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Freebird

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Everything posted by Freebird

  1. Freebird
    I'm so sorry to hear this. I've seen way too much of that dreaded disease over the past few years and sincerely know the affect that is has watching somebody who is fighting it. I wish I had some words to comfort you in this time of need but I always struggle to find the right ones. Just know that you, your mom and family are in our prayers.
  2. Freebird
    Sure, it will be the weekend though before we could get together. I'm open anytime Saturday, Sunday or Monday.
  3. Freebird
    Beautiful young lady. You should be very proud. Fantastic pictures also.
  4. Freebird
    I live just West of Cleveland in Oberlin. Would be glad to help you out.
  5. Freebird
    It is always nice to hear a story about a good dealer. I wish I could say the same for my local dealer. About 3 or 4 years ago, I think it was Sleeperhawk that ended up needing a tire upon his arrival to Maintenance Day. That was before I bought a tire changer and we started doing them here. I called the local Yamaha shop and was told that they did have a tire and if we wanted to bring the wheel in and leave it with them, they could PROBABLY get to it the following day. We ended up taking it to the local Honda shop that did it while he waited and for about $40.00 less. The Honda shop charges $30.00 I think and the Yamaha shop charges $75.00. Needless to say, not only did they not get his business but they don't get mine either. I will never darken their door unless it's an absolute emergency and they have the part I need on the shelf. It's a shame too because the service manager there is a GREAT guy and probably one of the best Venture mechanics in the country as he started riding them and working on them when they came out in '83 and knows them inside and out. He is truly a good guy but the owner of the place calls all the shots.
  6. Freebird
    Heck no...make her PAY PAY PAY. Congrats on the new bike though, I know she's gonna love it.
  7. Freebird
    Done. I copied the first two posts of this thread to the First Gen Tech Library. Great idea.
  8. Freebird
    Well that explanation actually makes more sense. I doubt that Avon is any better at manufacturing a perfectly balanced tire than anybody else.
  9. Freebird
    Well, I didn't find them on the Kohl's website but I did manage to find some on Ebay. Just ordered myself one. Here are some links. Some sellers are out of certain sizes so it just depends upon what size you need as to which seller to buy from. [ame=http://cgi.ebay.com/Yamaha-Motorbikes-Classic-Graphic-T-Shirt-nwt-XXL-2XL-/160607882238?pt=US_Mens_Tshirts&hash=item2564f9cbfe]Yamaha Motorbikes Classic Graphic T-Shirt nwt XXL 2XL | eBay[/ame] [ame=http://cgi.ebay.com/YAMAHA-Motor-Bikes-Licensed-T-Shirt-Mens-/260805572074?pt=US_Mens_Tshirts&var=&hash=item826498934b]YAMAHA Motor Bikes Licensed T Shirt Men's | eBay[/ame] [ame=http://cgi.ebay.com/Yamaha-Motorbikes-Classic-Graphic-T-Shirt-nwt-XXL-2XL-/160607882238?pt=US_Mens_Tshirts&hash=item2564f9cbfe]Yamaha Motorbikes Classic Graphic T-Shirt nwt XXL 2XL | eBay[/ame] [ame=http://cgi.ebay.com/YAMAHA-Motor-Bikes-Licensed-T-Shirt-Mens-/260805572074?pt=US_Mens_Tshirts&var=&hash=item826498934b]YAMAHA Motor Bikes Licensed T Shirt Men's | eBay[/ame]
  10. Freebird

