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Freebird

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Everything posted by Freebird

  1. Freebird
    These are all good suggestions. To me, probably the single most important thing about riding is FOCUS. Do not get distracted by the pretty lady walking down the street, the cool car parked on the side of the road, etc. You MUST be observant about what is going on and what MIGHT happen in front of or behind you. Basic defensive driving. I also want to point out another thing that some of you may not agree with. I know that we have some truckers here and to be honest, I sometimes think that they get the raw deal when it comes to placing blame. Most of you know that I'm on the road almost all the time and I can tell you that while there are a few bad truckers out there, there are far more very bad drivers of family sedans, pickups, etc. Those trucks do not stop on a dime and they take a lot of room sometimes to turn and perform other simple tasks. As I watch some of the idiot drivers that are running around in their sedans, coupes, etc., I can only imagine the challenge that some of them cause the truck drivers. When you hear about a bike or even a car accident where a truck turned in front of the rider or driver and there was a wreck, you can't always assume that it was the truckers fault. On our busy streets in some cities, if a truck waited until there was absolutely nobody coming from the other direction, we would have traffic jams that would grind our cities to a halt. The trucks simply can't make the turns where there are no lights quickly enough that oncoming traffic does not have to sometimes stop and wait for a few seconds or a minute. They have to wait until they do not cut somebody so close that they CAN'T slow down or stop and that's just the way it is. I say this from personal experience. About 12-14 years ago, I was living in San Diego. I was driving down the road one day when a Semi coming from the other direction turned in front of me. Luckily, I was driving a car and not a motorcycle at the time and locked up my brakes but couldn't stop in time. I ended up turning just enough to crash into the rear tires of the truck instead of going under the trailer. It didn't quiet total my car but came very close. Due to the fact that I had my seat belt on and my airbag deployed, I manage to walk away from it with no injuries. A couple of days later I got the accident report and was shocked that they found me to be at fault. I was very angry at the time and thought how in the world can I be at fault when he turned in front of me. The fact is though, after I cooled down and got over my denial, I knew that it was the right conclusion. I should NOT have been driving that day. I was having a personal problem and my mind was NOT on the road. I was looking away down another street and can't honestly say how long it had been since I had looked at where I was actually going. Had I been paying attention, I would have seen the truck making the turn and would easily have had time to slow down and even come to a normal stop had I needed to. They were able to tell by my skid marks and by how far back I had hit the truck and how far he was already through the turn that I had reacted much later than I should have. It was a just call on the part of the investigator. As I look back on it now, I am glad that some innocent trucker wasn't cited and his driving record negatively affected by my own failure to be observant. Had I been on a motorcycle that day, I would most likely not be writing this story. So...all I'm really saying is that riding a motorcycle requires complete focus and observance of what is going on all around you. You must anticipate what MIGHT happen at any time. The motorcycle safety course teaches much of this and I hope that everybody here who hasn't taken the basic course and the advance course does so as soon as possible. Sorry this was so long, but this is an important topic.
  2. Freebird
    Another that I remembered...and may be the one you were thinking of....is Tom Anderson. He was a VERY close friend of Eileen and I. We became friends through the MTA and he was a member here only for a short time before he cancer took him from us. I have added him also.
  3. Freebird

    "Caddy"

