Freebird

I agree. I wouldn't worry about it. You have a lot of warranty left and if there are any major problems. they will show up long before it runs out.

I think that they were actually made by Rivco. Unfortunately, Rivco has ceased production on most of that stuff.

I was talking to a truck driver last week. He drives for FedX and told me that a lot of the large trucking companies are laying drivers off. He also told me that DHL is completely giving up on the US market. The DHL part really doesn't surprise me. I've NEVER had a good experience with their service.

I would like to think that they would respond but don't get your hopes up. Yamaha Canada attended our rally there and were a fantastic group of folks. Yamaha USA won't give us the time of day. I've written to them, emailed them, etc. inviting them to visit our site. I know that they have but I've never gotten a single response from Yamaha.

Yes, got it thanks. I am on the road until Thursday. Will get it out on Friday.

Just got off the phone with Squid Boy. They just crossed over into Ohio after coming through Parkersburg.

Well...I think they are hood ornaments and I've seen them before but can't think of what they were on. hmmmmmmmm

Just wanted to let you all know that I still have plenty of VentureRider Guardian Bells available. They make GREAT Christmas presents. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=17406

Steve, You have done an outstanding job on those entries. Far better than the meager information that I had started with. Thank you for taking the time.

I think that they both turned out great and just wish that I could have been there to see it. I'm really proud of you both. VERY nice.

There is no write up at this time. I hope to get around to doing mine in the next few weeks and if I do, I'll take pictures this time. You do have to unbolt the inner fairing from the bike. I just unbolted mine and hung it with a rope from the ceiling leaving all the wiring and etc. connected.

Folks...we haven't talked to them yet this year about a group rate so I would suggest holding off for a few days. We'll let you know when it is all setup.

Well here is what I use. You also have to get a case that uses the button type clip on the back or add a button to an existing case. I'm sure there are more elegant solutions but this one has worked for me now for several years. Like I said, it is not a solid mount so allows the IPOD to work without absorbing all the vibration. http://www.marware.com/PRODUCTS/Case-Accessories/Bike-Holder

I've mentioned this before but will do so again. If all you are doing is tightening them, then you are making a mistake. Tightening is OK for a temporary fix but to do it right, you need to drop the front end and repack the bearings. Yamaha is about as stingy on the grease with the head bearings as the are on the rear splines/pins. They do not come with adequate grease. If you are having to tighten them that often, then you are wearing the bearings out and may well need replaced by now. You drop the front about 4 or 5 inches to remove and repack the top bearing. The bottom one will drop down far enough that you can pack it in place without completely removing the front forks. They need to be repacked properly. Not that difficult to do but a time consuming job. I've done it a couple of times and it's probably a 6 hour or so job. Much easier on the first gen Venture. When I do it, I remove the rubber washer when re-assembling it. All that washer does is allows you to line up the locking tabs on the top nut. I reassemble without it and get them to line up by very lightly sanding the top nut until the slots line up for the locking tab.

Swifty, As far as I know, your post was not deleted. I didn't see it and have no idea what might have happened. Don

I agree that there is a good chance of destroying them trying to get them out. I'm not sure if they are press fit or glued in with something. I guess if it were me, I would try rigging up some sort o slide hammer. Maybe a long bolt with something fairly heavy that you can slide the bolt through and then screw it into the bushing.

You are in good shape then. All you HAVE to have is a 1/8" stereo patch cable. You can pick them up at any Radio Shack. Just plug one end into the headphone jack of your Nano and the other into the jack on the cassette player. Then put the audio system on AUX. Many of us split the fairing and put a splitter inside and run a new cable out to plug into. That just enables you to use it without the Cassette door being open all the time. There is a write-up on that procedure in the Second Gen Tech Library.

Well, it has rained here all day today and we are supposed to get some snow mixed with rain on Sunday. BUT....Eileen and I got in a nice 200 mile ride yesterday evening. We decided to take advantage of what may have been the last really nice riding day for a while. Took a nice ride via the backroads down to the Loudenville and Berlin, OH area. Amish country with a lot of antique shops and etc. Had a very nice time. Got home later last night and it had gotten a bit cool but we were dressed for it and had a great ride.

Hey guys...he said "EARLY" Venture. I looked at his profile and his is an '83. The 7 lbs. is for the second gen. My bet is that the springs are shot. They just weren't designed to last for 25 years. Replace them with some new Progressive springs and you'll be very happy.

I don't have one that you can rent but I have one that you can borrow. You just have to figure out if it's worth the trip to the Cleveland, OH area to get it and bring it back. Otherwise, you are welcome to it.