    Trip to ER

    Freebird replied to BIG TOM's topic in Watering Hole

    Really sorry to hear it Tom. I'm always amazed at how simple things can sometimes cause such big problems. Hope the meds take hold fast and you get back to normal soon...well...as normal as you were before. In the meantime, if you have any bananas, they are supposed to be really good for whatever ails you.
  11. Freebird
    You can download it here: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=42357
  12. Freebird
    Yea, I read it. BUT.......you didn't ever say....are you going to BUY one or just complain about people discussing it instead of being our riding?
  13. Freebird
    Yea, I know it really didn't mean much. On the front one though, I DID check it after I mounted the tire and before removing the existing weight. The weights were the heavy part of the rim. So I removed the weights and that was STILL the heavy part of the rim. Ended up putting the new weight exactly opposite. As for lining up the "dot". Avon Venoms do not have a dot. They claim to be so well balanced that they don't need one.
  14. Freebird
    I had the Pioneers and then tried the Polks. Same results.
  15. Freebird
    Yesterday afternoon, I got around to installing the new Avons that I had ordered. Ran into something that I found a bit strange. I had my last set installed and balanced at a local shop. They didn't have much weight on them but what I found strange was that when I removed the existing weights and then put the the wheels with newly installed tires on my balancer, they showed to be HEAVY exactly where the weights had been. I found this on both the front and rear wheels. On both wheels, I ended up adding weight to the exact opposite side to where they had previously been. It leads me to believe that maybe the shop that balanced the last set didn't know what they were doing and actually had put the weights on the heavy side instead of where they should have been. I didn't notice any problem when riding it but there was only about 1 ounce of weights installed. Anyway, I got them done, new breaks installed front and rear, engine oil and rear end oil changed, rear splines greased, front fender rail that I bought from Pioneer at Maintenance Day installed. Polished the chrome this morning and it sure looks pretty sitting in the garage. Now I sure wish I had time to ride it somewhere.
  16. Freebird
    Folks...once feature that I hadn't mentioned was the exhaust. These bikes have a power actuated baffle system. There is a handlebar mounted rocker switch that you simply press one way or the other to take it from totally stock sound to a deep growling roar or anywhere in between. They sound fantastic.....just start it up and play with it a bit and you'll love it. Now...to find the starter button....hmmmmmmmmmmm
  17. Freebird
    Well, I tried it. Mine was just a cheapo 200 Watt amp that I actually mounted where the cassette player was. It boosted the volume in that I didn't have to turn the volume as high as before installing it but that was about it. Though I may have had the knob turned lower, it did nothing for the overall performance of the system. If I tried to play it any louder than I did before, the speakers wouldn't handle it so I ended up with the same volume and quality even though the know was lower. I removed it when I installed the Ponch Gauges.
  18. Freebird

    tires

    Freebird replied to newventure's topic in Watering Hole

    Yes, sorry about that. I've corrected my post.
  19. Freebird
    That is a nice shirt, I like it too.
  20. Freebird

    tires

    Freebird replied to newventure's topic in Watering Hole

    I am possibly being naive here but I just don't think that the tire manufacturers are cutting any corners that would result in a defective tire. The liabilities would be so high for them if that were the case and somebody was seriously injured or killed using such a tire. I just think that in the quest to manufacture a tire that provides the handling, grip, performance that is needed on a motorcycle while still trying to get an acceptable number of miles out of them is a critical balance. I do think that some of these manufactures turn a blind eye to some of the issues that are reported and just honestly think that we, the rider, are causing these problems. Metzler refuses to admit that they have a problem that causes the tires for our bikes to sometimes chunk pieces of tread. They want to blame the rider for improper inflation even though those same riders don't experience that problem with other brands of tires. Avon refuses to admit that they have a problem that is causing the sidewalls to crack on tires that are not past an acceptable age limit and sometimes with very low miles on them. They prefer to blame the rider for improper storage and various other reasons. Even though those same riders may have two or three bikes with tires of different brands stored in identical conditions with no problems with the other brands cracking. I have very little to say about the Bridgestone. They are so bad that they are not even worthy of consideration. There is really nothing that I can point to with the Dunlop tires. Some don't last as many miles as the other brands. The E3 seems to yield very good mileage but I have heard many reports that they are a bit noisy in the curves. That is simply a matter of tread design and could probably be easily corrected by them if they chose to do so. Some have also reported that they don't seen to grip quite as well in wet conditions. Other say that they grip very well so I don't know if they do or don't because I've never run them. I went back with the Avons in spite of the fact that my old ones did crack. I'm just hopeful that this new set does not do so. I like the performance, quietness, longevity better than any tire that I have personally used so decided to give them one more chance. If these crack prematurely, I will try to Avon to replace them with another brand and will likely try the E3 unless Michelin comes out with a new Commander in the meantime, then I would probably try it again.
  21. Freebird
    That's OK Rick, It was all getting confusing to me also.
  22. Freebird
    and I'll explain it ONCE more..... TRUST ME!
  23. Freebird
    Listen folks...I'm thinking that SOME of you are trying to take advantage of me. I tell you what, I'm going to include FREE shipping to anywhere in the world. The only thing is, when I say it is there....IT IS THERE. You gonna just have to trust me.
  24. Freebird
    Really sorry to hear this news and I hope that they both heal with no complications. They will certainly be in our prayers.
  25. Freebird
    Rick, WHO is coming by your place? If you are talking about Jonas and Greta, I don't think they are coming that way. They left here about an hour ago and were headed East.
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