows the new head installed and the old one sitting on the garage floor. Second picture shows heat shields re-installed and ready to go.

Ace High Leathers is nothing short of fantastic. Nanci is GREAT to work with and offers very high quality items.

No, unfortunately not. Only the blue, silver and blacks can be lowered.

Finally got around to making my hotel reservations for the International. Have you? It's closer than you think and we really need to start talking it up. It is going to be a beautiful area and a fantastic time for all. Don't miss out on this opportunity to meet other members and take some great rides.

WOW...mine was almost it's twin. Maybe the vehicle I would most like to have back.

Hey, that works for me. Now we have to talk Eileen into it. NOT likely.

Those in the Ebay listing posted are for the Softail. I don't think they would work on the RSV. You need their touring mufflers.