I've used an IPOD on my bike for several years. It really depends upon which IPOD you have. If you have the older "hard drive" type like I do, then I recommend not mounting it to solidly. A lot of people have experienced hard drive failure due to vibration. If you have the IPOD Nano with the flash drive then it won't be a problem. Now with my old style, I use a handlebar mount made by a company called Marware. It allows the IPOD to just hand like it would from your belt, not solidly mounted. I've never had any problems caused by vibration and I think its because the IPOD is able to move and not absorb the bumps and vibrations from the bike.

Well, first of all, I do not claim to be a computer expert. I got interested in them though when I was still an electrician. During the end of my time with Texas Utilities Generating Company, a big part of my job was converting analog relay circuits to PLC controllers. I had to take some courses and learn ladder logic programming. That was the start of it all and then I just developed an interest in PCs and it hasn't stopped. It has always been nothing more than a hobby for me and everything I know about personal computers has come from not being afraid to break something. I have spent many long hours trying to fix something that I broke due to messing with things that I knew nothing about.

I'm white collar now but was blue collar for many years. Worked as an industrial electrician for about 20 years. Guess I moved into the white collar world about 15 or 20 years ago. I actually miss the blue collar at times. In some ways, life seemed much simpler then.

I'm not sure about the RSTD but my '99 RSD had a spot weld holding the insert in. Check this thread. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=11122

This was sent to me by my old friend Dan'l Lowery. I think it was posted long ago but is worth posting again. A LOT of truths here. Motorcycle Wisdom – Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul. Most motorcycle problems are caused by the nut that connects the handlebars to the saddle. Life may begin at 30, but it doesn't get real interesting until about 90 mph! You start the game of life with a full pot o' luck and an empty pot o' experience... The object is to fill the pot of experience before you empty the pot of luck. If you wait, all that happens is that you get older. Midnight bugs taste just as bad as noontime bugs. Saddlebags can never hold everything you want, but they CAN hold everything you need. It takes more love to share the saddle than it does to share the bed. Blacktop or concrete is hard and hurts when you hit it at 55mph\\ The only good view of a thunderstorm is in your rearview mirror. Never be afraid to slow down. Don't ride so late into the night that you sleep through the sunrise. Sometimes it takes a whole tankful of fuel before you can think straight. Riding faster than everyone else only guarantees you'll ride alone. Never hesitate to ride past the last street light at the edge of town. Never do less than forty miles before breakfast. If you don't ride in the rain, you don't ride. A bike on the road is worth two in the shed. Respect the person who has seen the dark side of motorcycling and lived. Young riders pick a destination and go... Old riders pick a direction and go. A good mechanic will let you watch without charging you for it. Sometimes the fastest way to get there is to stop for the night. Always back your bike into the curb, and sit where you can see it. Work to ride & ride to work. Whatever it is, it's better in the wind. Two-lane blacktop isn't a highway - it's an attitude. When you look down the road it seems to never end – but you'd better believe it does! Winter is Nature's way of telling you to polish. Keep your bike in good repair. Motorcycle boots are NOT comfortable for walking. People are like motorcycles: each is customized a bit differently. Sometimes, the best communication happens when you're on separate bikes. Good coffee should be indistinguishable from 50-weight motor oil. The best alarm clock is sunshine on chrome. The twisties - not the superslabs -separate the riders from the squids. When you're riding lead, don't spit. When your following, lookout for airborne objects A friend is someone who'll get out of bed at 2:00 am to drive his pickup to the middle of nowhere to get you when you're broken down. Catching a yellow-jacket in your shirt at 70 mph can double your vocabulary. If you want to get somewhere before sundown, you can't stop at any taverns. There's something ugly about a NEW bike on a trailer. Don't lead the pack if you don't know where you're going. Practice wrenching on your own bike. Everyone crashes. Some get back on. Some don't. Some can't. Don't argue with an 18-wheeler. Never be ashamed to unlearn an old habit. A good, long ride can clear your mind, restore your faith, and use up a lot of fuel. If you can't get it going with bungee cords and electrician's tape, it's serious. If you ride like there's no tomorrow, there won't be. Bikes parked out front mean good chicken-fried steak inside. There are drunk riders. There are old riders. There are NO old, drunk riders. Thin leather looks good in the bar, but it won't save your butt from road rash if you go down. The best modifications cannot be seen from the outside. Always replace the cheapest parts first. You can forget what you do for a living when your knees are in the breeze. Patience is the ability to keep your motor idling. Biker's know why dogs stick their head out the window. There are two types of people in this world, people who ride motorcycles and people who wish they could ride motorcycles. Never try to race an old geezer; he may have one more gear than you. Gray-haired riders don't get that way from pure luck.