    Freebird replied to Pegstr's topic in In Memory Of

    Mike, Thanks for sending the picture of Cathy for the memorial page. You continue to be in our prayers.
  4. Freebird
    I'm sorry that I don't remember that. I hope that if so, somebody tells us who it was.
  5. Freebird
    Thanks. You can take a look at the one I'm using and see what you think of it. If you think something else would be better, go ahead and see what you can do.
  6. Freebird
    I did manage to find a picture on the Internet. I think it's a good picture but if any of you have one that you like better, just let me know. It is uploaded.
  7. Freebird
    Do any of you happen to have a picture of Gerry? I would sure like one to add to our memorial page.
  8. Freebird
    I do like that. I have the Firefly models on mine now but do prefer the wire type. The thing is, I have a matching FM antenna that they used to make...don't know if they still do or not. To make it look right, you would need an FM antenna that sort of looks the same if you use a dual setup.
  9. Freebird
    Yep..if you read until your eyes cross...it will finally explain that part. If you do not have an owners manual, you can download one here: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1828
  10. Freebird
    Here are some more pics that were taken by Jack.
  11. Freebird
    You can hook it directly into the wires behind the plate and it will work fine. It is recommended that you use an isolator however. If you ever get a short in the trailer wiring or something of that nature, the isolator will prevent any damage or losing the lights on your bike. Don
  12. Freebird
    So very sorry to hear this. I know that Sherry must be devastated. Please keep us posted.
  13. Freebird
    That's correct. Just get the polarity correct and you are good to go.
  14. Freebird
    ANYTHING that you add to the top of the antenna will affect the SWR. You adjust, then put the cap one, check and then remove and adjust again.
  15. Freebird
    Here you go. This one should work. Pin-out is the same as the Venture. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GL1800-GL1500-GL1200-Headset-Adapter-GL-1800-GL-1500-G_W0QQitemZ140112253020QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item140112253020
  16. Freebird
    Very unusual I think. I have never heard of a ball breaking off like that. Great example of why the safety chains are needed though. Glad you are OK and hope that I don't ever hear of that happening again.
  17. Freebird
    I have resized the pictures in that post. You may have to CTL and Refresh your browser for it to show the new page but it should fit on your page now. I won't do this with all threads but do want to try and keep our tech library looking good. Thanks for letting me know.
  18. Freebird
    OK...that's a perfect example and is exactly what I suspected. It is because the pictures are so large. The page has to widen in order for the pictures to fit. In that case, I will probably go back and resize the pictures but that is what causes it.
  19. Freebird
    Additional Pictures Submitted by GeorgeS Click on any image for a larger picture. http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/1%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/2%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/2b%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/3%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/4%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/5%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/5b%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/8%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/9%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/10%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/11%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/12%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/12b%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/12c%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/13%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/14%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/14b%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/14c%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/14d%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/15%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/15b%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/16%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/17%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/17b%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/18%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/19%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/20%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/21%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/22%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/23%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/24%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/24b%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/25%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/26%20(WinCE).jpg http://www.venturerider.org/forkseals/george/27%20(WinCE).jpg
  20. Freebird
    I have the Yamaha foam RoadStar grips on my RSV. I think it was Rick Butler who tried them first and then he sent me a set of them. They are fantastic. I tried the KuryAkyns for one long trip and they immediately came back off and my foam grips went back on.
  21. Freebird
    Somebody on here was looking for one just a few weeks ago.
  22. Freebird
    Are you absolutely SURE that it's the rear break? I've seen a number of these RSVs that the clutches cause that same feeling. After they are parked for a while..especially over night...the discs seem to stick and you have to rock it a bit to break it loose.
  23. Freebird
    I took the Advanced course on my '99 RSV when I was still in Dallas. It was well worth the time and was actually a lot of fun.
  24. Freebird
    Installing a Barons Tachometer on a Royal Star Venture Thanks to Tartan Terror for this excellent article. Installing a Barons tach on a RSV is actually not as difficult as I had anticipated. I did before I started call Barons tech line so that I could clear up any questions I had before I started. I was very glad I did. http://www.venturerider.org/tach/tach_files/image002.jpg I used the Barons Subsonic Mini tach but hook up on all of them are the same. For this model you get a tach, control unit and color change button. I decide to also get the Master Cylinder mount for a clean mount. You can mount yours anywhere you want. http://www.venturerider.org/tach/tach_files/image004.jpg One thing you will have to do is to extend the wiring from the tach if you mount it up on the handlebars. The cable down to the 4 pin connector is too short (Actually tells you this in the directions too) . I added about 8 inches by cutting the connector off and extending the wires. Im a stickler for clean connections for I soldered and covered the connections with heat shrink tubing. I also covered the wires with a wire loom type cover. http://www.venturerider.org/tach/tach_files/image006.jpg Remove the seat and tank as you will need to connect one of the ignition coils. Run the wires neatly to the ignition coil you will see on the right side of the bike just above the dog bone. http://www.venturerider.org/tach/tach_files/image008.jpg Remove the two bolts holding the ignition coil and pull the coil gently out to where you can get to it. In the Tach kit you will see two dividers to put two spade connectors on the coil. Next you will plug in the 4 pin connector. Connect the red wire from the control box to the red wire from the tach (the one in the 3 wire bundle not the 4 pin connector) by crimping them into a single spade connector. Slide this on the extra blade on the Red and Black wire on the coil. Next crimp a blade connector onto the green wire and slide this on the extra blade on the white wire side of the coil. Note: Check connecters before fitting it all together. Make sure the blades slide together. You may need to do a little filing for a good fit. Connect the black wire from the control box and black wire from tach (3 wire bundle). I soldered a short wire extention to these wires and then crimped on a loop connector. This is your ground. I connected this to the rear bolt on the coil holding it to the frame on reinstallation of the coil. http://www.venturerider.org/tach/tach_files/image010.jpg I installed the control box on top of the from with double sided tape. Choose the location for your control button and connect the wires from the button to the wire on the control box. I installed my button on the bars up near the right side controls. http://www.venturerider.org/tach/tach_files/image012.jpg Tuck all the wires out of the way and Reinstall tank and seat. Start bike and test. http://www.venturerider.org/tach/tach_files/image014.jpg Your done now go out and ride it like you stole it.
  25. Freebird
    Yes...I actually run mine in the "run" position. I sometimes don't notice when the low fuel light comes on so when the engine starts to sputter, I just reach down and switch it to reserve and keep on going. It usually takes 10 to 15 seconds before the engine starts getting gas again and I'm on my way.
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